第七章: 结局
It was evening in the parson’s house at Emminster. Mr and Mrs Clare were waiting anxiously for Angel’s return.
一天晚上，在爱敏斯特的牧师家，克莱尔先生和夫人正焦急地等待着安吉尔的归来。
“But he used to do it in an hour,” said his wife impatiently. Both knew it was useless to talk about it, and the only thing to do was wait.
“可是，以往他在一个小时内就骑到了，”他的妻子焦躁地说道。两个人都知道谈论是没有用的，唯一能做的就是等待。
“He won’t be here yet, my dear,” said old Mr Clare, as his wife went to the front door for the tenth time. “Remember his train doesn’t come in till six o’clock, and then he has to ride ten miles on our old horse.”
“亲爱的，他还到不了，”老克莱尔先生说道。他的妻子已经第十次到前门探望了。“记住他的火车直到六点才能抵达，然后他还得骑着咱们那匹老马走上十里路呢！”
“Oh my boy, my boy, home at last!” cried Mrs Clare, who at that moment cared no more for Angel’s lack of religion than for the dust on his clothes. What woman, in fact, however firm her beliefs, would not sacrifice her religion for her children? Nothing was more important to Mrs Clare than Angel’s happiness.
“哦，我的孩子，我的孩子，终于到家了！”克莱尔夫人叫道。在这个时候，她关切的仅仅是安吉尔身上的尘土，而不会在乎他缺少宗教信仰。实际上，哪一个女人，不管她的信仰多么坚定，不会为了她的孩子们牺牲她的信仰？对克莱尔夫人来说，没有任何东西比安吉尔的幸福更重要。
When they heard footsteps they rushed outside to meet the shape in the darkness.
他们听到脚步声，急忙冲到了门外，迎接那个黑暗中的身影。
But as soon as they reached the living room, she saw his face clearly in the light of the candles. She gave a cry and turned away in sorrow. “Oh, it’s not the Angel who went away!”
可是当他们进到了起居室，她在烛光映照下端详起他的脸庞时，她不禁惊叫了起来，痛苦地转过头去，“哦，这不是离开时的安吉尔！”
Even his father was shocked to see the change in his son. They would not have recognized him if they had passed him in the street. The cruel climate and hard work had aged him by twenty years. He was like a shadow, thin and bony, with no spring in his step and no enthusiasm in his eyes.
甚至他的父亲在看到儿子的变化时也很震惊。如果他们在街道上经过他身旁，他们会认不出他来的，恶劣的气候和艰苦的劳动让他苍老了二十岁。他瘦骨嶙峋，步伐沉重，目光黯然失神，简直不成人样了。
“Has any letter come for me?” he asked eagerly. “The last one…”
“有我的什么信件吗？”他急切地问道，“最近的一封……”
“From your wife?”
“从你妻子那儿来的？”
Oh why have you treated me so badly, Angel? I do not deserve it. You are cruel! I intend to forget you. You have been so unfair to me!
啊，安吉尔，你为什么对我这么狠哪？这不是我应受的惩罚，你真是残酷！我要设法忘掉你。你对待我太不公平了！
“It is all quite true!” cried Angel hopelessly, throwing down the letter. “Perhaps she will never take me back!”
“说得一点儿不错！”安吉尔绝望地叫道，信掉到了地上，“也许她永远不会再接受我了！”
They gave him a letter that had been waiting for his arrival. Angel read it rapidly. It was Tess’s last letter, short and desperate:
他们给了他一封一直等他回来看的信。安吉尔快速地浏览了信，这是苔丝最近一封信，写得简短、迫切：
“I was ill over there,” he said, noticing his parents concern. He had to sit down, being weak after his journey.
“在那边我一直生病，”注意到父母的忧虑，他说道。旅程之后，他已很虚弱，不得不坐下来了。
“Yes. I didn’t get it until very recently, as I was travelling. If I had received it earlier, I would have come sooner.”
“是的，我直到最近，当我在旅行的时候才收到。如果我早点儿收到信的话，我会更快赶回来的。”
T
苔
“Angel, don’t worry so much about a country girl,” said his mother, anxious about her son’s state of mind.
“安吉尔，不要对一个乡下姑娘过分担心了，”他母亲说道。她对儿子的心理状态非常忧虑。
After this outburst Angel went to bed early and thought about the situation. In Brazil it had seemed easy to rush straight back into Tess’s loving arms whenever he chose to forgive her. However, now he knew she was angry with him for leaving her for so long. He admitted she was right to be angry. So he decided to give her time to think about their relationship, and wrote to her, at Marlott, instead of going to see her. To his surprise he received in reply a note from her mother.
这一番倾诉之后，安吉尔早早地上了床，他考虑着现在的情形，他在巴西时以为，无论什么时候，只要他宽恕了她，他都可以轻而易举地返回她爱的怀抱。然而，现在他知道因为自己离开她过于长久，她对他愤怒了。他承认她的愤怒是合情合理的。于是，他决定给予她时间来思考他们之间的关系。他没有去看望她，而是给她写了封信，寄往马勒特。意外地，他收到了她母亲回复的一张便条。
“You know, I’ve never told you, but she is actually a descendant of one of the oldest, noblest families in England, a D’Urberville in fact. And do you know why I left her? How could I be so narrow-minded! I left her because I discovered she was not the pure country girl I thought. She had been seduced by a so-called gentleman. But it wasn’t her fault. And I Know now that her whole character is honest and faithful. I must get her back!”
