書蟲四級《紅字》：3.沒有父親的孩子

3．A fatherless child

3．沒有父親的孩子

Hester Prynne's time in prison now came to an end, but she did not move away from the town. The father of her child lived here, and here she would stay; although she kept this thought hidden guiltily in her heart. The reason she gave herself for staying was this: 'I sinned here, and I will suffer my earthly punishment here.'

赫斯特·普林的監(jiān)禁期滿了，但是她并沒有離開這座城鎮(zhèn)。孩子的父親住在這里，所以她要留下來；雖然她充滿罪惡感地把這個念頭隱藏在心里。她讓自己相信留下來的理由是：“我在這里犯下了罪孽，也應該在這里接受塵世間的懲罰。”

There was a small cottage just outside the town, looking out across the sea towards the forest-covered hills of the west, and Hester and her child went to live in this lonely little house. They had no friends, but Hester soon found that she could earn enough money to buy food and clothes for herself and her daughter.

鎮(zhèn)外有一間小茅屋，與西邊一片森林覆蓋的小山隔海相望。赫斯特就帶著孩子住進了這間孤零零的小茅屋。她們沒有朋友，但是赫斯特不久就發(fā)現(xiàn)，她可以掙到足夠的錢供自己和孩子吃穿之用。

She was clever with a needle, and the scarlet letter which she wore on her bosom was a perfect example of her work that everyone could see. Soon, Hester's beautiful sewing, with its patterns in gold and silver thread, became the fashion with the rich and important people of the town. Her needlework was seen on the shirts of the Governor, on the fine dresses of the ladies, on the babies' little coats and hats, and on the burial-clothes of the dead. Hester had employment for as many hours as she wanted to work.

她的針線活兒做得很好，她胸前佩戴的紅字就是她好手藝的一個最佳樣品，大家有目共睹。沒過多久，赫斯特用金銀線繡出來的漂亮圖案就開始成了鎮(zhèn)里達官貴人們追崇的時尚。她的針線活兒出現(xiàn)在總督的襯衫上、貴婦的精致衣裙上、嬰兒的小外衣和小帽子上，還用在壽衣上。赫斯特想做多少活兒就有多少活兒干。

She used whatever time she had left to make clothes for the poor people of the town, although she got no thanks for it. And indeed, she found no kindness anywhere. The Puritans of that time were hard judges, and a woman who had sinned as Hester had sinned was always an outsider. Every word, every look, every cold, accusing silence reminded her of the shame and the lonely misery of her life. Even the children ran after her in the street, shouting terrible names.

她用全部的閑暇時間來給鎮(zhèn)上的窮人做衣服，盡管從來沒有人感謝過她。實際上，她到哪兒都感受不到友好的氣息。當時的清教徒都是嚴苛的審判者，像赫斯特這種犯下罪過的女人永遠都只能被人排斥。每句話、每個眼神、每次冰冷而充滿譴責意味的沉默都在提醒她，她的生活里充滿了恥辱、孤獨與凄涼。甚至小孩子們都在街上追著罵她。

She lived very simply. Her own dresses were made from dark, sad-coloured cloth, with the scarlet letter bright on the bosom. Her child's clothes were the opposite—in materials of deep, rich colours, with beautiful patterns sewn in gold thread.

她過著一種十分簡樸的生活，自己的衣服都用陰郁、灰暗的布料縫制，只有胸前的那個紅字光鮮亮麗。她孩子的衣服卻截然相反——布料的顏色鮮艷奪目，上面用金線繡著美麗的圖案。

Her daughter's name was Pearl. She was a pretty child, but a child of many moods—one minute bright and happy and loving, the next minute dark and angry. A child of sin, she had no right to play with the children of godly families and, like her mother, she was an outsider. In a strange way Pearl seemed to understand this, and often screamed and threw stones at the other children. Hester worried about her daughter's wildness and tried hard to correct her, but without much success. Sometimes, her only hours of peace and quietness were when Pearl was sleeping.

