評論
打印
Oh, sir, it will break bones—beware, beware!
啊，先生，它會鉗碎骨頭的——小心，小心！
No fear; I like a good grip; I like to feel something in this slippery world that can hold, man. What's Prometheus about there?— the blacksmith, I mean—what's he about?
怕什么；我就喜歡好鉗力；在這個活里活絡的世界上，我就喜歡碰碰鉗得住的東西，老朋友。那個普洛米修斯（普洛米修斯——希臘神話中那個拿火給人類的神，這里借指鐵匠。）在那邊忙些什么？——我說的是那個鐵匠——他在忙些什么呀？
He must be forging the buckle-screw, sir, now.
啊，先生，這會兒，他一定是在打旋釘。
Right. It's a partnership; he supplies the muscle part. He makes a fierce red flame there!
對，這就是合作互助；他供給筋肉方面的東西。他正在那邊燒起通紅的火焰！
Aye, sir; he must have the white heat for this kind of fine work.
是呀，先生，要做這種精巧活兒，就得有白熱。
Um-m. So he must. I do deem it now a most meaning thing, that that old Greek, Prometheus, who made men, they say, should have been a blacksmith, and animated them with fire; for what's made in fire must properly belong to fire; and so hell's probable. How the soot flies! This must be the remainder the Greek made the Africans of. Carpenter, when he's through with that buckle, tell him to forge a pair of steel shoulder-blades; there's a pedlar aboard with a crushing pack.
唔——唔。他是一定要有白熱。我承認這是樁最有意義的事情，據說那個古希臘人，那個創造了人類的普洛米修斯，原來也必定是干過鐵匠的，他這才使人類火氣十足；因為凡是火做成的東西，當然就一定屬于火；地獄可能也是這樣。那煙炱騰得多高！這一定是那個希臘人創造了非洲人剩下來的東西。木匠，等他打完了螺旋釘后，要他打一副鋼肩胛骨；船上還有一個販子給擔子壓得透不過氣來呢。
Sir?
先生？
Hold; while Prometheus is about it, I'll order a complete man after a desirable pattern.
住嘴，趁普洛米修斯正在忙著，我倒要他按照我合意的樣式做出個完整的人來。
