美國語文第五冊 第238期：龜煲湯（02）
It happened to be my turn at the wheel the hour before dinner,
聚餐前一小時，剛好輪到我在駕駛室里值班，
and I had the tantalizing misery of hearing them laughing and talking about their turtle, while I was hungry from want of dry bread and salt meat.
聽到那些談?wù)擙敎脑溨C逗趣不時傳來，饑腸轆轆的我，只想弄點面包干夾點咸肉打發(fā)肚子。
I had resolutely kept my thoughts from the cabin during all the passage but once,
那種痛苦難捱實在飽含誘惑，我身在駕駛艙，盡量努力地克制自己，
and now I found my ideas clustering round a tureen of turtle in spite of all my philosophy.
可一晃眼，發(fā)覺眼前飄動的全是那碗美味的龜煲湯。
Confound them, if they had gone out of my hearing with their exulting smacks, I should not have envied their soup,
倘若能逃離這種過大節(jié)的嘈雜熱鬧，恐怕我不會過多計較這些家伙開心的手足舞蹈，
but their hungry glee so excited my imagination that I could see nothing through the glazing of the binnacle but a white plate with a slice of lemon on the rim,
不過，他們坐立不安的等待的確勾起我太多聯(lián)想。當(dāng)我仔細看著那塊鍍釉羅盤箱，突然發(fā)現(xiàn)里面另有一番天地，白色餐盤上切有一片檸檬擺盤，
a loaf of delicate bread, a silver spoon, a napkin, two or three wine glasses of different hues and shapes,
數(shù)片切法精致面包，一枚銀湯匙，一方餐巾，三兩只不同色彩、形狀各異的酒杯，
and a water goblet clustering round it, and a stream of black, thick, and fragrant turtle pouring into the plate.
一只高腳杯，統(tǒng)統(tǒng)逐位擺好，最后，那道黑色濃稠、香味撲鼻的龜煲湯優(yōu)雅地倒入素白瓷盤。
By and by it was four bells: they dined at three.
進餐原定三點開始，時間一分一秒地過去，現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)四點，
And all the gentlemen, with the captain at their head, darted below into the cabin,
在船長帶領(lǐng)下，一群人一窩蜂沖到舷下餐廳。
where their mirth increased when they caught sight of the soup plates.
一看見湯盤，他們戲謔調(diào)侃，熱鬧成團。
