Rosamond a sufferer, a labourer, a female apostle?
難道羅莎蒙德是一個吃得起苦的人,一個勞作者,一個女使徒嗎?
Rosamond a missionary's wife? No!"
難道羅莎蒙德是一個傳教士的妻子?不!”
"But you need not be a missionary.
“不過你不必當傳教士?
You might relinquish that scheme."
你可以放棄那個打算。”
"Relinquish! What! my vocation?
“放棄!什么——我的職業?
My great work?
我的偉大的工作?
My foundation laid on earth for a mansion in heaven?
我為天堂里的大廈在世間所打的基礎?
My hopes of being numbered in the band who have merged all ambitions in the glorious one of bettering their race --
我要成為那一小群人的希望?這群人把自己的一切雄心壯志同那樁光榮的事業合而為一,那就是提高他們的種族——
of carrying knowledge into the realms of ignorance -- of substituting peace for war --
把知識傳播到無知的領域——用和平代替戰爭——
freedom for bondage -- religion for superstition -- the hope of heaven for the fear of hell?
用自由代替束縛——宗教代替迷信——上天堂的愿望代替入地獄的恐俱。
Must I relinquish that?
難道連這也得放棄?
It is dearer than the blood in my veins.
它比我血管里流的血還可貴。
It is what I have to look forward to, and to live for."
這正是我所向往的,是我活著的目的。”
After a considerable pause, I said -- "And Miss Oliver?
他沉默了好長一會兒后,我說——“那么奧利弗小姐呢,
Are her disappointment and sorrow of no interest to you?"
難道你就不關心她的失望和哀傷了?”
"Miss Oliver is ever surrounded by suitors and flatterers: in less than a month, my image will be effaced from her heart.
“奧利弗小姐向來有一大群求婚者和獻殷勤的人圍著她轉,不到一個月,我的形象會從她心坎里抹去,
She will forget me; and will marry, probably, some one who will make her far happier than I should do."
她會忘掉我,很可能會跟一個比我更能使她幸福的人結婚。”
"You speak coolly enough; but you suffer in the conflict.
“你說得倒夠冷靜的,不過你內心很矛盾,很痛苦。
You are wasting away."
你日見消瘦。”
"No. If I get a little thin, it is with anxiety about my prospects, yet unsettled -- my departure, continually procrastinated.
“不,要是我有點兒瘦,那是我為懸而未決的前景擔憂的緣故——我的離別日期一拖再拖。
Only this morning, I received intelligence that the successor,
就是今大早上我還接到了消息,
whose arrival I have been so long expecting, cannot be ready to replace me for three months to come yet;
我一直盼著的后繼者,三個月之內無法接替我,
and perhaps the three months may extend to six."
也許這三個月又會延長到六個月。”