【經(jīng)典名著閱讀】《傲慢與偏見》第三十五章
作者:Jane Austen
2011-06-19 12:08
I had not been long in Hertfordshire, before I saw, in common with others, that Bingley preferred your eldest sister to any other young woman in the country. -- But it was not till the evening of the dance at Netherfield that I had any apprehension of his feeling a serious attachment. -- I had often seen him in love before. -- At that ball, while I had the honour of dancing with you, I was first made acquainted, by Sir William Lucas's accidental information, that Bingley's attentions to your sister had given rise to a general expectation of their marriage. He spoke of it as a certain event, of which the time alone could be undecided. From that moment I observed my friend's behaviour attentively; and I could then perceive that his partiality for Miss Bennet was beyond what I had ever witnessed in him. Your sister I also watched. -- Her look and manners were open, cheerful, and engaging as ever, but without any symptom of peculiar regard, and I remained convinced from the evening's scrutiny, that though she received his attentions with pleasure, she did not invite them by any participation of sentiment. -- If you have not been mistaken here, I must have been in an error. Your superior knowledge of your sister must make the latter probable. -- If it be so, if I have been misled by such error, to inflict pain on her, your resentment has not been unreasonable. But I shall not scruple to assert that the serenity of your sister's countenance and air was such as might have given the most acute observer a conviction that, however amiable her temper, her heart was not likely to be easily touched. -- That I was desirous of believing her indifferent is certain, -- but I will venture to say that my investigations and decisions are not usually influenced by my hopes or fears. -- I did not believe her to be indifferent because I wished it;
我到哈福德郡不久,就和別人一樣,看出了彬格萊先生在當(dāng)?shù)厮械纳倥衅粗辛肆罱?。但是一直等到在尼日斐花園開跳舞會(huì)的那個(gè)晚上,我才顧慮到他當(dāng)真對(duì) 令姐有了愛戀之意。說到他的戀愛方面,我以前也看得很多。在那次跳舞會(huì)上,當(dāng)我很榮幸地跟你跳舞時(shí),我才聽到威廉·盧卡斯偶然說起彬格萊先生對(duì)令姐的殷勤 已經(jīng)弄得滿城風(fēng)雨,大家都以為他們就要談到嫁娶問題。聽他說起來,好象事情已經(jīng)千穩(wěn)萬妥,只是遲早問題罷了。從那時(shí)起,我就密切注意著我朋友的行為,于是 我看出了他對(duì)班納特小姐的鐘情,果然和他往常的戀愛情形大不相同。我也注意著令姐。她的神色和風(fēng)度依舊象平常那樣落落大方,和藹可親,并沒有鐘情于任何人 的跡象。根據(jù)我那一晚上仔細(xì)觀察的情形看來,我確實(shí)認(rèn)為她雖然樂意接受他的殷勤,可是她并沒有用深情密意來報(bào)答他。要是這件事你沒有弄錯(cuò),那么錯(cuò)處一定在 我;你對(duì)于令姐既有透辟的了解,那么當(dāng)然可能是我錯(cuò)了。倘若事實(shí)果真如此,倘若果真是我弄錯(cuò)了,造成令姐的痛苦,那當(dāng)然難怪你氣憤??墒俏铱梢院敛华q豫地 說,令姐當(dāng)初的風(fēng)度極其灑脫,即使觀察力最敏銳的人,也難免以為她盡管性情柔和,可是她的心不容易打動(dòng)。我當(dāng)初確實(shí)希望她無動(dòng)于中,可是我敢說,我雖然主觀上有我的希望,有我的顧慮,可是我的觀察和我的推斷并不會(huì)受到主觀上的影響。我認(rèn)為,令姐決不會(huì)因?yàn)槲蚁M裏o動(dòng)于中,她就當(dāng)真無動(dòng)于中;
-- I believed it on impartial conviction, as truly as I wished it in reason. -- My objections to the marriage were not merely those which I last night acknowledged to have required the utmost force of passion to put aside in my own case; the want of connection could not be so great an evil to my friend as to me. -- But there were other causes of repugnance; -- causes which, though still existing, and existing to an equal degree in both instances, I had myself endeavoured to forget, because they were not immediately