现代大学英语精读第二版（第二册）学习笔记（原文及全文翻译）——10B - The Dog of Pompeii（庞贝城里的小狗）
Unit 10B - The Dog of Pompeii
The Dog of Pompeii
Louis Untermeyer
This is the second part of a story about a dog and a boy, set in the ancient city of Pompeii just before its destruction by earthquake and volcano in AD 79. The boy, Tito, was a blind orphan boy of twelve or thirteen. The dog, Bimbo, was not only dog, but nurse, pillow, playmate, mother and father to Tito. The day before the volcano, Bimbo had snatched from the bakery some raisin and sugar cakes for Tito's breakfast.
The next morning there were two of the beloved raisin and sugar cakes for his [Tito's] breakfast. Bimbo was unusually active and thumped his bit of a tail until Tito was afraid he would wear it out. The boy could not imagine whether Bimbo was urging him to some sort of game or was trying to tell something. After a while, he ceased to notice Bimbo. He felt drowsy. Last night's late hours had tired him. Besides, there was a heavy mist in the air—no, a thick fog rather than a mist—a fog that got into his throat and scraped it and made him cough. He walked as far as the marine gate to get a breath of the sea. But the blanket of haze had spread all over the bay and even the salt air seemed smoky.
He went to bed before dusk and slept. But he did not sleep well. He had too many dreams—dreams of ships lurching in the Forum, of losing his way in a screaming crowd, of armies marching across his chest, of being pulled over every rough pavement of Pompeii.
He woke early. Or, rather, he was pulled awake. Bimbo was doing the pulling. The dog had dragged Tito to his feet and was urging the boy along. Somewhere. Where, Tito did not know. His feet stumbled uncertainly; he was still half asleep. For a while he noticed nothing except the fact that it was hard to breathe. The air was hot. And heavy. So heavy that he could taste it. The air, it seemed, had turned to powder—a warm powder that stung his nostrils and burned his sightless eyes.
Then he began to hear sounds. Peculiar sounds. Like animals under the earth. Hissings and groanings and muffled cries that a dying creature might make dislodging the stones of his underground cave. There was no doubt of it now. The noises came from underneath. He not only heard them—he could feel them. The earth twitched; the twitching changed to an uneven shrugging of the soil. Then, as Bimbo half pulled, half coaxed him across, the ground jerked away from his feet and he was thrown against a stone fountain.
The water—hot water—splashing in his face revived him. He got to his feet, Bimbo steadying him, helping him on again. The noises grew louder; they came closer. The cries were even more animal-like than before, but now they came from human throats. A few people, quicker of foot and more hurried by fear, began to rush by. A family or two—then a section—then, it seemed, an army broken out of bounds. Tito, bewildered though he was, could recognize Rufus as he bellowed past him, like a water buffalo gone mad. Time was lost in a nightmare.
It was then the crashing began. First a sharp crackling, like a monstrous snapping of twigs; then a roar like the fall of a whole forest of trees; then an explosion that tore earth and sky. The heavens, though Tito could not see them, were shot through with continual flickerings of fire. Lightnings above were answered by thunders beneath. A house fell. Then another. By a miracle the two companions had escaped the dangerous side streets and were in a more open space. It was the Forum. They rested here a while—how long he did not know.
Tito had no idea of the time of day. He could feel it was black—an unnatural blackness. Something inside—perhaps the lack of breakfast and lunch—told him it was past noon. But it didn't matter. Nothing seemed to matter. He was getting drowsy, too drowsy to walk. But walk he must. He knew it. And Bimbo knew it; the sharp tugs told him so. Nor was it a moment too soon. The sacred ground of the Forum was safe no longer. It was beginning to rock, then to pitch, then to split. As they stumbled out of the square, the earth wriggled like a caught snake and all the columns of the temple of Jupiter came down. It was the end of the world—or so it seemed. To walk was not enough now. They must run. Tito was too frightened to know what to do or where to go. He had lost all sense of direction. He started to go back to the inner gate; but Bimbo, straining his back to the last inch, almost pulled his clothes from him. What did the creature want? Had the dog gone mad?
