"O Arthur," cried she, "forgive me! In all things else, I have striven to be true! Truth was the one virtue which I might have held fast, and did hold fast, through all extremity; save when thy good- thy life thy fame- were put in question! Then I consented to a deception. But a lie is never good, even though death threaten on the other side! Dost thou not see what I would say? That old man!- the physician!- he whom they call Roger Chillingworth!- he was my husband!"
“啊，阿瑟，”她叫道，“原諒我吧！不管我有什么不好，我可一直想努力作一個(gè)誠(chéng)實(shí)的人！誠(chéng)實(shí)是我可以?xún)H守的美德，而且不管有什么艱難險(xiǎn)阻，我也確實(shí)牢牢守住了這一美德；只有一條例外，那就是當(dāng)你的利益、你的生命、你的名譽(yù)受到挑戰(zhàn)的時(shí)候！只有在這種時(shí)候，我才同意采取欺騙的手段。但說(shuō)謊永遠(yuǎn)不能算是好事，哪怕退路是死亡的威脅！你難道還不明白我要說(shuō)的話(huà)嗎？那個(gè)老人！——那個(gè)醫(yī)生！——就是人們叫他羅杰·齊靈渥斯的那個(gè)人！——他是我過(guò)去的丈夫！”

The minister looked at her, for an instant, with all that violence of passion, which- intermixed, in more shapes than one, with his higher, purer, softer qualities- was, in fact, the portion of him which the Devil claimed, and through which he sought to win the rest. Never was there a blacker or a fiercer frown than Hester now encountered. For the brief space that it lasted, it was a dark transfiguration. But his character had been so much enfeebled by suffering, that even its lower energies were incapable of more than a temporary struggle. He sank down on the ground, and buried his face in his hands.
牧師以他的激情的全部沖動(dòng)，看了她一會(huì)兒，這種激情以各種形態(tài)同他那比較高尚、比較純潔、比較溫柔的品德混雜在一起，事實(shí)上是惡魔在他身上所占領(lǐng)的陣地，并借以戰(zhàn)勝其它的那部分。海絲特還從來(lái)沒(méi)見(jiàn)過(guò)這么陰暗、這么兇猛的臉色。在那理額皺眉的剎那間，那可真是一種陰森的變臉。但他本人已經(jīng)給折磨得十分虛弱，即使這種較低劣的表現(xiàn)也只能是轉(zhuǎn)瞬即逝的掙扎。他一屁股坐在地上，把臉埋在雙手之中。

"I might have known it," murmured he. "I did know it! Was not the secret told me, in the natural recoil of my heart, at the first sight of him, and as often as I have seen him since? Why did I not understand? O Hester Prynne, thou little, little knowest all the horror of this thing! And the shame!- the indelicacy!- the horrible ugliness of this exposure of a sick and guilty heart to the very eye that would gloat over it? Woman, woman, thou are accountable for this! I cannot forgive thee!"
“我早就該明白了，”他幽幽地說(shuō)?！拔移鋵?shí)早就知道了！從我第一眼看到他起，直到后來(lái)每次見(jiàn)到他，我的心都會(huì)退縮，這難道不是向我泄露了秘密嗎？我怎么還沒(méi)明白呢？噢，海絲特·白蘭，你簡(jiǎn)直，你根本不懂這件事有多可怕！有多無(wú)恥！——有多粗鄙！——竟然把一顆病弱和犯罪的心暴露給幸災(zāi)樂(lè)禍地注視著的眼睛，丑得有多可怕??！女人啊，女人啊，你要對(duì)此負(fù)責(zé)的！我不能原諒你！”

"Thou shalt forgive me!" cried Hester, flinging herself on the fallen leaves beside him. "Let God punish! Thou shalt forgive!"
“你應(yīng)當(dāng)原諒我！”海絲特一邊叫著，一邊撲倒在落葉上，躺在他身邊。“讓上帝來(lái)懲罰吧！你得原諒我！”

With sudden and desperate tenderness, she threw her arms around him, and pressed his head against her bosom; little caring though his cheek rested on the scarlet letter. He would have released himself, but strove in vain to do so. Hester would not set him free, lest he should look her sternly in the face. All the world had frowned on her- for seven long years had it frowned upon this lonely woman- and still she bore it all, nor ever once turned away her firm, sad eyes. Heaven, likewise, had frowned upon her, and she had not died. But the frown of this pale, weak, sinful, and sorrow-stricken man was what Hester could not bear, and live!
她懷著突然和絕望的柔情，猛地伸出兩臂摟住了他，并且把他的頭靠在她胸前；她沒(méi)有顧及這樣一來(lái)，他的面頰恰好貼在那紅字上。他本想抽身出來(lái)，但是動(dòng)彈不得。海絲特不肯放松他，以免看見(jiàn)他盯望著她面孔的那種嚴(yán)厲表情。整整七年，全世界都曾經(jīng)對(duì)她，對(duì)她這孤苦無(wú)依的女人，皺起眉頭，但她還是挺過(guò)來(lái)了，從來(lái)沒(méi)有一次掉轉(zhuǎn)開(kāi)她那堅(jiān)定而傷心的目光。上天也同樣向她皺眉，但她活了過(guò)來(lái)。然而，這個(gè)蒼白虛弱、負(fù)罪而傷透心的男人的皺眉，卻是海絲特所忍受不了，會(huì)讓她死掉的！