"Canallers, Don, are the boatmen belonging to our grand Erie Canal. You must have heard of it.
“運(yùn)河船的水手,先生,就是我們的伊利大運(yùn)河的船夫。你一定聽說(shuō)過(guò)。
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(lái)就是氣候溫暖、沉悶、弄得大家都懶洋洋的地方,對(duì)于你們那種嚴(yán)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(cuò);我得先把我們的運(yùn)河船的水手是怎樣一種人,告訴你后再繼續(xù)說(shuō)下去,因?yàn)檫@種知識(shí),可以間接說(shuō)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(zhǎng)達(dá)三百六十英里(伊利運(yùn)河的長(zhǎng)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(wú)法無(wú)天的生活的。流個(gè)不停的河流,它經(jīng)過(guò):紐約州的整個(gè)寬度,無(wú)數(shù)人口稠密的城市和最興旺的村莊,漫長(zhǎng)的、凄涼的、渺無(wú)人煙的沼地,豐饒肥沃無(wú)與倫比的耕地,彈子房與酒吧間,至圣的大森林地帶,穿過(guò)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(fēng)景區(qū),特別是經(jīng)過(guò)一列列的雪白的教堂,教堂的尖頂簡(jiǎn)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(gè)郡,多山多林,土地肥沃,出產(chǎn)豐富,民性強(qiáng)悍。作者在這里把它比喻為伊利運(yùn)河流域一帶的美國(guó)地方。),在那里,你們那些異教徒在號(hào)叫,這些人到處都看得到,就在你的身旁,就在教堂的長(zhǎng)射的陰影下,躲在教堂的舒適而神氣十足的背風(fēng)處。