It is a land of oil, true enough: but not like Canaan; a land, also, of corn and wine. The streets do not run with milk; nor in the spring-time do they pave them with fresh eggs. Yet, in spite of this, nowhere in all America will you find more patrician-like houses; parks and gardens more opulent, than in New Bedford. Whence came they? how planted upon this once scraggy scoria of a country?

一点也不错,这是一个油水富足的地方,虽然不象迦南那样;却也是一个遍地玉米美酒的地方。街上并不是遍地牛奶;春天也不是满街铺满鲜蛋。然而,尽管如此,人们走遍全美洲,也找不到一个象新贝德福这样尽是贵族宅邸。华丽非凡的公园和花园的地方.那么,这些都是打哪里来的呢?这些是怎样在这块一度是瘦瘠的。火山岩渣似的地方上生起来的呢?

Go and gaze upon the iron emblematical harpoons round yonder lofty mansion, and your question will be answered. Yes; all these brave houses and flowery gardens came from the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. One and all, they were harpooned and dragged up hither from the bottom of the sea. Can Herr Alexander perform a feat like that?In New Bedford, fathers, they say, give whales for dowers to their daughters, and portion off their nieces with a few porpoises a-piece. You must go to New Bedford to see a brilliant wedding; for, they say, they have reservoirs of oil in every house, and every night recklessly burn their lengths in spermaceti candles.

那么,请你走到那边那座高楼大厦去瞧瞧那些具有象征意义的铁标枪,你的疑问就可以获得解答。不错,所有这些富丽堂皇的房屋和花花草草的庭园都是从大西洋。太平洋和印度洋捞来的.每一样东西,都是从海底里用标枪戳起。拉起的。阿历山大先生可变得来这样的戏法吗?据说,在新贝德福,做父亲的都拿大鲸给他们的女儿。分几条小鲸给他们的侄女儿做嫁妆。你必须去看一看新贝德福的阔绰的婚礼;因为,据说,每份人家都有油池,每夜都毫不在乎地通宵点起鲸脑烛。

In summer time, the town is sweet to see; full of fine maples-long avenues of green and gold. And in August, high in air, the beautiful and bountiful horse-chestnuts, candelabra-wise, proffer the passer-by their tapering upright cones of congregated blossoms. So omnipotent is art; which in many a district of New Bedford has superinduced bright terraces of flowers upon the barren refuse rocks thrown aside at creation's final day.

夏季里,这城市看了真叫人爱;尽是些美丽的枫树...形成一条条翠绿金黄的幽道。而到了八月里,那些华丽丰盛的七叶树耸入云霄,象华表一般给路人献出它们那笔直有如尖顶的簇开的花朵。这是多雄伟的天工!在新贝德福就有许多创世末日所遗留下来的。荒芜不毛的岩石,重新长出许多灿烂夺目的花坛来。