英文名著精选阅读：《红字》第四章（上）

英文名著精选阅读：《红字》第四章(上)

Chapter 04 THE INTERVIEW

第四章 会面

AFTER her return to the prison, Hester Prynne was found to be in a state of nervous excitement that demanded constant watchfulness, lest she should perpetrateviolence on herself, or do some half-frenziedmischief to the poor babe. As night approached, it proving impossible to quellher insubordinationby rebukeor threats of punishment, Master Brackett, the jailer, thought fit to introduce a physician. He described him as a man of skill in all Christian modes of physical science, and likewise familiar with whatever the savage people could teach, in respect to medicinal herbs and roots that grew in the forest. To say the truth, there was much need of professional assistance, not merely for Hester herself, but still more urgently for the child; who, drawing its sustenancefrom the maternalbosom, seemed to have drank in with it all the turmoil, the anguishand despair, which pervadedthe mother's system. It now writhed in convulsionsof pain, and was a forcibletype, in its little frame, of the moral agony which Hester Prynne had borne throughout the day.

海丝特·白兰返回监狱之后，便陷入一阵神经质的激动之中，必须有人片刻不离地看守着她，以防止她作出自戕之举，或在一时狂乱之中对可怜的婴儿有所伤害。夜幕将临，人们发现无论是大声呵斥抑或是以惩罚作威胁，对于她的不顺从都无济于事，看守布莱基特先生便主张请一个医生来给她看看。按照他的介绍，那医生不但精通基督教的各种医术，面且熟谙从野蛮人那里学来的长在林间的一切草药。老实讲，需要医生诊治的，不仅是海丝特本人，倒是那孩子更为急迫。由于她要从母亲的乳汁中汲取营养，似乎同时吸进了渗透在母亲肌体中的一切骚动、痛楚和绝望。此时，她正在痛苦的痉挛中扭动着，那小小的身躯成了海丝特·白兰一天中所忍受的精神上的极度痛苦的有力的具体表现。

Closely following the jailer into the dismalapartment, appeared that individual of singular aspect, whose presence in the crowd had been of such deep interest to the wearer of the scarlet letter. He was lodged in the prison, not as suspected of any offence, but as the most convenient and suitable mode of disposingof him, until the magistrates should have conferred with the Indian sagamoresrespecting his ransom. His name was announced as Roger Chillingworth. The jailer, after ushering him into the room, remained a moment, marvellingat the comparative quiet that followed his entrance; for Hester Prynne had immediately become as still as death, although the child continued to moan.

那个外表奇特的陌生人紧跟在看守身后走进了凄凉的牢房，他上午在人群中露面的时候，曾经引起了红字佩戴者的深切注意。长官们后来安排他暂时栖身狱中，倒不是担心他会作出什么有害之举，而是在和印第安头人们协商他的赎身问题之前，只有如此才最为方便妥善。据称他名叫罗杰·齐灵渥斯。看守把他领进牢房之后，刚逗留了片刻，室内居然随那人的到来而安静下来，使看守颇为诧异;此时婴儿虽然依旧呻唤不止，海丝特·白兰却立刻象死去一般地僵呆了。

"Prithee, friend, leave me alone with my patient," said the practitioner. "Trust me, good jailer, you shall briefly have peace in your house; and, I promise you, Mistress Prynne shall hereafter be more amenableto just authority than you may have found her heretofore."

“朋友，请让我和我的病人单独呆一会儿，那医生说道。“请相信我吧，好看守，你管的这间牢房很快就会安静下来的;而且我还向你保证，白兰太太将从此遵从执法长官，不会再象原先那样了。

"Nay, if your worship can accomplish that," answered Master Brackett, "I shall own you for a man of skill indeed! Verily, the woman hath been like a possessed one; and there lacks little, that I should take in hand to drive Satan out of her with stripes."

