英文名著精选阅读：《红字》第六章（上）

英文名著精选阅读：《红字》第六章(上)

Chapter 06 PEARL

第六章 珠儿

WE have as yet hardly spoken of the infant; that little creature, whose innocentlife had sprung, by the inscrutabledecree of Providence, a lovely and immortal flower, out of the rank luxurianceof a passion. How strange it seemed to the sad woman, as she watched the growth, and the beauty that became every day more brilliant, and the intelligence that threw its quiveringsunshine over the tiny features of this child! Her Pearl!- For so had Hester called her; not as a name expressiveof her aspect, which had nothing of the calm, white, unimpassionedlustrethat would be indicated by the comparison. But she named the infant "Pearl," as being of great price- purchased with all she had- her mother's only treasure! How strange, indeed! Man had marked this woman's sin by a scarlet letter, which had such potentand disastrous efficacythat no human sympathycould reach her, save it were sinful like herself. God, as a direct consequence of the sin which man thus punished, had given her a lovely child, whose place was on that same dishonoured bosom, to connect her parent for ever with the race and descentof mortals, and to be finally a blessed soul in heaven! Yet these thoughts affected Hester Prynne less with hope than apprehension. She knew that her deed had been evil; she could have no faith, therefore, that its result would be good. Day after day, she looked fearfully into the child's expanding nature; ever dreading to detectsome dark and wild peculiarity, that should correspond with the guiltinessto which she owed her being.

我们迄今尚未谈及那个婴儿;那个小家伙是秉承着高深莫测的天意而诞生的一个清白无辜的生命，是在一次罪恶的情欲泛滥中开放的一株可爱而不谢的花朵。当那个凄惨的女人眼睁睁看着她长大，看着她日益增辉添色的娇美，看着她那如颤抖的阳光般笼罩在她小小脸蛋上的智慧的时候，做母亲的感到多么惊诧啊!这是她的珠儿!海丝待这么叫她，并非出于她的外表，因为她绝无珍珠的涵义所包含的那种柔和、洁白和平静的光泽。她给她的婴儿取名“珠儿，是因为这孩子极其昂贵，是花费了她全部所有才得至的，是她这做母亲的唯一财富!真是太奇妙了!人们用一个红字来标明这女人的罪孽，其潜在的灾难性的功效之深远，佼她得不到任何人间的同情，除非那同情和她本人一样罪孽深重。作为她因之受惩的罪孽的直接后果，上帝却赐予了她一个可爱的孩子，令其在同一个不光彩的怀抱中成长，成为母亲同人类世代繁衍的永恒联系，最后居然要让这孩子的灵魂在天国中受到祝福!然而，这种种想法给海丝特·白兰带来的影响，主要还是忧虑而不是希望。她知道她有过罪孽的行为，因此她不相信会有好的结果。她日复一日地心怀悸惧地观察着孩子逐渐成长的天性，唯恐发现什么阴郁狂野的特征，与带来孩子生命的罪孽相应。

Certainly, there was no physical defect. By its perfect shape, its vigour, and its natural dexterityin the use of all its untriedlimbs, the infant was worthy to have been brought forth in Eden; worthy to have been left there, to be the playthingof the angels after theworld's first parents were driven out. The child had a native grace which does not invariably coexistwith faultless beauty; its attire, however simple, always impressed the beholder as if it were the very garbthat precisely became it best. But little Pearl was not cladin rusticweeds. Her mother, with a morbidpurpose that may be better understood hereafter, had bought the richest tissues that could be procured, and allowed her imaginative facultyits full play in the arrangement and decorationof the dresses which the child wore, before the public eye. So magnificentwas the small figure, when thus arrayed, and such was the splendourof Pearl's own proper beauty, shining through the gorgeous robes which might have extinguisheda paler loveliness, that there was an absolute circle of radiancearound her, on the darksome cottage floor. And yet a russetgown, torn and soiled with the child's rude play, made a picture of her just as perfect. Pearl's aspect was imbuedwith a spell of infinite variety; in this one child there were many children, comprehending the full scopebetween the wild-flower prettiness of a peasant-baby, and the pomp, in little, of an infant princess. Throughout all, however, there was a trait of passion, a certain depth of hue, which she never lost; and if, in any of her changes, she had grown fainter or paler, she would have ceased to be herself- it would have been no longer Pearl!

