【经典名著阅读】《傲慢与偏见》第六十章
作者:Jane Austen
2011-07-28 09:00
ELIZABETH'S spirits soon rising to playfulness again, she wanted Mr. Darcy to account for his having ever fallen in love with her. "How could you begin?" said she. "I can comprehend your going on charmingly, when you had once made a beginning; but what could set you off in the first place?"
伊丽莎白马上又高兴得顽皮起来了,她要达西先生讲一讲爱上她的经过。她问:“你是怎样走第一步的?我知道你只要走了第一步,就会一路顺风往前走去;可是,你最初怎么会转这个念头的?”
"I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun."
“我也说不准究竟是在什么时间,什么地点,看见了你什么样的风姿,听到了你什么样的谈吐,便使我开始爱上了你。那是好久以前的事。等我发觉我自己开始爱上你的时候,我已经走了一半路了。”
"My beauty you had early withstood, and as for my manners -- my behaviour to you was at least always bordering on the uncivil, and I never spoke to you without rather wishing to give you pain than not. Now be sincere; did you admire me for my impertinence?"
“我的美貌并没有打动你的心;讲到我的态度方面,我对你至少不是怎么有礼貌,我没有哪一次同你说话不是想要叫你难过一下。请你老老实实说一声,你是不是爱我的唐突无礼?”
"For the liveliness of your mind, I did."
“我爱你的脑子灵活。”
"You may as well call it impertinence at once. It was very little less. The fact is, that you were sick of civility, of deference, of officious attention. You were disgusted with the women who were always speaking, and looking, and thinking for your approbation alone. I roused, and interested you, because I was so unlike them. Had you not been really amiable, you would have hated me for it; but in spite of the pains you took to disguise yourself, your feelings were always noble and just; and in your heart, you thoroughly despised the persons who so assiduously courted you. There -- I have saved you the trouble of accounting for it; and really, all things considered, I begin to think it perfectly reasonable. To be sure, you knew no actual good of me -- but nobody thinks of that when they fall in love."
“你还不如说是唐突,十足唐突。事实上是因为,你对于殷勤多礼的客套,已经感到腻烦。天下有种女人,她们无论是说话、思想、表情,都只是为了博得你称赞一声,你对这种女人已经觉得讨厌。我所以会引起你的注目,打动了你的心,就因为我不象她们。如果你不是一个真正可爱的人,你一定会恨我这种地方;可是,尽管你想尽办法来遮掩你自己,你的情感毕竟是高贵的、正确的、你心目中根本看不起那些拚命向你献媚的人。我这样一说,你就可以不必费神去解释了;我通盘考虑了一下,觉得你的爱完全合情合理。老实说,你完全没有想到我有什么实在的长处;不过,随便什么人,在恋爱的时候,也都不会想到这种事情。”
"Was there no good in your affectionate behaviour to Jane while she was ill at Netherfield?"
“当初吉英在尼日斐花园病了,你对她那样温柔体贴,不正是你的长处吗?”
"Dearest Jane! who could have done less for her? But make a virtue of it by all means. My good qualities are under your protection, and you are to exaggerate them as much as possible; and, in return, it belongs to me to find occasions for teazing and quarrelling with you as often as may be; and I shall begin directly by asking you what made you so unwilling to come to the point at last. What made you so shy of me, when you first called, and afterwards dined here? Why, especially, when you called, did you look as if you did not care about me?"
“吉英真是太好了!谁能不好好地待她?你姑且就把这件事当做我的德性吧。我一切优美的品质都全靠你夸奖,你爱怎么说就怎么说吧;我可只知道找机会来嘲笑你,跟你争论;我马上就开始这样做,听我问你:你为什么总是不愿意直捷爽快地谈到正题?你第一次上这儿来拜访,第二次在这儿吃饭,为什么见到我就害臊?尤其是你来拜访的那一次,你为什么显出那副神气,好象完全不把我摆在心上似的?”
"Because you were grave and silent, and gave me no encouragement."
“因为你那样板起了脸,一言不发,使得我不敢和你攀谈。”
"But I was embarrassed."
“可是我觉得难为情呀。”
"And so was I."
“我也一样。”
"You might have talked to me more when you came to dinner."
“那么,你来吃饭的那一次,也可以跟我多谈谈喽。”
"A man who had felt less, might."
“要是爱你爱得少些,话就可以说得多些了。”