評論
打印
"Oh! shocking!" cried Miss Bingley. "I never heard any thing so abominable. How shall we punish him for such a speech?"
“噢，嚇壞人！”彬格萊小姐叫起來了。“我從來沒聽到過這么毒辣的話。──虧他說得出，該怎么罰他呀？”
"Nothing so easy, if you have but the inclination," said Elizabeth. "We can all plague and punish one another. Teaze him -- laugh at him. -- Intimate as you are, you must know how it is to be done."
“要是你存心罰他，那是再容易不過的事，”伊麗莎白說。“彼此都可以罰來罰去，折磨來折磨去。作弄他一番吧──譏笑他一番吧。你們既然這么相熟，你該懂得怎么對付他呀。”
"But upon my honour I do not. I do assure you that my intimacy has not yet taught me that. Teaze calmness of temper and presence of mind! No, no -- I feel he may defy us there. And as to laughter, we will not expose ourselves, if you please, by attempting to laugh without a subject. Mr. Darcy may hug himself."
“天地良心，我不懂得。不瞞你說，我們雖然相熟，可是要懂得怎樣來對付他，不差得遠呢。想要對付這種性格冷靜和頭腦機靈的人，可不容易！不行，不行，我想我們是搞不過他的。至于譏笑他，說句你不生氣的話，我們可不能憑空笑人家，弄得反而惹人笑話。讓達西先生去自鳴得意吧。”
"Mr. Darcy is not to be laughed at!" cried Elizabeth. "That is an uncommon advantage, and uncommon I hope it will continue, for it would be a great loss to me to have many such acquaintance. I dearly love a laugh."
“原來達西先生是不能讓人笑話的！”伊麗莎白嚷道。“這種優越的條件倒真少有，我希望一直不要多，這樣的朋友多了，我的損失可大啦。我特別喜歡笑話。”
"Miss Bingley," said he, "has given me credit for more than can be. The wisest and the best of men, nay, the wisest and best of their actions, may be rendered ridiculous by a person whose first object in life is a joke."
“彬格萊小姐過獎我啦。”他說。“要是一個人把開玩笑當作人生最重要的事，那么，最聰明最優秀的人───不，最聰明最優秀的行為───也就會變得可笑了。”
"Certainly," replied Elizabeth -- "there are such people, but I hope I am not one of them. I hope I never ridicule what is wise or good. Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can. -- But these, I suppose, are precisely what you are without."
“那當然羅，”伊麗莎白回答道，“這樣的人的確有，可是我希望我自己不在其內。我希望我怎么樣也不會譏笑聰明的行為或者是良好的行為。愚蠢和無聊，荒唐和矛盾，這的確叫我覺得好笑，我自己也承認，我只要能夠加以譏笑，總是加以譏笑。不過我覺得這些弱點正是你身上所沒有的。”
"Perhaps that is not possible for any one. But it has been the study of my life to avoid those weaknesses which often expose a strong understanding to ridicule."
“或許誰都還會有這些弱點，否則可真糟了，絕頂的聰慧也要招人嘲笑了。我一生都在研究該怎么樣避免這些弱點。”
"Such as vanity and pride."
“例如虛榮和傲慢就是屬于這一類弱點。”
"Yes, vanity is a weakness indeed. But pride -- where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation."
“不錯，虛榮的確是個弱點。可是傲慢──只要你果真聰明過人──你就會傲慢得比較有分寸。”
Elizabeth turned away to hide a smile.
伊麗莎白掉過頭去，免得人家看見她發笑。
