英文名著精选阅读：《红字》第八章（下）

英文名著精选阅读：《红字》第八章(下)

Chapter 08 THE ELF-CHILD AND THE MINISTER

第八章 小鬼和牧师

"This is awful!" cried the Governor, slowly recovering from the astonishment into which Pearl's response had thrown him. "Here is a child of three years old, and she cannot tell who made her! Without question, she is equally in the dark as to her soul, its present depravityand future destiny! Methinks, gentlemen, we need inquire no further!"

“这太可怕了!总督叫着，渐渐从珠儿的应答所带给他的震惊中恢复过来。“这是个三岁的孩子，可她根本说不出是谁造出了她!毫无疑问，她对自己的灵魂，对目前的堕落，对未来的命运，全然一无所知!依我看，诸位先生，我们无需再问了。

Hester caught hold of Pearl, and drew her forciblyinto her arms, confronting the old Puritan magistratewith almost a fierce expression. Alone in the world, cast off by it, and with this sole treasure to keep her heart alive, she felt that she possessed indefeasiblerights against the world, and was ready to defend them to the death.

海丝特抓住珠儿，强把她拉进自己的怀里，面对着那几乎是满险凶相的清教徒长官。她被这个世界所抛弃，只剩下孤身一人，只有这一件珍宝才能维持她心灵的生存，她感到她有不可剥夺的权利来对抗这个世界，而且准备好维护自己的权利一直到死。

"God gave me the child!" cried she. "He gave her in requitalof all things else, which ye had taken from me. She is my happiness!- she is my torture, none the less! Pearl keeps me here in life! Pearl punishes me too! See ye not, she is the scarlet letter, only capable of being loved, and so endowed with a millionfoldthe power of retributionfor my sin? Ye shall not take her! I will die first!"

“上帝给了我这个孩子!她大声说道。“他把她给了我是为了补偿你们从我手中夺走的一切。她是我的幸福!——也分毫不爽地是我的拆磨!是珠儿叫我还活在世上!也是珠儿叫我受着惩罚!你们看见没有?她就是红字，只不过能够受到喜爱，因此也具有千万倍的力量来报应我的罪孽!你们带不走她!我情愿先死给你们看!

"My poor woman," said the not unkind old minister, "the child shall be well cared for!- far better than thou canst do it!"

“我可怜的女人，那不无慈悲的老牧师说，“这孩子会受到很好的照顾的!——远比你能办到的要强。

"God gave her into my keeping," repeated Hester Prynne, raising her voice almost to a shriek. "I will not give her up!"- And here, by a sudden impulse, she turned to the young clergyman, Mr. Dimmesdale, at whom, up to this moment, she had seemed hardly so much as once to direct her eyes.- "Speak thou for me!" cried she. "Thou wast my pastor, and hadst charge of my soul, and knowest me better than these men can. I will not lose the child! Speak for me! Thou knowest- for thou hast sympathies which these men lack- thou knowest what is in my heart, and what are a mother's rights, and how much the stronger they are, when that mother has but her child and the scarlet letter! Look thou to it! I will not lose the child! Look to it!"

“上帝把这孩子交给了我来抚养，海丝特·白兰重复说，嗓音大得简直象喊叫了。“我绝不会放弃她的!说到这里，她突然一阵冲动，转向了年轻的牧师丁梅斯代尔先生，此前她简直始终没有正眼看过他。“你来替我说一句话嘛!她说。“你原来是我的牧师，曾经对我的灵魂负责，你比这些人更了解我。我不能失去这个孩子!替我说句话吧!你了解我——而且你还具有这些人所缺乏的同情心!你了解我心里的想法，也了解一个母亲的权利，而当那位母亲只有她的孩子和红字的时候，这种权利就更烟强烈!请你关注一下吧!我绝不会失去这个孩子的!关注一下吧!

At this wild and singular appeal, which indicated that Hester Prynne's situation had provoked her to little less than madness, the young minister at once came forward, pale, and holding his hand over his heart, as was his custom whenever his peculiarlynervous temperamentwas thrown into agitation. He looked now more carewornand emaciatedthan as we described him at the scene of Hester's public ignominyand whether it were his failing health, or whatever the cause might be, his large dark eyes had a world of pain in their troubled and melancholy depth.

