在這個新貝德福地方,有一個捕鯨者的小教堂.就要出發(fā)到印度洋或者太平洋去的郁郁不樂的捕魚人,禮拜天不上那兒去的,可說為數寥寥。我當然也要上那地方去一趟。
Returning from my first morning stroll, I againsallied out upon this special errand. The sky hadchanged from clear, sunny cold, to driving sleet and mist. Wrapping myself in my shaggyjacket of the cloth called bearskin, I fought my way against the stubborn storm. Entering, Ifound a small scattered congregation of sailors, and sailors' wives and widows. A muffledsilence reigned, only broken at times by the shrieks of the storm. Each silent worshipperseemed purposely sitting apart from the other, as if each silent grief were insular andincommunicable. The chaplain had not yet arrived; and there these silent islands of men andwomen sat steadfastly eyeing several marble tablets, with black borders, masoned into the wallon either side the pulpit. Three of them ran something like the following, but I do not pretendto quote:
我在早晨第一次散步回來后,又特地為這事情趕到那里去。天際已經由晴冷又有陽光而變成飄著迷蒙蒙的雪雨了。我裹上那件用叫做熊皮的料子做成的毛茸茸的外套,冒著頂頭的大風雨進發(fā)。我走進教堂,但見疏疏落落的一小群水手。水手的妻子們和寡婦們。除了不時傳來的狂風暴雨的呼嘯,里面彌漫著一片壓抑著似的靜寂。每個無言的做禮拜者都似乎是故意遠離別人而坐著,仿佛各人的無言的憂傷都是孤立的,無可相通的。牧師還沒有來;這些靜寂的島嶼似的男男女女都坐在那里,睜著眼睛,望著幾塊鑲有黑邊。嵌在講壇兩側的墻上的大理石碑.我不自以為抄引得一字不差,其中有三塊寫有如下的字樣:
SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF JOHN TALBOT, Who, at the age of eighteen, was lost overboardNear the Isle of Desolation, off Patagonia, November 1st, 1836. THIS TABLET Is erected to hisMemory BY HIS SISTER.
約翰.塔爾伯特紀念碑 約翰.塔爾伯特,于一八三六年十一月一日,在寂寥島附近的巴塔哥尼亞海面,失足落海身亡,終年一十八歲。他的姊姊特立此碑以為紀念。
SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF ROBERT LONG, WILLIS ELLERY, NATHAN COLEMAN, WALTERCANNY, SETH MACY, AND SAMUEL GLEIG, Forming one of the boats' crews OF THE SHIP ELIZAWho were towed out of sight by a Whale, On the Off-shore Ground in the PACIFIC, December31st, 1839. THIS MARBLE Is here placed by their surviving SHIPMATES.
羅伯特.朗,威利斯.埃勒里 內森.科爾曼,沃爾特.坎尼 塞思.梅西,塞繆爾.格萊格紀念碑 上述諸人均為"伊萊扎號"船員,于一八三九年十二月三十一日在太平洋海面的漁場上被一巨鯨曳去失蹤。