名著精讀《理智與情感》第八章 第3節

"Did not you hear him complain of the rheumatism? and is not that the commonest infirmity of declining life?"

“你沒聽他說有風溼病嗎？難道這不是最常見的衰老症？”

"My dearest child, " said her mother, laughing, "at this rate you must be in continual terror of MY decay; and it must seem to you a miracle that my life has been extended to the advanced age of forty. "

“我最親愛的孩子，”她母親笑着說，“照這麼說，你一定在不停地爲我的衰老而感到心驚膽戰啦。在你看來，我能活到四十歲的高齡一定是個奇蹟吧。”

"Mamma, you are not doing me justice. I know very well that Colonel Brandon is not old enough to make his friends yet apprehensive of losing him in the course of nature. He may live twenty years longer. But thirty-five has nothing to do with matrimony. "

“媽媽，你曲解了我的意思。我知道，布蘭登上校還沒老到使他的朋友們現在就擔心會合乎自然地失去他，他可能再活二十年。但是到了三十五歲就不該考慮結婚。”

"Perhaps, " said Elinor, "thirty-five and seventeen had better not have any thing to do with matrimony together. But if there should by any chance happen to be a woman who is single at seven and twenty, I should not think Colonel Brandon's being thirty-five any objection to his marrying HER. "

“也許，”埃麗諾說道，“三十五歲和十七歲最好不要結成姻緣。不過，萬一有個女人到了二十七歲還是獨身，我看布蘭登上校若是想要娶她爲妻，三十五歲總不該成爲障礙吧。”

"A woman of seven and twenty, " said Marianne, after pausing a moment, "can never hope to feel or inspire affection again, and if her home be uncomfortable, or her fortune small, I can suppose that she might bring herself to submit to the offices of a nurse, for the sake of the provision and security of a wife. In his marrying such a woman therefore there would be nothing unsuitable. It would be a compact of convenience, and the world would be satisfied. In my eyes it would be no marriage at all, but that would be nothing. To me it would seem only a commercial exchange, in which each wished to be benefited at the expense of the other. "

過了一會兒，瑪麗安說道：“一個二十七歲的女人決不可能春心復萌，或者惹人動情。她若是家境不好，或者財產不多，認爲做妻子可以不愁生計，並且生活得安穩些，說不定會甘願去儘儘保姆的職責。因此，娶這樣一個女人，並沒有什麼不妥之處。這是一項實惠的協定，大家都感到稱心如意。在我後來，這根本算不上婚姻，不過這也無關緊要。對我來說，這似乎只是一種商品交換，雙方都想損人利己。”
　　

matism n. 風溼症，類風溼性關節炎

The inhabitants are predisposed to rheumatism by the damp climate.
因氣候潮溼，居民易患風溼症。

rmity n. 虛弱，病身，疾病，弱點

Infirmity often comes with old age.
虛弱常隨年老而來。

this rate 照這樣下去，在這種情況下

At this rate we will not be able to afford a holiday.
照這種情形看來，我們就無法度假了。

ehensive[.æpri'hensiv] adj. 憂慮的，敏悟的，善於領會的

He is always apprehensive for his son's safety.
他經常擔心兒子的安全。

imony n. 結婚，婚姻

a, you are not doing me justice. I know very well that Colonel Brandon is not old enough to make his friends yet apprehensive of losing him in the course of nature.

【難句解析】do justice 意思是“公平對待”；be apprehensive of “擔憂...”；

【句子翻譯】媽媽，你曲解了我的意思。我知道，布蘭登上校還沒老到使他的朋友們現在就擔心會合乎自然地失去他；