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双语·《涡堤孩》 第十六章 黑尔勃朗此后所遭逢的情形

所属教程:译林版·涡堤孩

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2022年06月25日

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CHAPTER XVI HOW IT FARED FURTHER WITH HULDBRAND

Shall we say it is well or ill, that our sorrow is of such short duration?I mean that deep sorrow which affects the very well-spring of our life, which becomes so one with the lost objects of our love that they are no longer lost, and which enshrines their image as a sacred treasure, until that fnal goal is reached which they have reached before us!It is true that many men really maintain these sacred memories, but their feeling is no longer that of the frst deep grief. Other and new images have thronged between;we learn at length the transitoriness of all earthly things, even to our grief, and, therefore.I must say:“Alas, that our sorrow should be of such short duration?”

The lord of Ringstetten experienced this whether for his good, we shall hear in the sequel to this history. At frst he could do nothing but weep, and that as bitterly as the poor gentle Undine had wept when he had torn from her hand that brilliant ornament with which she had wished to set everything to rights.And then he would stretch out his hand, as she had done, and would weep again, like her.He cherished the secret hope that he might at length dissolve in tears;and has not a similar hope passed before the mind of manya one of us, with painful pleasure, in moments of great affliction?Bertalda wept also, and they lived a long while quietly together at Castle Ringstetten, cherishing Undine's memory, and almost wholly forgetful of their former attachment to each other.And, therefore, the good Undine often visited Huldbrand in his dreams;caressing him tenderly and kindly, and then going away, weeping silently, so that when he awoke he often scarcely knew why his cheeks were so wet;whether they had been bathed with her tears, or merely with his own?

These dream-visions became, however, less frequent as time passed on, and the grief of the knight was less acute;still he would probably have cherished no other wish than thus to think calmly of Undine and to talk of her, had not the old fsherman appeared one day unexpectedly at the castle, and sternly insisted on Bertalda's returning with him as his child. The news of Undine's disappearance had reached him, and he had determined on no longer allowing Bertalda to reside at the castle with the widowed knight.“For,”said he,“whether my daughter love me or no, I do not care to know, but her honor is at stake, and where that is concerned, nothing else is to be thought of.”

This idea of the old fisherman's, and the solitude which threatened to overwhelm the knight in all the halls and galleries of the desolate castle, after Bertalda's departure, brought out the feelings that had slumbered till now and which had been wholly forgotten in his sorrow for Undine;namely, Huldbrand's affection for the beautiful Bertalda. The fisherman had many objections to raise against the proposed marriage.Undine had been very dear to the old fisherman, and he felt that no one really knew for certainwhether the dear lost one were actually dead.And if her body were truly lying cold and stiff at the bottom of the Danube, or had foated away with the current into the ocean, even then Bertalda was in some measure to blame for her death, and it was unftting for her to step into the place of the poor supplanted one.Yet the fsherman had a strong regard for the knight also;and the entreaties of his daughter, who had become much more gentle and submissive, and her tears for Undine, turned the scale, and he must at length have given his consent, for he remained at the castle without objection, and a messenger was despatched to Father Heilmann, who had united Undine and Huldbrand in happy days gone by, to bring him to the castle for the second nuptials of the knight.

The holy man, however, had scarcely read the letter from the knight of Ringstetten, than he set out on his journey to the castle, with far greater expedition than even the messenger had used in going to him. Whenever his breath failed in his rapid progress, or his aged limbs ached with weariness, he would say to himself:“Perhaps the evil may yet be prevented;fail not, my tottering frame, till you have reached the goal!”And with renewed power he would then press forward, and go on and on without rest or repose, until late one evening he entered the shady court-yard of castle Ringstetten.

The betrothed pair were sitting side by side under the trees, and the old fsherman was near them, absorbed in thought. The moment they recognized Father Heilmann, they sprang up, and pressed round him with warm welcome.But he, without making much reply, begged Huldbrand to go with him into the castle;and when the latter looked astonished, and hesitated to obey the grave summons, thereverend father said to him:—

“Why should I make any delay in wishing to speak to you in private, Herr von Ringstetten?What I have to say concerns Bertalda and the fisherman as much as yourself, and what a man has to hear, he may prefer to hear as soon as possible. Are you then so perfectly certain, Knight Huldbrand, that your first wife is really dead?It scarcely seems so to me.I will not indeed say anything of the mysterious condition in which she may be existing, and I know, too, nothing of it with certainty.But she was a pious and faithful wife, that is beyond all doubt;and for a fortnight past she has stood at my bedside at night in my dreams, wringing her tender hands in anguish and sighing out:‘Oh, prevent him, good father!I am still living!oh, save his life!save his soul!'I did not understand what this nightly vision signifed;when presently your messenger came, and I hurried thither, not to unite, but to separate, what ought not to be joined together.Leave her, Huldbrand!Leave him, Bertalda!He yet belongs to another;and do you not see grief for his lost wife still written on his pale cheek?No bridegroom looks thus, and a voice tells me that if you do not leave him, you will never be happy.”