“嘿，要是你老先生能够做到这一条，布莱基特看守回答说，“我可要承认你真是手到病除了!真的，这女人一直象是魔鬼缠身;我简直使尽了招数，就差用鞭子把撤旦从她身上赶走啦。

The stranger had entered the room with the characteristic quietudeof the profession to which he announced himself as belonging. Nor did his demeanour change, when the withdrawalof the prison keeper left him face to face with the woman, whose absorbed notice of him, in the crowd, had intimatedso close a relation between himself and her. His first care was given to the child; whose cries, indeed, as she lay writhingon the trundle-bed, made it of peremptorynecessity to postpone all other business to the task of soothing her. He examined the infant carefully, and then proceeded to unclaspa leatherncase, which he took from beneath his dress. It appeared to contain medical preparations, one of which he mingledwith a cup of water.

陌生人心平气和地走进牢房，那态度倒和他自称的医生职业相称。看守退出以后，只剩他和那女人面面相对时，他依然平静如初，尽管她在人群中曾经那么专注地望着他，已经说明他俩之间的关系密切异常。他先诊视那孩子，是啊，那婴儿躺在轮床上辗转哭泣，使他不能不撇下其它，把平息她作为当务之急，他仔细地诊视了孩子，然后从怀里掏出一个皮匣。里面象是装着药物，他取出一粒，搅进一杯水里。

"My old studies in alchemy," observed he, "and my sojourn, for above a year past, among a people well versedin the kindly properties of simples, have made a better physician of me than many that claim the medical degree. Here, woman! The child is yours- she is none of mine- neither will she recognise my voice or aspect as a father's. Administerthis draught, therefore, with thineown hand."

“我过去对炼金术的研究，他述说着，“再加上过去一年里生活在一个精通草药品性的民族中间，使我比许多科班出身的医生更高明。听我说，妇人!这孩于是你的——和我毫无血缘——她也不会把我的音容认作是她父亲的。所以，还是由你亲手给她喂药吧。

Hester repelledthe offered medicine, at the same time gazing with strongly marked apprehensioninto his face.

海丝特推开了他举着的那剂药，两眼疑虑重重地紧盯着他的面孔。

"Wouldst thou avengethyself on the innocent babe?" whispered she.

“你打算在这无辜的婴儿身上发泄你的仇恨吗?她悄声说。

"Foolish woman!" responded the physician, half coldly, half soothingly. "What should ailme, to harm this misbegottenand miserablebabe? The medicine is potentfor good; and were it my child-yea, mine own, as well as thine!- I could do no better for it."

“愚蠢的女人!那医生不冷不热地应道。“加害于这样一个不幸的私生婴儿，难道我发疯了?给她喝下去会药到病除的;即使她是我的孩子——对，既是我的，当然也就是你的!——我也没有更好的药了。

As she still hesitated, being, in fact, in no reasonable state of mind, he took the infant in his arms, and himself administered the draught. It soon proved its efficacy, and redeemedthe leech's pledge. The moans of the little patient subsided; its convulsivetossingsgradually ceased; and, in a few moments, as is the custom of young children after relief from pain, it sank into a profound and dewy slumber. The physician, as he had a fair right to be termed, next bestowed his attention on the mother. With calm and intentscrutiny, he felt her pulse, looked into her eyes- a gaze that made her heart shrink and shudder, because so familiar, and yet so strange and cold- and, finally, satisfied with his investigation, proceeded to mingle another draught.

她仍然迟疑不决，事实上，她的头脑此时已经不清醒了。他便借机抱过婴儿，亲自给她喂了药。药力很快便见了效，看来医生说话算数。患病的小家伙的呻唤平息了，痉挛般的扭动也逐渐停止了，过了一会儿，她就象病儿解除痛苦之后惯见的那样，香甜地进入了梦乡。那医生如今可以当之无愧了，这才探视作母亲的：他仔细认真、专心致志地为她摸脉，还观察她的眼睛——他的盯视本是如此熟悉，此时却陌生而冷酷，只看得她的心都抽搐了，收紧了——最后，他满意地结束了诊断，开始调和另一剂药。

"I know not Lethenor Nepenthe," remarked he; "but I have learned many new secrets in the wilderness, and here is one of them- a recipethat an Indian taught me, in requitalof some lessons of my own, that were as old as Paracelsus. Drink it! It may be less soothing than a sinlessconscience. That I cannot give thee. But it will calm the swelland heaving of thy passion, like oil thrown on the waves of a tempestuoussea."