诚然，孩子身上没有生理缺陷。达婴儿体形完美、精力旺盛，在她稚嫩的四肢的动作中具有天生的灵活，称得起是出生在伊甸园中的;可说是在世上第一对父母被逐出之后，留在园中当作天使们的玩物的。达孩子有一种天然的优雅，这可不是无瑕的丽质所一定具备的;她的衣服无论怎样简朴，见到的人总会认为只有这样穿着才能极尽其美。当然，小珠儿穿的并不是破衣烂衫。她的母亲怀着一种病态的动机——这一点我们以后会看得更加清楚，尽其所能购买最昂贵的衣料，并殚精竭虑来装点孩子的衣裙，供人们去观赏。这个小家伙经这么一打扮，实在漂亮动人，在那晦暗的茅屋的地面上，简直象有一轮圣洁的光环围绕着她——当然，这也是珠儿自身有恰到好处的美丽的光彩，若是把这身灿烂的袍子穿到一个不那么可爱的孩子身上，反例会骤然失色的。不过，珠儿即使身穿土布袍子，满地打滚地玩，弄得衣服破烂、硬梆，她的姿质仍是照样完美。珠儿的外貌中蕴含着万千变化之美：在她这一个孩子身上，综合着从农家婴儿野花似的美到小公主的典雅高贵的气质的无所不包的独到之处。不过，透过这一切，有一种热情的特性和浓重的色调是她永远不会失去的;而这种特性和色调如果在她的任何变化中变得黯淡或苍白，她也就不再是她自己，不再是珠儿了。

This outwardmutabilityindicated, and did not more than fairly express, the various properties of her inner life. Her nature appeared to possess depth, too, as well as variety; but- or else Hester's fears deceived her- it lacked reference and adaptationto the world into which she was born. The child could not be made amenableto rules. In giving her existence, a great law had been broken; and the result was a being whose elements were perhaps beautiful and brilliant, but all in disorder; or with an order peculiar to themselves, amidst which the point of variety and arrangement was difficult or impossible to be discovered. Hester could only account for the child's character- and even then most vaguelyand imperfectly- by recalling what she herself had been, during that momentousperiod while Pearl was imbibingher soul from the spiritual world, and her bodily frame from its material of earth. The mother's impassioned state had been the medium through which were transmitted to the unborn infant the rays of its moral Life; and, however white and clear originally, they had taken the deep stains of crimsonand gold, the fierylustre, the black shadow, and the untempered light, of the interveningsubstance. Above all, the warfare of Hester's spirit, at that epoch, was perpetuatedin Pearl. She could recognise her wild, desperate, defiantmood, the flightinessof her temper, and even some of the very cloud-shapes of gloom and despondencythat had broodedin her heart. They were now illuminatedby the morning radianceof a young child's disposition, but, later in the day of earthly existence, might be prolificof the storm and whirlwind.

外表上的千变万化说明——其实是恰到好处地表现出;她内在生命的多方面的特性。看来除去多方面的特性之外，她也具备深沉之处，只是对她所降临的这个世界还缺乏了解和适应的能力——也许只是由于海丝特忧心钟仲才误以为如此。这孩子根本不懂得循规蹈矩。随着她的诞生，就破坏了一条重大法律;其结果便是：构成这小家伙的素质或许可以说是美艳照人的，但都错了位，或许是本有其独特的次序，只是其安排和变化的要点，实在难以或不可能发现。海丝特只能靠回忆自己当时的情况来分析这孩子的性格：在珠儿从精神世界汲取自己的灵魂、从世上购物质中形成自己的躯体曲关键内期，她本人如何如何;但这样推断出来的孩子的性格，仍然是十分模糊不全的。做母亲的激动心态始终是将道德生活的光束传送给孕育着的胎儿的媒介;不管这些光束原先是多么洁白，总要深深地染上中问体的排红和金黄、火焰般的光辉、漆黑曲阴影和飘忽不定的光彩。而最主要的是，当时海丝特的好斗精神也永远注入了珠儿的身心。她能够看到当时笼罩着自己心灵的那种狂野、绝望和挑战的情绪，任性的脾气，甚至还有某种阴郁和沮丧的愁云。如今，这一切都在这小孩子的气质中略见端倪，眼下犹如晨曦照射，在今后的人生岁月中将会充满面骤风狂。

