"Come, my child!" said Hester, looking about her from the spot where Pearl had stood still in the sunshine. "We will sit down a little way within the wood, and rest ourselves."
“過(guò)來(lái)，我的孩子！”海絲特一邊說(shuō)著，士邊從珠兒剛剛在陽(yáng)光中站著不動(dòng)的地方向四下望著?！拔覀円诹肿永镒聛?lái)，休息一下?！?/div>

"I am not aweary, mother," replied the little girl. "But you may sit down, if you will tell me a story meanwhile."
“我還不累呢，媽媽，”那小姑娘回答說(shuō)?！安贿^(guò)，你要是愿意借這個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)給我講個(gè)故事的話，倒是可以坐下來(lái)?！?/div>

"A story, child!" said Hester. "And about what?"
“講個(gè)故事，孩子！”海絲特說(shuō)。“關(guān)于什么的故事呢？”

"Oh, a story about the Black Man," answered Pearl, taking hold of her mother's gown, and looking up, half earnestly, half mischievously, into her face. "How he haunts this forest, and carries a book with him- a big, heavy book, with iron clasps; and how this ugly Black Man offers his book and an iron pen to everybody that meets him here among the trees; and they are to write their names with their own blood. And then he sets his mark on their bosoms! Didst thou ever meet the Black Man, mother?"
“噢，講個(gè)關(guān)于黑男人的故事吧，”珠兒回答著，一邊攥住她母親的袍子，一邊又真誠(chéng)又調(diào)皮地抬頭盯著母親的面孔?！爸v講他怎么在這座林子里走動(dòng)，還隨身帶著一本書(shū)——一本又大又重的冊(cè)子，上面還有鐵箍；講講這個(gè)長(zhǎng)得挺丑的黑男人怎么向在這林子里遇到的每一個(gè)人拿出他的冊(cè)子和一支鐵筆；讓他們用自己的血寫(xiě)下他們的名字。然后他就在他們的胸前打上他的記號(hào)！你以前遇到過(guò)這個(gè)黑男人嗎，媽媽？”

"And who told you this story, Pearl?" asked her mother, recognising a common superstition of the period.
“誰(shuí)給你講的這個(gè)故事，珠兒？”她母親這樣問(wèn)著，心里明白這是當(dāng)時(shí)的一種普遍的迷信。

"It was the old dame in the chimney-corner, at the house where you watched last night," said the child. "But she fancied me asleep while she was talking of it. She said that a thousand and a thousand people had met him here, and had written in his book, and have his mark on them. And that ugly-tempered lady, old Mistress Hibbins, was one. And, mother, the old dame said that this scarlet letter was the Black Man's mark on thee, and that it glows like a red flame when thou meetest him at midnight, here in the dark wood. Is it true, mother? And dost thou go to meet him in the night-time?"
“就是昨天夜里你照看的那家的老太婆，她在屋角的爐灶那兒講的，”那孩子說(shuō)。“不過(guò)她講的時(shí)候，還以為我睡著了呢。她說(shuō)，有成千成千的人在這兒遇見(jiàn)過(guò)他，在他的冊(cè)子上寫(xiě)下了名字，身上也讓他打了記號(hào)。那個(gè)脾氣挺壞的西賓斯老太太就是一個(gè)。還有，媽媽，那個(gè)老太婆說(shuō)，這個(gè)紅字就是黑男人打在你身上的記號(hào)，夜里在這黑林子里遇見(jiàn)他時(shí)，紅字就會(huì)家紅色火苗一樣閃閃發(fā)光。這是真的嗎，媽媽？你是在夜里去見(jiàn)他的嗎？”