“你们知道吗，我从来没有告诉过你们，可是她实际上是英国最古老、最高贵的一个家族的后裔，事实上就是德伯。你们知道我为什么会离开她吗？我怎么会这般心胸狭窄！我离开她是因为我发现她并不是我认为的那样，是个纯洁的乡下姑娘。她曾被一个所谓的绅士先生诱奸过。可是这不是她的过错。现在我知道了她全部的品质就是诚实和真挚。我必须让她回到我的身边！”
Dear Sir,
敬爱的先生，
My daughter is not with me at the moment and I don’t know when she’ll come back. I will let you know when she does. I cannot tell you where she is staying. We don’t live in Marlott any more.
我女儿现在没有和我住在一起。我不知道她什么时候能回来。若她回来，我会设法让您得知。我不能告诉您她现在住在哪里，我们不再住在马勒特了。
Yours
你的
J. Durbeyfield
J·德北
At first Clare decided to wait for further information from Tess’s mother, but then he reread the letter sent on to him in Brazil, written from Flintcomb-Ash: I live only for you. Don’t think I shall be bitter because you left me. I am so lonely without you, my darling!
起先，克莱尔决定等着从苔丝母亲那里获得进一步的消息。可是之后他又重读了那封写于弗林特库姆地区、他在巴西时收到的信：我只是为你才活着，不要以为你离我而去，我会怨恨什么。亲爱的，没有你，我是多么孤寂啊！
His search for Tess took him first to Flintcomb-Ash, where he discovered she had never used her married name. He began to realize, too, what hardship she had suffered rather than ask his family for money. Next he travelled to Marlott, but found the Durbeyfield cottage occupied by others. As he left the village he passed the field where he had first seen Tess at the dance. He could not bear to see it, because Tess was not there. In the churchyard he saw a new headstone, on which was written:
他寻找苔丝的第一步是到了弗林特库姆地区。在那儿，他发现她从来都没用过她婚后的名字。他同时也意识到，不管她遭受多么艰难的处境，她都不愿向他的家人要钱。接下来他又辗转到马勒特，可是他发现德北家的房舍住着别人。当他离开村子时，他经过了他第一次在舞会上见到苔丝的地方。他不忍再看下去，因为苔丝不在那儿了。在教堂墓地，他看到一块新墓碑，上面写着：
He was so touched he felt he must go immediately to find her, however angry she and her family might be with him. While he was packing, the letter from Izz and Marian arrived, and made him hurry even more.
他被深深地触动了，他觉得自己必须立刻去找到她，不管她和她的家人可能会对他有多气愤。他正收拾东西时，又收到了伊茨和玛丽安的信，这让他心情更为迫切了。
Haven’t you ever felt one little bit of your love for me at the dairy? I am the same woman you fell in love with then, the very same. As soon as I met you, the past was dead for me…
难道你没有感觉到过一丝一毫你在牛奶场时对我的爱吗？我没变，我还是你以前爱上的那个女人，一点也没变。当初，我一见到你，过去的事情对我就都消亡了……
He was turning away, and then he thought of Tess’s letter: If you would come, I could die in your arms! I live only for you…I am so lonely without you, my darling! He turned back.
他转身欲走，这时，他想起了苔丝的信：“如果你来，我就可以在你怀里安息了！我只是为了你才活着……亲爱的，没有你，我是多么孤寂啊！”他又转回身来。
“So why wasn’t he buried there?”
“那么，为什么不把他葬到那儿去？”
“No money. In fact, sir, even this headstone has not been paid for.”
“没有钱呀。实际上，就连这块墓碑的钱还没付呢。”
Mrs Durbeyfield would not reply.
德北夫人不愿回答。
Clare went immediately to pay the bill for the stone, and set out towards Shaston, where he found Mrs Durbeyfield and her children living in a small house. She seemed embarrassed to see him.
克莱尔马上掏钱付了墓碑的账，又动身朝夏斯顿去了。在那儿，他发现德北夫人和她的孩子们住在一间狭小的房子里。看到他，她显得有些局促不安。
“Do you think Tess would want me to try and find her?”
“您认为苔丝愿意让我努力找到她吗？”
“I’m Tess’s husband,” he said awkwardly. “I want to see her at once. You were going to write and tell me where she is. Is she well?”
“我是苔丝的丈夫，”他窘迫地说道，“我想立刻见到她，您本来是要写信告诉我她在哪里的。她还好吗？”
In memory of John Durbeyfield, rightly D’Urberville, of the once powerful family of that name, and direct descendant of Sir Pagan D’Urberville. Died March 10th, 18-
纪念约翰·德北，恰当地说，是德伯，这个姓氏的家族曾经非常强大，他是培根·德伯先生的直系后裔，死于3月10日，18时。
“I don’t know, sir, but you ought to.”
“我不知道。可是，先生，您应该知道呀。”
A gravedigger noticed Clare looking at it, and called to him, “Ah sir, that man didn’t want to be buried here, but in his ancestors’tombs at Kingsbere.”
一个掘墓人注意到克莱尔正盯着墓碑看，便对他喊道：“啊，先生，那个人可不想埋在这儿。他想葬在王陴那边他祖先们的坟墓里。”
“I don’t think she would.”
“我认为她不会。”
“You’re right. I ought to know that about my own wife. Where is she?”
“您说得对，我应该知道我自己妻子的情况，她在哪儿？”
“Thank you,” he said, relieved. “Do you need anything?”
“谢谢您，”他说道，并感到宽慰了些，“有任何需要吗？”
“Please, Mrs Durbeyfield, please tell me where she is! Please be kind to a miserable lonely man!”
“请您，德北夫人，请您告诉我她在哪儿！请您对一个可怜又孤独的男人仁慈一点吧！”
“No, thank you, sir,” said Joan Durbeyfield. “We are well provided for.”
“不用了，谢谢您，先生。”琼·德北说，“我们被供养得很好。”
“I’m sure she would!” he said passionately. “I know her better than you do!”
