牛津書蟲系列 神秘及幻想故事集 03 The Masque of the Red Death

The Masque of the Red Death

紅死魔假面舞會

The Red Death had been in the country for many，many years.No disease had ever been so deadly.People called it the Red Death because it left blood，red horrible blood，on the body and face of each person it visited.And no one，if visited，was ever left alive.Once a person was touched by the Red Death，he immediately felt pains，and soon afterwards started to bleed from every part of his body.in thirty minutes he was dead.After that no one，not even his family，went near the blood-covered body.

紅死病已在國內(nèi)肆虐很多、很多個年頭了，還不曾有過哪種疾病是如此致命的。人們稱之為紅死病，是因為它每降臨到一個人頭上，那人的面部和身體就會出血，就會流出恐怖的、殷紅的鮮血;還有，罹病之人無一得以幸存人世。一旦某個人遭到了紅死魔的觸摸，他就會立即感到疼痛，此后不久身體各處開始出血，三十分鐘之內(nèi)準(zhǔn)會喪命。然后，所有人，哪怕是他的家人，都不敢靠近那鮮血淋漓的尸體。

Everybody was afraid of the Red Death-everybody except the fearless Prince Prospero.He refused to be troubled by it.Although half the people of his country had already died from this terrible disease，he continued to enjoy life to the full.One day he decided to invite a thousand of his strong and brave friends to stay with him in one of his castles，far out in the countryside.There the Red Death would not be able to touch them.

人人懼怕紅死病——只有無畏的普洛斯佩羅親王是個例外。他拒絕為此所困擾。盡管在他的國家里已有半數(shù)民眾被這可怕的疾病奪去了生命，他仍然繼續(xù)充分地享受生活。一天，他決定邀請一千位健壯、勇敢的朋友同他一道去他遠在鄉(xiāng)間的一座城堡居祝在那里，紅死魔對他們將無計可施。

It was a huge and extraordinary castle，built to Prince Prospero's own plan.It had strong high walls and great gates of heavy metal.Now when the Prince and his friends arrived at the castle gates they went inside，locked the gates carefully and threw away the keys.In that way no one would be able to enter or escape.They were all there together，far away from the Red Death.Now they could forget the world outside and think only of themselves.They had everything they needed to amuse themselves，because the Prince had forgotten nothing.He had brought in food and wine，actors，musicians，and dancers.All of this，and life itself，was inside the castle.Outside lay the Red Death.

這座城堡規(guī)模宏大，非同凡響，是按照普洛斯佩羅親王親自設(shè)計的藍圖建造的，它有著巍然高聳的堅固城墻以及沉甸甸的金屬大門?，F(xiàn)在，親王和他的朋友們來到城堡的大門前;他們進入城堡，仔細地鎖好大門，然后將鑰匙扔掉。這樣一來，就沒有一個人能夠進入或是逃走了;他們都在一起，遠遠地避開紅死魔，并且得以忘掉外面的世界，僅僅關(guān)注他們自己。供自己取樂用的東西他們樣樣都有，因為親王什么都沒忘了帶。他帶來了食物、美酒、演員、樂師和舞者。所有這一切，再加上生命本身，均處于城堡內(nèi)部;城堡外面則是紅死病的天下。

Towards the end of the fifth or sixth month，while the Red Death was at its most deadly outside，the Prince gave a wonderful masked ball for his friends.It was a wild and wonderful ball，but first let me tell you about the rooms in which he gave the ball.There were seven rooms in all.In most castles，of course，the rooms for great parties or dances join each other end to end.In this way，when the doors at the end of each room are opened，the seven rooms become one huge room，and you can see from the first room right through to the last one.In Prospero's castle，it was different.Each room turned suddenly round a corner into the next，so if you were standing in one room it was impossible to see into the other rooms.

