Chapter 78

There were many skies. The sky was invaded by great whiteclouds, flat on the bottom but round and billowy on top. Thesky was completely cloudless, of a blue quite shattering to thesenses. The sky was a heavy, suffocating¹ blanket of grey cloud,but without promise of rain. The sky was thinly overcast². Thesky was dappled with small, white, fleecy clouds. The sky wasstreaked with high, thin clouds that looked like a cotton ballstretched apart. The sky was a featureless milky³ haze⁴. The skywas a density⁵ of dark and blustery rain clouds that passed bywithout delivering rain. The sky was painted with a smallnumber of flat clouds that looked like sandbars. The sky was amere block to allow a visual effect on the horizon: sunlightflooding the ocean, the vertical⁶ edges between light and shadowperfectly distinct. The sky was a distant black curtain of fallingrain. The sky was many clouds at many levels, some thick andopaque, others looking like smoke. The sky was black andspitting rain on my smiling face. The sky was nothing butfalling water, a ceaseless deluge⁷ that wrinkled and bloated myskin and froze me stiff.
There were many seas. The sea roared like a tiger. The seawhispered in your ear like a friend telling you secrets. The seaclinked like small change in a pocket. The sea thundered likeavalanches. The sea hissed⁸ like sandpaper working on wood.
The sea sounded like someone vomiting⁹. The sea was deadsilent.
And in between the two, in between the sky and the sea,were all the winds.
And there were all the nights and all the moons.
To be a castaway is to be a point perpetually at the centreof a circle. However much things may appear to change – thesea may shift from whisper to rage, the sky might go fromfresh blue to blinding white to darkest black – the geometrynever changes. Your gaze is always a radius¹⁰. The circumferenceis ever great. In fact, the circles multiply. To be a castaway isto be caught in a harrowing ballet of circles. You are at thecentre of one circle, while above you two opposing circles spinabout. The sun distresses¹¹ you like a crowd, a noisy, invasivecrowd that makes you cup your ears, that makes you closeyour eyes, that makes you want to hide. The moon distressesyou by silently reminding you of your solitude¹²; you open youreyes wide to escape your loneliness. When you look up, yousometimes wonder if at, the centre of a solar storm, if in themiddle of the Sea of Tranquillity¹³, there isn't another one likeyou also looking up, also trapped by geometry, also strugglingwith fear, rage, madness, hopelessness, apathy¹⁴.
Otherwise, to be a castaway is to be caught up in grim andexhausting opposites. When it is light, the openness of the seais blinding and frightening. When it is dark, the darkness isclaustrophobic. When it is day, you are hot and wish to becool and dream of ice cream and pour sea water on yourself.
When it is night, you are cold and wish to be warm anddream of hot curries¹⁵ and wrap yourself in blankets. When it ishot, you are parched¹⁶ and wish to be wet. When it rains, youare nearly drowned and wish to be dry. When there is food,there is too much of it and you must feast. When there isnone, there is truly none and you starve. When the sea is flatand motionless, you wish it would stir. When it rises up andthe circle that imprisons¹⁷ you is broken by hills of water, yousuffer that peculiarity¹⁸ of the high seas, suffocation¹⁹ in openspaces, and you wish the sea would be flat again. Theopposites often take place at the same moment, so that whenthe sun is scorching²⁰ you till you are stricken down, you arealso aware that it is drying the strips of fish and meat that arehanging from your lines and that it is a blessing²¹ for your solarstills. Conversely, when a rain squall is replenishing yourfresh-water supplies, you also know that the humidity will affectyour cured provisions and that some will probably go bad,turning pasty and green. When rough weather abates²², and itbecomes clear that you have survived the sky's attack and thesea's treachery, your jubilation²³ is tempered by the rage that somuch fresh water should fall directly into the sea and by theworry that it is the last rain you will ever see, that you will dieof thirst before the next drops fall.
The worst pair of opposites is boredom²⁴ and terror.
Sometimes your life is a pendulum²⁵ swing from one to theother. The sea is without a wrinkle. There is not a whisper ofwind. The hours last forever. You are so bored you sink into astate of apathy close to a coma²⁶. Then the sea becomes roughand your emotions are whipped into a frenzy²⁷. Yet even thesetwo opposites do not remain distinct. In your boredom thereare elements of terror: you break down into tears; you arefilled with dread²⁸; you scream; you deliberately²⁹ hurt yourself.
And in the grip of terror – the worst storm – you yet feelboredom, a deep weariness with it all.
Only death consistently excites your emotions, whethercontemplating it when life is safe and stale, or fleeing it whenlife is threatened and precious.
Life on a lifeboat isn't much of a life. It is like an end gamein chess, a game with few pieces. The elements couldn't bemore simple, nor the stakes higher. Physically³⁰ it isextraordinarily arduous³¹, and morally it is killing³². You must makeadjustments if you want to survive. Much becomes expendable.
You get your happiness where you can. You reach a pointwhere you're at the bottom of hell, yet you have your armscrossed and a smile on your face, and you feel you're theluckiest person on earth. Why? Because at your feet you havea tiny dead fish.

