《廊桥遗梦》｜单词注释｜Chapter 8
Ashes
1
Night had come to Madison County. It was 1987, her sixty-seventh birthday. Francesca had been lying on her bed for two hours.
2
She could see and touch and smell and hear all of it from twenty-two years ago.
3
She had remembered, then remembered again. The image of those red taillights moving west along Iowa 92 in the rain and fog had
stalked
her for more than two decades.
stalk /stɔːk/ v. 偷偷接近
4
She touched her breasts and could feel his
chest
muscles sweeping over them.
chest /tʃest/ n. 胸部
5
God, she loved him so. Loved him then, more than she thought possible, loved him now even more. She would have done anything for him except destroy her family and maybe him as well.
6
She went down the stairs and sat at the old kitchen table with the yellow
Formica
top.
formica /fɔ:'maikə/ n. 胶木
7
Richard had bought a new one; he’d insisted on it. But she’d also
asked
that the old one be
stored
in a shed, and she had wrapped it carefully in
plastic
before it was put away.
ask /æsk/ vt. 要求
store /stɔːr/ vt. & vi. 存放
plastic /ˈplæstɪk/ n. 塑料制品
8
“I don’t see why you’re so
attached
to this old table, anyway,” he had complained while helping her move it.
attached /ə'tætʃt/ adj. 非常喜欢.....的
9
After Richard died, Michael had brought it back into the house for her and never asked why she wanted it
in place of
the newer one.
in place of 代替
10
He’d just looked at her in a
questioning
way. She’d said nothing.
questioning /'kwɛstʃənɪŋ/ adj. 探询的
11
Now she sat at the table. Then, going to the cupboard, she took down two white candles with small brass holders.
12
She lit the candles and turned on the radio, slowly adjusting the dial until she found some quiet music.
13
She stood by the sink for a long time, her head tilted slightly
upward
, looking at his face, and whispered,
upward /ˈʌpwərd/ adv. 向上
14
“I remember you, Robert Kincaid. Maybe the High-Desert Master was right. Maybe you were the last one. Maybe the cowboys are all close to dying by now.”
15
Before Richard died, she had never tried to call Kincaid or to write, either, though she had
balanced
on the
knife edge
of it every day for years.
balance /ˈbæləns/ v. 权衡
knife edge 刀口
16
If she talked to him one more time, she would go to him.
17
If she wrote him, she knew he would come for her. That’s how close it was.
18
Through the years he never called or wrote again, after sending her the one package with the photographs and the
manuscript
.
manuscript /ˈmænjuskrɪpt/ n. 原稿
19
She knew he understood how she felt and the
complications
he could cause in her life.
complication /ˌkɑːmplɪˈkeɪʃn/ n. (新出现的)困难
20
She
subscribed
to National Geographic in September of 1965.
subscribe /səbˈskraɪb/ v. 订阅
21
The article on the covered bridges appeared the following year, and there was Roseman Bridge in warm first light, the morning he had found her note.
22
The cover was his photo of a team pulling a
wagon
toward Hogback Bridge. He had written the text for the article as well.
wagon /ˈwæɡən/ n. 四轮的运货马车
23
On the back page of the magazine, the writers and photographers were
featured
, and occasionally there were photographs of them. He was there sometimes.
feature /ˈfiːtʃər/ vt. 特写
24
The same long silver hair, the bracelet, jeans or khakis, cameras hanging off his shoulders, the veins standing out on his arms.