“我确信她会的！”他充满热情地说道：“我比您更了解她！”
“I expect you do, sir, for I have never really known her.”
“我希望您是对的，先生，因为我从来没有真正了解过她。”
There was a pause after this cry from the heart. Finally Tess’s mother replied in a low voice,”She is at Sandbourne.”
他从心里发出了这声呼唤，此后，是片刻的沉默。苔丝的母亲终于低声地回答道：“她在桑德伯恩。”
It seemed a strange place to Clare. It was a bright, fashionable holiday town, with parks, flowerbeds and amusements. This new town, a product of modern civilization, had grown up near the ancient Egdon Woods, where the paths over the hills had not changed for a thousand years.
对于克莱尔，这是个陌生的地方。它是个光鲜、时新的度假城镇，有公园、花圃和各种娱乐休闲设施。这个新城镇，作为现代文明的产物，在古老的埃格登森林附近渐渐发展了起来，而那里山峦上的小径千年来都不曾改变过。
Clare took the train to Sandbourne. On his arrival at eleven o’clock in the evening he took a room in a hotel, and walked around the streets, in the hope of meeting Tess. But it was too late to ask anybody.
克莱尔搭乘了一班火车赶往桑德伯恩。在晚上11点到达之后，他在旅馆里订了个房间，之后就到街上四处逛，抱着能碰到苔丝的希望。可是已经太晚了，连个可问的人都没有。
He walked up and down the wide streets, trying to admire the modern buildings. He felt confused. The sea murmured, and he thought it was the trees. The trees murmured, and he thought it was the sea. He could not understand what had brought Tess here. This was a town for relaxation, for pleasure, not for a working girl like Tess. There were no cows to milk here, and no vegetables to dig. He looked at the lights in the bedroom windows, and wondered which one was hers.
他在宽阔的街道上走来走去，极力想去欣赏这些现代的建筑。他觉得思想很混乱。大海的瀑瀑细语被他听成是树木的声音；而树叶的沙沙作响又被认作是大海的声音。他不能理解是什么把苔丝带到了这里。这是一个休闲、消遣的城镇，不适合像苔丝这样要干活儿的姑娘。这儿没有奶牛可以挤，也没有蔬菜可以挖。他透过卧室的窗子看着万家灯火，急于想知道哪一盏是属于她的。
“Mrs D’Urberville?”
“德伯太太吗？”
Angel waited in the sitting room, his heart beating painfully.
安吉尔在起居室里等候，他的心在痛苦地跳动着。
“Mr Angel?”
“安吉尔先生吗？”
“Is Teresa D’Urberville here?” he asked.
“苔莉莎·德伯住在这儿吗？”他问。
“No, just Angel. She’ll know.”
“不，就是安吉尔，她会明白的。”
“Yes.” He felt pleased that she was known there as a married woman. “Please tell her that a relation wants to see her. Say it’s Angel.”
“是的。”他感到很高兴，因为苔丝是以已婚妇女的身份住在这里的。“请转告她有一个亲戚想要见她，就说是安吉尔。”
“But there is the name of D’Urberville at Mrs Brooks’,” said the postman.
“可是在布鲁克斯夫人那儿住着个叫德伯的，”邮递员说道。
“Whatever will she think of me?” he thought. “I look so different, so much older!” He was still weak after his illness. He could hardly stand, and held on to the back of a chair, as she entered the room.
“她对我到底会有什么看法呢？”他在想，“我看起来完全不同了，老了这么多！”病后他的身子还很虚弱。当她走进房间时，他几乎无法站立，紧紧地抓着椅子的靠背。
“That’s it!” cried Clare, pleased to think she had taken her ancestors’ name, as he had suggested.
“就是它了！”克莱尔叫道，他很高兴，认为苔丝采纳了他的建议，使用了她祖先的姓氏。
He made his way quickly to Mrs Brooks’ house, following the postman’s directions. It was a large, impressive house, and he wondered if he should go to the back door, as Tess was probably a servant here. But he rang at the front. Mrs Brooks herself appeared.
顺着邮递员指引的方向，他急忙奔向布鲁克斯夫人的房子。这是一座宽敞、奢华得令人惊叹的房子，他怀疑他是否应该走后门，因为苔丝也许在这儿做用人。可是，他在前门按响了铃，布鲁克斯夫人亲自开门来了。
Before going to bed he reread Tess’s passionate letter. He could not sleep that night. At the post office next morning they knew nothing of the names of Clare or Durbeyfield.
上床之前，他又读了苔丝那封热情洋溢的来信。那一晚，他辗转难眠。第二天早晨，他来到了邮电局，可是他们不知道有叫克莱尔或德北的人。
He was not prepared for what he saw. Tess was wearing fashionable clothes, and looked even more beautiful than he remembered. He had held out his arms, but they fell to his side, because she stood still in the doorway. He thought she could not bear his changed appearance.
对他所见的情景，他没有心理准备，苔丝穿着时髦簇新的衣服，看起来比他记忆中的她更为楚楚动人。他伸出双臂，可又垂落下来，因为她木然不动地站在门口。他心想，她不能接受他改变了的模样。
“Tess!” he whispered. His voice was low and breaking with emotion. “Can you forgive me for going away? Can’t you…come to me? Why are you… so beautiful?”
“苔丝！”他轻轻叫道。他的嗓音低沉，因情绪激动而断断续续。“你能宽恕我离你出走吗？难道你……不能向我走过来吗？为什么你……如此漂亮？”
“It is too late,” she said, her voice hard and her eyes shining unnaturally.