到了第五或第六個月的末尾，外面正是紅死病最為猖獗的時候，親王卻舉辦了一個盛大的假面舞會招待他的朋友們。舞會開得熱烈奔放、精彩絕倫，不過首先讓我來向諸位介紹一下舉辦舞會的場地?？偣灿衅唛g屋子。當(dāng)然，在大多數(shù)城堡里，舉行大型宴會或舞會的房間都是彼此銜接、首尾相連的。按照這種布局，每一間屋子兩端的門一開，七間屋子就會變成一個大房間，你可以從第一間屋子徑直望見最后一間。然而在普洛斯佩羅的城堡里，情形就有所不同了，每一個房間要繞過一個拐角才突然轉(zhuǎn)而成為下一個房間。這樣，如果你站在其中一個房間里，你是不可能望見其他幾個房間的。

In the middle of each wall，on the right and left，there was a tall，narrow window opening onto the closed passage which ran along beside all seven rooms.Each window was made of different coloured glass，and the colour of the glass was the same as the colour of the room that it opened onto.The first room，for example，was blue，and so its windows were also a deep blue.The second room was purple，and so the windows，too，were purple.The third was green，with green windows，the fourth orange，the fifth white，and the sixth violet.The seventh room was black.Its walls were black，its thick，heavy carpet was also black.But its windows were red-a deep blood-red.

在每間屋子左右兩面墻的中部，各開著一扇又高又窄的窗戶，窗外是一個封閉的走廊，它在全部七個房間旁邊經(jīng)過。每扇窗戶都鑲著不同顏色的玻璃，而玻璃的顏色又同窗戶所處的房間的色調(diào)相一致。比如，第一個房間是藍色的，所以它的兩扇窗戶都是深藍色的;第二個房間是紫色的，它的窗戶也就是紫色的;第三個房間是綠色的，安著綠窗戶;第四個為橙黃色;第五個為白色;第六個為紫羅蘭色。第七個房間是黑色的，四壁涂成黑色，又厚又重的地毯也是黑色的;然而這間屋子的窗戶卻是紅色的——一種深濃的血紅。

There were no candles in any of the rooms.The only light came from fires，in hanging metal baskets，which were in the passages outside the rooms.Each fire was opposite a window，and so the light from the fire shone through the coloured glass and filled each room with strange and fantastic shadows.But in the black room the firelight that shone through the blood-red window changed the room into something too horrible to describe.In that strange light，faces became wild and frightening，and few people were brave enough to enter the room at all.

哪間屋子里都是不點蠟燭的。唯有的光亮來自屋子外面走廊里掛著的金屬吊籃中燃著的火焰。每一團火焰正對著一扇窗戶，于是火光透過彩色玻璃映射進來，使每一間屋子都布滿古怪、奇異的影子?？墒?，那間黑色屋子在透過血紅色窗戶投射進來的火光映照下卻變得難以形容地恐怖瘆人。在那怪異的光芒中，一張張面孔顯得又瘋狂又可怖;根本就沒有幾個人膽大得敢走進那間屋子。

In this room，against the farthest wall，stood a huge black clock Every hour it chimed loud and deep and clear，filling the castle with its long，gloomy sound.And while the clock chimed，the musicians stopped playing and even the wildest dancers stood still，in silence and fear，listening to the passing of another hour hour…But when the chiming stopped，people looked at each other and laughed，trying hard to pretend that they had not been frightened.Happiness came into the castle again，until the clock chimed the passing of the next hour，and the same fear returned.

在這間屋子里，靠著最遠處那面墻立著一座黑色的大鐘，每到整點便以洪亮、深沉、清晰的聲音報時，讓那悠長、陰森的轟鳴響徹整個城堡。每當(dāng)大鐘報時，樂師們便停止演奏音樂，就連最狂熱的舞者也要呆呆地站定，一聲不吭、滿心恐懼地諦聽著又一個鐘頭的流逝……但是一旦報時結(jié)束，人們便彼此相視大笑，盡力裝出一副根本沒有受到驚嚇的樣子。歡樂再一次降臨到城堡之中，直到大鐘宣布下一個鐘頭逝去的時候，相同的恐懼才會回到他們心里。

Prince Prospero's ball，although given in these strange rooms，was wild and happy.The Prince had planned every-thing-the colours，the paintings on the walls，even the cloaks and masks worn by each one of his friends.He had chosen all the clothes with the greatest of care，putting together the beautiful and the ugly，the strange and the fantastic，the surprising and the frightening.

