《呼啸山庄》重译09D

原文

杨苡译文

拙译

She entered and approached the hearth. I, supposing she was going to say something, looked up. The expression of her face seemed disturbed and anxious. Her lips were half asunder, as if she meant to speak, and she drew a breath; but it escaped in a sigh instead of a sentence. I resumed my song; not having forgotten her recent behaviour.

“Where’s Heathcliff?” she said, interrupting me.

“About his work in the stable,” was my answer.

她走进来，走近壁炉。我猜想她要说什么话，就抬头望着。她脸上的表情看来又烦又忧虑不安。她的嘴半张着，好像有话要说。她吸了一口气，但是这口气化为一声叹息而不是一句话。我继续哼我的歌，还没有忘记她刚才的态度。

“希刺克厉夫呢？”她打断了我的歌声，问我。

“在马厩里干他的活哩，”这是我的回答。

她走了进来，来到壁炉前。我猜想她想要说些什么，于是就抬起头看着她。她脸上的表情烦躁不安。她嘴巴半张，好像有话要说。她吸了口气，但这口气吐出之后，却变成了一声叹息，而不是一句话。我继续哼催眠曲，并没忘记她刚才的表现。

“黑思克里夫去哪儿呢？”她打断了我的歌声，问道。

“在马号里干活呢，”我答道。

He did not contradict me; perhaps he had fallen into a doze. There followed another long pause, during which I perceived a drop or two trickle from Catherine’s cheek to the flags. Is she sorry for her shameful conduct?—I asked myself. That will be a novelty: but she may come to the point as she will—I sha’n’t help her! No, she felt small trouble regarding any subject, save her own concerns.

“Oh, dear!” she cried at last. “I’m very unhappy!”

“A pity,” observed I. “You’re hard to please; so many friends and so few cares, and can’t make yourself content!”

“Nelly, will you keep a secret for me?” she pursued, kneeling down by me, and lifting her winsome eyes to my face with that sort of look which turns off bad temper, even when one has all the right in the world to indulge it.

他也没有纠正我，也许他在瞌睡。接着又是一阵长长的停顿。这时我看见有一两滴水从凯瑟琳的脸上滴落到石板地上。她是不是为了她那可羞的行为而难过呢？我自忖着，那倒要成件新鲜事哩。可是她也许愿意这样——反正我不去帮助她！不，她对于任何事情都不大操心，除非是跟她自己有关的事。

“啊，天呀！”她终于喊出来，“我非常不快乐！”

“可惜，”我说，“要你高兴真不容易，这么多朋友和这么少牵挂，还不能使你自己知足！”

“耐莉，你肯为我保密吗？”她纠缠着，跪在我旁边，抬起她那迷人的眼睛望着我的脸，那种神气足以赶掉人的怒气，甚至在一个人极有理由发怒的时候也可以。

亨得利没有反驳我，也许他已经在打瞌睡了。接着又是一阵长时间的停顿。这时我看见有一两滴泪水从阚思睿的脸颊滴落到石板地上。她会为她羞于启齿的行为而感到难过吗？——我扪心自问着。这倒挺新鲜——可是她也许认识到了这一点——她会这样想——我决不会去帮她！不，她对任何事情都不会烦恼，除非是她自己的事。

“啊，天哪！”她终于喊出来，“我好难过！”

“真是可惜，”我说道，“让你高兴可真难，你有这么多朋友，又没什么烦恼，你还不知足！”

“耐莉，你愿意替我保守秘密吗？”她纠缠着，跪在我身边，她抬起她那天真迷人的双眸看着我的脸，流露出消愤除怒的某种神情，甚至当一个人完全有理由纵情发怒时，那眼神也可以令他火气全消。

“Is it worth keeping?” I inquired, less sulkily.

“Yes, and it worries me, and I must let it out! I want to know what I should do. To-day, Edgar Linton has asked me to marry him, and I’ve given him an answer. Now, before I tell you whether it was a consent or denial, you tell me which it ought to have been.”

“Really, Miss Catherine, how can I know?” I replied. “To be sure, considering the exhibition you performed in his presence this afternoon, I might say it would be wise to refuse him: since he asked you after that, he must either be hopelessly stupid or a venturesome fool.”

“If you talk so, I won’t tell you any more,” she returned, peevishly rising to her feet. “I accepted him, Nelly. Be quick, and say whether I was wrong!”

“值得保守吗？”我问，不太别扭了。

“是的，而且它使我很烦，我非说出来不可！我要想知道我该怎么办。今天，埃德加·林惇要求我嫁给他，我也已经给他回答了。现在，在我告诉你这回答是接受还是拒绝之前，你告诉我应该是什么。”

“真是的，凯瑟琳小姐，我怎么知道呢？”我回答，“当然，想想今天下午你当着他的面出了那么大的丑，我可以说拒绝他是聪明的。既然他在那件事之后请求你，他一定要么是个没希望的笨蛋，要么就是一个好冒险的傻瓜。”

“要是你这么说，我就不再告诉你更多的了，”她抱怨地回答，站起来了。“我接受了，耐莉。快点，说我是不是错了！”

“你的秘密值得保守吗？”我询问道，语气稍微和缓了一些。

“值得，而且这个秘密让我很烦，我非把它说出来！我想知道我该怎么办。今天爱德嘉•林腾说要我嫁给他，我已经回复他了。现在，你告诉我该怎么办，然后我再告诉你，我是答应了他还是回绝了他。”

“说实在的，阚思睿小姐，我怎么可能知道呢？”我答道，“当然，想想今天下午他在场时，你的那一番表现，我也许会说回绝是比较明智的决定。既然他是在此之后向你求婚，他一定是个无可救药的笨蛋，或者是个有勇无谋的傻瓜。”

“你要再这么讲，我就不和你多说了，”她回答道，撒娇般地站起身来。“我答应他了，耐莉。快说，我是不是做错了！”

“You accepted him! Then what good is it discussing the matter? You have pledged your word, and cannot retract.”

