月亮和六便士 第十五章(6)

 　　You know, I'm not sure that your husband is quite responsible for his actions.  “你知道，我不敢肯定你丈夫的行动是不是要由他自己负责。

　　I do not think he is himself.  我觉得他已经不是他自己了。

　　He seems to me to be possessed¹ by some power which is using him for its own ends, and in whose hold he is as helpless as a fly in a spider's web.  他好像被一种什么力量抓住了，正在被利用来完成这种势力所追逐的目标。他像是被捕捉到蛛网里的一只苍蝇，已经失去挣扎的能力。

　　It's as though someone had cast a spell over him.  他像被符咒逮住了一样。

　　I'm reminded of those strange stories one sometimes hears of another personality entering into a man and driving out the old one.  这使我想起人们常常说的那种奇怪的故事：另一个人的精神走进一个人的躯体里，把他自己的赶了出去。

　　The soul lives unstably² in the body, and is capable of mysterious transformations³.  人的灵魂在躯体内很不稳定，常常会发生神秘的变化。

　　In the old days they would say Charles Strickland had a devil. 如果在过去，人们就会说查理斯·思特里克兰德是魔鬼附体了。

　　Mrs. MacAndrew smoothed down the lap of her gown, and gold bangles fell over her wrists. 麦克安德鲁太太把她衣服的下摆理平，臂上的金钏滑落到手腕上。

　　"All that seems to me very far-fetched, " she said acidly.  “你说的这些话我觉得太离奇了点儿，”她尖酸地说，

　　"I don't deny that perhaps Amy took her husband a little too much for granted.  “我不否认，也许阿美对她丈夫过于放任了。

　　If she hadn't been so busy with her own affairs, I can't believe that she wouldn't have suspected something was the matter.  如果她不是只顾埋头于自己的事，我想她一定会发觉思特里克兰德的行为有些异样的。

　　I don't think that Alec could have something on his mind for a year or more without my having a pretty shrewd idea of it." 如果阿莱克有什么心事，我不相信事过一年多还不被我看得清清楚楚的。”

　　The Colonel stared into vacancy⁴, and I wondered whether anyone could be quite so innocent of guile⁵ as he looked. 上校眼睛茫然望着空中，我很想知道有谁的样子能像他这样胸襟坦荡、心地清白。

　　But that doesn't prevent the fact that Charles Strickland is a heartless beast.  “但这丝毫也改变不了查理斯·思特里克兰德心肠冷酷的事实。”

　　She looked at me severely⁶.  她面孔板得紧紧的，看了我一眼。

　　"I can tell you why he left his wife—from pure selfishness and nothing else whatever." “我可以告诉你为什么他抛弃了自己的妻子——纯粹是出于自私，再也没有其他理由了。”

　　That is certainly the simplest explanation, I said.  “这肯定是最易于为人们接受的解释了，”我说。

　　But I thought it explained nothing.  但是我心里却想：这等于什么也没有解释。

　　When, saying I was tired, I rose to go, Mrs. Strickland made no attempt to detain me. 最后我说身体有些劳累，便起身告辞了。思特里克兰德太太并没有留我多坐一会儿的意思。

1 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

2 unstably   

adj.不稳固的；不坚定的；易变的；反复无常的

参考例句：

• The political situation remains highly unstable. 政局仍然十分动荡。
• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books. 这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 transformations   

n.变化( transformation的名词复数 )；转换；转换；变换

参考例句：

• Energy transformations go on constantly, all about us. 在我们周围，能量始终在不停地转换着。 来自辞典例句
• On the average, such transformations balance out. 平均起来，这种转化可以互相抵消。 来自辞典例句

4 vacancy   

n.（旅馆的）空位，空房，（职务的）空缺

参考例句：

• Her going on maternity leave will create a temporary vacancy.她休产假时将会有一个临时空缺。
• The vacancy of her expression made me doubt if she was listening.她茫然的神情让我怀疑她是否在听。

5 guile   

n.诈术

参考例句：

• He is full of guile.他非常狡诈。
• A swindler uses guile;a robber uses force.骗子用诈术；强盗用武力。

6 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。