书虫四级《红字》：5.绞刑台上的一晚
5．A night on the scaffold
5．绞刑台上的一晚
After this discovery, Roger Chillingworth's plan slowly changed. Although he appeared calm and gentle, without passion, there was inside him a deep, slow-burning cruelty, an evil wish to bring a terrible revenge on his enemy. The priest's guilty sadness was a weapon in his merciless hands. Every day he played, like a cat with a mouse, with the fear and the shame lying hidden in the young man's soul.
自从这个发现之后，罗杰·奇林沃思的计划开始慢慢改变。他虽然表面上平静、温和、不露声色，然而心中却深深埋藏着深重的恶意，准备向敌人发起无情的复仇。牧师那带有罪恶感的悲痛在他残忍的手中成为一件武器。他每天就像猫捉老鼠一样，玩弄着深藏在那个青年灵魂深处的恐惧和羞耻。
But on the outside he was still a friend, kindly and smiling. Arthur Dimmesdale could feel something evil watching him, but he did not know what it was. He looked with doubt and fear—at times even with hate—at the figure of the old doctor; then he would punish himself for these unkind thoughts, blaming them on the guilt and shame eating away at his heart.
但表面看来他依旧是牧师的朋友，总是和和气气地微笑着。阿瑟·丁梅斯代尔可以感觉到有一种邪恶的东西在窥视他，但是又不明所以。他带着疑惑与恐惧——有时甚至是憎恨——盯着老医生的身影；但紧接着他又会为这种不友善的想法而惩罚自己，认为这是侵蚀自己内心的负罪感和羞耻在作祟。
And all this black trouble in his soul had made him more famous and popular as a priest than ever. To the people in his church, he seemed very close to God, a man full of gentleness and understanding of the pain and suffering of others.
这些阴暗的念头困扰着他的灵魂，反而使他成了一位比以往更出名、更受欢迎的牧师。对于他的教众来说，他几近乎上帝；他和善温顺、对他人的痛苦和不幸充满了理解。
More than once, Mr Dimmesdale prepared himself to speak to his people about the black secret of his soul. More than once he stood in front of them in church, took a deep breath, and told them... what? He told them he was the worst of sinners, hateful, dishonest, unclean, an evil thing in the sight of God. But did they understand? No! They listened, and then told each other how lucky they were to have a man like this for their priest. Only a strong and godly man, they said, could speak so openly about his weaknesses.
不止一次，丁梅斯代尔先生准备向他的教众倾吐灵魂深处那阴暗的秘密。在教堂中，他不止一次站在他们面前，深吸一口气，告诉他们……告诉他们什么呢？说他是个罪孽无比深重的人，可恶、虚伪、不洁净，是上帝眼中邪恶的化身。但是他们明白他的意思了吗？没有！他们听完后只是互相议论，说有这样一个牧师是多么幸运的事。他们说，只有一个坚定和虔诚的人才会这样坦诚地谈论自身的软弱。
Arthur Dimmesdale could find no peace in his heart. He could not sleep at night, but would sit staring at his face in a mirror, hour after hour. Often, as he looked, his own face would be replaced by the accusing faces of others—dead friends from long ago, his white-bearded father, his mother. And worst of all, Hester Prynne, walking with little Pearl and pointing her finger first at the scarlet letter on her bosom, and then at the priest's own chest.
阿瑟·丁梅斯代尔无法求得内心的平静。他晚上无法入睡，只能长时间地坐在镜子前盯着自己的脸。他常常看着看着就发现自己的脸变成了一些责备的面孔——那是很久以前逝去的朋友们，他那须发花白的父亲，还有他的母亲。最折磨人的是，还有赫斯特·普林，她带着珍珠走来，先用手指指着胸口的红字，然后又指指牧师的胸口。
One sleepless summer night, seven years from the time when Hester stood in public shame on the scaffold, the priest sat up suddenly in his chair. An idea had come to him.
在一个难以入睡的夏日夜晚，此时距赫斯特站在绞刑台上当众受辱已经七年了，牧师从椅子上突然坐直。一个新的念头在他心中油然而生。
There might be a moment's peace in it,' he said to himself, and softly went down the stairs and out into the night.
