The Scarlet Letter — Page 4

English → Chinese Full Text Level 8/10

The first time was three or four years since, when I favored the reader—inexcusably, and for no earthly reason, that either the indulgent reader or the intrusive author could imagine—with a description of my way of life in the deep quietude of an Old Manse.

第一次是三四年前，我毫无缘由、不可原谅地——无论是宽容的读者还是冒昧的作者都无法想象有何理由——向读者描述了我在一座古老牧师宅邸深深静谧中的生活方式。

And now—because, beyond my deserts, I was happy enough to find a listener or two on the former occasion—I again seize the public by the button, and talk of my three years' experience in a Custom-House.

而如今——因为上次侥幸得到了一两位听众，实属过誉——我再次揪住公众的衣襟，讲述我在海关三年的经历。

The example of the famous "P. P., Clerk of this Parish," was never more faithfully followed.

著名的"本教区书记P. P."的先例，从未被如此忠实地效仿过。

The truth seems to be, however, that, when he casts his leaves forth upon the wind, the author addresses, not the many who will fling aside his volume, or never take it up, but the few who will understand him, better than most of his schoolmates or lifemates.

然而，事实似乎是，当作者将书页抛向风中时，他所倾诉的对象，并非那些会将他的书抛在一旁或从未拿起的众多读者，而是那少数能够理解他的人——比他大多数同窗或终身伴侣都更能理解他的人。

Some authors, indeed, do far more than this, and indulge themselves in such confidential depths of revelation as could fittingly be addressed, only and exclusively, to the one heart and mind of perfect sympathy;

确实，有些作者远不止于此，他们沉溺于如此深切私密的倾诉之中，以至于这些话只能、也只应诉诸那一颗与之完全契合的心灵；

as if the printed book, thrown at large on the wide world, were certain to find out the divided segment of the writer's own nature, and complete his circle of existence by bringing him into communion with it.

仿佛那印就的书籍，散落于广阔世界之中，必能寻觅到作者本性中那失落的另一半，并通过与之交融，使他的生命圆满完整。

It is scarcely decorous, however, to speak all, even where we speak impersonally.

