書蟲四級《克蘭福德》：1.我們的社會

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1．Our society

1．我們的社會

The first thing to say is that Cranford is held by the ladies. They rent all the best houses. If a married couple comes to live in the town, the gentleman soon disappears from sight. He is either frightened away by being the only man at the Cranford evening parties or he is at his business all week in Drumble, twenty miles away by train.

首先要說的是，克蘭福德是由女士們控制著的。她們租住最好的房子。如果一對夫婦來鎮(zhèn)上生活，那個男人不久就會從人們的視野中消失。他要么是因為成了克蘭福德晚會上唯一的男人而被嚇跑，要么就是整個星期都待在20英里外的德萊姆伯爾忙自己的事，那里有火車相通。

Anyway, what is there for a gentleman to do in Cranford? The town already has a doctor, and the ladies manage everything else perfectly well themselves. They keep the gardens tidy and their maid-servants busy. They have opinions on every important matter without troubling themselves with unnecessary reasons or arguments. They know exactly what everyone in the town is doing. They are kind to the poor and, usually, very kind and friendly to each other.

不管怎么說，男人在克蘭福德能做什么呢？鎮(zhèn)上已經(jīng)有一個醫(yī)生了，其他事情女士們自己都處理得井井有條。她們讓花園保持整潔，讓女仆們忙進忙出。對每件重要的事情她們有自己的看法，從不費神做無謂的推理或爭論。鎮(zhèn)里每個人在做什么她們都了如指掌。她們對窮人很好，通常彼此之間也非常友善。

A man,' as one of them said to me once, 'is terribly in the way in the house!'

“男人，”其中一位曾經(jīng)對我說，“在家里實在礙手礙腳！”

The Cranford ladies are not fashionable, and they prefer the old ways. When I lived there, they had exact rules for visiting, which they explained most seriously to any young people who came to stay: 'Our friends have asked how you are, my dear, after your journey. They are sure to call on you the day after tomorrow, so be ready to receive them from twelve o'clock. From twelve to three are our calling hours.'

克蘭福德的女士們并不時髦，她們更喜歡傳統(tǒng)的生活方式。我住在那里的時候，她們有嚴格的串門規(guī)矩，她們對來這里的年輕人都會非常認真地解釋這些規(guī)矩：“親愛的，我們的朋友們問你是否旅途勞頓。她們一定會在后天來看你，所以從12點開始你就要做好迎接她們的準備。從12點到3點是我們的串門時間。”

Then, after the friends had called: 'Always return a call within three days, my dear. And never stay longer than a quarter of an hour.'

朋友們拜訪過后，她們又說：“一定要在三天內(nèi)回訪，親愛的。但待在那里的時間千萬別超過一刻鐘。”

The result of this rule, of course, was that nothing interesting was ever discussed. We talked about things like the weather, and left at the right time.

當然，有這條規(guī)矩束縛著，談話的內(nèi)容也就從來沒有什么意思。我們談?wù)勌鞖庵惖脑掝}，然后準時離開。

One or two of the Cranford ladies were poor, I imagine, but they tried to hide it, and the others kindly helped. When Mrs Forrester gave a party and her little maid had to get the tea-tray from under the sofa on which we sat, everyone just went on talking. And when Mrs Forrester pretended she did not know what cakes were on the tray, no one looked surprised. But we knew, and she knew that we knew, and we knew that she knew that we knew, that she had made the cakes herself that morning.

我猜想，克蘭福德有一兩位女士家境并不寬裕，不過她們盡力掩飾這一點，其他人也善意地幫忙。福里斯特夫人舉行聚會的時候，她的小女仆不得不從我們坐著的沙發(fā)下面取出茶盤，而大家還繼續(xù)談話。福里斯特夫人假裝不知道托盤上是什么蛋糕，沒人顯出驚訝的樣子。但我們知道，她也知道我們知道，而且我們也知道她知道我們知道，蛋糕是那天早上她親手做的。

In fact, the Cranfordians thought it was 'vulgar' (a favourite word) to give anything expensive to eat or drink at their evening parties. Thin bread-and-butter was all that the Honourable Mrs Jamieson gave—and she was related to the late Lord Glenmire.

實際上，克蘭福德人覺得在晚會上請客人吃喝昂貴的東西很“俗氣”（人們最愛用的一個詞）。抹了黃油的薄面包片就是尊敬的賈米森夫人用來待客的全部東西——她可是已故的格倫米爾勛爵的親戚。

Yes, spending money was always 'vulgar', and we certainly did not tell anyone that we had very little to spend. So I shall never forget the horror when an old army captain came to live in Cranford and spoke openly about being poor! In the street! The ladies were already rather cross about the arrival of a gentleman, and even more cross that he was going to work for a new railway near the town. If, as well as being a man and working for that awful railway, Captain Brown was going to talk about being poor, then nobody must speak to him.

