《简·爱》 Chapter 14 第十四章（8）

搜索

复制

Well then, on that mercenary ground, will you agree to let me hector a little?

好吧，那么出于雇佣观点，你肯让我耍点儿威风吗？

No, sir, not on that ground, but, on the ground that you did forget it,

不，先生，不是出于那个理由。但出于你忘掉了雇佣观点，

and that you care whether or not a dependent is comfortable in his dependency, I agree heartily¹.

却关心你的下属处于从属地位心情是否愉快，我是完全肯的。

And will you consent to dispense² with a great many conventional forms and phrases,

你会同意我省去很多陈规旧矩，

without thinking that the omission³ arises from insolence⁴?

而不认为这出自于蛮横吗？

I am sure, sir, I should never mistake informality for insolence.

我肯定同意，先生。我决不会把不拘礼节错当蛮横无理。

One I rather like, the other nothing free-born would submit to, even for a salary.

一个是我比较喜欢的，而另一个是任何一位自由人都不会屈从的，即使是为了赚取薪金。

Humbug⁵! Most things free-born will submit to anything for a salary.

胡扯！为了薪金，大多数自由人对什么都会屈服。

Therefore, keep to yourself, and don't venture on generalities of which you are intensely ignorant.

因此，只说你自己吧，不要妄谈普遍现象，你对此一无所知。

However, I mentally shake hands with you for your answer, despite its inaccuracy.

尽管你的回答并不确切，但因为它，我在心里同你握手言好。

And as much for the manner in which it was said, as for the substance of the speech;

同样还因为你回答的内容和回答的态度。

The manner was frank and sincere.

这种态度坦率诚恳。

One does not often see such a manner.

并不常见。

No, on the contrary, affectation, or coldness,

不，恰恰相反，矫揉造作或者冷漠无情，

or stupid, coarse-minded misapprehension of one's meaning are the usual rewards of candour.

或者对你的意思愚蠢而粗俗地加以误解，常常是坦率正直所得到的报答。

Not three in three thousand raw school-girl-governesses would have answered me as you have just done.

三千个初出校门的女学生式家庭教师中，像你刚才那么回答我的不到三个。

But I don't mean to flatter you.

不过我无意恭维你。

If you are cast in a different mould to the majority, it is no merit of yours. Nature did it.

要说你是从跟大多数人不同的模子里浇制出来的，这不是你的功劳，而是造化的圣绩。

And then, after all, I go too fast in my conclusions.

再说我的结论毕竟下得过于匆忙。

For what I yet know, you may be no better than the rest.

就我所知，你也未必胜过其他人。

You may have intolerable defects to counterbalance your few good points.

也许有难以容忍的缺点，抵销你不多的长处。

“And so may you,” I thought.

“可能你也一样，”我想，

My eye met his as the idea crossed my mind.

这想法掠过脑际时，他的目光与我的相遇了。

He seemed to read the glance, answering as if its import had been spoken as well as imagined.

他似乎已揣度出我眼神的含意，便作了回答，仿佛那含意不仅存在于想象之中，而且己经说出口了。

"Yes, yes, you are right, "said he; “I have plenty of faults of my own.

“对，对，你说得对，”他说，“我自己也有很多过失。

I know it, and I don't wish to palliate them, I assure you.

我知道。我向你担保，我不想掩饰。

God wot I need not be too severe about others.

上帝知道，我不必对别人太苛刻。

I have a past existence, a series of deeds, a colour of life to contemplate⁶ within my own breast,

我要反省往昔的经历、一连串行为和一种生活方式，

which might well call my sneers⁷ and censures⁸ from my neighbours to myself.

因此会招来邻居的讥讽和责备。

1 heartily   

adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很

参考例句：

• He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse.他痛快地吃了一顿，就出去找他的马。
• The host seized my hand and shook it heartily.主人抓住我的手，热情地和我握手。

2 dispense   

vt.分配，分发；配(药)，发(药)；实施

参考例句：

• Let us dispense the food.咱们来分发这食物。
• The charity has been given a large sum of money to dispense as it sees fit.这个慈善机构获得一大笔钱，可自行适当分配。

3 omission   

n.省略，删节；遗漏或省略的事物，冗长

参考例句：

• The omission of the girls was unfair.把女孩排除在外是不公平的。
• The omission of this chapter from the third edition was a gross oversight.第三版漏印这一章是个大疏忽。

4 insolence   

n.傲慢；无礼；厚颜；傲慢的态度

参考例句：

• I've had enough of your insolence, and I'm having no more. 我受够了你的侮辱，不能再容忍了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• How can you suffer such insolence? 你怎么能容忍这种蛮横的态度？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 humbug   

n.花招，谎话，欺骗

参考例句：

• I know my words can seem to him nothing but utter humbug.我知道，我说的话在他看来不过是彻头彻尾的慌言。
• All their fine words are nothing but humbug.他们的一切花言巧语都是骗人的。

6 contemplate   

vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视

参考例句：

• The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate.战争的可能性太可怕了，真不堪细想。
• The consequences would be too ghastly to contemplate.后果不堪设想。

7 sneers   

讥笑的表情（言语）( sneer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You should ignore their sneers at your efforts. 他们对你的努力所作的讥笑你不要去理会。
• I felt that every woman here sneers at me. 我感到这里的每一个女人都在嘲笑我。

8 censures   

v.指责，非难，谴责( censure的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• With such censures I cannot profess that I completely agree. 对于这些指责，我不能说我完全同意。 来自辞典例句
• This is a review containing unfair censures of a new book. 这是对一本新书进行非难的文章。 来自互联网