Colonel Ludlow: Alfred! STOP mooning over Miss Finncannon and come in here. Samuel wants to know about the young calves1 raised up in Cheyena. Come on, get in here.
Alfred: Please excuse my father. It makes him feel young and powerful to treat us like we're idiot children.
Colonel Ludlow: For this and all His countless2 blessings3, may God's holy name be praised and blessed. Amen.
Alfred, Tristan, Samuel: Amen.
Tristan: Tell Father what you were saying about Vienna.
Colonel Ludlow: What's that?
Samuel: oh, it's the Kaiser. He won't sTOP them from annihilating4 Serbia.
Colonel Ludlow: Let's not talk about war at the table. Please.
Samuel: Susannah hears that all England is mobilizing. We're stuck out in the middle of nowhere while all this is going on.
Colonel Ludlow: Thank God for that.
Samuel: You wouldn't want us to evade5 our duty.
Colonel Ludlow: Wouldn't I?
Alfred: Father, with respect...
Susannah: Please excuse me for being late. I packed so carefully l couldn't find. Thank you.
All: Would you like some...
Colonel Ludlow: Dear Isabel, how strange to have a cultivated woman in the house again, and how intoxicating6. Indeed to have all three of my sons under my roof again fills me with such a deep, quiet satisfaction that l thank God.
妙语佳句,活学活用
1. Moon over somebody
从字面上看是月光照耀某人,不禁叫人联想到月出皎兮,皎人僚兮如此的句子,事实上这个短语是daydreaming or doing silly things的意思。Alfred 对 Susannah 一见钟情,虽然他行为得体,不像 Tristan 那样放肆,他老爹还是一眼就看穿他的想法了。 大家再来看个例子:Don't moon over her anymore. 不要再对那个女生发梦了。
2. Kaiser
德国皇帝的称呼,也是神圣罗马帝国Holy Roman Empire 皇帝和奥地利 皇帝的称呼。
3. Serbia
塞尔维亚。1914年6月,奥匈帝国皇位继承人斐迪南被塞尔维亚族年轻人用手枪打死。7月28日,奥匈帝国以这件事为借口向塞尔维亚宣战,很多国家也相继卷入战争,终于致使首次世界大战。奥匈帝国在德国支持下,决定乘机吞并塞尔维亚。这里 Samuel 指的就是这件事。
4. Stick out
Stick out 的本意是伸出,探出,突出,这里的Samuel的意思是他们被阻隔于战争以外。
注意不要把 stick out 和 stick it out 搞混了,后者是坚持到底,忍受下去的意思,譬如我不喜欢这门课,但为了拿证书还是耐着性子学完了就能说成:I didn't like the course but I stick it out to get the certificate.
5. Evade our duty
逃避大家的义务的意思。这里 Samuel 用了duty 这个词,而不是 responsibility,目的是表明参战、拯救世界是应尽的义务。