Middlemarch — Page 2

English → Chinese FINALE. PRELUDE. Level 9/10

Many Theresas have been born who found for themselves no epic life wherein there was a constant unfolding of far-resonant action; perhaps only a life of mistakes, the offspring of a certain spiritual grandeur ill-matched with the meanness of opportunity; perhaps a tragic failure which found no sacred poet and sank unwept into oblivion.

许多特蕾莎式的女性相继降生，却发现自己的人生并无史诗般的光辉，没有那种回响深远的行动在其中不断展开；或许有的只是一生的错误，那是某种精神上的崇高与机遇的渺小之间错配的产物；或许是一场悲剧性的失败，无人以神圣的诗篇为之颂扬，最终无声无息地沉入遗忘之中。

With dim lights and tangled circumstance they tried to shape their thought and deed in noble agreement; but after all, to common eyes their struggles seemed mere inconsistency and formlessness; for these later-born Theresas were helped by no coherent social faith and order which could perform the function of knowledge for the ardently willing soul.

在昏暗的光线与错综复杂的境遇之中，她们试图将自己的思想与行动塑造成高贵的和谐统一；然而在世俗的眼光看来，她们的挣扎不过是前后矛盾、散漫无形；因为这些后世的特蕾莎们得不到任何连贯的社会信仰与秩序的助益——而那种信仰与秩序本可为热切渴望的灵魂发挥知识的引导功能。

Their ardor alternated between a vague ideal and the common yearning of womanhood; so that the one was disapproved as extravagance, and the other condemned as a lapse.

她们的热情在模糊的理想与女性共有的平凡渴望之间摇摆不定；以至于前者被视为放纵而遭到否定，后者则被斥为堕落而受到谴责。

Some have felt that these blundering lives are due to the inconvenient indefiniteness with which the Supreme Power has fashioned the natures of women: if there were one level of feminine incompetence as strict as the ability to count three and no more, the social lot of women might be treated with scientific certitude.

有些人认为，这些跌跌撞撞的人生源于造物主在塑造女性天性时所赋予的那种令人困扰的模糊性：倘若女性的能力低下能有一个像"数数不超过三"那样严格划定的统一标准，那么女性的社会处境或许便可以用科学的确定性加以定论。

Meanwhile the indefiniteness remains, and the limits of variation are really much wider than any one would imagine from the sameness of women's coiffure and the favorite love-stories in prose and verse.