她的女兒名叫珍珠，是個漂亮的孩子，可是情緒多變——前一分鐘還開朗、快樂、活潑可愛，接下來就變得陰沉、憤怒。她是罪孽的產物，沒有權利和那些崇敬上帝的人家的孩子玩耍。和她的母親一樣，她也四處遭人排斥。珍珠似乎以奇異的方式理解了這一切，她經常尖叫著抄起石子向其他孩子扔去。赫斯特為女兒身上流露出來的野性擔心，她努力去糾正，但是沒有任何作用。有時，只有珍珠睡著以后她才能得到片刻的安寧。

One day, when Pearl was about three years old, Hester went to the house of Governor Bellingham. She was taking a fine shirt she had sewn, but she also wanted to speak to the Governor in person. She had heard that many Puritans in the town wanted to take Pearl away from her. They said it would be better for the child to grow up in a more godly home than Hester Prynne's.

珍珠大約三歲時，有一天，赫斯特去了貝林厄姆總督的宅邸。她去送一件縫制好的上等襯衣，此外她還想和總督當面談談。她聽說鎮(zhèn)上有很多清教徒打算將珍珠從她身邊奪走。他們認為把孩子移交給比赫斯特·普林更崇敬上帝的家庭更有利于她的成長。

So it was a worried Hester who walked to the Governor's house that morning. She had dressed her daughter in a beautiful red dress, adding to the child's natural beauty, and as Pearl danced along beside her mother, it had a strange effect. The child in her red dress seemed like the scarlet letter in another shape; the scarlet letter given life and movement.

所以那天早上赫斯特是憂心忡忡地走向總督宅邸的。她給女兒穿了一件漂亮的紅色外衣，這讓本來就漂亮的孩子又增色不少。珍珠蹦蹦跳跳地跟在母親身旁，給人一種奇怪的感覺。穿著紅色外套的孩子像是另一種形式的紅字，被賦予了生命和活動能力的紅字。

At the Governor's house the door was opened by a servant.

到了總督家門前，一個仆人為她們開了門。

Is the Governor in?' asked Hester.

“總督大人在嗎？”赫斯特問。

Yes,' replied the servant. 'But there are people with him at the moment. You can't see him now.'

“是的，”那仆人回答，“但是他現(xiàn)在有客人。此刻你不能見大人。”

I'll wait,' said Hester, and stepped into the entrance hall.

“我可以等。”赫斯特說著走進門廳。

The hall was wide with a high ceiling, and there were heavy chairs along one side and a long table in the centre. At the far end of the hall was a big glass door, which opened out into a garden. Hester could see rose bushes and apple trees, and Pearl immediately began to cry for a red rose.

廳里很開闊，天花板高高的，一邊擺了幾把沉重的椅子，廳中間放了一張長條桌。門廳盡頭是一扇大玻璃門，通向花園。赫斯特可以看到花園里的玫瑰花叢和蘋果樹，珍珠立刻叫嚷著要一朵紅玫瑰。

Shh! Bequiet, child!' said her mother. 'Look, the Governor is coming down the garden path, with three more gentlemen.'

“噓，安靜點兒，孩子！”她母親說，“看，總督順著花園的小路走過來了，還有三位先生跟他在一起呢。”

Governor Bellingham, with his grey beard, walked in front. Behind him came John Wilson, the old priest, whose beard was as white as snow; and behind him was Arthur Dimmesdale, with Roger Chillingworth. The young priest's health had been poor for some time, and Roger Chillingworth, well known in the town for his knowledge of medicines, was now both friend and doctor to him.

留著灰胡子的貝林厄姆總督走在前面。約翰·威爾遜牧師跟在他身后，這位年長的牧師胡須像雪一樣白；在他身后的是阿瑟·丁梅斯代爾牧師和羅杰·奇林沃思。年輕的牧師最近一段時間身體不好，而羅杰·奇林沃思對醫(yī)藥的豐富知識在城鎮(zhèn)中無人不曉，此時已經成了牧師的醫(yī)生兼朋友。

The Governor pushed open the door—and found himself looking at Pearl, while Hester stood in the shadow of a curtain, half-hidden.

