双语对照 ● 迟到的情书 The Love Letter
■ 迟到的情书 The Love Letter
◎ Any Joystiq
I was always a little in awe of Great-aunt Stephina Roos. Indeed, as children we were all frankly terrified of her. The fact that she did not live with the family, preferring her tiny cottage and solitude[106] to the comfortable but rather noisy household where we were brought up—added to the respectful fear in which she was held.
我对斯蒂菲娜老姑总是怀着些许敬畏之情。说实话，我们几个孩子都很怕她。她不和家人住在一起，她宁愿住在她的小屋里，也不愿住在舒适、热闹的家里——我们都是在家里长大的——这更加重了我们对她的敬畏之情。
We used to take it in turn to carry small delicacies[107] which my mother had made down from the big house to the little cottage where Aunt Stephia and an old colored maid spent their days. Old Tnate Sanna would open the door to the rather frightened little messenger and would usher him—or her—into the dark voor-kamer, where the shutters were always closed to keep out the heat and the flies. There we would wait, in trembling but not altogether unpleasant.
我们经常轮流从我们住的大房子里带些母亲亲手为她做的可口食物到那间小屋去，她和一名黑人女仆就住在那儿。桑娜老姨会为每一个上门的胆小的小使者开门，将他——或她——领进昏暗的客厅。那里的百叶窗总是关着的，以防热气和苍蝇跑进来。我们总是在那里颤抖着、但又不是完全不高兴地等待着斯蒂菲娜老姑。
She was a tiny little woman to inspire so much veneration. She was always dressed in black, and her dark clothes melted into the shadows of the voor-kamer and made her look smaller than ever. But you felt the moment she entered that something vital and strong and somehow indestructible had come in with her, although she moved slowly, and her voice was sweet and soft.
虽然她身材纤细，但赢得了我们如此的尊敬。她总是穿着黑衣服，暗色的衣服和客厅里的暗影融为一体，把她的身材衬得更加娇小。但她进门的那一刻，我们立即就能感到一种莫名的、充满活力和刚毅的气息，尽管她的步调缓慢，声音甜美轻柔。
She never embraced us. She would greet us and take out hot little hands in her own beautiful cool one, with blue veins standing out on the back of it, as though the white skin were almost too delicate to contain them.
她从来不拥抱我们，但她会和我们寒暄，用她那双漂亮却冷冰冰的手握住我们热乎乎的小手。她的手背上有一些青筋，好像手上白嫩的皮肤细薄得遮不住它们似的。
Tante Sanna would bring in dishes of sweet, sweet, sticky candy, or a great bowl of grapes or peaches, and Great-aunt Stephina would converse gravely about happenings on the farm, and, more rarely, of the outer world.
桑娜老姨每次都会端出几碟黏乎乎的糖果，或者一碗葡萄或桃子给我们吃。斯蒂菲娜老姑则一本正经地说着那些发生在农场里的事，偶尔也谈些外面世界发生的事。
When we had finished our sweetmeats or fruit she would accompany us to the stoep, bidding us thank our mother for her gift and sending quaint[108] , old-fashioned messages to her and the Father. Then she would turn and enter the house, closing the door behind, so that it became once more a place of mystery.
等我们吃完糖果或水果后，她会送我们到屋前的门廊，并且叮嘱我们要代她感谢母亲给她送食物，还要我们给父母带去一些奇怪的老式祝愿。接着她就转身回屋，随手关上门，让那里再次成为神秘世界。
As I grew older I found, rather to my surprise, that I had become genuinely fond of my aloof old great-aunt. But to this day I do not know what strange impulse made me take George to see her and to tell her, before I had confided in another living soul, of our engagement. To my astonishment, she was delighted.
等我慢慢长大后，我惊奇地发现，我打心眼里开始喜欢我那位孤伶伶的老姑了。至今我仍不知道，是什么样的奇异动力，让我在还没告诉别人之前就把乔治领去看望老姑，并告诉她我们已经订婚的消息。让我感到意外的是，她听到这个消息后，竟非常高兴。
“An Englishman,” she exclaimed. “But that is splendid, splendid. And you,” she turned to George, “you are making your home in this country? You do not intend to return to England just yet?”