25
In the Kalahari, at the walls of Jaipur in India, in a
canoe
in Guatemala, in northern Canada. The road and the cowboy.
canoe /kəˈnuː/ n. 独木舟
26
She clipped these and kept them in the
manila
envelope with the covered-bridge issue of the magazine, the
manuscript
, the two photographs, and his letter.
manila /mə'nɪlə/ n. 马尼拉纸（等于manilla）
manuscript /ˈmænjuskrɪpt/ n. 原稿
27
She put the envelope beneath her
underwear
in the
bureau
, a place Richard would never look. And like some distant
observer
tracking him through the years, she watched Robert Kincaid grow older.
underwear /ˈʌndərwer/ n. 内衣
bureau /ˈbjʊroʊ/ n. 衣柜
observer /əbˈzɜːrvər/ n. 观察者
28
The grin was still there, even the long,
lean
body with the good muscles. But she could tell by the
lines
around his eyes, the slight
droop
of the strong shoulders, the slowly
sagging
face.
lean /liːn/ adj. 瘦的
line /laɪn/ n. 皱纹
droop /druːp/ vi. 凋萎
sag /sæɡ/ vi. 向下凹或中间下陷
29
She could tell. She had studied that body more closely than anything else in her life, more closely than her own body.
30
And his
aging
made her long even more for him, if that was possible. She suspected — no, she knew — he was
by himself
. And he was.
aging /ˈeɪdʒɪŋ/ n. 【美】变老
by oneself 独自地
31
In the candlelight, at the table, she studied the clippings. He looked out at her from places far away.
32
She
came
to the special picture from a 1967 issue. He was by a river in East Africa, facing the camera and up close to it,
squatting
down, getting ready to take a photograph of something.
come /kʌm/ v. （思想、回忆等）进入脑海
squat /skwɑːt/ vi. 蹲坐
33
When she had first looked at this clipping, years ago, she could see the silver chain around his neck now had a small
medallion
attached to it.
medallion /mə'dælɪən/ n. (状似大奖章的)项链垂饰
34
Michael was away at college, and when Richard and Carolyn had gone to bed,
35
she got out a powerful
magnifying glass
Michael had used for his stamp collection when he was young and brought it close to the photo.
magnifying glass /ˈmæɡnəˌfaɪɪŋ/ n. 放大镜
36
“My God,” she breathed. The medallion said “Francesca” on it.
37
That was his one small
indiscretion
, and she
forgave
him for it, smiling. In all of the photos after that, the medallion was always there on the silver chain.
indiscretion /'ɪndɪ'skrɛʃən/ n. 不慎重的举止
forgave /fɚ'ɡev/ v. 原谅（forgive的过去式）
38
After 1975 she never saw him again in the magazine. His
byline
was absent as well.
byline /ˈbaɪlaɪn/ n. 标题下署名之行
39
She searched every issue but found nothing. He would have been sixty-two that year.
40
When Richard died in 1979, when the
funeral
was over and the children had gone back to their own homes, she thought about calling Robert Kincaid.
funeral /ˈfjuːnərəl/ n. 葬礼
41
He would be sixty-six; she was fifty-nine. There was
still
time, even with the loss of fourteen years. She thought hard about it for a week and finally took the number off his
letterhead
and
dialed
it.
still /stɪl/ adv. 仍然
letterhead /'lɛtɚhɛd/ n. 信笺上方的印刷文字
dial /ˈdaɪəl/ vt. & vi. 拨电话号码
42
Her heart nearly stopped when the phone began to ring. She heard the receiver being picked up and almost put the phone back on the
hook
. A woman’s voice said, “McGregor
Insurance
.”
hook /hʊk/ n. 挂钩
insurance /ɪnˈʃʊrəns/ n. 保险
43
Francesca sank but recovered enough to ask the secretary if she had dialed the correct number. She had. Francesca thanked her and
hung up
.
hung up 挂断
44
Next she tried the Information
operator
in Bellingham, Washington. Nothing
listed
. She tried Seattle. Nothing.
operator /ˈɑːpəreɪtər/ n. 话务员
list /lɪst/ v. 把......列入名单
45
Then the
Chamber of Commerce
offices in Bellingham and Seattle. She asked if they would check the city
directories
. They did, and he was not listed. He could be anywhere, she thought.