Then suddenly, he understood. Bimbo was telling him the way out—urging him there. The sea gate, of course. The sea gate—and then the sea. Far from falling buildings, heaving ground. He turned, Bimbo guiding him across open pits and dangerous pools of bubbling mud, away from buildings that had caught fire and were dropping their burning beams. Tito could no longer tell whether the noises were made by the shrieking sky or the agonized people. He and Bimbo ran on—the only silent beings in a howling world.
New dangers threatened. All Pompeii seemed to be thronging toward the marine gate and, squeezing among the crowds, there was the chance of being trampled to death. But the chance had to be taken. It was growing harder and harder to breathe. What air there was choked him. It was all dust now—dust and pebbles, pebbles as large as beans. They fell on his head, his hands—pumice stones from the black heart of Vesuvius. The mountain was turning itself inside out. Tito remembered a phrase that the stranger had said in the Forum two days ago: "Those who will not listen to men must be taught by the gods." The people of Pompeii had refused to heed the warnings; they were being taught now—if it was not too late.
Suddenly it seemed too late for Tito. The red-hot ashes blistered his skin, and the stinging vapors tore his throat. He could not go on. He staggered toward a small tree at the side of the road and fell. In a moment Bimbo was beside him. He coaxed. But there was no answer. He licked Tito's hands, his feet, his face. The boy did not stir. Then Bimbo did the last thing he could—the last thing he wanted to do. He bit his comrade, bit him deep in the arm. With a cry of pain, Tito jumped to his feet, Bimbo after him. Tito was in despair, but Bimbo was determined. He drove the boy on, snapping at his heels, worrying his way through the crowd; barking, baring his teeth, heedless of kicks or falling stones. Sick with hunger, half dead with fear and sulfur fumes, Tito pounded on, pursued by Bimbo. How long, he never knew. At last he staggered through the marine gate and felt soft sand under him. Then Tito fainted...
Someone was dashing sea water over him. Someone was carrying him toward a boat.
"Bimbo," he called. And then louder, "Bimbo!" But Bimbo had disappeared.
Voices jarred against each other. "Hurry—hurry!" "To the boats!" "Can't you see the child's frightened and starving!" "He keeps calling for someone!" "Poor boy, he's out of his mind." "Here, child—take this!"
They tucked him in among them. The oarlocks creaked; the oars splashed; the boat rode over toppling waves. Tito was safe. But he wept continually.
"Bimbo!" he wailed. "Bimbo! Bimbo!"
He could not be comforted.
Eighteen hundred years passed. Scientists were restoring the ancient city; excavators were working their way through the stones and trash that had buried the entire town. Much had already been brought to light—statues, bronze instruments, bright mosaics, household articles; even delicate paintings had been preserved by the fall of ashes that had taken over two thousand lives. Columns were dug up, and the Forum was beginning to emerge.
It was at a place where the ruins lay deepest that the Director paused.
"Come here," he called to his assistant. "I think we've discovered the remains of a building in good shape. Here are four huge millstones that were most likely turned by slaves or mules—and here is a whole wall standing with shelves inside it. Why! It must have been a bakery. And here's a curious thing. What do you think I found under this heap where the ashes were thickest? The skeleton of a dog!"
"Amazing!" gasped his assistant. "You'd think a dog would have had sense enough to run away at the time. And what is that flat thing he's holding between his teeth? It can't be a stone."
"No. It must have come from this bakery. You know it looks to me like some sort of cake hardened with the years. And, bless me, if those little black pebbles aren't raisins. A raisin cake almost two thousand years old! I wonder what made him want it at such a moment?"
"I wonder," murmured the assistant.
