大學課外英語

Part 3 名篇欣賞（1 / 3）

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Godu0027s Creation of the World

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.Now the earth was formless and empty,darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

And God said,“Let there be light,\" and there was light.God saw that the light was good,and he separated the light from the darkness.God called the light “day\",and the darkness he called “night\". And there was evening,and there was morning—the first day.

And God said,“Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.\" So God made the espanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water about it.And it was so.God called the expanse“sky\".And there was evening,and there was morning—the second day.

And God said,“Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place,and let dry gound apper.\" And it was so. God called the dry ground “land\",and the gathered waters he called “seas\".And God say that it was good.

Then God said.“Let the land produce vegetation:seed—bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it,according to their various kinds.\" And it was so.The land produced vegetation:plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit withseed in it according to their kinds.And God saw that it was good.And there was evening,and there was morning—the third day.

And God said,“Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night,and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years,and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.\" And it was so.God made two great lights—the greater light go govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night.He also made the stars.God sell them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth,to govern the day and the night.and to separate light from darkness.And God saw that it was good. And there was evening,and there was morning—the fourth day.

And God said,“Let the water teem with living creatures,and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.\" So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems,according to their kinds,and every winged bird according to its kind.And God saw that it was good.God blessed them and said,“Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas,and let the birds increase on the earth.\" And there was evening,and there was morning—the fifth day.

And God said,“Let the land produce living creatrues according to their kinds:live stock,creatures that move along the ground,and wild animals,each according to its kind.\" And it was so.God saw that it was good.

Then God said,“Let us make man in our image,in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock,over all the earth,and over all the creatures that move along the ground.\" So God created man in his own image,in the image of God he creatcd him; male and female he created them.God blessed them and said to them,“Be fruitful and increase in number;fill the earth and subdue it.Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.\"

Then God said,“I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.\" And it was so.God saw all that he had made,and it was very good. And there was evening,and there was morning—the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing;so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy,because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created.

［譯文］

上帝創世

起初，上帝創造天地時，大地一片混沌，淵麵黑暗。上帝的靈氣運行在水麵上。

上帝說：“要有光!”立刻就有了光，上帝見有光很好，就把光明與黑暗分開，稱光明為“晝”，黑暗為“夜”，於是黑夜降臨，晨光現。這是第一天。

上帝說：“諸水之間要有空氣，將水分為上和下。”上帝就造出分隔，將以上和以下的水分開了。事就這樣成了。上帝稱之為“天”。黑夜再臨，晨光再現。這是第二天。

上帝說：“天下的水要聚在一處，使旱地露出來!”事就這樣成了。上帝稱旱地為“陸”，彙集之水為“海”。上帝見如此很好。

上帝說：“要讓大地生機勃勃，地上長出能結果子的樹木，果子要有籽實，各從其類!”於是，事就這樣成了，大地生機蓬勃，長出了瓜果樹木，果實累累。上帝見如此很好。黑夜又臨，晨光再現。這是第三天。

上帝說：“天上要有光體，以區分晝夜，並標誌節氣、日子和年歲，並在天上發光，普照大地!”事就這樣成了。上帝創造了兩個巨大光體，較大的管晝，較小的司夜。上帝又造出星辰，置於空氣中照亮大地，司晝夜，分明暗。上帝見如此很好。黑夜臨，晨光現，這是第四天。

上帝說：“水要多多滋生生物，要有雀鳥飛在地麵之上，天空之中!”於是上帝創造出大魚和各種水物生，又造出各種飛鳥，各從其類。上帝見如此很好，於是賜福給它們，說：“讓海中遊魚，空中飛鳥多多滋生繁衍!”黑夜臨，晨光現。這是第五天。

上帝說：“地要生出各種活物來，牲畜、爬行動物和野獸，各從其類!”事就這樣成了。上帝見如此很好。

上帝說：“要按我的形象造人管理海中之魚，空中之鳥以及地上的牲畜和各種爬蟲走獸。”於是上帝按照自己的形象造出人類，造出男女。上帝賜福給他們，說：“要多多生養，布滿全球，治理世界，管理海中的魚、空中的鳥和地上的各種動物。”

上帝又說：“我要使地上到處長滿樹木，結滿籽果，生長果子，賜與你們為食。”事就這樣成了。上帝見所造的一切，覺得甚好。黑夜臨，晨光現，到了第六天。

天地萬物都造齊了。到了第七日，上帝創世完畢，就停止了工作，他賜福給第七天，定為聖日，因為此時他已完成了要做的一切，無須工作了。

這就是上帝創世的故事。

Adam and Eve

When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens—and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth,for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground,but streams came up from the earch and wateredthe whole surface of the ground—the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,and the man became a living being.

Now the lord God had planted a garden in the east,in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters.

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Carden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man,“You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,for when you eat of it you will surely die.\"

The Lord God said,“It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.\"

Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air.He brought them to the man to see what he would name them;and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.

But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep;and while he was sleeping,he took one of the manu0027s ribs and closed up the place with flesh.Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taden out of the man,and he brought her to the man.

The man said,

“This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called‘woman’,for she was taken out of man.\"

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,and they will become one flesh.

The man and his wife were both naked,and they felt no shame towards one another.

【譯文】

亞當和夏娃

上帝創造天地之時，地上全無草木，因為造世之主沒有降雨到地上，也無人耕地，隻有地下湧出的水滋潤地麵。上帝用地上的塵土造人，將生氣吹進他的鼻孔，他就有了生命。

上帝在東邊的伊甸建造了一座園子，他把所造的人安置在那裏。上帝讓地麵長出各種樹木，這些樹木不但秀美悅目，而且結有果實可供食用。在園正中，他種下了一種生命之樹和一株能辨善惡的樹。

有河從伊甸流出來滋潤那園子，水從那裏分為四股。

上帝把他造的男人帶到伊甸園，讓他在園中耕耘管理，並對他說：“你可以隨意采食園中樹上的果實，惟獨那能辨善惡的樹上的果子，你不能吃，因為吃它必死。”

上帝又說：“一個人獨居不好。我要為他造一個配偶作幫手。”

上帝用泥土造出各種飛禽走獸，並把它們帶到此人麵前，看他如何稱呼它們。此人對每種動物的稱呼就成了這種動物的名字。於是，此人就給所有的牲畜、飛禽和走獸定了名。

但亞當自己還是沒有合適的配偶。於是上帝讓他沉睡，然後乘他熟睡的時候取出了他的一根肋骨，又把皮肉合好。上帝用男人身上取出的肋骨造了一個女人，並領她到這男人麵前。

亞當說：“如今這生靈，骨取自我骨，肉取自我肉，就稱之為‘女人’，因為她是從男人身上取出來的。”

因此，男人要離開父母跟妻子連合，二人成為一體。

此時，他們兩人，男人和妻子都赤身露體，但他們彼此相對時並不難為情。

The Princess on The Pea

There was once a Prince who wanted to marry a princess;but she was to be a real princess.So he travelled about,all through the world, to find a real one,but everywhere there was something in the way.There were princesses enough,but whether they were real princesses he could not quite make out: there was always something that did not seem quite right.So he came home again,and was quite sad; for he wished so much to have a real princess.

One evening a terrible storm came on. It lightened and thundered, the rain streamed down; it was quite fearful! Then there was a knocking at the town-gate,and the old King went out to open it.

It was a Princess who stood outside the gate.But,mercy! How she looked,from the rain and the rough weather! The water ran down her hair and her clothes; it ran in at the points of her shoes,and out at the heels; and yet she declared that she was a real princess.

“Yes, we will soon find that out,\" thought the old Queen.But she said nothing,only went into the bedchamber, took all the bedding off,and put a pea on the bottom of the bedstead; then she took twenty mattresses and laid them upon the pea,and then lwenty eider-down quilts upon the mattresses.On this the Princess had to lie all night.In the morning she was asked how she had slept.

“Oh, miserably!\" said the Princess.“I scarcely closed my eyes all night long.Goodness knows what was in my bed.I lay upon something hard, so that I am black and blue all over.It is quite dreadful!\"

Now they saw that she was a real princess,for through the twenty mattresses and the twenty eider-down quilts she had felt the pea.No one but a real princess could be so tender-skinned.

So the Prince took her for his wife, for now he knew that he had a true princess and the pea was put in the museum,and it is still to be seen there, unless somebody has carried it off.

Look you,this is a true story.

豌豆上的公主

從前有一位王子，他想找一位公主結婚；但是她必須是一位真正的公主。所以他就走遍了全世界，要想尋到這樣的一位公主。可是無論他到什麼地方，他總是碰到一些障礙。公主倒有的是；不過他沒有辦法斷定她們究竟是不是真正的公主。她們總是有些地方不大對頭。結果他隻好回家來，心中很不快活，因為他是那麼渴望著得到一位真正的公主。

有一天晚上，忽然起了一陣可怕的暴風雨。天空在掣電，在打雷，在下著大雨。這真有點使人害怕!這時有人在敲著城門。老國王就走過去開門。

站在城門外的是一位公主。可是，天啦!經過了風吹雨打以後，她的樣子是多麼難看啊!水沿著她的頭發和衣服向下麵流，流進鞋尖，又從腳跟流出來。她說她是一個真正的公主。

“是的，這點我們馬上就可以弄清楚，”老皇後心裏想，可是她什麼也沒有說。她走進臥室，把所有的被褥都搬開，在床榻上放了一粒豌豆。然後她取出20床墊子，把它們壓在豌豆上；隨後她又在這些墊上放了20床鴨絨被。

這位公主夜裏就睡在這些東西上麵。

早晨大家問她昨晚睡得怎樣。

“啊，不舒服極了!”公主說。“我差不多整夜沒有合眼!天曉得我床上有件什麼東西。有一粒很硬的東西硌著我，弄得我全身發青發紫。這真怕人!”

現在大家就看出來了，她是一位真正的公主，因為壓在這20床墊子和20床鴨絨被下麵的一粒豌豆，她居然還能感覺得出來。除了真正的公主以外，任何人都不會有這麼嫩的皮膚的。

因此那位王子就選她為妻子了，因為現在他知道他得到了一位真正的公主。這粒豌豆因此也就送進了博物館。如果沒有人把它拿走的話，人們現在還可以在那兒看到它呢。

請注意，這是一個真的故事。

A Story

IN the garden all the apple-trees were in blossom. They had hurried up to get flowers before green leaves, and in the farm-yard all the ducklings were out and the cat with them: he licked real sunshine, licked it from his own paws; and if one looked along to the field, the corn stood magnificently green and there was a twittering and a chirping of all the little birds, as if it were a great festival, and indeed one might also say that it was so, for it was Sunday. The bells rang, and people in their best clothes went to church, and looked so well pleased; yes, there was something so pleasant about every thint; it was certainly a day so warm and blessed, that one could say,“Our Lord is really very good to His peo-ple!\"

But inside the church, the priest stood in the pulpit and spoke very loudly and very angrily; he said that the people were so ungodly, and that God would punish them for it, and when they died, the wicked should go down to Hell, where they should burn for ever, and he said that their worm never died, and their fire was never quenched; and never did they get peace or rest. It was terrible to hear it, and he said it so positively; he described Hell to them as a stinking hole, where all the worldu0027s filthiness flowed together, there was no air except the hot sulphur-flame, there was no bottom, they sank and sank in an everlasting silence. It was gruesome merely to listen to it, but the priest said it from the heart, and all the people in the church were quite terrified.

But outside all the little birds sang so happily, and the sun shone so warmly, it seemed as if every little flower said,“God is so very good to all of us,\" Yes, outside it was certainly not as the preacher had said.

In the evening towards bedtime, the clergyman saw his wife sitting silent and thoughtful.

“What ails you?\" he said to her.

“What ails me?\" said she,“I can not collect my thoughts properly, I cannot get clearly into my head what you said, that there were so many ungodly, and that they should burn for ever; for ever, O, how long! I am only a sinful woman, but I could not bear to let even the worst sinner burn for ever; how then should our Lord be able to do it who is so in finitely good, and who knows how the evil comes both from without and from within? No, I cannot think it, even although you say it.\"

It was autumn, the leaves fell from the trees; the severe, earnest priest sat by the death-bed of his wife.

“If any one should get peace in the grave and mercy from God, it is you!\" said the priest, and he folded her hands and read a psalm over her body.

And she was carried to her grave; two heavy tears rolled down over the cheeks of the earnest priest; and in his house it was quiet and lonely, the sunshine was extinguished; she had gone away.

It was night; a cold wind blew over the head of the priest, he opened his eyes, and it seemed as if the moon shone into his room, but the moon was not shining; it was a figure which stood before his bed; he saw the ghost of his dead wife; she looked at him sorrowfully, it seemed as if she wanted to say something.

And the man raised himself half up, and stretched out his arms to her;“Have you not been granted eternal rest either? Do you suffer-you the best, the most pious?\" And the departed one bowed her head for “Yes\", and laid her hands on her breast.

“And can I obtain rest for you in the grave?\"

“Yes,\" it answered him.

“And how?\"

“Give me a hair, only a single hair, from the head of the sinner whose fire will never be quenched, the sinner whom God will thrust down into everlasting punishment.\"

“Yes, so easily can you be set free, you pure and pious soul!\"

“Then follow me!\" said the departed one. It is so vouchsafed to us. By my side you can float whither your thoughts will； unseen by men we stand in their most secret corners, but with steady hand you must point to the one consecrated to everlasting pain, and before cook-crow he must be found.

And quickly, as if carried by thought, they were in the great town; and from the walls of the houses shone in letters of fire the names of the deadly sins: Pride, Avarice, Drunkenness, Self-indulgence, in short, the whole seven-hued rainbow of sin.

“Yes, in there, as I thought, as I knew,\" said the priest, “dwell those who are destined for eternal fire.\" And they stood before the gorgeously lighted portal, where the broad stair was decorated with carpets and flowers, and dance-music sounded through the festive halls. The footman stood in silk and velvet with silver-mounted stick.

