Partly supported by Hester Prynne, and holding one hand of little Pearl's, the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale turned to the dignified and venerable rulers; to the holy ministers, who were his brethren; to the people, whose great heart was thoroughly appalled, yet overflowing with tearful sympathy, as knowing that some deep life-matter- which, if full of sin, was full of anguish and repentance likewise- was now to be laid open to them. The sun, but little past its meridian, shone down upon the clergyman, and gave a distinctness to his figure, as he stood out from all the earth, to put in his plea of guilty at the bar of Eternal Justice.
丁梅斯代尔牧师先生一边由海丝特·白兰撑持着，一边握着小珠儿的手，转向那些年高望重的统治者；转向他的那些神圣的牧师兄弟；转向在场的黎民百姓——他们的伟大胸怀已经给彻底惊呆了，但仍然泛滥着饱含泪水的同情，因为他们明白，某种深透的人生问题——即使充满了罪孽，也同样充满了极度的痛苦与悔恨——即将展现在他们眼前。刚刚越过中天的太阳正照着牧师，将他的轮廓分明地勾勒出来，此时他正高高矗立在大地之上，在上帝的法庭的被告栏前，申诉着他的罪过。

"People of New England!" cried he, with a voice that rose over them, high, solemn, and majestic- yet had always a tremor through it, and sometimes a shriek, struggling up out of a fathomless depth of remorse and woe- "ye, that have loved me!- ye, that have deemed me holy- behold me here, the one sinner of the world! At last!- at last!- I stand upon the spot where, seven years since, I should have stood; here, with this woman, whose arm, more than the little strength wherewith I have crept hitherward, sustains me, at this dreadful moment, from grovelling down upon my face! Lo, the scarlet letter which Hester wears! Ye have all shuddered at it! Wherever her walk hath been- wherever, so miserably burdened, she may have hoped to find repose- it hath cast a lurid gleam of awe and horrible repugnance round about her. But there stood one in the midst of you, at whose brand of sin and infamy ye have not shuddered!"
“新英格兰的人们！”他的声音高昂、庄严而雄浑，一直越过他们的头顶，但其中始终夹杂着颤抖，有时甚至是尖叫，因为那声音是从痛苦与悔恨的无底深渊中挣扎出来的，“你们这些热爱我的人！——你们这些敬我如神的人！——向这儿看，看看我这个世上的罪人吧！终于！——终于！——我站到了七年之前我就该站立的地方；这儿，是她这个女人，在这可怕的时刻，以她的无力的臂膀，却支撑着我爬上这里，搀扶着我不致扑面跌倒在地！看看吧，海丝特佩戴着的红字！你们一直避之犹恐不及！无论她走到哪里，——无论她肩负多么悲惨的重荷，无论她可能多么巴望能得到安静的休息，这红字总向她周围发散出使人畏惧、令人深恶痛绝的幽光。但是就在你们中间，却站着一个人，他的罪孽和耻辱并不为你们所回避！”