牛津書蟲系列 弗蘭肯斯坦 06

6

6

At first I decided to tell the police my story. But would they believe me? I had been very ill. When the police learnt about my illness， they would think the monster was just one of my bad dreams. I decided that I could not tell anybody.

起先我打算把我的故事告訴警察，但他們會相信我嗎?我一直都生著玻如果警察了解到我的病情，他們會認(rèn)為那個(gè)怪物只是我的一個(gè)惡夢而已。我決定不去告訴任何人。

I went home to my family and they were very pleased to see me. Then they told me that the police had found the murderer. Perhaps you will think that this was good news，but I have not told you who the police had arrested.

我回到家里，家人都為見到我而高興。接著他們告訴我說警察已找到了兇手。你也許會認(rèn)為這是個(gè)好消息，但是我還沒有告訴你警察抓的是誰。

As I went into the house，I noticed that one person did not come to meet me. It was Justine，the young woman who looked after the children and who was like a sister to us. And it was Justine that the police had arrested.

在我進(jìn)屋時(shí)，我注意到有個(gè)人沒有來見我。那就是賈斯汀，就是曾照看孩子們并像姐妹一樣對待我們的那個(gè)年輕女孩。而警察逮捕的就是賈斯停

A few days after the murder， the police had searched the house and had found the gold chain in Justine's coat pocket.Everyone in the family knew that Justine had not murdered William. I knew who the murderer was， but I could not tell anyone. We were sure that Justine would be free after the trial， because nobody could believe that she was a murderer.But we were wrong.

在謀殺案發(fā)生了幾天之后，警察搜查了房子并在賈斯汀的外衣口袋里找到了那條金鏈。家里人都知道賈斯汀沒有殺害過威廉。我清楚兇手是誰，但是我不能告訴任何人。我們確信審判過后賈斯汀將會被釋放的，因?yàn)闆]有人相信她是兇手。但是我們錯了。

The trial did not go well for Justine. There were a number of strange facts that were difficult to explain， and the judge decided that she was the murderer. The punishment for murder was death. We argued and cried. We said she could not murder anyone. But nothing could change the judge's order.

審判對賈斯汀不利。有許多難以解釋的奇怪現(xiàn)象，但法官認(rèn)定她就是兇手。謀殺的處罰乃是死刑。我們又申辯又哭喊著。我們說她不可能謀殺任何人。但沒什么能改變法官的判決。

So I got up early and went to the judge's house and told him about the monster. He did not believe me. He thought I was lying in order to save Justine's life.

于是我一大早便起床到法官的家中并告訴他有關(guān)那個(gè)怪物的事情。他不相信我。他認(rèn)為我是為了救賈斯汀而在撒謊。

In the prison Justine waited quietly for death. We spent many hours with her， and she spoke calmly and kindly to us.She was happy because we believed that she had not killed William. And she was almost looking forward to death， be-cause then she would be with William and our dear mother in a place of peace.

賈斯汀在監(jiān)獄里安靜地等著死去。我們同她呆了好幾個(gè)小時(shí)，她從容而溫和地同我們說話。她為我們相信不是她殺害了威廉而高興。她幾乎在期盼著死去，因?yàn)槟菢铀涂梢栽谝粋€(gè)安寧的地方同威廉和我們親愛的媽媽在一起了。

Her love and gentleness added to my great unhappiness. I knew she was going to die because of me. I knew my brother had died because of me. I had brought nothing but sadness and misery to my family.

她的愛心和溫柔加重了我那巨大的痛苦。我知道她將因我而死去。我知道我弟弟已經(jīng)因我而死。我給我家里帶來的只有悲傷和苦難。

I took a boat and went out on Lake Geneva. Why didn't I end my life then? Two things stopped me. My father was old and another death would probably kill him. And I had to stay alive—to keep my family safe from the monster.

