新概念第四冊課文精講 Lesson27:“瓦薩”號
課文27 “瓦薩”號
481. From the seventeenth-century empire of Sweden, the story of a galleon that sank at the start of her maiden voyage in 1628 must be one of the strangest tales of the sea.
1628年，一艘大帆船在處女航時(shí)就沉沒了，這個(gè)從容不迫7世紀(jì)瑞典帝國流傳至今的故事無疑是航海史上最離奇的事件之一。
482. For nearly three and a half centuries she lay at the bottom of Stockholm harbour until her discovery in 1956.
這艘大船在斯德哥爾摩港口的海底躺了將近幾年來個(gè)世紀(jì)之后，直到1956年才被發(fā)現(xiàn)。
483. This was the Vasa, royal flagship of the great imperial fleet.
這就是“瓦薩”號，帝國大艦的皇家旗艦。
484. King Gustavus Adolphus, 'The Northern Hurricane', then at the height of his military success in the Thirty Years' War, had dictated her measurements and armament.
當(dāng)時(shí)號稱“北方颶風(fēng)”的國王古斯夫斯.阿道爾弗正處在“三十年戰(zhàn)爭”的軍事鼎盛階段，他親自規(guī)定了這艘船的規(guī)模和武器配備。
485. Triple gun-decks mounted sixty-four bronze cannon.
3層的火炮甲板上裝著眼點(diǎn)4門青銅加農(nóng)炮，
486. She was intended to play a leading role in the growing might of Sweden.
目的就是要在不斷增長的瑞典勢力中起主導(dǎo)作用。
487. As she was prepared of her maiden voyage on August 10, 1628, Stockholm was in a ferment.
1628年8月10日，“瓦薩”號準(zhǔn)備首航時(shí)，斯德哥爾摩一片歡騰。
488. From the Skeppsbron and surrounding islands the people watched this thing of beauty begin to spread her sails and catch the wind.
人們從斯開波斯布朗和周圍的島嶼前來觀著這艘美麗的戰(zhàn)船揚(yáng)帆起航，乘風(fēng)前進(jìn)。
489. They had laboured for three years to produce this floating work of art;
瑞典人辛辛苦苦干了3年才建成這件水上藝術(shù)品，
490. she was more richly carved and ornamented than any previous ship.
它比以往任何船只雕刻得都更加精美，裝飾得都更加華麗。
491. The high stern castle was a riot of carved gods, demons, knights, kings, warriors, mermaids, cherubs;
高聳的船樓上雕刻了令人眼花繚亂的神仙、妖魔、騎士、國王、武士、美人魚和小天使，
492. and zoomorphic animal shapes ablaze with rea and gold and blue, symbols of courage, power, and cruelty,
還有用紅色、金黃色、藍(lán)色繪制的光彩奪目的獸形圖案，象征著勇敢、力量和殘暴，
493. were portrayed to stir the imaginations of the superstitious sailors of the day.
以激起漢時(shí)崇尚迷信的水手們的想像。
494. Then the cannons of the anchored warships thundered a salute to which the Vasa fired in reply.
這時(shí)，停泊在港口的其他戰(zhàn)船向“瓦薩”號鳴炮致禮，“瓦薩”號也鳴炮回禮。
495. As the emerged from her drifting cloud of gun smoke with the water churned to foam beneath her bow, her flags colour,she presented a more majestic spectacle than Stockholmers had ever seen before.
當(dāng)“瓦薩”號從彌漫的禮炮煙云中出現(xiàn)時(shí)，船頭下浪花加濺，艦旗迎風(fēng)招展，三角旗隨風(fēng)飄動(dòng)，微風(fēng)鼓起風(fēng)帆，金碧輝煌的船樓閃耀著燦爛的色彩。“瓦薩”號展現(xiàn)的壯觀景象是斯德哥爾摩人從未見過的。船上的炮眼開著，炮口虎視眈眈地向外窺視著。
496. As the wind freshened there came a sudden squall and the ship made a strange movement, listing to port.
當(dāng)風(fēng)力增強(qiáng)時(shí)，突然刮來一陣大風(fēng)，“瓦薩”號奇怪地?fù)u晃了一下，便向左舷傾斜。
497. The Ordnance Officer ordered all the port cannon to be heaved to starboard to counteract the list,
炮長命令把左舷上所有大炮搬到右舷上來以抵消船的傾斜，
498. but the steepening angle of the decks increased.
但甲板的傾斜度仍在增加。
499. Then the sound of rumbling thunder reached the watchers on the shore, as cargo, ballast, ammunition and 400 people went sliding and crashing down to the port side of the steeply listing ship.
當(dāng)物口、壓艙物、彈藥和400個(gè)人轟地一聲滑向陡斜的左舷時(shí)，岸上的觀眾聽到了雷鳴般的轟響。
500. The lower gun-ports were now below water and the inrush sealed the ship's fate.
下層炮眼已淹沒在水里，涌進(jìn)船艙的水給“瓦薩”號帶來了難以逃脫的厄運(yùn)。
501. In that first glorious hour, the mighty Vasa, which was intended to rule the Baltic, sank with all flags flying-in the harbour of her birth.
就這樣，想要統(tǒng)治波羅的海的大型戰(zhàn)艦“瓦薩”號，在它壯麗的起航時(shí)刻，帶著全身飄揚(yáng)的彩旗，沉沒在了它誕生的港口。