1 suffocating   

a.使人窒息的

参考例句：

• After a few weeks with her parents, she felt she was suffocating.和父母呆了几个星期后，她感到自己毫无自由。
• That's better. I was suffocating in that cell of a room.这样好些了，我刚才在那个小房间里快闷死了。

2 overcast   

adj.阴天的，阴暗的，愁闷的；v.遮盖，（使）变暗，包边缝；n.覆盖，阴天

参考例句：

• The overcast and rainy weather found out his arthritis.阴雨天使他的关节炎发作了。
• The sky is overcast with dark clouds.乌云满天。

3 milky   

adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的

参考例句：

• Alexander always has milky coffee at lunchtime.亚历山大总是在午餐时喝掺奶的咖啡。
• I like a hot milky drink at bedtime.我喜欢睡前喝杯热奶饮料。

4 haze   

n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊

参考例句：

• I couldn't see her through the haze of smoke.在烟雾弥漫中，我看不见她。
• He often lives in a haze of whisky.他常常是在威士忌的懵懂醉意中度过的。

5 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。

6 vertical   

adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置

参考例句：

• The northern side of the mountain is almost vertical.这座山的北坡几乎是垂直的。
• Vertical air motions are not measured by this system.垂直气流的运动不用这种系统来测量。

7 deluge   

n./vt.洪水，暴雨，使泛滥

参考例句：

• This little stream can become a deluge when it rains heavily.雨大的时候，这条小溪能变作洪流。
• I got caught in the deluge on the way home.我在回家的路上遇到倾盆大雨。

8 hissed   

发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对

参考例句：

• Have you ever been hissed at in the middle of a speech? 你在演讲中有没有被嘘过？
• The iron hissed as it pressed the wet cloth. 熨斗压在湿布上时发出了嘶嘶声。

9 vomiting   

吐

参考例句：

• Symptoms include diarrhoea and vomiting. 症状有腹泻和呕吐。
• Especially when I feel seasick, I can't stand watching someone else vomiting." 尤其晕船的时候，看不得人家呕。”

10 radius   

n.半径，半径范围；有效航程，范围，界限

参考例句：

• He has visited every shop within a radius of two miles.周围两英里以内的店铺他都去过。
• We are measuring the radius of the circle.我们正在测量圆的半径。

11 distresses   

n.悲痛( distress的名词复数 )；痛苦；贫困；危险

参考例句：

• It was from these distresses that the peasant wars of the fourteenth century sprang. 正是由于这些灾难才爆发了十四世纪的农民战争。 来自辞典例句
• In all dangers and distresses, I will remember that. 在一切危险和苦难中，我要记住这一件事。 来自互联网

12 solitude   

n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方

参考例句：

• People need a chance to reflect on spiritual matters in solitude. 人们需要独处的机会来反思精神上的事情。
• They searched for a place where they could live in solitude. 他们寻找一个可以过隐居生活的地方。