“太晚了，”她说。她声音有些刺耳，眼睛的光芒也是躲躲闪闪的。
“But is it that you don’t love me, my dear wife, because I’ve been ill? I’ve come to find you. My parents will welcome you! I’ve told them everything!”
“可是，我的好妻子，是因为我生了病，你就不爱我了吗？我是来找你的，我的父母也会欢迎你！我把一切都告诉他们了！”
“I didn’t see you as you really were! Please forgive me, Tessy!” he begged. “Too late, too late!” she said, waving her hand impatiently.
“我过去没有看出你真正的本质，请你宽恕我，苔丝！”他请求道。
“Yes, yes! But it is too late.” Every moment seemed like an hour to her. She felt as if she was in a dream, trying to escape, but unable to. “Don’t you know what has happened? I waited and waited for you. But you didn’t come! And I wrote to you, and you didn’t come! He kept on saying you would never come back again, and he was very kind to my family after father’s death. He…”
“是的，是的！可是，太晚了。”每一秒钟对她都像一个小时那样难捱，她觉得自己如同在梦中，想要逃，却不能。“你还不知道发生了什么事吗？我把你等了又等。可你没有来！后来我给你写了信，你还是没有来！他老是说，你永远不会再回来了，父亲去世后，他待我们家非常好，他……”
“Don’t come close, Angel! Keep away!”
“太晚了，太晚了！”她焦躁地挥着手，说道，“别靠近我，安吉尔！站开！”
“I don’t understand.”
“我听不懂。”
“It’s my fault!” said Clare. But talking did not help. The Tess he had first loved had separated her body from her soul. Her soul remained and would remain faithful to him for ever. But what happened to her body no longer interested her after he had rejected it.
“这是我的错呀！”克莱尔说。对是这已经无济于事了。他最初爱过的苔丝已把她的身躯从她的灵魂中分离开了，她的灵魂保持着，而且将永远保持着对他的忠诚。可是在遭受他的拒绝之后，她已不再关心她的身躯所要承受的一切了。
After a few moments of confused reflection, he realized Tess had left the room. His mind was in a fog. He felt very cold and very ill. Somehow he found himself in the street, walking, although he did not know where.
一阵胡思乱想之后，他发现苔丝已经离开了。他的心被迷茫的大雾笼罩着。他觉得很冷，极其不舒服。不知不觉中，他来到了街上，走着，尽管他并不知道要走向何处。
Mrs Brooks was not usually curious about her guests. She was too interested in the money they paid her, to ask many questions. However, Angel Clare’s visit to her wealthy guests, Mr and Mrs D’Urberville, as she knew them, was unusual enough to interest her. She could hear parts of the conversation between the two lost souls, and when Tess went back upstairs, Mrs Brooks crept quietly up to listen outside the bedroom door. She heard Tess sobbing, and through the keyhole could see her half lying over the breakfast table.
布鲁克斯夫人平常不太爱管客人们的闲事。她太关心他们付给她的钱了，顾不上问许多问题。然而，安吉尔·克莱尔对德伯先生和太太的拜访——据她所知，他们可是非常富有的客人——有些太不寻常，引起了她的兴趣。她能断断续续地听到一点儿这两个失魂落魄的人之间的谈话。当苔丝返回到楼上时，布鲁克斯夫人也蹑手蹑脚地摸上来，偷偷地在卧室门外听着。她听到苔丝啜泣的声音，贴着钥匙洞眼，她看到她半瘫在早餐桌上。
She continued, “He is upstairs. I hate him now, because he told me a lie, that you would never return, and you have returned! Will you go away now, Angel, please, and never come back?”
她继续说着：“他在楼上。我现在恨他，因为他向我撒了谎，说你再也不会回来了，可你却已经回来了！安吉尔，现在请你走开吧，永远别再回来，好吗？”
“He has won me back to him.”
“他重又把我拉过去了。”
Clare stared at her. He saw her fashionable clothes. He saw her relaxed, well-fed body. He saw her white, delicate hands. At last he understood, and fell into a chair, as if hit on the head.
克莱尔盯着她看。他看到了她时新的衣服，他看到了她松弛的、保养得很好的身子，他看到她白皙娇嫩的双手。终于，他领会了她的意思，一下子瘫倒在椅子上，像是被人在头上击了一下。
They looked at each other without joy and without hope, desperately wanting to be sheltered from reality.
他们面面相觑，没有欢乐也没有希望，只是竭力地希望躲避这严酷的现实。
“And then my dear husband came home to me…And it’s too late! Because you persuaded me, you with your fine words as you did when you seduced me! You told me he would never come back! But he did! And you helped my family — that’s how you persuaded me so cleverly. But when I believed you and came to live with you, he came back! And now I’ve lost him a second time, and this time for ever! He will hate me now!” She turned her tear-stained face and Mrs Brooks could see how she was suffering. “And he’s dying, he looks as if he’s dying! It will be my fault if he dies! You have destroyed my life and his! I can’t bear it, I can’t!” The man spoke sharply, and after that there was silence.
“后来，我那亲爱的丈夫回家找我来了……可是，太晚了！因为你用你的花言巧语劝诱我！就像你诱奸我时做的那样！你对我说，他将永远不回来了！可是，他回来了！你帮助我的家人——你聪明地利用这个劝诱我，可是当我相信了你，来和你一起生活时，他回来了！现在我又一次失去了他，这次是永远失去他了！他现在会恨我的！”她转过那张泪痕满面的脸，布鲁克斯夫人能够明白她正遭受多么大的痛苦。“他命不长了，他看上去是命不长了！如果他死了，那是我的罪过！你毁了我的一生，也毁了他的！我受不了啦！我受不了啦！”那个男人尖声说了句什么，之后，一阵沉寂。
Mrs Brooks went back downstairs to wait until she was called to take their breakfast away. She could hear Tess moving about, and then saw Tess leave the house, fully dressed in her fashionable clothes. Perhaps Mr D’Urberville was still asleep, as he did not like getting up early. Mrs Brooks wondered who this morning’s visitor was, and where Mrs D’Urberville had gone so early.
