Book 2 Chapter 1 From Charybdis To Scylia

Night comes on early in January. The streets were already dark when Gringoire issued forth¹ from the Courts. This gloom pleased him; he was in haste to reach some obscure and deserted² alley³, in order there to meditate⁴ at his ease, and in order that the philosopher might place the first dressing⁵ upon the wound of the poet. Philosophy, moreover, was his sole refuge, for he did not know where he was to lodge⁶ for the night. After the brilliant failure of his first theatrical⁷ venture, he dared not return to the lodging⁸ which he occupied in the Rue⁹ Grenier-sur-l'Eau, opposite to the Port-au-Foin, having depended upon receiving from monsieur the provost for his epithalamium, the wherewithal to pay Master Guillaume Doulx-Sire, farmer of the taxes on cloven-footed animals in Paris, the rent which he owed him, that is to say, twelve sols parisian; twelve times the value of all that he possessed¹⁰ in the world, including his trunk-hose, his shirt, and his cap. After reflecting a moment, temporarily sheltered beneath the little wicket of the prison of the treasurer¹¹ of the Sainte- Chappelle, as to the shelter which he would select for the night, having all the pavements of Paris to choose from, he remembered to have noticed the week previously¹² in the Rue de la Savaterie, at the door of a councillor of the parliament, a stepping stone for mounting a mule¹³, and to have said to himself that that stone would furnish, on occasion, a very excellent pillow for a mendicant¹⁴ or a poet. He thanked Providence¹⁵ for having sent this happy idea to him; but, as he was preparing to cross the Place, in order to reach the tortuous¹⁶ labyrinth¹⁷ of the city, where meander¹⁸ all those old sister streets, the Rues¹⁹ de la Barillerie, de la Vielle-Draperie, de la Savaterie, de la Juiverie, etc., still extant to-day, with their nine-story houses, he saw the procession of the Pope of the Fools, which was also emerging from the court house, and rushing across the courtyard, with great cries, a great flashing of torches, and the music which belonged to him, Gringoire. This sight revived the pain of his self-love; he fled. In the bitterness of his dramatic misadventure, everything which reminded him of the festival of that day irritated his wound and made it bleed.

He was on the point of turning to the Pont Saint-Michel; children were running about here and there with fire lances and rockets.

"Pest on firework candles!" said Gringoire; and he fell back on the Pont au Change. To the house at the head of the bridge there had been affixed²⁰ three small banners, representing the king, the dauphin, and Marguerite of Flanders, and six little pennons on which were portrayed²¹ the Duke of Austria, the Cardinal²² de Bourbon, M. de Beaujeu, and Madame Jeanne de France, and Monsieur the Bastard²³ of Bourbon, and I know not whom else; all being illuminated²⁴ with torches. The rabble²⁵ were admiring.

"Happy painter, Jehan Fourbault!" said Gringoire with a deep sigh; and he turned his back upon the bannerets and pennons. A street opened before him; he thought it so dark and deserted that he hoped to there escape from all the rumors²⁶ as well as from all the gleams of the festival. At the end of a few moments his foot came in contact with an obstacle; he stumbled and fell. It was the May truss, which the clerks of the clerks' law court had deposited that morning at the door of a president of the parliament, in honor of the solemnity of the day. Gringoire bore this new disaster heroically; he picked himself up, and reached the water's edge. After leaving behind him the civic²⁷ Tournelle* and the criminal tower, and skirted the great walls of the king's garden, on that unpaved strand²⁸ where the mud reached to his ankles, he reached the western point of the city, and considered for some time the islet of the Passeur-aux-Vaches, which has disappeared beneath the bronze horse of the Pont Neuf. The islet appeared to him in the shadow like a black mass, beyond the narrow strip of whitish water which separated him from it. One could divine by the ray of a tiny light the sort of hut in the form of a beehive where the ferryman of cows took refuge at night.

* A chamber²⁹ of the ancient parliament of Paris.

"Happy ferryman!" thought Gringoire; "you do not dream of glory, and you do not make marriage songs! What matters it to you, if kings and Duchesses of Burgundy marry? You know no other daisies (~marguerites~) than those which your April greensward gives your cows to browse³⁰ upon; while I, a poet, am hooted³¹, and shiver, and owe twelve sous, and the soles of my shoes are so transparent³², that they might serve as glasses for your lantern! Thanks, ferryman, your cabin rests my eyes, and makes me forget Paris!"

