文章总共2页
文章总共2页
| Chapter 6 (Vol. I, Chap. VI) | 第六章 |
| The ladies of Longbourn soon waited on those of Netherfield. The visit was returned in due form. Miss Bennet's pleasing manners grew on the good will of Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley; and though the mother was found to be intolerable and the younger sisters not worth speaking to, a wish of being better acquainted with them was expressed towards the two eldest. By Jane this attention was received with the greatest pleasure; but Elizabeth still saw superciliousness in their treatment of every body, hardly excepting even her sister, and could not like them; though their kindness to Jane, such as it was, had a value, as arising in all probability from the influence of their brother's admiration. It was generally evident whenever they met, that he did admire her; and to her it was equally evident that Jane was yielding to the preference which she had begun to entertain for him from the first, and was in a way to be very much in love; but she considered with pleasure that it was not likely to be discovered by the world in general, since Jane united with great strength of feeling a composure of temper and a uniform cheerfulness of manner, which would guard her from the suspicions of the impertinent. She mentioned this to her friend Miss Lucas. | 浪博恩小姐们不久就去拜访尼日斐花园的小姐 们了。人家了照例来回拜了她们。班纳特那种 讨人喜爱的举止，使赫斯脱太太和彬格莱小姐 对她愈来愈有好感。尽管班家老太太叫人不可 容忍，几个小妹妹也不值得攀谈，可是两位彬 格莱小姐不是愿意跟年纪大的两位班小姐作进 一步深交，吉英极其喜悦地领受了这份盛意； 可是伊丽莎白看出她们对待任何人仍然很高傲 ，甚至对待吉英也几乎没有两样，因此颇不喜 欢她们；不过，她们所以待吉英好，看来多半 还是由于她们兄弟爱慕她的缘故。只要你看见 他们俩在一起，你就看得出他兄弟确是爱慕她 的。伊丽莎白又很清楚地看出吉英一开头就看 中了彬格莱先生，不由自主地向他屈服了，而 且也可以说是对他喜爱极了。可是她高兴地想 道，吉英虽说感情丰富，好在性格很镇定，外 表上仍然保持着正常的和颜悦色，那就不会引 起那些卤莽人的怀疑，因此他俩的心意也就不 会给人察觉了。伊丽莎白曾经跟自己的朋友卢 卡斯小姐谈到过这一点。 |
| "It may perhaps be pleasant," replied Charlotte, "to be able to impose on the public in such a case; but it is sometimes a disadvantage to be so very guarded. If a woman conceals her affection with the same skill from the object of it, she may lose the opportunity of fixing him; and it will then be but poor consolation to believe the world equally in the dark. There is so much of gratitude or vanity in almost every attachment, that it is not safe to leave any to itself. We can all beginfreely -- a slight preference is natural enough; but there are very few of us who have heart enough to be really in love without encouragement. In nine cases out of ten, a woman had better show moreaffection than she feels. Bingley likes your sister undoubtedly; but he may never do more than like her, if she does not help him on." | 夏绿蒂当时说道："这种事想瞒过大家，也许 是怪有意思的，不过，这样提心吊胆，有时候 反而不妙。要是一个女人在她自己心爱的人面 前，也用这种技巧遮遮掩掩，不让他知道她对 他有意思，那她就可能没有机会博得他的欢心 ；那么，就是肥天下人都蒙在鼓里，也无补于 事。男女恋爱大都免不了要借重于双方的感恩 图报之心和虚荣自负之感，听其自然是很难成 其好事的。恋爱的开头都是随随便便──某人 对某人发生点儿好感，本是极其自然的一回事 ；只可惜没有对方和鼓励而自己就肯没头没脑 去钟情的人，简直太少了。女人家十有八九都 是心里有一分爱表面上就露出两分。毫无问题 ，彬格莱喜欢你姐姐；可是你姐姐如果不帮他 一把劲，他也许喜欢喜欢她就算了。" |
| "But she does help him on, as much as her nature will allow. If I can perceive her regard for him, he must be a simpleton indeed not to discover it too." | "不过她已经尽心竭力在帮他的忙了。要量我 都能看出她对他的好感，而他却看不出，那他 未免太蠢了。" |
| "Remember, Eliza, that he does not know Jane's disposition as you do." | "伊丽莎，你得记住，他可不象你那么懂得吉 英的性格。" |
| "But if a woman is partial to a man, and does not endeavour to conceal it, he must find it out." | "假如一个女人爱上了一个男人，只要女方不 故意瞒住男方，男方一定 会看得出的。" |
