牛津书虫系列 弗兰肯斯坦 07

7 怪物的故事

我离开实验室后，便逃到了城外的乡间。不久我便感到又饥又渴;我的第一顿食物是我在河边的树上找到的果子。我喝了河里的水，然后躺倒睡着了。

开始时我的眼睛和耳朵不大灵便，但过了一会儿我就能看清楚、听明白了。

有一天，天下起了雪。当然，我以前从未在雪中走过，我发现它让我的双脚感觉非常冷。我意识到我需要食物和住处取暖。我很快便看到了一个小茅舍，里面有个老人正在火上做早饭。当那个老人看到我时，他大声喊叫了起来并以自己最快的速度跑开了。我不明白这个老人在干什么，但是我想靠近火堆。于是我暖暖和和地坐下并吃了这个人做的早餐。然后我在空旷的田野中走了好几个小时，直到到了一个村庄。我走进了其中的一家房子，可是里面有几个孩子。他们见到我后便尖叫起来，他们的母亲也晕倒了。全村的人都来看发生了什么事情。有些人见到我后便跑开了，但另外一些人则喊叫起来并朝我扔石头。他们想要杀死我。我伤得很重，可还是逃脱了并跑进了旷野之中。

后来，我找到了一个空茅屋。它是靠着一个小屋子的一堵墙而建起来的。在那个村子里发生了那桩事之后，我不敢进屋，因而便藏在茅屋中。我在那儿是安全的，并且可以避寒，还可以逃避那些想要伤害我的人。

接着我发现在茅屋和那房屋之间的墙之间有一个洞。通过这个洞我可以看见茅屋隔壁的房间。有三个人住在那个屋子里——一个漂亮的女孩，一个老人，还有一个年轻人。

我一天天地观察着这三个人。我看到他们之间是多么亲密。我非常想进屋去加入他们的行列，但我清楚我必须呆在茅屋里。我想走进那个屋子时总忘不了村民们是怎么伤害我的。

每天晚上，在屋子里的那三个人睡下之后，我便把他们的食物偷来给自己吃。然而不久我就意识到那个老人是个瞎子。并且我还意识到那三个人常常食不裹腹。我见到那两个年轻人常给那个老盲人的盘子里多放些食物，尽管他们自己在挨饿。

看到这些后，我就不再偷他们的食物了。他们的生活已经够艰苦的了，于是我便重新靠树林里的野果为生。我还尽力想一些其他办法帮助他们。晚上我为他们砍柴火，还暗中把它们添在那个年轻小伙子白天砍的柴火中。我很高兴看到这能如此取悦于那个年轻人。

不久我开始懂得了那些人彼此之间发出的一些声音了。我最初理解的单词是像“火”还有“面包”这样的词。我还了解到那三个人彼此之间称呼的名字。那个女孩叫“阿加莎”，那个小伙子叫“菲力克斯”，而那老人则叫“父亲”。我努力去发他们发出的声音，于是慢慢地开始说话了。

那两个年轻人很漂亮。有一天我从河中看见我自己的脸。那是张可怕的脸。我明白了人们为什么会害怕、为什么会喊叫并扔石头的原因。那时我才知道我不能让这些漂亮的人们看见我，他们会因为我那可怕的脸和身体而惊恐的。

夏天临近了，我在继续观察和学习。我也在继续帮助那两个人和他们的父亲，并且在晚上给他们干很多活儿。他们早上看到我所做的事情后总是感到很惊奇。我听到他们谈论那个做了这些“好”事的“好人”。

可是这家人经常闷闷不乐。我希望我能让他们高兴。我期盼着我能学会说话而同他们交谈的那一时刻。我也很高兴，因为我确信不久我便会有三个好朋友了。

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7 怪物的故事

After I had left the laboratory， I escaped into the country outside the town. I soon felt hungry and thirsty，and my first food was fruit which I found on some trees near a river. I drank from the river and then lay down and went to sleep.

我离开实验室后，便逃到了城外的乡间。不久我便感到又饥又渴;我的第一顿食物是我在河边的树上找到的果子。我喝了河里的水，然后躺倒睡着了。

At first my eyes and ears did not work very well，but after a while I began to see and hear clearly.

开始时我的眼睛和耳朵不大灵便，但过了一会儿我就能看清楚、听明白了。

One day， snow began to fall. Of course， I had never walked in snow before， and I found that it made my feet very cold. I realized that I needed food and a place to get warm.Soon I saw a small hut where an old man was cooking his breakfast over a fire. When the old man saw me， he shouted loudly and ran away as fast as he could. I did not understand what the man was doing， but I wanted to be near the fire. So I sat down in the warm， and ate the man's breakfast. Then I walked across empty fields for some hours until I reached a village. I went into one of the houses， but there were children inside. They began to scream when they saw me， and their mother fainted. The whole village came to see what was the trouble. Some of the people ran away when they saw me， but the others shouted and threw stones at me.They wanted to kill me. I was badly hurt， but I escaped and ran into the open country.