是的，花錢總是很“俗氣”，我們當然不會告訴別人我們沒多少錢可花。所以，當一位軍隊老上尉到克蘭福德來生活并且公開談?wù)撠毟F的時候，我感到非常驚駭！他就在大街上公開談?wù)?！這種感覺我至今難忘。女士們對于一位先生的到來已經(jīng)夠生氣的了，更讓她們生氣的是，他還要在鎮(zhèn)子附近新建的鐵路上工作。如果布朗上尉身為男人，還為那條該死的鐵路工作，還要談?wù)撠毟F，那么誰都不該和他說話。

I was surprised, therefore, when I visited the town a year after the captain arrived, to discover that he had made himself very popular. My own friends had been strongly against calling on him, but now they welcomed him into their house, even before twelve o'clock in the morning. He had been friendly and sensible, though the Cranford ladies had been cool, and at last his helpfulness had won him a place in their hearts.

因此上尉到此一年后我再次來到鎮(zhèn)上，發(fā)現(xiàn)他居然很得人心，實在令我驚訝。我自己的朋友們曾經(jīng)強烈反對拜訪他，現(xiàn)在卻歡迎他到她們家里去，哪怕是在上午12點之前。他對人友善，通情達理，所以雖然克蘭福德的女士們曾經(jīng)冷淡過他，他對她們的幫助最終還是在她們心中為自己贏得了一席之地。

Captain Brown was living, with his two daughters, in a small house on the edge of the town. He was probably over sixty at this time, though he looked younger. In fact, Miss Brown, his elder daughter, looked almost as old as he did. She was only about forty, but her face was white and tired.

布朗上尉和兩個女兒住在鎮(zhèn)子邊上的一幢小房子里。當時他大概已經(jīng)60多歲了，不過看起來要年輕得多。事實上，他的大女兒布朗小姐看起來年紀幾乎和他一樣大。她只有40歲左右，面容卻蒼白而疲憊。

Miss Jessie Brown was ten years younger and twenty times prettier. Her face was round and had dimples. Miss Jenkyns once said, when she was annoyed with Captain Brown (for a reason I'll explain later), that it was time Miss Jessie stopped having dimples and looking like a child. There was indeed something childish about the way she looked, but I liked her face. So did everybody—and I do not think she could prevent the dimples.

杰西·布朗小姐比她小十歲，漂亮20倍。她長著一張圓臉，還有兩個酒窩。詹金斯小姐曾經(jīng)說，和布朗上尉生氣的時候（具體原因我會在后面解釋），杰西小姐的酒窩就不見了，看起來也不像個孩子了。她的長相的確有些孩子氣的地方，不過我喜歡她的樣子。大家都喜歡——我覺得她沒法忍住不讓酒窩出現(xiàn)。

I first saw the Brown family together in Cranford church. The captain sang loudly and happily; and when we came out, he smiled at everyone and patiently helped Miss Brown with her umbrella.

我最初是在克蘭福德的教堂見到布朗一家的。上尉唱歌嗓音洪亮，神采奕奕；我們出來的時候，他朝每個人微笑，并耐心地替布朗小姐打傘。

I wondered what the Cranford ladies did with him at their card-parties. We had often been glad in the past that there were no gentlemen to worry about. Indeed, we had almost persuaded ourselves that it was 'vulgar' to be a man. So now, when Miss Deborah Jenkyns (with whom I was staying) gave a party for me and invited the Browns, I wondered how the evening would go.

我想知道克蘭福德的女士們在牌局中怎么對他。以前我們總是為不必擔心男人而高興。真的，我們差點兒讓自己相信作個男人是件“俗氣”的事。所以，現(xiàn)在德博拉·詹金斯小姐（我住在她那里）要為我舉行一個晚會，并且邀請了布朗一家，我想知道晚上會發(fā)生些什么。

It was the third week of November, so it was dark by four o'clock. The card-tables were arranged. Candles and clean packs of cards were put on each one. The fire was lit. The maid was given final orders. And there we stood in our best dresses, ready to light the candles as soon as the first person knocked at the door.

時值11月的第三個星期，4點鐘天就黑了。牌桌已經(jīng)擺好，每張桌子上都放著蠟燭和一副副干凈的紙牌?；鹨采狭恕Ｅ鸵逊愿劳戤?。我們穿上最好的裙子站著，準備好在第一個人敲門的時候把蠟燭點燃。

The Browns arrived when the tea-trays were on the tables. The captain took immediate care of all the ladies, passing round cups and bread-and-butter. He was clearly a favourite. But all the time he kept an eye on his elder daughter—a sick woman, I was sure. Miss Jessie seemed almost as popular as her father. She talked to those not playing cards, and later she sang while Miss Jenkyns beat time to the music.

