第三章: 新生活
She travelled partly by carriage and partly on foot, carrying her basket. Not far to her left she could see the trees which surrounded Kingsbere, with its church where her ancestors lay in their tombs. She could no longer admire or respect them. She almost hated them for ruining her life. Nothing of theirs was left except the old seal and spoon.
她挎着篮子坐了一段马车，又走了一段路。在她左边不远的地方，她可以看到环绕王陴的树木，她的祖先就被安放在那儿的教堂墓地里。她不再倾慕，也不再尊敬他们了。她甚至有些恨他们，因为他们毁掉了她的生活。除了印章和银匙，他们什么也没留下。
And so it was that on a beautiful morning in May, two to three years after her return from Trantridge, Tess Durbeyfield left home for the second time. She was going in the opposite direction this time. When she reached the first hill, she looked back at Marlott and her father’s house with sadness in her heart.
因此，从纯瑞脊回来两三年后，苔丝·德北在5月的一个美丽的清晨，第二次离开了家。这一次她是朝相反的方向走去。当她爬上第一座小山时，她满怀忧伤地回头看了看马勒特村和她父亲的房子。
“Huh! I have as much of mother as father in me!” she said. “All my prettiness comes from her, and she was only a dairymaid.”
“嘿！妈妈给予我的同爸爸给予我的一样多！”她说道，“我的美貌都是从她身上继承下来的，而她只不过是个挤奶女工。”
Her walk took two hours, until she reached the hill overlooking the Valley of the Great Dairies. This valley was watered by the river Froom, and produced huge amounts of milk and butter, more even than Tess’s Vale of Blackmoor, which was known as the Vale of Little Dairies.
她步行了两个小时，才来到了可以俯视大牛奶场的山头。福鲁姆河灌溉着这个山谷，这儿生产着大量的牛奶和黄油，甚至比苔丝家那边的黑荒野山谷还多，黑荒野山谷以小牛奶场谷而闻名。
As she stood and looked, she realized the valleys were quite different. Here the fields and farms were much larger. She saw more cows at a glance than she had ever seen before. The evening sun shone on their red, white and brown bodies. She thought that this view was perhaps not as beautiful as a view of Blackmoor Vale, which she knew so well. There the sky was deep blue, the smell of the earth was heavy in the air, the streams ran slowly and silently. But this view was more cheerful. Here the air was clear and light, and the river Froom rushed as fast as the shadow of a cloud.
她站定远眺，发现这儿的山谷截然不同。这里的田地和农场更广阔，而且她以前从来没有一眼望见过这么多的奶牛。夕阳85照在它们红色、白色还有棕色的皮毛上。她觉得这儿的风景也许并没有黑荒野山谷美丽，她对那个山谷太熟悉了。那儿的天空湛蓝无比，空气中充满了泥土的气息，溪水总是寂静缓慢地流淌着。但是这儿的景致更让人欢欣鼓舞。这儿的空气清新怡人，福鲁姆河水流湍急，就像一片白云的影子匆匆掠过。
Either the change in the quality of the air, or the feeling that she was going to start a new life here, made her feel much happier. She ran along, her hopes and the sunshine warming her.
不管是空气质量的改变，还是她即将在此开始一种全新生活的感觉，都使她感到更加欢欣愉悦。她朝前跑去，她的希望和这儿的阳光温暖着她。
She looked at her best as she ran laughing into the warm wind. The desire for pleasure, which is in every living thing, had finally won over Tess. She was, after all, only a young woman of twenty, who had not finished growing up. No event, however unpleasant, could have marked her for ever. She was young and strong and beautiful, and could not remain sad for long.
当她大笑着跑进柔和的微风时，她的样子呈现出前所未有的神采。那种对幸福的渴望，那种存在于每一个有生命的物体中的渴望，终于重新赢得了苔丝。毕竟，她还只是一个20岁的年轻女子，还没有完全长大成人。任何事情，不管它有多么不幸，都不会永远在她身上留下伤痕。她年轻健康、精力充沛而且美丽动人，她可以不再长久地悲伤了。
This was probably a pagan feeling in a religious form. People who live in the country and are close to nature, like Tess, keep many of the pagan ideas of their ancestors in their souls. Religion learned in church comes much later, and does not touch them deeply.
这也许只是用宗教形式表现的非基督教的感情。像苔丝这样生活在乡村、贴近自然的人，在心灵里保留了许多源于他们的祖先的非基督教思想。而从教堂得来的宗教信仰要迟得多，并没有多么深刻地影响他们。
Her hopes rose higher than ever. She wanted to show how grateful she was for this second chance. She started singing love songs, but found they were not enough to express her feelings. She remembered the Sunday mornings of her girlhood, and sang: “Oh sun and moon… Oh stars… Oh children of men… Praise the Lord! Praise Him for ever!” until she stopped suddenly and murmured, “But perhaps I don’t quite know the Lord yet.”
她从来没有像现在这样满怀希望。她想表达出自己对第二次机会的到来是如何地充满感激之情。她放声唱起了爱情歌曲，但觉得它们不足以表达她的感情。她回想起了少女时代礼拜日上午的情景，于是唱道：“哦，太阳和月亮……哦星星……哦，人类的孩子们……赞美上帝吧！永远地赞美他！”唱着唱着，她突然停下并自言自语道：“但也许我对上帝了解得还不够。”
Tess was happy to be making her way independently in life. She really wanted to live honestly and work hard, unlike her father. Tess had her mother’s energy and the energy of her youth to help her recover from her experience. Women do usually live through such experiences. “Where there’s life there’s hope” is still true for most ‘betrayed’ women.
可以按自己的方式独立地生活让苔丝感到高兴。她真心愿意实实在在地生活并勤勤恳恳地工作，而不是像她父亲那样。苔丝有从母亲那儿获得的力量和自己年轻生命的力量来帮助她从过去的经历中恢复过来。女人们通常要经历这种生活。对多数被生活玩弄过的女人们来说，“哪儿有生活，哪儿就有希望”仍是一条不变的真理。
As Tess, full of enthusiasm, came downhill towards the dairy, she suddenly heard the milking call, again and again, from all parts of the valley. It was half-past four, when the dairy people brought in the cows. Tess followed the red and white animals, with their great bags of milk under them, into the farmyard. She saw the long sheds, and the wooden posts, shining and smooth where the cows had rubbed against them over the years. She saw the cows between the posts, the sun throwing their shadows on the wall as carefully as a painter paints a beautiful king or queen. As the cows waited for their turn, the milk fell in drops on the ground.
