英國(guó)語(yǔ)文第五冊(cè)(雙語(yǔ)):格陵蘭島(2)

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The northern Esquimaux live in houses built of snow or ice; but the huts in the south of Greenland are made of stone or wood, and covered with brush, turf, and earth. In the summer they live in tents made of skins. It is not uncommon to find several families crowded together in the smallest possible space, where they eat, drink, and sleep, with fish and flesh lying all around, and dogs reposing on every side.

北方的愛斯基摩人住在冰或雪建造起來(lái)的房子里；但是格陵蘭島南部的棚屋則是用石頭或木頭建造的，上面覆蓋著灌木叢，草皮和土。夏天，他們會(huì)住在獸皮搭制的帳篷里。人們可以經(jīng)?？吹竭@樣的很常見的場(chǎng)景：幾個(gè)家庭擠在一個(gè)狹小的空間，吃，喝，睡都在一起，魚和肉遍布于他們的周圍，獵狗隨處可見。

The food of the Esquimaux includes almost every animal found within their region, but the seal and the walrus are their principal support for nine months of the year. Their improvidence often reduces them to terrible straits. Captain Parry speaks of meeting with some who had no food, and who, to keep themselves from starvation, were devouring the very skins which composed their clothes!

愛斯基摩人的食物幾乎包括了他們居住區(qū)域內(nèi)所有的動(dòng)物，但是海豹和海象是它們一年內(nèi)長(zhǎng)達(dá)九個(gè)月的主要食物。浪費(fèi)現(xiàn)象常常讓他們處于可怕的饑餓困境之中。隊(duì)長(zhǎng)帕里曾經(jīng)說(shuō)過，他曾遇到過幾個(gè)沒東西吃的人，為了免于餓死，他們甚至在吞噬自己身上做成衣服的獸皮!

The children are carried about by the mother very carefully on her back, in a fur hood, until they are two or three years of age, and then they take care of themselves, being expected to imitate what they see their elders do. A boy very early has a bow and arrows put into his hands, that he may practise shooting at a mark. Towards his tenth year his father provides him with a kayak, that he may initiate him in the arts of rowing, rising, oversetting and coming up again, fowling, fishing, and all those dexterous feats in which he is himself skilled. In his sixteenth year he is expected to accompany his father in seal-catching; and his first seal is made the occasion of great festivity. The girls at fourteen years of age are required to sew, cook, and dress leather; and two or three years later they must learn to row the woman's boat, and build houses!

愛斯基摩族的母親們把自己的孩子放在一個(gè)皮袋子里，小心地隨身背著他們，直到孩子兩三歲后，父母才期望他們能模仿著大人的樣子自己照顧自己。男孩的手里很早就握有弓和箭，而且還會(huì)在標(biāo)記的地方練習(xí)射箭。等到孩子十歲時(shí)，父親還會(huì)給他一個(gè)愛斯基摩人用的小皮艇，讓他開始學(xué)習(xí)劃船，學(xué)著如何逆流而上，學(xué)著如何在翻船之后再次準(zhǔn)備出發(fā)，還讓他學(xué)習(xí)捕鳥、釣魚等其他必備的生存技巧。等到了十六歲，他就要隨著父親出去捕獵海豹；而他捕獵到的第一只海豹?jiǎng)t會(huì)迎來(lái)一場(chǎng)歡宴。女孩們十四歲時(shí)就要學(xué)會(huì)縫補(bǔ)、烹飪。并且開始穿皮裝；兩三年后，她們必須學(xué)會(huì)劃行女人使用的船并且還要學(xué)會(huì)建造房屋！

The traffic of the Greenlanders is, of course, limited to a very small number of articles. They not unfrequently load their sledges and boats with various commodities, and start off with their families on a trading expedition. They often stay away for a year or more, during which time they build a house in the neighbourhood of some settlement.

當(dāng)然了，格陵蘭人的交通局限于一個(gè)非常狹小的范圍內(nèi)。他們經(jīng)常駕馭著載有各種物品的雪橇和小船，帶著全家人行進(jìn)在物品交易的探險(xiǎn)征途上。他們常常離家一年多，期間他們會(huì)在附近建造一所房子做暫時(shí)的安頓。

They rarely cheat, much less rob, each other; but they think it fair, and even to the credit of their shrewdness, to cheat Europeans, or steal from them all they can! The blubber and skins which they sell to them are in exchange for almost any article manufactured from iron or steel. They are ignorant of the value of gold, which they do not prize more than tin or brass; but iron, in any shape, is invaluable to them.

愛斯基摩人之間很少會(huì)相互欺騙，更不會(huì)去搶劫；但是，他們相信自己的精明，欺騙歐洲人，或者說(shuō)從外人身上偷些東西等行為，在他們看來(lái)，這都是公平合理的，他們甚至堅(jiān)信這樣做是正確的！他們賣給歐洲人的鯨油和皮子都用來(lái)交換鐵質(zhì)或鋼質(zhì)的各種物品。他們對(duì)黃金的價(jià)值一無(wú)所知，覺得它的價(jià)值不高于錫或黃銅；但是，對(duì)他們來(lái)說(shuō)，任何形狀的鐵都是非常貴重的。

The Esquimaux are not without their festivities. The chief of these is called the Sun Feast, at the winter solstice, to celebrate the reappearance of the sun, and the renewal of hunting and fishing opportunities. Throughout the country they assemble together in companies, and do their best in the way of entertainment.

愛斯基摩人并非沒有自己的節(jié)慶活動(dòng)，其中最主要的就是太陽(yáng)節(jié)——冬至那天，他們會(huì)慶祝太陽(yáng)的再次出現(xiàn)，并且會(huì)慶?？梢曰謴?fù)狩獵和釣魚活動(dòng)。那天，全體的愛斯基摩人都聚集在一起，盡情娛樂享受。

The perfection to which the Esquimaux carry such work as they attempt is quite wonderful, when we consider the scarcity of material and the want of emulation and of any division of labour among them. Their houses are built with mathematical regularity, and are well adapted for securing warmth and protection against the encroachments of the weather.

當(dāng)我們考慮到愛斯基摩人資源的匱乏，競(jìng)爭(zhēng)的需要，以及當(dāng)中勞動(dòng)分工的需要時(shí)，他們從事這些工作的完美就相當(dāng)絕妙了。他們按照數(shù)學(xué)的規(guī)律來(lái)建造房屋，讓其很好的適應(yīng)保溫，免受惡劣天氣的侵襲。