He was roused from his almost lyric³³ ecstacy, by a big double Saint-Jean cracker³⁴, which suddenly went off from the happy cabin. It was the cow ferryman, who was taking his part in the rejoicings of the day, and letting off fireworks.

This cracker made Gringoire's skin bristle³⁵ up all over.

"Accursed festival!" he exclaimed, "wilt³⁶ thou pursue me everywhere? Oh! good God! even to the ferryman's!"

Then he looked at the Seine at his feet, and a horrible temptation took possession of him:

"Oh!" said he, "I would gladly drown myself, were the water not so cold!"

Then a desperate resolution occurred to him. It was, since he could not escape from the Pope of the Fools, from Jehan Fourbault's bannerets, from May trusses, from squibs and crackers³⁷, to go to the Place de Grève.

"At least," he said to himself, "I shall there have a firebrand of joy wherewith to warm myself, and I can sup on some crumbs³⁸ of the three great armorial bearings of royal sugar which have been erected³⁹ on the public refreshment-stall of the city.

 

正月里夜晚来得很早，甘果瓦走出司法宫时，街上已经昏黑了。夜的降临很令他高兴，他正想找一条幽静的街道，以便随意沉思，好让哲学给诗人的创伤作初步的包扎。而且哲学正是他独一无二的藏身之处，反正他不知道往哪儿去投宿。在他的戏上演流产之后，他不敢回到他在干草港对面水上楼街所住的那个客栈去。他本来认定总督大人要为了他的贺婚诗给他些钱，好拿去付还他欠巴黎牲畜税承包人居约姆·杜克斯·西尔老板的六个月房租——相当于十二个巴黎索尔，他在世界上所有的一切，包括他的短裤、衬衫和汗背心在内，合起来还值不到一个索尔呢。稍微考虑了一下，他就暂时待在圣礼拜堂的库房监狱的小门洞里，至于过夜的地方，他可以在巴黎所有街道中任选一处。他记起上星期在制鞋街一个参事官的门口看见过一块骑马磴，那时他就曾经想，有时候这块石头倒可以给一个乞丐或是一位诗人当枕头用呢。他感谢上天给他送来了这么个好主意，可是当他正要穿过司法宫广场走向迷宫似的旧城区时（所有暗旧的街道如制桶场街、老昵绒街、制鞋街、犹太街等等，都曲曲折折地布满在那里，它们那些九层楼房至今依旧巍然矗立），他忽然看见愚人王的行列也正从司法宫出来，带着大声的吆喝，亮晃晃的火炬和他的乐队，正穿过街道向他甘果瓦奔来。这个景象使他重新想起了他那自尊心所受的创伤，他躲开了。由于他的戏剧的失败所引起的痛苦，凡是能使他记起那个节日的一切事物，都使他心酸，使他的伤口流血。

他打算从圣米歇尔桥走，有些儿童在桥上跑来跑去地放花炮。

“该死的花炮！”甘果瓦一面咒骂着，绕到了欧项热桥。桥头堡上挂着三幅很大的油画像，上面画的是国王、太子和弗朗德勒的公主，另外有六幅小的油画像，画的是奥地利的公爵，波旁的红衣主教，德·波热先生，让娜·德·法朗士夫人，波旁的私生子先生，还有一个不知是谁。全都被火把照得通亮，成群的人在那里观赏。

“幸运的画家若望·富尔波！”甘果瓦长叹了一声，朝着画像背转身走了。他前面就是一条街，他发现这条街非常僻静和昏黑，就打算在这里逃避节庆日子里嘈杂、辉煌的一切。过了一会，他的脚踏着了一个什么东西，绊了一下，跌倒了。原来那是五月树，是大理院的书记们在那天早上放在大理院院长的大门口庆祝节日的。甘果瓦勇敢地忍受了这个新的打击。他站起来，走到了河边。把大理院的民事庭和刑事庭扔在背后，他沿着王宫花园的高墙走去，在没有铺砌的河滩上，泥泞一直没到他的脚胫。他来到旧城区的西头，久久地俯看渡牛岛，这个小岛如今早已消失在铜马和新桥底下。被一条发白的小河把他隔开的那个小岛，在阴暗里好象一个黑堆。只要有一线亮光，就看得见摆渡人晚上渡河时住宿的那象蜂窝似的小房子。