布鲁克斯夫人返回楼下等着，等着被召唤去端走他们的早餐。她听到苔丝发出了些响动，然后看到苔丝齐全地穿着那身时新的衣服，离开了房子。也许德伯先生还睡着呢，因为他不喜欢早起。布鲁克斯夫人暗自纳闷早上的来访者到底是谁，而德伯太太这么一大早又要去哪儿。
Just then she noticed a mark on the ceiling. It seemed to be spreading. It was red, and when she stood on the table and touched it, it looked like blood. She ran up to listen at the bedroom door again. The dead silence was broken only by a regular drip, drip, drip. She ran wildly out into the street and begged a man she knew to come back with her. Together they hurried upstairs and pushed open the bedroom door. The breakfast lay untouched on the table, but the large knife was missing. They found it in Alec D’Urberville’s heart. He lay on the bed, pale, fixed, dead, still bleeding. Soon the news spread all over Sandbourne that Mrs Brooks’ guest had been killed by his young wife.
就在这时，她注意到天花板上有什么痕迹，看起来正在扩散。是红色的，她爬上桌子，摸了摸，像是血。她跑上楼，又在卧室门边偷听。死一般的寂静被这有规律的一滴、一滴、又一滴的声响给打破了。她疯狂地跑到大街上，请求一个她认识的男人同她一起回去。他们一起急急地上了楼，推开了卧室的门。早餐一动未动地摆在桌子上，可是那把大刀子不见了。他们发现它插在亚历克·德伯的心脏上。他煞白地、僵硬地躺在床上，已经死了，还在流血。布鲁克斯夫人的房客被他年轻的妻子杀死了。这个消息很快传遍了整个桑德伯恩。
Meavwhile Angel Clare returned to his hotel, and sat for a while over breakfast, staring into space. A note arrived from his mother, saying that his brother Cuthbert was going to marry Mercy Chant. Clare threw away the paper. At last he got up, paid the bill and went to the railway station But he could not sit patiently and wait for the next train, in an hour’s time. He had nothing to wish for in life, and nobody to love He was in no hurry, but just wanted to get out of that town as soon as possible.
同时，安吉尔·克莱尔回到了他的旅馆，整顿早餐他就坐在那儿，死死地盯着前方。他的母亲来了封短信，说他的哥哥卡斯伯特就要同默茜·钱特结婚了。克莱尔把信扔掉了。最后他站了起来，付清了账，走到了火车站。可是他无法耐心地坐在那里等下一趟火车，那得花一个小时。他对生活已不抱任何希望，也没有人可以爱了。他有充裕的时间，但只想尽快地离开这个城镇。
So he started walking along the road out of town. The road was open, and dropped down to cross a valley. When he was climbing the far side of the valley, he stopped for breath, and something made him turn round. There was a small black figure in the distance — a human figure, running Clare waited. It looked like a woman, but he never imagined that it could be his wife until she came close and he saw it was less.
于是他开始沿着出城的马路走着。这条路很开阔，顺着下来，横穿过一座山谷。当他在山谷远处的那头爬行时，他停下来喘口气，有什么东西促使他转过身去。远处有个小小的黑影——是一个人的身影，正在跑着。克莱尔等待着。像是一个女人，可是克莱尔一点都没想到这可能是他的妻子。直到她走近了，他才认出来，那是苔丝。
“I saw you — turn on to the road — from the station — and I’ve been following you all this way!” She was pale, breathless and trembling. He did not question her but took her arm and helped her along. They took a footpath under some trees, to avoid being seen.
“我看到你——转身上了马路——从火车站——我一直跟了你这么远！”她脸色苍白，上气不接下气，还有些发抖。他没有问什么，挽着她的胳膊，扶着她一起走。他们挑了一条树下的小路走，以免被人看见。
“Angel,” she said, “do you know why I’ve been running after you? To tell you that I’ve killed him!” There was a pitiful smile on her white face as she spoke.
“安吉尔，”她说，“你知道我为什么一直追赶着你吗？我要告诉你，我杀死他了！”她说话时，苍白的脸上漾出一丝令人怜悯的微笑。
“What!” he cried, thinking her mind was disturbed.
“什么！”他尖叫道，认为她神志不清了。
“I don’t know how I did it,” she said. “I had to do it, for you and me, Angel. I was afraid long ago, when I hit him in the mouth with that heavy glove, that I might kill him one day. He has come between us and ruined our lives. I never loved him at all, Angel. You believe me, don’t you? Oh, why did you go away, when I loved you so much? But I don’t blame you, Angel. Only, will you forgive me now? I could not bear losing you any longer, I had to kill him. Say you love me now, say you do!”
“我不知道我是怎么做的，”她说，“我必须这么做，安吉尔，为了你，也为了我。很早以前，当我用那只笨重的手套抽他的嘴巴时，我就怕有一天我也许会杀了他。他插在我们中间，毁了我们的生活。我根本就不爱他，你相信我，是不是？哦，当初，我那么爱你的时候，你为什么离开我啊？不过，我现在并不责怪你，安吉尔。我只是想问你，安吉尔，现在你会宽恕我吗？我不能忍受再失去你，我不得不杀死他。现在，说你爱我吧，说你爱我！”
“I won’t leave you! I’ll protect you as well as I can, my dearest love, whatever you may or may not have done!”