The disciplineof the family, in those days, was of a far more rigidkind than now. The frown, the harsh rebuke, the frequent application of the rod, enjoined by Scriptural authority, were used, not merely in the way of punishment for actual offences, but as a wholesome regimenfor the growth and promotion of all childish virtues. Hester Prynne, nevertheless, the lonely mother of this one child, ran little risk of erringon the side of undueseverity. Mindful, however, of her own errors and misfortunes, she early sought to impose a tender, but strict control over the infant immortality that was committed to her charge. But the task was beyond her skill. After testing both smiles and frowns, and proving that neither mode of treatment possessed any calculableinfluence, Hester was ultimately compelled to stand aside, and permit the child to be swayedby her own impulses. Physical compulsionor restraint was effectual, of course, while it lasted. As to any other kind of discipline, whether addressed to her mind or heart, little Pearl might or might not be within its reach, in accordance with the capricethat ruled the moment. Her mother, while Pearl was yet an infant, grew acquainted with a certain peculiar look, that warned her when it would be labour thrown away to insist, persuade, or plead. It was a look so intelligent, yet inexplicable, so perverse, sometimes so malicious, but generally accompanied by a wild flow of spirits, that Hester could not help questioning, at such moments, whether Pearl was a human child. She seemed rather an airysprite, which, after playing its fantastic sports for a little while upon the cottage-floor, would flit away with a mocking smile. Whenever that look appeared in her wild, bright, deeply black eyes, it invested her with a strange remotenessand intangibilityit was as if she were hoveringin the air and might vanish, like a glimmeringlight, that comes we know not whence, and goes we know not whither. Beholding it, Hester was constrained to rush towards the child- to pursue the little elf in the flight which she invariably began- to snatchher to her bosom, with a close pressure and earnest kisses- not so much from overflowing love, as to assure herself that Pearl was flesh and blood, and not utterly delusive. But Pearl's laugh, when she was caught, though full of merrimentand music, made her mother more doubtful than before.

当年的家规可耍比现在严厉得多。怒目瞪视、厉声呵斥和始手就打，全都有《圣经》可依，这些手段不仅是对错误言行的处罚，而且是作为培养儿童品德的有益措施。然而，海丝特·白兰和珠儿是寡母孤儿，她绝不会对孩子失之苛责。她多少出于自己的失足和不幸，早早便想对她受权负责的婴儿施以慈爱而严格的管教。但这一职责非她所能胜任。海丝特对珠儿试过用笑脸相劝或厉声训斥，但两种办法都不能奏效，最后只好被迫站在一旁，听凭孩子随心所欲了。当然，体罚和管柬在施行的当时还是有效的。至于对孩子思想或感情的任何其它教育开导，小珠儿也可能听，也可能不听，全看她当时是否高兴了。还在珠儿是婴儿的时候，她母亲就渐渐熟悉了她的一种特别的神情，那是在告诉母亲，此时对她的一切强制、劝说或请求都将无济于事。那一种神情极其聪慧，又极其费解，极其刚健，有时又极其凶狠，但总是伴随着一种奔放的情绪，令海丝特在此时无法盘洁，珠儿到底是不是一个凡人的子嗣。她更象是—个飘忽的精灵，在茅屋的地面上作过一阵奇思异想的游戏之后，使要面带嘲笑地飞走了。每逢她那狂野、明亮、漆黑的眼暗中出现那种神情时，她便蒙上一层远不可及的神秘色彩，仿佛正在空中翱翔，随时都可能消失，就象不知来自何处、去往何方的闪光似的。海丝特一看到这情景，就要象追逐逃跑的小精灵那样向孩子扑去，而珠儿也一定要开始逃跑;母亲抓住孩子，把她紧紧贴在胸前，热切地亲吻着，这样做倒不是出自爱的洋溢，而是使自己确信，珠儿是个血肉之躯，并非虚幻之物。但珠儿被抓住的时候，她咯咯的笑声中虽然充满欢乐和鸣，却使母亲较前益发困惑。

Heart-smittenat this bewildering and bafflingspell, that so often came between herself and her sole treasure, whom she had bought so dear, and who was all her world, Hester sometimes burst into passionate tears. Then, perhaps- for there was no foreseeing how it might affect her- Pearl would frown, and clenchher little fist, and harden her small features into a stern, unsympathisinglook of discontent. Not seldom, she would laugh anew, and louder than before, like a thing incapable and unintelligent of human sorrow. Or- but this more rarely happened- she would be convulsedwith a rage of grief, and sobout her love for her mother, in broken words, and seem intent on proving that she had a heart, by breaking it. Yet Hester was hardly safe in confiding herself to that gustytenderness; it passed, as suddenly as it came. Brooding over all these matters, the mother felt like one who has evokeda spirit, but, by some irregularity in the process of conjuration, has failed to win the master-word that should control this new and incomprehensible intelligence. Her only real comfort was when the child lay in the placidityof sleep. Then she was sure of her, and tasted hours of quiet, sad, delicious happiness; until- perhaps with that perverse expression glimmering from beneath her opening lids- little Pearl awoke!

