书虫四级《红字》：6.赫斯特遇到敌人
6．Hester meets the enemy
6．赫斯特遇到敌人
That meeting with Mr Dimmesdale on the scaffold worried Hester Prynne greatly. She saw the young priest's weakness and his misery, and how close he was to madness; she heard the terror in his voice as he asked her for help. And she decided he had a right to all the help she could give him.
在绞刑台和丁梅斯代尔先生的会面使赫斯特·普林深感忧虑。她看到了年轻牧师的脆弱和痛苦，还有他濒临颠狂的状态。她听得出当他向她求助时声音中的惊恐。她认为他有权要她倾力相助。
Her position in the town was now rather different. In the seven years since Pearl was born, Hester had worn the scarlet letter patiently and had led a hard-working and blameless life. People no longer hated her; some even respected her.
如今她在小镇上的地位已经和原来不一样了。在珍珠出生后的这七年当中，她耐心地佩戴着那个红字，过着艰辛却无可指责的生活。人们不再恨她；她甚至还赢得了一些人的尊重。
She is always ready to give what she can to the poor,' they said, 'although she gets little thanks for the food she takes to them, or the clothes she makes for them.'
“她总是随时准备去尽力帮助穷人，”他们说，“虽然她给人缝衣送食很少能得到感谢。”
And whenever a house was darkened by trouble, Hester was there with warm and kindly words, and the offer of help. But when sunshine came again, she left without looking back or waiting for the grateful thanks of those who had been troubled. And afterwards, when she saw them in the street, she did not lift her head to speak to them but put her finger on her scarlet letter of shame, and passed by.
不论何时，只要有人被忧愁困扰，她总会出现，用好言抚慰，并主动提供帮助。但当情况好转的时候，她会头也不回地离开，从来不期望那些在困苦中得到过她帮助的人向她致谢。此后，当她在街上遇到他们，也从不抬头和他们说话，只用手指按住那个耻辱红字，侧身而过。
Beneath her calmness, however, there had often been great loneliness and suffering. These had made her strong and she now felt able to face the man who had once been her husband. It was clear to Hester that this man was the priest's secret enemy, playing the part of a friend and helper, and slowly but surely driving the priest into madness.
然而，她平静的外表下却埋藏着难以承受的孤独和痛苦。正是这些遭遇使她坚强，使她现在可以去面对前夫。赫斯特很清楚，这个男人就是牧师的秘密敌人，他扮演着一个朋友和救护者的角色，其实却在缓慢而坚定地将牧师推向疯狂。
In short, she decided to talk to Roger Chillingworth, and to do what she could to stop his cruel and evil revenge.
总之，她打定主意去和罗杰·奇林沃思谈谈，竭尽全力去阻止他那残忍、邪恶的复仇。
She did not have long to wait. One afternoon, while walking with Pearl along the beach, she saw the old doctor with a basket in one hand and a stick in the other. He was collecting plants.
机会很快就来了。一天下午，她带着珍珠沿海边散步，看见了那位老医生。他一手挽着篮子，另一只手拄着拐杖，正在采集药草。
Go down to the water and play while I talk to this gentleman,' Hester told her daughter.
“去到水边玩吧，我要和这位先生谈一谈。”赫斯特告诉她的女儿。
The child flew away like a bird, her small white feet making patterns in the wet sand at the edge of the sea. Her mother walked up to Roger Chillingworth.
这孩子像小鸟一样飞走了，雪白的小脚丫在海边湿润的沙地上留下了一串脚印。她的母亲向罗杰·奇林沃思走去。
I would like to speak to you,' she said.
“我想和你谈一谈。”她说。
Ah! Mistress Hester!' he answered. 'I hear news of your good work from everyone I speak to. Only yesterday a magistrate whispered to me that the officers of the town were discussing whether the scarlet letter could now be taken off your bosom. "You should do it at once," I told him.'
“啊哈！原来是赫斯特太太！”他回答道，“每个跟我谈话的人都说到你的善举。就在昨天，一位治安官还悄悄告诉我，镇上的官员正在讨论是否应该把你胸前的红字取下来。‘你们应该马上这么做。’我这样跟他说。”
It is not for some magistrate to take off this letter,' Hester replied calmly. 'When—if ever—I earn the right to be rid of it, it will fall off without anyone's help.'
“取下这个字不是靠哪个地方治安官。”赫斯特平静地回应道，“当我赢得取下它的权利——如果有那么一天的话——它自然会掉下去，不需要任何人的帮助。”
Wear it, then, if you want to,' said Chillingworth. 'It is a fine piece of needlework and looks well on your bosom.'
