傲慢與偏見選讀 【中英雙語(yǔ)】Chapter4

　　WHEN Jane and Elizabeth were alone, the former, who had been cautious in her praise of Mr. Bingley before, expressed to her sister how very much she admired him.

　　"He is just what a young man ought to be," said she, "sensible, good humoured, lively; and I never saw such happy manners! -- so much ease, with such perfect good breeding!"

　　"He is also handsome," replied Elizabeth, "which a young man ought likewise to be, if he possibly can. His character is thereby complete."

　　"I was very much flattered by his asking me to dance a second time. I did not expect such a compliment."

　　吉英本來(lái)并不輕易贊揚(yáng)彬格萊先生，可是當(dāng)她和伊麗莎白兩個(gè)人在一起的時(shí)候，她就向她的妹妹傾訴衷曲，說(shuō)她自己多么愛(ài)慕他。

　　“他真是一個(gè)典型的好青年，”她說(shuō)，“有見識(shí)，有趣味，人又活潑;我從來(lái)沒(méi)有見過(guò)他那種討人喜歡的舉止!那么大方，又有十全十美的教養(yǎng)!”

　　“他也長(zhǎng)得很漂亮，”伊麗莎白回答道，“一個(gè)年輕的男人也得弄得漂亮些，除非辦不到，那又當(dāng)別論。他真夠得上一個(gè)完美無(wú)瑕的人。”

　　“他第二次又來(lái)請(qǐng)我跳舞，我真高興死了。我真想不到他會(huì)這樣抬舉我。”

　　"Did not you? I did for you. But that is one great difference between us. Compliments always take you by surprise, and me never. What could be more natural than his asking you again? He could not help seeing that you were about five times as pretty as every other women in the room. No thanks to his gallantry for that. Well, he certainly is very agreeable, and I give you leave to like him. You have liked many a stupider person."

　　"Dear Lizzy!"

　　"Oh! you are a great deal too apt, you know, to like people in general. You never see a fault in any body. All the world are good and agreeable in your eyes. I never heard you speak ill of a human being in my life."

　　"I would wish not to be hasty in censuring any one; but I always speak what I think."

　　“你真的沒(méi)想到嗎?我倒替你想到了。不過(guò)，這正是我和你大不相同的地方。你遇到人家抬舉你，總是受寵若驚，我就不是這樣。他第二次再來(lái)請(qǐng)你跳舞，這不是再自然不過(guò)的事嗎?你比起舞場(chǎng)里任何一位小姐都要漂亮得不知多少倍，他長(zhǎng)了眼睛自然會(huì)看得出。他向你獻(xiàn)殷勤你又何必感激。說(shuō)起來(lái)，他的確很可愛(ài)，我也不反對(duì)你喜歡他。不過(guò)你以前可也喜歡過(guò)很多蠢貨啊。”

　　“我親愛(ài)的麗萃!”

　　“唔!我知道，你總是太容易發(fā)生好感。你從來(lái)看不出人家的短處。在你眼睛里看來(lái)，天下都是好人，你都看得順眼。我生平從來(lái)沒(méi)聽見你說(shuō)人家的壞話。”

　　“我倒希望不要輕易責(zé)難一個(gè)人，可是我一向都是想到什么就說(shuō)什么。”

　　"I know you do; and it is that which makes the wonder. With your good sense, to be honestly blind to the follies and nonsense of others! Affectation of candour is common enough; -- one meets it every where. But to be candid without ostentation or design -- to take the good of every body's character and make it still better, and say nothing of the bad -- belongs to you alone. And so, you like this man's sisters too, do you? Their manners are not equal to his."

　　"Certainly not; at first. But they are very pleasing women when you converse with them. Miss Bingley is to live with her brother and keep his house; and I am much mistaken if we shall not find a very charming neighbour in her."

　　Elizabeth listened in silence, but was not convinced. Their behaviour at the assembly had not been calculated to please in general; and with more quickness of observation and less pliancy of temper than her sister, and with a judgment, too, unassailed by any attention to herself, she was very little disposed to approve them. They were in fact very fine ladies, not deficient in good humour when they were pleased, nor in the power of being agreeable where they chose it; but proud and conceited. They were rather handsome, had been educated in one of the first private seminaries in town, had a fortune of twenty thousand pounds, were in the habit of spending more than they ought, and of associating with people of rank; and were therefore in every respect entitled to think well of themselves, and meanly of others. They were of a respectable family in the north of England; a circumstance more deeply impressed on their memories than that their brother's fortune and their own had been acquired by trade.