普洛斯佩羅親王的舞會盡管是在這樣幾間希奇占怪的屋子中舉行的，卻開得甚為無法無天、恣情縱欲。親王籌劃了一切——房間的色彩，墻上掛的圖畫，甚至供每一位朋友穿戴的斗篷和面具都準(zhǔn)備好了。他盡最大努力精心挑選了所有的衣裝，集美與丑、荒誕不經(jīng)與異想天開、別出心裁與怵目驚心于一體襄此盛舉。

Each man and woman was dressed like a terrible dream.And in and out of the rooms these dreams walked and danced，their clothes changing colour each time they entered a different room.But no one was brave enough now to enter the black room.As the night passed and the fires burned brighter，the colours and shapes in this room became more horrible than ever.The black carpet and walls seemed full of gloom，and the deep chimes of the black clock sounded even more frightening.

男男女女們裝扮得好似一個個噩夢，這些噩夢在一間間屋子中進進出出，走動著，跳著舞，每走進一間色調(diào)不同的屋子，身上的衣服就變換一次顏色。但現(xiàn)在沒有一個人膽敢走進那間黑色的屋子了。夜一點點過去，火焰燃燒得更亮了，映得這間屋子里的色彩與怪影比以往更為恐怖。黑黢黢的地毯和四壁看上去極為陰森，那黑色大鐘深沉的報時聲聽起來更加令人毛骨悚然。

But the other six rooms were full of life and pleasure.People were dancing and singing，talking and laughing，and the wild noise of a thousand happy men and women rang through the castle.Then came the hour of midnight，and once again dancers and musicians became still and silent，as the clock slowly rang the twelve long chimes of midnight.And because the twelve chimes took a long time to ring，each person had more time to think，and feel uncomfortable.They also had time，before the last chime had sounded，to notice a masked figure who had not been there before.The first person who saw the stranger told the next person，who told another，and in a few minutes a cry of fear and horror rose up from the crowd.

不過另外六間屋子里面則是生機盎然，一片笑語歡聲。人們唱啊跳啊，說啊笑啊，一千名快樂的男男女女縱情狂歡的嘈雜聲在城堡中回蕩著。然后午夜的時刻到來了，跳舞者與樂師們再一次變得安安靜靜、一語不發(fā)，聽著大鐘緩緩地發(fā)出午夜的十二聲悠長的轟鳴。由于這十二下報時的鐘聲用了很久才打完，每一個人便有了更多的時間陷入沉思，感到不安。他們同樣有時間在最后一下報時鐘聲鳴響之前注意到一個先前并不在場的戴面具的形象。第一個看到這陌生人的人告訴了第二個人，第二個又告訴了第三個，就這樣，幾分鐘不到，人群中響起了一陣驚恐萬狀的叫聲。

Now you will remember that everyone at the ball was wearing strange cloaks and masks，which belonged more to the world of dreams and wild imagination than to everyday life.So why，you may ask，this horror，and this fear?But even in the cruellest heart there are some fears too terrible to laugh at The tall thin figure of the stranger was dressed from head to foot in the white clothes of the dead.And the mask over the face was frighteningly real-it was the face of a dead man.Worse still，the face and the body were covered with red，horrible blood!Here，in the middle of all that dancing and happiness was a living picture of the Red Death!