“是英国人！”她大声喊道，“太好了，真的太好了。你，”她转向乔治，“你要在这儿定居吗？你还不打算回国吧？”
She seemed relieved when she heard that George had bought a farm near our own farm and intended to settle in South Africa. She became quite animated, and chattered away to him.
当她听说乔治已经买下我们农场附近的一片农场，并打算在南非定居下来时，她好像松了一口气，接着开始兴致勃勃地和乔治攀谈起来。
After that I would often slip away to the little cottage by the mealie lands. Once she was somewhat disappointed on hearing that we had decided to wait for two years before getting married, but when she learned that my father and mother were both pleased with the match she seemed reassured.
从此以后，我便成了玉米地边那间小屋的常客。有一次，当她听说我们决定再过两年结婚时，脸上露出了失望的表情，但一听说我的父母都很满意这门亲事时，她就放心了。
Still, she often appeared anxious about my love affair, and would ask questions that seemed to me strange, almost as though she feared that something would happen to destroy my romance. But I was quite unprepared for her outburst when I mentioned that George thought of paying a lightning visit to England before we were married.“He must not do it,” she cried.“Ina, you must not let him go. Promise me you will prevent him.” she was trembling all over. I did what I could to console her, but she looked so tired and pale that I persuaded her to go to her room and rest, promising to return the next day.
但她还是经常把我的婚姻大事挂在嘴边，还常常问一些对我而言很奇怪的问题，就好像深怕我的婚事会告吹一样。当我提到乔治打算在结婚之前回国一趟时，她竟激动起来，这完全出乎我的意料。只见她大声嚷道：“他不能回去！爱娜！你不能放他走，你得答应我不放他走！”她整个人都在颤抖。我尽力安慰她，但她还是显得疲乏苍白。我只好劝她回屋休息，并答应第二天再来看她。
When I arrived I found her sitting on the stoep. She looked lonely and pathetic, and for the first time I wondered why no man had ever taken her and looked after her and loved her. Mother had told me that Great-aunt Stephina had been lovely as a young girl, and although no trace of that beauty remained, except perhaps in her brown eyes, yet she looked so small and appealing that any man, one felt, would have wanted to protect her.
当我第二天去看她的时候，她正坐在屋前的门廊上。她看上去很孤单、很可怜。我第一次感到纳闷：以前怎么没人娶她、照顾她、疼爱她呢？记得母亲曾经说过，斯蒂菲娜老姑曾是一个楚楚动人的年轻姑娘，尽管她的美貌早已消逝不见，除了那双褐色眼睛还残留着些许昔日的风韵。不过，她看上去还是那样娇小玲珑、惹人爱怜，让男人们忍不住想要保护她。
She paused, as though she did not quite know how to begin.
她欲言又止，好像不知该从何说起。
Then she seemed to give herself, mentally, a little shake. “You must have wondered,” she said, “Why I was so upset at the thought of young George’s going to England without you. I am an old woman, and perhaps I have the silly fancies of the old, but I should like to tell you my own love story, and then you can decide whether it is wise for your man to leave you before you are married.”
接着，她仿佛振作了起来，颤抖着说道：“听你说乔治要回国，却不带着你，我心里非常不安。你肯定很想知道原因吧！我是一个老太婆了，但我大概还怀着老人的那颗痴心。不过，我想把我的爱情故事讲给你听，这样，你就能明白该不该在结婚之前让你的未婚夫离开你。”
“I was quite a young girl when I first met Richard Weston. He was an Englishman who boarded with the Van Rensburgs on the next farm, four or five miles from us. Richard was not strong. He had a weak chest, and the doctors had sent him to South Africa so that the dry air could cure him. He taught the Van Rensburg children, who were younger than I was, though we often played together, but he did this for pleasure and not because he needed money.
