The forests have departed, but some old customs of their shades remain. Many, however, linger only in a metamorphosed or disguised form. The May-Day dance, for instance, was to be discerned on the afternoon under notice, in the guise of the club revel, or 'club-walking', as it was there called.
茂密的森林已经消失了，但是森林浓荫下曾经有过的一些古老风俗依然还在。不过风俗犹存，但许多已经改换了形式，加上了伪装。例如，已经通知下午举行的五朔节舞会，从中就能看见它采用了会社的形式，或者是被当地人称作“会社游行”的形式。 

It was an interesting event to the younger inhabitants of Marlott, though its real interest was not observed by the participators in the ceremony. Its singularity lay less in the retention of a custom of walking in procession and dancing on each anniversary than in the members being solely women. In men's clubs such celebrations were, though expiring, less uncommon; but either the natural shyness of the softer sex, or a sarcastic attitude on the part of male relatives, had denuded such women's clubs as remained (if any other did) of this their glory and consummation. The club of Marlott alone lived to uphold the local Cerealia. It had walked for hundreds of years, if not as benefit-club, as votive sisterhood of some sort; and it walked still.
对马洛特村稍为年轻的居民来说，会社游行是一件使他们感兴趣的事件，尽管参加游行的人看不出它的真正趣味。它的特点主要不在于它保留了每年排队游行和跳舞的古风，而在于参加游行的人全是妇女。在男子会社里，这类庆祝虽然逐渐消失，但还不算特别；但是，由于软弱女子天性羞涩和男性家属方面的讥笑态度，已经把残留下来的妇女会社（如果还有其它会社的话）的荣耀和隆盛剥夺干净了。现在只有马洛特村的妇女会社残存下来，保留着庆祝赛丽斯节①的古风。它已经延续了好几白年，如果算不上共济会，它也是一种供奉上帝的姐妹会；而且它还要继续存在下去。

The banded ones were all dressed in white gowns - a gay survival from Old Style days, when cheerfulness and May-time were synonyms - days before the habit of taking long views had reduced emotions to a monotonous average. Their first exhibition of themselves was in a processional march of two and two round the parish. Ideal and real clashed slightly as the sun lit up their figures against the green hedges and creeper-laced house-fronts; for, though the whole troop wore white garments, no two whites were among them. Some approached pure blanching; some were all had a bluish pallor; some worn by the older characters (which had possibly lain by folded for many a year) inclined to a cadaverous tint, and to a Georgian style.
队伍中的妇女们都身穿白色长袍——这是一种从罗马旧历时代就开始流行的欢乐遗风，那时候快乐和五月的时光是同义词——那个还没有习惯着眼未来的时代，已经把人的感情降低到了单调乏味的程度。他们最初的表演是排成双行队伍绕着教区游行。太阳照亮了她们的身形，在绿色的树篱和爬满藤萝的房屋前墙的映衬下，理想和现实就稍微显出一些冲突来；因为尽管整个游行的队伍都穿着白色服装，然而她们中间却没有两件的颜色是一样的。有些近乎纯白；有些却是泛蓝的浅白；还有一些已经被妇女会的老会员穿得破旧（它们有可能叠起来存放许多年了）而接近了一种灰白的颜色，式样还是乔治时代的。

In addition to the distinction of a white frock, every woman and girl carried in her right hand a peeled willow wand, and in her left a bunch of white flowers. The peeling of the former, and the selection of the latter, had been an operation of personal care.
除了白色的长袍醒目而外，每一个妇女和姑娘的右手，都拿着一根剥去了外皮的柳树枝条，左手里则拿着一束白色的鲜花。剥去柳枝的外皮，选择白色的鲜花，都是每个人自己细心操作的。

There were a few middle-aged and even elderly women in the train, their silver-wiry hair and wrinkled faces, scourged by time and trouble, having almost a grotesque, certainly a pathetic, appearance in such a jaunty situation. In a true view, perhaps, there was more to be gathered and told of each anxious and experienced one, to whom the years were drawing nigh when she should say, 'I have no pleasure in them', than of her juvenile comrades. But let the elder be passed over here for those under whose bodices the life throbbed quick and warm.
在游行的队伍里，有几个已到中年甚至还要年老的妇女，她们遭到时光的蚀刻和痛苦的磨难，银白的鬈发和满是皱纹的面孔在轻快活泼的环境里，显得叫人好笑，也肯定叫人同情。真实地看来，每一个经历过人间沧桑的人同她们年轻的伙伴比起来，也许更值得搜集她们的材料加以叙述，因为她们要说“生命毫无喜悦”的年月就要来到了。不过还是让我们把年长的妇女放在一边，述说那些生命在胸衣下跳动得快速而热烈的妇女吧。