書蟲四級《紅字》：7.林中散步

7．A walk in the forest

7．林中散步

For several days, Hester Prynne waited for a chance to speak privately with Mr Dimmesdale. She would not go to his house because she was afraid of meeting Roger Chillingworth. Then she heard that the priest had gone to visit a family a little distance away and would be returning the next afternoon, through the forest. 'Come, Pearl,' she said the next day. 'We are going for a walk in the forest.'

幾天以來，赫斯特·普林一直在等待機會想和丁梅斯代爾先生私下談談。她不想去他的住處，因為怕遇見羅杰·奇林沃思。不久，她聽說牧師到較遠的一戶人家探訪去了，第二天下午才能回來，回來的時候會穿過樹林。“跟我來，珍珠，”她在第二天對孩子說，“我們去樹林里散步吧。”

The trees were tall and close together, and the path through them was dark and narrow under a grey sky.

樹木高而濃密，林中小徑在灰色的天空下顯得陰暗、狹窄。

Mother,' said little Pearl, 'the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself because it is afraid of something on your bosom. But it will not run away from me, because I do not wear anything on my bosom yet.'

“媽媽，”小珍珠說，“陽光并不愛你。它跑開躲起來了，因為它害怕你胸口的東西。但它不會躲著我，因為我胸前還什么都沒戴呢！”

And never will, my child, I hope,' said Hester. 'Now, run away and catch the sunshine.'

“但愿你一輩子也別戴吧，我的孩子。”赫斯特說，“現(xiàn)在，快跑吧，去抓住陽光！”

Pearl ran off, and Hester smiled when she saw that her child had found a circle of sunshine between the trees. But when Hester came near to it, Pearl said, 'It will go now.'

珍珠飛快地跑開了。赫斯特微笑著看到，她的孩子還真的在樹木之間發(fā)現(xiàn)了一圈陽光。但是當赫斯特走近的時候，珍珠說：“這下它要走了。”

Hester smiled. 'Look, I can put out my hand and hold some of it.' But when she put her hand into the circle, the sunshine disappeared.

赫斯特微笑著：“看，我可以伸出手來，抓住一些陽光，”可她剛把手伸進光圈，陽光就消失了。

They walked on. Then Hester saw someone coming and said, 'Go and play by the river, child, and leave me to speak to the gentleman who is coming.'

她們繼續(xù)散步。后來，赫斯特發(fā)覺有人走過來，就說：“到河邊玩去吧，孩子，讓我和那邊走過來的先生單獨說幾句話。”

Who is it?' said Pearl.

“他是誰？”珍珠問。

Can't you see?' said Hester. 'It is the priest.'

“你沒看到嗎？”赫斯特說，“是牧師啊。”

And he has his hand over his heart!' said Pearl.

“他的手還捂著心口哪！”珍珠說。

Go now, child, but not too far beyond the river.'

“現(xiàn)在就去吧，孩子，但是別離河邊太遠。”

When Pearl had gone, Hester waited under the trees. The priest walked slowly, but he had almost gone by before Hester could find her voice.

珍珠走開后，赫斯特在樹下等著。牧師慢慢地走過來，可他幾乎都要走過去了，赫斯特還是說不出話來。

Arthur Dimmesdale!' she said, quietly at first, then louder. 'Arthur Dimmesdale!'

“阿瑟·丁梅斯代爾！”她開口了，起初聲音很低，后來大了起來。“阿瑟·丁梅斯代爾！”

Who speaks?' he said, turning quickly. He saw a shadow under the trees, and then he saw the scarlet letter. 'Hester! Hester Prynne! Is it you?'

“誰在說話？”牧師應聲說，他急忙轉過身，看見樹下有個人影，接著發(fā)現(xiàn)了紅字。“赫斯特！赫斯特·普林！是你嗎？”

It is me,' she answered.

“是我。”她回答道。

He touched her hand, and his touch was as cold as death. They moved back into the shadows of the trees and sat down on a fallen branch. At first they spoke of the weather, the grey sky, the coming storm, but then the priest looked into Hester's eyes.

他碰到了她的手，他的觸摸就像死亡一樣冰冷。兩人走回樹陰下，坐在一根斷落的枝干上。起初他們談論天氣，灰暗的天空，即將到來的暴風雨，接下來，牧師凝視著赫斯特的雙眼。

Have you found peace?' he said.

“你得到平靜了嗎？”他問。

She smiled sadly, and looked down at her bosom. 'Have you?' she asked.

她傷感地笑了，低頭望著自己的胸口。“你呢？”她問。

None! Nothing but misery!' he answered. 'But what else could I expect? You wear your scarlet letter openly, on your bosom, Hester. Mine burns in secret! It is good, after these seven years, to talk to someone who knows the truth. If I had one friend—or even an enemy—whom I could talk to openly each day, then perhaps it would save me. But now it is all lies, all emptiness, all death!'