“Our ball can compare with that of the king,\" said he, and he turned to the crowd on the street; form top to toe the thought shone out of him，“Poor pack, who stare in at the portal, you are common people compared with me, all of you!\"

“Pride,\" said the departed one.“Do you see him?\"

“Yes, but he is a simpleton, only a fool, and will not be con-demned to everlasting fire and pain!\"

“Only a fool!\" sounded through the whole house of Pride; they were all“Only fools\" there.

And they flew within the four bare walls of Avarice, where, lean, chattering with cold, hungry and thirsty, the old one clung to his gold with all his thoughts; they saw how he sprang from his miserable couch, as in a fever, and took a loose stone out of the wall, where goldmoney lay in a stoking-leg; he fingered his patched coat into which gold pieces were sewn, and the moist fingers trembled.

“He is ill, it is madness, a joyless madness, beset with fear and evil dreams.\"

And they departed in haste, and stood by the couches of the criminals where they slept in long rows, side by side.

Like a wild animal, one of them started up out of his sleep, utte-ring a horrid shriek; he dug his pointed elbow into his comrade, who turned sleepily.

“Hold your tongue, you blockhead, and sleep!-it is the same ev-ery night!\"

“Every night,\" he repeated,“yes, every night he comes and howls and suffocates me. In passion have I done one thing and another, an angry mind was I born with; it has brought me here a second time; but if I have done wrong, then I have had my punishment. Only one thing have I not acknowledged. When I last came out of here and passed my masteru0027s farm, one thing and another boiled up in me,-I scratched a sulphur match along the wall, it ran a little too near the thatch of the roof, everything burned. Passion came over it, as it comes over me. I helped to save the cattle and effects. Nothing living was burned but a flock of pigeons, which flew into the fire, and the watchdog. I had not thought of it. One could hear it howling, and that howl I always hear still, when I want to sleep, and when I fall asleep, then comes the dog, so big and shaggy; he lays himself on me, howls, presses me. and suffocales me. Then listen to what I tell you; you can snore, snore the whole night, and I not a short quarter of an hour.\" And the blood shone in his eyes, he threw himself over his comrade and hit him with clenched fist in the face.

“Angry Mads has gone mad again!\" was the cry round about, and the other scoundrels caught hold of him, wrestled with him, and bent him so that his head sat between his legs where they bound it fast; the blood was almost springing out of his eyes and all his pores.

“You will kill him,\" shouted the priest,“the miserable one!\" And whilst he, in order to hinder them, stretched out his hand over the sinner, who already in this world suffered too severly, the scene changed; they flew through rich halls, and through poor rooms; Self-indulgence, Envy, all the deadly sins marched past them; an angel of judgement read their sins, their defence; this was but weak before God, but God reads the hearts, He who is mercy and love. The hand of the priest trembled, he dared not stretch it forth to pull a hair from the sinneru0027s head. And the tears streamed from his eyes, like the water of mercy and love, which quench the everlasting fires of Hell. And the cock crew.

“Merciful God!\" Thou will give her that rest in the grave, which I have not been able to obtain.\"

“I have it now!\" said the dead one,“it was thy hard words, thy dark belief about God and His works, which drove me to thee! Learn to know men; even in the wicked there is something of God, something which will triumph, and quench the fire of Hell.\"

A kiss was pressed on the mouth of the priest, light beamed round a-bout him; Godu0027s clear sun shone into the chamber, where his wife, gentle and loving, wakened him from a dream sent by God.

一個故事

花園裏的蘋果樹都開了花。它們想要在綠葉沒有長好以前就趕快開出花朵。院子裏的小鴨都跑出來了，貓兒也跟著一起跑出來了：他是在舔著真正的太陽光——舔著他的腳爪上的太陽光。如果你朝田野裏望，你可以看到一片青翠的小麥。所有的小鳥都在吱吱喳喳地叫，好像這是一個盛大的節日似的。的確，你也可以說這是一個節日，因為這是星期天。

教堂的鍾聲在響著。大家穿著最好的衣服到教堂去，而且都顯出非常高興的樣子。是的，所有的東西都表現出一種愉快的神情。這的確是一個溫暖和幸福的日子。人們可以說：“我們的上帝對我們真好!”

不過在教堂裏，站在講台上的牧師卻是大叫大喊，非常生氣。他說：人們都不信上帝，上帝一定要懲罰他們；他們死了以後，壞的就被打入地獄，而且在地獄裏他們將永遠被烈火焚燒。他還說，他們良心的責備將永遠不停，他們的火焰也永遠不滅，他們將永遠得不到休息和安靜。

聽他的這番講道真叫人害怕，而且他講得那麼肯定。他把地獄描寫成為一個腐臭的地洞；世界上所有的髒東西都流進裏麵去；那裏麵除了磷火以外，一點兒空氣也沒有；它是一個無底洞，不聲不響地往下沉，永遠往下沉。就是光聽這個故事，也夠叫人心驚膽戰的了。但是牧師的這番話語是從心裏講出來的，所以教堂裏的聽眾都給嚇得魂不附體。

但是外麵的許多小鳥卻唱得非常愉快，太陽光也非常溫暖，每一朵小花都好像在說：“上帝對我們大家太好了。”是的，外麵的情形一點也不像牧師描寫得那麼糟。

在晚上要睡覺的時候，牧師看見他的太太坐著一聲不響，好像有什麼心事似的。

“你在想什麼呢?”他問她。

“我在想什麼?”她說。“我覺得我想不通，我不能同意你所講的話。你把不敬上帝的人說得那麼多，你說他們要永遠受火燒的刑罰。永遠，唉，永遠到什麼時候呢?連像我這樣一個有罪的女人都不忍讓最壞的惡人永遠受著火刑，我們的上帝怎麼能呢?他是那麼仁慈，他知道罪過的形成有內在的原因，也有外在的原因。不，雖然你說得千真萬確，我卻沒有辦法相信。”

這時正是秋天，葉子從樹上落下來。這位嚴峻和認真的牧師坐在一個死人的旁邊；死者懷著虔誠的信心把眼睛合上了。這就是牧師的妻子。

“如果說世上有一個人應該得到上帝的慈悲和墓中的安息的話，這個人就是你!”牧師說。他把他的雙手合起來，對死者的屍體念了一首聖詩。

她被抬到墓地裏去，這位一本正經的牧師的臉上滾下了兩滴眼淚。他家裏現在是靜寂無聲，太陽光消逝了，因為沒有了她。

這正是黑夜，一陣冷風吹到牧師的頭上來，他把眼睛睜開；這好像月亮已經照進他的房間裏來了，但是並沒有月亮在照著。在他的床麵前站著一個人形。這就是他的死去了的妻子的幽靈。她用一種非常悲哀的眼光望著他，好像她有一件什麼事情要說似的。

他直起一半身子，把手向她伸過來：“你沒有得到永恒的安息嗎?你在受苦嗎?你——最善良的、最虔誠的人!”

死者低下頭，作為一個肯定的回答。她把雙手按在胸口。

“我能想辦法使你在墓裏得到安息嗎?”

“能!”幽靈回答說。

“怎樣能呢?”

“你隻須給我一根頭發，一根被不滅的火所燒著的罪人頭上的頭發——這是一個上帝要打下地獄、永遠受苦的罪人!”

“你，純潔而虔誠的人，你把得救看得這樣容易!”

“跟著我來吧!”死者說，“上帝給了我們這種力量。隻要你心中想到什麼地方去，你就可以從我身邊飛到什麼地方去。凡人看不見我們，我們可以飛到他們最秘密的角落裏去。你必須用肯定的手，指出那個注定永遠受苦的人，而且你必須在雞叫以前就把這個人指出來。”

他們好像是被思想的翅膀托著似的，很快地就飛到一個大城市裏去了。所有房子的牆上都燃著火焰所寫成的幾件大罪的名稱：驕傲、貪婪、酗酒、任性——總之，是一整條7種顏色的罪孽所組成的長虹。

“是的，”牧師說，“在這些房子裏麵，我相信——同時我也知道——就住著那些注定永遠受火刑的人。”

他們站在一個燈火輝煌的、漂亮的大門口。寬廣的台階上鋪著地毯和擺滿花朵，歡樂的大廳裏飄出跳舞的音樂。侍者穿著絲綢和天鵝絨的衣服，手中拿著包銀的手杖。

“我們的舞會比得上皇帝的舞會，”他說。他向街上的人群望了一眼；他的全身——從頭到腳——射出這樣一個思想：“你們這群可憐的東西，你們朝門裏望；比起我來，你們簡直是一群叫花子!”

“這是驕傲!”死者說，“你看到他沒有?”

“看到了，但是他不過是一個傻瓜，一個呆子。他不會受永恒的火刑和痛苦的。”

“他不過是一個傻子!”整個“驕傲”的屋子發出這樣的一個聲音。他們都“隻不過是傻子”。

他們飛到“貪婪”的四堵牆裏麵去。這裏有一個幹瘦的老家夥，又饑又渴，凍得發抖，但是他卻聚精會神地抱著他的金子。他們看到他怎樣像發熱似地從一個破爛的睡榻上跳下來，挪開牆上一塊活動的石頭，因為那裏麵藏著他的裝在一隻襪子裏的許多金幣。他撫摸著襤褸的上衣，因為它裏麵也縫的有金幣；他的潮濕的手指在發抖。

“他病了。他害的是一種瘋病，一種沒有樂趣的、充滿了恐怖和噩夢的瘋病。”

他們匆忙地走開了。他們站在一批罪犯的木板床旁邊。這些人緊挨著睡成一排。

他們之中有一個人像一隻野獸似地從睡夢中跳起來，發出一個可怕的尖叫聲。他用他的瘦削的手肘把他旁邊的一個人推了幾下。這人在睡夢中翻了一個身，說：

“閉住嘴吧，你這個畜生，趕快睡呀!你每天晚上總是來這一套!”

“每天晚上?”他重複著說。“是的，他每天晚上總是來對我亂叫，折磨著我。我一發起脾氣來，不做這就要做那，我生下來就是脾氣壞的。這已經是我第二次被關在這兒了。不過，假如說我做了壞事，我已經得到了懲罰。隻有一件事情我沒有承認。上次我從牢裏出來的時候，從我主人的田莊附近走過，心裏不知怎的忽然鬧起別扭來。我在牆上劃了一根火柴——我劃得離開草頂太近，立刻就燒起來了。火燎起來正她像脾氣在我身上發作一樣。我盡量幫忙救這屋子裏的牲口和家具。除了飛進火裏去的一群鴿子和套在鏈子上的看門狗以外，什麼活東西也沒有燒死。我沒有想到這隻狗，人們可以聽見它在號叫——我現在在睡覺的時候還能聽見它號叫。我一睡著，這隻毛茸茸的大狗子就來了。它躺在我身上號叫，壓著我，使我喘不過氣來。我告訴你吧：你可以睡得打呼嚕，一整夜打呼嚕，但是我隻能睡短短的一刻鍾。”

這人的眼睛裏射出血絲。他倒到他的朋友身上，緊捏著一個拳頭朝他的臉上打來。

“瘋子又發作了!”周圍的人齊聲說。其餘的罪犯都把他抓住，和他揪作一團。他們把他彎過來，使他的頭夾在兩腿中間，然後再把他緊緊地綁住。他的一雙眼睛和全身的毛孔幾乎都要噴出血來了。

“你們這樣會把他弄死的，”牧師大聲說，“可憐的東西!”他向這個受夠了苦的罪人身上伸出一隻保護的手來；正在這時候，情景變了。他們飛過富麗的大廳，他們飛過貧窮的房間。“任性”、“嫉妒”和其他主要的“罪孽”都在他們身邊走過。一個作為裁判官的安琪兒宣讀這些東西的罪過和辯護。在上帝麵前，這並不是重要的事情，因為上帝能夠洞察人的內心；他知道心裏心外的一切罪過；他本身就是慈悲和博愛。牧師的手顫抖起來，他不敢伸出手在這罪人的頭上拔下一根頭發。眼淚像慈悲和博愛的水一樣，從他的眼睛裏流出來，把地獄裏的永恒的火滴熄了。

這時雞叫了。

“慈悲的上帝!隻有您能讓她在墓裏安息，我做不到這件事情。”

“我現在已經得到安息了，”死者說。“因為你說出那樣駭人的話語，你對他和他的造物感到那樣悲觀，所以我才不得不到你這兒來!好好地把人類認識一下吧，就是最壞的人身上也有一點上帝的成份——這點成份可以戰勝和熄滅地獄裏的火。”

牧師的嘴上得到了一個吻，他的周圍充滿了陽光。上帝的明朗的太陽光射進房間裏來。他的活著的、溫柔和藹的妻子把他從上帝送來的一個夢中喚醒。

A leaf from the Sky

HIGH up, in the thin chear air, flew an angel with a flower from the heavenly garden. As he was kissing the flower, a very little leaf fell down into the soft soil in the midst of the wood, and immediately took root, and sprouted, and sent forth shoots among the other plants.

“A funny kind of slip, that,”said the Plants.

And neither Thistle nor Stinging-Nettle would recognize the stranger.

“That must be a kind of garden plant,”said they. And they sneered; and the plant was despised by them as being a thing out of the garden, but it grew and grew, like none of the others, and shot its branches far and wide.

“Where are you coming?”cried the lofty Thistles, whose leaves are all armed with thorns.“You give yourself a good deal of space! Thatu0027s all nonsense-we are not here to support you!”

And winter came, and snow covered the plant; but the plant imparted to the snowy covering a lustre as if the sun was shining upon it from below as from above. When spring came, the plant appeared as flourishing and more beautiful than any growth of the forest.

And now appeared on the scene the botanical professor, who could show what he was in black and white. He inspected the plant and tested it, but found it was not included in his botanical system; and he could not possibly find out to what class it belonged.

“It must be some subordinate species,” he said.“I donu0027t know it. Itu0027s not included in any system.”

“Not included in any system!”repeated the Thistles and the Nettles.

The great trees that stood round about heard what was said, and they also saw that it was not a tree of their kind but they said not a word, good or bad, which is the wisest thing for people to do who are stupid.