Chamber of Commerce n. 商会
directory /dəˈrektəri/ n.(电话)号码簿
46
She remembered the magazine; he had said to call there. The
receptionist
was polite but new, and had to get someone to help her with the request.
receptionist /rɪˈsepʃənɪst/ n. (旅馆、事务所等雇用的)接待员
47
Francesca’s call was
transferred
three times before she talked with an
associate
editor who had been at the magazine for twenty years. She asked about Robert Kincaid.
transfer /trænsˈfɜːr/ vi. 转接（电话）
associate /əˈsoʊsieɪt/ adj. 副的
48
Of course the editor remembered him.
49
“Trying to locate him, huh? He was a hell of a photographer, if you’ll excuse the language. He was
cantankerous
, not in a nasty way, but
persistent
.
cantankerous /kænˈtæŋkərəs/ adj. 脾气不好的
persistent /pərˈsɪstənt/ adj. 执著的
50
He was after art for art’s
sake
, and that doesn’t work very well with our
readership
.
sake /seɪk/ n. 缘故
readership /'ridɚʃɪp/ n. (报纸杂志拥有者的)读者(数)
51
Our readership wants nice pictures,
skillful
pictures, but nothing too wild.
skillful /ˈskɪlfl/ adj. 灵巧的
52
“We always said Kincaid was a little strange; none of us knew him well outside of the work he did for us.
53
But he was a
pro
. We could send him anywhere, and he’d
deliver
, even though he disagreed with our editorial
decisions
most of the time.
pro /pro/ n. <非正式>专业人士
deliver /dɪˈlɪvər/ vt. 递送
decision /dɪ'sɪʒn/ n. 决定
54
As for his
whereabouts
, I’ve been checking our files while we talked. He left the magazine in 1975. The address and phone number I have are…”
whereabouts /ˈwerəbaʊts/ n. 下落
55
He read off the same information Francesca already had. She stopped trying after that, mostly because she was afraid of what she might discover.
56
She
drifted along
, allowing herself to think more and more about Robert Kincaid.
drift along 任其自然
57
She was still able to drive well enough, and several times a year she would go to Des Moines and have lunch in the restaurant where he had taken her.
58
On one of those trips, she bought a leather-bound book of blank pages. And on those pages she began recording in neat handwriting the details of her love affair with him and her thoughts about him.
59
It required nearly three volumes of the notebooks before she was
satisfied
she had completed her task.
satisfy /'sætɪsfaɪ/ vt. & vi. 使满意
60
Winterset was improving.
61
There was an active art guild, mostly female, and talk of
refurbishing
the old bridges had been going on for some years. Interesting young folks were building houses in the hills.
refurbish /ˌriːˈfɜːrbɪʃ/ vt. 整修
62
Things
had
loosened up
, long hair was no longer cause for
stares
, though sandals on men were still pretty
scarce
and poets were few.
things /θiŋz/ n. 形势
loosen up 放松
stare /ster/ n. 注视
scarce /skers/ adj. 罕见的
63
Yet except for a few women friends, she
withdrew
completely from the
community
.
withdraw /wɪðˈdrɔː/ v. 不参加
community /kəˈmjuːnəti/ n. 团体
64
People remarked about it and how they often would see her standing by Roseman Bridge and sometimes by Cedar Bridge.
65
Old folks
frequently
become strange, they said, and
contented
themselves with that explanation.
frequently /ˈfriːkwəntli/ adv. 经常地
content /ˈkɑːntent/ vt. 使满足
66
On the second of February 1982, a
United Parcel Service
truck
trundled
up her driveway. She hadn’t ordered anything she could
recall
.