“我不会离开你的！我会尽我所能来保护你，最亲爱的宝贝，无论你做过还是没做过任何事情！”
“Oh, I do love you, Tess, I do. It has all come back!” he said, holding her tightly in his arms. “But what do you mean, you’ve killed him?”
“啊，我是爱你的，苔丝，我确实爱你。一切都回来了！”他说着，把她紧紧地搂到怀里。“可是，你的意思是，你杀死他了？”
“He is dead. He heard me crying about you, and he called you rude names. I couldn’t bear it. So I killed him.”
“他死了。他听见我在哭喊你，就粗鲁地叫骂你的名字，我忍无可忍，于是杀了他。”
However, he knew he could not leave her now. She expected him to protect her. And at last, Clare felt nothing but love for this passionate, loving wife of his. He kissed her again and again, and held her hand.
然而，他知道，现在他不能离开她，她期待着他来保护她。到最后，克莱尔除了对他热情、忠诚的妻子满怀爱意之外，已感觉不到其他了，他对她吻了又吻，抓起了她的手。
Eventually Angel came to believe that she probably had killed D’Urberville. He was amazed at the strength of her feeling, and this, it seemed, had made her forget the difference between right and wrong. She did not seem to realize what she had done, and laid her head on his shoulder, crying with happiness. He wondered if the bad blood of the D’Urbervilles was to blame for this moment of madness.
终于，安吉尔渐渐相信她也许真地杀死了德伯。他对她感情的力量感到惊愕，而这，似乎让他忘记了是非的区别。她像是根本没有认识到自己做过了什么，把她的头埋在他的肩上，幸福地哭着。他怀疑是否德伯家族的罪恶血统该为这一刻的疯狂遭受谴责。
They walked on, less turning her head occasionally to look at him. For her he was still perfection, despite his thinness and pale face. He was the one man who had loved her purely, and who believed in her as pure. Their arms around each other’s waists, they walked through the woods on lonely footpaths, taking care not to meet anybody. They did not talk much, being content to be together at last.
他们继续走着，苔丝不时地转过头看看他，尽管他的脸庞瘦削苍白，但对她而言，他仍是完美的。他是唯一一个不掺杂质地爱过她、并相信她的纯洁的男人。他们互相揽着对方的腰，在树林中孤寂的小径上穿行，小心翼翼地避开任何人。他们谈得不多，对于终于能够团聚感到心满意足。
“I don’t know. Perhaps we could find a cottage to stay in tonight. Can you walk a long way, Tessy?”
“我不知道。也许我们能找到一间今晚住的小屋，苔丝，你能走远路吗？”
“Oh yes! I could walk for ever with your arm around me!” At midday Angel went to a public house and brought food and wine back to where Tess was waiting in the woods for him. Her clothes were so fashionable that the country people would have noticed her.
“哦，我能！有你的手臂搂着我，我可以永远地走下去！”到了中午时分，安吉尔到一个酒店买了此食物和酒回来，苔丝就在树林里等着他。她的衣服这么时新，会引起乡下人注意的。
“Where shall we go?” asked Tess.
“我们要去哪儿？”苔丝问道。
But their plans were vague. They were like two children, who think only of the moment. The weather was warm and they enjoyed walking together. However, in the afternoon they did nut find any suitable cottages to stay in, and it was too cold to sleep outside. They had walked about fifteen miles, when they passed a large empty house in the middle of the woods.
可是他们的打算是含糊的。他们就像两个孩于，只考虑到眼前的情况。天气暖洋洋的，他们乐于一起走着。然而，到了下午，他们还没找到一间可以住的房子，睡在外面又太冷了。当他们大约走了十五英里时，他们在树林中央经过了一幢空荡荡的大房子。
“I think we should keep walking inland, away from the coasts,” said Clare, as they finished eating. “We can hide there for a while. Later on, when they stop looking for us, we can go to a port and get right out of the country.”
“我认为我们应该继续朝内地走，离开海岸。”当他们吃完东西时，克莱尔说道。“我们可以在那儿躲藏一段时间。之后，等他们停止搜寻我们的时候，我们可以到一个港口，径直逃离这个国家。”
“All those rooms empty!” said Tess, “and we have no shelter!”
“所有的房间都是闲置着的！”苔丝说，“而我们连个可以遮蔽的地方都没有！”
“We can stay the night there,” said Clare. “Look, there’s a window open. The caretaker probably airs the rooms in the daytime. We can climb in. Nobody will know.”
“我们今晚可以待在这儿！”克莱尔说道。“看，那儿有个窗户开着。看管人可能在白天让房子通通风。我们可以爬进去，没有人知道的。”
And so they did. They chose a bedroom with heavy old-fashioned furniture and a huge old bed. They kept quiet while the caretaker came to shut the windows in the evening. Then the house was theirs. They ate some of the food they had brought, and went to bed in total darkness.
于是他们爬了进去。他们选择的那间卧室摆放着式样古老的家具和一张宽大的旧床。晚上，当看管人来关窗户时，他们就保持安静，没有发出声响。之后，这幢房子就属于他们了。他们吃了一些带来的食物之后，就在一团漆黑中上床睡觉了。
But when tomorrow came it was wet and foggy. It seemed that the caretaker only came on fine days, so they were alone in the house. They had enough food and wine, and stayed there for the next five days. It was the honeymoon they had never had. They had no contact with people, and only noticed changes in the weather. Neither mentioned the depressing period from their wedding-day to the present. They lived for the moment, and were completely happy. When Angel suggested leaving their shelter and travelling to a port like Southampton or London, Tess was unwilling.
