英文名著精选阅读：《红字》第十四章（上）

英文名著精选阅读：《红字》第十四章(上)

Chapter 14 HESTER AND THE PHYSICIAN

第十四章 海丝特和医生

HESTER badelittle Pearl run down to the margin of the water, and play with the shells and tangledseaweed, until she should have talked awhilewith yonder gatherer of herbs. So the child flew away like a bird, and, making bare her small white feet, went pattering along the moistmargin of the sea. Here and there she came to a full stop, and peeped curiously into a pool, left by the retiring tide as a mirror for Pearl to see her face in. Forth peeped at her, out of the pool, with dark, glistening curls around her head, and an elf-smile in her eyes, the image of a little maid, whom Pearl, having no other playmate, invited to take her hand, and run a race with her. But the visionarylittle maid, on her part, beckoned likewise, as if to say, "This is a better place! Come thou into the pool!" And Pearl, stepping in, mid-leg deep, beheld her own white feet at the bottom; while, out of a still lower depth, came the gleamof a kind of fragmentarysmile, floating to and fro in the agitated water.Meanwhile, her mother had accosted the physician.

海丝特打发小珠儿跑到水边去玩贝壳和缠结的海藻，好让她同那边那采药人谈一会儿话。那孩子便象鸟儿般地飞了开去，她那双赤裸着的白白的小脚丫，一路拍着水在潮湿的海边跑着。她不时停下身来，把退潮留下的水洼当作镜子，好奇地朝里面照着她自己的面孔。水洼里，一个满头长着乌黑闪亮的鬃发、眼中露着小精灵般微笑的小姑娘，在朝她窥视，珠儿由于没有别的玩伴，便伸手邀她同自己进行一场赛跑。但那映象的小鼓娘，也同样和她伸手招呼，仿佛在说：“这地方更好些!你到水洼里来吧!珠儿一脚踏进去，水没到了膝盖，她看见的只是水底的自己的白脚丫;同时，从更深的一层水下，映出了一种支离破碎的微笑，在动荡的水中上下漂浮闪动。与此同时，她母亲已和那医生搭话了。

"I would speak a word with you," said she- "a word that concerns us much."

“我想跟你谈一谈，她说，“谈谈同我们至关紧要的事。

"Aha! and is it Mistress Hester that has a word for old Roger Chillingworth?" answered he, raising himself from his stoopingposture. "With all my heart! Why, mistress, I hear good tidings of you, on all hands! No longer ago than yester-eve, a magistrate, a wise and godly man, was discoursing of your affairs, Mistress Hester, and whispered me that there had been question concerning you in the council. It was debated whether or no, with safety to the common weal, yonderscarlet letter might be taken off your bosom. On my life, Hester, I made my entreaty to the worshipfulmagistrate that it might be done forthwith!"

“啊哈!原来是海丝特太太有话要和老罗杰·齐灵渥斯说么?他直起腰来回答说。“高兴之极!噢，太太，我从各处都听到有关你的好消息!就在昨天晚上，一位长官，一位圣明的人，还谈起了你的事，海丝特太太，他悄悄告诉我，在议会中曾经提及有关你的问题：大家议论起，要是把你胸前的红字取下来，会不会对公众的好运有妨碍。我敢发誓，海丝特，我当即恳求那可敬的长官，这事应予立即施行!

"It lies not in the pleasure of the magistrates to take off this badge." calmly replied Hester. "Were I worthy to be quit of it, it would fall away of its own nature, or be transformed into something that should speak a different purport."

“那些长官们可不乐于取下这徽记，海丝特平静地应道。“要是我有资格把这玩艺儿取下来，它就会自然而然地落下去，或是变成表示别的意思的东西了。

"Nay, then, wear it, if it suit you better," rejoined he. "A woman must needs follow her own fancy touching the adornmentof her person. The letter is gailyembroidered, and shows right bravely on your bosom!"

