LESSON 46 The golden eagle's nest

第四十六课 金雕巢

Where, all this time, was Mark Steuart, the sailor?

这么长时间以来，水手马克·斯提尔德到哪里去了？

Half way up the cliffs. But his eye had got dim, and his heart sick;

他正在悬崖半壁上呢。但是他的目光变得黯淡，他的心脏也出了问题；

and he, who had so often reefed the top-gallant-sail, when at midnight the coming of the gale was heard afar,

他常常去顶上收放横帆，在半夜听到远处呼啸的狂风，

covered his face with his hands, and dared not look on the swimming heights.

他用手捂住脸，不敢看离水面的高度。

"And who will take care of my poor bed-ridden mother?"

“谁能帮我照顾我那卧床不起的可怜的母亲呢？”

thought Hannah, whose soul, through the exhaustion of so many passions,

哈娜想道，经历了许多感情波折之后，

 

could no more retain in its grasp that hope which it had clutched in despair.

再也没法在绝望中抓住那一丝希望。

A voice whispered, "God." She looked around, expecting to see an angel;

一个声音低声说，“上帝。”她看看周围，希望看到的是天使；

but nothing moved except a rotten branch, that, under its own weight, broke off from the crumbling rock.

但除了生长在岩缝中干枯的树枝外，什么也没有。

Her eye watched its fall; and it seemed to stop, not far off, on a small platform.

她注视着树枝的下落，目光似乎停在了不远处的一个小平台上。

Her child was bound within her bosom—she remembered not how or when,

她把孩子绑在胸前——她不记得怎么做的，也不记得什么时候做的，但是那样很安全；

but it was safe; and, scarcely daring to open her eyes, she slid down the rocks,

她几乎不敢睁眼，滑下岩石，

and found herself on a small piece of firm, root bound soil, with bushes appearing below.

发现自己停在一块坚实的土地上，下面是一片灌木林。