英语美文与传神翻译：死海求生（连载3）

Solo Sailor in Peril

文 | 英语和翻译实践者

引言

托尼·布利莫尔是一位世界级的帆船运动员。他最爱的一个是妻子，一个是大海。他渴望永远和妻子幸福地生活在一起，而大海却要扼杀他的这个梦想。

正文

3 Trapped

So far there is not much leakage, only about six inches of water in the boat. I have dry clothes in the cuddy, a smaller cabin space behind the engine room. That part of the boat is tilted higher out of the water. Ill move there if I have to.

When I look down through the windows into the sea, I notice that the boom is being thrown about wildly, continually tapping against the windows. I see the dark water growing lighter. It bathes the cabin in a green glow. Its Sunday.

Suddenly a jet of water shoots up beneath my feet with such force that it hits the hull above my head. Frozen in shock, I stare at it for several seconds before I realize what has happened. The boom has smashed one of the cabin windows.

Water surges up, first to my knees, then my thighs, then up to my chest. It is freezing. I realize I’m dead unless I can find my survival suit. Wading through the icy water, I make my way to the cuddy.

The lights have gone out; the inside of the cuddy is like a cave. I fumble frantically in the dark through four canvas storage bags. The fourth bag has the suit — a shell of lightweight yellow nylon lined with soft fabric. Quickly, I strip off my rain gear, put the suit on and zip it up. I instantly feel warmer.

Next I go looking for an Argos beacon. I find one in the engine room and flick on the alarm/distress switch. A red light flashes, telling me it is transmitting.

I head to the main cabin and face my old problem: how to get the beacon outside. The water is nearly up to my chin. Think, Tony. Think.

I look down. What about the shattered window? I tie the Argos to a length of rope, take a deep breath and dive into the water in the cabin. My God, its cold.

I push the beacon down through the opening and let the rope pay out. I have no way of knowing if the beacon will bob to the surface and not get tangled in the rigging.

My desperate situation has become critical. Water seems to be continually pouring into Exide Challenger, which is sinking lower at the stern. I have to get the life raft.

The raft is stored in the cockpit in a special container. I will have to swim out there and cut the ropes holding the container to the cockpit floor before pulling it into the cabin.

First I have to see if it is still there.

Standing at the companionway entrance, I raise my head above the sloshing water, take a deep breath and dive. The shock of the cold is astonishing; I get the worst ice-cream headache ever.

Bracing my shoulders, I push hard on the companionway hatch. At first it doesnt budge, but then it moves as water pressure equalizes on both sides. I grab the door frame for a better grip, and just as I do, a tremendous surge of water slams the hatch shut.

I feel sharp pain. I hold up my hand. All I see is a stub of jagged bone. Blood is swirling in the clear sea water. I think, God Almighty, where’s my finger?

试译

3 被困

到目前为止，舱里并没有多少泄漏，只有大约6英寸深的水。我有干衣服放在贮藏室，就是机房后面的一个小隔间。那部分由于船身的倾斜而高出水面。必要时我会转移到那里去。

我透过下面的窗口看大海时，见张帆杆被海水疯狂地甩来晃去，不停地撞击着窗口。我看见深黑的海水变浅了。闪着绿光的海水冲击着船舱。星期天到来了。

突然，一股水柱从脚下射出来，力量很大，都打在了头顶上的船体上。我一下子惊呆了，盯着看了好几秒钟才弄清楚发生了什么事。张帆杆撞碎了一扇窗玻璃。

海水迅速涌上来，先没过了膝盖，接着涨到了腿根，一会儿又达到了腰间。海水冰冷刺骨。我感到要是找不到救生衣，不久就会冻死。趟着冰冷的海水，我走向贮藏室。

所有的灯都灭了，走进贮藏室就像走进了山洞。黑暗中我焦急地在4个帆布袋中摸索着。我在第四个袋子里找到了内衬软布、外罩黄色尼龙的救生衣。我迅速扒下身上的雨具，穿上救生衣并拉上拉链。我立刻感到身上暖和多了。

接着我开始寻找信标。我在机房找到了一台“阿尔戈”并按下“报警/求救”开关。信标上的一个红灯在闪烁，说明它正在发射信号。

我走到主舱，面对的却是老问题：怎样把信标放到舱外。海水几乎漫到了我的下巴。想个办法，托尼，想个办法。

我朝下看了看。通过撞坏的窗口怎么样？我把信标绑在绳子上，深吸了一口气，潜入船舱的水中。天哪，冷死了。

我把信标塞出窟窿，并把绳子送出去。我不知道信标能否漂出水面，会不会被外面的绳索缠住。

我的处境越来越危险，海水似乎不断地灌入“伊格赛德挑战者号”，船尾开始下沉。我得拿出救生筏。

救生筏放在驾驶舱一个专用的包装箱里。我必须游到那里，割开把箱子捆到地板上的绳索，才能把它拉过来。

首先我得看看它还在不在。

站在过道口，我把头伸出翻腾的水面，深吸了一口气，潜入水中。冰冷的海水对我造成的刺激是异乎寻常的，这是我经历‬的最‬剧烈‬的冷‬刺激‬头疼‬。

我用肩膀使劲顶舱门。一开始它不动，随着两边的水压达到平衡，它开始被慢慢打开。我抓住门框想再加把力气，此时一股巨大的水流涌过来，门被“嘭”的一声关上了。

我感到一阵剧痛。举手一看，见一个手指头只剩一截豁豁丫丫的骨头了。鲜血在清澈的海水里旋散。天哪，我的手指呢？

（未完待续，后面更精彩）

译者简介：从事英汉口译和笔译39年，译审，全国第一届和第二届“韩素音青年翻译奖”竞赛一等奖获得者；已出版译著8部，最新译著有《携火奔月》和《我的两次月球之旅》（上海交通大学出版社）。

#我们一起学英语##翻译##英语##英语四六级##我的翻译笔记#

　　以上就是小编为大家整理的英语美文与传神翻译：死海求生（连载3），想要了解更多优质的相关资讯，请大家多多关注"大世界日记"。