before me. -- These causes must be stated, though briefly. -- The situation of your mother's family, though objectionable, was nothing in comparison of that total want of propriety so frequently, so almost uniformly, betrayed by herself, by your three younger sisters, and occasionally even by your father. -- Pardon me. -- It pains me to offend you. But amidst your concern for the defects of your nearest relations, and your displeasure at this representation of them, let it give you consolation to consider that to have conducted yourselves so as to avoid any share of the like censure is praise no less generally bestowed on you and your eldest sister, than it is honourable to the sense and disposition of both. -- I will only say farther that, from what passed that evening, my opinion of all parties was confirmed, and every inducement heightened, which could have led me before to preserve my friend from what I esteemed a most unhappy connection. -- He left Netherfield for London, on the day following, as you, I am certain, remember, with the design of soon returning. --
我的看法大公無私,我的愿望也合情合理。我昨天晚上說,遇到這樣門戶不相稱的婚姻,輪到我自己身上的時(shí)候,我必須用極大的感情上的力量圓心壓制,至于說到他們倆這一門婚姻,我所以要反對(duì),還不光光是為了這些理由,因?yàn)殛P(guān)于門戶高低的問題,我朋友并不象我那么重視。我所以反對(duì)這門婚姻,還有別的一些叫人嫌忌的原因───這些原因雖然到現(xiàn)在還存在,而且在兩樁事里面同樣存在著,可是我早就盡力把它忘了,因?yàn)楹迷谘鄄灰姙閮?。這里必須把這些原因說一說,即使簡單地說一說也好。你母親娘家親族雖然叫人不太滿意,可是比起你們自己家里人那種完全沒有體統(tǒng)的情形來,便簡直顯得無足輕重。你三個(gè)妹妹都是始終一貫地做出許多沒有體統(tǒng)的事情來,有時(shí)候甚至連你父親也難免。請(qǐng)?jiān)徫疫@樣直言無諱,其實(shí)得罪了你,也使我自己感到難受。你的骨肉至親有了這些缺點(diǎn),當(dāng)然會(huì)使你感到難受,我這樣一說,當(dāng)然會(huì)叫你更不高興,可是你只要想一想,你自己和你姐姐舉止優(yōu)雅,人家非得沒有責(zé)難到你們倆頭上,而且對(duì)你們褒獎(jiǎng)備至,還賞識(shí)你們倆的見識(shí)和個(gè)性,這對(duì)于你究竟還不失為一種安慰吧。我還想跟你說一說;我那天晚上看了那種情形,不禁越發(fā)確定了我對(duì)各個(gè)人的看法,越發(fā)加深了我的偏見,覺得一定要阻止我的朋友,不讓他締結(jié)這門最不幸的婚姻。他第二天就離開尼日斐花園到倫敦去了,我相信你一定記得,他本來打算去一下便立刻回來。
The part which I acted is now to be explained. -- His sisters' uneasiness had been equally excited with my own; our coincidence of feeling was soon discovered; and, alike sensible that no time was to be lost in detaching their brother, we shortly resolved on joining him directly in London. -- We accordingly went -- and there I readily engaged in the office of pointing out to my friend, the certain evils of such a choice. -- I described, and enforced them earnestly. -- But, however this remonstrance might have staggered or delayed his determination, I do not suppose that it would ultimately have prevented the marriage, had it not been seconded by the assurance, which I hesitated not in giving, of your sister's indifference. He had before believed her to return his affection with sincere, if not with equal, regard. -- But Bingley has great natural modesty, with a stronger dependence on my judgment than on his own. -- To convince him, therefore, that he had deceived himself, was no very difficult point. To persuade him against returning into Hertfordshire, when that conviction had been given, was scarcely the work of a moment. -- I cannot blame myself for having done thus much. There is but one part of my conduct in the whole affair, on which I do not reflect with satisfaction; it is that I condescended to adopt the measures of art so far as to conceal from him your sister's being in town. I knew it