然而这种模糊性依然存在，变化的幅度实际上远比任何人从女性千篇一律的发型以及那些广受喜爱的散文与诗歌中的爱情故事所能想象的要宽广得多。

Vocabulary

许多: xǔduō — Many; a large number of things or people.
式的: shì de — In the style of; -like; resembling a certain type.
女性: nǚxìng — Female; women; the female gender.
相继: xiāngjì — One after another; in succession.
降生: jiàngshēng — To be born; to come into the world.
却: què — Yet; but; however; expressing contrast.
发现: fāxiàn — To discover; to find; to realize something.
自己: zìjǐ — Oneself; self; one's own.
的: de — Structural particle indicating possession or modification.
人生: rénshēng — Life; one's life journey and experiences.
并无: bìng wú — In fact has none; does not actually have.
史诗: shǐshī — Epic poem; grand narrative of heroic deeds.
般的: bān de — Like; similar to; of that kind.
光辉: guānghuī — Radiance; glory; brilliant splendor.
没有: méiyǒu — Do not have; there is no; lacking.
那种: nà zhǒng — That kind of; that type of thing.
回响: huíxiǎng — Echo; resonance; reverberating sound or effect.
深远: shēnyuǎn — Far-reaching; profound and lasting in influence.
行动: xíngdòng — Action; activity; to take action.
在: zài — At; in; existing within a place or state.
其中: qízhōng — Among them; within it; in the midst.
不断: bùduàn — Continuously; without stopping; unceasingly.
展开: zhǎnkāi — To unfold; to develop; to spread out.
或许: huòxǔ — Perhaps; maybe; possibly.
有的: yǒude — Some; there are those who; certain ones.
只是: zhǐshì — Only; merely; it is just that.
一生: yīshēng — A lifetime; one's whole life.
错误: cuòwù — Mistake; error; something done incorrectly.
那是: nà shì — That is; that was; referring to something.
某种: mǒu zhǒng — A certain kind of; some type of.
精神: jīngshén — Spirit; mind; mental or spiritual quality.
上的: shàng de — In terms of; on the level of.
崇高: chónggāo — Sublime; lofty; noble and elevated in character.
与: yǔ — And; with; together with.
机遇: jīyù — Opportunity; chance; favorable circumstance.
渺小: miǎoxiǎo — Tiny; insignificant; trivially small in importance.
之间: zhījiān — Between; among; in the middle of.
错配: cuòpèi — Mismatch; incompatible pairing; poor fit between things.
产物: chǎnwù — Product; result; something produced by a process.
是: shì — To be; is; am; are.
一场: yī chǎng — A (measure word for events); one instance of.
悲剧性: bēijùxìng — Tragic in nature; having the quality of tragedy.
失败: shībài — Failure; defeat; to fail at something.
无人: wú rén — No one; nobody; without any person.
以: yǐ — With; using; by means of.
神圣: shénshèng — Sacred; holy; divine and revered.
诗篇: shīpiān — Poem; a piece of verse; poetic writing.
为之: wèi zhī — For it; on its behalf; for that purpose.
颂扬: sòngyáng — To praise; to extol; to celebrate with words.
最终: zuìzhōng — Ultimately; finally; in the end.
无声无息: wú shēng wú xī — Silently and without a trace; completely unnoticed.
地: de — Adverbial particle linking manner to verb.
沉入: chén rù — To sink into; to submerge into something.
遗忘: yíwàng — To forget; to be forgotten; oblivion.
之中: zhīzhōng — Within; in the midst of; among.
昏暗: hūn'àn — Dim; gloomy; poorly lit and dark.
光线: guāngxiàn — Light; rays of light; lighting conditions.
错综复杂: cuòzōng fùzá — Intricate and complex; tangled and complicated situation.
境遇: jìngyù — Circumstances; situation; one's condition in life.
她们: tāmen — They (female); them (referring to women).
试图: shìtú — To attempt; to try to do something.
将: jiāng — To take; to use; particle indicating action on object.
思想: sīxiǎng — Thought; ideology; ideas and thinking.
塑造: sùzào — To shape; to mold; to form a character or thing.
成: chéng — Into; to become; resulting in.
高贵: gāoguì — Noble; dignified; of high and refined quality.
和谐: héxié — Harmonious; in accord; peaceful coexistence.
统一: tǒngyī — Unity; unified; to unify into one whole.
然而: rán'ér — However; yet; but; expressing contrast.
世俗: shìsú — Worldly; secular; conventional society and views.
眼光: yǎnguāng — Perspective; viewpoint; one's way of looking.
看来: kànlái — It seems; it appears; from this viewpoint.
挣扎: zhēngzhá — To struggle; to strive against difficulty.
不过: bùguò — However; merely; only; but.
前后矛盾: qiánhòu máodùn — Self-contradictory; inconsistent between earlier and later.
散漫: sǎnmàn — Undisciplined; loose; lacking focus or organization.
无形: wúxíng — Intangible; formless; without visible shape.
因为: yīnwèi — Because; since; due to the reason that.
这些: zhèxiē — These; referring to the aforementioned items.
后世: hòushì — Later generations; posterity; future ages.
们: men — Plural suffix for pronouns and people nouns.
得不到: dé bu dào — Cannot obtain; unable to get or receive.
任何: rènhé — Any; whatever; whichever; no matter which.
连贯: liánguàn — Coherent; consistent; flowing continuously without breaks.
社会: shèhuì — Society; community; social structure and organization.
信仰: xìnyǎng — Belief; faith; religious or ideological conviction.
秩序: zhìxù — Order; system; organized and regulated arrangement.
助益: zhùyì — Benefit; help; useful assistance or advantage.
而: ér — And; yet; while; connecting clauses with contrast.