“沒有！除了痛苦再沒別的！”他回答說，“但是我還能指望什么呢？你公開地在胸口上戴著紅字，赫斯特，而我的紅字在私下里灼燒著！就這樣過了七年之后，能和知道真相的人談一談真好。如果我有一個朋友——甚至是一個敵人——我可以每天和他開誠布公地談話，也許我都可以獲救呢?？墒侨缃衲兀磺腥侵e言，全是空虛，全是死亡！”

Hester Prynne looked into his face. 'You have the friend that you wish for; someone to cry with you over your sin. You have me, your partner in sin.' She hesitated, then went on, 'And you have an enemy, and you live with him in the same house.'

赫斯特·普林凝視著他的面孔。“此時就有一個你所期望的朋友，愿意和你一起為你的罪過哭泣。有我陪著你，我們是一同犯下罪孽的人！”她遲疑了一下，但還是把話說了出來。“你也有一個敵人，就和你同住在一所房子里。”

The priest jumped up and put his hand over his heart. 'What are you saying? An enemy!' he cried. 'In the same house? What do you mean?'

牧師猛地站起身來，雙手緊緊抓住胸口。“你說什么？一個敵人！”他叫道，“而且跟我住在一起！你是什么意思？”

Oh, Arthur!' she cried. 'Forgive me! In all things except one, I have been true to you. But I agreed to keep a secret. I did it to save your position, Arthur, your work as a priest, here in the town. But I cannot keep the secret any more. I must tell you. The doctor—the old man they call Roger Chillingworth—he was my husband!'

“啊，阿瑟！”她叫道，“原諒我吧！我一直對你坦誠相待，可有一件事除外。我當年答應保守一個秘密，那是為了挽救你的地位。阿瑟，你是這個鎮(zhèn)上的牧師。但是我不能再保守秘密了。我必須告訴你。那個醫(yī)生——就是大家叫他羅杰·奇林沃斯的那個老人——他是我從前的丈夫！”

The priest stared at her for a moment—a black, violent look on his face. Then he dropped down on to his knees and buried his face in his hands.

牧師看了她一會兒——露出一種陰郁凄厲的表情。他一下子跪在地上，用雙手捂住了臉。

Why didn't I guess it?' he said quietly. 'Or perhaps I did! The horror in my heart when I first saw him, and when I see him now... Why didn't I understand? Oh, Hester Prynne, you don't know the horror and shame this news brings me! He has been secretly laughing at my sick and guilty heart. Woman, I cannot forgive you for this!'

“我怎么就沒想到呢？”他悄聲說，“也許我早就知道了！從我第一眼看到他起，直到現(xiàn)在看他的時候，我的心都會感到恐懼……我以前怎么就沒明白呢？噢，赫斯特·普林，你根本不懂這消息對我來說有多可怕，有多羞恥！他一直在暗地里嘲笑我軟弱、負疚的心！女人啊，我不能原諒你！”

You will forgive me!' cried Hester. 'Let God punish me! You shall forgive me!'

“你應當原諒我！”赫斯特叫道，“讓上帝來懲罰我吧！你得原諒我！”

She fell to her knees beside him, put her arms around him, and pulled his head against her bosom, not caring that his face rested on the scarlet letter. She could not allow him to hate her. 'For seven long years, all the world has blamed and hated me,' she thought. 'But I shall die if this weak, sinful, unhappy man hates me too.'

她跪在他身邊，伸出雙臂摟住了他，把他的頭抱在胸前，毫不顧忌這樣一來他的面頰恰好貼在那紅字上。赫斯特不允許他恨她。“整整七年了，整個世界都在譴責我、痛恨我。”她想，“然而，如果這個柔弱、負疚、痛苦不堪的男人也恨我，我就去死。”

Will you forgive me, Arthur?' she repeated, again and again. 'Don't hate me! Forgive me, please!'

“你會原諒我嗎？阿瑟？”她一遍一遍地問道，“別恨我！請原諒我！”

I forgive you, Hester,' the priest replied at last. His voice was sad, but not angry. 'May God forgive us both! We are not the worst sinners in the world. That old man's revenge has been blacker than our sin, Hester!'

“我原諒你，赫斯特。”牧師終于回答了。他的聲音充滿悲傷，但沒有憤恨。“愿上帝饒恕我們倆吧！我們并不是世上最壞的罪人。那老人的復仇比我們的罪過更見不得人，赫斯特！”

Yes!' she whispered. 'We loved one another, we told each other. Have you forgotten it?'