有一天，天下起了雪。当然，我以前从未在雪中走过，我发现它让我的双脚感觉非常冷。我意识到我需要食物和住处取暖。我很快便看到了一个小茅舍，里面有个老人正在火上做早饭。当那个老人看到我时，他大声喊叫了起来并以自己最快的速度跑开了。我不明白这个老人在干什么，但是我想靠近火堆。于是我暖暖和和地坐下并吃了这个人做的早餐。然后我在空旷的田野中走了好几个小时，直到到了一个村庄。我走进了其中的一家房子，可是里面有几个孩子。他们见到我后便尖叫起来，他们的母亲也晕倒了。全村的人都来看发生了什么事情。有些人见到我后便跑开了，但另外一些人则喊叫起来并朝我扔石头。他们想要杀死我。我伤得很重，可还是逃脱了并跑进了旷野之中。

Later， I found an empty hut， which was built against the wall of a small house. I was afraid to go into the house after what had happened in the village， so I hid in the hut. There I was safe， and could escape from the cold， and hide from people who wished to hurt me.

后来，我找到了一个空茅屋。它是靠着一个小屋子的一堵墙而建起来的。在那个村子里发生了那桩事之后，我不敢进屋，因而便藏在茅屋中。我在那儿是安全的，并且可以避寒，还可以逃避那些想要伤害我的人。

And then I found that there was a small hole in the wall between the hut and the house.Through this hole I could see in-to the room next to the hut. Three people lived in the house—a beautiful girl， an old man， and a young man.

接着我发现在茅屋和那房屋之间的墙之间有一个洞。通过这个洞我可以看见茅屋隔壁的房间。有三个人住在那个屋子里——一个漂亮的女孩，一个老人，还有一个年轻人。

Day after day I watched the three people.I saw how kind they were to each other. I wanted so much to go into the house and be with them， but I knew I must stay in the hut. I could not forget how the village people had hurt me when I tried to go into the house there.

我一天天地观察着这三个人。我看到他们之间是多么亲密。我非常想进屋去加入他们的行列，但我清楚我必须呆在茅屋里。我想走进那个屋子时总忘不了村民们是怎么伤害我的。

Each night， after the people in the house had gone to bed，I stole some of their food for myself. But soon I realized that the old man was blind. And I realized too that often the three of them did not have enough to eat.I saw the two young people put extra food on the blind man's plate， although they were hungry themselves.

每天晚上，在屋子里的那三个人睡下之后，我便把他们的食物偷来给自己吃。然而不久我就意识到那个老人是个瞎子。并且我还意识到那三个人常常食不裹腹。我见到那两个年轻人常给那个老盲人的盘子里多放些食物，尽管他们自己在挨饿。

When I saw that，I stopped stealing their food.Their life was already hard enough， so I went back to the wild fruit in the woods. I tried to help them in other ways， too.During the night I cut firewood for them， and added it secretly to the wood which the young man had cut during the day. I was very happy to see how much this pleased the young man.

看到这些后，我就不再偷他们的食物了。他们的生活已经够艰苦的了，于是我便重新靠树林里的野果为生。我还尽力想一些其他办法帮助他们。晚上我为他们砍柴火，还暗中把它们添在那个年轻小伙子白天砍的柴火中。我很高兴看到这能如此取悦于那个年轻人。

After a while I began to understand some of the noises that the people made to each other. The first words that I under-stood were words like ‘fire’， and‘bread’. I also learnt that the three people called each other by names. The girl was Agatha， the young man was Felix， and the old man was called Father. I tried to make the noises that they made， and slowly I began to speak.

不久我开始懂得了那些人彼此之间发出的一些声音了。我最初理解的单词是像“火”还有“面包”这样的词。我还了解到那三个人彼此之间称呼的名字。那个女孩叫“阿加莎”，那个小伙子叫“菲力克斯”，而那老人则叫“父亲”。我努力去发他们发出的声音，于是慢慢地开始说话了。

The two young people were very beautiful. One day I saw my own face in the water of the river. It was a terrible face.I understood why people were frightened， why they shouted and threw stones. I knew then that I could not let these beautiful people see me. They would be frightened by my horrible face and body.

那两个年轻人很漂亮。有一天我从河中看见我自己的脸。那是张可怕的脸。我明白了人们为什么会害怕、为什么会喊叫并扔石头的原因。那时我才知道我不能让这些漂亮的人们看见我，他们会因为我那可怕的脸和身体而惊恐的。

Summer was coming， and I continued to watch and learn. I also continued to help the two people and their father， and did many jobs for them in the night. They were always surprised in the morning when they saw what I had done. I heard them talk about the ‘good creature’ who did these‘wonderful’things.

夏天临近了，我在继续观察和学习。我也在继续帮助那两个人和他们的父亲，并且在晚上给他们干很多活儿。他们早上看到我所做的事情后总是感到很惊奇。我听到他们谈论那个做了这些“好”事的“好人”。

But the family were often sad， and I wished I could make them happy.I looked forward to the time when I could speak well enough to talk to them. And I was happy because I was sure I would soon have three good friends.

可是这家人经常闷闷不乐。我希望我能让他们高兴。我期盼着我能学会说话而同他们交谈的那一时刻。我也很高兴，因为我确信不久我便会有三个好朋友了。