United Parcel Service 联合包裹服务（财富500强公司之一）
trundle /'trʌndl/ vt. 运送
recall /rɪˈkɔːl/ vt. & vi. 回想
67
Puzzled, she signed for the package and looked at the address: “Francesca Johnson, RR 2, Winterset, Iowa 50273.” The return address was a law
firm
in Seattle.
firm /fɜːrm/ n. 公司
68
The package was neatly wrapped and carried extra
insurance
. She placed it on the kitchen table and opened it carefully. Inside were three boxes, packed
securely
in
Styrofoam
peanuts
.
insurance /ɪnˈʃʊrəns/ n. 保险
securely /sɪ'kjʊrli/ adv. 安全地
styrofoam /ˈstaɪrəˌfom/ n. 泡沫聚苯乙烯
peanuts /ˈpiˌnʌts/ 小片聚苯乙烯泡沫塑料
69
Taped
to the top of one was a small
padded
envelope. To another was taped a business envelope addressed to her and
carrying
the law firm’s return address.
tape /teɪp/ vt. 用带子捆起来
pad /pæd/ v. 垫衬
carry /'kæri/ v. 标有
70
She removed the tape from the business envelope and opened it, shaking.
71
January 25, 1982
72
Ms. Francesca Johnson RR 2 Winterset, IA 50273
73
Dear Ms. Johnson:
74
We
represent
the
estate
of one Robert L. Kincaid, who recently
passed away
….
represent /ˌreprɪˈzent/ vt. 代表
estate /ɪˈsteɪt/ n. 财产
pass away 去世
75
Francesca laid the letter on the table. Outside, snow blew across the fields of winter. She watched it
skim
the
stubble
, taking corn
husks
with it, piling them up in the corner of
the wire
.
skim /skɪm/ vt. 从…表面飞掠而过
stubble /'stʌbl/ n. 残株
husk /hʌsk/ n. 外壳
the wire 铁丝网
76
She read the words once more.
77
We represent the estate of one Robert L. Kincaid, who recently passed away….
78
“Oh, Robert… Robert… no.” She said it softly and
bowed
her head.
bow /baʊ/ v. 低下(头)
79
An hour later she was able to continue reading. The
straightforward
language of the law, the
precision
of the words,
angered
her.
straightforward /ˌstreɪtˈfɔːrwərd/ adj. 直接了当的
precision /prɪˈsɪʒn/ n. 准确(性)
anger /ˈæŋɡər/ vt. 使发怒
80
“We represent…”
81
An
attorney
carrying out
his duties to a
client
.
attorney /əˈtɜːrni/ n. 律师
carry out [法]履行
client /ˈklaɪənt/ n. 委托人
82
But the power, the
leopard
who came riding in on the tail of a
comet
, the shaman who was looking for Roseman Bridge on a hot August day,
leopard /'lɛpɚd/ n. 豹
comet /ˈkɑːmɪt/ n. 彗星
83
and the man who stood on the running board of a truck named Harry and looked back at her
dying
in the dust of an Iowa farm lane — where was he in those words?
die /daɪ/ v. 消失
84
The letter should have been a thousand pages long.
85
It should have talked about the end of
evolutionary
chains and the loss of free range, about cowboys struggling with the corners of the wire, like the corn husks of winter.
evolutionary /ˌiːvəˈluːʃəneri/ adj. 进化的
86
The only will he left was dated July 8, 1967. His
instructions
about having the
enclosed
items
delivered to you were
explicit
.
instruction /ɪnˈstrʌkʃn/ n. 吩咐
enclosed /ɪn'klozd/ adj. 被附上的
item /ˈaɪtəm/ n. 一件商品（或物品）
explicit /ɪkˈsplɪsɪt/ adj. 明确的
87
If you could not be found, the
materials
were to be
incinerated
.
material /məˈtɪriəl/ n. (某一活动所需的)材料
incinerate /ɪnˈsɪnəreɪt/ vt. 把(废物)烧成灰烬
88
Also enclosed inside the box marked with the word “Letter” is a message for you he left with us in 1978.