可是第二天的天气很潮湿，雾气蒙蒙的。看来那个看管人只在天气晴朗的日子才来，因此，他们单独住在房子里。他们有足够的食物和酒，接下来又住了五天。这段时间成了他们以前没有享受过的蜜月。他们和外界没有任何联系，能注意到的只是天气的变化。他们谁也不提婚后到现在那一段忧郁的日子。他们为眼前活着，非常非常地幸福。安吉尔提议离开这个临时的避难所，前往像南安普顿或伦敦这样的港口城市，可苔丝不愿意。
“You should have told me at the time!”
“那个时候你就应该告诉我！”
During the night she told him about his sleepwalking just after their wedding.
夜里，她对他说了婚礼后他梦游的事。
“Don’t think of the past! Think of the present. Tomorrow may mean the end of our happiness.”
“别想过去的事了，想想现在吧！明天也许就是我们幸福的终结。”
“Why put an end to sweetness and happiness? Outside, everything is confused and sad. Here, we are quite content.”
“为什么要结束甜蜜和幸福？在外面，一切都是那么混乱和悲伤。在这儿，我们十分满足。”
Angel agreed. Inside was forgiveness and love: outside was eventual punishment.
安吉尔同意了。里面只有宽恕和爱情；而外面是最后的惩罚。
They stayed for one more day, but the caretaker came early that fine sunny morning. She wanted to open the windows in the bedrooms, which she did not usually do, and opened their bedroom door. She saw the young couple lying in the big bed, fast asleep, and hurried away to tell her neighbours.
他们又待了一天。但是在那个阳光明媚的早晨，看管人来了。她想把卧室的窗户打开——她平时不经常这么做——就打开了他们卧室的门。她看到这对年轻的夫妇躺在那张大床上，酣睡着，就赶紧去告诉她的邻居们。
Tess and Angel woke soon after, and decided to leave immediately. They dared not stay any longer. When they were in the woods Tess turned to look at the house.
苔丝和安吉尔很快就醒了，决定立即离开。他们不敢再多停留一会儿。他们到了树林里，苔丝回头看了看那幢房子。
“And…” she said, putting her cheek against his, “I want you to go on loving me. I’m afraid you might reject me one day for what I’ve done. Then I would rather be dead. I must have been mad to kill him! But I don’t want to be alive when you reject me for it.”
“还有……”她把她的脸颊贴着他的，说道，“我要你继续爱我。我害怕有一天你会因为我所做的事抛弃我。那样，我情愿死去。我一定是疯了，我把他杀死了！可是如果你因此抛弃我，那我也不想活了。”
“So much happiness in that house!” she whispered. “My life can only be a question of a few weeks. Why couldn’t we have stayed there?”
“那座房子里有那么多的幸福！”她轻声说道，“我的性命也不过是几个星期的事情了，为什么我们不能留在那儿？”
“What on earth is this place?” Clare asked.
“这到底是什么地方？”克莱尔问。
They kept going all day and most of the night, passing the cathedral city of Melchester and reaching open land. It was a windy, cloudy night. They walked on grass, so as not to make any noise on the road. They were alone and in darkness. Suddenly, Clare almost bumped into a great stone rising up in front of him. Moving forwards carefully, they found other stones, standing tall and black against the night sky.
他们赶了整整一个白天和几乎整个晚上的路程，经过了教堂城市梅尔切斯特，到了一片开阔的平原。这是一个多云、有风的夜晚。他们为了避免在路上发出任何声响，就在草地上走。黑暗中只有他们两个人。突然，安吉尔几乎猛地撞上了一块竖在他面前的巨石。他们小心翼翼地朝前移动着，又发现了其他石头，在夜晚的苍穹下，高高地、黑黑地矗立着。
“Listen!” cried Tess.
“听！”苔丝叫道。
“Don’t say that, Tess! We’ll go northwards and get to a port. They won’t find us.”
“别这么说，苔丝！我们朝北走，到达一个港口，他们不会找到我们的。”
The wind, playing on the huge stones, produced a strange tune, like the notes of a great harp. The couple walked slowly into the middle of the great circle of stones.
风在这些巨石上弹奏着，发出一种奇怪的音调，就像一架巨大的竖琴演奏出的乐章。这两个人慢慢地走到了这些石头环绕着的一个大圆圈的中央。
“It’s Stonehenge!” cried Clare.
“这是巨石阵！”克莱尔叫道。
“We’d better not. This place can be seen for miles in daylight.”
“最好不要。白天，几英里外都能看见这个地方！”
“The pagan temple?”
“异教徒神庙？”
“Yes. Older than the centuries; Older than the D’Urbervilles!”
“是的，比世纪还要古老，比德伯家族还要古老！”
“Let’s stay here tonight, Angel,” said Tess, lying down on a flat stone which was still warm from the day’s sunshine.
“安吉尔，我们今晚就待在这儿吧！”苔丝说着，躺在了一块平坦的石头上，石头还留有白天日照时吸收的余温。
“She is so good and pure. Oh Angel, I wish you would marry her if you lose me, as you will do soon”
“她是那么贤惠纯洁，哦，安吉尔，如果你失去我——你不久就会失去我的，我希望你能娶她。”
“I love it here,” she said. “I have been so happy with you. And here I have only the sky above my face. There is nobody in the world except us two.”
“我喜欢这儿，”她说，“和你在一起，我是这么幸福。在这儿，我的上方只有天空，在这个世界里，只有我们两个人。”
“I feel at home here,” murmured Tess. “You used to say at Talbothays that I was a pagan, do you remember?”
“在这儿我觉得很自在，”苔丝低声说，“你过去在塔尔勃塞常常说我是个异教徒，你记起来了吗？”
“Angel,” she asked presently, as they listened to the wind among the stones, “if anything happens to me, will you take care of Liza-Lu?”
“安吉尔，”后来，在他们倾听着石头之间的风声对她问道，“如果我有什么不测，你愿意照顾丽莎—露吗？”
“I will.”