当苔丝热情洋溢地朝着牛奶场跑下山时，她突然听到了挤奶的号令，一遍又一遍地在山谷各个角落响起。现在是四点半，到了牛奶场的人们把牛赶回来的时候了。苔丝跟着这些红色或白色、身下垂着硕大乳房的动物，跑进了场院。她看见了一排长长的屋棚和一根根木桩，由于奶牛长年的摩擦，它们被蹭得油光发亮。她看见了木桩之间的一头头奶牛，阳光把它们的阴影投射到墙上，就像画家精心绘制的一幅美丽的国王或王后的画像。还没有轮到它们呢，有几滴牛奶已滴到了地上。
The dairymaids and men had come from their cottages as they saw the cows arriving from the fields. Each girl sat on her three-legged stool as she milked, her right cheek resting on the cow’s body, watching Tess arrive. The men milked with their hats low over their eyes and did not see her. One of them was a middle-aged man, the head-dairyman she was looking for. He worked six days a week in his white milking clothes, milking and butter-making, and on the seventh he wore his best suit to take his family proudly to church. Because of this people nearby used to say:
挤奶女工和男人们看到奶牛从地里回来了，就都从屋子里走了出来。挤奶时，每个女工都坐在一张三条腿的矮凳上，她们把右脸颊靠在牛的身子上，看到苔丝进来了。男人挤奶时压低帽子遮住了眼晴，没有注意到她。其中有一位中年男子，就是苔丝正在寻找的牛奶场主。他一礼拜六天穿着白色的挤奶服工作，挤奶，做黄油，到了第七天，他就穿上最好的衣服，带着全家人，体体面面地到教堂去做礼拜。由于这个缘故，附近的人们常说：
Most dairymen are usually bad-tempered at milking time, but Mr Crick was glad to get a new dairymaid at this busy time of the year. So he received Tess warmly and asked her how her family were.
大多数挤奶工在挤奶时都脾气暴躁，但克里克先生很高兴在一年中的繁忙季节里迎来了一个新的挤奶女工。他热情地接待苔丝，还问了她家人的情况。
Dairyman Dick All the week, On Sundays Mister Richard Crick.
整个星期都是奶场工狄克，星期日是理查德·克里克先生。
Then Mr Crick turned to business. “You can milk well, my girl? I don’t want my cows drying up, especially just now.”
然后克里克先生转到正事上：“你挤奶挤得好吗，我的孩子？我可不想看到我的牛不出奶，特别是在这个时候。”
“When I was a boy I knew your part of the country very well,” he said. “An old woman of ninety — she’s dead now but she used to live near here — she once told me there was an ancient noble family of a name like yours, who came from here originally. But I didn’t take any notice of an old woman like that.”
“当我还是一个孩子时，我对你们那个地方就非常熟悉。”他说道，“一位九十岁的老太太——她现在已经死了，但她过去住在这儿附近——曾经告诉过我，有一个同你的姓氏相像的古老高贵的家族，很早以前是这儿的人。可我没理会老太太说的话。”
“Quite sure you’re strong enough for this sort of life? It’s comfortable enough here for rough country people but it’s hard work.”
“你确信你有足够的体力过这种生活吗？这儿的生活对强壮的乡下人来说够舒服的了，但活儿很累。”
“Oh yes, I can,” answered Tess.
“哦，是的，我能行，”苔丝回答。
“Oh no, that’s just a story,” said Tess.
“哦，不，那不过是一个故事罢了。”苔丝说。
He looked at her delicate hands and pale face.
他看了看她那双细嫩的手和有些苍白的脸。
“Oh yes, I’m strong enough. I’m used to hard work,” Tess insisted.
“哦，是的，我有足够的体力。我已经习惯干重活儿了。”苔丝坚持说。
“Well, have some tea and something to eat. You’ve had a long journey,” he said kindly.
“那好，去喝杯茶，吃点东西。你刚刚走了这么长的路。”他和善地说。
“No, I’d rather begin milking straight away,” said Tess. “I’ll just drink a little milk first.”
“不，我宁愿立即开始挤奶，”苔丝说，“我先喝点儿牛奶就可以了。”
“Oh, if you can swallow it, have some,” he said, holding the bucket for her to drink from. “I haven’t touched any for years. It would lie in my stomach like a stone, so it would. Now, try that one and see how you get on.” And he pointed to the nearest cow.
“哦，如果你喝得下，就喝吧，”他说，拿起了一个小桶让她喝。“我好几年没碰过它了。喝了它就像胃里放了块石头似的，是这样的。那么现在，你去挤那头牛，看看你干得怎样。”他指着最近的一头牛说道。
As soon as Tess was on her stool under the cow, and the milk was pouring between her fingers into the bucket, she really felt that her new life was beginning. As she relaxed, she looked around her.
苔丝坐到了奶牛下面的凳子上，牛奶从她的指间流泄到桶里，她真地感觉到她的新生活开始了。在她歇息的空隙，她环顾了一下四周。
This surprised Dairyman Crick, who appeared never to have thought of milk as a drink.
这让奶场工克里克感到惊讶，他仿佛从来没想过牛奶也能这么喝似的。
It was a large dairy. There were nearly a hundred milking cows. Dairyman Crick milked six or eight of the difficult ones with his own hands. He could not trust them to the dairymaids, because if the cows were badly milked their milk would simply dry up.
这是一个很大的牛奶常有近一百头待挤的奶牛。奶场主克里克亲自挤六到八头不好挤的牛。他不放心把它们交给挤奶女工去挤，因为如果奶牛没被挤好，它们就会不出奶的。
For a while there was no more talk among the milkers. Suddenly Mr Crick got up from his stool.
