苔絲 Chapter7

One day in August the sun was rising through the mist.In a yellow cornfield near Marlott village it shone on two large arms of painted wood.These，with two others below， formed the turning cross of the reaping-machine.It was ready for today's harvest. A group of men and a group of women came down the road at sunrise. As they walked along， their heads were in the sun while their feet were in the shadow of the hedge.They went into the field.

8月的一天，太陽正從薄霧中緩緩升起。在馬勒特村附近的一片金黃的麥地上，陽光正照射著兩根漆過的木頭。這兩根，加上下面的兩根，就組成了割麥機(jī)上轉(zhuǎn)動的十字形曲柄。這是在為今天的收割做準(zhǔn)備。日出時分，一群男人和女人沿著大路走來了。他們的臉沐浴在陽光中，腳則落在了樹籬的陰影里。他們走進(jìn)了麥地。

Soon there came a sound like the love-making of the grasshopper.The machine had begun， and three horses pulled it slowly along the field.Its arms turned，bright in the sunlight.Gradually the area of standing corn was reduced.So was the living space of the small field animals，who crowded together，not knowing that they could not escape the machine in the end.

很快傳來一種蚱蜢求愛時發(fā)出的聲音。機(jī)器開始運轉(zhuǎn)了。有三匹馬拉著它慢慢地往前開。機(jī)器的曲柄轉(zhuǎn)動著，在陽光下閃閃發(fā)光。漸漸地，麥地里豎著麥子的部分減少了。田間小動物們的生存空間同樣也就減少了。它們簇?fù)碓谝黄穑⒉恢浪鼈兘K究是無法從機(jī)器下逃生的。

The harvesters followed the machine， picking and tying up bundles of corn. The girls were perhaps more interesting to look at.They wore large cotton hats to keep off the sun， and gloves to protect their hands from the corn.The prettiest was the one in the pale pink jacket，who never looked around her as she worked.She moved forward， bending and tying like a machine.Occasionally she stood up to rest.Then her face could be seen：a lovely young face，with deep dark eyes and long heavy curling hair.Her cheeks were paler，her teeth more regular， and her red lips thinner than most country girls’.

收割者們跟著機(jī)器走，把麥子拾起并扎成一捆一捆。也許姑娘們看起來更有趣了。她們戴著寬邊的棉布帽子以免陽光灼傷了臉，還戴著手套以防麥子刮破了手。其中最漂亮的要數(shù)那位穿著淺粉色短外套的姑娘。她干活時從不四處張望。她朝前面移動著，俯身捆扎，就像一臺機(jī)器。偶爾她站直身子歇一會兒，這時你就可以看見她的臉了：這是一張年輕可愛的臉龐，嵌著一雙幽深的眼睛。她還有一頭又長又密的卷發(fā)。比起大多數(shù)鄉(xiāng)下姑娘來，她的臉色更白晰，她的牙齒更整齊，她的紅唇也更薄一些。

It was Tess Durbeyfield， or d’Urberville， rather changed， living as a stranger in her home village.She had decided to do outdoor work and earn a little money in the harvest.

這就是已經(jīng)有了很大變化的苔絲·德北或德伯。在家鄉(xiāng)的村子里，她就像一個陌生人一樣生活著。她已決定到戶外干點活兒，在收割季節(jié)掙一點微薄的收入。

The work continued all morning，and Tess began to glance towards the hill. At eleven o’clock a group of children came over the hill. Tess blushed a little，but still did not pause in her work.The eldest child carried in her arms a baby in long clothes. Another brought some lunch. The harvesters stopped work，sat down and started to eat and drink.

整個上午活兒就沒停過，苔絲開始朝山那邊不時地瞅上一眼。11點鐘的時候，一群孩子翻山過來了。苔絲微微有些臉紅，但仍沒有停下手里的活計。最大的孩子懷里抱著一個裹著長衣服的嬰兒，另一個提著午飯。人們停止了收割，坐下來，開始吃飯喝酒。

Tess also sat down， some way from the others. She called the girl， her sister， and took the baby from her. Unfastening her dress， and still blushing， she began feeding her child. The men kindly turned away，some of them beginning to smoke. All the other women started to talk and rearrange their hair. When the baby had finished Tess played with him without showing much enthusiasm. Then suddenly she kissed him again and again，as if she could not stop.The baby cried out at the violence of her kisses.