这种狂野独特独特的吁请，意味着海丝特·白兰的处境已经把她快逼疯了。于是，那年轻的牧师马上走上前来，他面色苍氏一只手捂住心口——只要他那古怪的神经质一发作，他就会做出这个习惯的动作。他此时的样子，比起上次海丝特示众时我们所描绘的，还要疲惫和憔悴;不管是由于他那每况愈下的健康状况，抑或其它什么原因，他那双又大又黑的眼睛的深处，在烦恼和忧郁之中还有一个痛苦的天地。

"There is truth in what she says," began the minister, with a voice sweet, tremulous, but powerful, insomuchthat the hall re-echoed, and the hollow armour rang with it- "truth in what Hester says, and in the feeling which inspires her! God gave her the child, and gave her, too, an instinctiveknowledge of its nature and requirements- both seemingly so peculiar- which no other mortal being can possess. And, moreover, is there not a quality of awful sacrednessin the relation between this mother and this child?"

“她所说的确有道理，年轻的牧师开口说，他那甜蜜柔和的嗓音虽然微微发颤，却强劲有力地在大厅中回荡着，直震得那空壳铠中部随之轰鸣，“她的话确有道理，鼓舞她的感情也没有错!上帝赐给了她这个孩子，也就赋予了她了解孩子天性和需求的本能——而这孩子的天性和需求看来又是如此与众不同——她作母亲的这种本能别人是不可能具备的。何况，在她们的母女关系之中难道没有一种令人敬畏的神圣之处吗?

"Ay!- how is that, good Master Dimmesdale?" interrupted the Governor. "Make that plain, I pray you!"

“喂!——这是怎么讲，善良的丁梅斯代尔先生?总督接口说。“我请你把话说得明白些!

"It must be even so," resumedthe minister. "For, if we deem it otherwise, do we not thereby say that the Heavenly Father, the Creator of all flesh, hath lightly recognised a deed of sin, and made of no account the distinction between unhallowedlustand holy love? This child of its father's guilt and its mother's shame hath come from the hand of God, to work in many ways upon her heart, who pleads so earnestly, and with such bitterness of spirit, the right to keep her. It was meant for a blessing; for the one blessing of her life! It was meant, doubtless, as the mother herself hath told us, for a retributiontoo; a torture to be felt at many an unthought-of moment; a pang, a sting, an ever-recurring agony, in the midst of a troubled joy! Hath she not expressed this thought in the garbof the poor child, so forcibly reminding us of that red symbol which searsher bosom?"

“尤其是，年轻牧师接着说，“如果我们换一个角度来看待这件事，我们岂不是说，那创造了一切肉体的天父，只是随便地承认了一次罪行，而对亵渎的淫秽和神圣的爱情之间毫不加以区别吗?这孩子是她父亲的罪孽和她母亲的耻辱的产物，但却来自上帝之手，面上帝要通过许多方式来感化做母亲的心灵，因此她才这么诚挚地、怀着这么痛苦的精神来祈求养育孩子的极利。她是在祈求祝福，向赐于孩子生命的上帝祈求祝福!毫无疑问，诚如这母亲自己对我们所说，她也是在祈求一种报应;她在祈求一种折磨，让她在意想不到的许多时刻体会到这种折磨;她在祈求一阵剧痛，一下刺扎，一种时时复发的、纠缠着她的快乐的痛楚!在这可怜的孩子的衣服上，她不是表达了她的这种想法吗?这身衣服不是有力地提醒我们那烙进她胸口的红色象征吗?

"Well said again!" cried good Mr. Wilson. "I feared the woman had no better thought than to make a mountebankof her child!"

“还是你说得高明!好心肠的威尔逊先生叫道。“我本来担心这女人除去拿她的孩子装幌子再也没有更好的想法呢!

"Oh, not so!- not so!" continued Mr. Dimmesdale. "She recognises, believe me, the solemn miracle which God hath wrought, in the existence of that child. And may she feel, too- what, methinks, is the very truth- that this boonwas meant, above all things else, to keep the mother's soul alive, and to preserve her from blacker depths of sin into which Satan might else have sought to plungeher! Therefore it is good for this poor, sinful woman that she hath an infant immortality, a being capable of eternaljoy or sorrow, confided to her care- to be trained up by her to righteousness- to remind her, at every moment, of her fall- but yet to teach her, as it were by the Creator's sacred pledge, that, if she bring the child to heaven, the child also will bring its parent thither! Herein is the sinful mother happier than the sinful father. For Hester Prynne's sake, then, and no less for the poor child's sake, let us leave them as Providence hath seen fit to place them!"

