【經(jīng)典名著閱讀】《傲慢與偏見(jiàn)》第一章

　　It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.

　　凡是有錢的單身漢，總想娶位太太，這已經(jīng)成了一條舉世公認(rèn)的真理。這樣的單身漢，每逢新搬到一個(gè)地方，四鄰八舍雖然完全不了解他的性情如何，見(jiàn)解如何，可是，既然這樣的一條真理早已在人們心目中根深蒂固，因此人們總是把他看作自己某一個(gè)女兒理所應(yīng)得的一筆財(cái)產(chǎn)。

　　"My dear Mr. Bennet," said his lady to him one day, "have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?"

　　有一天班納特太太對(duì)她的丈夫說(shuō)：“我的好老爺，尼日斐花園終于租出去了，你聽(tīng)說(shuō)過(guò)沒(méi)有?”

　　Mr. Bennet replied that he had not.

　　班納特先生回答道，他沒(méi)有聽(tīng)說(shuō)過(guò)。

　　"But it is," returned she; "for Mrs. Long has just been here, and she told me all about it."

　　“的確租出去了，”她說(shuō)，“朗格太太剛剛上這兒來(lái)過(guò)，她把這件事的底細(xì)，一五一十地告訴了我。”

　　Mr. Bennet made no answer.

　　班納特先生沒(méi)有理睬她。

　　"Do not you want to know who has taken it?" cried his wife impatiently.

　　“你難道不想知道是誰(shuí)租去的嗎?”太太不耐煩地嚷起來(lái)了。

　　"You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it."

　　“既是你要說(shuō)給我聽(tīng)，我聽(tīng)聽(tīng)也無(wú)妨。”

　　This was invitation enough.

　　這句話足夠鼓勵(lì)她講下去了。

　　"Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England; that he came down on Monday in achaise and four to see the place, and was so much delighted with it that he agreed with Mr. Morris immediately; that he is to take possession before Michaelmas, and some of his servants are to be in the house by the end of next week."

　　“哦!親愛(ài)的，你得知道，郎格太太說(shuō)，租尼日斐花園的是個(gè)闊少爺，他是英格蘭北部的人;聽(tīng)說(shuō)他星期一那天，乘著一輛駟馬大轎車來(lái)看房子，看得非常中意，當(dāng)場(chǎng)就和莫理斯先生談妥了;他要在‘米迦勒節(jié)’以前搬進(jìn)來(lái)，打算下個(gè)周未先叫幾個(gè)傭人來(lái)住。”

　　"What is his name?"

　　“這個(gè)人叫什么名字?”

　　"Bingley."

　　“彬格萊。”

　　"Is he married or single?"

　　“有太太的呢，還是單身漢?”

　　"Oh! single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!"

　　“噢!是個(gè)單身漢，親愛(ài)的，確確實(shí)實(shí)是個(gè)單身漢!一個(gè)有錢的單身漢;每年有四五千磅的收入。真是女兒們的福氣!”

　　"How so? how can it affect them?"

　　“這怎么說(shuō)?關(guān)女兒女兒們什么事?”

　　"My dear Mr. Bennet," replied his wife, "how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them."

　　“我的好老爺，”太太回答道，“你怎么這樣叫人討厭!告訴你吧，我正在盤算，他要是挑中我們一個(gè)女兒做老婆，可多好!”

　　"Is that his design in settling here?"

　　“他住到這兒來(lái)，就是為了這個(gè)打算嗎?”

　　"Design! nonsense, how can you talk so! But it is very likely that he may fall in love with one of them, and therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes."

　　“打算!胡扯，這是哪兒的話!不過(guò)，他倒作興看中我們的某一個(gè)女兒呢。他一搬來(lái)，你就得去拜訪拜訪他。”

　　"I see no occasion for that. You and the girls may go, or you may send them by themselves, which perhaps will be still better; for, as you are as handsome as any of them, Mr. Bingley might like you the best of the party."

　　“我不用去。你帶著女兒們?nèi)ゾ偷美?，要不你干脆打發(fā)她們自己去，那或許倒更好些，因?yàn)槟愀畠簜儽绕饋?lái)，她們哪一個(gè)都不能勝過(guò)你的美貌,你去了，彬格萊先生倒可能挑中你呢?”

　　"My dear, you flatter me. I certainly have had my share of beauty, but I do not pretend to be any thing extraordinary now. When a woman has five grown up daughters, she ought to give over thinking of her own beauty."

　　“我的好老爺，你太捧我啦。從前也的確有人贊賞過(guò)我的美貌，現(xiàn)在我可有敢說(shuō)有什么出眾的地方了。一個(gè)女人家有了五個(gè)成年的女兒，就不該對(duì)自己的美貌再轉(zhuǎn)什么念頭。”

　　"In such cases, a woman has not often much beauty to think of."