海丝特把她花了极其高昂的代价才得到的珠儿，看作她唯一的财富和全部的天地，但她看到在自己和孩子之间十分经常地插入这令她困惑的魔障，则痛心不已，有时还流下热泪。此时，珠儿或许就会——因为无法预见那魔障可能对她有何影响——攥起小手，紧皱眉头，板起面孔，在小肠上露出不满的冷冷表情。也有不少时候，她会再次咯咯大笑，比前一次笑得还响，就象是个对人类的哀伤无从知晓的东西。还有更罕见的，她会因一阵悲恸而全身抽搐，还会抽抽噎噎地说出几个不连贯的词语来表达她对母亲的爱，似乎要用心碎证明她确实有一颗心。不过，海丝特毫无把握使自己相信这种来得快、去得疾助旋风般的柔情。这位母亲将这一切情况前思后想之后，觉得自己象是一个呼唤精灵的人，但是由于没有按照魔法的步骤行事，尚把握不住制服这个还闹不清底细的新精灵的咒语。只有在孩子躺下安然入睡时，她才感到真正的宽心;这时她才能确定她的存在，体陈上几小时的沁人肺腑的恬静和幸福，直到小珠儿一觉醒来——也许就在孩子刚刚睁眼的时候，那种倔劲又表现出来了!

How soon- with what strange rapidity, indeed!- did Pearl arrive at an age that was capable of social intercourse, beyond the mother's ever-ready smile and nonsense-words!And then what a happiness would it have been, could Hester Prynne have heard her clear, birdlike voice minglingwith the uproarof other childish voices, and have distinguished and unravelledher own darling's tones, amid all the entangledoutcry of a group of sportivechildren! But this could never be. Pearl was a born outcastof the infantileworld. An impof evil, emblemand product of sin, she had no right among christened infants. Nothing was more remarkable than the instinct, as it seemed, with which the child comprehended her loneliness; the destiny that had drawn an inviolablecircle round about her; the whole peculiarity, in short, of her position in respect to other children. Never, since her release from prison, had Hester met the public gaze without her. In all her walks about the town, Pearl, too, was there; first as the babe in arms, and afterwards as the little girl, small companion of her mother, holding a forefingerwith her whole grasp, and tripping along at the rate of three or four footsteps to one of Hester's. She saw the children of the settlement, on the grassymargin of the street, or at the domestic thresholds, disporting themselves in such grimfashion as the Puritanic nurture would permit; playing at going to church, perchance; or at scourgingQuakers; or taking scalpsin a sham-fight with the Indians; or scaring one another with freaks of imitativewitchcraft. Pearl saw, and gazed intently, but never sought to make acquaintance. If spoken to, she would not speak again. If the children gathered about her, as they sometimes did, Pearl would grow positively terrible in her punywrath, snatching up stones to flingat them, with shrill, incoherentexclamations, that made her mother tremble, because they had so much the sound of a witch's anathemasin some unknown tongue.

好快啊，真是迅速得出奇呢!珠儿已经长到不满足于母亲脸上常挂着的微笑和嘴里唠叨的闲言碎语，能够与社会交往的年纪了!若是海丝特·白兰能够在别的孩子高声叫嚷的童声中，听到珠儿那莺啼燕啭般的清脆嗓音，能够从一群嬉戏的儿童的喧哗之中辨明她自己的宝贝儿的腔调.她该有多么幸福啊!但这是绝不可能的。珠儿生来便是那婴孩天地的弃儿。她是一个邪恶的小妖精，是罪孽的标志和产物，无极脐身于受洗的婴孩之列。最值得注意的是，这孩子仿佛有一种理解自己孤独处境的本能;懂得自己周围有一条命中注定不可逾越的鸿沟;简言之，她知道自己与其他孩子迥然不同的特殊地位。自从海丝特出狱以来，她从来都带着珠儿出现在人们面前。她在镇上四处走动，珠儿也始终都在她身边;起初是她怀中的婴儿，后来又成了她的小伙伴，满把握着她的一根食指，得蹦蹦跳跳地用三四步才赶上海丝特的一步。珠儿看到过这块殖民地上的小孩子们，在路边的草地上或是在自家门前，做着请教徒童规所允许的种种怪里怪气的游戏：有时装作一起去教堂，或是拷问教友派的教徒，或是玩同印第安人打仗和剥头皮的把戏，或是模仿巫术的怪样互相吓唬。珠儿在一劳瞅着，注视着，但从来没打算和他们结识。如果这时和她说话，她也不会咬声。如果孩子们有时围起她来，她就发起小脾气，变得非常凶狠，她会抄起石于向他们扔去，同时发出连续的尖声怪叫，跟巫婆用没入能懂的咒语喊叫极其相似，吓得她母亲浑身直抖。

（编辑：薛琳）