目 录 上一节 下一节 
到了那里，我不得不坐到树篱下歇口气。正坐着，我听见了车轮声，看到一辆公共 马车向我驶来。我站起来招了招手，它停了下来。我问车子开往哪里，赶车人说了一个 离这儿很远的地名，我确信罗切斯特先生跟那里没有联系。我问出多少钱才肯把我送往 那里，他说三十先令。我回答只有二十，好吧，他说勉强算数了。因为车是空的，他又 允许我坐在里边。我走进去，关上门，车子便滚滚向前了。 
好心的读者呀，但愿你从来没有感受到过我当时的心情！但愿你两眼从没像我那样泪如雨下，淌了那么多灼热揪心的眼泪。愿你从来不必像我当时那么倾吐绝望而痛苦的祈祷，向上天求助。愿你永远不必像我这样担心会给你全身心爱着的人带来灾祸。 Two days are passed. It is a summer evening; the coachman has setme down at a place called Whitcross; he could take me no farther forthe sum I had given, and I was not possessed of another shilling inthe world. The coach is a mile off by this time; I am alone. Atthis moment I discover that I forgot to take my parcel out of thepocket of the coach, where I had placed it for safety; there itremains, there it must remain; and now, I am absolutely destitute. 两天过去了。夏天的一个傍晚，马车夫让我在一个叫作惠特克劳斯的地方下了车，凭我给的那点钱他已无法再把我往前拉，而在这个世上，我连一个先令也拿不出来了。此刻，马车已驶出一英里，撇下我孤单一人。这时我才发现忘了从马车贮物箱里把包裹拿出来了，我把它放在那儿原本是为了安全，不想就那么留下了，准是留在那儿，而我已经莫名一文了。 Whitcross is no town, nor even a hamlet; it is but a stone pillarset up where four roads meet: whitewashed, I suppose, to be moreobvious at a distance and in darkness. Four arms spring from itssummit: the nearest town to which these point is, according to theinscription, distant ten miles; the farthest, above twenty. Fromthe well-known names of these towns I learn in what county I havelighted; a north-midland shire, dusk with moorland, ridged withmountain: this I see. There are great moors behind and on eachhand of me; there are waves of mountains far beyond that deep valleyat my feet. The population here must be thin, and I see nopassengers on these roads: they stretch out east, west, north, andsouth--white, broad, lonely; they are all cut in the moor, and theheather grows deep and wild to their very verge. Yet a chancetraveller might pass by; and I wish no eye to see me now: strangerswould wonder what I am doing, lingering here at the sign-post,evidently objectless and lost. I might be questioned: I could giveno answer but what would sound incredible and excite suspicion. Nota tie holds me to human society at this moment--not a charm or hopecalls me where my fellow-creatures are--none that saw me would havea kind thought or a good wish for me. I have no relative but theuniversal mother, Nature: I will seek her breast and ask repose. 惠特克劳斯不是一个镇，连乡村也不是。它不过是一根石柱，竖在四条路汇合的地方：粉刷得很白，想必是为了在远处和黑夜显得更醒目。柱顶上伸出四个指路标，按上面的标识看，这个交汇点距最近的城镇十英里，离最远的超过二十英里。从这些熟悉的镇名来判断，我明白我在什么郡下了车。这是中部偏北的一个郡，看得出来荒野幽暗，山峦层叠。我身后和左右是大荒原，我脚下深谷的远处，是一片起伏的山林。这里人口必定稀少，因为路上不见行人。一条条道路伸向东南西北--灰白、宽敞、孤零，全都穿过荒原，路边长着茂密的欧石南。但偶尔也有路人经过，现在我却不希望有人看见我那么在路标下徘徊，显得毫无目的，不知所措，陌生人会不知道我在干什么。我也许会受到盘问，除了说些听来不可信和令人生疑的话之外，会无言以对。这一时刻我与人类社会完全失去了联系--没有一丝魅力或是希望把我召唤到我的同类那里，--没有谁见到我会对我表示一丝善意或良好的祝愿。我没有亲人，只有万物之母大自然。我会投向她的怀抱，寻求安息。 I struck straight into the heath; I held on to a hollow I saw deeplyfurrowing the brown moorside; I waded knee-deep in its dark growth;I turned with its turnings, and finding a moss-blackened granitecrag in a hidden angle, I sat down under it. High banks of moorwere about me; the crag protected my head: the sky was over that. 