“我第一次遇见理查德·威斯顿时，还是一个很年轻的姑娘。他是英国人，寄宿在范·伦斯堡家里，离我家四五英里远的一个农场上。他身体不好，胸闷气短。医生让他去南非，利用干燥的气候来治病。他给伦斯堡的孩子们上课，那些孩子的年纪都比我小。尽管我们经常玩在一起，但理查德是以教书为乐，而不是为了赚钱。”
“We loved one another from the first moment we met, though we did not speak of our love until the evening of my eighteenth birthday. All our friends and relatives had come to my party, and in the evening we danced on the big old carpet which we had laid down in the barn. Richard had come with the Van Rensburgs, and we danced together as often as we dared, which was not very often, for my father hated the Uitlanders. Indeed, for a time he had quarreled with Mynheer Van Rensburg for allowing Richard to board with him, but afterwards he got used to the idea, and was always polite to the Englishman, though he never liked him.
“我和理查德是一见钟情，尽管直到我18岁生日那晚，我们才表示对彼此的爱慕之情。那天，我们的所有亲友都来参加我的生日舞会。那晚，理查德也同伦斯堡先生来了，我们就在仓房里铺上一条宽大的旧毛毯，翩翩起舞。我和他鼓起勇气一起跳了好多次，可其实也没多少次，因为我父亲很讨厌外国人。有一次，他还抱怨说伦斯堡先生不应该让理查德住在他家里，为此还吵了一架，不过他后来也习惯了。虽说一直不喜欢，但他对这个英国人还是以礼相待。
“That was the happiest birthday of my life, for while we were resting between dances Richard took me outside into the cool, moonlit night, and there, under the stars, he told me he loved me and asked me to marry him. Of course I promised I would, for I was too happy to think of what my parents would say, or indeed of anything except Richard was not at our meeting place as he had arranged. I was disappointed but not alarmed, for so many things could happen to either of us to prevent out keeping our tryst. I thought that next time we visited the Van Ransburgs, I should hear what had kept him and we could plan further meetings ...
“那是我一生中最快乐的一个生日，因为在跳舞间歇时，理查德把我带到室外；沐浴着清凉的月光，在点点繁星之下，他对我倾诉爱慕之情，并向我求婚。我二话没说就答应了他的请求，因为我早已心花怒放，甚至来不及考虑父母会说些什么。有一次约会，理查德没有出现在约定地点。我很失落，但没有觉得奇怪，因为我们的约会经常会被许多事情耽搁。我想下一次我们拜访伦斯堡家时，我就能知道他失约的原因，这样我们就能安排接下来的约会了……
“So when my father asked if I would drive with him to Driefontein I was delighted. But when we reached the homestead and were sitting on the stoep drinking our coffee, we heard that Richard had left quite suddenly and had gone back to England. His father had died, and now he was the heir and must go back to look after his estates.
“所以，当我的父亲叫我开车送他去德里方丹时，我高兴极了。可当我们到达伦斯堡家的农场，坐在他们屋前的门廊上喝咖啡时，却听说理查德已经不辞而别，回英国去了。他的父亲去世了，他是继承人，所以必须回国处理那些遗产。
“I do not remember very much more about that day, except that the sun seemed to have stopped shining and the country no longer looked beautiful and full of promise, but bleak and desolate as it sometimes does in winter or in times of drought. Late that afternoon, Jantje, the little Hottentot herd boy, came up to me and handed me a letter, which he said the English baas had left for me. It was the only love letter I ever received, but it turned all my bitterness and grief into a peacefulness which was the nearest I could get, then, to happiness. I knew Richard still loved me, and somehow, as long as I had his letter, I felt that we could never be really parted, even if he were in England and I had to remain on the farm. I have it yet, and though I am an old, tired woman, it still gives me hope and courage.”
“我已经记不清那天的情形了，只记得那天的阳光显得暗淡，田野也不再美丽、不再充满海誓山盟，萧瑟凄凉得如同冬日或大旱时期。那天下午晚些时候，霍但托特族的小牧童詹杰交给我一封信，他说是那位英国先生留给我的。这是我收到的唯一一封情书，可它把我的忧伤一扫而光，让我的心平静下来，可以说是一种类似幸福的平静。我知道理查德还爱着我，不知道为什么，自从我收到他的信之后，我觉得我们不会真正分手，即使他身在英国，而我却只能待在这里。这封信我保留至今，虽然我已是一个年老体衰的老太婆，但它仍旧能给我带来勇气和希望。”
“I must have been a wonderful letter, Aunt Stephia,” I said.
