【经典名著阅读】《红字》第二十三章（下）
Chapter 23 THE REVELATION OF THE SCARLET LETTER第二十三章 红字的显露
Bellingham, for the last few moments, had kept an anxious eye upon him. He now left his own place in the procession, and advanced to give assistance; judging, from Mr. Dimmesdale's aspect, that he must otherwise inevitably fall. But there was something in the latter's expression that warned back the magistrate, although a man not readily obeying the vague intimations that pass from one spirit to another. The crowd, meanwhile, looked on with awe and wonder. This earthly faintness was, in their view, only another phase of the ministers' celestial strength; nor would it have seemed a miracle too high to be wrought for one so holy, had he ascended before their eyes, waxing dimmer and brighter, and fading at last into the light of heaven!贝灵汉在这几分钟里始终焦虑地注视着他。此时贝灵汉离开了队伍中自己的位置，走上前来帮助他，因为从丁梅斯代尔先生的面容来判断，不去扶他一把就一定会摔倒的。但是，牧师的表情中有一种推拒之意，令这位达官不敢上前，尽管他并不是那种乐于听命于人与人之间心息相通的隐约暗示的人。与此同时，人群则怀着谅惧参半的心情观望着。在他们看来，这种肉体的衰竭只不过是牧师的神力的另一种表现；设若象他这样神圣的人，就在众人眼前飞升，渐黯又渐明，最终消失在天国的光辉中，也不会被视为难以企及的奇迹。
He turned towards the scaffold, and stretched forth his arms.他转向刑台，向前伸出双臂。
"Hester," said he, "come hither! Come, my little Pearl!"“海丝特，”他说，“过来呀！来，我的小珠儿！”
It was a ghastly look with which he regarded them; but there was something at once tender and strangely triumphant in it. The child, with the bird-like motion which was one of her characteristics, flew to him, and clasped her arms about his knees. Hester Prynne- slowly, as if impelled by inevitable fate, and against her strongest will- likewise drew near, but paused before she reached him. At this instant, old Roger Chillingworth thrust himself through the crowd- or, perhaps, so dark, disturbed, and evil was his look, he rose up out of some nether region- to snatch back his victim from what he sought to do! Be that as it might, the old man rushed forward, and caught the minister by the arm.他盯着她们的眼神十分可怖；但其中马上就映出温柔和奇异的胜利的成分。那孩子，以她特有的鸟儿一般的动作，朝他飞去，还搂住了他的双膝。海丝特·白兰似乎被必然的命运所推动，但又违背她的坚强意志，也缓缓向前，只是在她够不到他的地方就站住了。就在此刻，老罗杰·齐灵渥斯从人群中脱颖而出——由于他的脸色十分阴暗、十分慌乱、十分邪恶，或许可以说他是从地狱的什么地方钻出来的——想要抓住他的牺牲品，以免他会做出什么举动！无论如何吧，反正那老人冲到前面，一把抓住了牧师的胳臂。
"Madman, hold! what is your purpose?" whispered he. "Wave back that woman! Cast off this child! All shall be well! Do not blacken your fame, and perish in dishonour. I can yet save you! Would you bring infamy on your sacred profession?"“疯子，稳住！你要干什么？”他小声说。“挥开那女人！甩开这孩子！一切都会好的！不要玷污你的名声，不光彩地毁掉自己！我还能拯救你！你愿意给你神圣的职业蒙受耻辱吗？”
"Ha, tempter! Methinks thou art too late!" answered the minister, encountering his eye, fearfully, but firmly. "Thy power is not what it was! With God's help, I shall escape thee now!"He again extended his hand to the woman of the scarlet letter.“哈，诱惑者啊！我认为你来得太迟了！”牧师畏惧而坚定地对着他的目光，回答说。“你的权力如今已不象以前了！有了上帝的帮助，我现在要逃脱你的羁绊了！”他又一次向戴红字的女人伸出了手。