There came through the forest a poor innocent girl. Her heart was pure, and her understanding was enlarged by faith. Her whole inheritance was an old Bible; but out of its pages a voice said to her,“If people wish to do us evil, remember how it was said of Joseph:-they imagined evil in their hearts, but God turned it to good. If we suffer wrong-if we are misunderstood and despised-then we may recall the words of Him Who was purity and goodness itself, and Who forgave and prayed for those who buffeted and nailed Him to the cross.”

The girl stood still in front of the wonderful plant, whose great leaves exhaled a sweet and refreshing fragrance, and whose flowers glittered like coloured flames in the sun; and from each flower there came a sound as though it concealed within itself a deep fount of melody that thousands of years could not exhaust. With pious gratilude the girl looked on this beautiful work of the Greator, and bent down one of the branches towards herself to breathe its sweetness; and a light arose in her soul. It seemed to do her heart good; and gladly would she have plucked a flower, but she could not make up her mind to break one off, for it would soon fade if she did so. Therefore the girl only took a single leaf, and laid it in her Bible at home; and it there quite fresh, always green, and never fading.

Among the pages of the Bible it was kept; and ,with the Bible, it was laid under the young girlu0027s head when, afew weeks a fterwards, she lay in her coffin, with the solemn calm of death on her gentle face, as if the earthly remains bore the impress of the truth that she now stood before her Grealor.

But the wonder ful plant still bloomed without in the forest. Soon it was like a tree to look upon; and all the birds of passage bowed before it, especially the swallow and the stork.

“There are foreign airs now,”said the Thistles and the Burdocks;“we never behave like that here.”

And the black snails actually spat at the flower.

Then came the swineherd. He was collecting thistles and shrubs, to burn them for the ashes. The wonder ful plant was pulled up with all its roots and placed in his bundle.

“It shall be made useful,”he said; and so said, so done.

But for more than a year and a day, the King of the country was troubled with a terrible depression of spirils. He was busy and industrious, but that did him no good. They read him deep and learned books, and then they read from the very lightest that they could find; but it was of no use. Then one of the wise men of the world, to whom they had applied, sent a messenger to tell the King that there was one remedy to give him relief and to cure him. He said:

“In the Kingu0027s own country there grows in a forest a plant of heavenly origin. Its appearance is thus. It cannot be mistaken.”And here was added a drawing of the plant, which was easy to recognize. “It remains green winter and summer. Take every evening a fresh leaf of it, and lay that on the Kingu0027s forehead; then his thoughts will become clear, and during the night a beautiful dream will strengthen him for the coming day.”

This was all clear enough, and all the doctors and the professor of botany went out into the forest.—Yes, but where was the plant?

“I fancy it was taken up in my bundle, and burned to ashes ling ago,”said the swineherd;“but I did not know any better.”

“You did not know any better!”said they all together. “O,igno-rance, ignorance, how great thou art!”

And those words the swineherd might well take to himself, for they were, meant for him, and for no one else.

Not another leaf was to be found; the only one lay in the coffin of the dead girl, and no one knew anything about that.

And the King himself, in his melancholy, wandered out to the spot in the wood.

“Here is where the plant stood,”he said; “it is a sacred place.”

And the place was surrounded with a golden railing, and a sentry was posted there both by night and by day.

The botanical professor wrote a long treatise upin the heavenly plant. For this he was decorated, and that was a great delight to him, and the decoration suited him and his family very well.

And indeed that was the most agreeable part of the whole story, for the plant was gone, and the King remained as low-spirited as before; but that he had always been, at least so the sentry said.

天上落下來的一片葉子

在稀薄的、清爽的空中，有一個安琪兒拿著天上花園中的一朵花在高高地飛。當他在吻著這朵花的時候，有一小片花瓣落到樹林中鬆軟的地上。這花瓣馬上就生了根，並且在許多別的植物中間冒出芽來。

“這真是一根很滑稽的插枝，”別的植物說。薊和蕁麻都不認識它。

“這一定是花園裏長的一種植物!”它們說，並且還發出一聲冷笑。它們認為它是花園裏的一種植物而開它的玩笑。但是它跟別的植物不同；它在不停地生長；它把長枝子向四麵伸開來。

“你要伸到什麼地方去呢?”高大的薊說。它的每片葉子都長滿了刺。“你占的地方太多!這真是豈有此理!我們可不能扶持你呀!”

冬天來了；雪把植物蓋住了。不過這棵植物給雪層增添了一片光彩，好像有太陽從底下照一來似的。在春天的時候，這棵植物開出花來；它比樹林裏的任何植物都要美麗。

這時來了一位植物學教授。他有許多學位來說明他的身份。他對這棵植物望了一眼，檢驗了一番；但是他發現他的植物體係內沒有這種東西。他簡直沒有辦法把它分類。

“它是一種變種!”他說。“我不認識它，它不屬於任何一科!”

“不屬於任何一科!”薊和蕁麻說。

周圍的許多大樹都聽到了這些話。它們也看出來了，這種植物不屬於它們的係統。但是它們什麼話也不說——不說壞話，也不說好話。對於傻子說來，這是一種最聰明的辦法。

這時有一個貧苦的天真女孩走過樹林。她的心很純潔；因為她有信仰，所以她的理解力很強，她全部的財產隻是一部很舊的《聖經》，不過她在每頁書上都聽見上帝的聲音：如果有人想對你做壞事，你要記住約瑟的故事——“他們在心裏想著壞事情，但是上帝把它變成好事情。”如果你受到委屈，被人誤解或者被人侮辱，你隻須記住上帝的話。他是一個最純潔、最善良的人。他為那些譏笑他和把他釘上十字架的人祈禱：“天父，請原諒他們吧，他們不知道他們自己在做什麼事情!”

女孩子站在這棵稀奇的植物麵前——它的綠葉發出甜密和清新的香氣，它的花朵在太陽光中射出五光十色的焰火般的光彩。每朵花發出一種音樂，好像它裏麵有一股音樂的泉水，幾千年也流不盡。女孩子懷著虔誠的心情，望著造物主的這些美麗的創造。她順手把一根枝條拉過來，細看上麵的花朵，聞一聞這些花朵的香氣。她心裏輕鬆起來，感到一種愉快。她很想摘下一朵花，但是她不忍把它折斷，因為這樣花就會凋謝了。她隻是摘下一片綠葉。她把它帶回家來，夾在《聖經》裏。葉子在這本書裏永遠保持新鮮，從來沒有凋謝。

葉子就這樣藏在《聖經》裏。幾個星期以後，當這女孩子躺在棺材裏的時候，《聖經》就放在她的頭底下。她溫柔的臉上露出了一種死亡的莊嚴和寧靜，好像她的這個塵世的軀殼，就是說明她現在已經在上帝麵前的印證。

但是那棵奇異的植物仍然在樹林裏開著花。它很快就要長成一棵樹了。許多侯鳥，特別是鸛鳥和燕子，都飛到這兒來，在它麵前低頭致敬。

“這東西已經有點洋派頭了!”薊和牛蒡說。“我們這些本鄉生長的植物從來沒有這副樣子!”

黑蝸牛實際上已經在這植物身上吐粘液了。

這時有一個豬倌來了。他正在采集蕁麻和蔓藤，目的是要把它們燒出一點灰來。這棵奇異的植物也被連根拔起來了，紮在一個柴捆裏。

“也叫它能夠有點用處!”他說，同時他也就這樣做了。

但是這個國家的君主多少年來一直害著很重的憂鬱病。他是非常忙碌和勤儉，但是這對他的病卻沒有什麼幫助。人們念些深奧的書給他聽，或念些世上最輕鬆的讀物給他聽，但這對他的病也沒有什麼好處。人們請教世界上一個最聰明的人，這人派來一個信使。信使對大家說，要減輕和治好國王的病，現在隻有一種藥方。他說：“在國王的領土裏，有一個樹林裏長著一棵來自天上的植物。它的形狀是如此這般，人們決不會弄錯。”它不論在冬天或夏天都是綠的。人們隻須每天晚上摘下一片新鮮的葉子，把它放在國王的額上，那麼國王的頭腦就會變得清新，他夜間就會做一個美麗的夢，他第二天也就會有精神了。”

這個說明已經是夠清楚了。所有的醫生和那位植物學教授都到樹林裏去—是的，不過這棵植物在什麼地方呢?

“我想我已經把它紮進柴捆裏去了!”豬倌說；“它早就已經燒成灰了。別的事情我不知道!”

“你不知道!”大家齊聲說。“啊，愚蠢啊!愚蠢啊!你是多麼偉大啊!”

The Angel

“Whenever good child dies, an angel from heaven comes down to earth and takes the dead child in his arms, spreads out his great white wings, and flies away over all the places the child has loved, and picks quite a handful of flowers, which he carries up to the Almighty, that they may bloom in heaven more brightly than on earth. And the Father presses all the flowers to His heart; but He kisses the flower that pleases Him best, and the flower is then endowed with a voice, and can join in the great chorus of praise!”

“See”—this is what an angel said, as he carried a dead child up to heaven , and the child heard, as if in a dream, and they went on over the regions of home where the little child had played, and they came through gardens with beautiful flowers—“which of these shall we take with us to plant in heaven?”asked the angel.

Now there stood near them a slender, beautiful rose bush ;but a wicked hand had broken the stem,so that all the branches, covered with half opened ands, were hanging around, quite withered.

“The poor rose bush!”said the child.“Take it, that it may bloom up yonder.”

And the angel took it, and kissed the child, and the little one half opened his eyes. They plucked some of the rich flowers, but also took with them the despised buttercup and the wild pansy.

“Now we have flowers,”said the child.

And the angel nodded, but he did not yet fly upwards to heaven. It was night and quite silent. They remained in the great city; they floated about there in one of the narrowset streets, where lay whole heaps of straw, ashes, and sweepings, for it had been removal-day. There lay fragments of plates, bits of plates, bits of plaster, rags, and old hats, and all this did not look well. And the angel pointed amid all this confusion to a few fragments of a flower-pot, and to a lump of earth which had fallen out, and which was kept together by the roots of a great dried field flower, which was of no use, and had therefore been thrown out into the street.

“We will take that with us,”said the angel.“I will tell you why, as we fly onward.”

So they flew, and the angel related,

“Down yonder in the narrow lane, in the low cellar, lived a poor sick boy; from his childhood he had been bed-ridden. When he was at his best he could go up and down the room a few times, leaning on crutches; that was the utmost he could do. For a few days in summer the sunbeams would penetrate for a few hours to the front of the cellar, and when the poor boy sat there and the sun shone on him, and he looked at the red blood in his fine fingers, as he held them up before his face, they would say, ‘Yes, today he has been out!’He knew the forest with its beautiful vernal green only from the fact that the neighbouru0027s son brought him the first green branch of a beech tree, and he held that up over his head, and dreamed he was in the beech wood where the sun shone and the birds sang. On a spring day the neighbouru0027s boy also brought him field flowers, and among these was, by chance, one to which the root was hanging;and so it was planted in a flower-pot, and placed by the bed, close to the window. And the flower had been planted by a fortunate hand; and it grew, threw out new shoots, and bore flowers every year. It became as a splendid flower garden to the sickly boy —his little treasure here on earth.

He watered it, and tended it, and took care that it had the benefit of every tay of sunlight, down to the last that struggled in through the narrow window; and the flower itself was woven into his dreams, for it grew for him and gladdened his eyes, and spread its pagrance about hom; and towards it he turned in death, when the Father called him.

He has now been with the Atmighty for a year; for a year the flower has stood forgotten in the window, and is withered; and thus, at the removal,it has been thrown out into the dust of streel. And this is the flower, the poor withered flower, which we have taken into our nosegay; for this flower has given more joy than the richest flower in a Queenu0027s garden!”

“But how do you know all this?”asked the child which the angel was carrying to heaven.

“I know it,”said the angel,“for I myself was that little boy who went on crutches! I know my flower well!”

And the child opened his eyes and looked into the glorious happy face of the angel; and at the same moment they entered the regions where there is peace and joy. And the Father pressed the dead child to His bosom, and then it received wings like the angel, and flew hand in hand with him. And the Almighty pressed all the flowers to His heart;but He kissed the dry withered field flower, and it received a voice and sang with all the angels hovering around—some near, and some in wider circles, and some in infinite distance,but all equally happy.

And they all sang,little and great, the good happy child, and the poor field flower that had lain there withered, thrown among the dust, in the rubbish of the removal-day,in the narrow dark lane.

安琪兒

“隻要有一個好孩子死去，就會有一個上帝的安琪兒飛到世界上來。她把死去的孩子抱在懷裏，展開他的白色的翅膀，在孩子生前喜愛的地方飛翔。他摘下一大把花，把它們帶到天上去，好叫它們開得比在人間更美麗。仁慈的上帝把這些花緊緊摟在胸前，但是他隻吻那棵他認為最可愛的花。這棵花於是就有了聲音，能跟大家一起唱著幸福的頌歌。”

“瞧——這就是上帝的安琪兒抱著一個死孩子飛上天時所講的話。孩子聽到這些話的時候，就像在做夢一樣。他們飛過了他在家裏玩過的許多地方，飛過了開滿美麗的花朵的花園。

“我們把哪一朵花兒帶去栽在天上呢?”安琪兒問。

他們看見一棵細長的、美麗的玫瑰，但是它的花梗已被一隻惡毒的手摘斷了。所以它那些長滿了半開的花苞的枝子都垂了下來，萎謝了。

“可憐的玫瑰花!”孩子說，“把它帶走吧。它可以在上帝的麵前開出花來的!”