有一阵子，挤奶工们没有声响。克里克先生突然从凳子上站了起来。
“We’re not getting as much milk from them as usual,” he said. “We’d better sing them a song, friends, that’s the only thing to do.” So the group of milkers started singing, to encourage the cows to give more.
“我们今天挤的奶没有平常的多。”他说道，“我们最好还是给他们唱支歌吧，朋友们，只有这样啦。”于是这群挤奶工开始唱起歌来，想促使奶牛们出更多的奶。
Mr Crick went on: “But I think bulls like music better than cows. Did I tell you all about William Dewy? On his way home after a wedding he found himself in a field with an angry bull. He took his violin and played some Christmas church music and down went the bull on his knees! Just like the animals around baby Jesus! And so William was able to escape.”
克里克先生继续说道：“但我认为公牛比母牛更喜欢音乐。我跟你们讲过威廉·杜威的事吗？一次婚礼结束后，在回家路上的一块田地上，他遇上了一头愤怒的公牛。他拿出了小提琴，拉起一些圣诞节的教堂音乐，那头公牛居然跪下来了：就像围绕着小耶稣的动物那样！然后威廉就得以逃脱了。”
“It’s a curious story. It takes us back to the past, when belief in God was a living thing.” This unusual remark came from under a cow.
“这是一个奇特的故事。它把我们带回到过去的年代，那时对上帝的信仰是生动真实的。”有人从一头奶牛身下做出了这个不平常的论断。
“Well, it’s quite true, sir, believe it or not. I knew the man well,” said Mr Crick.
“哦，这是完全真实的，先生，信不信由你。我跟那个人相当熟。”克里克先生说。
“Oh yes, I’m sure it’s true,” said the man behind the brown cow. Tess could not see his face, and could not understand why the head-dairyman himself should call him sir. The man stayed under the cow long enough to milk three, at times saying something angrily to himself. Then he stood up, stretching his arms. Tess could now see him clearly. He wore the clothes of a dairyman but underneath he was quite different. He looked educated and gentlemanly.
“哦，是的，我相信它是真实的，”那头棕色奶牛后面的人说道。苔丝无法看见他的脸，也不明白为什么牛奶场场主本人还要称呼他为先生。这人待在一头奶牛下面的时间足够让别人挤三头牛了，他还不时生气地自言自语。然后他站了起来，伸展了一下胳膊。这时苔丝可以清楚地看到他的脸了。他穿着挤奶工的衣服，但他本人显得与众不同。他看起来受过教育，很有教养。
But now she realized that she had seen him before. He was one of the three walking brothers who had stopped their walk to admire the May-Day dance in Marlott a few years before. He had danced with some of the other girls but not with her. He had not noticed her and had gone on his way. For a moment she was worried that if he recognized her he might discover her story. But she soon saw he did not remember her at all. Since she had seen him in Marlott, his face had grown more thoughtful. He now had a young man’s moustache and beard. From the time he had spent milking one cow, he was clearly a beginner at dairy work.
但是她现在想起来，她以前曾见过这张脸庞。几年以前，在马勒特村的五月节舞会上，有三个徒步旅行的兄弟曾驻足观看过，他就是三兄弟之一，那个和其他一些女孩跳过舞但没同她跳的人。他没注意到她，又继续上路了。她一时忐忑不安起来，怕他认出她来后会得知她的经历。但很快，她发现他根本想不起她来了。自从她在马勒特见过他之后，他显得更深沉了。他现在蓄起了青年人的唇髭和络腮胡。从他挤一头牛花费的时间来看，对牛奶场的活儿，他显然是一个新手。
Tess discovered that only two or three of the dairymaids slept in the house, besides herself. They all shared a big bedroom near the cheese room. That night one of the girls insisted on telling Tess about all the people at the dairy. To Tess, half asleep, the whispers seemed to be floating in the air.
苔丝发现除了她之外，还有两三个挤奶女工和她睡在一间房子里。她们共有的这间大卧室挨着奶酪室。那天晚上，她们中有个姑娘坚持要给苔丝讲牛奶场里所有人的情况。苔丝半睡半醒地听着，这些耳语就像漂浮在空中一样。
“Mr Angel Clare — he’s the one who’s learning milking — he’s a parson’s son and thinks a lot and doesn’t notice girls. His father is parson at Emminster, some way from here. His sons, except Mr Clare, are going to be parsons too.”
“安吉尔·克莱尔先生——就是那个学挤牛奶的人——是一位牧师的儿子，爱思考问题，但对女孩子从不留意。她父亲是爱敏斯特的牧师，离这儿有些距离。他的儿子们，除了克莱尔先生，也都打算当牧师。”
“I want to use my mind,” Angel insisted. “I want to read philosophy. I want to question my belief, so that what is left after I have questioned it, will be even stronger.”
“我想发挥自己的才智，”安吉尔坚定地说道，“我想研读哲学。我想对自己的信仰提出质疑，这样经过质疑留下的东西，会更加坚定有力。”
Neither Angel Clare nor his family had originally chosen farming as a profession for him. When he was a boy, people admired his great qualities. Now he was a man, something vague and undecided in his look showed that he had no particular purpose in life. He was the youngest son of a poor parson. One day when he was studying at home, his father discovered that Angel had ordered a book of philosophy, which questioned the Church’s teaching. How could his son become a priest if he read such books? Angel explained that he did not in fact wish to enter the Church like his brothers, because the Church’s views were too strict and did not allow free thinking. The simple parson was shocked. He was a man of fixed ideas and a firm believer. And if Angel did not want to become a priest, what was the use of sending him to study at Cambridge? For the parson the whole point of going to university was to become a minister of God.
