狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第18章Part 12

But it is not in the nature of pure love to burn so fiercely and unkindly long. The flame that in its grosser composition has the taint of earth may prey upon the breast that gives it shelter; but the fire from heaven is as gentle in the heart, as when it rested on the heads of the assembled twelve, and showed each man his brother, brightened and unhurt. The image conjured up, there soon returned the placid face, the softened voice, the loving looks, the quiet trustfulness and peace; and Florence, though she wept still, wept more tranquilly, and courted the remembrance.

但是，純潔的愛在性質上並不會猛烈地、無情地長久燃燒。愛的火焰，由於其中粗俗的部分受到世俗的污染，所以它可能會折磨庇護它的胸膛；但是從上天降臨的聖火卻在心中柔和地閃耀，就像它降臨在聚集在一起的十二個人的頭上，向他們每個人指明他的兄弟都笑逐顏開、安然無恙時的情形一樣。當聖像被召喚到心中來時，弗洛倫斯就立刻恢復了平靜的面容，溫柔的聲音，可愛的外貌，沉着的信任與安寧；她雖然依舊在哭泣，但都哭得比過去平靜，並從回憶中尋求安慰。

It was not very long before the golden water, dancing on the wall, in the old place, at the old serene time, had her calm eye fixed upon it as it ebbed away. It was not very long before that room again knew her, often; sitting there alone, as patient and as mild as when she had watched beside the little bed. When any sharp sense of its being empty smote upon her, she could kneel beside it, and pray GOD — it was the pouring out of her full heart — to let one angel love her and remember her.

時間過去不很久，當金黃色的水波在原先的地方，原先寧靜的時間中在牆上盪漾時，她的平靜的眼光又在注視着它逐漸消逝。時間過去不很久，她又時常來到這個房間，獨自坐在那裏，就像她過去在小牀邊看護時一樣地耐心與溫柔。當她突然敏銳地感覺到牀上已空空無人，心中萬分痛苦時，她會跪在牀邊，向上帝祈禱——這時她傾吐着滿懷心曲——，求他派一個天使來愛她，別把她忘記。

It was not very long before, in the midst of the dismal house so wide and dreary, her low voice in the twilight, slowly and stopping sometimes, touched the old air to which he had so often listened, with his drooping head upon her arm. And after that, and when it was quite dark, a little strain of music trembled in the room: so softly played and sung, that it was more like the mournful recollection of what she had done at his request on that last night, than the reality repeated. But it was repeated, often - very often, in the shadowy solitude; and broken murmurs of the strain still trembled on the keys, when the sweet voice was hushed in tears.

時間過去不很久，在這寬廣、淒涼、陰慘慘的住宅中，她又在薄暮中，緩慢地、時斷時續地低聲唱起歌曲來，這歌曲是保羅過去把低垂的頭枕靠在她的胳膊上時常常聽着的；然後當天完全黑了的時候，房間裏響起了一小段音樂的震顫的聲音，她十分溫柔地彈奏着和歌唱着：這更像是在悲傷地回憶那最後一夜中在他的請求下她所做過的事情，而不像是真正在重複彈唱。可是，她在鬱鬱寡歡的孤獨中經常地、極爲經常地重複彈唱着它；當甜美的歌聲在潸潸的淚水中寂然消逝時，樂鍵仍叮叮鼕鼕地震顫着斷斷續續的曲調聲。

Thus she gained heart to look upon the work with which her fingers had been busy by his side on the sea-shore; and thus it was not very long before she took to it again — with something of a human love for it, as if it had been sentient and had known him; and, sitting in a window, near her mother's picture, in the unused room so long deserted, wore away the thoughtful hours.

就這樣，她又有了勇氣去觀賞她過去在海濱挨近他的身旁、手指忙碌不停地做過的針線活；就這樣，時間過去不很久，她又重新做起針線活來，心中對它懷着某種人類的愛，彷彿它是有知覺的，是記得他似的；她在長久棄置不用、無人居住的房間裏，坐在靠近母親遺像的窗口，在沉思中消磨了一個個小時。

一re：n.自然界, 性質, 自然, 自然狀態, 本性, 類型
【語法用法】
human nature 意爲“人性，人情”，good nature 意爲“好脾氣”，ill nature意爲“不友善，壞脾氣”，以及second nature意爲“第二天性”。以上這些用法中nature前不加the或者a，也沒有複數形式；
animal nature意爲“獸性”，moral nature意爲“道德性”，以及rational nature意爲“理性”。這幾種表達方式前面都有the；
of a literary nature和of a religious nature等表達方式裏有a；
一個特別的句子：
To know nature is to love her.
這裏用her，其實是把大自然擬人化了。
【錯句舉例與錯句分析】
錯句: Man is engaged in a constant struggle with the nature.
訂正: Man is engaged in a constant struggle with nature.
翻譯: 人類一直致力於與自然做鬥爭中。
分析: nature在解釋爲“大自然”時，前面不加任何冠詞。
【詞義辨析】
temper, character, nature, personality, disposition, complexion
這些名詞均有“性格、氣質、性情、習性”之意。
temper指從感情方面體現出來，決定處理問題或應付形勢的方式的性格或性情，這種性情可以是暫時的也可以長久的。
character指對個性或人格所作出的客觀評價，常常與道德有關。
nature指其天性。
personality主要指個性。
disposition書面用詞，指人的主要愛好或思想、精神方面的重要習性、氣質。也可指短暫的情緒。
complexion指由思維方式、態度和情緒所決定的本質特徵。
【例句用法】
After a while, driving becomes second nature to you.
過不多久，開車的動作就像本能的反應一樣了。
二rt：n.沙漠, 荒地, 應得(的懲罰或獎勵) v.遺棄, 離棄, 放棄, 擅離職守
【語法用法】
a desert表示“荒蕪的地方”，指“一片沙漠”。表達“多片沙漠或荒地”時，用deser；
desert前有時可以加the有時可省，如a great stretch of desert的表達方式中沒有the。
Camels are peculiarly adapted for life in the desert.
駱駝特別能適應沙漠裏的生活。
注意desert和dessert的區分。只是差了一個字母s，但是前者表示“沙漠，荒地”，後者則表示“甜點，甜品”。
【詞義辨析】
abandon, desert, forsake, leave, give up
這些動詞或詞組均含“拋棄、放棄”之意
abandon強調永遠或完全放棄或拋棄人或事物等，這可能是被迫的，也可能是自願的。
desert着重指違背法律責任和義務，或自己的信仰與誓言的行爲，多含非難的意味。
leave普通用詞，指捨棄某事或某一職業，或終止同一某人的關係，但不涉及動機與結果。
give up普通用語，側重指沒有希望或因外界壓力而放棄。
【例句用法】
The guard deserted his post.
衛兵擅自離開了他的崗位。