“噢，并非如此!——并非如此!丁梅斯代尔先生继续说。“请相信我，她已经认识到了上帝在这个孩子的存在上所创造的神圣的奇迹。而且她可能也感受到了——我想恰恰如此——上帝赐给她这个孩子，尤其意味着，要保持母亲的灵魂的活力，防止她陷入罪恶的更黑暗的深渊，否则撒旦还会设法诱惑她的!因此，给这个可怜而有罪的女人留下一个不朽助婴儿，一个可能带来永恒的欢乐或悲伤的生命，对她会大有好处;让她去抚养孩子，让她培养孩子走上正路，这样才能随时提醒她记着自己的堕落;因为这也是对造物主的神圣誓言，同时教育她，如果她能把孩子送上天国，那么孩子也就能把她带到天国!就此而论，有罪的母亲可要比那有罪的父亲有幸。因此，为了海丝特·白兰，也同样为这可怜的孩子的缘故，我们还是按照天意对她们的安排，不去管她们吧!

"You speak, my friend, with a strange earnestness," said old Roger Chillingworth, smiling at him.

“我的朋友，你讲这番话，真是诚挚得出奇呢，老罗杰·齐灵温斯对他笑着说。

"And there is a weighty importin what my young brother hath spoken," added the Reverend Mr. Wilson. "What say you, worshipful Master Bellingham? Hath he not pleadedwell for the poor woman?"

“而且，我这年轻兄弟的话里的重要意义还满有分量呢，威尔逊牧师先生补充说。“你怎么看，尊敬的贝灵汉老爷?他为这可怜的女人所作的请求满好吧?

"Indeed hath he," answered the magistrate, "and hath adducedsuch arguments, that we will even leave the matter as it now stands; so long, at least, as there shall be no further scandal in the woman. Care must be had, nevertheless, to put the child to due and stated examination in the catechism, at thy hands or Master Dimmesdale's. Moreover, at a proper season, the tithing-men must take heed that she go both to school and to meeting."

“确实不错，那长官回答，“并且还引证了这些论据，我们只好让事情依旧如此喽，至少，只要没有人说这女人的闲话就行。不过，我们还是要认真，对这孩子要按时进行《教义问答手册》的正式考核，这事就交给你和丁梅斯代尔先生吧。再有，到了适当时候，耍让十户长注意送她上学校和做礼拜。

The young minister, on ceasing to speak, had withdrawn a few steps from the group, and stood with his face partially concealed in the heavy folds of the window-curtain; while the shadow of his figure, which the sunlight cast upon the floor, was tremulouswith the vehemenceof his appeal. Pearl, that wild and flightylittle elf, stole softly towards him, and taking his hand in the graspof both her own, laid her cheek against it; a caress so tender, and withalso unobtrusive, that her mother, who was looking on, asked herself, "Is that my Pearl?" Yet she knew that there was love in the child's heart, although it mostly revealed itself in passion, and hardly twice in her lifetime had been softened by such gentleness as now. The minister- for, save the long-sought regards of woman, nothing is sweeter than these marks of childish preference, accorded spontaneouslyby a spiritual instinct, and therefore seeming to imply in us something truly worthy to be loved- the minister looked round, laid his hand on the child's head, hesitated an instant, and then kissed her brow. Little Pearl's unwontedmood of sentiment lasted no longer; she laughed, and went capering down the hall, so airily, that old Mr. Wilson raised a question whether even her tiptoes touched the floor.

那年轻的牧师说完话之后，便离开人群，后退几步，让窗帘厚厚的褶襞住了他部分面孔;而阳光在地板上照出的他的身影，还在由于刚才激昂的呼吁面颤抖。珠儿那野性子的轻灵小鬼，轻手轻脚地偷偷溜到他身旁，用双手握住他的手，还把小脸贴在上面;那抚爱是那么温柔，而且还那么从容，使得在一旁看着的海丝特不禁自问：“那是我的珠儿吗?然而她明白，这孩子的心中是有着爱的，不过这种爱通常是以激情的形式来表达的;她生来恐怕还没有第二次这样温文尔雅呢。而牧师呢——除去追寻已久的女性的关心之外，再没有这种孩子气的爱的表示更为甜蜜的了，由于这种爱发自精神本能，因此似乎是在暗示着，我们身上确实具有一些值得一爱的东西——此时他环顾四周，将一只手放在孩子的头上，迟疑了一会儿，然后吻了她的额头。小珠儿这种不寻常的温情脉脉到此为止，她放声笑着，朝大厅另一头轻捷地蹦跳而去，威尔逊老先生甚至怀疑，她的脚尖是否触到了地板。

"The little baggage had witchcraftin her, I profess," said he to Mr. Dimmesdale. "She needs no old woman's broomstickto fly withal!"

