諾亞方舟的故事

博伊德·史密斯

警告

In the early days of the world lived the patriarch Noah, a good and venerable man whose years already numbered six hundred.

諾亞尊長生活在創(chuàng)世紀(jì)之后的早期, 他是一位善良而可敬的人, 他已經(jīng)活了六百多歲了.

Now Noah was warned that a great flood was to come, which would pour down from the clouds and drown the whole earth. He straightway told his neighbors what was to happen, but they refused to believe, and scoffed at him, and said: "Let it rain."

如今, 上帝告訴諾亞, 一場大洪水就要來了, 大水將從云中傾瀉而出, 淹沒整個(gè)地球. 他立馬把這個(gè)消息告訴了鄰居們, 但是鄰居們卻把他的話當(dāng)做笑柄, 還說: "就讓它下吧."

建造方舟

Then Noah went his way, and set to work to build him a great ship, to be ready for the day of deluge.

之后, 諾亞便開始按部就班, 著手為自己建造大舟了, 為即將到來的大洪水做準(zhǔn)備.

And he laid the keel in the pasture fields, among the daisies; while the idlers came to look on and laugh at such folly— a ship for a rainy day!

他把船的龍骨放在雛菊盛開的牧場中間, 那些無所事事的人都來看熱鬧, 并嘲笑這種愚蠢的行為—— 竟然還有人為擔(dān)心下雨而備船!

勞工問題

But Noah knew that he was right, and kept on.

但是諾亞知道自己是對(duì)的, 并堅(jiān)持了下去.

And the ship rose, but troubles arose too: for frequent and grievous strikes delayed him, and his workmen clamored for more pay and stoned those who would work.

船漸漸建造起來了, 但是麻煩也跟著來了: 因?yàn)轭l繁而激烈的罷工使得諾亞的工作進(jìn)度耽擱了很久, 工人們大聲嚷嚷著, 想要更多的報(bào)酬, 還用石頭砸那些愿意工作的人.

And Noah bargained with them, and started afresh; for he feared that the rain might come before he was ready.

諾亞與他們討價(jià)還價(jià), 并讓他們重新開始了工作. 因?yàn)樗ε麓蠛樗赡軙?huì)提前到來.

為方舟上色

At last, after many days, the ship was finished.

在很多個(gè)日日夜夜之后, 這艘船終于完工了.

Then Noah tarred the inside and the outside, to keep it tight. And he named it the Ark, and painted it with colors; for Noah was proud of his work.

然后, 諾亞將船的里里外外都涂上了柏油, 使其保持緊密(防止?jié)B水). 他把船命名為方舟, 并為它涂上了各種各樣的顏色, 因?yàn)橹Z亞對(duì)自己的工作感到自豪.

召集動(dòng)物

Then Noah went abroad and called together all the animals, by twos, and told them that they must come into the Ark to be saved from the deluge.

然后, 諾亞站在戶外, 兩個(gè)一對(duì)地, 召集了所有的動(dòng)物, 并告訴他們只有進(jìn)入方舟才有可能從大洪水中幸存下來.

But they too doubted, and were slow to decide; for they feared to enter the dark ship.

但是動(dòng)物們卻對(duì)此懷有很大的疑慮, 他們決定緩慢, 因?yàn)榉街劾锩嫣诹?

And they grumbled, and said, "It may be but a shower."

他們還抱怨著說: "你所謂的大洪水有可能只是一陣小雨罷了."

召集動(dòng)物(續(xù))

And though Noah argued with them, and explained all the terrible possibilities of the case, still they hesitated, and in their different tongues and ways talked it over, and would not be hurried.

盡管諾亞與他們爭論, 并解釋了大洪水之后所有可怕的后果, 但是他們?nèi)匀华q豫不決, 并以不同的語言和方式討論著, 他們并不是很著急.

Then Noah called them Stumbling Blocks. But even this did not move them.

于是, 諾亞稱他們?yōu)?quot;絆腳石". 但是即使這樣也沒有勸動(dòng)他們.

上船

And Noah was vexed, and left them, and began to drive his domestic animals on board, hoping to set the others an example.

諾亞煩透了, 離開了他們, 然后開始驅(qū)趕自己家的牲畜上船, 希望給其他動(dòng)物們樹立一個(gè)好榜樣.

And his sons— Shem, Ham, and Japheth— helped him, while he kept count.