苔絲也在距人們有點遠(yuǎn)的地方坐了下來。她喚來那個女孩，她的妹妹，從她手中抱過來嬰兒。她仍然有些臉紅，解開衣服開始給孩子喂奶。男人們都善意地轉(zhuǎn)過臉去，有些人開始抽起了煙。其他的女人都開始聊天，一邊重新梳理她們的頭發(fā)。把孩子喂飽了以后，苔絲沒有顯露多大熱情地逗著孩子玩。然后她突然一遍又一遍地親吻孩子，仿佛停不下來似的。孩子被她猛烈的親吻嚇得大哭起來。

She loves that child，though she says she hates him and wishes they were both dead，’said one of the women，watching the young mother.

“她愛那個孩子，盡管她說她恨他，希望他們娘倆都死了算了。”一個女人望著這個年輕的母親，說道。

‘She'll soon stop saying that，’replied another.‘She'll get used to it.It happens to lots of girls.’.

“她很快就會不再這么說啦。”另一個回答道，“她會習(xí)慣的，很多姑娘都有過這種經(jīng)歷。”

‘Well， it wasn't her fault. She was forced into it that night in The Chase. People heard her sobbing. A certain gentleman might have been punished if somebody had passed by and seen them.’

“但這不是她的錯。那天晚上在逐獵林，她是被迫的。有人聽到她哭訴過。如果那晚有人經(jīng)過看到他們的話，某位先生是要遭到懲罰的。”

‘It was a pity it happened to her，the prettiest in the village.But that's how it happens!The ugly ones are as safe as houses，aren't they， Jenny?’and the speaker turned to one who was certainly not beautiful.

“這事兒發(fā)生在她身上真可惜了，她是村子里最漂亮的姑娘。不過正因為如此，才會發(fā)生這種事情!那些難看的姑娘就跟房子一樣安全，是嗎，珍妮?”說話的人朝一位顯然不漂亮的姑娘問道。

Tess sat there，unaware of their conversation. Her mouth was like a flower， and her eyes were large and soft， sometimes black，blue or grey， sometimes all three colours together. She had spent months regretting her experience and crying over it， but suddenly decided that the past was the past.In a few years her shame，and she herself，would be forgotten. Meanwhile the trees were just as green， and the sun shone just as brightly，as before.Life went on.

苔絲坐在那兒，不知道她們在談什么。她的小嘴像鮮花一般可人，她的大眼睛充滿了柔情。那眼睛有時是黑的、藍(lán)的或是灰的，有時就是這三種顏色的混合體。她花了幾個月的時間為自己的經(jīng)歷悔恨哭泣，但突然間她決定讓過去的事情成為過去。用不了幾年，她的恥辱連同她本人就會被人們遺忘。樹木仍像過去一樣翠綠，陽光還同從前一樣明媚。生活繼續(xù)著。

She most feared what people thought of her， and imagined that they talked constantly about her behind her back.In fact she was not often discussed，and even her friends only thought about her occasionally. Other things of more importance took up their time.If there had been no people around her，Tess would not have made herself so unhappy. She would have accepted the situation as it was.She was miserable，not because she felt unhappy，but because she imagined herself rejected by society.

她最怕人們會想起她，還想象他們會在背后不停地談?wù)撍?。事實上，她并沒有經(jīng)常被議論，就連她的朋友，也不過偶爾才會想起她。其他一些更重要的事情占據(jù)著他們的生活。如果她周圍沒有人，苔絲也就不會把自己弄得這么不快樂了。她會現(xiàn)實地接受她的處境。她很不幸，不是因為她覺得不快樂，而是因為她總想象自己被社會拋棄了。

Now she wanted to be useful again， and to work. So she dressed neatly，and helped in the harvest，and looked people calmly in the face，even when holding her baby in her arms.

現(xiàn)在，她想讓自己重新變得有用，想去工作。所以她穿戴整齊，在收割季節(jié)來幫忙。她以平靜的表情面對其他人，即便懷里抱著孩子也一樣。

Having eaten her lunch quickly， Tess went back to work with the harvesters in the cornfield until it was dark.They all came home on one of the largest waggons，singing and laughing together.

迅速地吃完午飯后，苔絲又回到地里和其他收割者們一塊兒干起活兒來，一直干到天黑。他們都坐上一輛最大的馬車，一路笑著唱著回去了。

But when Tess reached home， she discovered that the baby had fallen ill that afternoon.He was so small and weak that illness was to be expected，but this still came as a shock to Tess.She forgot the shame surrounding his birth， and only wished passionately to keep him alive.However，it became clear that he was dying.Now Tess had a greater problem. Her baby had not been baptized.