“那就别取下来啦，既然你觉得合适，就继续戴下去吧，他接着说。“触及女人的装饰一事，那可得随着她自己的心气儿。那字母绣得那么鲜艳，戴在你胸前，恰到好处地显示了你的勇敢!

All this while, Hester had been looking steadily at the old man, and was shocked, as well as wonder-smitten, to discern what a change had been wrought upon him within the past seven years. It was not so much that he had grown older; for though the traces of advancing life were visible, he bore his age well, and seemed to retain a wiryvigour and alertness. But the former aspect of an intellectual and studiousman, calm and quiet, which was what she best remembered in him, had altogether vanished, and been succeeded by an eager, searching, almost fierce, yet carefully guarded look. It seemed to be his wish and purpose to mask this expression with a smile; but the latter played him false, and flickeredover his visage so derisively, that the spectator could see his blackness all the better for it. Ever and anon, too, there came a glare of red light out of his eyes; as if the old man's soul were on fire, and kept on smoulderingduskily within his breast, until, by some casual puff of passion, it was blown into a momentaryflame. This he repressed, as speedily as possible, and strove to look as if nothing of the kind had happened.

在他俩谈话的这段时间里，海丝特一直不错眼珠地盯着那老人，她惊奇地注意到，在这七年之间，他发生了多么明显的变化。那倒不是说他又老了许多;因为虽然可以看出他年事益高的痕迹，但就他的年纪而论，仍有坚韧的精力和机敏，然而，她原来印象最深的他先前那种聪慧好学的品格，那种平和安详的风度，如今已经踪影皆无，取而代之的是一种急切窥测的神色，近乎疯狂而又竭力掩饰。他似乎有意用微笑来遮掩，但那种微笑却暴露出他的虚伪，在他脸上时隐时现，似是在捉弄他，使旁人益发清楚地看出他的阴险。他的眼睛中还不时闪出阵阵红光;象是那老人的灵魂正在燃烧，却憋在胸中装着，只是偶尔不小心受到激情的鼓吹，才喷出瞬间的火焰。而他则尽快地将这火焰压下去，竭力装出一副没发生过这种事的样子。

In a word, old Roger Chillingworth was a striking evidence of man's faculty of transforming himself into a devil, if he will only, for a reasonable space of time, undertake a devil's office. This unhappy person had effected such a transformation, by devoting himself, for seven years, to the constant analysis of a heart full of torture, and deriving his enjoyment thence, and adding fuel to those fiery tortures which he analysed and gloatedover.

总之，老罗杰·齐灵渥斯是一个显而易见的实例，证明人只要甘心从事魔鬼的勾当，经过相当一段时间，就可以靠他本人的智能将良身变成魔鬼。这个闷闷不乐的人之所以发生了这一变化，就是由于他在七年的时间里全力以赴地剖析一颗充满痛苦的心灵并从中取乐，甚至还要对他正剖析并观察着的剧烈痛苦幸灾乐祸地火上浇油。

The scarlet letter burned on Hester Prynne's bosom. Here was another ruin, the responsibility of which came partly home to her.

红字在海丝特·白兰的胸上燃烧。因为这里又多了一个被毁灭的人，其责任，部分要归咎于她。

"What see you in my face," asked the physician, "that you look at it so earnestly?"

“你在我脸上看到了什么，医生问道，“让你盯得这么紧?

"Something that would make me weep, if there were any tears bitter enough for it," answered she. "But let it pass! It is of yonder miserableman that I would speak."

“要是我还有多余的心酸的泪的话，我会为一件事而哭泣的，她回答说。“不过，算了吧!我还是来谈谈那个不幸的人吧。

"And what of him?" cried Roger Chillingworth eagerly, as if he loved the topic, and were glad of an opportunity to discuss it with the only person of whom he could make a confidant. "Not to hide the truth, Mistress Hester, my thoughts happen just now to be busy with the gentleman. So speak freely; and I will make answer."