无论安吉尔还是他的家人，最初都没有选择务农作为他的职业。当他还是个孩子时，他就有令人羡慕的聪颖天资。现在他长大成人了，但神情里有一种模糊不定的东西显示出他在生活中还没有特定的目标。他是一位穷牧师的最小的孩子。有一天，当安吉尔在家里学习时，他父亲发现他订购了一本哲学书，该书对教会的教育提出了质疑。如果他的儿子读这种书，他还怎么做一名牧师呢？安吉尔解释说他实际上并不想像哥哥们那样从事神职工作，因为教会的观念太刻板，没有自由思想的余地。这让虔诚的牧师感到震惊。他是一个顽固、执着而又坚定的信仰者。如果安吉尔不打算成为一名牧师，那送他到剑桥读书又有什么意义呢？对这位牧师而言，上大学的唯一目的，就是将来从事神职，成为一名牧师。
Tess gradually fell asleep.
苔丝渐渐地睡着了。
At first he stayed up in his room most of the time in the evenings, reading and playing his harp. But he soon preferred to read human nature by taking his meals in the general dining-room with the dairy people. The longer he stayed, the more Clare liked living with these simple country people. No longer did he see them as lacking in intelligence. He realized they were no different from him: he and they were all people walking on the dusty road which ends in death. He began to like working outside. He was learning about nature and about life. He came to know the changing seasons, morning and evening, different winds, waters and mists, shade and silence, and the voices of nature. All this he had never known before.
起先，到了晚上他就待在自己的房间里，靠读读书、弹弹竖琴度过大部分时间。可是不久，他更愿意到公共餐室和奶场其他人一道吃饭，来体会人类的天性。和大家在一起的时间越长，克莱尔就越喜欢和这些淳朴的乡下人生活在一起。他不再把他们看做缺乏智慧、没有见地的人了。他领悟到他们跟他没有什么不同：他和他们一样都是风尘仆仆的赶路人，他们的最终归宿都是死亡。他开始喜欢上户外的工作了。他在学习更多关于自然和关于生活的知识。他渐渐感悟到了变化的四季，清晨和黄昏，各种各样的风，水域和云雾，阴影和沉寂，以及自然界发出的种种声音。对这一切，他过去是一无所知的。
“But Angel, your mother and I have saved and saved to send you to university like your brothers. But how can we send you there if it is not in the service of God?”
“但是，安吉尔，你的母亲和我一省再省，想供你念大学，就像对你的哥哥们那样。但是如果不是为了上帝服务，我们怎能送你去呢？”
So Angel did not have the advantage of a university education. After some years studying at home he decided to learn farming. He thought this kind of work could give him what he most valued, independence and freedom to think. So he came to Talbothays at twenty-six, as a student.
因此安吉尔失去了进大学接受教育的机会。在家自学了几年后，他决心去学习务农。他认为这种工作能给予他最最宝贵的东西，那就是独立思考的自由。于是在26岁时，他作为一名学徒来到了塔尔勃塞。
For several days after Tess’s arrival, Clare, sitting reading a book, hardly noticed she was there. But one morning at breakfast he was reading music and listening to the tune in his head, when he heard a musical voice which seemed to become part of his tune. He looked round at Tess, seated at the table.
苔丝到来后的头几天，克莱尔总是坐着看他的书，几乎没有注意到她在那儿。但是一天早上吃早饭时，他正在看一本乐谱，并沉浸在头脑里出现的旋律中，这时他听到了一个悦耳动听的嗓音，听起来就像他旋律中的一部分。他掉头看到了苔丝，坐在餐桌旁。
Dairyman Crick insisted that all the dairy people should milk different cows every day, not just their favourites. He was worried that a dairymaid might leave the dairy, and then her cows would not like being milked by a stranger. However, Tess began to find that the cows which came to her usually happened to be her favourites. This made her milking much easier. But she soon realized that it was not by chance, as it was Angel Clare who sent the cows in for milking.
奶场主克里克坚持让所有奶场的工人每天挤不同的奶牛，而不是只挤他们最喜欢的那几头。他担心一旦哪个挤奶女工离开奶场后，她的奶牛会不喜欢被一个陌生人挤奶。然而，苔丝渐渐发现，分配给她的奶牛碰巧总是她最喜欢的几头。这让她挤起来更加轻松。但她很快发现这不是什么凑巧的事儿，因为是安吉尔·克莱尔分派待挤的奶牛。
“What a fresh and pure daughter of nature that dairymaid is!” thought Angel. He seemed to remember something about her, something which took him back into a happy past, before decision made his life difficult. This memory made him look more often at Tess than the other dairymaids.
“那个女工多么娇嫩纯洁，真是大自然的女儿啊！”他思忖道。他像是记起了关于她的什么事情，记忆把他带回到过去的一段快乐时光。那时，他还没有做出让生活变得困难的抉择。这种回忆也让他更加关注苔丝，而不是其他女工。
“Do you think so? I hope I shall. But I don’t know.” Afterwards she was angry with herself. She had spoken too seriously to him, as if he were involved in her staying or leaving. In the evening after milking she walked in the garden alone, thinking about it.
“你这么以为吗？我希望如此，但我不知道。”说完之后，她对自己有些恼火。她刚才对他说话时太严肃了，好像把他牵扯进了她的去留问题。傍晚挤完奶后，她独自到园子里漫步，心里还想着这件事。
“Well, it doesn’t matter,” said he. “You will always be here to milk them.”
“啊，这不要紧，”他说，“你反正会总在这儿挤它们的。”
“Mr Clare, you have sent me my favourite cows!” she accused him one morning, blushing.
“克莱尔先生，你总是把我最喜欢的奶牛分给我！”一天早上，她红着脸指责他说。
It was a typical summer evening in June. The air was delicate and there was a complete, absolute silence. It was broken by the sound of a harp. The notes floated in the still air, strong and clear. Tess listened like a fascinated bird. She drew near to Clare, who still had not seen her. She was conscious of neither time nor space. The tune moved through her mind and body, bringing tears to her eyes. The waves of colour of the wild flowers mixed with the waves of sound. Angel finished playing, and caught sight of her. She blushed and moved away.
这是6月间一个典型的夏日傍晚。空气柔和清新，四周静悄悄的，没有一丝声响。这份静谧被一阵竖琴声划破了。旋律在静止的空气中流动着，清晰有力。苔丝就像一只着了魔的鸟儿一般倾听着。她走近克莱尔，但克莱尔仍没注意到她。这时，苔丝心中已没有了时间和空间的感觉。这旋律流进了她的心田，流遍了她的全身，令她热泪盈眶。野花的各种色彩摇摆着，与音乐声的波动混合在一起。一曲终了，安吉尔看见了她。她脸刷地红了，赶紧走开了。
“Why are you going, Tess?” he asked. “Are you afraid?”