89
He
sealed
the envelope, and it has been
left
unopened.
seal /siːl/ vt. 密封
leave /liv/ vt. 让……处于（某种状态、某地等）
90
Mr. Kincaid’s
remains
were
cremated
. At his request, no marker was placed anywhere.
remains /rɪˈmeɪnz/ n. 遗体
cremate /'krimet/ vt. 火葬
91
His ashes were scattered, also at his request, near your home by an
associate
of ours. I believe the location was called Roseman Bridge.
associate /əˈsoʊsieɪt/ n. 同事
92
If we may be of further service, please do not
hesitate
to contact us.
hesitate /ˈhezɪteɪt/ vi. 犹豫
93
Sincerely yours, Allen B. Quippen, Attorney at Law
94
She
caught her breath
, dried her eyes again, and began to examine the
remaining
contents
of the box.
catch breath 喘口气
remaining /rɪ'menɪŋ/ adj. 剩下的
content /ˈkɑːntent/ n. 所含物
95
She knew what was in the small
padded
envelope. She knew it as surely as she knew spring would come again this year. She opened it carefully and reached in. Out came the silver chain.
padded /'pædid/ adj.有装填垫料的
96
The
medallion
attached
to it was
scratched
and read “Francesca.” On the back,
etched
in the tiniest of letters, was: “If found, please send to Francesca Johnson, RR 2, Winterset, Iowa, USA.”
medallion /mə'dælɪən/ n. (状似大奖章的)项链垂饰
attach /əˈtætʃ/ v. 使附着
scratch /skrætʃ/ n. 刮出(痕迹)
etched /'etʃid/ adj. 被蚀刻的
97
His silver bracelet was wrapped in
tissue
paper at the bottom of the envelope.
A slip of
paper was included with the bracelet. It was her handwriting:
tissue /ˈtɪʃuː/ n. 面巾纸
a slip of 一张
98
If you’d like supper again when “white moths are
on the wing
,” come by tonight after you’re finished.
on the wing 在飞行中
99
Her note from the Roseman Bridge. He’d kept even that for his memories.
100
Then she remembered that was the only thing he had of hers, his only evidence she existed,
aside from
elusive
images on slowly
decaying
film
emulsions
.
aside from 除...以外(尚有)
elusive /iˈluːsɪv/ adj. 难以找到的
decay /dɪˈkeɪ/ vi. 腐烂
emulsion /ɪ'mʌlʃən/ n. (照相)乳胶
101
The little note from Roseman Bridge. It was
stained
and
curved
, as if it had been carried in a
billfold
for a long time.
stain /steɪn/ v. 留下污渍
curve /kɜːrv/ v. (使)弯曲
billfold /'bɪlfold/ n. 皮夹子
102
She wondered how many times he had read it over the years, far from the hills along Middle River.
103
She could imagine him holding the note before him in the thin light of a reading lamp on a
nonstop
jet
to somewhere, sitting on the floor of a
bamboo
hut
in tiger country and reading it by flashlight,
nonstop /nɑn'stɑp/ adj. 直达的
jet /dʒet/ n. 喷气式飞机
bamboo /ˌbæm'bu/ n. 竹
hut /hʌt/ n. （简陋的）小屋
104
folding and putting it away on a rainy night in Bellingham, then looking at photographs of a woman leaning against a fence post on a summer morning or coming out of a covered bridge at sundown.
105
The three boxes each contained a camera with a lens attached. They were
battered
,
scarred
.
battered /'bætɚd/ adj. 磨损的
scarred /'ska:d/ adj. 伤痕累累
106
Turning one around, she could read “Nikon” on the
viewfinder
and, just to the upper left of the Nikon
label
, the letter F.
viewfinder /'vjufaɪndɚ/ n. (照相机)取景器
label /ˈleɪbl/ n. 商标
107
It was the camera she had handed him at Cedar Bridge.
108
Finally she opened the letter from him. It was written in
longhand
on his
stationery
and
dated
August 16, 1978.
longhand /'lɔŋhænd/ n. 普通书写（速记或打字）
stationery /ˈsteɪʃəneri/ n. 信纸
date /det/ v. 注明日期
109
Dear Francesca,
110
I hope this finds you well. I don’t know when you’ll receive it. Sometime after I’m gone. I’m sixty-five now, and it’s been thirteen years ago today that we met when I came up your lane looking for directions.