本可: běn kě — Could have; originally able to; should have been able.
为: wèi — For; for the sake of; on behalf of.
热切: rèqiē — Eager; earnest; fervent and passionate in desire.
渴望: kěwàng — To yearn for; to long for intensely.
灵魂: línghún — Soul; spirit; one's inner spiritual essence.
发挥: fāhuī — To give play to; to bring into full use.
知识: zhīshi — Knowledge; learning; accumulated information and understanding.
引导: yǐndǎo — To guide; to lead; to direct someone's way.
功能: gōngnéng — Function; capability; the role something performs.
热情: rèqíng — Enthusiasm; passion; warm and fervent feeling.
模糊: móhu — Vague; blurry; unclear and indistinct.
理想: lǐxiǎng — Ideal; aspiration; a cherished goal or vision.
共有: gòngyǒu — Shared; jointly owned; held in common.
平凡: píngfán — Ordinary; common; lacking distinction or specialness.
摇摆不定: yáobǎi bù dìng — Wavering; indecisive; swinging back and forth without settling.
以至于: yǐzhìyú — To the extent that; so much so that; resulting in.
前者: qiánzhě — The former; the first of two mentioned items.
被: bèi — Passive marker; by; used to indicate passive voice.
视为: shì wéi — To regard as; to view as; to consider to be.
放纵: fàngzòng — Indulgence; licentiousness; lack of self-restraint.
遭到: zāodào — To suffer; to encounter (something negative); to meet with.
否定: fǒudìng — Negation; to deny; to reject as invalid.
后者: hòuzhě — The latter; the second of two mentioned items.
则: zé — Then; in that case; on the other hand.
被斥为: bèi chì wéi — To be denounced as; labeled and condemned as something.
堕落: duòluò — Degeneration; moral corruption; falling into depravity.
受到: shòudào — To receive; to be subjected to; to experience.
谴责: qiǎnzé — Condemnation; censure; strong moral criticism.
有些人: yǒuxiē rén — Some people; certain individuals; a portion of people.
认为: rènwéi — To think; to believe; to consider something to be.
跌跌撞撞: diēdie zhuàngzhuàng — Stumbling along; lurching and bumbling; moving unsteadily.
源于: yuányú — To originate from; to stem from; to be rooted in.
造物主: zàowùzhǔ — The Creator; God; the maker of all things.
天性: tiānxìng — Natural disposition; innate nature; inborn character.
时: shí — When; at the time of; during.
所: suǒ — Particle used before verbs indicating the object of action.
赋予: fùyǔ — To endow with; to bestow; to grant a quality.
令人: lìng rén — Causing people to feel; making one feel a certain way.
困扰: kùnrǎo — To trouble; to perplex; causing confusion or distress.
模糊性: móhuxìng — Ambiguity; vagueness; the quality of being unclear.
倘若: tǎngruò — If; supposing that; in the event that.
能力: nénglì — Ability; capability; skill to do something.
低下: dīxià — Low; inferior; below standard in level or quality.
一个: yī gè — One; a single (measure word for general objects).
像: xiàng — Like; similar to; resembling.
数数: shǔ shù — To count numbers; to enumerate one by one.
不超过: bù chāoguò — Not exceeding; no more than a specified amount.
三: sān — Three; the number 3.
那样: nàyàng — Like that; in that way; of that manner.
严格: yángé — Strict; rigorous; demanding and precise.
划定: huàdìng — To demarcate; to define; to draw a clear boundary.
标准: biāozhǔn — Standard; criterion; benchmark for measurement or judgment.
那么: nàme — Then; in that case; so; therefore.
处境: chǔjìng — Situation; circumstances; one's predicament or position.
用: yòng — To use; with; by means of.
科学: kēxué — Science; scientific; based on systematic knowledge.
确定性: quèdìngxìng — Certainty; definiteness; the quality of being certain.
加以: jiāyǐ — To apply; to deal with; used before verb to indicate action.
定论: dìnglùn — Definitive conclusion; final verdict; settled judgment.
这种: zhè zhǒng — This kind of; this type of thing.
依然: yīrán — Still; as before; remaining unchanged.
存在: cúnzài — To exist; existence; to be present.
变化: biànhuà — Change; variation; transformation over time.
幅度: fúdù — Magnitude; range; the extent or scope of change.
实际上: shíjìshang — In fact; actually; in reality.
远比: yuǎn bǐ — Far more than; much greater than by comparison.
任何人: rènhé rén — Anyone; any person whatsoever.
从: cóng — From; starting from; based on.
千篇一律: qiān piān yī lǜ — Stereotyped; monotonously uniform; all exactly the same.
发型: fàxíng — Hairstyle; the way one's hair is styled.
以及: yǐjí — As well as; and; along with.
那些: nàxiē — Those; referring to previously mentioned items.
广受: guǎng shòu — Widely received; broadly enjoyed or appreciated by many.
喜爱: xǐ'ài — To love; to be fond of; to enjoy greatly.
散文: sǎnwén — Prose; non-poetic literary writing in free form.
诗歌: shīgē — Poetry; poems; verse literature.
中的: zhōng de — Within; found inside; contained in something.
爱情故事: àiqíng gùshi — Love story; a narrative about romantic love.
所能: suǒ néng — What one is able to; the extent of one's capacity.
想象: xiǎngxiàng — To imagine; imagination; mental visualization.
要: yào — To want; must; will; indicating necessity or desire.
宽广: kuānguǎng — Broad; wide; expansive in scope or extent.
得多: de duō — Much more; a great deal more (comparative intensifier).

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