安琪兒就把這朵花帶走了，同時還吻了孩子一下。孩子半睜開他的眼睛。他們摘下了幾朵美麗的花，但也帶走了幾朵被人瞧不起的金鳳花和野生的三角堇花。

“現在我們可有了花兒了，”孩子說。安琪兒點點頭，可是他們並沒有飛到天上去。這是夜晚，非常靜寂。他們停留在這座大城裏。他們在一條最狹窄的街上飛。街上堆著很多幹草、塵土的垃圾，因為這是一個搬家的日子。這兒還有破碎的碗盤、牆上脫落下來的泥塊、爛布和破帽子——這一切都不太好看。

安琪兒在這堆爛東西中間指著幾塊花盆的碎片和花盆裏麵掉出來的一團幹泥塊。一大棵枯萎了的野花用它的根把自己和這塊土維係在一起。這棵花現在已經沒有用。因此被人拋到街上來了。

“我們要把這棵花帶走!”安琪兒說，“我在飛行的時候再把理由告訴你。”

於是他們就飛走了，安琪兒講了這樣一個故事：

“在下麵這條窄街上的一個很低的地下室裏，住著一個生病的窮孩子。從很小的時候起，他就一直躺在床上。他身體最好的時候，可以拄著拐杖在那個小房間裏來回地走一兩次。他至多隻能做到這一點。每年夏天，太陽光有幾天可以射進這個地下室的前房，每次大約有幾個小時的光景。當小孩坐在那兒、讓溫暖的太陽光照在身上的時候，他就把瘦小的指頭伸到麵前，望著裏麵的鮮紅的血色。這時人們就說：‘今天這孩子出來了。’

“他對於樹林的知識是從春天的綠色體會出來的。因為鄰家的孩子帶給了他第一根山毛櫸的綠枝。他把它舉在頭上，幻想自己來到了一個山毛櫸的樹林裏——這兒有太陽光射進來，有鳥兒在唱歌。

“在一個春天的日子裏，那個鄰家的孩子又帶給他幾棵野花。在這些野花中間，有一棵還很偶然的樣子。因此這棵花就被栽在一個花盆裏，放在床邊。緊靠著窗子了。這棵花是一隻幸運的手栽種的，因此它就生長起來，冒出新芽，每年開出花朵，成了這個病孩子的最美麗的花園——他在這世界上的一個寶庫。

他為它澆水，照料它，盡量使它得到射進這扇低矮的窗子裏來的每一線陽光。這棵花兒常常來到他的夢裏，因為它為他開出了花，為他散發出香氣，使他的眼睛得到快感。當上帝召他去的時候，他在死神麵前最後要看的東西就是這棵花。

“現在他住在天上已經有一年了。在這一年中，這棵花在窗子上完全被人忘掉了。它已經枯萎，因此搬家的時候，就被人扔在街上的垃圾堆裏。我們現在把這棵可憐的、萎謝了的花收進我們的花束中來。因為它給與人的快樂，大大地超過了皇家花園裏麵那些最豔麗的花。”

“你怎麼知道這件事的呢?”這個被安琪兒帶上天去的孩子問。

“我當然知道，”安琪兒說，“因為我就是那個拄著拐杖走路的病孩子呀!我當然認識我的花!”

孩子睜著一雙大眼睛，凝望著安琪兒的美麗幸福的臉。正在這時候，他們來到了天上，來到了和平幸福的天堂。上帝把孩子緊緊地摟在胸前，於是他獲得了安琪兒那樣的翅膀，與他手拉手一起飛翔。上帝還把花兒擁到胸前，特地吻了吻那棵可憐的、萎謝了的野花。因此那棵野花就有了聲音。現在它能跟在周圍飛翔的所有安琪兒一齊歌唱了——他們有的飛得很近，有的繞著大圈子，飛得很遠，飛到無垠的遠方，但他們全都是幸福的。

他們都唱著歌——大大小小的、善良快樂的孩子們，還有搬家那天被扔在狹巷裏垃圾堆上的那棵枯萎了的可憐的野花，大家都唱著歌。

The Happy Family

The biggest leaf here in the country is certainly the burdock leaf. Put one in front of your waist and itu0027s just like an apron,and if you lay it upon your head it is almost as good as an umbrella, for it is quite remardably large.A burdock never grows alone; where there is one there are several more. Itu0027s splendid to behold! and all this splendour is snailsu0027meat.

The great white snails, which the grand people in old times used to have made into fricassees, and when they had eaten them they would say,“Hu0027m, how good that is!\" for they had the idea that it tasted delicious. These snails lives,and thatu0027s why burdocks were sown.

Now there was an old estate, on which people ate snails no longer. The snails had died out, but the burdocks had not. These latter grew and grew in all the walks and on all the beds-there was no stopping them; the place became a complete forest of burdocks. Here and there stood an apple or plum tree; but for this, nobody would have thought a garden had been there. Everything was burdock, and among the burdocks lived the two last ancient Snails.

They did not know themselves how old they were, but they could very well remember that there had been a great many more of them, that they had descended from a foreign family, and that the whole forest had been planted for them and theirs. They had never been away from home, but it was known to them that smoething existed in the world called the manorhouse, and that there one was boiled,and one became black, and was laid upon a silver dish; but what was done afterwards they did not know. Moreover, they could not imagine what that might be, beingboiled and laid upon a silver dish; but it was said to be fine, and particularly grand! Neither the cockchafer, nor the toad, nor the earth worm, whom they questioned about it,could give them any information, for none of their kind had ever been boiled and laid on silver dishes.

The old white Snails were the grandest in the world; they knew that! The forest was there for their sake, and the manor-house too, so that they might be boiled and laid on silver dishes.

They led a very retired and happy life, and as they themselves were childless, they had adopted a little common snail, which they brought up as their own child.But the little thing would not grow, for it was only a common snail, though the old people, and particularly the mother, declared one could easily see how he grew. And when the father could not see it. she requested him to feel the little snailu0027s shell, and he felt it, and acknowledged that she was right.

One day it rained very hard.

“Listen, how itu0027s drumming on the burdock leaves, rum-dum-dum! rum-dum-dum!\" said the Father-Suail.

“Thatu0027s what I call drops.\" said the mother.“Itu0027s coming straight down the stalks. Youu0027ll see it will be wet here directly. Iu0027m only glad that we have our good house, and that the little one has his own. There has been more done for us than for any other creature; one can see very plainly that we are the grand folks of the world! We have houses from our birth, and the burdock forest has been planted for us: I should like to know how far it extends, and what lies beyond it.\"

“Thereu0027s nothing outside of it,\" said the Father-Snail, “no place can be better than here at home; I have nothing at all to wish for.\"

“Yes,\" said the mother, “I should like to be taken to the manor-house and boiled, and laid upon a silver dish; that has been done to all our ancestors, and you may be sure itu0027s quite a distinguished honour.\"

“The manor-house has perhaps fallen in,\" said the Father-Snail, “or the forest of burdocks may have grown over it, so that the people canu0027t get out at all. You need not be in a hurry-but you always hurry so, and the little one is beginning just the same way. Has he not been creeping up that stalk these three days? My head quite aches when I look up at him.\"

“You must not scold him,\" said the Mother-Snail. “He crawls very deliberately. We shall have much joy in him; and we old people have nothing else to live for.But have you ever thought where we shall get a wife for him? Donu0027t you think that farther in the wood there may be some more of our kind?\"

“There may be black snails there, I think,\" said the old man,“black snails without house! but theyu0027re too vulgar. And theyu0027re conceited, for all that. But we can give the commission to the ants: they run to and fro,as if they had business; theyu0027re sure to know of a wife for our young gentleman.\"

“I certainly know the most beautiful of brides,\" said one of the Ants; “but I fear she would not do, for she is the Queen!\" “That does not matter,\" said the two old Snails.“Has she a house?

“She has a castle!\" replied the Ant. “The most beautiful antu0027s castle, with seven hundred passages.\"

“Thank you,\" said the Mother-Snail; “our boy shall not go into an ant-hill. If you know of nothing better, weu0027ll give the commission to the white gnats; they fly far about in rain and sunshine, and they know the burdock wood, inside and outside.\"

“We have a wife for him,\" said the Gnats.“A hundred man-steps from here a little snail with a house is sitting on a gooseberry bush, she is quite alone, and old enough to marry. Itu0027s only a hundred man-steps from here.\"

“Yes, let her come to him,\" said the old people. “He has a whole burdock forest, and she has only a bush.\"

And so they brought the little maiden snail. Eight days passed before she arrived,but that was the rare circumstance about it, for by this one could see that she was of the right kind.

And then they had a wedding. Six glow-worms lighted as well as they could: with this exception it went very quietly, for the old snail people could not bear feasting and dissipation. But a capital speech was made by the Mother-Snail. The father could not speak, he was so much moved. Then they gave the young couple the whole burdock forest for an inheritance,and said,what they had always said, namely-that it was the best place in the world, and that the young people, if they lived honourably, and increased and multiplied, would some day be taken with their children to the manor-house, and boiled black, and laid upon a silver dish. And when the speech was finished, the old people crept into their houses and never came out again, for they slept.

The young snail pair now ruled in the forest, and had a numerous proneny. But as the young ones were never boiled and put into silver dishes, they concluded that the manor-house had fallen in,and that all the people in the world had died out.And as nobody contradicted them, they must have been right. And the rain fell down upon the burdock leaves to play the drum for them, and the sun shone to colour the burdock forest for them, and they were happy, very happy-the whole family was happy, uncommonly happy!

幸福的家庭

這個國家裏最大的綠葉子，無疑要算是牛蒡的葉子了。你拿一片放在你的肚皮上，那麼它就像一條圍裙。如果你把它放在頭上，那麼在雨天裏它就可以當作一把傘用，因為它出奇地寬大。牛蒡從來不單獨地生長；不，凡是長著一棵牛蒡的地方，你一定可以找到好幾棵。這是它最可愛的一點，而這些可愛的東西正是蝸牛的食料。

在古時候，許多大人物把這些白色的大蝸牛做成“碎肉”；當他們吃著的時候，就說：“哼，味道真好!”因為他們認為蝸牛的味道很美。這些蝸牛都靠牛蒡葉子活著；因此人們才種植牛蒡。

現在有一個古老的公館，住在裏麵的人已經不再吃蝸牛了。所以蝸牛都死光了，不過牛蒡還活著，這植物在小徑上和花畦上長得非常茂盛，人們怎麼也沒有辦法製止它們。這地方簡直成了一個牛蒡森林。要不是這兒那兒有幾株蘋果樹和海子樹，誰也不會想到這是一個花園。處處都是牛蒡；在它們中間住著最後的兩個蝸牛遺老。

它們不知道自己究竟有多大年紀。不過它們記得很清楚；它們的數目曾經是很多很多，而且都屬於一個從國外遷來的家庭，整個森林就是為它們和它們的家族而發展起來的。它們從來沒有離開過家，不過卻聽說過：這個世界上還有一個什麼叫做“公館”的東西。它們在那裏麵被烹調著，然後變成黑色，最後被盛在一個銀盤子裏。不過結果怎樣，它們一點也不知道。此外，它們也想象不出來，烹調完了以後盛在銀盤子裏，究竟是一種什麼味道。那一定很美，特別排場!它們請教過小金蟲、癩蛤蟆和蝗蚓，但是一點道理也問不出來，因為它們誰也沒有被烹調過或盛在銀盤子裏麵過。

那對古老的白蝸牛要算世界上最有身份的人物了。它們自己知道森林就是為了它們而存在的，公館也是為了使它們能被烹調和放在銀盤子裏而存在的。

它們過著安靜和幸福的生活。因為它們自己沒有孩子，所以就收養了一個普通的小蝸牛。它們把它作為自己的孩子撫育。不過這小東西長不大，因為它不過是一個普通的蝸牛而已。但是這對老蝸牛——尤其是媽媽——覺得她能看出它在長大。假如爸爸看不出的話，她要求他摸摸它的外殼。因此他就摸了一下；他發現媽媽說的話有道理。

有一天雨下得很大。

“請聽牛蒡葉子上的響聲——咚咚咚!咚咚咚!”蝸牛爸爸說。

“這就是我所說的雨點，”蝸牛媽媽說，“它沿著梗子滴下來了!你可以看到，這兒馬上就會變得潮濕了!我很高興，我們有我們自己的房子；小家夥也有他自己的。我們的優點比任何的生物都多。大家一眼就可以看出，我們是世界上最高貴的人!我們一生下來就有房子住，而且這堆牛蒡林完全是為了我們而種植的——我倒很想知道它究竟有多大，在它的外邊還有些什麼別的東西!”

“它的外邊什麼別的東西也沒有!”蝸牛爸爸說，“世界上再也沒有比我們這兒更好的地方了。我什麼別的想頭也沒有。”

“對，”媽媽說，“我倒很想到公館裏去被烹調一下，然後放到銀盤子裏去。我們的祖先們都是這們；你要知道，這是一種光榮呢!”

“公館也許已經塌了，”蝸牛爸爸說，“或者牛蒡草已經長成了樹林，弄得人們連走都走不到森林，你不要急——或者是那麼急，連那個小家夥也開始學起你來了，這三天來不斷地往梗子上爬麼?當我抬頭看看他的時候，我的頭都昏了。”

“請你無論如何不要罵他，”蝸牛媽媽說，“他爬得很有把握。他使我們得到許多快樂。我們這對老夫婦沒有什麼別的東西值得活下去了。不過，你想到過沒有：我們在什麼地方可以為他找個太太呢?在這林子的深處，可以有住著我們的族人，你想過沒有?”

“我相信那兒住著些黑蝸牛，”老頭兒說，“沒有房子的黑蝸牛!不過他們都是一幫卑下的東西，而且還喜歡擺架子。不過我們可以托螞蟻辦辦這件事情，他們跑來跑去，好像很忙的。他們一定能為我們的小少爺找個太太。”

“我認識一位最美麗的姑娘!”螞蟻說，“不過我恐怕她不成，因為她是一個王後!”

“這沒有什麼關係，”兩位老蝸牛說，“她有一座房子嗎?”

“她有一座宮殿!”螞蟻說，“一座最美麗的螞蟻宮殿，裏麵有700條走廊。”

“謝謝你!”蝸牛媽媽說：“我們的孩子可不會鑽螞蟻窟的。假如你找不到更好的對象的話，我們可以托白蚊蚋來辦這件差事。他們天晴下雨都在外麵飛。牛蒡林的裏裏外外，他們都知道。”

“我們為他找到一個太太，”蚊蚋說，“離這兒100步路遠的地方，有一個房子的小蝸牛住在醋栗叢上。她是很寂寞的，她已經夠結婚年齡。她住的地方離此地隻不過100步遠!”

“是的，讓她來找他吧，”這對老夫婦說，“他擁有整個的牛蒡林，而她隻不過有小醋栗叢!”