但是當(dāng)苔絲回到家以后，她發(fā)現(xiàn)孩子在那天下午生病了。他是那么地弱小，注定逃不過病魔之手，但這仍然震動了苔絲。她忘記了關(guān)于他出生的種種恥辱，只是滿心希望他能活下來。然而很明顯，他就要死了?，F(xiàn)在苔絲遇到了一個更大的麻煩，她的孩子還沒受過洗禮呢。

Her ideas on religion were not very developed. She had more or less accepted that she would go to hell for her crime，and did not much care what would happen to her after death. But fo her baby it was different. He was dying，and must be saved from hell.

她的宗教信條沒有多大的變化。她或多或少地接受了這樣一個事實：因為她的罪過她將進(jìn)地獄。她對自己死后會怎樣并不太在意，但是對孩子來說，就不同了。他就要死去，她要把他從地獄中拯救出來。

It was nearly bedtime， but she rushed downstairs and asked if she could send for the parson. Her father had just returned from the public house， and was at his most sensitive to the shame brought upon his noble name by Tess.He refused to allow the parson in， and locked the door.

已經(jīng)到了快睡覺的時候，但她沖到了樓下問自己是否可以去請一位牧師來。她的父親剛從酒店回來，正處在對苔絲給他高貴的姓氏帶來的恥辱最敏感的時候。他拒絕讓牧師到他們家來，還把門給鎖上了。

The family went to sleep.As the night passed， Tess realized，in great misery，that the baby was close to death. She walked feverishly up and down the room，until an idea came to her.

家人都去睡覺了。夜晚一點點地流逝著。在極大的痛苦中，苔絲意識到孩子已離死神不遠(yuǎn)了。她焦躁不安地在房間里踱來踱去，最后她突然想出了一個主意。

‘Ah!Perhaps baby can be saved!Perhaps it will be just the same!’

“啊!也許孩子可以得救!也許這也是一樣的!”

She lit a candle，and woke her young brothers and sisters. Having poured some water into a bowl，she made them kneel around，with their hands together as in church.The children were hardly awake and watched Tess with big round eyes.

她點燃了一支蠟燭，喚醒了弟妹。她在一個碗里倒了些水，讓他們跪成一圈，像在教堂里那樣手牽著手。孩子們還沒有完全清醒過來，只是瞪圓了眼睛看著苔絲。

She looked tall in her long white nightdress， her long dark hair hanging down her back to her waist. Her enthusiasm lit up her face， giving it a beautiful purity—the face which had caused her shame.

穿著長長的白色睡裙，她看起來很高，黑色的長發(fā)從背后一直垂到腰際。她的熱情使她的面孔煥發(fā)著光彩，透出一種美麗的圣潔——就是這張臉導(dǎo)致了她的恥辱。

She picked up the baby. One of the children asked，‘Are you really going to baptize him， Tess? What's his name going to be?’

她抱起了嬰兒。一個孩子問：“你真要給他施洗禮嗎，苔絲?那他叫什么名字呀?”

She had not thought of that， but remembered the story of Adam and Eve in the Bible.Because they did wrong together， God said they would live in sorrow for the rest of their lives.

她還沒想過這個，但她記起了《圣經(jīng)》里亞當(dāng)和夏娃的故事。因為他們在一起做錯了事，上帝說他們余下的日子會生活在悲哀之中。

She said firmly，‘SORROW，I baptize you in the name of the Father，and of the Son，and of the Holy Ghost.’

她堅定地說：“‘悲哀’，我以上帝、以耶穌、以圣靈的名義給你施洗。”

She splashed some water on the child，and there was silence.

她把一些水灑在孩子身上，四周悄無聲息。

‘Say Amen，children.’

“說阿門，孩子們。”

‘Amen，’they replied.

“阿門。”他們說道。

Tess put her hand into the water，and drew a huge cross upon the baby with her finger. She continued the service in the well-known words， asking for the baby to be protected against the world and against wickedness. Her belief gave her hope;her sweet warm voice rang out the thanks that follow the baptism.The single candle was reflected in her shining eyes like a diamond.The children asked no more questions，but looked up at her in amazement.She seemed almost like a god to them.

苔絲把手伸進(jìn)水里，然后用手指在嬰兒身上畫了一個大大的十字。她用一些熟悉的話語繼續(xù)進(jìn)行著這個儀式。她請求讓孩子免受塵世和邪惡的侵?jǐn)_。她的信念給了她希望;她用甜美溫和的聲音做感恩禱告，結(jié)束了洗禮。那枝僅有的蠟燭在她閃爍的眼睛中放射出鉆石般的光芒。孩子們沒再問什么，只是詫異地抬頭望著她。對他們來說，她看起來就像一位女神。

Poor Sorrow's fight against the world and wickedness was a short one， fortunately perhaps，taking into account his situation. In the blue light of the morning he breathed his last. Tess had been calm since the baptism and she remained calm. She was no longer worried about Sorrow's afterlife.If God did not accept the baptism，she did not value His Heaven，either for herself or for her child.