| "Perhaps he must, if he sees enough of her. But though Bingley and Jane meet tolerably often, it is never for many hours together; and as they always see each other in large mixed parties, it is impossible that every moment should be employed in conversing together. Jane should therefore make the most of every half hour in which she can command his attention. When she is secure of him, there will be leisure for falling in love as much as she chooses." | "要是男方和女方见面的机会很多，或许他总 会看得出。虽然彬格莱和吉英见面的次数相当 多，却从来没有在一起接连待上几个钟头，何 况他们见起面来，总是跟一些杂七杂八的人在 一起，不可能让他们俩畅谈。因此吉英就得时 时刻刻留神，一看到有机会可以逗引他，千万 不要借过。等到能把他抓到手，再从从容容尽 量去谈恋爱还来得及。" |
| "Your plan is a good one," replied Elizabeth, "where nothing is in question but the desire of being well married; and if I were determined to get a rich husband, or any husband, I dare say I should adopt it. But these are not Jane's feelings; she is not acting by design. As yet, she cannot even be certain of the degree of her own regard, nor of its reasonableness. She has known him only a fortnight. She danced four dances with him at Meryton; she saw him one morning at his own house, and has since dined in company with him four times. This is not quite enough to make her understand his character." | 伊丽莎白回答道"倘使只求嫁一个有钱的男人 ，你这个办法妙极了，我如果决心找个阔丈夫 ，或者干脆只要随便找个丈夫就算数，我或许 会照你的办法去做。可惜吉英不是这样想法的 ；她为人处世，就是不愿意使心眼儿。而且， 她自己也还拿不准她究竟对她钟情到什么地步 ，钟情得是否得体。她认识他才不过两个星期 。她在麦里屯跟他跳了四次舞；有天上午她在 他家里跟他见过一次面，此后又跟他吃过四次 晚饭，可是总有别人在一起。就这么点儿来往 ，叫她怎么能了解他的性格呢。" |
| "Not as you represent it. Had she merely dined with him, she might only have discovered whether he had a good appetite; but you must remember that four evenings have been also spent together -- and four evenings may do a great deal." | "事情并不是你所说的那样。要是她只跟他吃 吃晚饭，那她或许只看得出他的饭量好不好； 可是你得记住，他们既在一起吃过四顿饭也就 是在一起盘恒了四个晚上呀──四个晚上的作 用可大着呢。" |
| "Yes; these four evenings have enabled them to ascertain that they both like Vingt-un better than Commerce; but with respect to any other leading characteristic, I do not imagine that much has been unfolded." | "是的；这四个晚上叫他们彼此摸透了一样性 格，那就是他们俩都喜欢玩二十一点，不喜欢 玩'康梅司'；讲到别的重要的特点，我看他 们彼此之间还了解很少。"1 |
| "Well," said Charlotte, "I wish Jane success with all my heart; and if she were married to him to-morrow, I should think she had as good a chance of happiness as if she were to be studying his character for a twelvemonth. Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of the parties are ever so well known to each other, or ever so similar before-hand, it does not advance their felicity in the least. They always contrive to grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to have their share of vexation; and it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life." | "唔，"夏绿蒂说，"我一心一意祝吉英成功 。我以为即使她明天就跟他结婚，她秘能获得 的幸福，比起她花上一年的时间，研究了他的 性格、再去跟他结婚所能获得的幸福，并不见 得会少到哪里去。婚姻生活是否幸福，完全是 个机会问题。一对爱人婚前脾气措得非常透， 或者脾气非常相同，这并不能保证他们俩就会 幸福。他们总是弄到后来距离越来越远，彼此 烦恼。你既然得和这个人过一辈子，你最尽量 少了解他的缺点。" |
| "You make me laugh, Charlotte; but it is not sound. You know it is not sound, and that you would never act in this way yourself." | "你这番话妙透了，夏绿蒂。不过这种说法未 必可靠。你也明知道未必可靠，你自己就不肯 那么做。" |