諾亞的兒子—— 閃(Shem), 含(Ham), 和雅弗(Japheth)—— 在一邊幫著忙, 而他在不停的計(jì)著數(shù).

困惑

Then new troubles began. For now the other beasts and birds, fearing to be left behind, all tried to get in at once, and could not be controlled.

之后, 新的麻煩又來了. 現(xiàn)在, 由于其他獸禽害怕被拋在后面, 所以他們一下子全都想上船了, 場面一度無法控制.

But they did not leave behind their dislikes and ancient feuds. For how could the cats and the mice live together in peace, or how could the fox and the geese agree? And the hounds and the hares?

但是, 諾亞并沒有考慮過動(dòng)物之間的厭惡和世仇. 那么, 貓和老鼠該如何和平共處? 狐貍和大鵝該如何達(dá)成共識(shí)? 更別提獵犬和野兔了?

And quarrels and dissensions came into the Ark. And confusion reigned.

爭吵和分歧在方舟上蔓延開來, 方舟被混亂占據(jù)了.

And Noah lost count, and lost patience as well.

最終, 諾亞失去了耐心, 也不再給動(dòng)物們計(jì)數(shù)了.

隊(duì)伍

But after much trouble order was established; and the mighty procession, once started, filed steadily in.

但是, 麻煩過后, 最終建立了秩序; 強(qiáng)勢的隊(duì)列一旦形成, 就可以穩(wěn)步前行了.

And they came from far and near: a great host of beasts and birds and creeping things:

隊(duì)伍當(dāng)中既有來自遠(yuǎn)方的也有來自近處的: 既有大量的獸類, 也有大量的鳥兒和爬行動(dòng)物:

隊(duì)伍(續(xù))

The big elephant and the polar bear, the giraffe and the striped tiger, and the woolly bison of the west.

隊(duì)伍當(dāng)中既有大象和北極熊, 又有長頸鹿和斑紋老虎, 以及西部的長毛野牛.

And from the mountain and the jungle, the hill and the plain, came great and small.

既有來自山地的, 又有來自到叢林和平原的, 既有大型動(dòng)物, 又有小型動(dòng)物.

And the earth trembled with their tread, while the sky was dark with flapping wings.

大地因動(dòng)物們的腳步而顫動(dòng), 天空因鳥兒的飛翔而一片漆黑.

恐龍的困境

And then came even the huge dinosaurs, for in those days were mighty beasts. But they were too big for the door, and could not squeeze in.

然后, 甚至是巨大的恐龍, 那個(gè)時(shí)代最強(qiáng)大的野獸, 也來了. 但是他們太大了, 怎么也擠不上船.

Now Noah sorely regretted this miscalculation, but could find no way to help it.

雖然諾亞對(duì)這種計(jì)算失誤而感到非常抱歉, 但是他仍然沒有任何辦法能夠幫助他們.

And the dinosaurs, alas! had to be left behind.

因此, 必須放棄恐龍們的生存機(jī)會(huì)了.

那些沒有進(jìn)來的人

But the mammoth and the mastodon, and the dinotherium, the palæotherium, and the anoptherium, and the pterodactyl, and the archæopteryx,— and a host of other strange beasts and birds with long Latin names— refused to go in at all, in spite of Noah's warnings.

但是, 猛犸象(mammoth)和翼手龍(pterodactyl), 以及其他許多具有拉丁名字的怪獸和鳥, 都不顧諾亞的警告, 拒絕上船.

All these of course were doomed to be lost, and become fossils, to be put in museums with stones and labels.

因此, 所有這些動(dòng)物注定要被滅亡, 變成化石, 成為博物館里被貼上標(biāo)簽的一堆石頭.

準(zhǔn)備物資

Then Noah took on board in plenty foods of every kind for men and beasts. While the hungry animals inside complained that he should have done this first instead of last.

然后, 諾亞把為人類和野獸準(zhǔn)備的各種食物也帶上了船. 船內(nèi)饑餓的動(dòng)物們抱怨說, 他應(yīng)該先放食物再讓我們上來的.

And then he took his wife and his sons' wives into the Ark, though Mrs. Noah was loath and rebelled: "For the domestic arrangements," she said, "are impossible."

然后, 他把妻兒們也領(lǐng)進(jìn)了方舟, 盡管諾亞太太不大愿意, 并有些叛逆的說: "這樣的家庭安排真的是令人匪夷所思啊."