《简·爱》 Chapter 37 第三十七章（9）

I pressed my lips to his once brilliant and now rayless eyes --

我把嘴唇紧贴着当初目光炯炯如今己黯然无光的眼睛上——

I swept his hair from his brow, and kissed that too.

我拨开了他额上的头发，也吻了一下。

He suddenly seemed to arouse himself: the conviction of the reality of all this seized him.

他似乎突然醒悟，顿时相信这一切都是事实了。

"It is you -- is it, Jane? You are come back to me then?"

“是你——是简吗，那么你回到我这儿来啦？”

"I am."

“是的。”

"And you do not lie dead in some ditch under some stream?

“你没有死在沟里，淹死在溪水底下吗？

And you are not a pining outcast amongst strangers?"

你没有憔悴不堪，流落在异乡人中间吗？”

"No, sir! I am an independent woman now."

“没有，先生。我现在完全独立了。”

"Independent! What do you mean, Jane?"

“独立！这话怎么讲，简？”

"My uncle in Madeira is dead, and he left me five thousand pounds."

“我马德拉的叔叔去世了，留给了我五千英镑。”

"Ah! this is practical -- this is real!" he cried:

“呵，这可是实在的——是真的！”他喊道：

"I should never dream that.

“我决不会做这样的梦。

Besides, there is that peculiar¹ voice of hers, so animating² and piquant³, as well as soft:

而且，还是她独特的嗓子，那么活泼、调皮，又那么温柔，

it cheers my withered⁴ heart; it puts life into it. --

复活了那颗枯竭的心，给了它生命。

What, Janet! Are you an independent woman? A rich woman?"

什么，简，你成了独立的女人了？有钱的女人了？”

"Quite rich, sir.

“很有钱了，先生。

If you won't let me live with you,

要是你不让我同你一起生活，

I can build a house of my own close up to your door, and you may come and sit in my parlour when you want company of an evening."

我可以紧靠你的门建造一幢房子，晚上你要人作伴的时候，你可以过来，坐在我的客厅里。”

"But as you are rich, Jane, you have now, no doubt, friends who will look after you, and not suffer you to devote yourself to a blind lameter like me?"

“可是你有钱了，简，不用说，如今你有朋友会照顾你，不会容许你忠实于一个像我这样的瞎眼瘸子？”

"I told you I am independent, sir, as well as rich: I am my own mistress."

“我同你说过我独立了，先生，而且很有钱、我自己可以作主。”

"And you will stay with me?"

“那你愿意同我呆在一起？”

"Certainly -- unless you object.

“当然——除非你反对。

I will be your neighbour, your nurse, your housekeeper⁵.

我愿当你的邻居，你的护士，你的管家。

I find you lonely: I will be your companion -- to read to you, to walk with you, to sit with you, to wait on you, to be eyes and hands to you.

我发觉你很孤独，我愿陪伴你——读书给你听，同你一起散步，同你坐在一起，侍候你，成为你的眼睛和双手。

Cease to look so melancholy⁶, my dear master; you shall not be left desolate⁷, so long as I live."

别再那么郁郁寡欢了，我的亲爱的主人，只要我还活着，你就不会孤寂了。”

1 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

2 animating   

v.使有生气( animate的现在分词 )；驱动；使栩栩如生地动作；赋予…以生命

参考例句：

• Nature has her animating spirit as well as man who is nature's child. 大自然就象它的孩子――人类一样，有活生生的灵魂。 来自辞典例句
• They were doubtlessly the animating principle of many hours that superficially seemed vacant. 在表面看来无所事事的许多时刻中，它们无疑是活跃的因素。 来自辞典例句

3 piquant   

adj.辛辣的，开胃的，令人兴奋的

参考例句：

• Bland vegetables are often served with a piquant sauce.清淡的蔬菜常以辛辣的沙司调味。
• He heard of a piquant bit of news.他听到了一则令人兴奋的消息。

4 withered   

adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The grass had withered in the warm sun. 这些草在温暖的阳光下枯死了。
• The leaves of this tree have become dry and withered. 这棵树下的叶子干枯了。

5 housekeeper   

n.管理家务的主妇，女管家

参考例句：

• A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。
• She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家，一家人吃得很省。

6 melancholy   

n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
• He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。

7 desolate   

adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂

参考例句：

• The city was burned into a desolate waste.那座城市被烧成一片废墟。
• We all felt absolutely desolate when she left.她走后，我们都觉得万分孤寂。