The three listeners felt in their innermost heart that Father Heilmann spoke the truth, but they would not believe it. Even the old fsherman was now so infatuated that he thought it could not be otherwise than they had settled it in their discussions during the last few days.They therefore all opposed the warnings of the priest with a wild and gloomy rashness, until at length the holy father quitted the castle with a sad heart, refusing to accept even for a single night the shelter offered, or to enjoy the refreshments brought him.Huldbrand, however, persuaded himself that the priest was full of whims and fancies, and with dawn of day he sent for a father from the nearest monastery, who, without hesitation, promised to perform the ceremony in a few days.

第十六章 黑尔勃朗此后所遭逢的情形

俗语说事过情迁:随你怎样倾江倒海的悲伤,随你悲伤的性质如何,随你感情沸流到一千二百度或是低降到一百个零度之零度,随你如何灰心,随你张开眼来只见愁云惨雾,生命的种种幸福都变成荒芜惨绝。只要你不死,只要你苟延残喘,你总逃不过时间的法力,钟上嘀嗒过了一秒,你悲伤的烈度,无形中也嘀嗒宽了一些,你就愈觉得这残喘有苟延之必要,时间愈过去,你的悲度也消解得愈快,往往用不到几月甚至于不到几天,你完全可以脱离悲伤的束缚,重新提起兴致过你的快乐日子。怪不得我当初要疑心三年之孝太不近情理。不要说父母,现在社会上父母不是儿女的冤家对头已是难得难得,何况能有心坎深处真纯的爱情——不要说父母和子女关系,就是我们男女相爱热度最高的朋友,大家香喷喷会呼吸热烘烘会接吻的时候,不消说自然是卿卿我我,誓海盟山,我的性命就是你的,你的魂灵就是我的,若然你有不测不消说我自然陪你死,就是不死,我总终身独守,纪念我们不断的爱情。而且我敢保证他们发誓的辰光,的确正心诚意,纯粹从爱河里泛起来的波浪,情炉里飞起来的火焰,你要不相信真是阿弥陀佛,世上再也没有相信得过的事了。这类经验彼此不消客气,多少总有过些。但是——我很恨这转语,但是我实在不得不但是——但是金子要火来试验,你立的情誓要不幸的生死盛衰聚散来试验,试验的结果究竟百分里有几分是黄金呢?当然你我都不希望有这类试验之必要,不过试验要轮到你的时候你又有什么法想呢?从前听说中国社会上,虽然男女夫妇间从不知爱情为何物,而丈夫死了妻子往往有殉节的风俗,据说有的媳妇自己还想活不肯死,她的翁姑可放她不过,因为她死了可以请贞节牌坊,光宗耀祖哩。那班可怜的少妇,就是不全死,亦得半死,因为一万个寡妇里面,难得有一个再有嫁人的机会。这类情形我们听听都不忍心,可笑他们黄种人还自以为是古文明,说西方人野蛮,其实他们那样荒谬绝伦的家庭婚姻制度,还不是和亚菲利加吃人的野人相差无几吗?至于讲到我们情形可大不相同,不但妻死了,男子再娶,丈夫死了,女人自由再嫁,就是大家没有死,鲜鲜地活着,彼此依旧嫁娶自由,只要法庭上经过一番手续就是!或者彼此要是更文明些爽性连法律都不管,大家实行自由恋爱就是,个人自由权,爱情自由,个个字都是黄金打的,谁也不能侵犯。在这样情形之下从前同生同死的盟誓,自然减少了许多,大家都是“理性人”了!若然爱偶之一遭了不幸,我们当然不能说那活的连悲伤的情绪都没有,但是即使有,恐怕也是见风就化散吧!

著书人无端跑了一趟野马,他实在自己都不知道讲了些什么,他当然要向读者深深道一个歉,至于关于本题的意思,简单说无非是激烈的情感是不能常住的。我们极怒的时候,只觉得全身的火一起上升到脑里,一丝丝神经都像放花筒似的迸火,脑壳子像要胀破,头发胡须——如其你有胡须——都像直竖起来;但是我敢赌一百万东道谁能将毛发竖他一点钟,就是半点钟一刻你都赢了。最剧烈的悲伤虽然比大怒的生命可以长些,但是也长不到哪里,我们过后追念死者,似乎仍旧觉得不快,但是这是忧思,不是积极的悲了。