“为什么要走开呢，苔丝？”他问，“是害怕吗？”
“But indoors?”
“那么，是屋里的什么喽？”
“Life in general?”
“概括地说，是人生？”
“Oh no, sir, not of outdoor things.”
“噢，不是的，先生，不是怕野外的东西。”
“Well, yes, sir.”
“嗯，是的，先生。”
“Ah, so am I, very often. Being alive is rather serious, don’t you think so?”
“啊，我也害怕这个，常常害怕。生活是相当严酷的，你是不是这样认为？”
“Yes, sir.”
“是的，先生。”
“It is, now you put it like that.”
“是吧，既然你这么说了。”
“All the same, I wouldn’t expect a young girl like you to feel that. Why? Come, tell me.”
“虽然如此，我还是没有料到一个像你这样的年轻姑娘会有这种感觉，为什么？来，跟我说说吧。”
After a moment’s hesitation she answered, “The trees ask questions with their eyes, don’t they? And you seem to see hundreds of tomorrows all in a line, the first big and clear, the others getting smaller. But they all look fierce and cruel. But you can drive away all these ideas with your music, sir!”
她踌躇了一会儿，回答道：“这些树都长着眼睛，它们用眼睛问问题，是不是？你仿佛看见许许多多的明天全都排成一行。最先的这个明天是最大、最清晰的，而后面的那些就变得越来越小了。但是，它们看起来都那么凶暴、残酷。不过你可以用你的音乐把所有这些想法都驱散，先生！”
He was surprised to find that this dairymaid had such sad thoughts. She was expressing in her own words the ache of modern life. This sadness made her more interesting to him. He did not know that her experience had given her great strength of feeling. Tess, on the other hand, could not understand why a man of religious family, good education and financial independence should feel sorry to be alive. How could this admirable and poetic man have felt, as she did two or three years ago, that he would rather die? It was true that he was not at present living among gentlemen. But he was studying what he wanted to know, and would become a rich farmer in time. So, as they neither understood each other’s secrets, they were both puzzled and waited to find out more.
他吃惊地发现这个挤奶女工竟如此地愁绪满怀。她用自己的话表达着现代生活的痛苦。这种忧郁让他更加关注她了。他并不知道她的经历给予了她如此强烈的感受。而另一方面，苔丝也不明白为什么像他这样一个出身于宗教家庭、受过良好教育、经济独立的人会对生活感到不幸。像他这样令人羡慕、才华横溢的人，怎么可能与她在两三年前感觉的一样，情愿死去呢？他目前并没有生活在绅士们当中，这是事实，但是他正在学习他想要了解的知识，而且很快，他就会成为一个有钱的农场主的。正因为他们对彼此的内心世界都不了解，他们才都感到迷惑，并期待着进一步了解对方。
“Oh, it’s only that I feel I’ve been wasting my life! When I see what you know, I feel what a nothing I am!”
“哦，这只是因为我感到自己一直在浪费自己的生命！当我了解到你所懂的知识，我觉得自己真是太渺小了！”
“Well, my dear Tess,” said Angel with some enthusiasm, “I shall be only too glad to help you study history, for example…”
“噢，亲爱的苔丝，”安吉尔充满热情地说道，“我非常乐意教你，比如说，历史……”
At first Tess regarded Angel as an intelligence rather than a man. She became quite depressed as she realized the distance between her own knowledge and his. One day he asked her why she looked so sad.
起初，苔丝把安吉尔·克莱尔看成是智慧的化身，而不是一个凡人。当她发现自己的知识和他的相比存在着如此之大的差距时，她感到非常抑郁。有一天他问她，为什么她看起来闷闷不乐。
“Oh, Tess, don’t be bitter!” Of course he had wondered this himself in the past. But as he looked at her innocent lips, he thought this pure child of nature could only have picked up the question from others. She could not possibly have any guilt in her past.
“哦，苔丝，不要这么愤世嫉俗！”他自己过去对此也困惑不解过。但是当他看到她那天真无邪的嘴唇时，他认为这个大自然的纯洁的孩子只不过从别人那里得到了这个问题。在她的过去，是不可能有什么罪孽的。
“I don’t know. What’s the use of learning that I’m one of a long row, and that my past and future are like thousands of other people’s? But there’s one thing I’d like to know — why the sun shines on the good and the bad just the same,” she said, her voice trembling.
“我不知道。学习又有什么用呢？我只不过是长长一列队伍中的一员，自己的过去和未来与成千上万个别人没有什么区别。但是有一件事我想要弄清楚——为什么太阳一视同仁地照在好人和坏人身上呢？”她说道，声音有些颤抖。
When he had gone, Tess felt again how stupid she must appear to him. She wondered whether she could gain his respect by telling him of her D’Urberville blood. She first asked the dairyman if Mr Clare was interested in old families who had lost their money and land.
当他离开以后，苔丝又觉得自己在他面前一定表现得十分愚蠢可笑。她在考虑如果告诉他自己的德伯家血统，是否会赢得他的尊敬。她先到奶场主那儿打听克莱尔先生是否会对一个失去了财富和土地的古老家族有好感。
That summer, Tess and Clare unconsciously studied each other, balanced on the edge of a passion, yet just keeping out of it. But all the time, like two streams in a valley, they were destined to join. Tess had never been so happy as she was now, and perhaps never would be so again. They met continually. They could not help it. They met daily in the half-light, at three o’clock in the morning, just before milking. They felt they were the first two up in the whole world, like Adam and Eve. Tess seemed like a queen to Clare, perhaps because he knew that she was the most beautiful woman walking about at this time of day. Lovely women are usually asleep at midsummer sunrise. But Tess was near, and the rest were nowhere. In the strange light she was no longer a milkmaid, but a vision of woman, the whole of womanhood in one form.
