評論
打印
But before I go on, tell me what you mean by your 'Well, sir?'
我往下說之前，告訴我你的‘那么，先生？’是什么意思。
It is a small phrase very frequent with you;
這個小小的短語你經常掛在嘴邊，
and which many a time has drawn me on and on through interminable talk: I don't very well know why."
很多次是它把我導入無休止的交談，連我自己也不十分清楚究竟為什么？”
"I mean, What next? How did you proceed? What came of such an event?"
“我的意思是--隨后發生了什么？你怎么繼續下去？這件事情后來怎樣了？”
"Precisely! and what do you wish to know now?"
“完全如此。現在你希望知道什么呢？”
"Whether you found any one you liked: whether you asked her to marry you; and what she said."
“你是否發現了一個你喜歡的人，是否求她嫁給你，她說了些什么。”
"I can tell you whether I found any one I liked, and whether I asked her to marry me:
“我可以告訴你是否找到了自己喜歡的人，是否向她求婚，
but what she said is yet to be recorded in the book of Fate.
但是她所說的話卻要記錄在‘命運’的書本里。
For ten long years I roved about, living first in one capital, then another:
十年中我四處飄泊，先住在一個國家的首都，后來又到了另外一個：
sometimes in St. Petersburg; oftener in Paris; occasionally in Rome, Naples, and Florence.
有時在圣彼得堡，更多的時候在巴黎，偶爾在羅馬、那不勒斯和佛羅倫薩。
Provided with plenty of money and the passport of an old name,
因為身邊有的是錢，又有祖輩的威名作通行證，
I could choose my own society: no circles were closed against me.
我可選擇自己的社交領域，沒有哪個圈子會拒絕我。
I sought my ideal of a woman amongst English ladies, French countesses, Italian signoras, and German grafinnen.
我尋找著我理想中的女人，在英國的女士中間，法國的伯爵夫人中間，意大利的signoras中間和德國的Grafinner中間。
I could not find her. Sometimes, for a fleeting moment,
我找不到她。有時剎那之間我以為抓住了一個眼神，
I thought I caught a glance, heard a tone, beheld a form, which announced the realisation of my dream: but I was presently undeserved.
聽到了一種腔調，看到了一種體形，宣告我的夢想就要實現，但我又馬上醒悟了。
You are not to suppose that I desired perfection, either of mind or person.
你別以為我無論在心靈還是人本身上渴求完美。
I longed only for what suited me -- for the antipodes of the Creole: and I longed vainly.
我只是盼望有適合我的人--與克里奧爾人形，成對比，而我徒勞地企望著。
Amongst them all I found not one whom, had I been ever so free,
即使我完全自由--我常常回想起
I -- warned as I was of the risks, the horrors, the loathings of incongruous unions -- would have asked to marry me.
不和諧的婚姻的危險、可怕和可憎--在她們所有的人中間，我也找不到一個可以向她求婚的人。
Disappointment made me reckless. I tried dissipation -- never debauchery: that I hated, and hate.
失望使我變得輕率起來。我嘗試了放蕩--但從來沒有縱欲，過去和現在我都厭惡縱欲。
That was my Indian Messalina's attribute: rooted disgust at it and her restrained me much, even in pleasure.
那恰是我的那位西印度蕩婦的特點，我對她和她的淫蕩深惡痛絕，所以即使在作樂時也有所約束。
Any enjoyment that bordered on riot seemed to approach me to her and her vices, and I eschewed it."
一切近乎淫蕩的享受，會使我同她和她的罪惡靠攏，于是我盡力避免。”
