【經(jīng)典名著閱讀】《德伯家的苔絲》第十八章(中)
作者:托馬斯·哈代
2011-11-10 10:00
Considering his position he became wonderfully free from the chronic melancholy which is taking hold of the civilized races with the decline of belief in a beneficent Power. For the first time of late years he could read as his musings inclined him, without any eye to cramming for a profession, since the few farming handbooks which he deemed it desirable to master occupied him but little time.
出乎意料的是,他開始喜愛戶外的生活了,這倒不是由于戶外的生活對自己選擇的職業(yè)有關(guān)系,而是因為戶外生活本身,由于戶外生活給他帶來的東西。從克萊爾的地位來看,他已經(jīng)令人驚奇地擺脫了長期的憂郁,那種憂郁是因為文明的人類對仁慈的神逐漸喪失信心而產(chǎn)生的。近些年來,他能夠第一次按照自己的意思讀他喜愛的書了,而不用考慮為了職業(yè)去死記硬背,因為他認為值得熟讀的幾本農(nóng)業(yè)手冊,根本用不了多少時間。
Unexpectedly he began to like the outdoor life for its own sake, and for what it brought, apart from its bearing on his own proposed career.?He grew away from old associations, and saw something new in life and humanity. Secondarily, he made close acquaintance with phenomena which he had before known but darkly - the seasons in their moods, morning and evening, night and noon, winds in their different tempers, trees, waters and mists, shades and silences, and the voices of inanimate things.
他同過去的聯(lián)系越來越少了,在人生和人類中間發(fā)現(xiàn)了一些新的東西。其次,他對過上只是模模糊糊地知道的外界現(xiàn)象更加熟悉了——如四季的變幻、清晨和傍晚、黑夜和正午、不同脾性的風、樹木、水流、霧氣、幽暗、靜寂,還有許多無生命事物的聲音。
The early mornings were still sufficiently cool to render a fire acceptable in the large room wherein they breakfasted; and, by Mrs Crick's orders, who held that he was too genteel to mess at their table, it was Angel Clare's custom to sit in the yawning chimney-corner during the meal, his cup-and-saucer and plate being placed on a hinged flap at his elbow. The light from the long, wide, mullioned window opposite shone in upon his nook, and, assisted by a secondary light of cold blue quality which shone down the chimney, enabled him to read there easily whenever disposed to do so. Between Clare and the window was the table at which his companions sat, their munching profiles rising sharp against the panes; while to the side was the milk-house door, through which were visible the rectangular leads in rows, full to the brim with the morning's milk. At the further end the great churn could be seen revolving, and its slip-slopping heard - the moving power being discernible through the window in the form of a spiritless horse walking in a circle and driven by a boy.
清早的氣溫仍然涼得很,所以在他們吃早飯的那間大房子里生上了火,大家感到適意;克里克太太認為克萊爾溫文爾雅,不宜于坐在他們的桌子上同大家在一起吃飯,就吩咐讓人把他的盤子和一套杯子和碟子擺在一塊用鉸鏈連起米的擱板上,所以吃飯的時候他總是坐在大張著口的壁爐旁邊。陽光從對面那個又長又寬的直欞窗戶里射進來,照亮了他坐的那個角落,壁爐的煙囪里也有一道冷藍色的光線照進來,每當想要讀書的時候,他就可以在那兒舒舒服服地讀書了。在克萊爾和窗戶中間,有一張他的伙伴們坐著吃飯的桌子,他們咀嚼東西的身影清清楚楚地映在窗戶的玻璃上;房子一邊是奶房的門,從門里面看進去,可以看見一排長方形的鉛桶,里面裝滿了早晨擠出來的牛奶。在更遠的一頭,可以看見攪黃油的奶桶在轉(zhuǎn)動著,也聽得見攪黃油的聲音——從窗戶里看過去,可以看出奶桶是由一匹馬拉著轉(zhuǎn)動的,那是一匹沒精打采的馬,在一個男孩的驅(qū)趕下繞著圈走著。