1705004993

1705004994 ● depths upon depths：故事的后面、故事的底下，一层复一层的，深藏着人心的奥秘，但是普氏从来没有往深处去探测。普氏只对于故事本身发生兴趣。

1705004995

1705004996 ● 这部历史虽然缺乏深刻的哲理和心理动机的分析。但是我们拿它当作一件艺术品来看或是一部伟大的历史叙事文来读，我们不得不承认这是部了不起的著作（magnificent success）。

1705004997

1705004998 ● grounded是过去分词，形容narrative，意为“建立”。这部历史所讲的许多事迹，没有一处是向壁虚构，每一句话都有根据：“每一点都建立于历史事实之上。”

1705004999

1705005000 ● Livy（59 B.C.— A.D.17）是罗马历史家。Froissart（1337？—1400）是法国历史家。他们的文章都是有光彩的（glow and colour），普氏的文章也可以和他们的媲美。

1705005001

1705005002 ● 最后几句话都是赞扬普氏巨著的优点。他这本书的轮廓明确，就像拉斐尔的勾勒画稿一样。cartoon现在普通译作“卡通”或“漫画”，这里解作“勾勒画稿”，即油画、壁画、织锦等动工以前，先在厚纸上用钢笔所画的草稿。拉斐尔是文艺复兴时期意大利画家。这部书的“轮廓明确”，说的是它的计划周密，叙事次序井然，无轻重偏颇之病。

1705005003

1705005004 ● picturesque detail：如画的细节。本书的组织完整，各处小节描写，又生动美丽如画，使人目不暇接，犹如盛大赛会，化装游行（pageantry）一般。calculated=fit，suitable（足以产生某种结果）。to feed the imagination of the country：给美国人民以精神食粮，激发他们的想象力，starved：饥饿的。十九世纪初叶，美国人的精神生活很是贫乏，所能想象的东西很有限。普氏此书，活龙活现地描写西班牙国势最盛的一段时期，大多为美国人见所未见，闻所未闻的事情，美国人欢迎这本书，无异是饥民之得美食。as never before：以前所出的书，从来没有像这本书那样能满足美国人者。

1705005005

1705005006 ● like a battle：本书写作以前，设计周密审慎，犹如参谋本部计划一场战争一样。Salem：美国麻州之海港，为当时美国造船业之中心。clipper：快帆船。本书的结构完美，颠扑不破，如Salem快船一般地结实（stoutly built）。按：普氏为Salem地方的人，这个譬喻用得很适当。

1705005007

1705005008 ● destined原意是“命中注定的”，但通常并不含有“命运”的意义，只是指“将来有某种结果”而已。他这只船造成以后，将要在未来世世代代（for generations to come）读者的心灵中航行。enchanted：着迷的；这本书可以使人入迷，使读者犹如置身于十五世纪的西班牙一般。船在很多人的心灵中航行，就是说很多人要读它（读了还要着迷）。

1705005009

1705005010 It was the work of William Hickling Prescott, Ticknor’s young friend, the charming, amusing son of Judge Prescott, who lived in his ample house in Bedford Street, overlooking a beautiful garden. Prescott?—who could believe it? He was partly blind, and he had an extravagant love of jolly parties. He talked with a joyous abandon, running over with animal spirits, laughing at his own inconsequences, with always some new joke or witty sally. He could be happy in more ways, in spite of his defective eyes, and happier in every one of them, than anyone else his friends had ever seen. One met him in the street, with his gay blue satin waistcoat, tall, graceful, with light brown hair and a clear and ruddy complexion. He seemed to look younger everyday. It was known that, for twenty years, he and a group of his friends had carried on a literary club, reading their papers over a merry supper. He had printed a few essays in the review. But this was in a dilettantish spirit, everyone supposed. One of his relatives, meeting him on the street, not long before his book appeared, urged him to undertake some serious task. It would be so good for him. It would be more respectable than leading this unprofitable life.

1705005011

1705005012 ● George Ticknor（1791—1871）：当时有名学者，曾任哈佛大学法文、西班牙文教授，学识渊博，喜奖掖后进。普氏年龄比他轻五岁。

1705005013

1705005014 ● 第一句说明普氏家世，其父任法官，家里房子很大。社会人士对他的认识是如此。作者并不直叙普氏的家世与为人，这里只是描写当时的人看见普氏的巨著后的惊奇心理：凭这样一个人也能写出这样一部书来吗？

1705005015

1705005016 ● partly blind：半盲。jolly parties：热闹的社交宴会。

1705005017

1705005018 ● abandon：随便（名词）。说起话来总很高兴，想说什么就说什么。

1705005019

1705005020 ● animal spirits：活泼好动的劲儿（此二字为成语）。running over：滔滔不绝地说话。inconsequences：前言不对后语，自己也觉得好笑。running和laughing都是形容主语He，描写他说话的情形。sally：隽语，俏皮话。

1705005021

1705005022 ● in more ways：他的眼睛虽有病，但他作乐的方法很多，他的朋友们再也没有看见像他那样会多方面寻快乐的人了。his friends had ever seen是定语从句，关系代名词that（或whom）省掉。in every one of them：in every one of these ways。别人也许也有他这么多作乐的方法，但是他寻起快乐来，不论任何方式，总比别人还要高兴。本句than一字，既照应前面的more，复照应稍后的happier。

1705005023

1705005024 ● 接着一句描写他的服饰容貌。作者还不是直接描写，还是借用当时人的看法。

1705005025

1705005026 ● One met him的One没有确指什么人。gay：色彩鲜艳的。satin：缎子。waistcoat：马甲，背心。graceful：态度文雅。clear and ruddy complexion：面色清朗红润。看他样子，似乎愈活愈年轻了。

1705005027

1705005028 ● It was known：大家知道。literary club：文学联谊会。merry supper：大家一起吃晚饭，谈笑欢乐，同时再宣读各人的论文。

1705005029

1705005030 ● the review指当时有名的杂志The North American Review。

1705005031

1705005032 ● dilettante：以文艺作为消遣之人。in the dilettantish spirit：他举办文学联谊会，发表文章，大家认为他只是搞着玩的，并不是真正用心研究或埋首写作。

1705005033

1705005034 ● undertake some serious task：着手干一样正经的工作。

1705005035

1705005036 ● respectable：为人所重视。他那时所过的生活，对他自己太没有好处了。

1705005037

1705005038 Every evening the light from his study window glimmered through the pear-trees in the garden. But only George Ticknor, outside the household, knew that, for at least ten years, Prescott had been hard at work, harder, perhaps, than any Boston merchant. And, if everyone bought this book for a Christmas present, it was only because the author was so attractive. One of his cronies, who was not a reader, rose before dawn, on the day it was published, to buy the first copy; but, while everyone saw at once that it was good, no one was aware how good it was. There were scarcely twelve men living who were able to know. Within a year or two, the electoral returns came rolling in, from England, France and Spain. The book had been born a classic.

1705005039

1705005040 ● study window：书斋的窗户。pear-trees：梨树。写这部文学史的勃鲁克斯，把人家花园里种的什么树都考证出来了，但只是像小说家那样的随手拈来，并不在卖弄考据之学。

1705005041

1705005042 ● outside the household：除了他家里人以外，只有好友Ticknor知道他在那里用功写作，而且已经花了“十年寒窗”的功夫了。（前文那位亲戚不知道，所以还要劝他干正经事。）

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