| Occupied in observing Mr. Bingley's attentions to her sister, Elizabeth was far from suspecting that she was herself becoming an object of some interest in the eyes of his friend. Mr. Darcy had at first scarcely allowed her to be pretty; he had looked at her without admiration at the ball; and when they next met, he looked at her only to criticise. But no sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she had hardly a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes. To this discovery succeeded some others equally mortifying. Though he had detected with a critical eye more than one failure of perfect symmetry in her form, he was forced to acknowledge her figure to be light and pleasing; and in spite of his asserting that her manners were not those of the fashionable world, he was caught by their easy playfulness. Of this she was perfectly unaware; -- to her he was only the man who made himself agreeable no where, and who had not thought her handsome enough to dance with. | 伊丽莎白一心只知道谈论彬格莱先生对她姐姐 的殷勤，却一点儿没想到她自己已经成了彬格 莱那位朋友的意中人。说到达西先生，他开头 并不认为她怎么漂亮；他在跳舞会上望着她的 时候，并没有带着丝毫的爱慕之意，第二次见 面的时候，他也不过有吹毛求疵的眼光去看待 她。不过，他尽管在朋友们面前，在自己心里 ，都说她的面貌一无可取，可是眨下眼的工夫 ，他就发觉她那双乌黑的眼睛美丽非凡，使她 的整个脸蛋儿显得极其聪慧。紧接着这个发现 之后，他又在她向上发现了几个同样叫人怄气 的地方。他带着挑剔的眼光，发觉她的身段这 儿也不匀称，那儿也不匀称，可是他到底不得 不承认她体态轻盈，惹人喜爱；虽然他嘴上一 口咬定她缺少上流社会的翩翩风采，可是她落 落大方爱打趣的作风，又把他迷住了。伊丽莎 白完全不明了这些情形，她只觉得达西是个到 处不讨人喜欢的男人，何况他曾经认为她不够 漂亮不配跟她跳舞。 |
| He began to wish to know more of her, and as a step towards conversing with her himself, attended to her conversation with others. His doing so drew her notice. It was at Sir William Lucas's, where a large party were assembled. "What does Mr. Darcy mean," said she to Charlotte, "by listening to my conversation with Colonel Forster?" | 达西开始希望跟她深交。他为了想要慢慢地跟 她攀谈攀谈，因此她跟别人谈话的时候，他问 题留神去听。于是，有一次威廉·卢卡斯爵士 大请客，他这样的做法当场引起了她的注意。 且说当时伊丽莎白对夏绿蒂说："你瞧，达西 先生是什么意思呢，我跟弗斯脱上校谈话，干 吗要他在那儿听？" |
| "That is a question which Mr. Darcy only can answer." | "这个问题只有达西先生自己能够回答。" |
| "But if he does it any more, I shall certainly let him know that I see what he is about. He has a very satirical eye, and if I do not begin by being impertinent myself, I shall soon grow afraid of him." | "要是他再这样，我一定要叫他明白我并不是 个糊涂蛋。他挖苦人的本领特别高明，要是我 不先给他点颜色看看，我马上就会见他怕啦。 " |
| On his approaching them soon afterwards, though without seeming to have any intention of speaking, Miss Lucas defied her friend to mention such a subject to him, which immediately provoking Elizabeth to do it, she turned to him and said, | 不到一会儿工夫，达西又走到她身边来了，他 表面上虽然并不想跟她们攀谈，卢卡斯小姐却 不是怂恿伊丽莎白向他把这个问题正面提出来 。伊丽莎白给她这样一激，便立刻转过脸来跟 他说： |
| "Did not you think, Mr. Darcy, that I expressed myself uncommonly well just now, when I was teasing Colonel Forster to give us a ball at Meryton?" | "达西先生，我刚刚跟弗斯脱上校讲笑话，要 他给我们在麦里屯开一次跳舞会，你看我的话 是不是说得非常得体？" |
| "With great energy; -- but it is a subject which always makes a lady energetic." | "的确说得起劲极了，不过这件事本来就是叫 小姐们非常起劲的。" |
| "You are severe on us." | "你这样说我们，未免太尖刻了些吧。" |
| "It will be her turn soon to be teased," said Miss Lucas. "I am going to open the instrument, Eliza, and you know what follows." | "你这一下反而被别人嘲笑了，"卢卡斯小姐 说。"我去打开琴，伊丽莎，下文如何，你自 个儿明白。" |
| "You are a very strange creature by way of a friend! -- always wanting me to play and sing before any body and every body! -- If my vanity had taken a musical turn, you would have been invaluable, but as it is, I would really rather not sit down before those who must be in the habit of hearing the very best performers." On Miss Lucas's persevering, however, she added, "Very well; if it must be so, it must." And gravely glancing at Mr. Darcy, "There is a fine old saying, which every body here is of course familiar with -- ``Keep your breath to cool your porridge,'' -- and I shall keep mine to swell my song." | "你这种朋友真是世上少有！──不管当着什 么人的面，总是要我弹琴唱歌！──要是我存 心人在音乐会上出风头，我真要对你感激不尽 。可是宾客们都是听惯了第一流演奏家的，我 实在不好意思在他们面前坐下来献憾丑。"话 虽如此，怎奈卢卡斯小姐再三要求，她便说道 ："好吧，既是非献丑不可，只得献献丑吧。 "她又板着脸对达西瞥了一眼，说道："有名 老古话说得好，在场的人当然也晓得这句话： |
文章总共2页
京公网安备 11011202003401号