　　“我知道你是這樣的，我對(duì)你感到奇怪的也就是這種地方。憑你這樣一個(gè)聰明人。為什么竟會(huì)忠厚到看不出別人的愚蠢和無(wú)聊!你走遍天下，到處都可以遇到偽裝坦白的人?？墒?，這可只有你做得到。那么，你也喜歡那位先生的姐妹們嗎?她們的風(fēng)度可比不上他呀。”

　　“初看上去的確比不上。不過(guò)跟她們攀談起來(lái)，就覺(jué)得她們也都是些討人喜歡的女人。聽說(shuō)彬格萊小姐將要跟她兄弟住在一起，替他料埋家務(wù);她要不是個(gè)好鄰居，那才怪呢。”

　　伊麗莎白聽著姐姐的話，嘴上一聲不響，心里可并不信服。她比她姐姐的觀察力來(lái)得敏銳，脾氣她沒(méi)有姐姐那么好惹，因此提到彬家姐妹，她只要想想她們?cè)谔鑸?chǎng)里的那種舉止，就知道她們并不打算要討一般人的好。而且她胸有城府，決不因?yàn)槿思业却镁透淖冎鲝?，她不?huì)對(duì)她們發(fā)生多大好感的。事實(shí)上她們都是些非常好的小姐;她們并不是不會(huì)談笑風(fēng)生，問(wèn)題是在要碰到她們高興的時(shí)候;她們也不是不會(huì)待人和顏悅色，問(wèn)題在于她們是否樂(lè)意這樣做?？上У氖牵齻円晃厄湴磷源?。她們都長(zhǎng)得很漂亮，曾經(jīng)在一個(gè)上流的?？茖W(xué)校里受過(guò)教育，有兩萬(wàn)鎊的財(cái)產(chǎn)，花起錢來(lái)總是揮霍無(wú)度，愛(ài)結(jié)交有身價(jià)地位的人，因此才造成了她們?cè)诟鞣矫娑甲砸暽醺?，不把別人放在眼里。她們出生于英格蘭北部的一個(gè)體面家族。她們對(duì)自己的出身記得很牢，可是卻幾乎忘了她們兄弟的財(cái)產(chǎn)以及她們自己的財(cái)產(chǎn)都是做生意賺來(lái)的。

　　Mr. Bingley inherited property to the amount of nearly an hundred thousand pounds from his father, who had intended to purchase an estate, but did not live to do it. -- Mr. Bingley intended it likewise, and sometimes made choice of his county; but as he was now provided with a good house and the liberty of a manor, it was doubtful to many of those who best knew the easiness of his temper, whether he might not spend the remainder of his days at Netherfield, and leave the next generation to purchase.

　　His sisters were very anxious for his having an estate of his own; but though he was now established only as a tenant, Miss Bingley was by no means unwilling to preside at his table, nor was Mrs. Hurst, who had married a man of more fashion than fortune, less disposed to consider his house as her home when it suited her. Mr. Bingley had not been of age two years, when he was tempted by an accidental recommendation to look at Netherfield House. He did look at it and into it for half an hour, was pleased with the situation and the principal rooms, satisfied with what the owner said in its praise, and took it immediately.

　　彬格萊先生從他的父親那兒只承繼了一筆將近十萬(wàn)鎊的遺產(chǎn)。他父親生前本來(lái)打算購(gòu)置些田產(chǎn)，可惜沒(méi)有了卻心愿就與世長(zhǎng)辭了。彬格萊先生同樣有這個(gè)打算，并且一度打算就在自己故鄉(xiāng)購(gòu)置，不過(guò)目前他既然有了一幢很好的房子，而且有莊園聽他任意使用，于是那些了解他性格的人都說(shuō)，象他這樣一個(gè)隨遇而安的人，下半輩子恐怕就在尼日斐花園度過(guò)，購(gòu)置田產(chǎn)的事又要留給下一代去做了。