總督推開門——發(fā)現(xiàn)了眼前的珍珠，但窗簾的陰影罩住了赫斯特·普林的部分身形。

What have we here?' said Governor Bellingham, surprised to see the little scarlet figure in front of him.

“這是誰呀？”貝林厄姆總督吃驚地望著眼前這個鮮紅的小人兒。

Yes, what little bird is this?' said old Mr Wilson. 'Who are you, child?'

“是啊，這個小丫頭是誰呢？”威爾遜老先生說道，“孩子，你是誰??？”

My name is Pearl,' answered the little girl.

“我叫珍珠。”小姑娘回答道。

Pearl?' replied the old priest. 'But where is your mother? Ah! I see her now.' He turned to the Governor and whispered, 'This is the child we were talking about, and look, here is the unhappy woman, Hester Prynne, her mother!'

“珍珠？”老牧師答道，“可你媽媽在哪兒呢？啊！我現(xiàn)在看到她了。”他轉向總督耳語道：“這就是我們剛才談論的那個孩子，看，這就是那個不幸的女人，赫斯特·普林，就是她母親！”

Is that right?' cried the Governor. 'She comes at a good time. We will discuss the matter now.' He stepped through the door into the hall, followed by his three guests. 'Hester Prynne, we have been asking many questions about you recently. Are you the right person to teach this child the ways of God, and so make sure of a place in heaven for her soul? You, a woman who has sinned! Will it not be better for her if we take her away from you, and teach her the truths of heaven and earth? What can you do for her, woman?'

“是嗎？”總督大聲道，“她來得正好。我們現(xiàn)在就來談談這件事吧。”他進門走到大廳里，三位客人緊隨其后。“赫斯特·普林，最近我們討論了很多關于你的事。你能夠按上帝的法則教育這個孩子，并確保她的靈魂可以上天堂嗎？你，一個犯了罪的女人！我們把她帶走，教導她天堂和塵世的真理，不是更好嗎？你又能為這孩子做些什么呢，女人？”

I can teach my little Pearl what I have learned from this!' answered Hester Prynne, putting her finger on the scarlet letter. 'Every day, it teaches me lessons that I pass on to my child. She will be a better and wiser person than I ever was.'

“我能教我的小珍珠從這里學到的東西！”赫斯特·普林把手指放到那個紅色字母上回答，“這個字每天都會給我教訓，我再把這些道理教給孩子。她會成為一個比過去的我更好、更明智的人。”

Bellingham turned to the old priest. 'Mr Wilson, see what this child knows,' he 'said.

貝林厄姆轉過身對著老牧師。“威爾遜先生，請來檢查一下這個孩子都知道些什么。”他說。

The old priest sat down in one of the heavy chairs and tried to bring Pearl across to him, but she escaped through the open door and stood on the step outside, looking like a richly coloured bird ready to fly away.

老牧師在一把沉重的椅子上坐下來，想把珍珠拉到面前，但是她穿過敞開的門逃了出去，站在外面的臺階上，像一只色彩斑斕的鳥兒似的，隨時準備飛走。

Pearl,' said Mr Wilson, with a serious look on his face. 'Listen to me, child. Can you tell me who made you?'

“珍珠，”威爾遜先生一臉嚴肅地說，“聽我說，孩子，你能告訴我是誰創(chuàng)造出你的嗎？”

Now Pearl knew the answer very well, because Hester had told her about God many times, and had explained those things which every child should know. But Pearl put her fingers in her mouth and would not speak.

珍珠很清楚答案是什么，因為赫斯特跟她多次談過上帝，也對她解釋過每個孩子都應該知道的事情。但是珍珠把手指放到嘴里并不回答。

You must answer good Mr Wilson's question,' said her mother. 'Please, Pearl! Tell him what you know.'

