The Oval Portrait (椭圆形肖像)
I was in the Italian mountains when I fell from my horse and hurt myself.
那时，我正在意大利的群山之中，不慎从马上摔下，受了伤。
I needed to rest but in that wild, lonely place there was only one house.
我需要休息，但在那荒凉孤寂的地方，只有一座房子。
It was a fine old building, very big, but dark and empty.
那是一座古老而华美的建筑，非常大，但阴暗且空荡。
My servant, Pedro, broke the lock on a door and helped me inside.
我的仆人佩德罗砸开了门锁，扶我走了进去。
I looked around at the furniture, the carpets, the paintings.
我环顾四周，看着那些家具、地毯和绘画。
‘The people who lived here,’ I thought, ‘left only a short time ago.’
“住在这里的人，”我想，“离开的时间并不长。”
We used one of the smaller rooms in a far corner of the building.
我们使用了大楼远处角落里的一间小房间。
There were a great many modern paintings on the walls, and more in the dark corners of the room.
墙上挂着许多现代绘画，还有一些在房间阴暗的角落里。
It was getting dark and Pedro lit the tall candles on the table by my bed.
天色渐晚，佩德罗点燃了床边桌上高高的蜡烛。
There was a book on the table, and I began reading it.
桌上有一本书，我开始读了起来。
It described and told the story of each of the pictures on the walls.
书中描述并讲述了墙上每一幅画的故事。
Midnight came and went, and I moved the candles closer to me, to give a better light for reading.
午夜来临又过去，我把蜡烛移得离我更近一些，以便获得更好的阅读光线。
But the light also fell on one of the darker corners of the room – and there I saw for the first time an oval portrait of a beautiful young woman, just her head and shoulders.
但光线也照到了房间一个较暗的角落——在那里，我第一次看到了一位美丽少妇的椭圆形肖像，只有头和肩膀。
It was a very fine painting, but there was also something different about it, something strange, something…
那是一幅极好的画作，但其中也有些不同寻常的东西，某种怪异的东西，某种……
I did not know what it was, but I could not take my eyes away from that portrait.
我不知道那是什么，但我无法将目光从那幅肖像上移开。
For about an hour I sat in the bed, staring at it.
大约一个小时，我坐在床上，凝视着它。
It was a very fine painting, but there was also something strange about it.
那是一幅极好的画作，但其中也有些怪异的东西。
And at last I found its secret.
最后，我发现了它的秘密。
It was in her face, in her eyes.
那秘密在她的脸上，在她的眼睛里。
‘She could easily be… alive,’ I thought. ‘She looks alive. Those eyes…’
“她简直……还活着，”我想。“她看起来是活的。那双眼睛……”
Suddenly I felt cold, and a great fear filled me.
突然，我感到一阵寒意，巨大的恐惧充满了我。
My hands began to shake, and I had to look away.
我的手开始颤抖，不得不把目光移开。
Carefully, I moved the candles again until the light no longer fell in that corner, and the portrait went back into darkness.
我小心翼翼地再次移动蜡烛，直到光线不再照向那个角落，肖像重新陷入黑暗。
I found the place in the book which told the story of the oval portrait, and began to read.
我在书中找到了讲述那幅椭圆形肖像故事的地方，开始读了起来。
She was a young woman of great beauty, and even more beautiful when she was smiling and laughing.
她是一位极美的少妇，当她微笑欢笑时，更是美艳动人。
It was a dark day when she saw, and loved, and married the painter.
当她遇见、爱上并嫁给了那位画家时，那是黑暗的一天。
He was already famous for his art, and was always studying and working.
他已因他的艺术而闻名，总是埋头钻研和工作。
The great love of his life was his work, his painting.
他生命中最大的爱是他的工作，他的绘画。
His beautiful young wife was playful, full of life and light and smiles, as happy and as loving as a child.
他美丽的少妻生性活泼，充满生气、光彩和笑容，像孩子一样快乐和深情。
But she learned to fear and then to hate everything about painting.
但她学会了害怕，继而憎恨关于绘画的一切。
Her husband’s work was her enemy, because it kept him away from her, hour after hour.
丈夫的工作是她的敌人，因为它让他一小时又一小时地远离她。
So it was a terrible thing for her when he said he wanted to paint her portrait.
所以，当他说想为她画一幅肖像时，对她来说这是件可怕的事。
But she agreed because she loved him and wanted to please him.
但她同意了，因为她爱他，想取悦他。
For many weeks she sat in a dark high room where the light from above fell onto the painting and onto her.
许多个星期，她坐在一间高而黑暗的房间里，顶上的光线照在画布和她身上。
Day after day, she sat still and silent, not moving, not speaking.
日复一日，她静坐不动，沉默不语。
But she went on smiling and smiling because she saw that the painter loved his work so much.
但她继续微笑着，因为看到画家如此热爱他的工作。
He painted hour after hour, not speaking a word, thinking only of his work.
他一小时又一小时地画着，一言不发，只想着他的工作。
Those who saw the portrait looked and said softly, ‘It is your finest work. Oh, you do love her dearly! We can see this in the portrait.’
那些看到肖像的人看着并轻声说：“这是你最优秀的作品。哦，你一定非常爱她！我们能从肖像中看出来。”
And it was true. But he did not look at her now.
这是真的。但他现在不看她了。
He went on working, more and more wildly, thinking and dreaming only of the portrait and never of his wife.
他继续工作，越来越狂热，只想着和梦着肖像，从未想过他的妻子。
Day by day she looked more and more unhappy, but he did not see it.
一天天过去，她看起来越来越不快乐，但他没看见。
Her face and body were now thin, but he did not see it.
她的脸和身体现在消瘦了，但他没看见。
He took the warm colour from her face, and painted it into the face in his portrait – but he could not, he would not see it.
他从她的脸上取走了温润的色彩，将其画进了肖像的脸上——但他不能，也不愿看见这一点。
He painted hour after hour, not speaking a word, thinking only of his work.
他一小时又一小时地画着，一言不发，只想着他的工作。
After many weeks, he finished. One last touch of paint on the mouth, a last touch to the eye…
许多个星期后，他完成了。最后一笔涂在嘴唇上，最后一笔点在眼睛上……
The painter stood back and looked at the portrait of his wife. How wonderful it was!
画家退后一步，看着他妻子的肖像。多么美妙啊！
But while he stared, he began to shake and his face went white.
但当他凝视时，他开始颤抖，脸色变得苍白。
Then he cried out with a loud voice, ‘This is LIFE itself! She LIVES in this portrait!’
然后他大声喊道：“这就是生命本身！她在肖像里活过来了！”
and he turned suddenly to look at the woman he loved. She was dead!
他突然转身去看他深爱的女人。她死了！
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