狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第20章Part 08

He found no pleasure or relief in the journey. Tortured by these thoughts he carried monotony with him, through the rushing landscape, and hurried headlong, not through a rich and varied country, but a wilderness of blighted plans and gnawing jealousies. The very speed at which the train was whirled along, mocked the swift course of the young life that had been borne away so steadily and so inexorably to its foredoomed end. The power that forced itself upon its iron way — its own — defiant of all paths and roads, piercing through the heart of every obstacle, and dragging living creatures of all classes, ages, and degrees behind it, was a type of the triumphant monster, Death.
Away, with a shriek, and a roar, and a rattle, from the town, burrowmg among the dwellings of men and making the streets hum, flashing out into the meadows for a moment, mining in through the damp earth, booming on in darkness and heavy air, bursting out again into the sunny day so bright and wide; away, with a shriek, and a roar, and a rattle, through the fields, through the woods, through the corn, through the hay, through the chalk, through the mould, through the clay, through the rock, among objects close at hand and almost in the grasp, ever flying from the traveller, and a deceitful distance ever moving slowly within him: like as in the track of the remorseless monster, Death!
Through the hollow, on the height, by the heath, by the orchard, by the park, by the garden, over the canal, across the river, where the sheep are feeding, where the mill is going, where the barge is floating, where the dead are lying, where the factory is smoking, where the stream is running, where the village clusters, where the great cathedral rises, where the bleak moor lies, and the wild breeze smooths or ruffles it at its inconstant will; away, with a shriek, and a roar, and a rattle, and no trace to leave behind but dust and vapour: like as in the track of the remorseless monster, Death!
Breasting the wind and light, the shower and sunshine, away, and still away, it rolls and roars, fierce and rapid, smooth and certain, and great works and massive bridges crossing up above, fall like a beam of shadow an inch broad, upon the eye, and then are lost. Away, and still away, onward and onward ever: glimpses of cottage—homes, of houses, mansions, rich estates, of husbandry and handicraft, of people, of old roads and paths that look deserted, small, and insignificant as they are left behind: and so they do, and what else is there but such glimpses, in the track of the indomitable monster, Death!
Away, with a shriek, and a roar, and a rattle, plunging down into the earth again, and working on in such a storm of energy and perseverance, that amidst the darkness and whirlwind the motion seems reversed, and to tend furiously backward, until a ray of light upon the Wet wall shows its surface flying past like a fierce stream, Away once more into the day, and through the day, with a shrill yell of exultation,roaring, rattling, tearing on, spurning everything with its dark breath, sometimes pausing for a minute where a crowd of faces are, that in a minute more are not; sometimes lapping water greedily, and before the spout at which it drinks' has ceased to drip upon the ground,shrieking, roaring, rattling through the purple distance!

他沒有從旅行中找到快樂或安慰。他被這些思想折磨着，懷着憂悶無聊的心情，通過了迅速飛逝的風光景色；他匆匆穿過的不是物產富饒、絢麗多采的國家，而是茫茫一片破滅了的計劃與令人苦惱的妒嫉。急速轉動的火車速度本身嘲笑着年輕生命的迅速過程，它被多麼堅定不移，多麼鐵面無情地帶向預定的終點。一股力量迫使它在它的鐵路——它自己的道路——上急馳，它藐視其他一切道路和小徑，衝破每一個障礙，拉着各種階級、年齡和地位的人羣和生物，向前奔駛；這股力量就是那耀武揚威的怪物——死亡！
它尖叫着，呼吼着，卡嗒卡嗒地響着，向遠方開去；它從城市出發，穿進人們的住宅區，使街道喧囂活躍；它在片刻間突然出現在草原上，接着鑽進潮溼的土地，在黑暗與沉悶的空氣中隆隆前進，然後它又突然進入了多麼燦爛、多麼寬廣、陽光照耀的白天。它尖叫着，呼吼着，卡嗒卡嗒地響着，向遠方開去；它穿過田野，穿過森林，穿過穀物，穿過乾草，穿過白堊地，穿過沃土，穿過粘泥，穿過岩石，穿過近在手邊、幾乎就在掌握之中、但卻永遠從旅客身邊飛去的東西，這時一個虛幻的遠景永遠在他心中緩慢地隨他移動着，就像在那個冷酷無情的怪物——死亡的軌道上前進一樣！
它穿過窪地，爬上山崗，經過荒原，經過果園，經過公園，經過花園，越過運河、越過河流，經過羊羣正在吃草的地方，經過磨坊正在運轉的地方，經過駁船正在漂流的地方，經過死人躺着的地方，經過工廠正在冒煙的地方，經過小溪正在奔流的地方，經過村莊簇集的地方，經過宏偉的大教堂高高聳立的地方，經過生長着石竹、狂風反覆無常地有時使它表面平順光滑、有時又使它興波起浪的蕭瑟淒涼的荒原；它尖叫着，呼吼着，卡嗒卡嗒地響着，向遠方開去，除了塵埃與蒸汽外，不留下其他任何痕跡，就像在那個冷酷無情的怪物——死亡的軌道上前進一樣！
迎着風和光，迎着陣雨和陽光，它轉動着，吼叫着，猛烈地、迅速地、平穩地、確信地向遠方開去，向更遠的地方開去。巨大的堤壩和宏偉的橋樑像一束一英寸寬的陰暗的光線閃現在眼前，然後又消失了。它向遠方，更遠的地方開去，向前，永遠向前地開去，瞥見了茅舍，瞥見了房屋、公館、富饒的莊園，瞥見了農田和手工作坊，瞥見了人們，瞥見了古老的道路和小徑（當它們被拋在後面的時候，看去是那麼荒涼，渺小和微不足道——它們也確實如此——）、在難以制服的怪物——死亡的軌道上，除了瞥見這些東西之外，又還有什麼別的呢？
它尖叫着，呼吼着，卡嗒卡嗒地響着，向遠方開去；它重新投入地面，以狂風暴雨般充沛的精力和堅韌不拔的精神向前奔駛；在黑暗與旋風中它的車輪似乎倒轉，猛烈地向後面退回去，直到射向潮溼的牆上的光輝顯示出，它的頂部表面正像一條湍急的溪流一般向前飛奔過去。它發出了歡天喜地的尖叫聲，呼吼着，卡嗒卡嗒地響着，又一次進入了白天和經過了白天，急匆匆地繼續向前奔馳着；它用它黑色的呼吸唾棄一切，有時在人羣聚集的地方停歇一分鐘，一分鐘以後他們就再也看不見了；它有時貪婪無厭地狂飲着水，當它飲水的噴管還沒有停止滴水之前，它就尖叫着，呼吼着，卡嗒卡嗒地響着，開向紫紅色的遠方去了！