09城市与欲望三

Cities and Desire 3.

城市与欲望3

Despina can be reached in two ways: by ship or by camel. The city displays one face to the traveler arriving overland and a different one to him who arrives by sea.

有两种途径到德斯皮娜：乘船或骑骆驼。这座城市向陆地旅行者展示了一种风貌，而对海上来客又展示了另一种。

When the camel driver sees, at the horizon of the tableland[ˈteɪbllænd]高原, the pinnacles [ˈpɪnəkəlz]尖顶 of the skyscrapers [ˈskaɪˌskreɪpərz]摩天大楼 come into view, the radar antennae, the white and red windsocks风向袋 flapping, the chimneys belching[ˈbeltʃɪŋ]喷出 smoke, he thinks of a ship; he knows it is a city, but he thinks of it as a vessel [ˈvesl]大船 that will take him away from the desert, a windjammer帆船 about tocast off解缆, with the breeze already swelling [ˈswelɪŋ]鼓出 the sails [seɪlz]帆 , not yet unfurled [ˌʌnˈfɜːrld]展开, or a steamboat汽船with its boiler [ˈbɔɪlər]锅炉 vibrating[ˈvaɪbreɪtɪŋ]振动 in the iron keel [kiːl]龙骨; and he thinks of all the ports, the foreign merchandise [ˈmɜːrtʃəndaɪz]商品 the cranes [kreɪnz]起重机 unload on the docks, the taverns [ˈtævərnz]酒馆 where crews全体船员 of different flags break bottles over one another's heads, the lighted, ground-floor windows, each with a woman combing her hair.

当赶驼人，看到摩天大楼的尖顶、雷达天线、飞扬的红白相间的风向袋、冒着浓烟的烟囱，出现在高原的地平线上时，他会想到一艘船；他知道这是一座城市，但他认为这是一艘将把他带离沙漠的船，一艘即将解开缆绳的帆船，微风已经鼓起尚未完全展开的船帆，或者把它看做一艘汽船，锅炉已经在铁龙骨上震颤；他想到了所有的港口，想到了码头上起重机卸下的外国货物，想到不同国家的船员在酒馆里拿酒瓶打对方的头，想到透出灯光的底层窗户，每个窗口都能看到一个女人梳妆打扮的身影。

In the coastline's haze, the sailor discerns[dɪˈsɜːrnz]分辨出 the form of a camel's withers[ˈwɪðərz]鬐甲, an embroidered刺绣 saddle[ˈsædl]马鞍 with glittering fringe[frɪndʒ]流苏 between two spotted humps[hʌmps]驼峰, advancing [ədˈvænsɪŋ]前进 and swaying [ˈsweɪɪŋ]摇摆; he knows it is a city, but he thinks of it as a camel from whose pack背包 hang wineskins酒囊 and bags of candied fruit, date wine枣椰酒, tobacco leaves, and already he sees himself at the head of a long caravan [ˈkærəvæn]旅行队 taking him away from the desert of the sea, toward oases[oʊˈeɪsiz]绿洲 of fresh water in the palm [pɑːm]棕榈 trees' jagged [ˈdʒæɡɪd]参差不齐 shade, toward palaces of thick, whitewashed walls, tiled [taɪld]铺地砖 courts庭院 where girls are dancing barefoot赤脚, moving their arms, half-hidden by their veils [veɪlz]面纱, and half-revealed.

在海岸的雾霭中，水手依稀辨认出摇摇摆摆前进着的骆驼的轮廓，带斑点的两个驼峰之间是镶着闪亮流苏的绣花鞍垫；他知道这是一座城市，但他认为这是一头骆驼，背上驮着一袋袋酒囊、蜜饯、枣椰酒和烟叶，他甚至看见自己带领着长长的商队离开了海上荒漠，走向棕榈树荫错落的淡水绿洲，走向厚墙粉刷成白色、庭院铺满瓷砖的皇宫，赤脚的少女在那里摇动着手臂翩翩起舞，她们的脸在面纱下若隐若现。

Each city receives收到 its form from the desert it opposes [əˈpoʊzɪz]与…对垒 ; and so the camel driver and the sailor see Despina, a border[ˈbɔːrdər]边境 city between two deserts.

每一种城市都从它所面对的荒漠中获得自己的形式；于是赶驼人和水手看到的德斯皮娜，是一座位于沙和水两个荒漠之间的边境城市。