這樣，它們就去請那位小蝸牛姑娘來。她足足過了8天才到來，但是這是一種很珍貴的現象，因為這說明她是一個很正經的女子。

於是它們就舉行了婚禮。6個螢火蟲盡量發出光來照著。除此以外，一切是非常安靜的，因為這對老蝸牛夫婦不喜歡大喜大鬧。不過蝸牛媽媽發表了一篇動人的演說。蝸牛爸爸一句話也講不出來，因為他受到了極大的感動。於是它們把整座牛蒡林送給這對年輕夫婦，作為遺產；並且說了一大套它們常說的話，那就是——這地方是世界上最好的一塊地方，如果它們要體麵地生活和繁殖下去的話，它們和它們的孩子將來就應該到那個公館裏去，以便被煮得漆黑、放到銀盤子上麵。

當這番演說講完了以後，這對老夫婦就鑽進了它們的屋子裏去，再也不出來。它們睡著了。

年輕的夫婦現在占有了這座森林，同時生了一大堆孩子。不過它們從來沒有被烹調過，也沒有到銀盤子裏去過。因此它們就下了一個結論，認為那個公館已經塌了，全世界的人類都已經死去了。誰敢沒有反對它們這種看法，因此它們的看法一定是對的。雨打在牛蒡葉子上，為它們發出咚咚的音樂來。太陽為它們發出亮光，使這牛蒡林增添了不少光彩。這樣，它們過得非常幸福——這整個家庭是幸福的，說不出的幸福!

Vanity Fair(《名利場》)

1

Sir Pitt Crawley was a philosopher with a taste for what is called low life.His first marriage with the daughter of the noble Binkie had been made under the auspices of his parents; and as she often told lady Crawley in his lifetime she was such a confounded quarrelsome high-bred jade that when she died he was hanged if he would ever take another of her sort, and at her aldyshipu0027s demise he kept his promise, and selected for a second wife Miss Rose Dawson, daughter of Mr John Thomas Dawson, iron monger, of Mudbury. What a happy woman was Rose to be my Lady Crawley!

［譯文］

畢脫·克勞萊爵士為人豁達，喜歡所謂下層階級的生活。他第一次結婚的時候，奉父母之命娶了一位貴族小姐，是平葛家裏的女兒。克勞萊夫人活著的時候，他就常常當麵說她是個討人嫌的婆子，禮數又足，嘴巴子又碎；並且說等她死了之後，死也不願意再娶這麼一個老婆了。他說到做到；妻子去世以後，他就挑了墨特白萊鐵器商人約翰·湯姆士·道生的女兒露絲·道生做填房。露絲真是好福氣，居然做了克勞萊爵士夫人。

2

“The girls were up at four this morning, packing her trunks, sister,\" replied Miss Jemina; “We have made her a bow-pot.\"

“Say a bouquet, sister Jemina, its more genteel.\"

“Well, a booky as big almost as a hay-stack, I have put up two bottles of the gillyflower water for Mrs Sedley, and the receipt for making it, in Ameliau0027s box.\"

［譯文］

“女孩子們清晨四點鍾就起來幫她理箱子了，姐姐。我們還給她紮了一捆花兒。”

“妹妹，用字文雅點兒，說一束花。”

“好的。這一簇兒大得像個草堆兒。我還包了兩瓶子香花露送給賽特笠太太，連方子都在愛米利亞的箱子裏。”

3

She was small and slight in person; pale, sandy-haired, and with eyes habitually cast down; when they looked up they were very large, odd,and attractive, so attractive, that the Reverend Mr.Crisp, fresh from Oxford,and curate to the Vicar of Chiswick, the Reverend Mr. Flowerdew, fell in love with Miss Sharp; being shot dead by a glance of her eyes which was fired all the way across Chiswick Church from the school-pew to the reading-desk. This infatuated young man used wonetimes to take tea with Miss Pinkerton, to whom he had been presented by his mamma,and actually proposed something like marriage in an intercepted note, which the one-eyed apple-woman was charged to deliver. Mrs, Crisp was summoned from Buxton, and abruptly carried off her darling boy; but the idea, even, of such an eagle in the Chiswick dovecot carsed a great flutter in the breast of Miss pinkerton, who would have sent away Miss Sharp, but that she was bound to her under a forfeit, and who(9) never could thoroughly believe the young ladyu0027s protestations that she had never exchanged a single word with Mr. Crisp except under her own eyes on the two occasions when she had met him at tea.

【譯文】

她身量瘦小，臉色蒼白，頭發是淡黃色的。她慣常低眉垂目，抬起眼來看人的時候，眼睛顯得很特別，不但大，而且動人。契息克的弗拉沃丟牧師手下有一個副牧師，名叫克裏斯潑，剛從牛津大學畢業，竟因此愛上了她。夏潑小姐的眼風穿過契息克教堂，從學校的包座直射到牧師的講台上，一下子就把克裏斯潑牧師結果了。這昏了頭的小夥子曾經由她媽媽介紹給平克頓小姐，偶然也到她學校喝茶。他托那個獨眼的賣蘋果的女人給她傳遞情書，被人發現，信裏麵的話簡直等於向夏潑小姐求婚。克裏斯潑太太得到消息，連忙從勃克思登趕來，立刻把她的寶貝兒子帶走。平克頓小姐想到自己的鴿籠裏藏了一隻老鷹，不由得心慌意亂，若不是有約在先，真想把她趕走。那女孩竭力辨白，說她隻在平克頓小姐監視之下和克裏斯潑先生在茶會上見過兩麵，從來沒有跟他說過話。她雖然這麼說，平克頓小姐仍舊將信將疑。

4

When the great crash came-the announcement of ruin, and the departure from Russell aquare, and the declaration that all was over between her and George-all over between her and love, her and happiness, her and faith in the world-a brutal letter from John Osborne told her in a few curt lines that her fatheru0027s conduct had been of such a nature that all engagements between the families were at an end-when the final award came, it did not shock her so much as her parents,as her mother rather expented (for John Sedley himself was entirely prostrate in the ruins of his own affairs and shattered honor). Amelia took the news very palely and calmly. It was only the confirmation of the sentence-of the crime she long ago been guilty-the crime of loving wrongly, too violently, against reason. She told no more of her thoughts now than she had before. She seemed scarcely more unhappy now when convinced all hope was over, than before she felt but dared not confess that it was gone. So she changed from the large house to the small one without any mark or difference; remained in her little room for the most part; pined silently; and died away day by day. I do not mean so say that all females are so. My dear Miss Bullock, I do not think your heart would break in this way. You are a strongminded young woman, with proper principles. I do not ventrue to say that mine would; it has suffered,and, it must be confessed, survived. But there are some souls thus gently constituted, thus frail, and delicate, and tender.

【譯文】

大禍臨頭了，父親宣告破產，全家搬出勒塞爾廣場，愛米麗亞知道自己和喬治的關係斬斷了，她和愛情，和幸福已經無緣，對於這世界也失去了信念。正在這時候，約翰·奧斯本寄給她一封措詞惡毒的信，裏麵短短幾行，說是她父親行為惡劣到這步田地，兩家之間的婚約當然應該取消。最後的判決下來的時候，她並不怎麼驚駭，倒是她爹媽料不到的——我該說是她媽媽意料不到的，因為約翰·塞特笠那時候事業失敗，名譽掃地，自己都弄得精疲力盡了。愛米麗亞得信的時候，顏色蒼白，樣子倒很鎮靜。那一陣子她早已有過許多不吉利的預兆，如今不過坐實一下。最後的判決雖然現在剛批下來，她的罪過是老早就犯下了的。總之，她不該愛錯了人，不該愛得那麼熱烈，不該讓情感淹沒了理智。她還像本來一樣，把一切都藏在心裏不說。從前她雖然知道事情不妙，卻不肯明白承認，現在索性斷絕了想頭，倒也不見得比以前更痛苦。她從大房子搬到小房子，根本沒有覺得有什麼分別。大半的時候她都悶在自己的小房間裏默默的傷心，一天天的憔悴下去。我並不是說所有的女人都像愛米麗亞這樣。親愛的勃洛葛小姐，我想你就不像她那麼容易心碎。你是個性格剛強的女孩子，有一套正確的見解。我呢，也不敢說像她那樣容易心碎。說句老實話，雖然我經曆過一番傷心事，過後也就慢慢的忘懷了，不過話又說回來，有些人天生成溫柔的心腸，的確比別人更嬌嫩，更脆弱，更禁不起風波。

5

So Mr Osborne, having a firm conviction in his own mind that he was a woman-killer and destined to conquer, did not run counter to his fate, but yielded himself up to it quite complacently. And as Emmy did not say much or plague him with her jealousy, but merely became unhappy and pined over it miserably in secret, he chose to fancy that she was not suspicious of what all his acquaintance were perfectly aware-namely, that he was carring on a desperate flirtation with Mrs Crawley. He rode with her whenever she was free. He pretended regimental business to Amelia (by which falsehood she was not in the least deceived), and consigning his wife to solitude or her brotheru0027s society, passed his evenings in the Crawleyu0027s company; losing money to the husband and flattering himself that the wife was dying of love for him. It is very likely that this worthy couple never absolutely conspired and agreed together in so many words; the one to cajole the young gentleman, whilst the other won his money at cards: but they understood each other perfectly well, and Rawdon let Osborne come and go with entire good humor.

【譯文】

奧斯本先生自信是風月場上的能手，注定是太太小姐的心上人，因此不願意跟命運鬧別扭，洋洋自得的順著定數做人。愛米不愛多說話，也不把心裏的妒忌去麻煩他，隻不過私底下自悲自歎的傷心罷了。雖然他的朋友都知道他和克勞菜太太眉來眼去，下死勁的兜搭，他自己隻算愛米麗亞是不知就裏的。利蓓加一有空閑，他就騎著馬陪她出去兜風。對有米麗亞，他隻說聯隊裏有事，愛米麗亞也明明知道他在撒謊。他把妻子扔在一邊，有時讓她獨自一個人，有時把她交給她哥哥，自己卻一黃昏一黃昏的跟克勞菜夫婦倆混在一起。他把錢輸給丈夫，還自以為那妻子在為他銷魂。看來這對好夫妻並沒有同謀協議， 明白規定由女的哄著小夥子，再由男的跟他鬥牌贏他的錢。反正他們倆心裏有數，羅登(6)聽憑奧斯本出出進進，一點也不生氣。

6

After the first movement of terror in Ameliau0027s mind-when Rebeccau0027s green eyes lighted upon her, and rustling in her fresh silks and brilliant ornaments, the latter tripped up with extended arms to embrace her-a feeling of anger succeeded,and she returned Rebeccau0027s look after a moment with a steadiness which surprised and somewhat abashed her rival.

【譯文】

利蓓加的綠眼睛看著愛米麗亞，她的新綢袍子悉嗦悉嗦的響，周身都是亮晶晶的首飾。她張開了手，輕移小步奔上前來和愛米摟抱。愛米麗亞心上先是害怕，接下來就是一陣氣恨，原來死白的臉蛋兒漲得通紅。她愣了一下，一眼不眨的瞪著眼向她的對頭看。蓓基見她這樣，倒覺事出意外，同時又有些羞慚。

Tress of Du0027Urbervilles(《苔絲》)

The young girls formed, indeed, the majority of the band, and their heads of luxuriant hair reflected in the sunshine every tone of gold, and black, and brown. Some had beautiful eyes, others a beautiful nose, others a beautiful mouth and figure: few, if any, had all. A difficulty of arranging their lips in this crude exposure to pubic scrutiny, an inability to balance their heads, and to dissociate self-consiousness form their features, was apparent in them, and showed that they were genuine country girls, unaccustomed to many eyes.

And as each and all of them were warmed without by the sun, so each had a private little sun for her soul to bask in; some dream, some affection, some hobby, at least some remote and distant hope which, though perhaps starving to nothing, still lived on, as hopes will. Thus they were all cheerful, and many of them merry.

They came round by the Pure Drop Inn,and were turning out of the high road to pass through a wicket-gate into the meadows, when one of the women said:

“The Lord-a-Lord! Why, Tess Durbeyfield, if there isnu0027t thy father riding hwome in a carriage!\"

A Young member of the band turned her head at the exclamation. She was a fine and handsome girl-not handsomer than some others, possibly-but her mobile peony mouth and large innocent eyes added eloquence to color and shape. She wore a red ribbon in her air, and was the only one of the white company who could boast of such a pronounced adornment. As she looked round Durbeyfield was seen moving along the road in a chaise belonging to The Pure Drop, driven by a frizzled-headed brawny damsel with her gown-sleeves rolled above her elbows. This was the cheerful servant of that establishment, who, in her part of factotum,truned groom and ostler at times. Durbeyfield, leaning back,and with his eyes closed luxuriorsly, was waving his hand above his head and singing in a slow recitative: “Iu0027ve-got-a-gru0027t-family-vault-at-Kingsbere-and-knighted-forefathers-in-lead-coffins-there!\"

【譯文】

的確，在遊行隊伍中，年輕姑娘占了大多數，她們那一頭的濃發，在陽光的輝映下，呈現出各種色調的金色、黑色和棕色。她們有的長著漂亮的眼睛，有的生著俏麗的鼻子，有的有著嫵媚的嘴巴、婀娜的身段；但是，這樣樣都美的，雖然不能說一個沒有，卻也是寥寥無幾。顯然，硬要在大庭廣眾麵前拋頭露麵，她們一個個不知道嘴唇應該做出怎樣的形態，腦袋應該擺了怎樣的姿勢，臉上怎樣才能消除忸怩的神情，這些都表明，她們是地地道道地鄉下姑娘，不習慣受眾人的注視。

她們大家，不僅個個身上都給太陽曬和暖烘烘的，而且人人心裏都有一個小太陽，溫暖著各自的心靈。那是一種迷夢，一種癡情，一種癖好，至少是種渺茫的希望，這種希望雖然可能正在化為泡影，但卻依然活在各人的心中，因為一切希望都是如此。因此，她們大家全都喜氣洋洋，好些人還興高采烈。

她們走過醇瀝酒店，正要離開大路，從一道柵門進入草場，隻聽一個婦人說道：

“天哪!你瞧，苔絲·德貝菲爾，那不是你爹坐著馬車回家來了嘛!”聽到這聲叫喊，隊列中有一個年輕姑娘扭過頭來，她是個標準俊俏的姑娘——也許不比有些姑娘更漂亮——不過她那兩片靈動紅豔的嘴唇，那一雙天真爛漫的大眼睛，又給她的姿色平添了兒分懾人的魅力。她頭發上紮著一根紅綢帶，在這白色的隊伍中，能夠顯耀這種引人注意的裝飾的，還隻有她一個人。且說她扭過頭來，看見德貝菲爾坐著醇瀝酒店的馬車，一路駛來，趕車的是一個頭發卷曲、體魄健壯的姑娘，兩隻衣袖卷到胳膊肘上麵。這是醇瀝酒那位開心的夥計，因為他是打雜的，有時也做喂馬趕車的差事。德貝菲爾仰著身子，(11)愜意地閉著眼睛，一隻手在頭上揮來揮去，嘴裏用慢悠悠的宣敘調唱道：(12)“俺—家—在—金—斯—比—爾—有—一—大—片—祖—墳—俺—那—些—封—為—爵—士—的—祖—宗—都—葬—在—那—兒—的—鉛—棺—裏!

