【经典名著阅读】《德伯家的苔丝》第十二章（下）

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        As he had her basket she could not well do otherwise; and she waited, observing him. He set down her basket and the tin pot, and stirring the paint with the brush that was in it began painting large square letters on the middle board of the three composing the stile, placing a comma after each word, as if to give pause while that word was driven well home to the reader's heart--因为他提走了她的篮子，她不得不等着他；她一边等着，一边看着他。他把她的篮子和铁罐放下来，拿起铁罐里的一把刷子搅拌了一下油漆，就开始在组成栅栏的三块木板的中间的一块上写起方形大字来，他在每个字后都加上一个逗号，仿佛要停顿一下，好叫每个字都让读者深深地记在心里——
        THY, DAMNATION, SLUMBERETH, NOT.他，们，的，灭，亡，必，速，速，来，到
        2 PET. ii. 3.彼得后书Ⅱ3
        Against the peaceful landscape, the pale, decaying tints of the copses, the blue air of the horizon, and the lichened stile-boards, these staring vermilion words shone forth. They seemed to shout themselves out and make the atmosphere ring. Some people might have cried 'Alas, poor Theology!' at the hideous defacement - the last grotesque phase of a creed which had served mankind well in its time. But the words entered Tess with accusatory horror. It was as if this man had known her recent history; yet he was a total stranger.映衬着宁静的风景、矮树林灰白的枯黄色调、天边的蔚蓝色空气和长满苔藓的栅栏木板，那些鲜红的大字闪闪发光。每一个字都似乎在大声喊叫，连空气都被震得发响。也许有人会对这些讨厌的涂抹说“唉，可怜的神学！”——这种宗教当年也曾为人类服务过，现在是它最后的古怪一幕了。但是苔丝读到这些字，却感到有一种遭到指控的恐惧。就好像那个人已经知道了她最近的历史；但是他对苔丝的确是一无所知。
        Having finished his text he picked up her basket, and she mechanically resumed her walk beside him.他写完了字，提起篮子，苔丝也机械地走在他的旁边。
        'Do you believe what you paint?' she asked in low tones.“你真的相信你写的话吗？”苔丝低声问。
        'Believe that tex? Do I believe in my own existence!'“相信那句话？就像相信我自己存在着一样！”
        'But,' said she tremulously, 'suppose your sin was not of your seeking?'“但是，”她说话时声音颤抖起来，“假如你犯的罪不是有意犯的呢？”
        He shook his head.他把头摇了摇。
        'I cannot split hairs on that burning query,' he said. 'I have walked hundreds of miles this past summer, painting these texes on every wall, gate, and stile in the length and breadth of this district. I leave their application to the hearts of the people who read 'em.'“对于你问的这个棘手的问题，我没有本领作出回答，”他说。“这个夏季，我已经走了好几百英里路了，只要有一面墙、有一道门、有一道栅栏门，无论大小，我都把这些话写上去。至于这些话的应用，我就留给读这些话的人理解了。”

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        'I think they are horrible,' said Tess. 'Crushing! killing!'“我觉得这些话太可怕了，”苔丝说：“这些话是碾压人呀！是要人的命呀！”
        'That's what they are meant to be!' he replied in a trade voice. 'But you should read my hottest ones - them I kips for slums and seaports. They'd make ye wriggle! Not but what this is a very good tex for rural districts... Ah - there's a nice bit of blank wall up by that barn standing to waste. I must put one there - one that it will be good for dangerous young females like yerself to heed. Will ye wait, missy?'“那就是这些话的本来用意呀！”他回答说，用的是干这一行的口吻。“但是你还没有读到我写的最厉害的话呢——我把那些话写在贫民窟的墙上或者码头上。那些话会使你胆战心惊的！不过在乡下这些地方，这也是很好的话了……啊——那儿谷仓的墙上有一块很好的地方还没有写字，浪费了。我一定要在那儿写上一行字——写一行字给像你这样容易出危险的年轻女人读。你等等我好吗，小姐？”
        'No,' said she; and taking her basket Tess trudged on. A little way forward she turned her head. The old gray wall began to advertise a similar fiery lettering to the first, with a strange and unwonted mien, as if distressed at duties it had never before been called upon to perform. It was with a sudden flush that she read and realized what was to be the inscription he was now half-way through--“我不能等，”她说；提起篮子往前走了。她向前走了几步，又扭过头去。在那面古老的灰色墙壁上，他又开始写上了和先前一样强烈的警示人的醒目字句，看上去既奇怪又不同寻常，这面墙以前从来没有让人写上什么，现在被写上了字，它仿佛有些痛苦。那句话剧写了一半，苔丝已经知道要写上去的那句话了，突然脸红起来。他写的是——
        THOU, SHALT, NOT, COMMIT -你，不，可，犯——①
        Her cheerful friend saw her looking, stopped his brush, and shouted--她那愉快的朋友看见她在那儿读着，就把手中的排笔停下来大声叫道——
        'If you want to ask for edification on these things of moment, there's a very earnest good man going to preach a charity-sermon to-day in the parish you are going to - Mr Clare of Emminster. I'm not of his persuasion now, but he's a good man, and he'll expound as well as any parson I know. 'Twas he began the work in me.'“要是你想在这些问题上得到启发，在你要去的那个教区，今天有一个非常热心的好人要去作慈善讲道，他就是爱敏寺的克莱尔先生。我现在跟他不是一个教派了，不过他是一个好人，不比我所知道的任何一个牧师差，我最先就是受他的影响。”
        But Tess did not answer; she throbbingly resumed her walk, her eyes fixed on the ground. 'Pooh - I don't believe God said such things!' she murmured contemptuously when her flush had died away.但是苔丝没有答话；她心里怦怦直跳，又继续往前走，一双眼睛死死地盯着地面。“呸——我才不信上帝说过这种话呢！”她脸上的红晕消失了，用鄙夷的口气低声说。
        A plume of smoke soared up suddenly from her father's chimney, the sight of which made her heart ache. The aspect of the interior, when she reached it, made her heart ache more. Her mother, who had just come down stairs, turned to greet her from the fireplace, where she was kindling barked-oak twigs under the breakfast kettle. The young children were still above, as was also her father, it being Sunday morning, when he felt justified in lying an additional half-hour.突然，她看见有一缕炊烟从她父亲家的烟囱里袅袅升起，这使她心里十分难过。她回家进了屋，看见屋里的光景，心里更加难过了。她的母亲刚刚从楼上下来，正在燃烧剥了皮的橡树枝，烧水做早饭，看见苔丝回来，就从炉前转过身来，向她打招呼。因为是礼拜天早晨，小孩子们都还在楼上睡着，她的父亲也还躺在床上，心里觉得多睡上半个小时不算过份。
        'Well! - my dear Tess!' exclaimed her surprised mother, jumping up and kissing the girl. 'How be ye? I didn't see you till you was in upon me! Have you come home to be married?'“哎哟！——我亲爱的苔丝呀！”她的母亲喜出望外，大声嚷着，跑上前去吻她的女儿。“你还好吧？直到你走到我的眼前，我才看见你呀！你是回家来准备结婚吧？”
        ①全句为“不要犯奸淫”，为摩西十诫之一，见“旧约”“出埃及记”第二十章第十四节。