“你要是乐意，那就戴着吧。”奇林沃思说，“那是件不错的针线活儿，戴在你胸前挺好看的。”
While they spoke, Hester had been watching him closely and was full of wonder at the change she saw in him. He was no longer the calm, intelligent man she remembered; now there was a cruel, searching look in his eyes, and a cold half-smile came and went on his face. Seven years of getting enjoyment from a cruel revenge had left the Devil's mark on him. His soul seems to be on fire! Hester thought.
在他俩谈话时，赫斯特一直仔细地打量着老人，她惊奇地注意到他发生了多么明显的变化，原来印象中的那个平和、聪慧的人如今已经踪影皆无，现在的他眼神残忍，随时窥探着什么，一丝冷笑在脸上时隐时现。七年中，他从残忍的报复中寻求快感，这在他脸上也留下了魔鬼的印记。“他的灵魂正在灼烧！”赫斯特想。
I want to speak to you about Mr Dimmesdale,' she said.
“我想和你谈谈有关丁梅斯代尔先生的事。”她说。
And what about him?' cried Roger Chillingworth. 'Speak freely, and I will answer.'
“他有什么好谈的？”罗杰·奇林沃思叫起来，“想说什么就说吧，我会回答的。”
When we last spoke together, seven years ago,' Hester said, 'you made me promise not to tell anyone that we once lived as husband and wife. I agreed to be silent because, as you said then, his position and his life were in your hands. But I see now that I was wrong to keep silent. Since that day, you have been beside him, sleeping and waking. You search his thoughts and his heart, and each day you cause him to die a living death! And it is I who have allowed this to happen!'
“我们上次在一起交谈是七年以前，”赫斯特说，“当时你要我答应不告诉任何人我们曾是夫妻。我答应缄口不言，因为你说那个人的生命和地位全都握在你的手心里。但是我现在才觉得，我不该保持沉默。从那天以后，你就一直日夜不停地缠在他身边，探究他的思想和内心，让他每天都生不如死！都是由于我，才会发生这种事！”
What else can you do?' asked Chillingworth. 'A word from me, and this man would be thrown from his church into a prison—and from there, to the scaffold!'
“除此之外，你还能做些什么呢？”奇林沃思问道，“我只消说一句话，就可以把他从教堂投到监狱中去——而且可以让他从监狱走上绞刑台！”
Perhaps that would be better!' said Hester. 'Haven't you had your revenge? Hasn't he suffered enough for his sins?'
“那样也许倒好些！”赫斯特说，“你不是已经复仇了吗？他不是已经为他的罪孽受尽折磨了吗？”
No!' answered the doctor. 'Do you remember me, Hester, as I was nine years ago? You thought I was cold, perhaps, but was I not kind and true, and a good friend to others?'
“不！”医生回答，“你还记得我九年前的样子吗，赫斯特？你可能认为我冷酷无情，可我不也曾经善良、真诚，是别人的益友吗？”
Yes,' said Hester. 'All that, and more.'
“是的。”赫斯特说，“而且还不只这些。”
And what am I now?' he asked, and his face showed the evil that was in him. 'A devil! And who made me this?'
“可我现在成了什么样子呢？”他问道，脸上显露出邪恶的表情。“一个恶魔！是谁把我弄成这样子的？”
It was me,' said Hester, trembling. 'Me, as much as he. So why didn't you punish me?'
“是我。”赫斯特颤抖着说，“是我，我的责任并不比他小。可你为什么不惩罚我呢？”
You had the scarlet letter,' he said. 'That was enough revenge for me.' He put his finger on it with a smile. 'Now, what do you want to say about this man?'
“你有那个红字。”他回答说，“那已经足以为我报复了。”他面带微笑，把一个指头放在红字上面。“现在，关于那个男人你还想说些什么？”
I must tell him the truth about you,' said Hester. 'He must know who you are, and why you are doing this to him. What the result will be, I do not know. Do what you want with him. But there is no good for him, no good for me, no good for you, no good for little Pearl. There is no path to guide any of us out of this misery.'
“我必须告诉他你的真面目。”赫斯特说，“他必须知道你是谁，你为什么要这么对他。我不知道结果如何。你想对他干什么就干吧。但是那样无论对他、对我、对你，或者对小珍珠都不会有任何好处。没有任何出路能帮我们脱离这种痛苦。”
Roger Chillingworth stared at the tall, proud woman in front of him, and heard the pain in her voice. Did he then remember the love he had once felt for her?
罗杰·奇林沃思盯着眼前这个高挑、骄傲的女人，听出了她声音中的痛苦。他是否记起了过去对她的爱恋呢？
I am sorry for you,' he said. 'You were a good person, and you needed a better love than mine.'