可憐的“悲哀”只對這個世界和邪惡做了一次小小的抗?fàn)帲紤]到他的處境，也許他這樣是幸運的。在藍(lán)色的晨光中，他停止了呼吸。做完洗禮后，苔絲平靜下來，而且一直保持著平靜。她再也不用為“悲哀”死后擔(dān)心了。如果上帝不接受這個洗禮，那她就不會珍視他的天堂，不論是為自己還是為孩子。

Tess thought a good deal about the baptism， however， and wondered if it might mean that Sorrow could be buried in the churchyard，with a church service. She went to the parson's house after dark， and met him near his gate.

但是苔絲還是對這個洗禮考慮了很多，她想知道這是否意味著“悲哀”可以按照教堂的儀式安葬在教堂墓地。天黑以后，她就到牧師家去了，在大門附近她遇見了牧師。

‘I should like to ask you something，sir.My baby was very ill，and I wanted you to baptize him， but my father refused to allow it.So I baptized him myself.Now sir， can you tell me this，’and she looked him straight in the eyes，‘ will it be just the same for him as if you had baptized him?’

“先生，我想請教您一件事情。我的孩子病得很重，我想讓您給他施洗，但是我的父親不讓我這么做。于是我自己給他施了洗?，F(xiàn)在，先生，您是否能告訴我，”她兩眼直直地看著他，“對他來說，這么做跟您給他施洗是一樣的嗎?”

The parson wanted to say no. She had done what should have been his job.But the girl's strong feeling impressed him. The man and the parson fought inside him， and the man won.

牧師想說不一樣。她做了他份內(nèi)的事。但是這姑娘熾烈的感情讓他感動。在他內(nèi)心，作為人和作為牧師的兩種角色在斗爭著，最后，人取得了勝利。

‘My dear girl，’he said，‘it will be just the same.’

“我親愛的姑娘，”他說，“這會是一樣的。”

‘Then will you bury him in the churchyard?’ she asked quickly.

“那你會將他安葬在教堂墓地嗎?”她迅速問道。

The parson felt trapped. It was a difficult question to answer.‘Ah，that's a different matter，’he said.‘1'm sorry，I cannot.’

牧師覺得陷入了圈套。這是一個很難回答的問題。“哦，那是另外一回事，”他說，“抱歉，我不能。”

‘Oh sir!’She took his hand as she spoke.

“哦，先生!”她抓住他的手，說道。

He took it away，shaking his head.

他把手拿開了，搖了搖頭。

‘Then I'll never come to church again!’she cried.‘But perhaps it will be the same for him? Tell me， have pity on me， poor me，tell me what you really think!’

“那么，我再也不去教堂了!”她哭道，“但也許對他來說是一樣的?告訴我，可憐可憐我，告訴我您真實的想法!”

The parson was deeply touched by her emotion. For a surprising moment he forgot the strict rules of his church.

牧師被她的情緒深深地感染了。有一刻，他竟然忘記了教堂里那些嚴(yán)格的戒律。

‘It will be just the same，’he answered kindly.

“會是一樣的。”他善意地回答道。

So the baby was carried in a cheap wooden box to the churchyard at nignt.There is a corner of the churchyard where the grass grows long，and where the suicides，drunks， unbaptized babies and other supposed criminals are laid. Sorrow was buried here，at the cost of a shilling and a pint of beer for the gravedigger.Tess bravely made a little cross and put it at the head of the grave one evening，when she could enter the churchyard without being seen.

因此，當(dāng)晚孩子被裝在一個廉價的木制箱子里，運到了教堂墓地。這是一個雜草叢生的墓地角落，埋葬著那些自殺的人，飲酒過度的人，沒有施過洗的嬰兒，還有其他被認(rèn)為有罪的人。她花了一個先令，給了掘墓人一品脫啤酒，“悲哀”便被葬在了這里。一天晚上，當(dāng)她可以不被人看到地進(jìn)入墓地時，苔絲做了一個小小的十字架，并把它豎在了墳頭。

It is all very well saying that we learn from experience. Tess had certainly learnt from experience，but could not see how to use her knowledge，so painfully gained.