　　他的姐妹們倒反而替他著急，希望早些購(gòu)置產(chǎn)業(yè);不過(guò)盡管他現(xiàn)在僅僅是以一個(gè)租戶的身分在這兒住了下來(lái)，彬格萊小姐還是非常愿意替他掌管家務(wù)，再說(shuō)那位嫁了個(gè)窮措大的赫斯脫太太，每逢上弟弟這兒來(lái)作客，依舊象是到了自己家里一樣。當(dāng)時(shí)彬格萊先生成年還不滿兩個(gè)年頭，只因?yàn)榕既宦牭饺思彝扑]尼日斐花園的房子，他便來(lái)到這兒看看。他里里外外看了半個(gè)鐘頭，地段和幾間主要的房間都很中他的意，加上房東又把那幢房子大大贊美了一番，那番話對(duì)他也是正中下懷，于是他就當(dāng)場(chǎng)租了下來(lái)。

　　Between him and Darcy there was a very steady friendship, in spite of a great opposition of character. -- Bingley was endeared to Darcy by the easiness, openness, ductility of his temper, though no disposition could offer a greater contrast to his own, and though with his own he never appeared dissatisfied. On the strength of Darcy's regard Bingley had the firmest reliance, and of his judgment the highest opinion. In understanding, Darcy was the superior. Bingley was by no means deficient, but Darcy was clever. He was at the same time haughty, reserved, and fastidious, and his manners, though well bred, were not inviting. In that respect his friend had greatly the advantage. Bingley was sure of being liked wherever he appeared; Darcy was continually giving offence.

　　The manner in which they spoke of the Meryton assembly was sufficiently characteristic. Bingley had never met with pleasanter people or prettier girls in his life; every body had been most kind and attentive to him, there had been no formality, no stiffness; he had soon felt acquainted with all the room; and as to Miss Bennet, he could not conceive an angel more beautiful. Darcy, on the contrary, had seen a collection of people in whom there was little beauty and no fashion, for none of whom he had felt the smallest interest, and from none received either attention or pleasure. Miss Bennet he acknowledged to be pretty, but she smiled too much.

　　Mrs. Hurst and her sister allowed it to be so -- but still they admired her and liked her, and pronounced her to be a sweet girl, and one whom they should not object to know more of. Miss Bennet was therefore established as a sweet girl, and their brother felt authorised by such commendation to think of her as he chose.

　　他和達(dá)西雖然性格大不相同，彼此之間友誼卻始終如一。達(dá)西所以喜歡彬格萊，是因?yàn)楸蚋袢R為人溫柔敦厚、坦白直爽，盡管個(gè)性方面和他自己極端相反，而他自己也從來(lái)不曾覺(jué)得自己的個(gè)性有什么不完美的地方。達(dá)西很器重彬格萊，因此彬格萊對(duì)他極其信賴，對(duì)他的見解也推崇備至。在智力方面講，達(dá)西比他強(qiáng)──這并不是說(shuō)彬格萊笨，而是說(shuō)達(dá)西聰明些。達(dá)西為人兼有傲慢、含蓄和愛(ài)挑剔的性子，他雖說(shuō)受過(guò)良好的教養(yǎng)，可是他的風(fēng)度總不受人歡迎。從這一方面講，他的朋友可比他高明了。彬格萊無(wú)論走到哪兒，一定都會(huì)討人喜歡，達(dá)西卻始終得罪人。

　　從他倆談起麥里屯舞會(huì)的態(tài)度來(lái)看，就足見兩人性格的不同。彬格萊說(shuō)，他生平從來(lái)沒(méi)有遇到過(guò)什么人比這兒的人更和藹，也沒(méi)有遇到過(guò)什么姑娘比這兒的姑娘更漂亮;在他看來(lái)，這兒每個(gè)人都極其和善，極其殷勤，不拘禮，不局促，他一下子就覺(jué)得和全場(chǎng)的人都相處得很熟;講起班納特小姐，他想象不出人間會(huì)有一個(gè)比她更美麗的天使。至于達(dá)西，他總覺(jué)得他所看到的這些人既不美，又談不上風(fēng)度，沒(méi)有一個(gè)人使他感興趣，也沒(méi)有一個(gè)人對(duì)他獻(xiàn)殷勤，博取他的歡心。他承認(rèn)班納特小姐是漂亮的，可惜她笑得太多。

　　赫斯脫太太姐妹同意他這種看法──可是她們?nèi)匀涣w慕她，喜歡她，說(shuō)她是個(gè)甜姐兒，她們并不反對(duì)跟她這樣的一位小姐做個(gè)深交。班納特小姐就這樣成為一個(gè)甜姐兒了，她們的兄弟聽到了這番贊美，便覺(jué)得今后可以愛(ài)怎么樣想她就怎么樣想她了。