111
I’m
gambling
that this package won’t upset your life in any way. I just couldn’t bear to think of the cameras sitting in a secondhand
case
in a camera store or in some stranger’s hands.
gamble /ˈɡæmbl/ vt. & vi. 冒风险
case /keɪs/ n. 箱子
112
They’ll be in pretty
rough
shape by the time you get them.
rough /rʌf/ adj. 粗糙的
113
But, I have no one else to leave them to, and I apologize for putting you at risk by sending them to you.
114
I was on the road almost constantly from 1965 to 1975.
115
Just to remove some of the
temptation
to call you or come for you, a temptation I have
virtually
every waking moment of my life, I took all of the
overseas
assignments I could find.
temptation /tempˈteɪʃn/ n. 诱惑
virtually /ˈvɜːrtʃuəli/ adv. 实际上
overseas /ˌoʊvərˈsiːz/ adv. 在海外
116
There have been times, many of them, when I’ve said, “The hell with it. I’m going to Winterset, Iowa, and, whatever the cost, take Francesca away with me.”
117
But I remember your words, and I
respect
your feelings. Maybe you were right; I just don’t know.
respect /rɪˈspekt/ vt. 尊重
118
I do know that driving out of your lane that hot Friday morning was the hardest thing I’ve ever done or will ever do. In fact, I doubt if few men have ever done anything more difficult than that.
119
I left National Geographic in 1975 and have been
devoting
the
remainder
of my shooting years mostly to things of my own choosing,
devote /dɪˈvoʊt/ v. 致力
remainder /rɪˈmeɪndər/ n. 剩余部分
120
picking up a little work where I can get it, local or
regional
stuff that keeps me away only a few days at a time.
regional /ˈriːdʒənl/ adj. 地区的
121
It’s been
tough
financially
, but I
get along
. I always do.
tough /tʌf/ adj. 艰难的
financially /faɪˈnæ nʃəlɪ/ adv. 经济上
get along （勉强）生活
122
Much of my work is around Puget Sound. I like it that way. It seems as men get older they turn toward the water.
123
Oh, yes, I have a dog now, a golden
retriever
. I call him “Highway,” and he travels with me most of the time, head hanging out the window, looking for good shots.
retriever /rɪ'trivɚ/ n. 寻猎物犬
124
In 1972, I fell down a
cliff
in Maine, in Acadia National Park, and broke my ankle.
cliff /klɪf/ n. 峭壁
125
The chain and medallion got
torn off
in the fall. Fortunately they landed
close by
. I found them again, and a
jewelermended
the chain.
torn off 撕掉
close by adv. 在附近
jeweler /ˈd ʒuəlɚ/ n. 珠宝商
mend /mend/ vt. 修理
126
I live with dust on my heart. That’s about as well as I can
put
it.
put /pʊt/ vt. 表达
127
There were women before you, a few, but none after. I made no conscious
pledge
to
celibacy
; I’m just not interested.
pledge /pledʒ/ n. 保证
celibacy /'sɛləbəsi/ n. 独身生活
128
I once watched a
Canada goose
whose mate had been shot by hunters. They
mate for life
, you know. The gander circled the
pond
for days, and more days after that.
Canada goose [动]黑额黑雁
mate for life 终生为伴
pond /pɑːnd/ n. 池塘；(the pond)
129
When I last saw him, he was swimming alone through the
wild rice
, still looking.
wild rice 野生稻米
130
I suppose that analogy is a little too obvious for
literary
tastes, but it’s
pretty much
the way I feel.
literary /ˈlɪtəreri/ adj. 文学的
pretty much 几乎
131
In my
imagination
, on foggy mornings or afternoons with the sun bouncing off northwest water, I try to think of where you might be in your life and what you might be doing as I’m thinking of you.
imagination /ɪˌmædʒɪˈneɪʃn/ n. 想像
132
Nothing complicated — going out to your garden, sitting on your front porch swing, standing at the sink in your kitchen. Things like that.
133
I remember everything. How you smelled, how you tasted like the summer. The feel of your skin against mine, and the sound of your whispers as I loved you.
