The hot weather of July had crept upon them unawares, and the atmosphere of the flat vale hung heavy as an opiate over the dairy-folk, the cows, and the trees. Hot steaming rains fell frequently, making the grass where the cows fed yet more rank, and hindering the late haymaking in the other meads.
七月的炎熱天氣在不知不覺(jué)中來(lái)到了人們身邊，平坦山谷中的大氣好像麻醉劑一樣，既沉重又沉悶，籠罩著奶牛場(chǎng)的人們、奶牛和樹木。熱氣騰騰的綿綿大雨，使得供奶牛放牧的牧草長(zhǎng)得更加茂盛了，但是也妨礙了其它牧場(chǎng)上晚期收割牧草的工作。

It was Sunday morning; the milking was done; the outdoor milkers had gone home. Tess and the other three were dressing themselves rapidly, the whole bevy having agreed to go together to Mellstock Church, which lay some three or four miles distant from the dairy-house. She had now been two months at Talbothays, and this was her first excursion.
那是一個(gè)禮拜天的早晨；牛奶已經(jīng)擠完了；住在場(chǎng)外的擠奶工人也回家了。梅爾斯托克教堂離奶牛場(chǎng)大約有三四英里遠(yuǎn)近，苔絲和另外三個(gè)擠奶的女工已經(jīng)商量好了，打算一塊兒去那兒作禮拜，所以她們就迅速換好了衣服。到現(xiàn)在為止，苔絲來(lái)泰波塞斯已經(jīng)兩個(gè)月了，這還是她第一次出門去玩。在頭一天的整個(gè)下午和晚上，雷陣雨嘩嘩地傾倒在牧場(chǎng)上，牧場(chǎng)上有些干草也被沖進(jìn)河里去了；但是今天早上，大地經(jīng)過(guò)雨水的沖洗，太陽(yáng)照射在牧場(chǎng)上，顯得更加明亮，空氣清新而芬芳。

All the preceding afternoon and night heavy thunderstorms had hissed down upon the meads, and washed some of the hay into the river; but this morning the sun shone out all the more brilliantly for the deluge, and the air was balmy and clear. The crooked lane leading from their own parish to Mellstock ran along the lowest levels in a portion of its length, and when the girls reached the most depressed spot they found that the result of the rain had been to flood the lane over-shoe to a distance of some fifty yards. This would have been no serious hindrance on a week-day; they would have clicked through it in their high pattens and boots quite unconcerned; but on this day of vanity, this Sun's-day, when flesh went forth to coquet with flesh while hypocritically affecting business with spiritual things; on this occasion for wearing their white stockings and thin shoes, and their pink, white, and lilac gowns, on which every mud spot would be visible, the pool was an awkward impediment. They could hear the church-bell calling - as yet nearly a mile off.
從她們的教區(qū)通往梅爾斯托克的那條彎彎曲曲的小路，有一段是沿著谷中最低洼的地方通過(guò)的。那幾個(gè)姑娘走到那段最低洼的地方時(shí)，發(fā)現(xiàn)大雨過(guò)后有一段大約五十碼長(zhǎng)的路面被淹沒(méi)了，積水深過(guò)腳面。在平常的日子里，這并不是什么大不了的障礙；她們都是穿的高底木頭套鞋和靴子，可以滿不在乎地從水中蹚過(guò)去；但是這天是禮拜天，是她們拋頭露面的日子，她們口頭說(shuō)的是去進(jìn)行精神上的陶冶，而實(shí)際上是去進(jìn)行肉體征服肉體的談情說(shuō)愛(ài)；這個(gè)時(shí)候她們都會(huì)穿上白色的襪子和輕俏的鞋，有的穿粉紅的連衣裙，有的穿白色的連衣裙，有的穿淡紫色的連衣裙，只要上面濺上了一點(diǎn)兒泥都能被人看見(jiàn)；這片水塘把她們擋住了，叫她們犯了難。她們能夠聽見(jiàn)教堂的鐘聲已經(jīng)敲響了——可是她們差不多還在一英里路以外。

'Who would have expected such a rise in the river in summertime!' said Marian, from the top of the roadside-bank on which they had climbed, and were maintaining a precarious footing in the hope of creeping along its slope till they were past the pool. 'We can't get there anyhow, without walking right through it, or else going round the Turnpike way; and that would make us so very late!' said Retty, pausing hopelessly.
“誰(shuí)能夠想到在夏天這條河里還會(huì)漲這樣大的水呢！”瑪麗安說(shuō)，她們已經(jīng)爬到了路邊的坡頂上，猶豫不定地站在那兒，希望沿著山坡爬過(guò)去，繞過(guò)那個(gè)水塘?！叭绻粡乃镗忂^(guò)去，或者另外從征收通行稅的路上繞過(guò)去，我們是過(guò)不了這個(gè)水塘的；要是繞過(guò)去的話，我們一定很晚才能到！”萊蒂毫無(wú)辦法地站在那兒說(shuō)。

'And I do colour up so hot, walking into church late, and all the people staring round,' said Marian,' that I hardly cool down again till we get into the That-it-may-please-Thees.'
“我們要是進(jìn)教堂晚了，讓所有的人看著，我一定要難堪不過(guò)的。”瑪麗安說(shuō)，“不等到‘求主這個(gè)，求主那個(gè)’的時(shí)候，我是恢復(fù)不過(guò)來(lái)的?！?/div>