我乘船去了日內(nèi)瓦湖。我那時(shí)為什么沒有結(jié)束自己的生命呢?那是因?yàn)閮杉虑椤Ｎ腋赣H已經(jīng)年邁，再有人死很可能會要了他的命。并且我必須活著——以便我的家人免遭怪物的傷害。

Fear for my family and hate for my monster were with me day and night. I became ill again， and Elizabeth's love could not help me. I needed o escape for a while—to leave my unhappiness behind me.So I went to walk alone in the Alps. I hoped the wild beauty of the mountains would help me.

對家人的擔(dān)憂和對怪物的痛恨日夜?fàn)砍吨摇Ｎ以僖淮尾〉沽?，連伊麗莎白的愛也幫不了我。我需要逃避一陣子——去將傷心拋諸腦后。因此我便獨(dú)自一人去阿爾卑斯山散步。我希望群山的曠野之美能夠幫助我。

Slowly I became calmer among the beautiful mountains. I learnt to sleep again， and for days I did not see anybody. Then one morning I saw a figure coming towards me faster than any man could go. It jumped easily over the rocks and I saw with horror the monster that I had created. On his face was a look of deep sadness， but also of evil. At first I could not speak be-cause I hated him so much. But at last I said：

在美麗的山巒中我慢慢地平靜了些。我又學(xué)會了安心去睡，并且有好幾天我都沒有見任何人。后來的一天早晨我看見有個(gè)人朝我走來，比任何人走得都要快。在其輕松地跳過巖石之時(shí)，我便恐懼地看見了我所創(chuàng)造的那個(gè)怪物。他的臉上露出深深的悲傷，但也帶著邪惡。起先我說不出話來，因?yàn)槲姨匏?。但是最后我說道：

‘You are an evil creature. I shall kill you if I can， because you have killed two people that I love.’

“你是個(gè)邪惡的東西。如果我做得到的話，我便會殺了你的，因?yàn)槟阋押λ懒宋覑鄣膬蓚€(gè)人了。”

The monster's yellow eyes looked at me.‘I am the unhappiest creature in the world， but I shall fight for my life，’ he said.‘I am bigger and stronger than you， but I will not start the fight. I shall always be gentle to you because you are my king and creator. You made me， and you should love me and be kind to me， like a father. William and Justine died because you did not love me. Why did you create me if you were not ready to love me?’

怪物的黃色的眼睛看著我。“我是世界上最不幸的人了，但是我得為我的生命而戰(zhàn)斗。”他說道，“雖然我比你大，又比你強(qiáng)壯，但我不會挑起戰(zhàn)斗的。我將永遠(yuǎn)溫柔地對待你，因?yàn)槟闶俏业膰鹾臀业膭?chuàng)造者。你既然造了我，那就應(yīng)該愛我并善待我，就像一個(gè)父親那樣。威廉和賈斯汀的死是因?yàn)槟悴粣畚?。既然你沒有打算愛我那又為什么要創(chuàng)造我呢?”

‘We are enemies，’ I said.‘Leave me now，or let us fight until one of us is dead.You are a murderer. How can I be kind to you?’

“我們是敵人。”我說，“馬上給我離開，否則就讓我們搏斗到我們中的一個(gè)死去為止。你是個(gè)殺人兇手，我怎么會待你好呢?”

‘You say I am a murderer，’ the monster said，‘but you want to kill your own creature. Isn't that wrong，too? I ask you to do one thing for me—listen.Come with me to a warmer place， and listen to my story.Then you can decide.’

“你說我是一個(gè)殺人兇手，”怪物說道，“然而你卻要?dú)⑺滥阕约簞?chuàng)造的生物。這不也是錯誤的嗎?我請你為我做一件事——聽著。跟我到一個(gè)暖和些的地方去并且聽聽我的故事。然后你就可以做出決定了。”

I thought carefully about what he had said.It was true that I had given him life but I had not given him love.I decided to go with him and listen to his story.

我認(rèn)真地考慮了他所說的話。我給了他生命卻沒有給他愛，這是事實(shí)。我決定跟他走并聽聽他的故事。

He took me to a mountain hut where he lit a fire. We sat down by the fire and he began to tell me his story.

他帶我到了一間他已生了火的山間茅屋。我們圍著火坐下后，他便開始講起了他的故事。