有句話說得好，叫“吃一塹，長一智。”苔絲當(dāng)然從她的經(jīng)歷中學(xué)到了東西，只是不知道該怎樣運用這些經(jīng)歷了如此之大的痛苦才懂得的道理。

So she stayed in her parents’ home during the winter， helping to look after the children， making clothes for them and earning a little money whenever she could.Important dates came round again：the night of her shame in The Chase，the baby's birth and death， her own birthday. One day when she was looking at her pretty face in the mirror，she thought of another date，even more important—her own death. When it came it would swallow up all her prettiness and everything that had happened to her.When was it?It was a day lying hidden among all the other days of the year， so that she noticed nothing when it came round，and did not know what week， month，season or year it would be.

于是，整個冬天她都住在父母家里，幫著照看孩子，給他們縫制衣服，并力所能及地掙點錢。一些重要的日子又轉(zhuǎn)回來了：逐獵林受辱的那晚，孩子的生日和忌日，還有她自己的生日。一天，當(dāng)她對著鏡子看自己那張漂亮的臉孔時，她想到了另外一個甚至更重要的日子——她自己死去的日子。當(dāng)它來臨時，它會吞噬掉她的全部美麗和發(fā)生在她身上的一切事情。它會是什么時候呢?它偷偷地藏在一年中其他日子的背后，因此當(dāng)它再度來臨時，她無從察覺。她不知道它將出現(xiàn)在哪個星期，哪個月，哪個季節(jié)或者哪一年。

In a flash Tess changed from simple girl to complicated woman.Her face was often thoughtful，and there was sometimes a tragic note in her voice.Her eyes grew larger and more expressive.She became a beautiful woman. She had suffered，but had gained a certain self-confidence from her experiences.

幾乎僅在一瞬之間，苔絲就由純樸的姑娘變成了成熟的女人。她經(jīng)常帶著一副沉思的表情，聲音有時透著悲涼的語氣。她的眼睛更大也更意味深長了。她變成了一個美麗的女人。她經(jīng)歷過痛苦，從經(jīng)歷中她獲得了一種自信。

Although the village people had almost forgotten her trouble， she decided she could never be really happy in Marlott.Trying to claim relationship with the rich d’Urbervilles seemed so foolish and shameful to her. She thought her family would never be respected there again. Even now she felt hope rise within her，hope of finding a place with no family connections and no memories.In escaping from Marlott she intended to destroy the past.Perhaps now she could make up for her crime against society.

盡管村里的人們幾乎已經(jīng)忘記了她的遭遇，但苔絲覺得自己在馬勒特是不會真正快樂的。在她看來，想要與富有的德伯家攀親是那么地荒唐可恥。她認(rèn)為她的家庭在那兒再不會受到尊敬了。她現(xiàn)在心里甚至萌生了希望。這希望就是找一個既沒有家庭關(guān)系也沒有回憶的地方。她想逃離馬勒特村，企圖由此毀滅過去。也許現(xiàn)在她可以彌補她對社會犯下的罪行了。

Consequently she looked hard for work away from Marlott. She finally heard that a dairyman some miles to the south needed a good milkmaid for the summer.Having decided to go there，she promised herself there would be no more hopeless dreams.She would simply be the dairymaid Tess， and nothing more.Even her mother no longer talked about their connection with the noble d’Urbervilles.

接下來她就積極地尋找遠(yuǎn)離馬勒特村的工作。終于，她聽說往南幾英里的一個奶場主這個夏天需要一名熟練的擠奶女工。她決定去那兒，并向自己保證不再做空洞的夢。她將僅僅是擠奶女工苔絲，僅此而已。就連她的母親也不再談?wù)撍麄兣c高貴的德伯家族的關(guān)系了。

But in spite of Tess's decision to forget her ancestors， the dairy， called Talbothays，especially attracted her because it was near the former lands of the old d’Urberville family. She would be able to look at them， and not only observe that the noble d’Urberville family had lost its greatness，but also remember that a poor descendant had lost her innocence.She wondered if some good might come of being in the land of her ancestors.Hope and youthful energy rose up in her again，like leaves on a young tree in spring.

但是，盡管苔絲決意忘掉她的祖先，那個叫塔爾勃塞的牛奶場之所以特別吸引她，卻正是因為它挨著古老的德伯家族的土地。她可以看到它，這樣，她不僅可以看到高貴的德伯家族失去了它的輝煌，還會記起它的一個可憐的后代失去了她的貞操。她想知道，生活在她祖先的土地上是否能給她帶來一些好運。新的希望和青春的活力再度在她心中涌起，就像春天小樹上的新葉。