参考译文——庞贝城里的小狗
庞贝城里的小狗
路易斯·昂特迈耶
这是关于一只狗和一个男孩的故事的第二部分。故事发生在公元79年的庞贝古城，就在它被地震和火山摧毁之前。这个十二三岁的男孩蒂托是一个失明的孤儿，而那只叫宾博的狗，对蒂托而言不只是狗，还是看护者、枕头、玩伴和父母。就在火山爆发前一天，宾博还从面包店叼来了些带糖和葡萄干的蛋糕，给蒂托当早餐。
蒂托第二天的早饭是两块他很喜欢吃的带糖和葡萄干的蛋糕。宾博异常活跃，不停地摇着尾巴，尾巴尖敲打出声响。蒂托甚至害怕它会把尾巴给摇断了。蒂托搞不明白宾博这样做是为了让他陪它玩呢，还是想告诉他什么事情。过了一会儿他就不管宾博了。他感到昏昏欲睡，昨天晚上睡得很晚，现在他感到很疲倦。而且空气中起了厚厚的雾霭——确切地说，是浓雾。那雾进到他的嗓子里像手挠一样，他不由地咳嗽了几声。他走到船的门口想呼吸一下海风，但是那层厚厚的烟雾已经弥漫了整个海湾，甚至连海风中都充满烟雾。
天还没黑他就上床睡觉了。但是他睡得并不好，老是做梦——梦到船在广场里翻了，梦到自己在叫喊的人群中迷路了，梦到军队从他的胸膛上踏过，还梦到自己被拖过庞贝城每一条崎岖不平的人行道。
他醒得很早。确切地说，他是被拖醒的，拖着他的是宾博。这只狗把蒂托拉了起来，然后让他跟着它走，但是蒂托不知道它要带他到哪里去。蒂托半睡半醒，跌跌撞撞地走着。一时间，除了呼吸困难，他什么也感觉不到。空气很热，很浓重，浓到他仿佛都能够尝到空气的味道。空气仿佛变成了粉末——一种热乎乎的粉末。这粉末刺激着他的鼻孔，灼痛了他本就看不到任何东西的眼睛。
然后他听到了声音，声音很特别，像是地底下的动物发出来的。那是一种垂死的生物在从地洞里往外搬石头时会发出的嘶嘶声、呻吟声和压抑的鸣咽声。确实是这样的，那些声音来自地下。他不仅听到了这些声音，而且能感受到它们。地面动了一下，接着开始上下起伏，然后就在宾博半拉半哄地将他带到一边去时，他脚下的地面突然摇晃了一下，他被扔到一个山泉边上。
山泉里的热水溅到了他的脸上，让他清醒了过来。宾博协助他站了起来，并帮着他继续前进。那些声音越来越大，他们离声源也越来越近。那叫声听起来更像是动物的叫声了，但实际上是人们发出的声音。一些吓坏的人步履匆忙地跑过。刚开始的时候是一两家人，后来是一小队人，再后来仿佛是一支突破约束的军队冲了出来。尽管蒂托有点晕头转向，但是在鲁弗斯像发疯的水牛一样叫喊着从他身边经过的时候，他还是认出他来了。时间陷入了噩梦中。
就在那时毁灭开始了。首先是一阵如同猛兽咬断树枝的尖锐的噼啪声；然后是一阵呼啸声，听上去仿佛整个森林里的树木顷刻之间倒掉了；再后来就是一声惊天动地的爆炸声。尽管蒂托看不见，但天空被那不停闪烁的火光给击穿了。天空中的亮光和地上的巨响呼应着。一间房子倒了，紧接着是另一间……他们两个奇迹般地逃离了危险的街道，到了一个比较空旷的地方。那是市中心广场。他们两个在那里休息了不知多长时间。
蒂托不知道现在是什么时间，但是他能感觉到天很黑——异常黑暗。可能是由于没吃早饭和午饭，肚子开始咕咕叫了，这使他意识到正午已过。但是这无关紧要，什么都不重要了。他越来越昏昏欲睡，几乎不能走路了。但是他必须得走，他知道这一点，宾博也知道，它那强有力的拽拉告诉了他这一点。现在必须得快点走，广场这个圣地现在也不安全了。路面开始慢慢地晃动、倾斜、断裂。当他们跌跌撞撞地走出广场的时候，地面就像是一条被捕的蛇一样扭动着，朱庇特主神庙里所有的柱子都倒了。似乎今天就是世界末日了。仅仅走已经不行了，他们必须得赶快跑。蒂托很害怕，根本不知道该干什么，该往哪里跑。他完全失去了方向感。蒂托开始向内城门走去，但是宾博却使劲把他往回拖，差点把他的衣服拽了下来。这只狗想做什么？难道是疯了吗？
