評論
打印
"Canallers, Don, are the boatmen belonging to our grand Erie Canal. You must have heard of it.
“運河船的水手，先生，就是我們的伊利大運河的船夫。你一定聽說過。
Nay, Senor; hereabouts in this dull, warm, most lazy, and hereditary land, we know but little of your vigorous North."
“不，先生；在我們這種向來就是氣候溫暖、沉悶、弄得大家都懶洋洋的地方，對于你們那種嚴寒的北方，我們是不大清楚的。
"Aye? Well then, Don, refill my cup. Your chicha's very fine; and ere proceeding further I will tell ye whatour Canallers are; for such information may throw side-light upon my story.
“是嗎？那么，先生，再給我滿一滿杯。你們的奇赤(奇赤——西班牙和南美洲人慣喝的一種甜酒。)真不錯；我得先把我們的運河船的水手是怎樣一種人，告訴你后再繼續說下去，因為這種知識，可以間接說明我的故事。
For three hundred and sixty miles, gentlemen, through the entire breadth of the state of New York; through numerous populous cities and most thriving villages; through long, dismal, uninhabited swamps, and affluent, cultivated fields, unrivalled for fertility; by billiard-room and bar-room; through the holy-of-holies of great forests; on Roman arches over Indian rivers; through sun and shade; by happy hearts or broken; through all the wide contrasting scenery of those noble Mohawk counties; and especially, by rows of snow-white chapels, whose spires stand almost like milestones, flows one continual stream of Venetianly corrupt and often lawless life. There's your true Ashantee, gentlemen; there howl your pagans; where you ever find them, next door to you; under the long-flung shadow, and the snug patronizing lee of churches."
“諸位先生，在長達三百六十英里(伊利運河的長度在三百五十至三百六十英里間。)的距離間，有一條威尼斯式的腐化而無法無天的生活的。流個不停的河流，它經過:紐約州的整個寬度，無數人口稠密的城市和最興旺的村莊，漫長的、凄涼的、渺無人煙的沼地，豐饒肥沃無與倫比的耕地，彈子房與酒吧間，至圣的大森林地帶，穿過跨連印第安河流的羅馬式的橫橋，烈日高照和蔭蔭涼涼的地方，叫人心歡和心碎的地方，那些有名的莫霍克郡（英霍克郡——在紐約州中部。）的差別顯著的風景區，特別是經過一列列的雪白的教堂，教堂的尖頂簡直就象里程碑似的高矗著。諸位先生，這就是你們的地道的阿散蒂（阿散蒂——非洲黃金海岸的一個郡，多山多林，土地肥沃，出產豐富，民性強悍。作者在這里把它比喻為伊利運河流域一帶的美國地方。），在那里，你們那些異教徒在號叫，這些人到處都看得到，就在你的身旁，就在教堂的長射的陰影下，躲在教堂的舒適而神氣十足的背風處。