“这小姑娘准是有魔法附体，我敢说，他对丁梅斯代尔先生说。“她根本用不着老女巫的笤帚就能飞行!

"A strange child!" remarked old Roger Chillingworth. "It is easy to see the mother's part in her. Would it be beyond a philosopher's research, think ye, gentlemen, to analyse that child's nature, and, from its make and mould, to give a shrewdguess at the father?"

“没见过这样的孩子!老罗杰·齐灵渥斯评论说。“很容易在她身上看出她母亲的素质。先生们，请你们想一想，耍分析这孩子的天性，要根据她的体态和气质来对她的父亲作出聪明的猜测，是不是超出了哲学家的研究范畴了呢?

"Nay; it would be sinful, in such a question, to follow the clewof profanephilosophy," said Mr. Wilson. "Better to fast and pray upon it; and still better, it may be, to leave the mystery as we find it, unless Providence reveal it of its own accord. Thereby, every good Christian man hath a title to show a father's kindness towards the poor, deserted babe.

“不;在这样一个问题上，要追踪非宗教的哲学的暗示，是罪过的，威尔逊先生说。“最好还是靠斋戒和祈祷来解决吧;而最好的办法可能莫过于，留着这宗秘密不去管它，听凭天意自然地揭示好了。这样，每一个信奉基督的好男人，便都有权对这可怜的被遗弃的孩子，表示奖爱了。

The affair being so satisfactorily concluded, Hester Prynne, with Pearl, departed from the house. As they descended the steps, it is averredthat the latticeof a chamber-window was thrown open, and forth into the sunny day was thrust the face of Mistress Hibbins, Governor Bellingham's bitter-tempered sister, and the same who, a few years later, was executedas a witch.

"这件事就此圆满地解决了，海丝特·白兰便带着珠儿离开了宅邸。在她们走下台阶的时候，据信有一间小屋的格子窗给打开了，西宾斯太大把头探出来，伸到阳光下，她是贝灵汉总督的姐姐，脾气古怪刻毒，就是她，在若干年之后，作为女巫而被处决了。

"Hist, hist!" said she, while her ill-omenedphysiognomyseemed to cast a shadow over the cheerful newness of the house. "Wilt thou go with us to-night? There will be a merry company in the forest; and I well-nighpromised the Black Man that comely Hester Prynne should make one."

“喂，喂!她说，她那不祥的外貌象是给这座住宅的欣欣向荣的气氛投上了一层阴影。“你们今晚愿意同我们一道去吗?树林里要举行一次联欢，我已经答应过那黑男人，海丝特·白兰要来参加呢。

"Make my excuse to him, so please you!" answered Hester, with a triumphantsmile. "I must tarry at home, and keep watch over my little Pearl. Had they taken her from me, I would willingly have gone with thee into the forest, and signed my name in the Black Man's book too, and that with mine own blood!"

“请你替我向他抱歉吧!海丝特带着凯旋的笑容回答说。“我得呆在家里，照顾好我的小珠儿。要是他们把她从我手中夺走，我也许会心甘情愿地跟你到树林里去，在黑男人的名册上也签上我的名字，而且还要用我的鲜血来签呢!

"We shall have thee there anon!" said the witch-lady, frowning, as she drew back her head.

“我们下一次再在那儿见吧!那巫婆皱着眉头说罢，就缩回了脑袋。

But here- if we suppose this interview betwixtMistress Hibbins and Hester Prynne to be authentic, and not a parable- was already an illustration of the young minister's argument against sunderingthe relation of a fallen mother to the offspring of her frailty. Even thus early had the child saved her from Satan's snare.

如果我们假定，西宾斯太大和海丝特·白兰之间的这次谋面有根有据而并非比拟象征的话，那么，年轻牧师反对拆散一个堕落的母亲和因她的脆弱而诞生的女儿的论点，就已经得到了证明：这孩子早在此时就已挽救了她免坠撒旦的陷阱。

（编辑：薛琳）