“这样也许会获得片刻宁静。”他对自己说，然后蹑手蹑脚地走下楼梯，走进夜色中。
He walked silently through the dark streets to the place of Hester Prynne's first hours of public shame—the scaffold. The priest went up the steps to the platform.
他悄无声息地穿过漆黑的街道，来到当初赫斯特·普林最早公开受辱的地点——绞刑台。牧师沿着台阶走上平台。
It was midnight, and the town was asleep. Clouds covered the sky, and Mr Dimmesdale could stand there until morning without fear of discovery. Why, then, was he here? What had made him come? Guilt? Shame? He did not know. But a feeling of great horror went through his whole body, and he cried out a terrible scream, which echoed through the night, from one house to another and to the hills beyond the town.
此时正当午夜，整个城镇都在睡梦之中。阴云笼罩着夜空，丁梅斯代尔在那儿站到早上都不用担心被人发觉。可他为什么会在这儿呢？是什么驱使他来的呢？是负疚感，还是羞耻心？他不知道。但是一种巨大的恐惧贯穿了他的整个身体，他发出了一声恐怖的喊叫，这喊叫在黑夜中回荡，从一户人家传到另一户人家，一直传到小镇远处的丛山之中。
It is done!' whispered the priest, covering his face with his hands. 'The whole town will wake up and find me here.'
“这下完了！”牧师用双手遮住脸，喃喃自语道，“全镇的人都会惊醒，发现我在这儿。”
But the people of the town did not wake up, or if they did, they imagined the cry was something which came from their dreams. When he heard no sounds of feet hurrying towards him, the young priest uncovered his eyes and looked around. At a window in Governor Bellingham's house, which was not far away, he saw the Governor himself, in his white nightshirt, with a light in his hand.
但是镇上的人并没有惊醒，就算醒了，也会误以为这喊叫是梦中发生的事情。年轻的牧师没有听见任何匆匆赶来的脚步声，便不再捂着眼，开始四下张望。不远处是贝林厄姆总督的宅邸，他看到穿着白色睡衣的总督从窗口探出头来，手中拿着一盏灯。
He looks like a ghost,' thought Mr Dimmesdale. And after a moment, the light disappeared from the window.
“他看起来像鬼魂一样。”丁梅斯代尔先生想。过了一会儿，那盏灯从窗口消失了。
The priest became calmer. Then he noticed another light, coming towards him along the street. As it came nearer, he saw that the person carrying it was the old priest, Mr Wilson.
牧师渐渐平静下来。接着，他注意到又有一点灯光正沿街逐渐向他靠近。灯光越来越近，他看到举着灯的正是老牧师威尔逊先生。
He has been praying at the bedside of some dying man,' thought Mr Dimmesdale.
“他一定是刚从某个垂死的人的床边祈祷归来。”丁梅斯代尔先生想。
And so he had. The old priest was now on his way home from the death-bed of Mr Winthrop, who had just died.
事实果然如此。温斯罗普先生刚刚去世，老牧师正在回家的路上。
As Mr Wilson passed by the scaffold, Mr Dimmesdale found it difficult not to speak...
当威尔逊先生走过绞刑台时，丁梅斯代尔先生忍不住要脱口而出……
Good evening to you, Father! Please come up and spend a pleasant hour with me!'
“晚上好，神父！请你上来陪我好好待上一小时吧！”
Good heavens! Had Mr Dimmesdale actually spoken? For one moment he believed that these words had passed his lips, but he had only imagined them. Mr Wilson walked on, looking ahead, not once turning towards the platform.