“斯蒂菲娜老姑，那封信一定很美吧！”我说。
The old lady came back from her dreams of that far-off romance. “Perhaps,” she said, hesitating a little, “perhaps, my dear, you would care to read it?”
老太太从她那久远的爱之梦中醒过神来。“也许，”她带着忧郁说道，"也许，亲爱的，你想看看那封信吧？"
“I should love to, Aunt Stephia,” I said gently.
“我很想看，斯蒂菲娜老姑。”我轻声说道。
She rose at once and tripped into the house as eagerly as a young girl. When she came back she handed me a letter, faded and yellow with age, the edges of the envelope worn and frayed as though it had been much handled. But when I came to open it I found that the seal was unbroken.
她猛地一下站起来，奔进屋里，急切得像个年轻姑娘。她从屋里出来后，递给我一封信。岁月已让那封信褪色发黄，信封边也已经磨损，看上去好像被摩挲过无数次。但在启信时，我发现封口还没有拆开。
“Open it, open it,” said Great-aunt Stephia, and her voice was shaking.
“打开它，打开它。”斯蒂菲娜老姑说道，她的声音在颤抖。
I broke the seal and read.
我撕开封口，开始念信。
It was not a love letter in the true sense of the word, but pages of the minutest directions of how “my sweetest Phina” was to elude her father’s vigilance, creep down to the drift at night and there meet Jantje with a horse which would take her to Smitsdorp. There she was to go to “my true friend, Henry Wilson”, who would give her money and make arrangements for her to follow her lover to Cape Town and from there to England,“ where, my love, we can be married at once. But if, my dearest, you are not sure that you can face lift with me in a land strange to you, then do not take this important step, for I love you too much to wish you the smallest unhappiness. If you do not come, and if I do not hear from you, then I shall know that you could never be happy so far from the people and the country which you love. If, however, you feel you can keep your promise to me, but are of too timid and modest a journey to England unaccompanied, then write to me, and I will, by some means, return to fetch my bride.”
严格说来，它算不上一封情书，只是几页内容详尽的行动指南。信中交代了“我最亲爱的菲娜”该如何摆脱她父亲的监视，在夜间时分逃出家门，詹杰会在浅滩上牵马等着她，然后将她驮到史密斯多普，到了那里再去找理查德的“知心朋友亨利·威尔逊”，他会给她钱为她做好安排，让她能跟随她的情人到开普敦，随后转道英国。“亲爱的，这样我们就可以在英国结婚了。但是我的至爱，如果你不能保证你能在一个陌生的地方和我一起生活，你就不必采取这个重大行动，因为我太爱你了，不能让你感到丝毫不快。如果你不来，如果我听不到你的回音，我就会知道，如果你离开你挚爱的亲人和乡土，你是不会幸福的。但如果你能实践你对我的承诺，而由于你生性持重胆怯，不愿单身前往英国，就来信告诉我，那我就会想方设法回南非来迎接我的新娘。”
I read no further.
我没有继续念下去。
“But Aunt Phina!” I gasped. “Why ... why ...?”
“可是，菲娜老姑！”我气喘吁吁地问道：“为什么……为什么……？”
The old lady was watching me with trembling eagerness, her face flushed and her eyes bright with expectation. “Read it aloud, my dear,” she said. “I want to hear every word of it. There was never anyone I could trust ... Uitlanders were hated in my young days ... I could not ask anyone.”
老太太的身体颤抖着，她渴望知道信的内容，她的双眼炯炯有神地凝视着我，急切的期待让她脸颊泛红。“亲爱的，大声念吧！”她说，“信里的每句话，我都要听！当时我找不到可靠的人给我念……在我年轻时，外国人是遭人深恶痛绝的……我找不到人给我念啊！”
“But, Auntie, don’t you even know what he wrote?”
“可是老姑，难道你一直不知道信的内容吗？”
The old lady looked down, troubled and shy like a child who has unwittingly done wrong.
老太太低下了头，像一个无心犯了错的孩子那样怯生生的，不知道该说些什么。
“No, dear,” she said, speaking very low. “You see, I never learned to read.”
“我不知道，亲爱的，”她低声说道，“你也知道，我从来没念过书啊！”