“我不懂得什么迷魂汤或忘忧草之类的东西，他说道，“但我在那些野蛮人中间学到了许多新诀窍，这里的就是其中一种——这是一个印第安人教给我的一种偏方，以报答我传授给他的象巴拉塞尔苏斯①那样一些老掉牙的知识。喝下去吧!这药也许不如一颗无罪的良心那样让人舒服。那种良心我可没办法给你。不过，这剂药象是把油倒在暴风雨掀起的海浪上，总可以平息你那澎湃翻腾的情欲。

He presented the cup to Hester, who received it with a slow, earnest look into his face; not precisely a look of fear, yet full of doubt and questioning, as to what his purposes might be. She looked also at her slumberingchild.

他把杯子端给海丝特，而她在接过杯子的时候，眼睛缓缓地打量着他的面孔，她的目光中说不上有什么恐惧，倒是充满了怀疑和探究，想弄清他的目的何在。她接着又看了看她那熟睡的孩子。

"I have thought of death," said she- "have wished for it- would even have prayed for it, were it fit that such as I should pray for anything. Yet, if death be in this cup, I bid thee think again, ere thou beholdest me quaffit. See! It is even now at my lips."

“我想到过死，她说，——“我巴不得去死——甚至还祈祷过上帝要我去死，如果我还能够有所祈求的话。不过，要是这杯药可以致我于死地，在你眼看着我一口吞下去之前，我请求你再想一想。看!杯子已经沾到我嘴唇了。

"Drink, then," replied he, still with the same cold composure. "Dost thou know me so little, Hester Prynne? Are my purposes wont to be so shallow? Even if I imagine a scheme of vengeance, what could I do better for my object than to let thee live- than to give thee medicines against all harm and perilof life- so that this burning shame may still blaze upon thy bosom!" As he spoke, he laid his long forefinger on the scarlet letter, which forthwith seemed to scorchinto Hester's breast, as if it had been red-hot. He noticed her involuntarygesture, and smiled. "Live, therefore, and bear about thy doom with thee, in the eyes of men and women- in the eyes of him whom thou didst call thy husband- in the eyes of yonder child! And, that thou mayest live, take off this draught."

“那就喝吧，他回答着，依然冷酷如前，不动声色。“难道你这么不了解我吗，海丝特·白兰?我的目标会如此浅薄吗?即使我心里想着复仇的念头，为了达到我的目标;比起让你活着——比起给你药吃，让你解除身体的危害——以便让这灼热的耻辱可以继续烧烫你的胸膛，难道我还有什么更高明的作法吗?他一边说着，一边把长长的食指放到那红字上，那字立刻火烧火燎地象是烙进了海丝特的胸膛。他注意到她那不由自主的姿势，微微一笑。“所以说，还是活下去吧，在男男女女的眼前，——在你确曾称作丈夫的人眼前，——在这个孩子的眼前，承受你注定的命运吧!那么，为了你可以活下去，把这药吃下去。

Without further expostulationor delay, Hester Prynne drained the cup, and, at the motion of the man of skill, seated herself on the bed where the child was sleeping; while he drew the only chair which the room afforded, and took his own seat beside her. She could not but trembleat these preparations; for she felt that- having now done all that humanity, or principle, or, if so it were, a refined cruelty, impelledhim to do, for the relief of physical suffering- he was next to treat with her as the man whom she had most deeply and irreparablyinjured.

海丝特·白兰无需再听劝告，也没有再加拖延，使举杯将药一饮而尽，然后，按照这个手段高明的男人的示意，坐到了孩子睡着的床上;面他则拉过牢房中唯一的一把椅子，坐在她的旁边。她面对这种种安排，不由得局身颤栗起来;因为她感觉到——在完成这一切由人道或原则，或者，果真如此的话，由一种优雅的残忍迫使他做出这些解脱她肉体上痛苦的事情之后——下一步，他就要作为被她无可挽回地深深伤害了的人来对待她了。

①巴拉塞尔苏斯(1493一1941)，瑞士的炼金术士和医生。

（编辑：薛琳）