书城教材教辅新课标英语学习资源库-雪人
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第15章 The Wild Swans(8)

One person only had seen her,and that was the archbishop—he was awake while everybody was asleep.Now he thought his opinion was evidently correct.All was not right with the queen.She was a witch,and had bewitched the king and all the people.Secretly he told the king what he had seen and what he feared,and as the hard words came from his tongue,the carved images of the saints shook their heads as if they would say.“It is not so.Eliza is innocent.”

只有一个人看见了她——那位大主教。当别人正在睡觉的时候,他却起来了。他所猜想的事情现在完全得到了证实:这位王后并不是一个真正的王后——她是一个巫婆,因此她迷住了国王和全国的人民。他在忏悔室里把他所看到的和疑虑的事情都告诉了国王。当这些苛刻的字句从他的舌尖上流露出来的时候,众神的雕像都摇起头来,好像想要说:“事实完全不是这样!伊莱扎是无罪的!”

But the archbishop interpreted it in another way.He believed that they witnessed against her,and were shaking their heads at her wickedness.Two large tears rolled down the kings cheeks,and he went home with doubt in his heart,and at night he pretended to sleep,but there came no real sleep to his eyes,for he saw Eliza get up every night and disappear in her own chamber.

但是大主教对这作了另一种解释——他认为神仙们看到过她犯罪,因此对她的罪孽摇头。这时两行沉重的眼泪沿着国王的双颊流下来了。他怀着一颗疑虑的心回到家里去。他在夜里假装睡着了,可是他的双眼一点睡意也没有。他看到伊莱扎怎样爬起来。她每天晚上都这样做;每一次他总是在后面跟着她,看见她怎样走到她那个单独的小房间里不见了。

From day to day his brow became darker,and Eliza saw it and did not understand the reason,but it alarmed her and made her heart tremble for her brothers.Her hot tears glittered like pearls on the regalregal adj.帝王的,适于帝王的velvet and diamonds,while all who saw her were wishing they could be queens.In the mean time she had almost finished her task.Only one coat of mail was wanting,but she had no flax left,and not a single nettle.Once more only,and for the last time,must she venture to the churchyard and pluck a few handfuls.She thought with terror of the solitary walk,and of the horrible ghouls,but her will was firm,as well as her trust in Providence.

他的面孔显得一天比一天阴暗起来。伊莱扎注意到这情形,可是她不知道其中的原因。这使她不安起来——而同时她心中还要为她的哥哥忍受着痛苦!她的眼泪滴到她王后的天鹅绒和紫色的衣服上面。这些泪珠停在那儿像发亮的钻石。凡是看到这种豪华富贵的情形的人,也一定希望自己能成为一个王后。在此期间,她的工作差不多快要完成,只缺一件披甲要织。可是她再也没有荨麻了——连一根荨麻也没有。因此她得到教堂的墓地里最后去一趟,再去采几把荨麻来。她一想起这孤寂的路途和那些可怕的吸血鬼,就不禁害怕起来。可是她的意志是坚定的,正如她对我们的上帝的信任一样。

Eliza went,and the king and the archbishop followed her.They saw her vanish through the wicket gate into the churchyard,and when they came nearer they saw the ghouls sitting on the tombstone,as Eliza had seen them,and the king turned away his head,for he thought she was with them—she whose head had rested on his breast that very evening.“The people must condemn(condemn vt.判刑,处刑,声讨,谴责)her.”said he,and she was very quickly condemned by every one to suffer death by fire.

伊莱扎去了,国王和大主教却跟在她后面。他们看到她穿过铁格子门到教堂的墓地里不见了。当他们走近时,墓石上正坐着那群吸血鬼,样子跟伊莱扎所看见过的完全一样。国王马上就把身子掉过去,因为他认为她也是他们中间的一员。这天晚上,她还把头在他的怀里躺过。“让众人来裁判她吧!”他说。众人裁判了她:应该用通红的火把她烧死。

Away from the gorgeous regal halls was she led to a dark,dreary cell,where the wind whistled through the iron bars.Instead of the velvet and silk dresses,they gave her the coats of mail which she had woven to cover her,and the bundle of nettles for a pillowpillow n.枕头,枕垫.But nothing they could give her would have pleased her more.She continued her task with joy,and prayed for help,while the streetboys sang jeering songs about her,and not a soul comforted her with a kind word.

人们把她从那华丽的深宫大殿带到一个阴湿的地窖里去——这儿风从格子窗呼呼地吹进来。人们不再让她穿起天鹅绒和丝制的衣服,却给她一捆她自己采集来的荨麻。她可以把头枕在这荨麻上面,把她亲手织的、粗硬的披甲当做被盖。不过再也没有什么别的东西比这更能使她喜爱的了。她欢心地继续工作着,同时向上帝祈祷帮助。在外面,街上的孩子们唱着讥笑她的歌曲,没有任何人说一句好话来安慰她。

Towards evening,she heard at the grating the flutter of a swans wing,it was her youngest brother—he had found his sister,and she sobbed for joy,although she knew that very likely this would be the last night she would have to live.But still she could hope,for her task was almost finished,and her brothers were come.

在黄昏的时候,有一只天鹅的拍翅声在格子窗外响起来了——这就是她最小的一位哥哥,他现在找到了他的妹妹。她快乐得不禁高声地呜咽起来,虽然她知道快要到来的这一晚可能就是她所能活过的最后一晚。但是她的工作也只差一点就快要全部完成了,而且她的哥哥们也已经到场。

Then the archbishop arrived,to be with her during her last hours,as he had promised the king.But she shook her head,and begged him,by looks and gestures,not to stay,for in this night she knew she must finish her task,otherwise all her pain and tears and sleepless nights would have been suffered in vain.The archbishop withdrew,uttering bitter words against her,but poor Eliza knew that she was innocent,and diligently continued her work.