“我真为你难过。”他说，“你是一个好人，本该享有比我更好的人所给予的爱。”
And I am sorry for you,' said Hester, 'and for the hate that has changed a wise and merciful man into a devil! Try to be human again! Forgive, and leave judgment to God!'
“我也为你难过。”赫斯特回答说，“因为仇恨已经把一个明智、宽容的人变成了恶魔！重新做回人吧！原谅一切，把审判留给上帝！”
That is not possible,' replied the old man. 'You planted the evil, and now its black flowers are growing. We cannot change the way things are.'
“那不可能。”老人回答说，“你种下了罪恶的种子，现在开出了黑色的花朵。我们无法改变事情发展的方向。”
He turned and walked away, and a dark shadow seemed to follow him along the ground.
他转身离去，身后的地上似乎拖着一道暗影。
Hester stared after him. 'I hate the man!' she whispered to herself. 'How I wish I had never married him!' She turned to look for her child. 'Pearl! Little Pearl! Where are you?'
赫斯特瞪着他的背影。“我恨这个人！”她喃喃自语道，“我真的希望从没嫁给过他！”她转过头寻找她的孩子。“珍珠！小珍珠！你在哪儿？”
The child had been busy while her mother had been talking. First she had played at the edge of the water, then she had made little boats out of pieces of wood. Then, seeing some birds feeding on the beach, she had picked up some stones and thrown them until one little grey bird had flown away with a broken wing. For her last game, Pearl collected some grass and used it to make a letter A on her chest.
珍珠趁母亲谈话时一直玩得挺带劲。她先是在水边上玩，接着用碎木片搭了几条小船。后来，她看到几只小鸟在海滩上吃食，就拾起几块石头向它们投去，直到一只灰色的小鸟拖着被打伤的翅膀飞走了。最后，珍珠拾了一些草，编成一个“A”字戴在胸前。
Will Mother ask me what it means?' she wondered.
“妈妈会不会问我这是什么意思呢？”珍珠想道。
Then she heard her mother calling and, moving as lightly as one of the little sea-birds, she appeared beside Hester and pointed her finger towards the letter A on her bosom.
就在这时，她听到了母亲的召唤，于是像一只小海鸟似的轻盈地来到赫斯特的身旁，用手指指着自己胸前的“A”字。
My little Pearl,' said Hester, after a moment's silence, 'the green letter means nothing on your childish bosom. But do you know why your mother wears it?'
“我的小珍珠，”赫斯特沉默了一会儿后说，“那绿色的字母戴在你稚气的胸口上是没有意义的。不过你知道妈妈为什么会戴上这个字母吗？”
Oh, yes!' said Pearl, smiling. 'It is for the same reason that the priest puts his hand over his heart!'
“噢，我知道！”珍珠笑着说，“这和牧师用手捂住心口的原因一样！”
And what reason is that?' asked Hester.
“那是什么原因呢？”赫斯特问。
I don't know,' replied Pearl. 'Mother, what does this scarlet letter mean? Why do you wear it on your bosom? And why does the priest keep his hand over his heart?'
“那我可就不知道了。”珍珠答道，“妈妈，这红字是什么意思？为什么你要戴在胸前？为什么牧师总是把手捂在心口上？”
Hester stared down into her daughter's black eyes. What should she say? The truth? No! If that was the price of the child's understanding, she could not pay it.
赫斯特凝视着女儿的黑眼睛。她应该说什么？事情的真相吗？不！假如真相是让这个孩子懂事的全部代价，她宁可不付这个代价。
Silly Pearl!' she said. 'There are many things in this world that a child must not ask about. What do I know about the priest's heart? And as for the scarlet letter, I wear it for its gold thread.'
“傻珍珠！”她说道，“这个世界上有很多事是小孩子不该问的。我怎么会知道牧师心里是怎样想的呢？至于这个红字，我戴着它是因为上面的金线。”
It was the first time that Hester had lied about the letter, and the child did not stop asking the same questions. Two or three times on the way home, several times at supper, and again the next morning, Pearl asked, 'Mother, Mother, what does the scarlet letter mean?' and 'Why does the priest keep his hand over his heart?'
这是赫斯特第一次为红字的事说谎，但那孩子仍不肯就此罢休。在回家的路上，她又问了两三次，吃晚饭时也问了几次，第二天早上她又问：“妈妈，妈妈，红字是什么意思？”“为什么牧师要把手捂在心口上？”
Stop it!' Hester said, in a sharper voice than she had ever used before. 'Stop it, or I'll shut you in the dark cupboard!'
“别问了！”她母亲说，以前她从未用过这么严厉的语气跟珍珠说话。“别问了，要不我就把你关进漆黑的橱柜里去！”