我径直走进欧石南丛，看见棕色的荒原边上有一条深陷的沟壑，便一直沿着它往前走去，穿行在没膝的青色树丛中，顺着一个个弯道拐了弯，在一个隐蔽的角落找到了一块布满青苔的花岗岩，在底下坐了下来。我周围是荒原高高的边沿，头上有岩石保护着，岩石上面是天空。 Some time passed before I felt tranquil even here: I had a vaguedread that wild cattle might be near, or that some sportsman orpoacher might discover me. If a gust of wind swept the waste, Ilooked up, fearing it was the rush of a bull; if a plover whistled,I imagined it a man. Finding my apprehensions unfounded, however,and calmed by the deep silence that reigned as evening declined atnightfall, I took confidence. As yet I had not thought; I had onlylistened, watched, dreaded; now I regained the faculty ofreflection. 即使在这儿，我也过了好一会才感到宁静。我隐约担心附近会有野兽。或者某个狩猎人或偷猎者会发现我。要是一阵风刮起了荒草，我就会抬起头来，深怕是一头野牛冲将过来了。要是一只行鸟叫了一下，我会想象是一个人的声音。然而我发现自己的担忧不过是捕风捉影，此外黄昏过后夜幕降临时深沉的寂静，使我镇定了下来，我便有了信心。但在这之前我没有思考过，只不过细听着，担心着，观察着。而现在我又恢复了思索的能力。 
我该怎么办？往哪儿去？呵，当我无法可想，无处可去的时候，那些问题多么难以忍受呀！我得用疲乏颤抖的双腿走完很长的路，才能抵达有人烟的地方--我要恳求发点冷冷的慈悲，才能找到一个投宿之处；我要强求勉为其难的同情，而且多半还会遭人嫌弃，才能使人听听我的经历，满足我的需要。 I touched the heath, it was dry, and yet warm with the beat of thesummer day. I looked at the sky; it was pure: a kindly startwinkled just above the chasm ridge. The dew fell, but withpropitious softness; no breeze whispered. Nature seemed to mebenign and good; I thought she loved me, outcast as I was; and I,who from man could anticipate only mistrust, rejection, insult,clung to her with filial fondness. To-night, at least, I would beher guest, as I was her child: my mother would lodge me withoutmoney and without price. I had one morsel of bread yet: theremnant of a roll I had bought in a town we passed through at noonwith a stray penny--my last coin. I saw ripe bilberries gleaminghere and there, like jet beads in the heath: I gathered a handfuland ate them with the bread. My hunger, sharp before, was, if notsatisfied, appeased by this hermit's meal. I said my eveningprayers at its conclusion, and then chose my couch. 我碰了碰欧石南，只觉得它很干燥，还带着夏日热力的微温。我看了看天空，只见它清明纯净，一颗星星在山凹上空和蔼地眨眼。露水降下来了，带着慈爱的温柔。没有微风在低语。大自然似乎对我很慈祥，虽然我成了流浪者，但我想她很爱我。我从人那儿只能期待怀疑、嫌弃和侮辱，我要忠心耿耿一往情深地依恋大自然。至少今晚我可以在那儿作客了--因为我是她的孩子，我的母亲会收留我，不要钱，不要付出代价。我还有一口吃剩的面包，那面包是我用一便士零钱--我最后的一枚硬币，从下午路过的小镇买来的。我看到了成熟的越桔--像欧石南丛中的煤玉那样，随处闪着光。我采集了一大把，和着面包吃。我刚才还饥肠辘辘，隐士的食品虽然吃不饱，却足以充饥了。吃完饭我做了夜祷告，随后便择榻就寝了。 Beside the crag the heath was very deep: when I lay down my feetwere buried in it; rising high on each side, it left only a narrowspace for the night-air to invade. I folded my shawl double, andspread it over me for a coverlet; a low, mossy swell was my pillow.Thus lodged, I was not, at least--at the commencement of the night,cold. 岩石旁边，欧石南长得很高。我一躺下，双脚便陷了进去，两边的石楠高高坚起，只留下很窄的一块地方要受夜气侵袭。我把披肩一摺为二，铺在身上作盖被，一个长满青苔的低矮小墩当了枕头。我就这么住下了，至少在夜刚来临时，是觉得冷的。 My rest might have been blissful enough, only a sad heart broke it.It plained of its gaping wounds, its inward bleeding, its rivenchords. It trembled for Mr. Rochester and his doom; it bemoaned himwith bitter pity; it demanded him with ceaseless longing; and,impotent as a bird with both wings broken, it still quivered itsshattered pinions in vain attempts to seek him. 