Chapter 17 THE PASTOR AND HIS PARISHIONER
第十七章　教長和教民

SLOWLY as the minister walked, he had almost gone by, before Hester Prynne could gather voice enough to attract his observation. At length, she succeeded.
盡管牧師走得很慢，也幾乎要走過去了，可海絲特·白蘭還是提不起聲音喊他。最后，她總算叫了出來。

"Arthur Dimmesdale!" she said, faintly at first; then louder, but hoarsely: "Arthur Dimmesdale!"
“阿瑟·丁梅斯代爾！”她說，起初有氣無力，后來聲音倒是放開了，可是有些沙啞?！鞍⑸ざ∶匪勾鸂?！”

"Who speaks?" answered the minister.
“是誰在說話？”牧師應(yīng)聲說。

Gathering himself quickly up, he stood more erect, like a man taken by surprise in a mood to which he was reluctant to have witnesses. Throwing his eyes anxiously in the direction of the voice, he indistinctly beheld a form under the trees, clad in garments so, sombre, and so little relieved from the grey twilight into which the clouded sky and the heavy foliage had darkened the noontide, that he knew not whether it were a woman or a shadow. It may be, that his pathway through life was haunted thus, by a spectre that had stolen out from among his thoughts.
他立刻提起精神，挺直身子站住了，就象是一個人正處于不想被人看見的心情之中，突然吃了一驚似的。他急切地循聲望去，模模糊糊地看見樹下有個人影，身上的服色十分晦暗，在陰霾的天空和濃密的樹蔭遮得連正午都極為膝脆的昏幽之中，簡直難以分辨，’他根本說不上那兒是個女人還是個影子。也許，在他的人生旅途上，常有這么一個幽靈從他的思想里溜出來糾纏他吧。

He made a step nigher, and discovered the scarlet letter.
他向前邁了一步，發(fā)現(xiàn)了紅字。

"Hester! Hester Prynne!" said he. "Is it thou? Art thou in life?"
“海絲特！海絲特·白蘭！”他說?！笆悄銌幔磕闶腔钊藛?？”

"Even so!" she answered. "In such life as has been mine these seven years past! And thou, Arthur Dimmesdale, dost thou yet live?"
“豈止如此！”她回答說?！拔乙呀?jīng)這樣生活了七年了！而你呢，阿瑟·丁梅斯代爾，你還活著嗎？”

It was no wonder that they thus questioned one another's actual and bodily existence, and even doubted of their own. So strangely did they meet, in the dim wood, that it was like the first encounter, in the world beyond the grave, of two spirits who had been intimately connected in their former life, but now stood coldly shuddering, in mutual dread; as not yet familiar with their state, nor wonted to the companionship of disembodied beings. Each a ghost, and awe-stricken at the other ghost! They were awe-stricken likewise at themselves; because the crisis flung back to them their consciousness, and revealed to each heart its history and experience, as life never does, except at such breathless epochs. The soul beheld its features in the mirror of the passing moment. It was with fear, and tremulously, and, as it were, by a slow, reluctant necessity, that Arthur Dimmesdale put forth his hand, chill as death, and touched the chill hand of Hester Prynne. The grasp, cold as it was, took away what was dreariest in the interview. They now felt themselves, at least, inhabitants of the same sphere.
他倆這樣互相詢問對方的肉體的實(shí)際存在，甚至懷疑自己還活著，是不足為奇的。他們在這幽暗的樹林中如此不期而遇，簡直象是兩個幽靈，出了墳?zāi)怪笤谑郎鲜状伪芏荩核麄兊那笆涝?jīng)關(guān)系密切，但如今卻站在那里打著冷戰(zhàn)，都讓對方給嚇壞了；似乎既不熟悉自己的狀態(tài)，又不慣于與脫離了肉體的存在為伴。雙方都是鬼魂，但又被對方的鬼魂嚇得不知所措！他們其實(shí)也被自己嚇得不知所措；因?yàn)檫@一緊急關(guān)頭又重新勾起他們的意識，并向各自的心頭揭示了自己的歷史和經(jīng)歷，那是除去這種令人窒息的時刻，平常的人生中所從來沒有的。靈魂在逝去的瞬間的鏡子中看到了自己的模樣。阿瑟·丁梅斯代爾恰恰是心懷恐懼，周身戰(zhàn)抖，并且事實(shí)上緩慢而勉強(qiáng)地伸出他那死人一般冰冷的手，觸摸到海絲特·白蘭的發(fā)涼的手。這兩手的相握雖然冷漠，但卻驅(qū)散了相會時最陰沉的東西。他們此時至少感到雙方是同一天地中的居民了。