傲慢與偏見選讀 【中英雙語(yǔ)】

故事的女主人公伊麗莎白·班納特(凱拉·奈特麗)出身于小地主家庭，有四個(gè)姐妹，姐姐簡(jiǎn)·班納特、妹妹瑪麗·班納特、凱蒂·班納特和萊蒂婭·班納特。姐妹五人單調(diào)且略顯平靜的生活伴隨著兩個(gè)年輕小伙子的到來(lái)而泛起無(wú)可平滅的波瀾。健康向上的賓格里和富家子達(dá)西(馬修·麥克法登)是一對(duì)要好的朋友，在結(jié)識(shí)了鎮(zhèn)上班納特家的這“五朵金花”之后，一段美麗而飽含“傲慢與偏見”的愛情故事。

Chapter 1

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.

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

Mr. Bennet replied that he had not.

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

Mr. Bennet made no answer.

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

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

This was invitation enough.

"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 a chaise 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."

"What is his name?"

"Bingley."

"Is he married or single?"

"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!"

"How so? how can it affect them?"

"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."

"Is that his design in settling here?"

"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."

"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."

"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."

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

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

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

"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."

"You are over-scrupulous, 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."

"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."

"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."

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

"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."

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

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

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

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

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.

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)。

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，你聽說(shuō)過(guò)沒有?”

班納特先生回答道，他沒有聽說(shuō)過(guò)。

“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。”

班納特先生沒有理睬她。

“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。

“既是你要說(shuō)給我聽，我聽聽也無(wú)妨。”

這句話足夠鼓勵(lì)她講下去了。

“哦!親愛的，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。”

“這個(gè)人叫什么名字?”

“彬格萊。”

“有太太的呢，還是單身漢?”

“噢!是個(gè)單身漢，親愛的，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!”

“這怎么說(shuō)?關(guān)女兒女兒們什么事?”

“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!”

“他住到這兒來(lái)，就是為了這個(gè)打算嗎?”

“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。”

“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?”

“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。”

“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。”

“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。”

“老實(shí)跟你說(shuō)吧，這不是我份內(nèi)的事。”

“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;

“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。”

“我希望你別這么做。麗萃沒有一點(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。你可老是偏愛她。”

“她們沒有哪一個(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。”

“我的好老爺，你怎么舍得這樣糟蹋自己的親生女兒?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。”

“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)，我一直聽道你慎重其事地提到它們。”

“啊!你不知道我怎樣受苦呢!”

“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。”

“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!”

“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。”

班納特先生真是個(gè)古怪人，他一方面喜歡插科打渾，愛挖苦人，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新聞。