“幸福的摆渡人！”甘果瓦想道，“你并不幻想光荣，也用不着写什么贺婚诗！联姻的国王们和勃艮第公爵夫人们对于你算不了什么！你只认识那些在四月的草地上给你的母牛当饲料的雏菊！我呢，我是一个诗人，但我受人讥笑，我冷得发抖，我欠人家十二个索尔，我的鞋底薄得可以做你灯上的玻璃。谢谢你，摆渡人！你的草屋使我开了眼界，使我忘记了巴黎！”

忽然从那间草屋里发出一声比圣若望的爆竹大一倍的爆炸声，把他从略带诗意的梦幻中惊醒了。原来是摆渡人放了个花炮来庆祝节日。

这花炮声使甘果瓦毛骨悚然。

“该死的节日！”他嚷道，“你要到处跟着我吗？我的上帝，一直跟到摆渡人这里来了！”

于是他望着脚边的塞纳河，起了一个可怕的念头：“哦！”他说，“我多么愿意跳下河去，要是河水不这样冷！”

这时他下了失望后的决心，既然躲不开愚人王的选举、若望·富尔波的油画、五月树、篝火同花炮，他便决定大着胆子钻进节日的中心去，到格雷沃广场去。

“至少，”他想道，“我在那边能够有一堆篝火可以取暖，还能在市民区的会餐大桌上弄到三大块甜点心渣儿做晚饭。”

1 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

2 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

3 alley   

n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路

参考例句：

• We live in the same alley.我们住在同一条小巷里。
• The blind alley ended in a brick wall.这条死胡同的尽头是砖墙。

4 meditate   

v.想，考虑，（尤指宗教上的）沉思，冥想

参考例句：

• It is important to meditate on the meaning of life.思考人生的意义很重要。
• I was meditating,and reached a higher state of consciousness.我在冥想，并进入了一个更高的意识境界。

5 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

6 lodge   

v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆

参考例句：

• Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
• I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

7 theatrical   

adj.剧场的，演戏的；做戏似的，做作的

参考例句：

• The final scene was dismayingly lacking in theatrical effect.最后一场缺乏戏剧效果，叫人失望。
• She always makes some theatrical gesture.她老在做些夸张的手势。

8 lodging   

n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍

参考例句：

• The bill is inclusive of the food and lodging. 账单包括吃、住费用。
• Where can you find lodging for the night? 你今晚在哪里借宿?

9 rue   

n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔

参考例句：

• You'll rue having failed in the examination.你会悔恨考试失败。
• You're going to rue this the longest day that you live.你要终身悔恨不尽呢。

10 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

11 treasurer   

n.司库，财务主管

参考例句：

• Mr. Smith was succeeded by Mrs.Jones as treasurer.琼斯夫人继史密斯先生任会计。
• The treasurer was arrested for trying to manipulate the company's financial records.财务主管由于试图窜改公司财政帐目而被拘留。

12 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

13 mule   

n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人

参考例句：

• A mule is a cross between a mare and a donkey.骡子是母马和公驴的杂交后代。
• He is an old mule.他是个老顽固。

14 mendicant   

n.乞丐；adj.行乞的

参考例句：

• He seemed not an ordinary mendicant.他好象不是寻常的乞丐。
• The one-legged mendicant begins to beg from door to door.独腿乞丐开始挨门乞讨。

15 providence   

n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝

参考例句：

• It is tempting Providence to go in that old boat.乘那艘旧船前往是冒大险。
• To act as you have done is to fly in the face of Providence.照你的所作所为那样去行事，是违背上帝的意志的。

16 tortuous   

adj.弯弯曲曲的，蜿蜒的

参考例句：

• We have travelled a tortuous road.我们走过了曲折的道路。
• They walked through the tortuous streets of the old city.他们步行穿过老城区中心弯弯曲曲的街道。