忽然他意识到宾博是要告诉他出去的路，赶着他往通海闸门走，然后到海里去。那里远离倒塌的建筑和抖动的地面。他转过身来，宾博领着他穿过深坑和冒着泥泡的危险水池。他们躲避着冒着火光的、烧着的横梁不断往下掉的危险建筑。蒂托已经分不清那些声音是天空的尖叫还是愤怒的人们发出的。他和宾博继续跑着，他们是那个咆哮的世界里唯一默不作声的生灵。
新的危险出现了。庞贝所有的人似乎都向着通海闸门涌过来，挤在这样的人群中，有被踩踏致死的可能。但是这个险一定要冒。他周围的空气很浑浊，充满了尘土和像黄豆那么大的石头，让他越来越难以呼吸。这些石头落到了他的头上、手上——是从维苏威山地心来的浮石。维苏威山自己翻了个底朝天。蒂托想起了两天前有个陌生人在广场上说过的话，那个人说：“不听劝告的人终将会受到上帝的惩罚。”庞贝人没有听从警告，现在他们正在接受惩罚——希望为时不晚。
突然间，对于蒂托来说似乎太晚了。炙热的火山灰把他的皮肤烫出了水泡，刺激性强烈的烟雾折磨着他的喉咙。他走不动了，蹒跚着走到路边的一棵小树旁，倒了下去。宾博立刻跑到他的身边，不停地叫着，但蒂托没有醒来。宾博用舌头舔蒂托的手、脚和脸，他还是一动不动。最后宾博用了它最不想用的一招，它在蒂托的手臂上狠狠地咬了一下。蒂托痛苦地叫了一声，然后站了起来。宾博紧随其后。蒂托感到很绝望，而宾博却意志坚定。它咬着蒂托的脚后跟催促他往前走。由于担心主人没法从人群中逃生，宾博露着牙齿不停地叫着，根本无暇顾及别人无意的踢打和不断落下的石块。蒂托被恐惧和浓烈的硫磺烟折磨得半死，忍受着饥饿继续前行，宾博紧跟其后。他不知道还要走多远。最后他终于跌跌撞撞地穿过通海闸门，感到脚下踩着了松软的沙子，接着就晕了过去……
有人在他身上泼了点海水，有人抱着他朝船上走去。
“宾博，”他叫道，接着又用更大的声音喊了一遍，“宾博！”但是宾博不见了。
喊叫声此起彼伏：“快点！快点！”“到船上去！”“没看到这孩子又惊又饿吗？”“他一直在喊人！”“可怜的孩子，他头脑不清晰了。”“来，孩子，拿着这个！”
他们把蒂托舒舒服服地裹在中间。船桨吱吱作响，水花四溅。船在海上乘风破浪。蒂托安全了，但他却无法停止哭泣。
“宾博！宾博！宾博！”他痛哭着喊道。
失去宾博的伤痛无法抚平。
1800年过去了，科学家们正在修复这座古城。挖掘机正在清理那些曾经掩埋了整座城市的石头和垃圾。很多东西得以重见天日：雕像、青铜乐器、鲜艳的马赛克、家居用品，以及被掉落的火山灰保存得完好的精美画作。那火山灰曾经夺走了2000余个生命。柱子也被挖了出来，广场渐渐地呈现在眼前了。
修复行动的指挥者在遗迹埋藏得最深的地方停了下来。
他对助手说：“快来，我觉得我们找到了一座完整的建筑遗迹了。这里是四块巨大的磨盘，原来可能是由奴隶或者骡子推转的。这里是一堵完整的墙，在墙上有许多架子。天啊！这原先肯定是一家面包店。这里还有一个奇怪的东西。你猜我在这一堆最厚的火山灰里发现了什么？是一条狗的骨架！”