然而，即便是以客观超然的口吻言说，将一切和盘托出，也未免有失体统。

Vocabulary

第一: dì yī — First; number one in a sequence.
次: cì — Time; occurrence; a measure word for instances.
是: shì — To be; is, am, are.
三四: sān sì — Three or four; an approximate small number.
年前: nián qián — Years ago; prior years in the past.
我: wǒ — I; me; the first-person pronoun.
毫无: háo wú — Absolutely without; completely lacking something.
缘由: yuán yóu — Reason; cause; origin of a matter.
不可: bù kě — Cannot; impermissible; must not do.
原谅: yuán liàng — To forgive; to pardon someone's fault.
地: de — Adverbial particle linking modifier to verb.
无论: wú lùn — Regardless of; no matter what the case.
宽容: kuān róng — Tolerant; forgiving; broad-minded toward others.
的: de — Structural particle indicating possession or modification.
读者: dú zhě — Reader; a person who reads written material.
还是: hái shì — Or; still; used in questions and alternatives.
冒昧: mào mèi — Presumptuous; bold without proper regard for etiquette.
作者: zuò zhě — Author; writer; creator of a written work.
都: dōu — All; both; every; without exception.
无法: wú fǎ — Unable to; having no way to do something.
想象: xiǎng xiàng — To imagine; to visualize something in the mind.
有何: yǒu hé — What; whatever; is there any reason or thing.
理由: lǐ yóu — Reason; justification; grounds for an action.
向: xiàng — Toward; to; in the direction of something.
描述: miáo shù — To describe; to depict in words.
了: le — Particle indicating completed action or changed state.
在: zài — At; in; located at a place or time.
一座: yī zuò — One (building/mountain); measure word for structures.
古老: gǔ lǎo — Ancient; old; having existed for a long time.
牧师: mù shī — Pastor; minister; Christian clergy member.
宅邸: zhái dǐ — Mansion; residence; a large stately dwelling.
深深: shēn shēn — Deeply; profoundly; to a great degree.
静谧: jìng mì — Tranquil; serene; peacefully quiet atmosphere.
中: zhōng — In; within; among; the middle of something.
生活: shēng huó — Life; livelihood; to live day-to-day existence.
方式: fāng shì — Way; manner; mode of doing something.
而: ér — But; and; yet; conjunction linking contrasting clauses.
如今: rú jīn — Nowadays; at the present time; currently.
因为: yīn wèi — Because; due to; for the reason that.
上次: shàng cì — Last time; the previous occasion.
侥幸: jiǎo xìng — Lucky by chance; fortunate through unexpected luck.
得到: dé dào — To obtain; to receive; to get something.
一两: yī liǎng — One or two; a very small number of.
位: wèi — Polite measure word for people.
听众: tīng zhòng — Audience; listeners; people who listen attentively.
实属: shí shǔ — Truly is; genuinely constitutes; indeed amounts to.
过誉: guò yù — Excessive praise; undeserved flattery; overrated compliment.
再次: zài cì — Once again; a second time; once more.
揪住: jiū zhù — To grab; to seize firmly; to clutch tightly.
公众: gōng zhòng — The public; the general populace; the masses.
衣襟: yī jīn — Lapel; front of a garment; coat collar area.
讲述: jiǎng shù — To narrate; to tell; to recount a story.
海关: hǎi guān — Customs; the customs office at a border.
三年: sān nián — Three years; a period of three years.
经历: jīng lì — Experience; personal encounter with events over time.
著名: zhù míng — Famous; renowned; well-known to many people.
本: běn — This; current; measure word for books.
教区: jiào qū — Parish; a church's local administrative district.
书记: shū jì — Secretary; recorder; official note-taker.
先例: xiān lì — Precedent; a prior example to be followed.
从未: cóng wèi — Never; not ever at any time before.
被: bèi — Passive marker; indicates action done to subject.
如此: rú cǐ — So; thus; in this way; like this.
忠实: zhōng shí — Faithful; loyal; true to the original.
效仿: xiào fǎng — To emulate; to imitate; to follow as example.
过: guò — Experiential particle; indicates past experience.
然而: rán ér — However; nevertheless; but; a formal conjunction.
事实: shì shí — Fact; reality; actual truth of the matter.
似乎: sì hū — It seems; apparently; as if something is true.
当: dāng — When; at the time that; while.
将: jiāng — About to; will; future action marker.
书页: shū yè — Page of a book; a leaf of writing.
抛向: pāo xiàng — To throw toward; to fling in a direction.
风中: fēng zhōng — In the wind; amid blowing air currents.
时: shí — When; at the time of; a temporal marker.
他: tā — He; him; third-person singular masculine pronoun.
所: suǒ — Particle used before verbs to nominalize them.
倾诉: qīng sù — To pour out feelings; to confide emotionally.