134
Robert Penn Warren once used the phrase “a world that seems to be God-abandoned.”
135
Not bad, pretty close to how I feel some of the time. But I cannot live that way always.
136
When those feelings become too strong, I load Harry and go down the road with Highway for a few days.
137
I don’t like
feeling sorry for myself
. That’s not who I am. And most of the time I don’t feel that way. Instead, I am
grateful
for having at least found you.
feel sorry for oneself 垂头丧气
grateful /ˈɡreɪtfl/ adj. 感谢的
138
We could have
flashed
by one another like two pieces of
cosmic
dust.
flash /flæʃ/ v. 掠过
cosmic /ˈkɑːzmɪk/ adj. 宇宙的
139
God or the universe or whatever one chooses to label the great systems of balance and
order
does not
recognize
Earth-time.
order /ˈɔːrdər/ n. 秩序
recognize /ˈrekəɡnaɪz/ vt. 承认
140
To the universe, four days is no different than four billion
light years
. I try to keep that in mind.
light year [天]光年
141
But, I am, after all, a man.
142
And all the
philosophic
rationalizations
I can
conjure
up do not keep me from wanting you, every day, every moment, the
merciless
wail of time, of time I can never spend with you, deep within my head.
philosophic /ˌfɪləˈsɑːfɪk/ adj. 哲学的
rationalization /ˌræʃənəlɪˈzeʃən/ n. 合理化
conjure /ˈkʌndʒər/ v. 设想出
merciless /ˈmə..sɪlɪs/ adj. 无情的
143
I love you,
profoundly
and completely. And I always will.
profoundly /prə'faʊndli/ adv. 深深地
144
The last cowboy, Robert
145
P. S., I put another new engine in Harry last summer, and he’s doing fine.
146
The package arrived five years ago. And looking at the contents had become part of her annual birthday
ritual
.
ritual /ˈrɪtʃuəl/ n. 仪式
147
She kept his cameras, bracelet, and the chain with the medallion in a special
chest
in the
closet
.
chest /tʃest/ n. 盒子
closet /ˈklɑːzɪt/ n. 壁橱
148
A local carpenter had made the box to her design, out of
walnut
, with
dust seals
and
padded
interior
sections
.
walnut /'wɔlnət/ n. 胡桃木
dust seal 防尘环
padded /'pædid/ adj.有装填垫料的
section /ˈsekʃn/ n. 截面
149
“Pretty
fancy
box,” he had said. Francesca had only smiled.
fancy /ˈfænsi/ adj. 精致的
150
The last part of the ritual was the
manuscript
. She always read it by candlelight, at the end of the day.
manuscript /ˈmænjuskrɪpt/ n. 手稿
151
She brought it from the living room and laid it carefully on the yellow
Formica
, near a candle, lit her one cigarette of the year, a Camel, took a sip of brandy, and began to read.
formica /fɔ:'maikə/ n. 胶木
152
Falling from Dimension Z
153
ROBERT KINCAID
154
There are old winds I still do not understand, though I have been riding, forever it seems, along the
curl
of their
spines
.
curl /kɜːrl/ v. (使)盘绕
spine /spaɪn/ n. 脊柱
155
I move in
Dimension
Z; the world goes by somewhere else in another
slice
of things,
parallel
to me.
dimension /dɪˈmenʃn/ n. （空间的）维度
slice /slaɪs/ n. 部分
parallel /ˈpærəlel/ vt. 使…与…平行
156
As if, hands in my pockets and bending a little forward, I see it through a
department store
window, looking inward.
department store 百货商店
157
In Dimension Z, there are strange moments. Coming around a long, rainy, New Mexico
curve
west of Magdalena, the highway turns to a
footpath
and the path to an animal
trail
.
curve /kɜːrv/ v. （使）弯曲
footpath /ˈfʊtˌpæθ/ n. 人行道
trail /treɪl/ n. 小径
158
A pass of my
wiper blades
, and the trail becomes a forest place where nothing has ever gone. Again the wiper blades and, again, something further back.
