英語聽書《白鯨記》 第234期

Like most old fashioned pulpits, it was a very loftyone, and since a regular stairs to such a heightwould, by its long angle with the floor, seriouslycontract the already small area of the chapel, thearchitect, it seemed, had acted upon the hint ofFather Mapple, and finished the pulpit without astairs, substituting a perpendicular side ladder,like those used in mounting a ship from a boat atsea. The wife of a whaling captain had provided thechapel with a handsome pair of red worsted man-ropes for this ladder, which, being itself nicelyheaded, and stained with a mahogany color, the whole contrivance, considering what manner ofchapel it was, seemed by no means in bad taste. Halting for an instant at the foot of theladder, and with both hands grasping the ornamental knobs of the man-ropes, FatherMapple cast a look upwards, and then with a truly sailor-like but still reverential dexterity,hand over hand, mounted the steps as if ascending the main-top of his vessel.

象大多數(shù)的老式講壇一樣,這個講壇很高,這樣高的講壇,如果搭上一個普通的踏級,跟地板形成很大的一個角度,勢必大大縮小這個本來面積就很小的教堂的地位,因此,那個建筑師似乎按照梅普爾神甫的示意,而造了一只沒有踏級的講壇,只在旁邊加上一只垂直的靠梯,跟在海上從小艇攀上大船時所用的軟梯一樣。一個捕鯨船長的太太給這個小教堂送來了一副相當漂亮的用壞了的紅色舷門索做梯子,那副繩索,因為索頭本來就編結得很好看,而且染著一種赤褐色,所以整個裝置,配上小教堂原來那種格調(diào),倒也毫無不當之處。梅普爾神甫在梯腳停了一會后,雙手抓住舷門索上的裝飾品似的結頭,先把眼睛往上一望,再以一種真正的水手式卻又不失牧師身份的靈巧身段,手換著手,登上梯級,仿佛登上他的船只的大桅樓。

The perpendicular parts of this side ladder, as is usually the case with swinging ones, were ofcloth-covered rope, only the rounds were of wood, so that at every step there was a joint. Atmy first glimpse of the pulpit, it had not escaped me that however convenient for a ship, thesejoints in the present instance seemed unnecessary. For I was not prepared to see FatherMapple after gaining the height, slowly turn round, and stooping over the pulpit, deliberatelydrag up the ladder step by step, till the whole was deposited within, leaving him impregnablein his little Quebec.

這張靠梯的兩邊,象通常那種搖搖擺擺的軟梯一樣,是用包布的繩索做成的,不過,因為踏級是用木棍做成的,所以每一級都有一個接節(jié)。當我初眼瞥到這個講壇時,立刻就看出這只靠梯盡管用在一般船只上很方便,可是用在這里,這些接節(jié)似乎都是多余的。因為我料不到會看到梅普爾神甫在爬到了上邊后,又慢慢轉(zhuǎn)過身來,蹲在講壇邊,慢條斯理地把這只靠梯一級一級地拉上去,直把整只梯子都拉上去,放在講壇里邊,讓他自己高處在他那難以攻陷的小魁北克中。