But the sea in those old times, heaved, swelled, and foamed, very much at its own will, or subject only to the tempestuous wind, with hardly any attempts at regulation by human law. The buccaneer on the wave might relinquish his calling, and become at once, if he chose, a man of probity and piety on land; nor, even in the full career of his reckless life, was he regarded as a personage with whom it was disreputable to traffic, or casually associate. Thus, the Puritan elders, in their black cloaks, starched bands, and steeple-crowned hats, smiled not unbenignantly at the clamour and rude deportment of these jolly seafaring men; and it excited neither surprise nor anim-adversion, when so reputable a citizen as old Roger Chillingworth, the physician, was seen to enter the market-place, in close and familiar talk with the commander of the questionable vessel.
但是那時候的大海，洶涌澎湃、掀浪卷沫，很大程度上是我行我素，或僅僅臣服于狂風(fēng)暴雨，從來沒有道接受人類法律束縛的念頭。那些在風(fēng)口浪尖上謀生的海盜們，只要心甘情愿，可以洗手不干，立刻成為岸上的一名正直誠實的君子；面即使在他們?nèi)我夂鸀榈纳闹校藗円膊⒉话阉麄円暈椴恍家活U或與之稍打交道就有損自己名聲的人。因此，那些穿著黑色禮服、挺著漿過的環(huán)狀皺領(lǐng)、戴著尖頂高帽的清教徒長者們，對于這幫快活的水手們的大聲喧嘩和粗野舉動，反倒報以不無慈愛的微笑；而當(dāng)人們看到老羅杰·齊靈渥斯這樣一個德高望重的居民和醫(yī)生走進(jìn)市場、同那艘形跡可疑的船只曲船長親密面隨便地交談的時候，既沒有引起驚訝之感，也沒有議論紛紛。

The latter was by far the most showy and gallant figure, so far as apparel went, anywhere to be seen among the multitude. He wore a profusion of ribbons on his garment, and gold lace on his hat, which was also encircled by a gold chain, and surmounted with a feather. There was a sword at his side, and a sword-cut on his forehead, which, by the arrangement of his hair, he seemed anxious rather to display than hide. A landsman could hardly have worn this garb and shown this face, and worn and shown them both with such a galliard air, without undergoing stern question before a magistrate, and probably incurring fine or imprisonment, or perhaps an exhibition in the stocks. As regarded the shipmaster, however, all was looked upon as pertaining to the character, as to a fish his glistening scales.
就那位船長的服飾而論，無論他出現(xiàn)在人群中的什么地方，都是一個最顯眼、最英武的人物。他的衣服上佩戴著備色奢華的緞帶，帽子上纏著一圈金色絲絳，還綴著一根金鏈，上面插著一根羽毛。他脅下挎著一柄長劍，額頭上留著一塊傷疤——從他蓄的發(fā)式來看，似乎更急切地要顯露出來而不是要加以掩蓋。一個陸地上的人，若是周身這股穿戴、露出這副尊容，而且還得意洋洋地招搖過市，恐怕很難不被當(dāng)宮的召去傳訊，甚至?xí)徽n以罰金或判處監(jiān)禁，也許會枷號示眾。然而，對于這位船長而言，這一切都和他的身份相依相附，猶如魚身上長著閃光的鱗片。

After parting from the physician, the commander of the Bristol ship strolled idly through the market-place; until, happening to approach the spot where Hester Prynne was standing, he appeared to recognise, and did not hesitate to address her. As was usually the case wherever Hester stood, a small vacant area- a sort of magic circle- had formed itself about her, into which, though the people were elbowing one another at a little distance, none ventured, or felt disposed to intrude. It was a forcible type of the moral solitude in which the scarlet letter enveloped its fated wearer; partly by her own reserve, and partly by the instinctive, though no longer so unkindly, withdrawal of her fellow-creatures. Now, if never before, it answered a good purpose, by enabling Hester and the seaman to speak together without the risk of being overheard; and so changed was Hester Prynne's repute before the public, that the matron in town most eminent for rigid morality could not have held such intercourse with less result of scandal than herself.
準(zhǔn)備開往布利斯托爾的那艘船的船長，和醫(yī)生分手后，就悠閑地踱過市場；后來他剛好走近海絲特·白蘭站立的地方，他好象認(rèn)識她，徑直上前去打招呼。和通常一樣，凡是海絲特所站之處，周圍就會形成一小塊空地，似乎有一種魔圈圍著，圈外的人盡管在附近摩肩擦背地擠作一團(tuán)，也沒人甘冒風(fēng)險或樂于闖進(jìn)那塊空地。這正是紅字在注定要佩戴它的人四周所形成的一種強(qiáng)制性的精神上的孤立；這固然是由于她自己的回避，但也是由于她的同胞們的本能的退縮，盡管這種退縮早已不那么不友好了。如果說這種隔離圈以前毫無裨益的話，此時倒是大有好處，因為海絲特能夠同那位船長交談而不致冒被人聽到的風(fēng)險j何況海絲特·白蘭在眾人間的聲名已經(jīng)大有改變，即使是鎮(zhèn)上以恪守婦道最為著稱的婦人進(jìn)行這種談話，都不會比她少受風(fēng)言風(fēng)語的指責(zé)。