“是的！”她低聲說，“我們彼此相愛，彼此傾訴過。你忘記了嗎？”

Shh! Hester,' said Arthur Dimmesdale, getting up from the ground. 'No, I have not forgotten!'

“噓！赫斯特。”阿瑟·丁梅斯代爾說，他從地上站起來。“不，我沒有忘記！”

They sat down on the tree branch, holding each other's hands. Around them, the trees were dark, and the branches moved noisily in the wind.

他們一起坐在樹干上，互相拉著手。周圍的樹木朦朧一片，枝椏在風中搖曳作響。

What will Roger Chillingworth do now?' asked the priest. 'Will he continue to keep our secret?'

“羅杰·奇林沃思現(xiàn)在會做什么呢？”牧師問道，“他還肯繼續(xù)保守我們的秘密嗎？”

He has a secret nature, and I think he will,' said Hester. 'But he will doubtless find other ways to take his revenge.'

“他天性行事詭秘，我猜他會保密的。”赫斯特說，“但是他肯定會尋找其他方式進行報復。”

And me! How can I live in the same house, breathing the same air with this deadly enemy?' said Mr Dimmesdale, his hand over his heart again. 'Think for me, Hester! You are strong! Tell me what to do!'

“至于我！我怎能和這個致命的敵人生活在同一個屋檐下，呼吸同樣的空氣呢？”丁梅斯代爾先生說。他又一次捂住了心口。“為我想一想，赫斯特！你很堅強！告訴我該怎樣做！”

You must not stay with this evil man,' said Hester.

“你一定要離開這個邪惡的人。”赫斯特說。

But where can I go? I cannot hide from God,' he said.

“但是我能去哪里呢？我不能逃避上帝的監(jiān)督。”他說。

God will show mercy,' replied Hester, 'if you are strong enough to take advantage of it.'

“上帝會憐憫你的，”赫斯特接口說，“只要你足夠堅強，能好好利用這個機會。”

Be strong for me!' he answered. 'Advise me what to do.'

“為我堅強起來吧！”他回答說，“告訴我該怎么辦。”

Is the world so small, then?' said Hester, looking into his eyes. 'Is there nothing beyond this little town? Walk a few miles from here, and the yellow leaves will show no sign of a white man's feet. There you can be free! A short journey will take you from a world where you have been miserable, to one where you may still be happy! Then there is the sea. It brought you here, and if you choose, it can take you back again. Perhaps to London, or to Germany, or France, or pleasant Italy. You'll be beyond Roger Chillingworth there.'

“難道這世界就這么狹小嗎？”赫斯特注視著牧師的眼睛說，“難道世界就只有這小鎮(zhèn)這么大嗎？再走出幾英里遠，枯黃的落葉上便看不見白人的足跡了。到那里你就自由了！只消走過這短短的一段路，你就可以走出這萬分苦惱的世界，到一個幸福的地方去！再說還有寬闊的大海，是它把你帶到了這里，只要你愿意，它可以把你再送回去。不管是在倫敦、德國、法國、還是怡人的意大利，你都會逃出羅杰·奇林沃思的掌握。”

I can't do it!' answered the priest. 'I cannot walk away and leave my work. Although my own soul is lost, I must do what I can for the other human souls in my care.'

“我不能那樣做！”牧師回答，“我不能丟下工作逃開。雖然我自己的靈魂已經(jīng)迷失，我必須盡我所能來拯救別的靈魂！”

After seven years of misery, you must leave it all behind you!' said Hester, with passion in her voice. 'Begin again. There is happiness to be enjoyed, there is good to be done. Change this false life for a true one! Teach, write! Work among the Indians! Do anything, except lie down and die! Why wait another day in this place? Go now!'

“你已經(jīng)熬過七年的痛苦了，你應該把一切都拋下！”赫斯特說，她的聲音中飽含深情。“一切從新開始！還有幸福等待你去享受！還有善舉要你去做。把你虛假的生活變成真實的吧！傳教，寫作！就到印第安人中間去做牧師吧。你可以做任何事情，就是不要躺下死掉！你何必還要多等一天呢？立刻離開這里吧！”

Oh, Hester!' cried Arthur Dimmesdale. 'I am not strong enough, nor brave enough, to go out into the wide, strange, difficult world alone.'

“噢，赫斯特！”阿瑟·丁梅斯代爾喊道，“我已經(jīng)沒有那么大的力量和勇氣獨自到那廣袤陌生的艱苦天地去闖蕩了！”

Sadly, hopelessly, he repeated the word.

他又懷著悲傷與絕望重復了一遍那個詞。

Alone, Hester!'

“獨自一人啊，赫斯特！”

You shall not go alone,' she answered, her voice a deep whisper.

“你不會獨自一人前往的！”她答以一聲深沉的低語。