天啊！丁梅斯代尔先生当真说出声了吗？一刹那间，他觉得这些话确实已经说出了口，其实那只是他的想象。威尔逊先生依旧朝前走去，眼睛看向前方，根本没朝绞刑台这边转过来。
I shall be too cold to move soon,' Mr Dimmesdale thought. 'I won't even be able to walk down the steps.' Crazy pictures passed before his eyes. 'Someone will find me here in the early morning, and will run around knocking on doors. Everyone will hurry out in their night-clothes—Governor Bellingham, with his buttons undone; his sister, mad Mistress Hibbins, staring with her wild eyes; and good Father Wilson too, tired after spending half the night at a death-bed. Yes, everyone in the world will come running! And who will they see? They will see their priest, half-frozen to death, covered with shame, and standing where Hester Prynne once stood!'
“我一会儿就会冻僵的。”丁梅斯代尔先生想，“怕是连台阶都下不去了。”一些疯狂的画面闪现在他眼前。“一大早就会有人看到我在这里，接着就会跑去挨家挨户地敲门。每个人都会匆匆忙忙地穿着睡衣跑过来——贝林厄姆总督肯定连扣子都来不及扣就跑出来；他的姐姐，疯女人希宾斯会瞪圆那双粗野的眼睛；好心的威尔逊神父也会来的，他在死者的床边熬了半夜，肯定疲惫不堪。是的，世上所有人都会跑过来。他们会看到谁呢？他们的牧师——冻得半死，正满面羞惭地站在赫斯特·普林曾经示众的地方！”
Now he began to laugh, loudly and wildly, unable to stop himself. Then he heard an answering laugh—a child's laugh—and his heart jumped. It was little Pearl.
这时牧师开始狂笑起来，笑得无可遏止。忽然他听到了一声回应——一个小孩子的笑声——他的心提了起来：那是小珍珠。
Pearl!' he cried. 'Little Pearl!' Then more softly, 'Hester! Hester Prynne, are you there?'
“珍珠！”他喊道，“小珍珠！”然后他柔声叫道：“赫斯特！赫斯特·普林！是你在那儿吗？”
Yes, it is me,' Hester Prynne replied. She sounded surprised. 'It is me, and my little Pearl.'
“是的，是我。”赫斯特·普林答应着，语调中充满诧异。“是我，还有我的小珍珠。”
Where have you come from, Hester?' he asked.
“你从哪里来，赫斯特？”牧师问道。
From Mr Winthrop's death-bed,' she said. 'I've measured him for his burial-clothes, and I am now going home.'
“从温斯罗普先生家里，”赫斯特·普林回答说，“我给他量了尺寸做寿衣，现在正回家去。”
Come up here, Hester, you and little Pearl,' said the priest. 'You have both been here before, but I was not with you. Come up now, and all three of us shall stand together.'
“上这儿来吧，赫斯特，你，还有小珍珠。”牧师说，“你们母女俩以前都曾在这儿待过，可是我当时没和你们在一起。上来吧，这样我们三个人就站在一起了！”
Hester silently climbed up the steps and stood on the platform, holding Pearl's hand. The priest found and held the child's other hand, and immediately felt a warm, strong feeling in his heart, filling it with new life.
赫斯特牵着珍珠的手默默地踏上台阶，站到了台上。牧师摸到孩子的另一只手，握在自己手里。他立刻感到一种温暖、强烈的感觉涌入心房，仿佛注入了新的生命力。
Pearl looked up at the priest. 'Will you stand here with mother and me tomorrow, Mr Dimmesdale?' she whispered.
珍珠抬起头看着牧师，悄声问道：“明天你也跟妈妈和我一块儿站在这儿吗，丁梅斯代尔先生？”
No, my little Pearl,' answered the priest. The moment of passionate feeling had passed. Already, he was trembling, and all his fear of public shame had returned. 'I shall stand with you and your mother one day, but not tomorrow.'
“不，我的小珍珠。”牧师回答说。瞬间的激情消失了，他颤栗起来，对当众蒙羞的种种恐惧又重新回到他的心头。“总有一天，我会跟你妈妈和你站在一起，不过明天还不成。”
When?' Pearl asked. 'What day?' She tried to pull her hand away from the priest's.
“什么时候？”珍珠问道，“哪一天？”她极力想把手从牧师手里抽出来。
The great judgment day,' he whispered. 'Then, and there, your mother and I must stand together. But not before then; not in the daylight of this world.'