2

Clare per for med the irrelevanl of stirring the fire: the intelli-gence had not even yet got to the bottom of him. After stirring the embers he rose to his feet: all the force of her dischosure had im parted itself now. His face had withered. In the stren uousness of his concentration he treadled fitfully on the floor. He could not, by any contrivance, think closely enough; that was in the most inadequale, commonplace voice of the many varied tones she had heard from him.

“Tess!”

“Yes, dearest.”

“Am I to believe this? ”From your manner I am to take it as true.

O you cannot be out of your mind! You ought to be! Yet you are not...wife, my Tess-nothing in you warrants such a supposition as that?

“I am not out of my mind”,she said.

“And yet-”He looked vacantly at her, to resume with dazed senses:“Why didnu0027t you tell me before? Ah yes-you would have told me-in a way;but I hindered you. I remember!”

These, and other of his words, were nothing but the perfunctory babble of the surface while the depths remained paralyzed. He turned away, and bent over a chair. Tess followed him to the middle of the room where he was, and stood there staring at him with her eyes that did not weep. Presently she slid down upon her knees beside his foot, and from this position she crouched in a heap.

“In the name of our love, forgive me,”she whispered with a dry nouth. “I have forgiven you for the same.”And as he did not answer she said again;“forgive me, as you are forgiven I forgier you, Angel”.

“You,-yes, you do.”

“But you do not forgive me?”

“O Tess, forgiveness does not apply to the case. You were one person: now you are another. My God- how can forgiveness meet such a grotesque-prestidigiation as that?”

He paused,contemplating this definition;then suddenly brokeinto horrible laughter-as unnatural and ghastly as a laugh in hell.

【譯文】

克菜爾作了一件毫不相幹 的事。他撥起火來。那消息還沒有落到他的心底。撥完火他站起身來，她那番袒露的分量此時才充分起了作用，但是，無論他怎 麼想方設法，思想仍然不能集中，因此他仍然意義不明地走著。他終於說話了，語氣很不合時宜，他的語調一向富於變化，但此刻卻是平板的。

“苔絲!”

“哎，最親愛的。”

“我應該相信你的話麼?看你的態度我倒是應該相信的。唉!可惜你又不像是發了瘋!你要是發了瘋反倒好了，但你並沒有。我的妻子，我的苔絲!你就不能證明你是發了瘋嗎?”

“我是正常的，”她說。

“可是—”他茫然地望著她，又恢複了剛才不知所措的感覺。“你為什麼過去沒有告訴我呢?啊，是的，說來倒也是，你原是可能早就告訴我的，—是我沒讓你講下去，我記得!”

他這些話，東一句，西一句，其實並無意義，全是些不著邊際的信口開河，在他內心深處他已經癱瘓了。他轉過身去伏到了一張椅子上。苔絲跟著他，然後身子一軟便葡匐在他的腳邊，在那兒縮成了一團。

“看在我倆的愛情的份上，原諒我吧!”她口幹舌燥地低聲說。“我已經原諒了你同樣的行為呀!”

他沒有作聲，她又說—

“你得到了我的原諒，希望你也能原諒我!我原諒了你，安琪兒。

“你—是的，你原諒了我。”

“但是你就不肯原諒了我麼?”

“啊苔絲，這種情況談不上什麼原諒。你過去是一個人，現在卻成了另外一個人。我的上帝，對這種荒唐可笑的障眼人，現在卻成了另外一個人。我的上帝，對這種荒唐可笑的一障眼法怎麼談得上原諒呢!”

他住了口，掂量著這詞的含義。然後突然爆發出一陣可怕的狂笑—像地獄裏笑聲那麼反常，那麼陰森。

Pride and Prejudice(《傲慢與偏則》)

1

As no objection was made to the young peoples engagement with their aunt, aunt, and all Mr. Collinsrs scruples of leaving Mr. and Mrs. Bennet for a single everning during his visit were most steadily resisted,the coach conveyed him and his five cousins at a suitalbe hour to Meryton; and the girls had the pleasure of hearing, as they entered the drawing-room, that Mr. Wickham had accepled their unclers invitation, and was then in the house.

When this in formation was given, and they had all taken their seats, Mr Collins was at leisure to look around him and admire, and he was so much struck with the size and furniture of the apartment, that he declared he might almost have supposed himself in the small summer break fast parlour at Rosings; a comparison that did not at first convey much gratification; but when Mrs, Philips understood from him what Rosings was, and who was its proprietor, when she had listened to the description of omly one of Lady Catheriners drawing-rooms, and found that the chimney-piece alone had cost eight hundred pounds, she felt all the force of the compliment, and would hardly have resented a comparison with the housekeepers room.

In describing to her all the grandear of Lady Catherine and her mansion, with occasional sigressions in praise of his own humble abode, and the improvements it was receiving, he was happily employed until the gentlemen joined them;and he found in Mrs. Philips a very attentive listener, whose opinion of his consequence increased with what she heard, and who was resolving to retail it all among her neighbors as soon as she could. To the girls, who could not listen to their cousin, and who had nothing to do but to wish for an instrument, and examine their own indifferent imitations of china on the mantlepiece, the interval of waiting appeared very long. It was over at last however. The gentlemen did approach; and when Mr.Wickham walked into the room, Elizabeth felt that she had meither been seeing him before, nor thinking of him since, with the smallest degree of unreasonable admiration. The officers of the shire were in general a very creditable, gentlemanlike set, and the best of them were of the present party; but Mr. Wickham was as far beyond them all in person, countenance, air, and walk, as they were superior to the broad—faced stuffy uncle Philips, bueathing port wine, who followed them into the room.

Mr. wickham was the happy man towards whom almost every female eye was turned, and Elizabeth was the happy wonan by whom he finally seated himself;and the agreeable manner in which he immediately fell into conversation, though it was only on itsd being a wet night, and on the probability of a rainy season, made her feel that the commonest, dullest, most threadbare topic might be rendered interesting by the skill of the speaker.

With such rivals for the notice of the, as Mr. Wickham and the officers, Mr. Collins seemed likely to sink into insignificance; to the young ladies he certainly was nothing; but he had still at intervals a kind listener in Mrs. Philips, and was, by her watch fulness, most abundantly supplied with coffee muffin.

【譯文】

年輕人跟姨媽的約會並沒遭到反對。柯林斯先生覺得來此做客，不好意思把貝內特夫婦整晚丟在家裏，可那夫婦倆叫他千萬不要這麼想。於是，他和五個表妹便乘著馬車，準時來到了梅裏頓。姑娘們一起進客廳，便欣喜地聽說威克姆先生接受了姨夫的邀請，現在已經光臨。

大家聽到這個消息都坐下之後，柯林斯先生悠然自得地朝四下望望，想要讚賞一番。他十分驚羨屋子的麵積和陳設，說他好像走進了羅辛斯那間消夏的小餐廳。這個對比開頭並不怎麼令人高興，後來菲利普斯太太聽明白了羅辛斯是個什麼地方，誰是它的主人，又聽對方說起凱瑟夫人的一問客廳的情形，發覺光是那個壁爐架就花費了八百鎊，她這才體會到那個比較的全部分量。這時她想，即時把她這裏比作羅辛斯管家婆的住房，她也不會有意見。

柯林斯先生一麵描繪凱瑟琳夫人及其大廈的富麗堂皇，一麵還要偶爾穿插幾句，來誇耀他自己的寒舍，以及他正在進行的種種修繕。他就這樣自得其樂地嘮叨到男賓們進來為止。他發覺菲利普斯太太聽得非常專心，而且越聽也就越把他看得了不起，決計把他的話盡快傳播給鄰居。再說幾位小姐，她們聽不進表兄嘮嘮叨叨，又沒事可做，想彈琴也彈不成，隻能照著壁爐架上的瓷擺設描摹些蹩腳的畫子，端詳來端詳去。等候的時間似乎太久了，不過最後還是結束了。男賓們終於出現了，威克姆先生一走進來，伊麗莎白使覺得，無論是上次見到他的時候，還是以後想起他的時候，她絲毫也沒有錯愛了他。某郡民兵團的軍官們都是些十分體麵、頗有紳士氣派的人物，參加這次晚宴的這些人可謂他們之間的佼佼者。但是，威克姆先生在人品、相貌、風度和地位上，又遠遠超過了其他軍官，而其他軍官又遠遠超過了那位肥頭胖耳、老氣橫秋的菲利普斯姨夫，他帶著滿口的葡萄酒味，跟著眾人走進屋來。

威克姆先生是當晚最得意的男子，差不多每個女人都拿眼睛望著他。伊麗莎白則是當晚最得意的女子，威克姆先生最後在她旁邊坐了下來。他立即與她攀談起來，雖然談的隻是當晚下雨和雨季可能到來之類的話題，但他那樣和顏悅色，使她不禁感到，即使最平凡、最無聊、最陳腐的話題，隻要說話人卓有技巧，同樣可以說得很動聽。

麵對著威克姆先生和其也軍官這樣的勁敵，再想博得女士們的青睞，柯斯林先生似乎落得微不足道了。在年輕小姐們看來，他確實無足輕重。不過，菲利普斯太太間或還好心好意地聽他說說話，而且虧她留心關照，總是源源不斷地給他倒咖啡，添鬆餅。

2

Elizabeths astonishment was beyond expression.She stared, colored, doubted,and was silent silent. This he considered sufficient encouragement, and the avowal of all that he fell and had long felt her, immediately followed, and he not more eloquent on the subject of tenderness than of pride. His sense of her inferiority —of its being a degradation—of the family obstacles which judgment had always opposed to inclination, were dwelt on with a warmth which seemed due to the consequence he was wounding but was very unlikely to recommend his suit.

In spite of her deeply-rooted dislike, she could not be insensible to the compliment of such a mans affection, and though her intentions did not vary for an instant,she was at first sory for the pain he was to receive; till, roused to resentment by his subsequent language, she lost all compassion in anger. She tried, however, to compose herself to answer him with patience, when he should have done. He concluded with representing to her the strength of that attachment which, in spite of all his endeavors, he had found impossible to conquer;and with expressing his hope that it would now be uewarded by her acceptance of his hand, As he said this, she could easily see that he had no doubt of a favorable answer, He spoke of apprehension and anxiety, but his countenance expressed when he ceased, the color rose into her cheeks, and she said.

“In such cass as this, it is, I believe, the established mode to express a sense of obligation for the sentiments avowed, however unequally they may be returned, It is natural that obligation should be felt, and if I could feel gratitude, I would now thank you. But I cannot—I have never desired your good opinion, and you have certainly bestowed it most unwillingly. I am sorry to have occasioned pain to any one. It has been most unconsciously done, however, and I hope will be of short duration. The feelings which, you tell me, have long prevented the acknowledgment of your regard, can have little difficulty in overcoming it after this explanation.”

Mr. Darcy, who was leaning against the mantle-piece with his eyes fixed on her face, seemed to catch her words with no less resentment than surprise. His complexion became pale with anger, and the disturbance of his mind was visible in every feature. He was struggling for the appearance of composure, and would not open his lips, till he believed himself to have attained it. The pause was to Elizabethrs feelings dreadful. At length, in a voice of forced calmness, he said,

“And this is all the reply which I am to have the honor of expecting! I might, perhaps, wish to be in formed why, with so little so little endeavor at civlity, I am thus rejected. But it is of small importance.”

“I might as well inquire,”replied she,“why with so evident a design of offending and insulting me, you chose to tell me that you liked me against your will, against your reason, and even against your character? Was not this some excuse for incivility, if I was uncivil? But I have other provocations. You know I have. Had not my own feelings decided against you, had they been indifferent, or had they even been favorable, do you think that any consideration would tempt me to accept the man, who has been the means of ruining, perhaps for ever, the happiness of a most beloved sister?”

As she pronounced these words, Mr. Darcy changed color, but the emotion was short, and he listened without attempting to interrupt her while she continued,

“I have every reason in the world to think ill of you. No motive can excuse the unjust and ungenerous part you acted there. You dare not, you cannot deny that you have been the principle, if not the only means of dividing them from each other, of exposing one to the censure of the world for caprice and instability, the other to its derision for disappointed hopes, and involving them both in misery of the acutest kind.”

