《简·爱》 Chapter 37 第三十七章（18）

I softened¹ considerably² what related to the three days of wandering and starvation,

我大大淡化了三天的流浪和挨饿的情景，

because to have told him all would have been to inflict³ unnecessary pain:

因为把什么都告诉他，只会增加他不必要的痛苦。

the little I did say lacerated his faithful heart deeper than I wished.

但是我确实告诉他的一丁点儿，也撕碎了他那颗忠实的心，其严重程度超出了我的预料。

I should not have left him thus, he said, without any means of making my way:

他说，我不应该两手空空地离开他，

I should have told him my intention.

我应该把我的想法跟他说说。

I should have confided⁴ in him: he would never have forced me to be his mistress.

我应当同他推心置腹，他决不会强迫我做他的情妇。

Violent as he had seemed in his despair, he, in truth, loved me far too well and too tenderly to constitute himself my tyrant⁵:

尽管他绝望时性情暴烈，但事实上，他爱我至深至亲，绝不会变成我的暴君。

he would have given me half his fortune, without demanding so much as a kiss in return,

他宁愿送我一半财产，而连吻一下作为回报的要求都不提。

rather than I should have flung myself friendless on the wide world.

与其让我把自己举目无亲地抛向茫茫人世，

I had endured, he was certain, more than I had confessed to him.

他确信，我所忍受的比我说给他听的要严重得多。

"Well, whatever my sufferings had been, they were very short,"

“嗯，我受的苦再多，时间都不长。”

I answered: and then I proceeded to tell him how I had been received at Moor⁶ House;

我回答。随后我告诉他如何被接纳进沼泽居；

how I had obtained the office of schoolmistress, etc.

如何得到教师的职位，等，

The accession of fortune, the discovery of my relations, followed in due order.

以及获得财产，发现亲戚 按时间顺序，——叙述。

Of course, St. John Rivers' name came in frequently in the progress of my tale.

当然随着故事的进展，圣·约翰·里弗斯的名字频频出现。

When I had done, that name was immediately taken up.

我一讲完自己的经历，这个名字便立即提出来了。

"This St. John, then, is your cousin?"

“那么，这位圣·约翰是你的表兄了？”

"Yes."

“是的，”

"You have spoken of him often: do you like him?"

“你常常提到他，你喜欢他吗？”

"He was a very good man, sir; I could not help liking⁷ him."

“他是个大好人，先生，我不能不喜欢他。”

"A good man. Does that mean a respectable well-conducted man of fifty?

“一个好人？那意思是不是一个体面而品行好的五十岁男人？

Or what does it mean?"

不然那是什么意思？”

"St John was only twenty-nine, sir."

“圣·约翰只有二十九岁，先生。”

"'Jeune encore,' as the French say.

“Jeuneencore，”就像法国人说的。

Is he a person of low stature⁸, phlegmatic⁹, and plain.

“他是个矮孝冷淡、平庸的人吗？

A person whose goodness consists rather in his guiltlessness of vice¹⁰, than in his prowess in virtue¹¹."

是不是那种长处在于没有过错，而不是德行出众的人？”

1 softened   

（使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰

参考例句：

• His smile softened slightly. 他的微笑稍柔和了些。
• The ice cream softened and began to melt. 冰淇淋开始变软并开始融化。

2 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

3 inflict   

vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担

参考例句：

• Don't inflict your ideas on me.不要把你的想法强加于我。
• Don't inflict damage on any person.不要伤害任何人。

4 confided   

v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等）

参考例句：

• She confided all her secrets to her best friend. 她向她最要好的朋友倾吐了自己所有的秘密。
• He confided to me that he had spent five years in prison. 他私下向我透露，他蹲过五年监狱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 tyrant   

n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人

参考例句：

• The country was ruled by a despotic tyrant.该国处在一个专制暴君的统治之下。
• The tyrant was deaf to the entreaties of the slaves.暴君听不到奴隶们的哀鸣。

6 moor   

n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊

参考例句：

• I decided to moor near some tourist boats.我决定在一些观光船附近停泊。
• There were hundreds of the old huts on the moor.沼地上有成百上千的古老的石屋。

7 liking   

n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢

参考例句：

• The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
• I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。

8 stature   

n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材

参考例句：

• He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
• The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。

9 phlegmatic   

adj.冷静的，冷淡的，冷漠的，无活力的

参考例句：

• Commuting in the rush-hour requires a phlegmatic temperament.在上下班交通高峰期间乘坐通勤车要有安之若素的心境。
• The british character is often said to be phlegmatic.英国人的性格常说成是冷漠的。

10 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

11 virtue   

n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。