But the invalid(病弱的人) who, forgetful of self, takes a strenuous(熱烈的) and indestructible(頑強的) interest in everything and everybody, as she did, and to whom a dull moment is an unknown thing, is a formidable(難對付的) adversary(敵手) for disease.
Although her characters were portrayed in many settings and situations, they all reflected, by the often tragic outcome of their lives, her profound conviction that no human could be happy if that happiness was rooted in the wretchedness of another.
The described dichotomy is clearly part of a much wider one:civilization fall apart yet their component societies live on; societies disintegrate but their citizens survive; individuals die while their cells, perversely, still metabolize; finally, cells can be disrupted yet the enzymes they release may, for a while, remain active.(看上去很長,其實結構要比前面兩句簡單些哦)
要點:此句由于表達的意思層次多,含義覆蓋面大,因此結構比較復雜,但仍能找出主干結構。句子的主干結構是:the invalid...is a formidable adversary for disease,其余的部分都是修飾成分。 forgetful of self 是一個插入成分,把定語從句who takes a strenuous and indestructible interest in everything and everybody 的主語和謂語部分分隔開來。as she did也是一個插入成分,其作用同forgetful of self一樣,對整個定語從句做修飾。"and to whom a dull moment is an unknown thing"是一個定語從句,它同who takes...everything and everybody是平行結構,其作用也是限定the invalid,因此the invalid一共帶了兩個定語從句,兩個插入語,形成較為復雜的句子結構。
譯文:但是一個身體有病的體弱的人,只要忘掉自己,像她那樣對一切事物和所有的人都有熱烈而頑強的興趣,并且一生不知愁怨為何物,那么對于病魔他就是勁敵。
要點:這是一個主從復合句。reflected的賓語是her profound conviction.that no human could be ... of another是 conviction的同位語從句。該從句也是一個主從復合句。by the often tragic outcome of their lives是狀語,說明reflected。by在此處的意思是by means of。 often是副詞,修飾形容詞tragic。由于reflected的賓語過場,所以把by短語插在reflected和它的賓語之間,結果使reflected和它的賓語被分隔。
譯文:如果幸福是建立在另一個人的痛苦之上,那就沒有人會有幸福,她的這種深切信念全都反映在一些人生結局通常都很悲慘的人物身上,雖然她筆下的人物出現在多種多樣的背景和情節(jié)當中。
要點:在本句中,冒號后面的四個分句是并列的分句,用來說明冒號前面的主句的意思。
譯文:上面所描述的對死亡的二分法顯然不過是一個范圍更大的二分法的一部分而已:整個文明社會崩潰了,而其組成部分還繼續(xù)存在;社會崩潰了,而其中的公民還生存;人死了,而身上的細胞依然倔強地進行新陳代謝;最后,細胞死了,而細胞釋放出的酶還能暫時保持活性。