"What is it that haunts and tempts me thus?" cried the minister to himself, at length, pausing in the street, and striking his hand against his forehead. "Am I mad? or am I given over utterly to the fiend? Did I make a contract with him in the forest, and sign it with my blood? And does he now summon me to its fulfilment, by suggesting the performance of every wickedness which his most foul imagination can conceive?"
“到底有什么東西如此糾纏和誘惑我??？”最后，牧師停在街心，用手拍著前額，對(duì)自己這樣喊著?！拔沂遣皇钳偭?？還是我讓魔鬼完全控制了？我剛才在樹林里是不是和魔鬼訂了契約，并且用我的血簽了字？現(xiàn)在他是不是傳喚我按照他那最惡毒的想象力所設(shè)想出來的每一個(gè)惡行去履行契約呢？”

At the moment when the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale thus communed with himself, and struck his forehead with his hand, old Mistress Hibbins, the reputed witch-lady, is said to have been passing by. She made a very grand appearance; having on a high head-dress, a rich gown of velvet, and a ruff done up with the famous yellow starch, of which Ann Turner, her especial friend, had taught her the secret, before this last good lady had been hanged for Sir Thomas Overbury's murder. Whether the witch had read the minister's thoughts, or no, she came to a full stop, looked shrewdly into his face, smiled craftily, and- though little given to converse with clergymen- began a conversation.
就在丁梅斯代爾牧師先生這樣一邊自言自語，一邊用手拍著前額的時(shí)候，據(jù)說那有名的妖婆西賓斯老太太正好走過。她神氣十足地頭戴高帽，身穿富麗的絲絨長袍，頸上圍著用著名的黃漿漿得筆挺的皺領(lǐng)，那種黃漿是按她的摯友安·特納因謀殺托馬斯·奧紹白利爵士而被絞之前教給她的秘方配制的。不管那妖婆是否看出了牧師的想法，反正她一下子停住了腳步，機(jī)靈地盯著他的面孔，狡詰地微笑著，并且開始同她從不打交道的牧師攀談了起來。

"So, reverend sir, you have made a visit into the forest," observed the witch-lady, nodding her high head-dress at him. "The next time, I pray you to allow me only a fair warning, and I shall be proud to bear you company. Without taking overmuch upon myself, my good word will go far towards gaining any strange gentleman a fair reception from yonder potentate you wot of!"
“可敬的牧師先生，原來你去拜訪了樹林，”妖婆對(duì)他點(diǎn)點(diǎn)戴著高帽的頭，開口說。“下一次，請你務(wù)必跟我打個(gè)招呼，我將十分自豪地陪你前往。不是我自吹，只消我說上一句好話，你知道的那位有權(quán)勢的人，準(zhǔn)會(huì)熱情接待任何生客的！”

"I profess, madam," answered the clergyman, with a grave obeisance, such as the lady's rank demanded, and his own good-breeding made imperative- "I profess, on my conscience and character, that I am utterly bewildered as touching the purport of your words! I went not into the forest to seek a potentate; neither do I, at any future time, design a visit thither, with a view to gaining the favour of such personage. My one sufficient object was to greet that pious friend of mine, the Apostle Eliot, and rejoice with him over the many precious souls he hath won from heathendom!"
“老實(shí)講，夫人，”牧師回答說，還鄭重其事地鞠了一躬——這是那位夫人的地位所要求的，也是他的良好教養(yǎng)所必需的，“老實(shí)講，以我的良心和人格擔(dān)保，我對(duì)您這番話的含義實(shí)在莫名其妙！我到樹林里去，絕不是去找什么有權(quán)勢的人，而且在將來的任何時(shí)刻，我也沒有去那兒拜訪、謀求這樣一個(gè)人歡心的意圖。我唯一的目的是去問候我的一位虔誠的朋友，艾略特使徒，并和他一起歡慶他從邪教中爭取過來的眾多可貴的靈魂！”