茶盤擺上桌的時候，布朗一家到了。上尉馬上開始為所有的女士服務(wù)，把茶杯和涂了黃油的面包遞給大家。顯然人們都很喜歡他。不過他一直留意著他的長女——一個病怏怏的女人，我可以肯定。杰西小姐好像幾乎和她父親一樣受歡迎。她和不打牌的人聊天，后來她唱起了歌，而詹金斯小姐隨著音樂打拍子。

It was good of Miss Jenkyns to do this, because she had been much annoyed by Miss Jessie a little earlier. 'My mother's brother,' Miss Jessie had said to Miss Pole, 'is a shopkeeper in Edinburgh.' An uncle in trade! Oh dear! The Honourable Mrs Jamieson was sitting at the nearest cardtable and Miss Jenkyns had coughed loudly to prevent her hearing the terrible words. But Miss Jessie had happily repeated them, telling Miss Pole that her uncle sold the best knitting-wool in Edinburgh. So, I say again, it was good of Miss Jenkyns to beat time to her song.

詹金斯小姐這么做挺不容易，因為早先她還生著杰西小姐的氣。“我媽媽的弟弟，”杰西小姐對波爾小姐說，“在愛丁堡開商店。”一個做生意的舅舅！哦，天啊！尊敬的賈米森夫人正好坐在最近的牌桌旁，所以詹金斯小姐大聲地咳嗽，以免她聽到這些可怕的話?？墒墙芪餍〗阌指吲d地重復(fù)了一遍，告訴波爾小姐她舅舅賣的毛線是愛丁堡最好的。所以，我再說一遍，詹金斯小姐能隨著她的歌打拍子真是不容易。

At a quarter to nine, when the trays came back with a little more food, there was conversation. After a while Captain Brown began to talk about books.

差一刻9點的時候，盛著稍多一點食物的盤子又回到了桌上，談話也開始了。過了一會兒，布朗上尉開始談?wù)摃?/p>

Have you seen any of The Pickwick Papers?' he asked. (It was 1836, and Mr Dickens's new book was appearing month by month.)

“你們有沒有讀過《匹克威克外傳》？”他問道。（當時是1836年，狄更斯先生的新書每月連載出版。）

Yes, I have,' answered Miss Jenkyns. Miss Jenkyns was the daughter of a past rector of Cranford church and, having his library of church books and sermons, she considered that she knew about books of all kinds.

“是的，我讀過。”詹金斯小姐答道。詹金斯小姐是克蘭福德教堂一位已故教區(qū)長的女兒，因為擁有他那藏著教會圖書和布道文的圖書室，她覺得自己了解各種類型的圖書。

And what do you think of them?' asked the captain enthusiastically. 'Aren't they good?'

“你覺得它們寫得怎么樣？”上尉熱心地問，“挺不錯吧？”

Not as good as Dr Johnson,' replied Miss Jenkyns. 'But perhaps your man is young. If he copies the style of the great doctor, he may succeed.'

“沒有約翰遜博士的好，”詹金斯小姐答道，“不過可能你說的那個人年紀還輕。如果他能模仿博士大師的風格，他也許能成功。”

But it's quite a different thing, my dear madam!' cried Captain Brown. 'Let me just read you something from this month's paper.'

“可那是兩回事，親愛的小姐！”布朗上尉大聲說道，“讓我給你讀一段這個月連載的故事。”

The Pickwick story he read was a very amusing one about a party in Bath, but Miss Jenkyns did not smile. She sent me to fetch Dr Johnson's Rasselas, and read us a slow conversation, full of long words, between Rasselas and his teacher.

他讀的《匹克威克外傳》故事講的是巴斯的一個晚會，非常有趣，但詹金斯小姐卻沒有笑。她讓我去取約翰遜博士的《拉塞拉斯》，并給我們讀了一段拉塞拉斯和他老師之間冗長的對話，里面有很多很長的詞。

Now you understand,' she said grandly as she put the book down, 'why I prefer Dr Johnson as a writer. Beginners should copy his style, I did, when I began to write letters. Your favourite should do the same.'

“現(xiàn)在你明白了，”她放下書驕傲地說，“我為什么更喜歡約翰遜博士這位作家。初學寫作的人應(yīng)該模仿他的文風，我剛學寫信的時候就試過。你最喜歡的作家也該這么做。”

I hope he won't copy anything so self-important!' said Captain Brown.

“我希望他不要模仿任何那么自以為是的東西！”布朗上尉說道。

He was sorry later for what he had said, and stood near Miss Jenkyns's armchair, trying to please her. But she did not give in. The next day she said what she thought of Miss Jessie's dimples.

后來他就后悔自己說的那些話了，所以他站在詹金斯小姐的扶手椅旁邊，想讓她高興起來。但她并不給他臺階下。第二天她說了自己對杰西小姐的酒窩的看法。