現(xiàn)在諸位會記起，參加舞會的每一個人都是穿戴著千奇百怪的斗篷和面具的，而這些裝束在日常生活中并不常見，它們更多地屬于一個夢幻與狂想的世界。那么，諸位會問了，又何必驚慌、何必害怕呢?話雖這么說，但即便是在最殘忍無情的人心里，也埋藏著可怕得難以一笑置之的恐懼。那個身量又高又瘦的陌生人從頭到腳穿著死人穿的白色壽袍，臉上戴的面具令人生畏地逼真——那是一張死人的臉。更糟糕的是，他的臉上和身體上布滿了猩紅、駭人的鮮血!眼下，在歌舞升平和歡聲笑語中間竟然出了個紅死魔的活生生的化身!

When Prince Prospero saw the masked stranger，his face became white with fear.Then his fear turned to anger and he shouted out，‘Who is that?Who is mad enough to play games with us，and with death，in this way?Take hold of him，and pull off his mask.I want to see the face of the man who，tomorrow，will hang from the castle roof.’

普洛斯佩羅親王一看見那戴面具的不速之客，便嚇得臉色慘白。接著，他的驚恐又變成了憤怒;他嚷道：“那是什么人?什么人竟然如此喪心病狂，拿死亡跟我們開這種玩笑?把他抓起來，撕掉他的面具。我要看看這家伙的臉，明天再把他吊死在城堡的頂上。”

The Prince was in the blue room as he said these words.They rang loudly and clearly through the seven rooms.Many of the Prince's friends started to run towards the masked figure，but they were all too frightened to touch him.With slow and silent steps，the stranger walked slowly towards the Prince，passing very near to him.Then he continued walking，and went from the blue room into the purple one，from the purple into the green，and then into the orange room，the white room and then the violet room.No one tried to stop him.

親王說這番話的時候正站在藍色的房間里，聲音洪亮而清晰地響徹七個房間。親王的好多朋友抬腿向那戴面具之人奔去，但他們都怕得厲害，不敢動他。那陌生人一言不發(fā)，邁著不慌不忙的步子朝親王緩緩走去，緊挨著走過他身旁之后，又繼續(xù)踱著步子從藍色房間進了紫色房間，從紫色房間進了綠色房間，然后依次進了橙黃色房間、白色房間和紫羅蘭色房間。沒有人敢于阻止他。

Then Prince Prospero，mad with anger，hurried through the six rooms，with a sword in his hand.As the masked figure entered the black room，the Prince was close behind him，hold-ing his sword up high.At that moment the stranger turned suddenly to look at the Prince. There was a loud cry-and the sword fell upon the black carpet，followed by the dead body of the fearless Prince Prospero.

這時，普洛斯佩羅親王氣得發(fā)瘋，急忙手執(zhí)一柄寶劍穿過六個房間趕來。當(dāng)那戴面具之人走進黑色房間時，親王趕到他身后，將寶劍高高舉起。就在這一刻，那陌生人突然轉(zhuǎn)過身來，緊盯著親王。只聽得一聲慘叫——那柄寶劍掉落在黑色的地毯上，緊接著倒下來的是無畏的普洛斯佩羅親王的尸體。

At once a crowd of people ran into the black room and took hold of the masked stranger.He was standing very still，in the shadow of the black clock.Angrily， they pulled away the clothes and the mask，but then they backed away in horror，because inside the clothes and mask they found-nothing.

一群人立即沖進黑色房間，抓住了那個戴面具的不速之客。他正一動不動地站在黑色大鐘的陰影里。人們憤怒地扯掉了袍子和面具，但是他們接著又恐懼地退了回去，因為他們在袍子和面具下面沒有找到任何東西。

And now each person in the castle understood that the Red Death was there， among them. It had come like a thief in the night.And one by one they fell down dead.And the black clock stopped ringing with the death of the last person.And the fires also died away.And the only things left in the castle were Darkness and the Red Death.

至此，城堡里的每一個人都明白了，紅死魔已經(jīng)到來，就在他們中間;他像個盜賊一樣于深夜溜了進來。于是，人們一個接一個地倒地身亡，當(dāng)最后一個人死掉時，那座黑色大鐘也停止了鳴響。火焰也歸于寂滅。城堡中只余下黑暗和紅死魔，此外別無一物。