名著精讀《理智與情感》第三章 第4節

No sooner did she perceive any symptom of love in his behaviour to Elinor, than she considered their serious attachment as certain, and looked forward to their marriage as rapidly approaching.

她一察覺愛德華對埃麗諾有點愛慕的表示，便認準他們是在真心相愛，巴望着他們很快就會結婚。

"In a few months, my dear Marianne. " said she, "Elinor will, in all probability be settled for life. We shall miss her; but SHE will be happy. "

“親愛的瑪麗安，”她說，“再過幾個月，埃麗諾十有八九要定下終身大事了。我們會惦記她的，不過她會很幸福。”

"Oh! Mamma, how shall we do without her?"

“啊，媽媽，要是離開她，我們可怎麼辦啊？”

"My love, it will be scarcely a separation. We shall live within a few miles of each other, and shall meet every day of our lives. You will gain a brother, a real, affectionate brother. I have the highest opinion in the world of Edward's heart. But you look grave, Marianne; do you disapprove your sister's choice?"

“我的寶貝，這還算不上分離。我們和她就隔着幾英里路遠，天天都能見面。你會得到一個兄長，一個真正的、情同手足的兄長。我對愛德華的那顆心算是佩服到家了。不過，瑪麗安，你板着個臉，難道你不贊成你姐姐的選擇？”

"Perhaps, " said Marianne, "I may consider it with some surprise. Edward is very amiable, and I love him tenderly. But yet--he is not the kind of young man--there is something wanting--his figure is not striking; it has none of that grace which I should expect in the man who could seriously attach my sister. His eyes want all that spirit, that fire, which at once announce virtue and intelligence. And besides all this, I am afraid, Mamma, he has no real taste. Music seems scarcely to attract him, and though he admires Elinor's drawings very much, it is not the admiration of a person who can understand their worth. It is evident, in spite of his frequent attention to her while she draws, that in fact he knows nothing of the matter. He admires as a lover, not as a connoisseur. To satisfy me, those characters must be united. I could not be happy with a man whose taste did not in every point coincide with my own. He must enter into all my feelings; the same books, the same music must charm us both. Oh! mama, how spiritless, how tame was Edward's manner in reading to us last night! I felt for my sister most severely. Yet she bore it with so much composure, she seemed scarcely to notice it. I could hardly keep my seat. To hear those beautiful lines which have frequently almost driven me wild, pronounced with such impenetrable calmness, such dreadful indifference!"--

“也許是吧，”瑪麗安說，“我感到有點意外。愛德華非常和藹可親，我也很喜愛他。但是，他可不是那種年輕人——他缺少點什麼東西，他那副形象可不引人注目——我覺得，可以真正吸引我姐姐的那種魅力，他連一絲一毫都不具備。他兩眼無神，缺乏生氣，顯不出美德與才華。除此之外，他恐怕還沒有真正的愛好。音樂對他幾乎沒有吸引力，他雖然十分讚賞埃麗諾的繪畫，可那不是內行人的讚賞。埃麗諾畫畫的時候，他總要湊到跟前，儘管如此，他對繪畫顯然一竅不通。他那是有情人的讚賞，而不是行家的讚賞。使我滿意的人，必須同時具備這兩種氣質。跟一個趣味與我不能完全相投的人一起生活，我是不會幸福的。他必須與我情投意含；我們必須醉心於一樣的書，一樣的音樂。哦，媽媽！愛德華昨天夜裏給我們朗讀時，樣子無精打采的，蹩腳透了！我真替姐姐擔心。可她倒沉得住氣，就像是沒看見似的。我簡直坐不住了，那麼優美的詩句，常常使我激動得發狂，可是讓他那麼平淡無味、不動聲色地一朗讀，誰還聽得下去！”

"He would certainly have done more justice to simple and elegant prose. I thought so at the time; but you WOULD give him Cowper. "

“他一定善於朗讀質樸風雅的散文。我當時就這麼想的，可你偏要讓他念考柏的詩。”

"Nay, Mamma, if he is not to be animated by Cowper!-- but we must allow for difference of taste. Elinor has not my feelings, and therefore she may overlook it, and be happy with him. But it would have broke MY heart, had I loved him, to hear him read with so little sensibility. Mama, the more I know of the world, the more am I convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. I require so much! He must have all Edward's virtues, and his person and manners must ornament his goodness with every possible charm. "

“得了吧，媽媽，要是考柏的詩都打動不了他，那他還配讀什麼！——不過，我們必須承認趣味上的差異。埃麗諾沒有我這樣的情趣，因此她可以無視這種缺欠，跟他在一起還覺得挺幸福的。可是，我要是愛他的話，見他那樣索然乏味地念書，我的心都要碎成八瓣了。媽媽，我世面見得越多，越覺得我一輩子也見不到一個我會真心愛戀的男人。我的要求太高了！他必須具備愛德華的全部美德。而爲美德增添光彩，他又必須人品出衆，風度迷人。”

"Remember, my love, that you are not seventeen. It is yet too early in life to despair of such a happiness. Why should you be less fortunate than your mother? In one circumstance only, my Marianne, may your destiny be different from her's!"

“別忘了，我的寶貝，你還不到十七歲，對幸福喪失信心還爲時過早。你怎麼會不及你母親倖運呢？瑪麗安，你的命運與我的命運只會有一點是不同的！”

eive v. 察覺, 感覺, 認知, 理解

I perceived his comment as a challenge.
我認爲他的批評是對我的激勵。

ing adj. 不足的, 短缺的

n. 缺乏, 貧困, 慾望, 需要, 不足 vi. 要, 希望, 必須 vt. 缺少, 渴望, 喜歡, 應該

The plants died from want of water.
這些植物因缺水而死。

oisseur n. 鑑識家, 鑑定家, 內行

He is a connoisseur of antique furniture.
他是古傢俱鑑定家。

osure n. 鎮靜, 沉著

We should keep our composure in danger.
我們在危險的時候應該保持冷靜。

netrable adj. 不能穿過的, 不可理喻的

An impenetrable fortress.
無法通過的森林

ment n. 裝飾, 裝飾物 vt. 裝飾

I ornamented my room with flowers.
我用鮮花裝飾房間。

umstance n. 環境, (複數)境況, 事件, 詳情

He was forced by the circumstances to do this.
他做此事是爲環境所迫。