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They were prophetesses, usually conceived of as very old women. Among them, Amalthea, the Cumaean Sibyl, is the best known. She was loved by Apollo and she asked him for as many years of life as she could hold grains of sand in her cupped hands. Her request was granted, but she had forgotten to ask for eternal youth and so grew inconceivably old and withered. Once she offered to sell Tarquin nine volumes of the Sibylline Books. When her offer was declined, she burned three of them and then offered him the remaining six at the price of the original nine. And when that was again declined, she burned three more and offered him the remaining three at the same price. This last offer was hastily accepted. [解说] 1. “They were prophetesses, usually conceived of as very old women”：她们是女预言家，通常被想成很老的妇人。 2. “Among them, Amalthea, the Cumaean Sibyl, is the best known”：她们之中，Amalthea (那 Cumae 的女巫) 是最有名的。 3. “She was loved by Apollo and she asked him for as many years of life as she could hold grains of sand in her cupped hands”：她被 Apollo 所爱，而她向他要求给予像她弯成杯形的手所能持有的沙粒那么多的有生之年。 “years of life”：有生之年、活着的岁月。 “cupped hands”：弯成杯形的手。 “grains of sand”：沙粒。 4. “Her request was granted, but she had forgotten to ask for eternal youth and so grew inconceivably old and withered”：她的要求被赐给了，可是她忘了要求永远的青春，而因此变成难以想象的老而且憔悴。 “eternal”：永远的、永恒的。 “inconceivably”：不能想象的。 “withered”：枯萎、凋谢、憔悴。 5. “Once she offered to sell Tarquin nine volumes of the Sibylline Books”：有一次，她提出说要卖给 Tarquin 九册女巫的书。 6. “When her offer was declined, she burned three of them and then offered him the remaining six at the price of the original nine”：当她的出价被婉拒时，她烧掉它们之中的三册，然后提供给他剩下的六册，以原先九册的价格。 “offer”：提议、出价、供给。 7. “And when that was again declined, she burned three more and offered him the remaining three at the same price”：而当那个再度被婉拒时，她再烧掉三册，然后以同样的价格提供给他剩下的三册。 8. “This last offer was hastily accepted”：这个最后的出价很快地就被接受了。 [复习填充] The Sibyls were prophetesses, usually c of as very old women. Among them, Amalthea, the Cumaean Sibyl, is the known. She was loved by Apollo and she asked him for as many years of life as she could hold g of sand in her c hands. Her request was granted, but she had forgotten to ask for e youth and so grew in old and withered. Once she offered to sell Tarquin nine v of the Sibylline Books. When her offer was de , she burned three of them and then offered him the re six at the price of the original nine. And when that was again declined, she burned three m and offered him the remaining three at the same price. This last offer was h accepted. |
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