“你必須回答威爾遜先生的問題。”她的母親說，“求你了，珍珠！把你知道的事情告訴他。”

My mother picked me from the wild rose bush that grows outside the prison door!' said Pearl.

“媽媽從長在監(jiān)獄門邊的野玫瑰叢里把我撿回來的。”

Roger Chillingworth smiled and whispered something in the young priest's ear.

羅杰·奇林沃思微笑著對年輕的牧師耳語了幾句。

This is terrible!' cried the Governor. 'The child is three years old, and she does not know who made her! I do not think, gentlemen, that we need to ask any more!'

“這太可怕了！”總督叫道，“這孩子都三歲了，還根本不知道是誰創(chuàng)造了她！依我看，先生們，我們無需再問下去了。”

Hester pulled Pearl towards her and held her hand. 'God gave me the child,' she cried. 'She is my happiness, my pain! You shall not take her! I will die first!'

赫斯特把珍珠拉到自己身邊，握住她的手。“上帝給了我這個孩子！”她大聲說道，“她是我的幸福，也是我的痛苦！你們不能帶走她！否則我就先死給你們看！”

My poor woman,' said the old priest, kindly, 'we will find someone who will take care of the child far better than you can.'

“可憐的女人，”那老牧師憐憫地說，“我們會找到一個比你更合適的人照顧這孩子的。”

God gave her to me!' repeated Hester, her voice high and afraid. 'I will not let her go!' She turned to Mr Dimmesdale. 'Speak for me!' she cried. 'You were my priest, and you know me better than these men. You know what is in my heart, and how strongly a mother feels when she has nothing except her child and the scarlet letter!'

“上帝把這孩子給了我！”赫斯特高聲重復說，聲音里充滿了恐懼。“我絕不會讓她離開我！”她轉向了丁梅斯代爾先生。“替我說句話吧！”她說，“你曾是我的牧師，你比這些人更了解我。你了解我心里的想法，也了解一個母親，一個除了孩子和紅字一無所有的母親，這種感受有多么強烈！”

The young priest stepped forward, his face white and nervous, and with pain in his large dark eyes.

年輕的牧師走上前來，他的面色蒼白、緊張，黑色的大眼睛里滿是痛苦。

There is truth in what she says,' he began. His voice was sweet and gentle, but it seemed to ring through the hall like a bell. 'God gave her the child, and is that not part of God's plan for this poor, sinful woman? With the child by her side, every day she will be reminded of her great sin, her shame; and the pain and sadness of it will always be with her. But God has given her a job to do, which will keep her soul alive and save her from further sin. She must love and care for the child, and teach it the ways of God, to know good from evil, right from wrong. And, with God's great mercy, if she brings the child to heaven, then the child also will bring its mother there! No, no, we should leave the mother and child together, and let God's gift do its work saving the mother's soul!'

“她所說的有道理，”年輕的牧師開口說。他的聲音優(yōu)美柔和，但卻像鐘聲一樣在大廳中回蕩。“上帝賜給她這個孩子，這難道不是上帝給這個有罪的可憐女人的旨意嗎？讓孩子跟在她身邊，這樣每天她都會記著自己的巨大罪惡和恥辱；痛苦和悲傷將永遠跟隨她。因為這是上帝給她的使命，這樣可以保持她靈魂的活力，防止她陷入更深的罪孽。她必須按上帝的準則愛護和照顧這個孩子，教給她上帝之道，教她學會分辨善惡、判斷正誤。因上帝的慈悲，如果她能把孩子送上天國，那么孩子也就能把她帶到天國！不，我們還是讓這個孩子和她的母親在一起吧，讓上帝賜予的這個孩子去拯救母親的靈魂！”

You speak, my friend, with a strange passion,' said old Roger Chillingworth, smiling at him.

“我的朋友，你講這番話真是激動得出奇啊。”老羅杰·奇林沃思笑著對他說。

And my young friend speaks wisely,' said Mr Wilson. 'What do you think, Governor? Does he speak well for the poor woman?'

