protracted abstinence meaning in English

持久性戒断

I vainly reminded him of his protracted abstinence from food : if he stirred to touch anything in compliance with my entreaties , if he stretched his hand out to get a piece of bread , his fingers clenched before they reached it , and remained on the table , forgetful of their aim
我提醒他说他很久没吃东西了，可也没用，即使他听了我的劝告而动弹一下去摸摸什么，即使他伸手去拿一块面包，他的手指在还没有摸到的时候就握紧了，而且就摆在桌上，忘记了它的目的。