myself, as it was known to Miss Bingley, but her brother is even yet ignorant of it. -- That they might have met without ill consequence is, perhaps, probable; -- but his regard did not appear to me enough extinguished for him to see her without some danger. -- Perhaps this concealment, this disguise, was beneath me. -- It is done, however, and it was done for the best. -- On this subject I have nothing more to say, no other apology to offer. If I have wounded your sister's feelings, it was unknowingly done; and though the motives which governed me may to you very naturally appear insufficient, I have not yet learnt to condemn them. --
我得在這里把我當(dāng)初參與這件事的經(jīng)過說明一下。原來他的姐妹們當(dāng)時(shí)跟我一樣,深為這件事感到不安。我們立刻發(fā)覺了彼此有同感,都覺得應(yīng)該趕快到倫敦去把她們這位兄弟隔離起來,于是決定立刻動(dòng)身。我們就這樣走了。到了那里,便由我負(fù)責(zé)向我朋友指出,他如果攀上了這門親事,必定有多少多少壞處。我苦口婆心,再三勸說。我這一番規(guī)勸雖然動(dòng)搖了他的心愿,使他遲疑不決,可是,我當(dāng)時(shí)要不是那么十拿九穩(wěn)地說,你姐姐對(duì)他并沒有什么傾心,那么這番規(guī)勸也許不會(huì)發(fā)生這樣大的效力,這門婚姻到頭來也許終于阻擋不了。在我沒有進(jìn)行這番勸說以前,他總以為令姐即使沒有以同樣的鐘情報(bào)答他,至少也是在竟誠期待著他。但是彬格萊先生天性謙和,遇到任何事情,只要我一出主意,他總是相信我勝過相信他自己。我輕而易舉地說服了他,使他相信這事情是他自己一時(shí)糊涂。他既然有了這個(gè)信念,我們便進(jìn)一步說服他不要回到哈福德郡去,這當(dāng)然不費(fèi)吹灰之力。我這樣做,自己并沒覺得有什么不對(duì)。今天回想起來,我覺得只有一件事做得不能叫自己安心,那就是說,令姐來到城里的時(shí)候,我竟不擇手段,把這個(gè)消息瞞住了他。這件事不但我知道,彬格萊小姐也知道,然而她哥哥一直到現(xiàn)在還蒙在鼓里。要是讓他們倆見了面,可能也不會(huì)有壞的后果,可是我當(dāng)時(shí)認(rèn)為他并沒有完全死心,見到她未必能免于危險(xiǎn)。我這樣隱瞞,這樣欺蒙,也許失掉了我自己的身份。然而事情已經(jīng)做了,而且完全是出于一片好意。關(guān)于這件事,我沒有什么可以再說的了,也無用再道歉,如果我傷了令姐的心,也是出于無意;你自然會(huì)以為我當(dāng)初這樣做,理由不夠充足,可是我到現(xiàn)在還沒有覺得有什么不對(duì)。
With respect to that other, more weighty accusation, of having injured Mr. Wickham, I can only refute it by laying before you the whole of his connection with my family. Of what he has particularly accused me, I am ignorant; but of the truth of what I shall relate, I can summon more than one witness of undoubted veracity. Mr. Wickham is the son of a very respectable man, who had for many years the management of all the Pemberley estates; and whose good conduct in the discharge of his trust naturally inclined my father to be of service to him; and on George Wickham, who was his god-son, his kindness was therefore liberally bestowed. My father supported him at school, and afterwards at Cambridge; -- most important assistance, as his own father, always poor from the extravagance of his wife, would have been unable to give him a gentleman's education. My father was not only fond of this young man's society, whose manners were always engaging; he had also the highest opinion of him, and hoping the church would be his profession, intended to provide for him in it. As for myself, it is many, many years since I first began to think of him in a very different manner.
現(xiàn)在再談另一件更重的罪名:毀損了韋翰先生的前途。關(guān)于這件事,我唯一的駁斥辦法,只有把他和我家的關(guān)系全部說給你聽,請(qǐng)你評(píng)判一下其中的是非曲直。我不 知道他特別指責(zé)我的是哪一點(diǎn);但是我要在這里陳述的事實(shí)真相,可以找出不少信譽(yù)卓著的人出來做見證。韋翰先生是個(gè)值得尊敬的人的兒子。他父親在彭伯里管了 好幾年產(chǎn)業(yè),極其盡職,這自然使得先父愿意幫他的忙;因此先父對(duì)他這個(gè)教子喬治·韋翰恩寵有加。先父供給他上學(xué),后來還供給他進(jìn)劍橋大學(xué)──這是對(duì)他最重 要的一項(xiàng)幫助,因?yàn)樗约旱母赣H被他母親吃光用窮,無力供給他受高等教育。先父不僅因?yàn)檫@位年輕人風(fēng)采翩翩而喜歡和他來往,而且非常器重他,希望他從事教 會(huì)職業(yè),并且一心要替他安插一個(gè)位置。至于說到我自己所以對(duì)他印象轉(zhuǎn)壞,那已經(jīng)是好多好多年的事了。
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