【譯文】

伊麗莎白驚訝得簡直無法形容。她瞪著眼，紅著臉，滿腹狐疑，悶聲不響。達西見此情景，以為她在慫恿他講下去，便立即傾訴了目前和以往對她的一片深情。他說的十分動聽，但是除了愛慕之情之外，還在詳盡表明其他種種情感，……而且吐露起傲慢之情來，決不比傾訴柔情密意來得遜色。他覺得伊麗莎白出身低微，他自己是降格以求，而這家庭方麵的障礙，又使得理智與心願總是相矛盾。他說得如此激動，似乎由於他在屈尊俯就的緣故，但卻未必能使他的求婚受到歡迎。

伊麗莎白盡管打心眼裏厭惡他，但是能受到這樣一個人的愛慕，她又不能不覺得是一種恭維。雖說她的決心不曾有過片刻的動搖，但她知道這會給對方帶來痛苦，因此開頭還有些過意不去，然而他後來的話激起了她的怨恨，她的憐憫之情完全化作了憤怒。不過她還是盡量保持鎮定，準備等他把話說完，再耐著性子回答他。達西臨了向她表明，他愛她愛得太強烈了，盡管一再克製，還是覺得克製不住；並且表示說，希望她能接受他的求婚。伊麗莎白不難看出，他說這些話的時候，自以為肯定會得到個滿意的答複。他雖嘴裏說自己又擔憂又焦急，但是臉上卻流露出一副穩操勝券的神氣。這種情態隻會惹對方更加惱怒，因此，等他一講完，伊麗莎白便紅著臉說道：

“在這種情況下，按照常規，人家向你表白了深情厚意，你不管能不能給以同樣的報答，都應該表示一下自己的感激之情。有點感激之情，這也是很自然的，我要是真覺得感激的話，現在也會向你表示謝意的。可惜我不能這麼做—我從不企望博得你的青睞，再說你這種青睞也表露得極為勉強。很抱歉，我會給別人帶來痛苦。不過那完全是無意造成的，而且我希望很快就會過去。你告訴我說，你以前有種種顧慮，一直未能向我表明你的好感，現在經過這番解釋之後，你很容易就能克製住這種好感。”

達西先生這時正倚著壁爐架，兩眼直瞪瞪地盯著她，好像聽了她的這番話，心裏又煩擾不安。他竭力裝出鎮定自如若的樣子，不等到自以為裝像了就不開口。這番沉默使伊麗莎白感到可怕。最後，達西以強作鎮定的口氣說道：

“我真榮幸，竟然得到這樣的回答!也許我可以請教一下，我怎麼會遭到如此無禮的拒絕?不過這也無關緊要。”

“我也想請問一聲，”伊麗莎白答道，“你為什麼要這樣如此露骨地冒犯我，侮辱我，非要告訴我你是違背自己的意誌、理智甚至人格而喜歡我?如果說我當真無禮的話，這難道不也有情可原嗎?不過令我惱怒的還有別的事情。這一點你也知道。退一萬步說，即是我對你沒有反感，跟你毫無芥蒂，甚至還有幾分好感，難道你認為我會那麼鬼迷心竅，居然去愛一個毀了(也許永遠毀了)我最心愛的姐姐的幸福人嗎?”

達西先生聽了她這些話，臉色刷地變了。不過他很快又平靜下來，也沒想著去打斷她，隻管聽她繼續說下去：

“我有充分的理由鄙視你。你在那件事上扮演了很不正當、很不光彩的角色，不管你動機如何，都是無可寬容的。說起他們兩人被拆散，即使不是你一手造成的，你也是主謀，這你不敢抵賴，也抵賴不了。看你把他們搞的，一個被世人指責為朝三暮四，另一個被世人譏笑為癡心妄想，害得他們痛苦至極。”

Gone with the wind(《飄》)

1

Scarlett Ou0027Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized itwhen caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were. In her face were too sharply blended the delicate features of her mother, a Coast aristocrat of French descent, and the heavy ones of her florid Irish father. But it was an arresting face, pointed of chin, square of jaw. Her eyes were pale without a touch of hazel, starred with bristly black laches and slightly tilted at the ends. Above them, her thick black brows slanted upward, cutting a startling oblique line in her magnolia-white skin-that skin so prixed by Southern women and so carefully guarded with bonnets, veils and mittens against hot Georgia suns.

【譯文】

那郝思嘉小姐長得並不美，可是極富於魅力，男人見了她，往往要著迷，就像湯家那一對雙胞胎兄弟似的。原來這位小姐臉上顯然混雜著兩種特質：一種是母親給她的嬌柔，一種是父親給她的豪爽。因為她母親是個法蘭西血統的海濱貴族，父親是個皮色深濃的愛爾蘭人，所以遺傳給她的質地難免不調和。可是質地雖然不調和，她那一張臉蛋兒卻實在迷人得很，下巴頦兒尖尖的，牙床骨兒方方的。她的眼珠子是一味的淡綠色，不雜一絲兒茶褐，周圍豎著一圈兒粗黑的睫毛，眼角微微有點翹，上麵斜豎著兩撇墨墨的蛾眉，在她那木蘭花一般白的皮膚上，劃出兩條異常惹眼的斜線。就是她那一身皮膚，也正是南方女人最最喜愛的，誰要長著這樣的皮膚，就要拿帽子、麵罩、手套之類當心保護著，舍不得讓那太熱的陽光曬黑。

2

To the ears of the three on the porch came the sounds of hooves,the jingling of harness chains and the shrill careless laughter of Negro voices, as the field hands and mules came in from the fields. From within the house the soft voice of Scarlett‘s mother, Ellen Ou0027Hara, as she called to the little black girl who carried her basket of keys. The high-pitched childish voice answered“Yasu0027m,’and there were sounds of footsteps going out the back way toward the smokehouse where Ellen would ration out the food to the home -coming hands. There was the click of china and the rattle of silver as Pork, the valet-butler of Tara, laid the table for supper.

【譯文】

當時走廊上那三個人的耳朵裏，傳來了噠噠的蹄聲，韁轡相撞的鋃鐺聲，以及黑奴們尖利的浪笑聲，因為那些在外作活的人手和騾子都從田裏回來了。同時從屋子裏飄出了思嘉伯母親艾倫奧哈拉的柔和聲浪，在那裏呼喚那個管鑰匙籮兒的小黑女。便聽見一個尖脆的女孩子聲音應了一聲：“來啦，太太。”接著就是一陣腳步聲從背後的過道裏向熏臘貯藏室那邊響了過去，原來郝太太到那裏去分配食物，預備給作活的人們吃飯了。再後便是一陣瓷器和銀器玲琅嚓喀的聲音，那是兼充食事總管的管家鮑克在那裏鋪排食桌。

3

She thought of Melanie and saw suddenly her quiet brown eyes will their far-off look, her placid little hands in their black lace mills, her gentle silences. And then her rage broke, the same rage that drove Gerald to murder and other Irish ancestors to misdeeds that cost them their necks. There was nothing in her now of the well-bred Robillards who could bear with white silence anything the world might cast.

【譯文】

她想起了媚蘭，突然看見她那雙安靜的褐色眼睛，帶著那種飄飄欲仙的神氣，看見她那安靜的小手，套著那麼一雙黑色線織的手套，又看見她那種溫和的靜默。於是她的忿怒，也就是曾經逼得她的其他愛爾蘭祖宗去做非法行為以至於斷送頭顱的那種忿怒。至於她母親羅氏累世相傳的那種優良品性，那種無論怎樣天大的事情也可以白著麵孔、閉著嘴唇忍受的品性，現在在她身上是一絲兒都 沒有了。

4

“Yes, I will!”

She leaped to her feet, her heart hammering so wildly she feared she could not stand,hammering with the thrill of being the center of attention again, of being the most highly desired girl present and oh, best of all, at the prospect of dancing again.

“Oh, I donu0027t care! I donu0027t care what they say!”she whispered, as a sweet madness swept over her. She tossed her head and sped out of the booth, tapping her geels like castanets, snapping open her black silk fan to its widest. For a fleeting instant she saw Melanieu0027s incredulous face, the look on the chaperonsu0027faces, the petulanl girls, the enthusiastic approval of the soldiers.

【譯文】

“我肯的。”

說著，她就一跳跳了起來，她的心不住發狂似的捶著，她隻怕被它捶得要立不住腳，因為她又要去做眾人注意的中心了，又成了全場裏麵的惟一紅人，而且，尤其妙的，又有舞可以跳了，這一下激動得多厲害，怎由她的心不怦怦地大捶呢!

“啊，我不管了!我不管他們怎麼說法了!”她心裏掃過一陣舒適的瘋狂，嘴裏不覺這麼自言自語著。當即她將頭一翹，從攤兒裏奔了出來，兩個腳跟碰得夾板一般響，一柄黑油扇大大地撐開。隻在一刹那之間，她瞥見了媚蘭驚愣的麵孔，瞥見了那些監護人的慍怒神情，瞥見了一般女孩子們的嬤嬤的煩悶，瞥見了一般士兵們的熱烈的讚成。

Wuthering Heights(《呼嘯山莊》)

Perceiving myself in a blunder, I attempled to correct it. I might have seen that there was too great a disparily between the ages of the parties to make it likely that they were man amd wife.One was about forty; a period of mental vigour at which men seldom cherish the delusion of being married for love, by girls: that dream is reserved for the solace of our declining years. The other did not look seventeen.

Then it flashed upon me- The clown at my elbow, who is drinking his tea out of a basin and eating his bread with unwashed hands, may be her husband. Heathcliff junior, of course. Here is the consequence of being buried alive: she has thrown herself away up-on that boor, from sheer ignorance that better individuals existed! A sad pity—I must beware how I cause her to regret her choice.’The last reflec-tion may seem conceited;it was not, My neighbour struck me as bordering on repulsive; I knew, through experience, that I was tolerably attractive.

‘Mrs. Heathcliff is my daughter - in - law.’said Heathcliff, corrob - orating my surmise.He turned, as he spoke, a peculiar look in her direction, a look of hatred unless he has a most perverse set of facial muscles that will not, like those of other people, interpret the language of his soul.

【譯文】

我自知失言，便想要補救過來。我應當看出雙方的年齡相差太大，不見得會是一對夫妻。一個是四十歲模樣，正是理智最成熟的時期，男子到了那個階段，很少會抱著幻想，以為女孩子是為了愛情才嫁給他的—那一種好夢是留給我們在暮年聊以自慰的。那另一個看來還不滿十七歲呢。

於是我靈機一動，想到—“那個在我胳膊肘旁邊正捧著盆子喝茶、手沒有洗就抓麵包來吃的大老粗，不會就是她的丈夫吧—那不用說，他當然是小希克厲了。嫁到這裏來真好比活埋。她這樣輕易把把一朵鮮花插在牛糞裏，隻因為不知道天下還有好的多得人兒呢!真是太可惜了啊!我得留神些兒，別讓她對自己的婚煙起悔心才好呢。”

這最後的思相活動未免有點兒抬高自己。其實並不。坐在我身旁的那一位，叫我一看到就覺得簡直“麵目可憎”；而我根據經驗，知道自己是相當討人喜歡的。

“希克厲太太是我的兒媳婦，”希克厲說，正好證實了我的猜想。他這麼說著，掉過頭來，向她看了一眼—不是平常那種看人，而是帶著一種憎恨的眼色—除非他生就那一副橫肉，不能像旁人那樣，拿他的表情當做發自他心坎裏的言語。

2

Heatheliff—Mr. Heaththcliff I should say in future—used the liberty of visiting at Thrushcross Grange cautiously, at first: he seemed estinating how far is owner would bear his intrusion. Catherine, also, deemed it judicious to moderate her expression of pleasure in receiving him; and he gradually established his right to be expected. He retained a great deal the reserve for which his boyhood was remarkable; and that served to repress all startling demonstrations of feeling. My masteru0027s uneasiness experienced a lull, and further circumstances diverted it into another channd for a space.

His new source of trouble sprang from the not anticipated misfortune of Isabella Linton evincing a sudden and irresistible attraction towards the tolerated guest. She was at that time a charming young lady of eighteen;infantile in manners, though possessed of keen will, keen feelings, and a keen temper, too, if irritated. Her brother, who loved her tenderly, was appalled at this fantastic preference. Leaving aside the degradation of an alliance with a nameless man, and the possible fact that his property, in default of heirs male, might pass into such a oneu0027s power, he had sense to comprehend Heathcliffu0027s disposition: to know that, though his exterior was altered, his mind was unchangeable, and unchanged. And he dreaded that mind: it revolted him: he shrank forebodingly from the idea of committing Isabella to its keeping. He would have recoiled still more had he been aware that her attachment rose unsolicited, and was bestowed where it amakened no reciprocation of sentiment; for the minute he discovered its existence, he laid the blame on Heathcliffu0027s deliberate designing.

【譯文】

希克厲——往後我得稱呼希克厲先生了——起初很謹慎，不隨便到畫眉田莊來作客訪問，他似乎在試探主人對於他闖進來究竟容忍到什麼程度。卡瑟琳也認為在接待他的時候不要把心裏的喜悅一齊顯露出來，這樣穩妥一些。他就這樣逐步地建立起了來這裏做客的權利。

他從小就沉默寡言，這種突出的性格現在仍然沒有改變多少，因此也就看不到他有什麼哭啊笑啊的種種表現。東家的不安總算暫時平息下來，而事情的發展又把他的不安在一個時期裏引導到另一方麵去了。

原來那意想不到的新的煩惱來自伊莎蓓拉·林敦。那時候，她已是十八歲的姑娘了，出落得十分漂亮，一舉一動還不脫稚氣，然而頭腦非常敏銳，感情強烈，逢到惱怒時脾氣也強烈。不幸不是，她對於那個被容忍的客人突然感到了不可抑製的愛慕。

她的哥哥本是十分疼愛她的，發現她竟然荒唐到看中了這麼個人物，不由得嚇壞了。不說跟一個沒名沒姓的人配親眷，辱沒了門楣；也不說萬一他日後沒有男嗣繼承人，他這份財產有可能落進這樣一個人的手裏；他還識透希克厲生就怎麼一種脾氣，懂得他雖然外表上看來改變了，他的本性卻並沒有變，也改變不了。他就是害怕這種性子。這一種性子叫他怎麼也受不了。一想到讓伊莎蓓拉在他手下去過日子，他不由得打了個寒噤。

要是讓他知道了她這一番種情原是一廂情願，她看上的對象並沒有拿同樣的情意來回報她，那他更要坐立不安了。他不知道底細，所以發現有這回事，便怪在希克厲頭上，以為是他有意勾引。

3

And he had earthly consolation and affections, also. For a few days, I said, he seemed regardless of the puny successor to the departed: that coldness melted as fast as snow in April, and ere the tiny thing could stammer a word or totter a step, it wielded a despotu0027s sceptre in his heart. It was named Catherine; but he never called it the name in full, as he had never called the first Catherine short:Probably because Heathcliff had a habit of doing so. The little one was always Cathy:it formed to him a distinction from the mother, and yet, a connection with her; and his attachment sprang from its relation to her, far more than from its being his own.