现在言归正传。上节停在涡堤孩一入水黑尔勃郎一时悲伤晕了过去。但是你放心,他醒过来的时候悲伤也就差不多了。他回到林斯推顿城堡,自然不很高兴,有时居然泫然涕下,有时伸出两手像要抱人似的。他自己倒很担心恐怕他再也不会快乐,结果他的生命,也就悲伤完结。同时他也经验到——我们差不多大家经验过的——悲伤的一种快感,很难以言语形容的一种情形。培儿托达也陪他饮泣,所以二人一起在林斯推顿静悄悄过了好几时,时常纪念涡堤孩,彼此几乎将从前互吸的感情忘了。并且涡堤孩现在时常梦里来会丈夫。她来总同在时一样,很温柔地抱住他,一会儿离去,依旧啜泣,所以往往他醒过来的时候不知道何故他的双腮尽湿:究竟是她的眼泪呢,还是他自己的呢?

但是可畏的时光愈过,他的梦也逐渐减少,他的愁也逐渐迟钝。那时我们久别的老渔翁忽然在林斯推顿城堡出现。他听见涡堤孩的消息,他来要他女儿回去,再也不许她和独身的贵人住在一起。“因为,”他说,“我女儿究竟爱她生父不爱我都不问,但是现在她名誉要紧,所以他所要求的,再也没有商量余地。”

老渔人声势汹汹,但是黑尔勃郎一想他如其让培儿托达跟父亲回去,她吃不惯苦不用说,就是他自己一个人独留在这宽大的城堡里冷清清的日子如何过得去,况且他自始至终爱培儿托达的,就是涡堤孩在时“形格势禁”,此番她长别以后,他还没有跳出悲伤圈子,所以把培儿托达暂时搁起,如今老头一来啰嗦,他只得明说他想留他女儿的意思。但是老儿很不赞成这一头亲事。老儿很爱涡堤孩,以为谁都不能决定涡堤孩之入水的确是死。就是涡堤孩的尸体的确永卧在但牛勃河底或是已经被水冲入海去,培儿托达对于她的死至少应负一部分的责任,如何可以乘机来占据她的地位呢?但是老儿也很爱骑士,他女儿温柔的态度,至诚的祷告,为涡堤孩流的涕,一一打动了老人的心,结果他还是答应。此事就此定局,骑士立即打发人去请哈哀尔孟神父,就是当初在老渔人家替他和涡堤孩结婚的神父,求他来城堡庆祝他第二次的婚姻。

神父接到了林斯推顿爵主的信,立刻就动身,向城堡进发。他走路走得过急有时连气都喘不过来,或者他脚上背后的老病发作,他总对自己说:“也许我还可以消化不幸!老骨头争气些,赶到目的再瘫不迟!”他提起精神一口气赶到了城堡的庭中。

那对新人手挽手儿坐在树荫下,老渔人坐在旁边。他们一见哈哀尔孟神父,大家欣然跳将起来,赶上去欢迎他。但是他什么话都没有说,单请新郎陪他进堡去密谈。骑士正觉踌躇,神父开口说道——

“我何必定要密谈呢,林斯推顿的贵胄先生?我要讲的话就是关系你们三人的话,既然大家有关系,自然大家一齐参与为是。然则我先要问你,骑士先生,你是否可以确信你的妻子的确死了?我可不是那么想。她失踪情形我暂且不论,因为我当时并不目睹。但是她对于你始终是一个信义忠实的妻子,那是没有问题的。而在这最近十四天夜间,我梦里总见她站在我床边,搓着她一双柔软的小手,一面的愁容,轻轻地叹气道:‘拦止那桩事,亲爱的神父呀!我还是活着!嘻!救他的生命!嘻!救他的灵魂!’但是我莫名其妙,不知道那桩什么事。后来果然来了你的专差,所以我星夜赶来,不是来替你们结婚,但是来分散那不能在一起的人。让她去吧!黑尔勃郎!让他去吧,培儿托达!他另有所属。你看他满脸悲凄不散的愁痕,依旧未退哩。从来没有如此的新郎,况且她梦里明明告诉我,或者你让他去,否则你也从此不会享福。”

在他们三人的心里,大家都承认神父的话不错,但是他们早已爬上了老虎背,再也爬不下来。就是那老渔翁亦被他们骗得一厢情愿以为再也不会有意外发生。他们三人就你一声我一句,和一片好心的神父辩驳。最后老牧师一看情形不对,知道无可挽回,摇摇头,叹了气,转身就出堡门,非但不肯住夜,连汤水都不肯喝。但是黑尔勃郎总以为是他年老了脾气乖僻,毫不介意,另外派人到邻近神道院里去请一位牧师来行礼,那边一口答应,他们就将婚期都定了。

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