我的安息本来也许是够幸福的，可惜让一颗悲伤的心破坏了，它泣诉着自己张开的伤口、流血的心扉、折断的心弦。它为罗切斯特先生和他的灭亡而颤抖，因为痛惜而为他恸哭。它带着无休止的渴望召唤他，尽管它像断了双翅的小鸟那样无能为力，却仍旧抖动着断翅，徒劳地找寻着他。 Worn out with this torture of thought, I rose to my knees. Nightwas come, and her planets were risen: a safe, still night: tooserene for the companionship of fear. We know that God iseverywhere; but certainly we feel His presence most when His worksare on the grandest scale spread before us; and it is in theunclouded night-sky, where His worlds wheel their silent course,that we read clearest His infinitude, His omnipotence, Hisomnipresence. I had risen to my knees to pray for Mr. Rochester.Looking up, I, with tear-dimmed eyes, saw the mighty Milky-way.Remembering what it was--what countless systems there swept spacelike a soft trace of light--I felt the might and strength of God.Sure was I of His efficiency to save what He had made: convinced Igrew that neither earth should perish, nor one of the souls ittreasured. I turned my prayer to thanksgiving: the Source of Lifewas also the Saviour of spirits. Mr. Rochester was safe; he wasGod's, and by God would he be guarded. I again nestled to thebreast of the hill; and ere long in sleep forgot sorrow. 我被这种念头折磨得疲乏不堪，于是便起来跪着。夜已来临，星星已经升起，这是一个平安宁静的夜，平静得与恐怖无缘。我们知道上帝无处不在，但当他的劳作壮丽地展现在我们面前时，我们才最感觉到他的存在。在万里无云的夜空中，在他的宇宙无声地滚滚向前的地方，我们清楚地看到了他的无边无涯，他的万能，他无处不在。我已起来跪着为罗切斯特先生祈祷。抬起头来，我泪眼朦胧地看到了浩瀚的银河。一想起银河是什么--那里有无数的星系像一道微光那么扫过太空--我便感到了上帝的巨大力量。我确信他有能力拯救他的创造物，更相信无论是地球，还是它所珍爱的一个灵魂，都不会毁灭。我把祈祷的内容改为感恩。生命的源泉也是灵魂的救星。罗切斯特先生会安然无恙。他属于上帝，上帝会保护他。我再次投入小山的怀抱，不久，在沉睡中便忘掉了忧愁。 
但第二天，苍白赤裸的匮乏，幽灵似地来到我身边。小鸟早已离开他们的巢穴，早露未干蜜蜂便早已在一天的黄金时刻飞到欧石南丛中采蜜，早晨长长的影子缩短了，太阳普照大地和天空--我才起身，朝四周看了看。 What a still, hot, perfect day! What a golden desert this spreadingmoor! Everywhere sunshine. I wished I could live in it and on it.I saw a lizard run over the crag; I saw a bee busy among the sweetbilberries. I would fain at the moment have become bee or lizard,that I might have found fitting nutriment, permanent shelter here.But I was a human being, and had a human being's wants: I must notlinger where there was nothing to supply them. I rose; I lookedback at the bed I had left. Hopeless of the future, I wished butthis--that my Maker had that night thought good to require my soulof me while I slept; and that this weary frame, absolved by deathfrom further conflict with fate, had now but to decay quietly, andmingle in peace with the soil of this wilderness. Life, however,was yet in my possession, with all its requirements, and pains, andresponsibilities. The burden must be carried; the want providedfor; the suffering endured; the responsibility fulfilled. I setout. 一个多么宁静、炎热的好天！一望无际的荒原多像一片金灿灿的沙漠！处处都是阳光。我真希望自己能住在这里，并以此为生。我看见一条蜥蜴爬过岩石，一只蜜蜂在甜蜜的越桔中间忙碌。此刻我愿做蜜蜂或蜥蜴，能在这里找到合适的养料和永久的住处。但我是人，有着人的需求。我可不能逗留在一个无法满足这种需求的地方，我站了起来，回头看了一眼我留下的床铺。我感到前途无望，但愿造物主认为有必要在夜里我熟睡时把我的灵魂要去；但愿我这疲乏的身躯能因为死亡而摆脱同命运的进一步搏斗；但愿它此刻无声无息地腐败，平静地同这荒原的泥土融为一体。然而，我还有生命，还有生命的一切需要、痛苦和责任。包袱还得背着；需要还得满足；痛苦还得忍受；责任还是要尽。于是我出发了。
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