“在最后审判日。”牧师低声说，“到了那一天，你妈妈，还有我，必须站在一起。但在那之前不行，在这个世界的光天化日之下是不行的！”
Before he had finished speaking, a light appeared, far and wide in the night sky. It was almost certainly caused by a meteor, and it lit up the whole street like day. And there stood the priest, with his hand over his heart; and Hester Prynne, with the scarlet letter on her bosom; and little Pearl standing between these two, looking up at the priest with a playful smile. She pointed across the street, but he put both his hands across his chest and looked up at the sky.
丁梅斯代尔先生还没说完，夜空中便远远地闪过一道宽阔的亮光。那无疑是一颗流星，将整条街道照得如同白昼一般。牧师就站在那儿，手捂着心口；赫斯特·普林也站在那儿，胸前戴着红字；还有小珍珠，站在他们中间，调皮地笑着，抬头看着牧师。她指指街道对面。但牧师双手交叉捂在胸前，仰望着天空。
However, he knew that little Pearl was pointing her finger at a man standing near the scaffold—Roger Chillingworth. Did the priest see him too? Or, in the strange unearthly light, did he see only the evil smile, the hate behind the eyes, and believe that he was seeing the Devil himself?
然而，他知道小珍珠指的是站在绞刑台近旁的一个人——那是罗杰·奇林沃思。牧师也看见他了吗？或者，在这神异的光亮中，他只看到了那狞笑，那眼底的恨意，并由此认为看到了魔鬼的真身？
The meteor disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. Mr Dimmesdale, now trembling with terror, said, 'Who is that man, Hester? Do you know him? I hate him, Hester!'
流星又突然消失了，就如它突然出现一样。丁梅斯代尔先生恐惧得发抖：“那个人是谁，赫斯特？你认识他吗？我恨他，赫斯特！”
She remembered her promise, and was silent.
她记起了她的诺言，默不作声。
Who is he? Who is he?' cried Mr Dimmesdale. 'Can you do nothing for me? I have a horror of the man!'
“他是谁？他是谁？”丁梅斯代尔先生喊着，“你就这样袖手旁观？我对这个人害怕极了！”
I can tell you who he is,' said little Pearl.
“我能告诉你他是谁。”小珍珠说。
Quickly, then, child,' said the priest. 'Whisper to me!'
“那就快说吧，孩子。”牧师说道，“小声对我说！”
But the child whispered meaningless words into the priest's ear, and laughed.
但是这个孩子在他耳边嘀咕了几个莫名其妙的词，就笑起来。
Why are you playing games with me?' said the priest.
“你为什么要拿我开心？”牧师说。
You would not promise to hold my hand, and my mother's hand, here tomorrow,' replied the child.
“因为你不愿意答应明天在这里拉着我和妈妈的手！”孩子回答道。
The doctor was now by the platform. 'Mr Dimmesdale!' he said. 'Have you been walking in your sleep? Come, my dear friend, let me take you home.'
这时医生已走到平台下。“丁梅斯代尔先生！”他说，“你是在梦游吗？来吧，我亲爱的朋友，让我带你回家。”
How did you know I was here?' asked the priest, fearfully.
“你怎么会知道我在这儿？”牧师惊惧地问。
I did not know,' said Chillingworth. 'I have been with Mr Winthrop, doing what little I could for a dying man. Now I am on my way home. Come with me, please, or you will not be well enough to do your work tomorrow. You should not study so hard, good sir!'
“我并不知道。”奇林沃思回答，“我一直在温斯罗普先生那儿，尽我所能为一个垂死的人尽点绵薄之力。现在正要回去。请跟我走吧，不然明天你会不舒服，没法工作了。你不该那么刻苦地钻研学问，亲爱的先生。”
I will go home with you,' said Mr Dimmesdale, defeated. And, like someone waking up from an ugly dream, he followed the doctor back to their house.
“我跟你一起回家。”丁梅斯代尔先生垂头丧气地说，好似失魂落魄一般。他就像刚从噩梦中惊醒一样，跟着医生回住处去了。
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