“太不可思议了！”助手气喘吁吁地说，“那时狗一定意识到了危险，知道应该逃跑。它叼着的那扁扁的东西是什么？一定不是石头。”
“不是石头。肯定是面包店里的东西。我觉得它看起来像是某种蛋糕，因为年代久远所以变硬了。天啊，那些黑色的颗粒不会是葡萄干吧。这葡萄干蛋糕得有将近2000年的历史了！我想知道这只狗在那个时刻为什么想要那块蛋糕。”
“我也想知道，”助手喃喃地说。
Key Words:
mist [mist]
n. 雾，迷蒙，朦胧不清
vt. 使 ...
spread [spred]
v. 伸展，展开，传播，散布，铺开，涂撒
volcano [vɔl'keinəu]
n. 火山
rough [rʌf]
adj. 粗糙的，粗略的，粗暴的，艰难的，讨厌的，不适的
destruction [di'strʌkʃən]
n. 破坏，毁灭，破坏者
blanket ['blæŋkit]
n. 毛毯，覆盖物，排字版
vt. 用毯子裹，
earthquake ['ə:θkweik]
n. 地震
except [ik'sept]
vt. 除，除外
prep. & conj.
fountain ['fauntin]
n. 喷泉，源泉，储水容器，泉水
v. 使像喷
powder ['paudə]
n. 粉，粉末，细雪，火药
vt. 洒粉于，使
nightmare ['nait.mɛə]
n. 恶梦，使人极其痛苦的事情或经历，梦魇
recognize ['rekəgnaiz]
vt. 认出，认可，承认，意识到，表示感激
muffled
adj. 听不清的；蒙住的 v. 裹住；蒙住…的头；捂住
frightened ['fraitnd]
adj. 受惊的，受恐吓的
split [split]
n. 劈开，裂片，裂口
adj. 分散的
pitch [pitʃ]
n. 沥青，树脂，松脂
n. 程度，投掷，球场
explosion [iks'pləuʒən]
n. 爆炸，爆发，激增
sacred ['seikrid]
adj. 神圣的，受尊重的
miracle ['mirəkl]
n. 奇迹
continual [kən'tinjuəl]
adj. 不断的，频繁的
heed [hi:d]
n. 注意，留心
v. 注意，留心
phrase [freiz]
n. 短语，习语，个人风格，乐句
despair [di'spɛə]
n. 绝望，失望
vi. 失望
determined [di'tə:mind]
adj. 坚毅的，下定决心的
stir [stə:]
n. 感动(激动，愤怒或震动), 搅拌，骚乱
heedless ['hi:dlis]
adj. 不注意的；不留心的
frightened ['fraitnd]
adj. 受惊的，受恐吓的
director [di'rektə, dai'rektə]
n. 董事，经理，主管，指导者，导演
delicate ['delikit]
n. 精美的东西
adj. 精美的，微妙的，美
skeleton ['skelitn]
n. 骨架，纲要，骨骼，骨瘦如柴的人或动物，家丑
curious ['kjuəriəs]
adj. 好奇的，奇特的
preserved [pri'zə:vd]
adj. 保藏的；腌制的；[美俚]喝醉的
emerge [i'mə:dʒ]
vi. 浮现，(由某种状态)脱出，(事实)显现出来
参考资料：