Middlemarch — Page 2
许多特蕾莎式的女性相继降生，却始终找不到属于自己的史诗人生——那种充满深远意义、不断展开的宏大行动；也许她们拥有的不过是一生的错误，那是某种崇高精神气质与卑微机遇之间的错配所结出的苦果；也许是一场悲剧性的失败，无人以诗篇记录，默默无闻地沉入遗忘。
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.
在昏暗的光线与纷乱的际遇之中，她们竭力使自己的思想与行动达到高尚的统一；然而在世人眼中，她们的挣扎不过是前后矛盾、杂乱无章；因为这些后世的特蕾莎们，没有任何连贯的社会信仰与秩序可以依托，而那本可为热切渴望有所作为的灵魂提供指引。
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.
她们的热情在模糊的理想与女性普遍的渴望之间摇摆不定：前者被视为放纵越轨而遭非议，后者则被斥为堕落失范而受谴责。
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.
有些人认为，这些跌跌撞撞的人生，根源在于至高力量在塑造女性本质时所赋予的那种令人困惑的模糊性：倘若女性的无能有一条像"只会数到三"那样明确划定的界线，女性的社会处境或许就可以用科学的确定性加以定论。
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.
然而，这种模糊性依然存在，而女性差异的幅度，实际上远比任何人从女性发型的千篇一律、以及那些广受追捧的散文与诗歌爱情故事中所能想象到的，要宽广得多。
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.
Vocabulary
- Many
- 大量的、许多的、众多的
- have
- 拥有、具有、经历过
- been
- 是（be动词的过去分词）
- born
- 出生的、天生的
- who
- 谁、那个人
- found
- 发现、建立、找到
- for
- 为了、对于、因为
- themselves
- 他们自己、她们自己
- no
- 没有、不、否定词
- epic
- 史诗般的、宏大的、壮观的
- life
- 生活、生命、人生经历
- there
- 那里、在那个地方
- was
- 是（be动词过去式）
- constant
- 持续的、不断的、恒定的
- unfolding
- 展开、逐渐显露、发展过程
- of
- 的、属于
- action
- 行动、动作、行为
- perhaps
- 也许、可能、或许
- only
- 仅仅、只有、唯一的
- mistakes
- 错误、犯错、弄错
- the
- 定冠词、那个、这个
- offspring
- 后代、子孙、产物
- certain
- 某个、一定的、确定的
- spiritual
- 精神的、心灵的、宗教的
- grandeur
- 伟大、壮观、堂皇
- with
- 和、用、具有
- meanness
- 卑鄙、平凡、吝啬
- opportunity
- 机会、机遇、良机
- tragic
- 悲剧的、悲惨的、灾难性的
- failure
- 失败、不成功、衰落
- which
- 哪个、那个、这个
- sacred
- 神圣的、庄严的、值得尊敬的
- poet
- 诗人、作诗的人
- and
- 和、与、以及
- sank
- 沉下、下沉、陷入
- into
- 进入、变成、陷入
- oblivion
- 遗忘、默默无闻、被遗忘
- With
- 用、具有、伴随
- dim
- 昏暗的、模糊的、不清楚的
- lights
- 灯光、亮光、光线
- tangled
- 缠结的、混乱的、复杂的
- circumstance
- 情况、环境、境遇
- they
- 他们、她们、它们
- tried
- 尝试、试图、努力
- to
- 到、向、为了
- shape
- 形成、塑造、影响
- their
- 他们的、她们的、它们的
- thought
- 思想、想法、思考
- deed
- 行为、事迹、功绩
- in
- 在...里、在...中
- noble
- 高尚的、贵族的、高贵的
- agreement
- 协议、同意、一致
- but
- 但是、然而、可是
- after
- 在...之后、后来
- all
- 全部、所有、完全
- common
- 普通的、常见的、平凡的
- eyes
- 眼睛、看法、观点
- struggles
- 斗争、努力、挣扎
- seemed
- 似乎、好像、看起来
- mere
- 仅仅、只不过、单纯的
- inconsistency
- 不一致、矛盾、前后不符
- these
- 这些、这个、这样的
- were
- 是（be动词复数过去式）
- helped
- 帮助、协助、有益
- by
- 被、由、通过
- coherent
- 连贯的、一致的、清晰的
- social
- 社会的、社交的、群体的
- faith
- 信仰、信心、相信
- order
- 秩序、命令、订单
- could
- 能够、可能、会
- perform
- 执行、表演、完成
- function
- 功能、作用、职能
- knowledge
- 知识、了解、认识
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