17 labyrinth   

n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路

参考例句：

• He wandered through the labyrinth of the alleyways.他在迷宫似的小巷中闲逛。
• The human mind is a labyrinth.人的心灵是一座迷宫。

18 meander   

n.河流的曲折，漫步，迂回旅行；v.缓慢而弯曲地流动，漫谈

参考例句：

• Visitors and locals alike meander along the sidewalks of the Seine River.游客与当地人沿着塞纳河岸漫步聊天。
• They tumble down mountainsides and meander through flat farmlands.它们滚滚冲下山脊，蜿蜒穿过平坦的农田。

19 rues   

v.对…感到后悔( rue的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

20 affixed   

adj.[医]附着的，附着的v.附加( affix的过去式和过去分词 )；粘贴；加以；盖（印章）

参考例句：

• The label should be firmly affixed to the package. 这张标签应该牢牢地贴在包裹上。
• He affixed the sign to the wall. 他将标记贴到墙上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

22 cardinal   

n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的

参考例句：

• This is a matter of cardinal significance.这是非常重要的事。
• The Cardinal coloured with vexation. 红衣主教感到恼火，脸涨得通红。

23 bastard   

n.坏蛋，混蛋；私生子

参考例句：

• He was never concerned about being born a bastard.他从不介意自己是私生子。
• There was supposed to be no way to get at the bastard.据说没有办法买通那个混蛋。

24 illuminated   

adj.被照明的；受启迪的

参考例句：

• Floodlights illuminated the stadium. 泛光灯照亮了体育场。
• the illuminated city at night 夜幕中万家灯火的城市

25 rabble   

n.乌合之众，暴民；下等人

参考例句：

• They formed an army out of rabble.他们用乌合之众组成一支军队。
• Poverty in itself does not make men into a rabble.贫困自身并不能使人成为贱民。

26 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

27 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

28 strand   

vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地）

参考例句：

• She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears.她把一缕散发夹到了耳后。
• The climbers had been stranded by a storm.登山者被暴风雨困住了。

29 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

30 browse   

vi.随意翻阅，浏览；(牛、羊等)吃草

参考例句：

• I had a browse through the books on her shelf.我浏览了一下她书架上的书。
• It is a good idea to browse through it first.最好先通篇浏览一遍。

31 hooted   

（使）作汽笛声响，作汽车喇叭声( hoot的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• An owl hooted nearby. 一只猫头鹰在附近啼叫。
• The crowd hooted and jeered at the speaker. 群众向那演讲人发出轻蔑的叫嚣和嘲笑。

32 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

33 lyric   

n.抒情诗，歌词；adj.抒情的

参考例句：

• This is a good example of Shelley's lyric poetry.这首诗是雪莱抒情诗的范例。
• His earlier work announced a lyric talent of the first order.他的早期作品显露了一流的抒情才华。

34 cracker   

n.（无甜味的）薄脆饼干

参考例句：

• Buy me some peanuts and cracker.给我买一些花生和饼干。
• There was a cracker beside every place at the table.桌上每个位置旁都有彩包爆竹。

35 bristle   

v.（毛发）直立，气势汹汹，发怒；n.硬毛发

参考例句：

• It has a short stumpy tail covered with bristles.它粗短的尾巴上鬃毛浓密。
• He bristled with indignation at the suggestion that he was racist.有人暗示他是个种族主义者，他对此十分恼火。

36 wilt   

v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱

参考例句：

• Golden roses do not wilt and will never need to be watered.金色的玫瑰不枯萎绝也不需要浇水。
• Several sleepless nights made him wilt.数个不眠之夜使他憔悴。

37 crackers   

adj.精神错乱的，癫狂的n.爆竹( cracker的名词复数 )；薄脆饼干；（认为）十分愉快的事；迷人的姑娘

参考例句：

• That noise is driving me crackers. 那噪声闹得我简直要疯了。
• We served some crackers and cheese as an appetiser. 我们上了些饼干和奶酪作为开胃品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

38 crumbs   

int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式

参考例句：

• She stood up and brushed the crumbs from her sweater. 她站起身掸掉了毛衣上的面包屑。
• Oh crumbs! Is that the time? 啊，天哪！都这会儿啦？

39 ERECTED   

adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立

参考例句：

• A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
• A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。