讀點好英文:The Sorrows of Young Werther 少年維特的煩惱

The Sorrows of Young Werther 少年維特的煩惱

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Why do I not write to you? And you, a learned man, ask me this? You should be clever enough to guess that I am in a happy mood because in a word I have made an acquaintance who moves my heart in a strange way. I have... I do not know.

It is not easy for me to tell you, in chronological order just how it happened, how I met such a lovely being. I am contented and happy, and therefore not a good historian.

An angel! Nonsense! Everyone calls his loved one thus, does he not? And yet I cannot describe to you how perfect she is, or why she is so perfect; enough to say that she has captured me completely.

So much innocence combined with so much intelligence; such kindness with such firmness; such inner serenity in such an active life.

But all this is foolish talk pure abstract words which fail to describe one single feature of her real person. Another time no, not another time, right at this moment will tell you everything. If I do not do it now, it will never be done.

Because between you and me since I began this letter I have been three times on the point of laying down my pen, having my horse saddled and riding out to her. Although I swore to myself this morning not to do it, I am going every other moment to the window to see how high the sun has climbed. I could not bear it any longer; I had to see her. Here I am back, Wilhelm; I will now eat my supper and then go on writing to you. What a delight it was to see her among the dear lively children, her eight brothers and sisters!

少年維特的煩惱

［德］約翰·沃爾夫?qū)ゑT·歌德

為什么我沒有給你寫信？你，憑你的學(xué)識，居然會問我這個問題？你準(zhǔn)能猜到，我一切都很好，因為，簡單說吧，我認(rèn)識了一個人，她緊緊地牽動著我的心。我已經(jīng)……我也不知道自己怎么啦。

我很難把這事的經(jīng)過有條不紊地告訴你，我認(rèn)識了一位最最可愛的人。我現(xiàn)在感覺既快樂又幸福，所以不能把事情很客觀地寫出來。

一位天使！不用說！誰談起自己的意中人時都會這么說，不是嗎？可是我卻無法向你描述她是多么完美，以及她為什么會那么完美；一句話，她已經(jīng)把我整個心都俘獲了。

她那么淳樸，又那么聰明；那么善良，又那么堅定；那么辛苦，內(nèi)心又那么充滿寧靜。

但所有這些全都是令人討厭的空泛之詞，絲毫反映不出她真實的樣子。下次，不，不是下次，我現(xiàn)在就要立即告訴你。要是現(xiàn)在不說，那就永遠(yuǎn)不會說了。

因為，說心里話，從開始寫這封信到現(xiàn)在，我已經(jīng)有三次想擱下筆，打算讓人給馬備好鞍，騎馬出去找她了。今天早晨我還發(fā)誓不這樣做，可我還是時不時地跑到窗前，看看太陽已經(jīng)爬到多高了。我無法控制自己，我還是去了她那兒?，F(xiàn)在我回來了，威廉，我要吃著夜宵繼續(xù)給你寫信?？吹剿蝗夯顫娍蓯鄣暮⒆?，她的八個弟妹，在一起，我是多么欣喜??！

實戰(zhàn)提升

Practising & Exercise

導(dǎo)讀

約翰·沃爾夫?qū)ゑT·歌德（Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe），18世紀(jì)中葉到19世紀(jì)初德國和歐洲最重要的劇作家、詩人、思想家，他所處的那個時代正是歐洲社會大動蕩大變革的年代。由于當(dāng)時封建制度的日趨崩潰，革命力量的不斷高漲，促使歌德不斷接受先進(jìn)思潮的影響，從而加深了自己對于社會的認(rèn)識，創(chuàng)作出了當(dāng)代最優(yōu)秀的文藝作品。歌德除了詩歌、戲劇、小說之外，在文藝?yán)碚?、哲學(xué)、歷史學(xué)、造型設(shè)計等方面都取得了卓越的成就。

《少年維特的煩惱》是一部書信體小說。主人公維特向往自由、平等的生活，希望從事有益的實際工作。但是，他所處的那個社會卻充滿著等級的偏見和鄙陋的習(xí)氣。保守腐敗的官場、庸俗屈從的市民，勢利傲慢的貴族使他和周圍的現(xiàn)實格格不入。而他自己又陷入毫無希望的愛情之中，最后走上了自殺的不歸路。通過維特的悲劇，小說揭露和批判了當(dāng)時德國社會許多不合理的現(xiàn)實，表達(dá)了覺醒的德國青年一代的革命情緒。

核心單詞

acquaintance [??kweint?ns] n. 相識的人，熟人

capture [?k?pt??] v. 捕獲；俘虜

serenity [si?reniti] n. 平靜，沉著

abstract [??bstr?kt] adj. 難懂的，深奧的

swear [sw??] v. 發(fā)誓；宣誓

翻譯

Why do I not write to you? And you, a learned man, ask me this?

But all this is foolish talk pure abstract words which fail to describe one single feature of her real person.