The child turned her eyes to the point indicated; and there lay the scarlet letter, so close upon the margin of the stream, that the gold embroidery was reflected in it.
那孩子的目光轉(zhuǎn)向指給她看的地方；紅字就躺在那里，緊靠著岸邊，金絲刺繡還在溪中反著光。

"Bring it hither!" said Hester.
“把它揀回來！”海絲特說。

"Come thou and take it up!" answered Pearl.
“你過來拾吧！”珠兒回答道。

"Was ever such a child!" observed Hester, aside to the minister. "Oh, I have much to tell thee about her! But, in very truth, she is right as regards this hateful token. I must bear its torture yet a little longer- only a few days longer- until we shall have left this region, and look back hither as to a land which we have dreamed of. The forest cannot hide it! The mid-ocean shall take it from my hand, and swallow it up for ever!"
“哪有這樣的孩子！”海絲特回頭對牧師評論著。“噢，我有好多她的事要告訴你呢！不過，的的確確，她對這可恨的標(biāo)記的看法是沒錯的。我還得再忍受一下這折磨人的玩藝兒，——也就是幾天吧，——到那時我們就已經(jīng)離開這塊地方，再回頭看看，就只是一塊我們曾經(jīng)夢想過的土地了。這片森林還藏不住它！但汪洋大?？梢詮奈沂掷锇阉∽?，并且永遠(yuǎn)把它吞沒！”

With these words, she advanced to the margin of the brook, took up the scarlet letter, and fastened it again into her bosom. Hopefully, but a moment ago, as Hester had spoken of drowning it in the deep sea, there was a sense of inevitable doom upon her, as she thus received back this deadly symbol from the hand of fate. She had flung it into infinite space!- she had drawn an hour's free breath!- and here again was the scarlet misery, glittering on the old spot! So it ever is, whether thus typified or no, that an evil deed invests itself with the character of doom. Hester next gathered up the heavy tresses of her hair, and confined them beneath her cap. As if there were a withering spell in the sad letter, her beauty, the warmth and richness of her womanhood, departed, like fading sunshine; and a grey shadow seemed to fall across her.
她一邊這樣說著，一邊走到小溪邊上，把紅字揀起來，重新釘?shù)叫厍啊H僅片刻之前，海絲特還滿懷希望地談到要把紅字沉進(jìn)深深的海底，但當(dāng)她從命運(yùn)之神的手中重新接過這死一般的象征時，就感到一種難以避免的陰沉籠罩著她。她已經(jīng)把它拋進(jìn)了無限的空間！——她曾經(jīng)吸進(jìn)了一小時的自由空氣！——可現(xiàn)在那紅色的悲慘又重新在老地方閃閃發(fā)光了！事情從來如此，一種邪惡的行為不管有否這種表征，從來都帶有這種厄運(yùn)的品性。接著，海絲特挽起她濃密的發(fā)綹，用帽子罩了起來。似乎在這令人哀傷的字母中有一種枯萎的符咒，她的美麗，她那女性的豐滿和溫暖，都象落日般地離去了；一抹灰蒙蒙的陰影似是落在了她身上。

When the dreary change was wrought, she extended her hand to Pearl.
這一陰郁的變化完成之后，她向珠兒伸出了手。

"Dost thou know thy mother now, child?" asked she reproachfully, but with a subdued tone. "Wilt thou come across the brook, and own thy mother, now that she has her shame upon her- now that she is sad?"
“現(xiàn)在你認(rèn)識你媽媽了吧，孩子？”她壓著聲音責(zé)問說。“現(xiàn)在你媽媽又戴上了她的恥辱，——她又悲傷了，你愿意走過河來，認(rèn)她了吧？”

"Yes; now I will!" answered the child, bounding across the brook, and clasping Hester in her arms. "Now thou art my mother indeed! And I am thy little Pearl!"In a mood of tenderness that was not usual with her, she drew down her mother's head, and kissed her brow and both her cheeks. But then- by a kind of necessity that always impelled this child to alloy whatever comfort she might chance to give with a throb of anguish- Pearl put up her mouth, and kissed the scarlet letter too!
“是?。滑F(xiàn)在我愿意過去了！”孩子回答著，跳過小溪，抱住了海絲特。“現(xiàn)在你才真是我媽媽了！而我也是你的小珠兒了！”珠兒以一種她不常有的溫柔勁，往下拽著她母親的頭，親了她母親的額頭和雙頰?？墒?，似乎有一種必要推動著這孩子，在她偶然給人的某種安慰中溶進(jìn)一陣極度的苦惱，接著，珠兒抬起她的嘴唇，也把那紅字親吻了一下。