Great ice
, this time.
wiper blade 雨刮器
Great ice 大冰期
159
I am moving through short grass, in furs, with
matted
hair and
spear
, thin and hard as the ice itself, all muscle and
implacable
cunning
.
matted /'mætɪd/ adj. 纠缠的
spear /spɪr/ n. 矛
implacable /ɪm'plækəbl/ adj. 难和解的
cunning /ˈkʌnɪŋ/ n. 狡猾
160
Past the ice, still further back along the
measure
of things, deep salt water in which I swim,
gilled
and
scaled
. I cannot see more than that, except beyond
plankton
is the digit zero.
measure /ˈmeʒər/ n. 程度
gilled /gild/ adj. 腮状的
scaled /'skeild/ adj. 有鳞的
plankton /'plæŋktən/ n. 浮游生物
161
Euclid
was not always right. He
assumed
parallelness, in
constancy
, right to the end of things; but a non-Euclidean way of being is also possible, where the lines come together, far out there.
Euclid /ˈjuklɪd/ n. 欧几里得
assume /əˈsuːm/ vt. 假定
constancy /'kɑnstənsi/ n. 恒久不变的状态或性质
162
A
vanishing point
. The
illusion
of
convergence
.
vanishing point [数] 没影点
illusion /ɪˈluːʒn/ n. 幻想
convergence /kən'vɝdʒəns/ n. 集合
163
Yet I know it’s more than illusion. Sometimes a coming together is possible, a
spilling
of one reality into another.
spill /spɪl/ vi. 益处
164
A kind of soft
enlacing
.
enlace /ɛnˈles/ vt. 缠绕
165
Not
prim
intersections
loomed
in a world of precision, no sound of the
shuttle
. Just… well… breathing. Yes, that’s the sound of it, maybe the feel of it, too. Breathing.
prim /prɪm/ adj. 整洁的
intersection /ˌɪntərˈsekʃn/ n. 交叉
loom /luːm/ v. 逼近
shuttle /ˈʃʌtl/ n. 穿梭
166
And I move slowly over this other reality, and beside it and underneath and around it, always with strength, always with power, yet always with a giving of myself to it.
167
And the other senses this, coming forward with its own power, giving itself to me,
in turn
.
in turn 依次
168
Somewhere, inside of the breathing, music sounds, and the curious spiral dance begins then, with a
meter
all its own that
tempers
the ice-man with spear and matted hair.
meter /ˈmiːtər/ n. 韵律
temper /ˈtempər/ v. 锻造
169
And slowly — rolling and turning in
adagio
, in adagio always — ice-man falls… from Dimension Z… and into her.
adagio /ə'dɑdʒɪo/ n. <音>柔板
170
At the end of her sixty-seventh birthday, when the rain had stopped, Francesca put the
manila
envelope in the bottom drawer of the
rolltop desk
.
manila /mə'nɪlə/ n. 马尼拉纸（等于manilla）
rolltop desk 卷顶写字台
171
She had decided to keep it in her
safe deposit box
at the bank after Richard died but brought it home for a few days each year at this time.
safe deposit box 银行的保管箱
172
The
lid
on the walnut
chest
was shut on the cameras, and the chest was
placed
on the closet shelf in her bedroom.
lid /lɪd/ n. 盖子
chest /tʃest/ n. 盒子
place /ples/ vt. 放置
173
Earlier in the afternoon, she had visited Roseman Bridge.
174
Now she walked out on the porch, dried off the swing with a towel, and sat down. It was cold, but she would stay for a few minutes, as she always did.
175
Then she walked to the yard
gate
and stood. Then to the head of the lane.
gate /ɡeɪt/ n. 大门
176
Twenty-two years later, she could see him stepping from his truck in the late afternoon, trying to find his way;
177
she could see Harry bouncing toward the county road, then stopping, and Robert Kincaid standing on the
running board
, looking back up the lane.
running board 踏脚板
178