　　“這樣看來(lái)，一個(gè)女人家對(duì)自己的美貌也轉(zhuǎn)不了多少念頭嘍。”

　　"But, my dear, you must indeed go and see Mr. Bingley when he comes into the neighbourhood."

　　“不過(guò)，我的好老爺，彬格萊一搬到我們的鄰近來(lái)，你的確應(yīng)該去看看他。”

　　"It is more than I engage for, I assure you."

　　“老實(shí)跟你說(shuō)吧，這不是我份內(nèi)的事。”

　　"But consider your daughters. Only think what an establishment it would be for one of them. Sir William and Lady Lucas are determined to go, merely on that account, for in general, you know they visit no new comers. Indeed you must go, for it will be impossible for us to visit him, if you do not."

　　“看女兒的份上吧。只請(qǐng)你想一想，她們不論哪一個(gè)，要是攀上了這樣一個(gè)人家，夠多么好。威廉爵士夫婦已經(jīng)決定去拜望他，他們也無(wú)非是這個(gè)用意。你知道，他們通常是不會(huì)拜望新搬來(lái)的鄰居的。你的確應(yīng)該去一次，要是你不去，叫我們?cè)趺慈ァ?rdquo;

　　"You are overscrupulous, surely. I dare say Mr. Bingley will be very glad to see you; and I will send a few lines by you to assure him of my hearty consent to his marrying which ever he chuses of the girls; though I must throw in a good word for my little Lizzy."

　　“你實(shí)在過(guò)分心思啦。彬格萊先生一定高興看到你的;我可以寫封信給你帶去，就說(shuō)隨便他挑中我哪一個(gè)女兒，我都心甘情愿地答應(yīng)他把她娶過(guò)去;不過(guò)，我在信上得特別替小麗萃吹噓幾句。”

　　"I desire you will do no such thing. Lizzy is not a bit better than the others; and I am sure she is not half so handsome as Jane, nor half so good humoured as Lydia. But you are always giving her the preference."

　　“我希望你別這么做。麗萃沒(méi)有一點(diǎn)兒地方勝過(guò)別的幾個(gè)女兒;我敢說(shuō)，論漂亮，她抵不上吉英一半;論性子，好抵不上麗迪雅一半。你可老是偏愛(ài)她。”

　　"They have none of them much to recommend them," replied he; "they are all silly and ignorant like other girls; but Lizzy has something more of quickness than her sisters."

　　“她們沒(méi)有哪一個(gè)值得夸獎(jiǎng)的，”他回答道;“他們跟人家的姑娘一樣，又傻，又無(wú)知;倒是麗萃要比她的幾個(gè)姐妹伶俐些。”

　　"Mr. Bennet, how can you abuse your own children in such way? You take delight invexing me. You have no compassion on my poor nerves."

　　“我的好老爺，你怎么舍得這樣糟蹋自己的新生親生女兒?你是在故意叫我氣惱，好讓你自己得意吧。你半點(diǎn)兒也不體諒我的神經(jīng)衰弱。”

　　"You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these twenty years at least."

　　“你真錯(cuò)怪了我，我的好太太。我非常尊重你的神經(jīng)。它們是我的老朋友。至少在最近二十年以來(lái)，我一直聽(tīng)道你慎重其事地提到它們。”

　　"Ah! you do not know what I suffer."

　　“啊!你不知道我怎樣受苦呢!”

　　"But I hope you will get over it, and live to see many young men of four thousand a year come into the neighbourhood."

　　“不過(guò)我希望你這毛病會(huì)好起來(lái)，那么，象這種每年有四千鎊收入的闊少爺，你就可以眼看著他們一個(gè)個(gè)搬來(lái)做你的鄰居了。”

　　"It will be no use to us if twenty such should come, since you will not visit them."

　　“你既然不愿意去拜訪他們，即使有二十個(gè)搬了來(lái)，對(duì)我們又有什么好處!”

　　"Depend upon it, my dear, that when there are twenty I will visit them all."

　　“放心吧，我的好太太，等到有了二十個(gè)，我一定去一個(gè)個(gè)拜望到。”

　　Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of three and twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character. Her mind was less difficult to develope. She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented, she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news.

　　班納特先生真是個(gè)古怪人，他一方面喜歡插科打渾，愛(ài)挖苦人，同時(shí)又不拘言笑，變幻莫測(cè)，真使他那位太太積二十三年之經(jīng)驗(yàn)，還摸不透他的性格。太太的腦子是很容易加以分析的。她是個(gè)智力貧乏、不學(xué)無(wú)術(shù)、喜怒無(wú)常的女人，只要碰到不稱心的事，她就以為神經(jīng)衰弱。她生平的大事就是嫁女兒;她生平的安慰就是訪友拜客和打聽(tīng)新聞。