“而且，我這年輕朋友的話滿有道理。”威爾遜先生說，“你怎么看，總督先生？他為這可憐的女人所做的請求很有道理吧？”

Indeed he does,' replied Governor Bellingham. 'He argues sensibly, and so we will leave things as they are. Master Dimmesdale, you shall be responsible for making sure that the girl receives the right teaching, and that she goes to school when she is old enough to do so.'

“確實如此，”貝林厄姆總督回答，“他說得很有道理。我們只好讓事情一切照舊嘍。丁梅斯代爾先生，你要負責監(jiān)督這個孩子接受正確的教育，再有，等她到了適當?shù)哪挲g，要送她上學。”

The young priest now stood at the side of the group, his face half-hidden by the heavy window curtain. Pearl, that wild and playful little thing, moved softly towards him, took his hand, and put it gently against her cheek. Her mother watched, surprised. 'Is that my Pearl?' she thought, although she knew there was love in the child's heart. And Mr Dimmesdale looked round, put a hand on Pearl's head, hesitated for a moment, then kissed her forehead. Little Pearl laughed and half-ran, half-danced down the hall.

年輕的牧師此時站在其他人的一邊，厚重的窗簾擋住了他的部分面孔。珍珠，那野性子的小頑皮鬼，輕手輕腳地溜到他身旁，握住他的手，還把小臉貼在上面。她的母親驚訝地看著。“那是我的珍珠嗎？”她想，盡管她明白，這孩子的心中是有愛的。丁梅斯代爾環(huán)顧四周，將一只手放在孩子的頭上，遲疑了一會兒，然后吻了她的額頭。珍珠笑起來，蹦蹦跳跳地朝大廳另一頭跑去。

A strange child!' said old Roger Chillingworth. 'It is easy to see that she is her mother's daughter. But could a clever man guess, from the child's nature and from the way she behaves, the name of her father?'

“一個奇特的孩子！”老羅杰·奇林沃思說道，“一眼就能看出，有其母必有其女。不過聰明的人能通過這孩子的天性和舉止猜出誰是她的父親嗎？”

It is better to pray for an answer to that question, than to try to guess,' said Mr Wilson. 'Better still to leave it a mystery, so that every good and godly man can show a father's kindness towards the poor fatherless child.'

“要知道這個問題的答案，還是靠祈禱吧，比猜測要好。”威爾遜先生說，“而最好就是留著這個秘密不去管它。這樣，每一個信奉上帝的好男人便都能對這沒有父親的可憐孩子表示父愛了。”

Hester Prynne and her daughter then left the house. As they went down the steps, a window was thrown open and a head appeared. It was Governor Bellingham's sister, Mistress Hibbins, calling down to invite Hester to a party with the Devil in the forest that night. Some people said that Mistress Hibbins was more than a little mad; others said she was truly a friend of the Devil. Mad, evil, a friend of the Devil, or all three, no one knows, but a few years later she was judged to be a witch and was killed on the scaffold.

赫斯特·普林帶著女兒離開了總督府。在她們走下臺階的時候，有人打開了一扇窗子，探出頭來，那是總督的姐姐希賓斯太太。她向赫斯特喊話，邀請她去參加當天晚上在樹林中和魔鬼的聚會。有些人說希賓斯太太神經不正常；還有些人說她是魔鬼的好朋友。她要么是神經不正常，要么就是個邪惡的人，要么就是魔鬼的朋友，或者三者都是，沒人能確定。但在若干年之后，她被認定為女巫，在絞架上被處決了。

No, thank you!' Hester called back to her, with a smile. 'If they ever took Pearl away from me, I would go with you and sign my name in the Devil's book, even in blood! But little Pearl is still with me, and so I must stay at home and keep watch over her.'

“不了，謝謝！”赫斯特笑著回答說，“要是他們把珍珠從我身邊奪走，我也許會跟你去，在魔鬼的名冊上也簽上我的名字，哪怕是要用血來簽呢！但是小珍珠還和我在一起，所以我必須留在家里照顧她。”