名著精讀《傲慢與偏見》第九章 第5節

"Did Charlotte dine with you?"

“夏綠蒂在我們家裏吃飯的嗎？”

"No, she would go home. I fancy she was wanted about the mince pies. For my part, Mr. Bingley, I always keep servants that can do their own work; my daughters are brought up differently. But every body is to judge for themselves, and the Lucases are very good sort of girls, I assure you. It is a pity they are not handsome! Not that I think Charlotte so very plain -- but then she is our particular friend."

“沒有，她硬要回去。據我猜想，大概是她家裏街頭等着她回去做肉餅。彬格萊先生，我僱起傭人來，總得要她們能夠料理份內的事，我的女兒就不是人家那樣教養大的。可是一切要看各人自己，告訴你，盧卡斯家裏的幾個姑娘全是些很好的女孩子。只可惜長得不漂亮！當然並不是我個人以爲夏綠蒂長得難看，她究竟是我們要好的朋友。”

"She seems a very pleasant young woman," said Bingley.

“她看來是位很可愛的姑娘，”彬格萊說。

"Oh! dear, yes; -- but you must own she is very plain. Lady Lucas herself has often said so, and envied me Jane's beauty. I do not like to boast of my own child, but to be sure, Jane -- one does not often see any body better looking. It is what every body says. I do not trust my own partiality. When she was only fifteen, there was a gentleman at my brother Gardiner's in town, so much in love with her, that my sister-in-law was sure he would make her an offer before we came away. But however he did not. Perhaps he thought her too young. However, he wrote some verses on her, and very pretty they were."

“是呀，可是你得承認，她的確長得很難看。盧卡斯太太本人也那麼說，她還羨慕我的吉英長得漂亮呢。我並不喜歡誇張自己的孩子，可是說老實話。這並不是我說話有信心。還在她十五歲的那一年，在我城裏那位兄弟嘉丁納家裏，有位先生就愛上了她，我的弟婦看準了那位先生一定會在臨走以前向她求婚。不過後來他卻沒有提。也許是他以爲她年紀太小了吧。不過他卻爲吉英寫了好些詩，而且寫得很好。”

"And so ended his affection," said Elizabeth impatiently. "There has been many a one, I fancy, overcome in the same way. I wonder who first discovered the efficacy of poetry in driving away love!"

“那位先生的一場戀愛就這麼結束了，”伊麗莎白不耐煩地說。“我想，多少有情人都是這樣把自己克服過來的。詩居然有這種功能──能夠趕走愛情，這倒不知道是誰第一個發現的！”

"I have been used to consider poetry as the food of love," said Darcy.

“我卻一貫認爲，詩是愛情的食糧，”達西說。

"Of a fine, stout, healthy love it may. Every thing nourishes what is strong already. But if it be only a slight, thin sort of inclination, I am convinced that one good sonnet will starve it entirely away."

“那必須是一種優美、堅貞、健康的愛情才行。本身健強了，吃什麼東西都可以獲得滋補。要是隻不過有一點兒蛛絲馬跡，那麼我相信，一首十四行詩準會把它斷送掉。”

y['fænsi] vt. 想象，自認爲，喜好

I fancy I have met you before.
我想我以前或許見過你。

iality n. 偏袒，偏心，癖好

The umpire showed partiality for that team.
那個裁判偏向那個隊。

e n. 詩，韻文，詩節

Many Elizabethan plays are written in blank verse.
伊麗莎白時代的許多戲劇以無韻詩形式寫成。

cacy n. 功效

Aspirin has efficacy in relieving headaches.
阿司匹林有解除頭痛的效能。

et n. 十四行詩

Our teacher told us to recite this sonnet written by Shakespeare.
老師要求我們背誦莎士比亞的這首十四行詩。