“But say whether I should have done so—do!” she exclaimed in an irritated tone; chafing her hands together, and frowning.

“There are many things to be considered before that question can be answered properly,” I said, sententiously. “First and foremost, do you love Mr. Edgar?”

“Who can help it? Of course I do,” she answered.

Then I put her through the following catechism: for a girl of twenty-two it was not injudicious.

“Why do you love him, Miss Cathy?”

“Nonsense, I do—that’s sufficient.”

“By no means; you must say why?”

“Well, because he is handsome, and pleasant to be with.”

“Bad!” was my commentary.

“And because he is young and cheerful.”

“Bad, still.”

“And because he loves me.”

“Indifferent, coming there.”

“你接受了？那么讨论这件事又有什么好处呢？你已经说定，就不能收回啦。”

“可是，说说我该不该这样做——说吧！”她用激怒的声调叫着，绞着她的双手，皱着眉。

“在正确地回答那个问题之前，有许多事要考虑的，”我说教似地讲着。“首先，最重要的是你爱不爱埃德加先生？”

“谁能不爱呢？当然我爱。”她回答。

然后我就跟她一问一答：对于一个二十二岁的姑娘说来，这些问话倒不能算是没有见识。

“你为什么爱他，凯蒂小姐？”

“问得无聊，我爱——那就够了。”

“不行，你一定要说为什么。”

“好吧，因为他漂亮，而且在一起很愉快。”

“糟，”这是我的评语。

“而且因为他又年轻又活泼。”

“还是糟。”

“而且因为他爱我。”

“那一点无关紧要。”

“既然你已经答应他了！那讨论这件事还有什么好处呢？你已经做出承诺，无法撤回啦。”

“可是，我让你说说我该不该这样做——你说嘛！”她大声喊叫，声音显得焦躁恼怒，使劲搓着双手，眉头紧皱。

“有许多事要先考虑，然后才能正确回答这个问题，”我简单明了地劝说道。“首要的问题是，你爱爱德嘉先生吗？”

“谁又能挡得住呢？我当然爱他了。”她答道。

然后我们就你一句我一句进行着下面的对话——对于一个二十二岁的姑娘说来，这场对话的内容并非考虑得不够周全。

“你为啥爱他，阚思小姐？”

“不为啥，我爱他——这就足够了。”

“不行，你非说出个所以然。”

“好吧，因为他帅气，而且和他在一起我很高兴。”

“这个理由牵强，”我评论道。

“而且因为他既年轻又活泼。”

“这个理由还是牵强。”

“而且因为他爱我。”

“这点无关紧要。”

“And he will be rich, and I shall like to be the greatest woman of the neighbourhood, and I shall be proud of having such a husband.”

“Worst of all. And now, say how you love him?”

“As everybody loves—You’re silly, Nelly.”

“Not at all—Answer.”

“I love the ground under his feet, and the air over his head, and everything he touches, and every word he says. I love all his looks, and all his actions, and him entirely and altogether. There now!”

“And why?”

“Nay; you are making a jest of it: it is exceedingly ill-natured! It’s no jest to me!” said the young lady, scowling, and turning her face to the fire.

“而且他将要有钱，我愿意做附近最了不起的女人，而我有这么一个丈夫就会觉得骄傲。”

“太糟了！现在，说说你怎么爱他吧？”

“跟每一个人恋爱一样。你真糊涂，耐莉。”

“一点也不，回答吧。”

“我爱他脚下的地，他头上的天，他所碰过的每一样东西，以及他说出的每一个字。我爱他所有的表情和所有的动作，还有整个的完完全全的他。好了吧！”

“为什么呢？”

“不，你是在开玩笑，这可太恶毒了！对我可不是开玩笑的

事！”小姐说，并且皱起眉，掉过脸向着炉火。

“而且他会很有钱，我愿意做这四邻八舍最高贵的女人，有这么一个丈夫我会感到自豪。”

“这理由太牵强了。现在说说你是怎么爱他的吧？”

“跟大家一样爱啊——你真可笑，耐莉。”

“一点都不可笑——请回答我。”

“我爱他脚下的大地，我爱他头顶的空气，我爱他所接触的一切，我爱他所说出的每个字，我爱他所有的表情，我爱他所有的动作，我完完整整、彻头彻尾爱他这个人。这下够了吧！”

“理由呢？”

“不，你在拿这事开玩笑，你这简直是不怀好意！这件事对我可不是开玩笑！”阚思小姐说着，眉头皱起，脸转向火炉。