那个夏天，苔丝和克莱尔都在无意中探究着对方，在感情的边缘徘徊，并试图避免陷入其中。但是在这整段时间里，他们就像山谷中的两条溪流，终究是要汇合在一起的。苔丝从来没有像现在这样快乐过，也许将来也不会再有。他们频频相会，一天不见面心里就受不了。每天凌晨3点钟，在开始挤奶之前，天还没有全亮呢，他们就在一起了。他们觉得自己是整个世界上起得最早的一对，就如同亚当和夏娃。在克莱尔眼里，苔丝就像一个王后，也许是因为他知道她是一天中在这个时候走动的最美丽的女人。漂亮可爱的女人在盛夏太阳初升时，通常还在睡觉。但是苔丝就在身边，其他人却了无影踪。在这种特别的光线中，她不再是一个挤奶女工，而是一个女人的幻象，她集所有女性气质于一身。
“No,” said Mr Crick firmly. “He’s a rebel, and the one thing he hates is an old family.” After hearing this not very accurate view of Clare’s opinions, poor Tess was glad she had not mentioned her ancestors.
“不，”克里克先生肯定地说，“他是一个叛逆者，他痛恨古老的家族。”听完这番对克莱尔的观点并不十分准确的见解，苔丝庆幸自己没有提起她的祖先们。
Tess, very pale, had gone to the door for some fresh air. Fortunately the butter suddenly came. But Tess remained depressed all afternoon. To the others the story was funny. She alone could see the sorrow in it, and it reminded her of her experience.
苔丝面色惨白地走到了门口，她需要一些新鲜空气。幸好，黄油突然出来了。但是，那一下午苔丝都郁郁寡欢。对其他人来说，故事只是好笑而已，而她却独自体会到了其中的悲伤，这让她重新想起了她的遭遇。
“Ah yes, but that wasn’t being in love,” replied Mr Crick. “That was damage to the churn.” He turned to Clare to tell the story.
“哦，想起来了，但那不是恋爱。”克里克先生回答道。“那是把机器搞坏了。”他转向克莱尔讲起了这个故事。
“Maybe someone in the house is in love,” suggestea his wife. “That sometimes causes it. D’you remember that maid years ago, and the butter didn’t come…?”
“也许房子里有人恋爱了。”他的妻子提示道，“这种事情有时会导致这种后果的。你还记得多年以前的那个女工吗？那一次黄油就出不来……”
“Jack Dollop, one of our milkers, got a girl into trouble. One day her mother came looking for him with a great heavy umbrella in her hand. Jack hid in the churn, but she found him and turned it round and round. ‘Stop, stop!’ cried Jack. ‘if you promise to marry my daughter!’ shouted the mother. And so he did.”
“我们的一个牛奶工，杰克·多洛，让一个女孩子出了麻烦。一天，姑娘的母亲手里拿着一把又大又重的雨伞找他来了。杰克就藏到黄油机里去了，但她发现了，就一圈一圈地转机器。‘停下，停下！’杰克哭叫道。‘如果你答应跟我女儿结婚的话！’母亲喊道。于是他跟她女儿结婚了。”
One day just after breakfast they all gathered in the milkhouse. The milk was turning in the churn, but the butter would not come. Dairyman Crick was worried.
一天，刚刚吃过早饭，他们都聚集到牛奶贮藏室里。牛奶倒进了黄油制造器，但是黄油却出不来。奶场主克里克很焦急。
Tess was first in bed that night, and was half asleep as the other girls undressed. She saw them standing at the window looking at someone in the garden with great interest.
那晚，苔丝第一个上床睡觉了。当别的姑娘们在脱衣服时，她已经快要睡着了。她发现她们站在窗前，兴致勃勃地看着园子里的某个人。
“And I too,” whispered Retty shyly.
“我也愿意，”蕾蒂羞涩地细声说。
“I would just marry him tomorrow if he asked me,” said Marian, blushing.
“如果他向我求婚的话，我愿意明天就嫁给他。”玛丽安红着脸说道。
“So would I, and more,” murmured Izz.
“我也是，而且更愿意。”伊茨轻轻说道。
“There he is again!” cried lzz Huett, a pale girl with dark hair.
“他又来啦！”伊茨·休爱特叫道，她是一个皮肤白、头发黑的姑娘。
“It’s no use you being in love with him any more than me, Retty Priddle,” said Marian, the eldest.
“蕾蒂·普里德尔，你爱上他也没有用，这一点跟我一样，”年龄最大的玛丽安说道。
“We can’t all marry him,” said Izz.
“我们不能都嫁给他。”伊茨说。
“We can’t anyway,” said Marian. “He likes Tess Durbeyfield best. I’ve watched him every day and found it out.”
“我们都不可能，”玛丽安说道，“他喜欢苔丝·德北。我一直天天观察他，我看出来的。”
There was a thoughtful silence.
大家都默不作声地想着什么。
“How silly this all is!” said Izz impatiently. “He’s a gentleman’s son. He won’t marry any of us or Tess either!” They all sighed, and crept into their beds, and fell asleep. But Tess, with her deeper feelings, could not sleep. She knew Angel Clare preferred her to the others. She was more attractive, better educated and more womanly. She could keep his affection for her. But should she? Perhaps the others should have a chance of attracting his attention, and even of marrying him. She had heard from Mrs Crick that Mr Clare had spoken of marrying a country girl to help him farm, milk cows and reap corn. Tess had promised herself she would never marry and would never be tempted to do so. She ought to leave the field open for the other girls.
“这一切都太可笑了！”伊茨忍不住说道，“他是个绅士的儿子，他是不会娶我们中间任何一个的，包括苔丝在内！”一阵叹息之后，她们都爬上床，睡着了。但是苔丝，怀着更深的感情，却无法入睡了。她知道，安吉尔·克莱尔喜欢她胜过其他姑娘。她更富有魅力，更有教养也更有女人味儿。她可以让他继续对她怀有爱慕之情。但是，她应该吗？也许其他人也应该有机会吸引他的注意，甚至与他结婚。她曾从克里克夫人那儿听说，克莱尔先生说起过要娶一个乡下姑娘帮他经营农场，挤牛奶、割庄稼什么的。苔丝曾向自己保证过，永远不结婚，也永远不被人引诱结婚。她应该敞开这块天地，把机会留给别的姑娘们。
“Pretty? Well, yes, I have often thought so.”