对象: duì xiàng — Target; object; the person one addresses or dates.
并非: bìng fēi — Is not actually; by no means; emphatically not.
那些: nà xiē — Those; referring to a plural set of things.
会: huì — Will; can; able to; likely to do.
书: shū — Book; written work; a volume of text.
抛在: pāo zài — To leave behind; to cast aside somewhere.
一旁: yī páng — To one side; aside; out of the way.
或: huò — Or; either; alternatively; one of two options.
拿起: ná qǐ — To pick up; to take up into one's hands.
众多: zhòng duō — Numerous; a great many; large in quantity.
而是: ér shì — But rather; instead; on the contrary it is.
那: nà — That; those; referring to something over there.
少数: shǎo shù — A minority; a small number of people.
能够: néng gòu — To be able to; capable of doing something.
理解: lǐ jiě — To understand; to comprehend; to grasp meaning.
人: rén — Person; human being; people in general.
比: bǐ — Compared to; than; a comparison marker.
大多数: dà duō shù — The majority; most of; a large proportion.
同窗: tóng chuāng — Classmate; fellow student; schoolmate.
终身: zhōng shēn — Lifelong; for one's entire lifetime.
伴侣: bàn lǚ — Companion; partner; a close life companion.
更能: gèng néng — Even more able to; better capable of something.
确实: què shí — Indeed; truly; certainly; in actual fact.
有些: yǒu xiē — Some; somewhat; a little; there are some.
远: yuǎn — Far; distant; a long way from here.
不止: bù zhǐ — More than; not limited to; exceeding a boundary.
于此: yú cǐ — At this; in this; to this point or matter.
他们: tā men — They; them; third-person plural pronoun.
沉溺: chén nì — To be immersed in; to indulge; to sink into.
于: yú — In; at; to; a formal preposition.
深切: shēn qiē — Profound; deeply felt; heartfelt and sincere.
私密: sī mì — Private; confidential; intimate and personal.
之中: zhī zhōng — Within; in the midst of; among something.
以至于: yǐ zhì yú — To the extent that; so much so that.
这些: zhè xiē — These; referring to nearby plural things.
话: huà — Words; speech; something said or spoken.
只能: zhǐ néng — Can only; is only able to; no other option.
也: yě — Also; too; as well; additionally.
只应: zhǐ yīng — Should only; ought only to; must exclusively.
诉诸: sù zhū — To appeal to; to resort to; to address to.
一颗: yī kē — One (heart/star); measure word for small round objects.
与之: yǔ zhī — With it; in relation to; together with that.
完全: wán quán — Completely; entirely; totally; fully.
契合: qì hé — To fit perfectly; to be in accord; harmoniously matched.
心灵: xīn líng — Soul; mind; inner spirit of a person.
仿佛: fǎng fú — As if; as though; seemingly resembling something.
印就: yìn jiù — Once printed; having been published and printed.
书籍: shū jí — Books; written volumes; publications collectively.
散落: sàn luò — To scatter; to be spread around; dispersed.
广阔: guǎng kuò — Vast; wide; expansive; broad in extent.
世界: shì jiè — World; the earth; all of existence.
必能: bì néng — Will certainly be able to; must be capable.
寻觅: xún mì — To seek; to search for; to look for something.
到: dào — To arrive at; to reach; resultative complement.
本性: běn xìng — True nature; innate character; one's original self.
失落: shī luò — Lost; missing; feeling of loss or emptiness.
另一半: lìng yī bàn — The other half; one's missing or complementary counterpart.
并: bìng — And; moreover; furthermore; also.
通过: tōng guò — Through; by means of; via a method.
交融: jiāo róng — To blend together; to merge; mutual fusion.
使: shǐ — To cause; to make; to enable something to happen.
生命: shēng mìng — Life; existence; the living force within beings.
圆满: yuán mǎn — Complete; perfect; satisfactorily whole and fulfilled.
完整: wán zhěng — Whole; intact; complete without missing parts.
即便: jí biàn — Even if; even though; regardless of conditions.
以: yǐ — With; using; by means of; a formal preposition.
客观: kè guān — Objective; impartial; not influenced by personal feelings.
超然: chāo rán — Detached; aloof; transcending worldly concerns.
口吻: kǒu wěn — Tone; manner of speaking; verbal expression style.
言说: yán shuō — To speak; to express in words; verbal utterance.
一切: yī qiè — Everything; all things; the whole lot.
和盘托出: hé pán tuō chū — To reveal everything; to lay all bare openly.
未免: wèi miǎn — Rather too; somewhat excessive; going a bit far.
有失: yǒu shī — To lack; to be somewhat deficient in propriety.
体统: tǐ tǒng — Decorum; propriety; proper social standards of behavior.

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