Again, a third instance. After parting from the old church-member, he met the youngest sister of them all. It was a maiden newly won- and won by the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale's own sermon, on the Sabbath after his vigil, to barter the transitory pleasures of the world for the heavenly hope, that was to assume brighter substance as life grew dark around her, and which would gild the utter gloom with final glory. She was fair and pure as a lily that had bloomed in Paradise. The minister knew well that he was himself enshrined within the stainless sanctity of her heart, which hung its snowy curtains about his image, imparting to religion the warmth of love, and to love a religious purity. Satan, that afternoon, had surely led the poor young girl away from her mother's side, and thrown her into the pathway of this sorely tempted, or- shall we not rather say?- this lost and desperate man. As she drew nigh, the arch-fiend whispered him to condense into small compass and drop into her tender bosom a germ of evil that would be sure to blossom darkly soon, and bear black fruit betimes. Such was his sense of power over this virgin soul, trusting him as she did, that the minister felt potent to blight all the field of innocence with but one wicked look, and develop all its opposite with but a word. So- with a mightier struggle than he had yet sustained- he held his Geneva cloak before his face, and hurried onward, making no sign of recognition, and leaving the young sister to digest his rudeness as she might. She ransacked her conscience- which was full of harmless little matters, like her pocket, or her workbag- and took herself to task, poor thing! for a thousand imaginary faults; and went about her household duties with swollen eyelids the next morning.
还有第三个例子。他在告别了那位老教友之后,便遇到了最年轻的一位女教友。她是新近才皈依的一位少女,而且就是在聆听了丁梅斯代尔牧师先生夜游后那个安息日所作的布道才皈依的,她要以世间的短暂欢乐来换取天国的希望,当她周围的人生变得黯淡时,这希望便会益发明亮,以最后的荣光包围四下的一片昏黑。她如同天堂中开放的百合一样娇好纯真。牧师深知,他本人就供奉在她心灵的无理的圣殿之中,并用她雪白的心灵的帷幔罩着他的肖像,将爱情的温暖融进宗教,并将宗教的纯洁融进爱情。那天下午,一定是撒旦把这可怜的少女从她母亲身旁引开,并将她抛到那个被诱惑得心旌神摇的,或者,——我们不妨这样说吧,——那个迷途和绝望的人的路上。就在她走近的时候,魔王便悄声要他缩小形体,并在她温柔的心胸中投入一颗邪恶的种子,很快便会阴暗地开花,到时一定会结出黑色的果实。牧师意识到自己有权左右这个十分信任他的少女的灵魂,他感到只消他不怀好意地一瞥,她那无邪的心田就会立即枯萎,只消他说一个宇,她那纯洁的心灵就会走向反面。可是,在经历了一番前所未有的强有力的内心搏斗之后,他指起他那黑色法衣的宽袖遮住面孔,匆匆向前走去,装出没有认出她的样子,任凭那年轻的女教友去随便解释他的无礼。她察遍她的良心——那是同她的衣袋或针线盒一样,满装着各种无害的小东西的——,这可怜的姑娘,就用数以千计的想象中的错误来责备自己;次日天明,去干家务时,她两眼都哭得红肿了。

Before the minister had time to celebrate his victory over this last temptation, he was conscious of another impulse, more ludicrous, and almost as horrible. It was- we blush to tell it- it was to stop short in the road, and teach some very wicked words to a knot of little Puritan children who were playing there, and had but just begun to talk. Denying himself this freak, as unworthy of his cloth, he met a drunken seaman, one of the ship's crew from the Spanish Main. And here, since he had so valiantly forborne all other wickedness, poor Mr. Dimmesdale longed, at least to shake hands with the tarry blackguard, and recreate himself with a few improper jests, such as dissolute sailors so abound with, and a volley of good, round, solid, satisfactory, and heaven-defying oaths! It was not so much a better principle, as partly his natural good taste, and still more his buckramed habit of clerical decorum, that carried him safely through the latter crisis.
牧师还没来得及庆贺他刚刚战胜了诱惑,便又觉察到了一次冲动,这次冲动如前几次一样可怕,只是更加无稽。那是——我们说起来都脸红——那是,他想在路上停下来,对那些正在玩耍、刚刚开始学语的一伙清教徒小孩子们,教上几句极难听的话。只是由于与他身穿的法衣不相称,他才没有去做这反常之举。他又看到一个醉醺醺的水手,正是来自拉丁美洲北部海域的那艘船上的;此时,可怜的丁梅斯代尔先生既然已经勇敢地克制了前几次邪恶,却想至少要和这浑身沾满油污的粗人握一握手,并用几句水手们挂在嘴边的放荡下流的俏皮话,和一连串的十分圆滑、令人开心的亵渎神明的诅咒来寻寻开心!让他得以平安地度过这次危机的,倒不是因为他有什么更高的准则,而是因为他天生具有优雅的情趣,更主要的,是因为他那形成牢固习惯的教士礼仪。