“你说漂亮？噢，是的，我一直这么觉得。”
Next morning Dairyman Crick sent all the dairy people out into a field to search for garlic plants. One bite by one cow was enough to make the whole day’s butter taste of garlic. It was not by accident that Clare walked next to Tess.
第二天早上，奶场主克里克派全奶场的人到地里寻找大蒜类的植物。只要有一头牛咬了一口这种东西，就足以使一天的黄油都带上一股蒜味。克莱尔走在苔丝的旁边，这绝非偶然。
“They are excellent dairywomen.”
“她们是很出色的挤奶女工。”
“Don’t they look pretty?” she said to him.
“她们看起来很漂亮，不是吗？”苔丝对他说。
“Who?”
“谁？”
“Yes, though not better than you.” Clare observed them.
“是啊，尽管没有你出色。”克莱尔观察着她们。
“Izzy Huett and Retty.” She had decided that either would make a good farmer’s wife.
“伊茨·休爱特和蕾蒂。”她觉得她们无论哪一个都能成为一名称职的农场主夫人。
“She is blushing,” continued Tess bravely, “because you are looking at her.” She could hardly say “Marry one of them if you really don’t want a fine lady! Don’t think of marrying me!” From now on she tried to avoid spending time with Angel. She gave the other three every chance.
“她脸红了。”苔丝鼓足了勇气继续说道，“因为你在看着她。”她差点要说：“跟她们中的一个结婚吧，如果你真地不想娶一个高贵小姐的话！不要考虑跟我结婚！”从现在起，她就尽力避免和安吉尔在一起。她把每一个机会都留给了另外三个姑娘。
It was July and very hot. The atmosphere of the flat valley hung like a drug over the dairy people, the cows and the trees. It was Sunday morning after milking. Tess and the other three girls dressed quickly to go to Mellstock Church, which was three or four miles away from Talbothays. Heavy thunderstorms had poured down the day before, but today the sun shone brightly and the air was warm and clear. When the girls reached the lowest part of the road to Mellstock, they found it was flooded. In working clothes and boots they would have walked through, but they were wearing Sunday white stockings and thin shoes which they did not want to ruin. The church bell was calling, still a mile away.
到了7月，天气非常炎热。悬浮在平坦的山谷中的大气就像麻醉剂一般，笼罩着奶场的人们、奶牛和树木。这是挤完奶后的一个星期天的早晨。苔丝和另外三个姑娘急匆匆地换上衣服，准备到梅尔斯托克教堂去，那儿距塔尔勃塞有三四英里远。前一天刚下过很大的暴雨，今天却阳光明媚，空气温和清新。当姑娘们走到通向梅尔斯托克那条路的最低的一段时，发现这一段路被洪水淹没了。平时穿着工作服和靴子，她们走过去就行了。但今天她们穿着做礼拜才穿的白袜子和薄鞋子，她们可不想把它们都毁了。还有一英里路，教堂的钟声已经响了。
Suddenly they saw Angel Clare approaching. He had seen them from far away, and had come to help them, one of them in particular.
突然，她们看到安吉尔·克莱尔正朝这边走近。他远远就看见她们了，是过来帮助她们的，特别是她们中的某一个。
“I’ll carry you through the water, all of you,” he offered. All four blushed as if they had one heart.
“我把你们都抱过水去，你们所有人。”他开口提供帮助。四个人的脸不约而同地全红了，好像心有灵犀。
“Oh Tessy!” he said. Her cheeks were pink and she could not look into his eyes. But he respected her modesty and did nothing more. He walked slowly, however, to make the journey as long as possible, and put her down on dry land. Her friends were looking with round thoughtful eyes at them. He said goodbye and went back by the road.
“哦，苔丝！”他轻唤道。她的脸颊微微红着，不能直视他的眼睛。出于对她的端庄的尊重，他没有再做出什么。然而，他走得很慢，尽可能地延长这段行程。然后他把她放在了干地上。她的朋友们都瞪圆了眼睛，关切地注视着他们。他说了声再见就沿原路返回了。
It was now Tess’s turn. He picked her up. She was embarrassed to discover her excitement at his nearness.
这下轮到苔丝了。他把她抱了起来。当她发现自己因他的贴近而激动时，她有些局促不安。
“Now, Marian, put your arms round my shoulders. Hold on!” and Angel walked off with her in his arms. Next was lzz Huett. Her lips were dry with emotion. Angel returned for Retty. While he was picking her up, he glanced at Tess. He could not have said more plainly, “It will soon be you and I.” There was an understanding between them.
“现在，玛丽安，用你的手臂抱住我的肩膀，抱紧点！”然后安吉尔抱起她走了。下一个是伊茨·休爱特。她激动得嘴唇都干了。然后安吉尔又回来接蕾蒂。当他抱起她时，他瞥了一眼苔丝。他用不着更直接了当地说：“很快就到你和我了。”他们之间存在着一种默契。
“Three plain girls to get one beauty,” he whispered.
“抱过三个相貌平平的姑娘，就为了抱一个漂亮的。”他轻轻说道。
“Not to me,” said Angel. She blushed. There was silence. Clare stood still and bent his face to hers.
“对我来说不是，”安吉尔说道。她的脸又红了。一阵沉默后，克莱尔站住了，低下头，把自己的脸靠近苔丝的脸。
“They are better women than I,” she said bravely.
“她们是比我更好的姑娘，”她勇敢地说。
“What do you mean?” asked Tess.
“你这是什么意思？”苔丝问道。
The four walked on together. Marian broke the silence by saying, “No, we have no chance against her!” She looked joylessly at Tess.
四个人继续往前走着。玛丽安打破了沉默，说道：“不，在她面前我们没有机会！”她闷闷不乐地看着苔丝。
They were no longer cheerful but they were not bitter. They were generous country girls who accept that such things happen. Tess’s heart ached. She knew that she loved Angel Clare, perhaps all the more passionately because the others also loved him. And yet that same hungry heart of hers pitied her friends.