“我愿意。”
Clare thought she could rest a while here. He put his coat over her, and lay down beside her.
克莱尔心想，她可以在这儿休息一会儿，他把自己的外套盖在她的身上，在她身边躺了下来。
“Sleepy, are you, dearest?”
“亲爱的，困了，是吗？”
He bent over her and kissed her.
他俯下身，亲吻她。
“If I lose you, I lose everything.”
“如果我失去你，我就失去了一切。”
“She has all the best of me without my bad side, and if she were yours, it would almost seem as if we were not separated by death. Well, I won’t mention it again.”
“她具有一切我最好的东西，却没有我坏的一面。如果她属于你了，那么几乎就好像死亡没把我们分开一样。好了，我不再提它了。”
There was silence for a while. Angel could see the first light in the east. They had not much time.
有一会儿，他们都默不作声。安吉尔能看到东方亮起了第一道曙光。他们没有多少时间了。
“No, to the sun.”
“不，祭献太阳。”
“Did they sacrifice to God here?” she asked
“他们是在这儿祭献上帝吗？”她问。
“Oh Angel, that means no!” she almost sobbed. “And I so wanted to see you again-so much, so much! Not even you and I, Angel, who love each other so much?”
“哦，安吉尔，那就是说不能！”她几乎要哭了。“我是那么地想要再见到你——那么强烈，那么强烈！安吉尔，连你和我，两个爱得这么深的人都不能吗？”
He kissed her to avoid replying.
他吻她，想避开这个问题。
“That reminds me, dear. Tell me, do you think we shall meet again after we are dead? I want to know.”
“这倒提醒我了，亲爱的，告诉我，你认为我们死后还会相遇吗？我想知道。”
“It’s no use, sir,” said the nearest policeman. “We’ve surrounded the place.”
“这没用，先生。”离得最近的那个警察说，“我们已经包围了这个地方。”
He could not answer. Soon she fell asleep on the stone of sacrifice The night wind died away, and the stones looked black in the half-light. Something seemed to move in the distance. It was a figure approaching Stonehenge. Clare wished they had gone on, but it was too late. He turned, and saw another, and another. They were uniformed men, closing in on Tess with slow purposeful steps. Clare jumped up wildly, looking round for a way to escape.
他无法回答，很快，她在那块祭礼石上睡着了。夜里的风渐渐消逝了，从蒙蒙的光线中，那些石头看起来黑乎乎的。远处，像是有什么东西在移动。是一个朝巨石阵靠近的身影。克莱尔真希望他们已经上路了，可是太晚了。他转过头，看到了另外一个人，还有一个。这些穿着制服的人，有目的地缓缓地向苔丝靠近。克莱尔疯狂地跳了起来，环顾四周，想找条逃脱的路。
“Let her finish her sleep!” he begged in a whisper, as the men gathered round the stone. He held her hand. She was breathing more like a trapped animal than a woman. All waited in the growing light, their faces and hands silver, the stones grey. When the light was strong, she awoke.
“让她睡完觉吧！”当警察们聚集到石头周围时，他低声请求道。他抓住她的手，她的呼吸更像一只落入陷阱的动物发出的，而不是一个女人发出的。所有的人都在越来越明亮的曙光中等待着，他们的脸和手成了银白色的，石块是灰色的。当光线强烈起来时，她醒了。
She stood up and went towards the waiting men. “I am ready,” she said quietly.
她站了起来，朝那些等候的警察走去，“我准备好了。”她平静地说。
“Yes, dearest, they have.”
“是的，宝贝，他们来了。”
“What is it, Angel?” she said, sitting up. “Have they come for me?”
“什么事呀，安吉尔？”她说着，坐了起来。“他们来找我了吗？”
“That is right. I am almost glad. This happiness could not have lasted!”
“那就对了。我简直感到很高兴，这种幸福本来就不可能持久。”
When they reached the top of the hill, they heard the town clocks strike eight. They turned quickly and looked back at the city. They could see the cathedral, the college and the prison very clearly. A tall post was fixed to the prison tower. A few minutes after eight, as they watched, a black flag moved slowly up the post.
当他们到达山顶时，他们听到教区的钟声敲打了八下。他们迅速转身，眺望着这个城市。他们可以清楚地看到教堂、大学，还有监狱。一根高高的旗杆竖立在监狱塔楼上方。8点过了几分，他们看到一面黑旗缓缓升上旗杆。
One July morning the sun shone on two figures climbing the hill leading out of the fine city of Wintoncester. They were young but they walked bent in sorrow. One was Angel Clare, the other Tess’s younger sister, Liza-Lu. Hand in hand, with pale, tear-stained faces, they walked in silence.
7月的一个早晨，在一座从美好的温顿塞斯特城延伸出来的小山上，阳光正照耀在两个爬山人的身上。他们很年轻，但是因悲痛而伏下身去走着。一位是安吉尔·克莱尔，另一位是苔丝的妹妹，丽莎—露，他们手牵着手，脸色苍白，泪痕满面地默默前行。
The gods had finished playing with Tess. Society had seen “justice” done. Her D’Urberville ancestors slept on in their tombs, uncaring. The two silent watchers dropped to the ground and stayed there without moving for a long time. The flag waved in the wind. As soon as they had strength, they stood up, joined hands again, and continued slowly on their way.
神明对苔丝的戏弄就此告终了，世人看到正义得到了伸张。她的德伯祖先沉睡在他们的坟墓中，漠不关心。两位沉默的观众跌倒在了地上，久久地没有动弹。旗子在风中飘展着。一有了力气，他们就站了起来，重新手挽着手，继续慢慢地走上了他们的路程。
0 条评论