I used to draw a comparison between him and Hindley Earnshaw,and perplex myself to explain satisfactorily why their conduct was so opposite in similar circumstances. They had both been fond husbands, and were both attached to their children; and I could not see how they shouldnu0027t both have taken the same road, for good or evil. But, I thought in my mind, Hindley, with apparently the stronger head, has shown himself sadly the worse and the weaker man. When his ship struck, the captain abandoned his post; and the crew, instead of trying to save her, rushed ynto riot and confusion, leaving no hope for their luckless vessel. Linton, on the contrary, displayed the true courage of a loyal and faith soul: he trusted God; and God comforted him. One hoped, and the other despaired: they chose their own lots, and were righteously doomed to endure them. But youu0027ll not want to hear my moralizing. Mr, Lockwood; youu0027ll judge as well as I can, all these things: at least, youu0027ll think you will, and thatu0027s the same.The end of Earnshaw-was what might have been expected; it followed fast on his sisteru0027s: there were scarcely six months between them. We, at the Grange, never got a very succinct account of his stat preceding it; all that I did learn was on occasion of going to aid in the preparations for the funeral. Mr. Kenneth came to announce the event to my master.

【譯文】

再說，他也自有他在塵世的樂趣和寄托。我說過，在開頭幾天，他對亡妻留下的一株嫩弱的幼苗好像根本沒有放在心上；不過這種冷淡就像四月裏的雪那樣融化得快，這小東西在還沒開始牙牙學語，或者還沒能搖搖晃晃地跨出一步之前，已經盤踞在他的心裏，成為他的專橫的暴君了。

小東西取名叫卡瑟琳，可是他從來不叫她全名，正像他從來不用小名稱呼那原來第一個卡瑟琳—這也許因為希克厲向來叫她小名的緣故吧。他總是把東西叫做“卡茜”，這樣稱呼，他覺得既跟她的媽媽有個區別，卻又保持著關係。他把這孩子看作心髒一般，倒不是因為她是他的親骨肉，而多半為了她是卡瑟琳的親生女兒。

我總是拿他來和亨德菜·歐肖相比較，他們兩個處境相似，可是行為卻截然相反，這是什麼緣故呢?我想來想去也沒法作出一個叫自己滿意的解答來。他們兩個都是熱愛妻子的丈夫，又都疼愛孩子的父親，按理說，這兩上應該不管好歹，走同一條路才對。可是照我的看法，亨德菜原來分明是個更有毅力的男人，現在卻表現得很不像樣，成了一個更軟弱、更灰心喪氣的男人。當他那條船觸礁時，船長就放棄了他的職守，全體船員再也無心救船，隻顧倉皇奔走，亂成一團，這條不幸的船是再沒什麼希望了。

林敦就不同了，他拿出了真正的勇氣來，不愧是一個誠心誠意的人。他信賴上帝，上帝就給予他安慰。這一個看到了希望，那一個卻在絕望。兩人各自選擇了自己的命運，理應各自還各自的賬。—可是你不會呆聽我說教吧，洛克烏先生?對這一切你自會作出判斷—不比我差。至少，你會認為你做得到這一點，那還不是一樣。

歐肖的一生走到了盡頭，這本是料得到的事。他妹妹故世之後，他也緊路著而去了，這中間相隔不到六個月。歐肖臨死前的情況怎麼樣，我們住在田莊這邊的人始終沒有聽到什麼很確切的話；我所知道的一切都是我後來去幫著料理喪事時所說的。

是坎納斯先生來我家向東家報的訊。

4

My walk home was lengthened by a diversion in the direction of the kirk. When beneath its walls, I perceived decay had made progress, even in seven months: many a window showed black gaps deprived of glass; and slates jutted off, here and there, beyond the right line of the roof, to be gradually worked off in coming autumn storms.

I sought, and soon discovered, the three headstones on the slope next the moor:the niddle one grey, and half buried in heath; Edgar Lintonu0027s only harmonized by the turf, and moss creeping up its foot; Heathcliffu0027s still bare.

I lingered round them, under benign sky:watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells; listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass; and wondered how anyone could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleeps in that quiet earth.

【譯文】

我步行回家時，繞道經過教堂，因此路程拉長了。不過隔了七個月時間，我發覺這座建築已顯示出在衰敗下去的痕跡。好幾扇窗子，碎掉了玻璃，露出黑洞洞的缺口來。屋頂上，隻見處處有石板歪離了原來的窩兒，突了出來，等到秋天的幾場暴風雨一來，就要漸漸地掉光了。

我在靠近原野的斜坡上尋找那三塊墓碑，不一會就給我找到了—那中間的一塊是灰色的，一半埋在石楠樹叢裏；埃德加·林敦的墓腳下已爬了草皮和苔蘚，總算和周圍的景色已有些協調；隻有希克厲一的墓碑還是光禿禿的。

在那溫和的露天，我在那三塊墓碑前留連徘徊，望著飛蛾在石楠叢中和釣鍾柳中閃撲著翼翅，傾聽著柔風在草上飄過的呼吸聲，不禁感到奇怪，怎麼會有人能想象，在這麼一片安靜的土地下麵，那長眠者竟會不得安睡呢。

麥琪的禮物

歐·享利，本名威廉·西德尼·波特，1862年生於美國北卡羅來納州的格林斯博羅，1910年在紐約病逝。作為美國最為多產的短篇小說作家之一，歐·享利的作品以其新穎的構思，詼諧的語言，懸念突變的手法以及出人意料的結局而著稱。所有這一切都來自作家本人豐富的人生閱曆以及他對周圍人和事物的細心觀察和深刻了解。

年輕時，波特曾從事過許多不同的工作。他在德克萍斯州奧斯汀第一國民銀行工作時被控貪汙公款，被迫逃往洪都拉斯。1987年他返回奧斯汀被捕，受審後在俄亥俄州的哥倫布監獄服刑3年。就是在這裏，波特發現了自己的寫作才能，開始嚐試寫作並且以許多不同的筆名發表作品，其中歐·享利是他最常使用的一個。獲釋後他在紐約定居，繼續自己成功的文學創作生涯。

短篇小說在美國曾一度是最受大眾歡迎的一種寫作形式。在此期間歐·享利創作了大量的作品表現20世紀初的美國社會。這些作品構思巧妙，描寫生動，文字簡煉，懸念設置出人意料，集矛盾和怪異、幽默為一體，被譽為“美國生活的幽默百科全書”。在他創作的的近300篇短篇小說中，《白菜與皇帝》(1904)和《四百萬》(1906)被公認為是最優秀的兩部小說集。

O.Henry

The Gift of the Magi

O. Henry, pseudonym of William Sidney Porter, was born in Gicensboro. USA in 1802 and died in New York in 1910. One of the most prolifie American short-story writers, he was, above all, famous for the unexpected concluding “twist\" he would givetohis stories which were based on his own various adventrou experiences and his acute capacity of observation of people and their imbits.

After a youth spent in passing from from one occupation to another, he was acctised of embezzling funds from the First National Bank of Austin Textas, where he worked and so he fled to Bonduras. He retarned to Austin in 1897 and after bemgured and senteneed he spent three years in the Columbus prison in Ohio where he discovered his vocation for writing and began to publish his first works under different psendonyms, O.Hemy being the most used. When he was released he settled in New York where he continued his strecessful literary eareer.

In a period when the short was the most popular narrative form in America, Henry produced a vast quantity, the best of which combine paradox and the grotesque with vivid description and anthentic narrative tension. “Cabbages and kings\" (1904) and “The Four Million\" (1906) are considered his best collections.

THE GIFT OF THE MAGI

One dollar adn elghty seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until oneu0027s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied. Three times Della counted it. One dollar and eightyseven cents. And the next day would be Christmas.

There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. So Della did it. Which instingates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.

While the mistress of the home is gradually subsiding from the first stage to the second, take a look at the home. Afurnished flat at 8 per week. It did not exactily beggar description, but it certainly had that word on the lookout for the mendicancy squad.

In the vestibule below was a letterbox into which no letter would go, and an electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring. Also appertaining there unto was a card bearing the name“Mr James Dillingham Young\".

The“Dillingham\" had been flung to the breeze during a former period of prosperity when its possessor was being paid 30 per week. Now, when the income was shrunk to 20, the thinking seriously of contractiong to a modest and unassuming D.But whenever Mr James Dillingham Young came home and reached his flat above he was called“Jim\" and greatly hugged by Mrs James Dillingham Young, already introduced to you as Della. Which is all very good.

Della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag. She stood by the window and looked out dully at a gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray backyard. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day and she had only1.87 with which to buy Jim a present. She had been saving every penny she could for months, with this result. Twenty dollars a week doesnu0027t go far. Expenses had been greater than she had calculated. They always are. Only 1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare and sterling——something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim.

There was a pierglass between the windows of the room. perhaps you have seen a pierglass in an 8 flat. A very thin and very agile person may, by observing his reflection in a rapid sequence of longitudinal strips, obtain a fairly accurate conception of his looks. Della, being slender, had mastered: he art.

Suddenly she whirfed from the window and stood before the glass. Her eyes were shining brilliantly, but her face had lost its color within twenty seconds. Rapidly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length.

Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride. One was Jinu0027s gold watch that had been his fatheru0027s and his grandfatheru0027s. The other was Dellau0027s hair. Had the Queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry justto depreciate Her Majestyu0027s jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jin would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him pluck at his beard from envy.

So now Dellau0027s beautiful hair fell about her rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters. It reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment for her. And then she did it up again nervously and quickly. Once she faltered for a minute and stood still while a tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet.

On went her old brown jacket; on went her old brown hat. With a whirl of skirts and with the brilliant sparkle still in her eyes, she fluttered out the door and down the stairs to the street.

Where she stopped the sign read:“Mme Sofronie. Hair Goods of All Kinds.”One flight up Dellar ran, and collected herself, panting. Madame, large, too white, chilly, hardly looked the “Sofronie”.

“Will you buy my hair?”asked Della.

“I buy hair—said Madame.—Take yer hat off and letu0027s have a sight at the looks of it.”

Down rippled the brown cascade.

“Twenty dollars—said Madame,—lifting the mass with a practised hand.

“Give it to me quick,”said Della.

Oh, and the next two hours tripped by on rosy wings. Forget the hashed metaphor. She was ransacking the stores for Jimu0027s present.

She found it at last. It surely had been made for Jim and no one else. There was no other like it in any of the stores, and she had turned all of them inside out. It was a platinum fob chain simple and chaste in design, properly proclaiming its value by substance alone and not by meretricious ornamentation—as all good things should do. It was even worthy of The Watch. As soon as she saw it she know that it must be Jimu0027s. It was like him. Quietness and value—the description applied to both. Twentyone dollars they took from her for it, and she hurried home with the 87 cents. With that chain on his watch Jim might be properly anxious about the time in any company. Grand as the watch was, he sometimes looked at it on the sly on account of the old leather strap that he used in place of a chain.

When Della reached home her intoxication gave way a little to prudence and reason. She got out her curling irons and lighted the gas and went to work repairing the ravages made by generosity added to love. Which is always a tremendous task, dear friends—a mammoth task.

Within forty mimutes her head was covered with tiny. closelying curls that made her look wonderfully like a truant schoolboy. She looked at her reflection in the mirror long, carefully, and critically.

“If Jim doesnu0027t kill me—she said to herself,—before he takes a second look at me, heu0027ll say I look like a Coney Island chorus girl. But what could I do—oh, what could I do with a dollar and eightyseven cents?”

At 7 ou0027clock the coffee was made and the fryingpan was on the back of the stove hot and ready to cook the chops.

Jim was never late. Della doubled the fob chain in her hand and sat on the corner of the table near the door that he always entered. Then she heard his step on the stair away down on the first flight, and she turned white for just a moment. She had a habit of saying little silent prayers about the simplest everyday things, and now she whispered:“Please God, make him think I am still pretty.”

The door opened and Jim stepped in and closed it. He looked thin and very serious. Poor fellow, he was only twentytwo—and to be burdened with a family! He needed a new overcoat and he was without gloves.

Jim stepped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail. His eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she could not read, and it terrified her. It was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for. He simply stared at her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his face.

Della wriggled off the table and went for him.

“Jim, darling—she cried,—donu0027t look at me that way. I had my hair cut off and sold it because I couldnu0027t have lived through Christmas without giving you a present. Itu0027ll grow out again—you wonu0027t mind, will you? I just had to do it. My hair grows awfully fast. Say `Merry Christmas!u0027 Jim, and letu0027s be happy. You donu0027t know what a nice—what a beautiful, nice gift Iu0027ve got for you.”

“Youu0027ve cut off your hair?”asked Jim, laboriously, as if he had not arrived at that patent fact yet even after the hardest mental labor.

“Cut it off and sold it—said Della.—Donu0027t you like me just as well, anyhow? Iu0027m me without my hair, ainu0027t I?”

Jim looked about the room curiously.

“You say your hair is gone?”he said, with an air almost of idiocy.

“You neednu0027t look for it —said Della.—Itu0027s sold. It ell you—sold and gone, too. Itu0027s Christmas Eve, boy. Be good to me, for it went for you. Maybe the hairs on my head were numbered—she went on with a sudden scrious sweetness. —but nobody could ever count my love for you. Shall I put the chops on,Jim?\"

Out of his trance Jim seemed quickly to wake. He enfolded his Della. For ten seconds let us regard with discreet scrutiny some inconsequential object in the other direction. Eight dollars a week or a million a year—what is the difference? A mathematician or a wit would give you the wrong answer. The magi brought valuable gifts, but that was not among them. This dark assertion will be illuminated later on.

Jim drew a package from his over coat pocket and threw it upon the table.