她们的愉快心情一扫而光，但她们也并不怀恨在心。她们都是宽厚的乡下姑娘，能够接受这种事情的发生。苔丝的心在作痛。她知道她爱安吉尔·克莱尔，也许这种爱变得更强烈了，因为其他姑娘也在爱着他。然而，正是她那颗充满渴望的心，对她的朋友们产生了同情。
“He likes you best, the very best! We saw as he brought you over. He’d have kissed you if you had encouraged him, only a little.”
“他最喜欢你！最最喜欢！当他抱你过来时，我们都看到了。如果你鼓励他的话，哪怕只有一点点鼓励，他就会吻你的。”
“I will never stand in your way!” she cried to them that evening in the bedroom. “I don’t think he’s thinking of marrying, but even if he asked me, I’d refuse him, as I’d refuse any man.”
“我将永远不会妨碍你们的！”那天晚上在卧室里，她向她们宣布，“我认为他并没有在考虑结婚，但是即使他向我求婚，我也会拒绝他的，就像拒绝任何其他男人一样。”
“Oh why?” they asked.
“哦，为什么？”她们问。
So the girls remained friends. They all shared each other’s secret. The air in their bedroom was full of their hopeless passion. There was a flame burning the inside of their hearts out. But because they had no hope, they were not jealous of each other. They had even heard that Angel’s family were planning for him to marry a neighbour’s daughter. Tess no longer attached any importance to Clare’s interest in her. It was a passing summer attraction, nothing more.
这样，姑娘们还是朋友。她们互相分享彼此的秘密。她们卧室的空气中充斥着没有希望的热情。她们的心被激情燃烧着。但是因为她们不抱任何希望，她们之间也就没有妒忌。他们甚至还听说，安吉尔的家人正打算让他娶一个邻居的女儿。克莱尔对她的关注对苔丝来说，已不再有任何重要性。这只是一次夏天的、转瞬即逝的吸引，仅此而已。
“I cannot marry! But I don’t think he will choose any of you.”
“我不能结婚！但是我认为他不会选择你们中任何一个的。”
Suddenly Clare jumped up, leaving his bucket to be kicked over by the cow, went quickly towards her, and, kneeling down beside her, took her in his arms. Tess let herself relax in his arms in a moment of joyful surprise. He was on the point of kissing that tempting mouth, but stopped himself.
突然，克莱尔从坐的地方一跃而起，顾不上奶牛是否会把奶桶踢翻，快速地向她跑去。他跪在她身旁，把她搂进了怀里。那一刻，苔丝又惊又喜，她让自己依顺地偎在了他的怀里。他差点就要亲吻那张充满诱惑的小嘴了，但他抑制住了自己。
The heat grew steadily greater. In this stormy atmosphere even a passing attraction would deepen into love. Everything in nature was ready for love. Clare became gradually more passionately in love with the soft and silent Tess. The fields were dry. Waggons threw up clouds of dust on the road. Cows jumped over gates, chased by flies. Dairyman Crick’s sleeves were rolled up from Monday to Saturday, and the milkers milked in the fields for coolness.
气温不断地升高。在这多风暴的空气中，甚至短暂的吸引都会成为深深的爱慕。自然中的一切事物都为爱作好了准备。克莱尔对温柔沉静的苔丝的爱也越来越炽烈了。地是干的，马车驶过，扬起一片尘烟。奶牛跳过栅门，被一群苍蝇追逐着。奶场主克里克卷起袖子从星期一干到星期六，为了图凉快，工人们都在地里挤奶。
On one of these afternoons Tess and Angel were milking near each other. Tess used to rest her head on the cow’s body, her eyes fixed on a distant field. The sun shone on the beautiful lines of the face. She did not know that Clare had followed her round and sat watching her. How very lovable her face was to him. He had never seen such beautiful lips and teeth, like roses filled with snow.
就在这样的一个下午，苔丝和安吉尔在相距不远的地方挤着奶。苔丝习惯于把头靠在奶牛的身上休息，眼睛注视着远方的田野。阳光照在她脸庞秀美的轮廓上。她不知道克莱尔已经跟着她过来了，正坐着观看她。那是张多么讨人喜欢的脸啊！他从来没有见过如此美丽动人的唇齿，恰如含雪的玫瑰一般。
“Oh I don’t know!” she murmured, trying to pull away.
“哦，我不知道！”她轻声说道，试图脱身走开。
“Why are you crying, my darling?” he asked.
“为什么哭，亲爱的？”他问。
“Forgive me, Tess dear!” he whispered. “I ought to have asked. I love you, Tess really!”
“请原谅我，苔丝，我亲爱的！”他轻声说道，“我本来应该问问你的。我爱你，苔丝，真的！”
Tess tried to free herself and her eyes began to fill with tears.
苔丝想从他怀里挣脱出来，她的眼里开始噙满泪水。
“Well, I’ve shown my feeling at last, Tess,” he said with a curious sigh, showing that his heart had overcome his reason. “I do love you dearly and truly. But I shall go no further now. I have surprised you.”
“嗯，我终于向你表露了我的真情，苔丝，”他有些奇怪地叹了口气，说道。这表明他的情感战胜了他的理智。“我真地爱你，真心诚意地爱你，但是现在我不该有过分的表示，我吓着你了。”
She freed herself and they went on milking. Nobody had noticed, and when Dairyman Crick came round there was no sign to show that there was any connection between them. Yet something had happened which was to change their whole world. As a practical man, the dairyman might laugh at love, but love has a habit of changing people’s lives. It is a force to be respected.
她从他怀里挣脱出来，他们又开始挤奶了。没有人注意到他们，当奶场主克里克走过来时，没有任何迹象表明他们之间有什么瓜葛。然而，事情已经发生了，并将改变他们的整个世界。作为一个讲究实际的人，这位奶场主可能会嘲笑爱情，但是爱情惯于改变人们的生活。这是一种应该受到尊敬的力量。
0 条评论