13 tranquillity   

n. 平静, 安静

参考例句：

• The phenomenon was so striking and disturbing that his philosophical tranquillity vanished. 这个令人惶惑不安的现象，扰乱了他的旷达宁静的心境。
• My value for domestic tranquillity should much exceed theirs. 我应该远比他们重视家庭的平静生活。

14 apathy   

n.漠不关心，无动于衷；冷淡

参考例句：

• He was sunk in apathy after his failure.他失败后心恢意冷。
• She heard the story with apathy.她听了这个故事无动于衷。

15 curries   

n.咖喱食品( curry的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Coconut is a basic ingredient for many curries. 椰子是多种咖喱菜的基本成分。
• Coriander is used in Indian curries, gin, American cigarettes, and sausage. 胡荽多被用在：印度咖哩粉，杜松子酒，美国香烟，香肠。 来自互联网

16 parched   

adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干

参考例句：

• Hot winds parched the crops.热风使庄稼干透了。
• The land in this region is rather dry and parched.这片土地十分干燥。

17 imprisons   

v.下狱，监禁( imprison的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Gatsby was overwhelmingly aware of the youth and mystery that wealth imprisons and preserves. 盖茨比深切地体会到财富怎样禁锢和保存着青春与神秘。 来自辞典例句
• And he who defines his conduct by ethics imprisons his song-bird in a cage. 那用伦理道德界定他行为的人就像将他歌唱的鸟儿关进了笼子。 来自互联网

18 peculiarity   

n.独特性，特色；特殊的东西；怪癖

参考例句：

• Each country has its own peculiarity.每个国家都有自己的独特之处。
• The peculiarity of this shop is its day and nigth service.这家商店的特点是昼夜服务。

19 suffocation   

n.窒息

参考例句：

• The greatest dangers of pyroclastic avalanches are probably heat and suffocation. 火成碎屑崩落的最大危害可能是炽热和窒息作用。 来自辞典例句
• The room was hot to suffocation. 房间热得闷人。 来自辞典例句

20 scorching   

adj. 灼热的

参考例句：

• a scorching, pitiless sun 灼热的骄阳
• a scorching critique of the government's economic policy 对政府经济政策的严厉批评

21 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

22 abates   

减少( abate的第三人称单数 )； 减去； 降价； 撤消（诉讼）

参考例句：

• Unless inflation abates, more countries will adopt some form of inflation accounting. 除非通货膨胀率下降，否则将有更多的国家采用某种形式的通货膨胀会计。
• As mating, and fighting abates, males dip again and begin returning inland. 交配和打斗过后，雄性螃蟹再蘸一蘸潮湿的海水，回到内陆。

23 jubilation   

n.欢庆，喜悦

参考例句：

• The goal was greeted by jubilation from the home fans.主场球迷为进球欢呼。
• The whole city was a scene of jubilation.全市一片欢腾。

24 boredom   

n.厌烦，厌倦，乏味，无聊

参考例句：

• Unemployment can drive you mad with boredom.失业会让你无聊得发疯。
• A walkman can relieve the boredom of running.跑步时带着随身听就不那么乏味了。

25 pendulum   

n.摆，钟摆

参考例句：

• The pendulum swung slowly to and fro.钟摆在慢慢地来回摆动。
• He accidentally found that the desk clock did not swing its pendulum.他无意中发现座钟不摇摆了。

26 coma   

n.昏迷，昏迷状态

参考例句：

• The patient rallied from the coma.病人从昏迷中苏醒过来。
• She went into a coma after swallowing a whole bottle of sleeping pills.她吃了一整瓶安眠药后就昏迷过去了。

27 frenzy   

n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动

参考例句：

• He was able to work the young students up into a frenzy.他能激起青年学生的狂热。
• They were singing in a frenzy of joy.他们欣喜若狂地高声歌唱。

28 dread   

vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧

参考例句：

• We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
• Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

29 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

30 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

31 arduous   

adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的

参考例句：

• We must have patience in doing arduous work.我们做艰苦的工作要有耐性。
• The task was more arduous than he had calculated.这项任务比他所估计的要艰巨得多。

32 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。