“谈他的什么事呢?罗杰·齐灵渥斯迫不及待地叫着，仿佛他喜爱这个话题，巴不得有个机会能同这个唯一可以谈谈悄悄话的人讨论一番。“咱们不说假话，海丝特太太，这会儿我刚好正忙着在那位先生身上转着念头。你就随便说吧，我会作出答复的。

"When we last spake together," said Hester, "now seven years ago, it was your pleasure to extorta promise of secrecy, as touching the former relation betwixtyourself and me. As the life and good fame of yonder man were in your hands, there seemed no choice to me, save to be silent, in accordance with your behest. Yet it was not without heavy misgivings that I thus bound myself; for, having cast off all duty towards other human beings, there remained a duty towards him; and something whispered me that I was betraying it, in pledgingmyself to keep your counsel. Since that day, no man is so near to him as you. You tread behind his every footstep. You are beside him, sleeping and waking. You search his thoughts. You burrow and ranklein his heart! Your clutch is on his life, and you cause him to die daily a living death; and still he knows you not. In permitting this, I have surely acted a false part by the only man to whom the power was left me to be true!"

“我们上次在一起交谈的时候，海丝特说，“是在七年以前，当时你迫使我答应为你我之间原先的关系保密。由于那个人的生命和名声全都在你的把握之中，我除去遵从你的意志保持沉默之外，似乎已别无出路。’然而我受到这一承诺的约束，不能不疑虑重重;因为我虽然抛弃了对其他人的一切责任，却还保有对他的责任;而有一个声音在悄悄对我说，在我发誓为你保密之时，就背叛了这一职责。从那一天起，谁都没有象你这么接近他。你跟踪着他的沉重的脚步。你无论睡着醒着都守在他的身旁。你搜寻着他的思想。你挖掘并折磨他的心灵!你玩弄他于你的股掌之上，让他镇日里备受死去活来之苦;然而他对你竟依旧毫不了解。他是上天留给我保持忠诚的唯一的一个人，我却允许你对他这般肆虐，我确实扮演了一个虚伪的角色!

"What choice had you?" asked Roger Chillingworth. "My finger, pointed at this man, would have hurledhim from his pulpitinto a dungeon- thence, peradventure, to the gallows!"

“难道你还有别的出路吗?罗杰·齐灵渥斯问道。“我的手指指着他，只消一动，就可以把他从布道坛上抛到牢狱中去——甚至还会把他抛到绞刑架上!

"It had been better so!" said Hester Prynne.

“那样也许倒好些!海丝特·白兰说。

"What evil have I done the man?" asked Roger Chillingworth again. "I tell thee, Hester Prynne, the richest fee that ever physician earned from monarchcould not have bought such care as I have wasted on this miserable priest! But for my aid, his life would have burned away in torments, within the first two years after the perpetrationof his crime and thine. For, Hester, his spirit lacked the strength that could have borne up, as thine has, beneath a burden like thy scarlet letter. Oh, I could reveal a goodly secret! But enough! What art can do, I have exhausted on him. That he now breathes, and creepsupon earth, is owing all to me!"

“我对那人作了什么坏事呢?罗杰·齐灵渥斯又问道。“我跟你说，海丝特·白兰，自古以来，就连帝王付给医生的最大报酬，也无法买到我在这不幸的牧师身上所花费的心血!要不是我假以援手，他和你犯下罪孽之后的头两年里，他的生命便会在备受折磨之中烧光了。海丝特，因为他的精神缺乏你那种力量，挺不住你所受的红宇的那种重压。嗅，我完全可以揭发一项天大的秘密!只要一说出口就足够了!可是我在他身上尽了最大努力，凡医术能做到的，无不设法。如今他得以在这个世界上苟延残喘，全靠我的努力呢!

"Better he had died at once!" said Hester Prynne.

“他还不如马上死掉呢!海丝特·白兰说。

（编辑：薛琳）