"Hester Prynne," cried he, with a piercing earnestness, "in the name of Him, so terrible and so merciful, who gives me grace, at this last moment, to do what- for my own heavy sin and miserable agony- I withheld myself from doing seven years ago, come hither now, and twine thy strength about me! Thy strength, Hester; but let it be guided by the will which God hath granted me! This wretched and wronged old man is opposing it with all his might!- with all his own might, and the fiend's! Come, Hester, come! Support me up yonder scaffold!"The crowd was in a tumult. The men of rank and dignity, who stood more immediately around the clergyman, were so taken by surprise, and so perplexed as to the purport of what they saw- unable to receive the explanation which most readily presented itself, or to imagine any other- that they remained silent and inactive spectators of the judgment which Providence seemed about to work. They beheld the minister, leaning on Hester's shoulder, and supported by her arm around him, approach the scaffold, and ascend its steps; while still the little hand of the sin-born child was clasped in his. Old Roger Chillingworth followed, as one intimately connected with the drama of guilt and sorrow in which they had all been actors, and well entitled, therefore, to be present at its closing scene.“海丝特·白兰，”他以令人撕心裂肺的真诚呼叫道，“上帝啊，他是那样的可畏，又是那样的仁慈，在这最后的时刻，他已恩准我——为了我自己沉重的罪孽和悲惨的痛楚——来做七年前我规避的事情，现在过来吧，把你的力量缠绕到我身上吧！你的力量，海丝特；但要让那力量遵从上帝赐于我的意愿的指导！这个遭受委屈的不幸的老人正在竭力反对此事！竭尽他自己的，以及魔鬼的全力！来吧，海丝特，来吧！扶我登上这座刑台吧！”人群哗然，骚动起来。那些紧靠在牧师身边站着的有地位和身分的人万分震惊，对他们目睹的这一切实在不解：既不能接受那显而易见的解释，又想不出别的什么涵义，只好保持沉默，静观上天似乎就要进行的裁决。他们眼睁睁地瞅着牧师靠在海丝特的肩上，由她用臂膀搀扶着走近刑台，跨上台阶；而那个由罪孽而诞生的孩子的小手还在他的手中紧握着。老罗杰·齐灵渥斯紧随在后，象是与这出他们几人一齐参加演出的罪恶和悲伤的戏剧密不可分，因此也就责无旁贷地在闭幕前亮了相。
"Hadst thou sought the whole earth over," said he, looking darkly at the clergyman, "there was no one place so secret- no high place nor lowly place, where thou couldst have escaped me- save on this very scaffold!"“即使你寻遍全世界，”他阴沉地望着牧师说，“除去这座刑台，再也没有一个地方更秘密——高处也罢，低处也罢，使你能够逃脱我了！”
"Thanks be to Him who hath led me hither" answered the minister.“感谢上帝指引我来到了这里！”牧师回答说。
Yet he trembled, and turned to Hester with an expression of doubt and anxiety in his eyes, not the less evidently betrayed, that there was a feeble smile upon his lips.然而他却颤抖着，转向海丝特，眼睛中流露着疑虑的神色，嘴角上也同样明显地带着一丝无力的微笑。
"Is not this better," murmured he, "than what we dreamed of in the forest?"“这样做，”他咕哝着说，“比起我们在树林中所梦想的，不是更好吗？”
"I know not! I know not!" she hurriedly replied. "Better? Yea; so we may both die, and little Pearl die with us!"“我不知道！我不知道！”她匆匆回答说。“是更好吗？是吧；这样我们就可以一起死去，还有小珠儿陪着我们！”
"For thee and Pearl, be it as God shall order," said the minister; "and God is merciful! Let me now do the will which He hath made plain before my sight. For, Hester, I am a dying man. So let me make haste to take my shame upon me!"“至于你和珠儿，听凭上帝的旨意吧，”牧师说；“而上帝是仁慈的！上帝已经在我眼前表明了他的意愿，我现在就照着去做。海丝特，我已经是个垂死的人了。那就让我赶紧承担起我的耻辱吧！”
页:
[1]