The Scarlet Letter — Page 14
无论如何，我，本文的作者，作为他们的代表，在此为他们感到羞耻，并祈祷他们所招致的任何诅咒——正如我所听闻的，也正如这个家族多年来凄凉而不顺遂的境况所印证的——如今能够并从此永远得以消除。
At all events, I, the present writer, as their representative, hereby take shame upon myself for their sakes, and pray that any curse incurred by them—as I have heard, and as the dreary and unprosperous condition of the race, for many a long year back, would argue to exist—may be now and henceforth removed.
然而，毫无疑问，这两位严峻而黑眉深锁的清教徒中的任何一位，都会认为这已是对他罪孽的足够惩罚：在漫长岁月流逝之后，这棵家族老树虽披满了可敬的苔藓，却在其最高的枝头，结出了我这样一个游手好闲之人。
Doubtless, however, either of these stern and black-browed Puritans would have thought it quite a sufficient retribution for his sins, that, after so long a lapse of years, the old trunk of the family tree, with so much venerable moss upon it, should have borne, as its topmost bough, an idler like myself.
我曾怀有的任何志向，在他们看来都算不上值得称道；我的任何成就——倘若我的人生除了家庭范围之外，曾有过任何成就的话——在他们眼中也不过一文不值，甚至简直是可耻的。
No aim, that I have ever cherished, would they recognize as laudable; no success of mine—if my life, beyond its domestic scope, had ever been brightened by success—would they deem otherwise than worthless, if not positively disgraceful.
我的一位先祖的灰色幽灵对另一位低语道："他是做什么的？""一个写故事书的！这算什么营生——他在世的时候，究竟以何种方式荣耀上帝，或者服务于人类？这算哪门子事？哼，这个堕落的家伙还不如去当个拉琴的！"
"What is he?" murmurs one gray shadow of my forefathers to the other. "A writer of story-books! What kind of a business in life—what mode of glorifying God, or being serviceable to mankind in his day and generation—may that be? Why, the degenerate fellow might as well have been a fiddler!"
这便是我的曾祖先们与我之间，隔着时间的鸿沟相互交换的恭维之词！然而，尽管他们尽情鄙视我，他们本性中强烈的特质，已与我的本性深深交织在一起。
Such are the compliments bandied between my great-grandsires and myself, across the gulf of time! And yet, let them scorn me as they will, strong traits of their nature have intertwined themselves with mine.
Vocabulary
- At
- 在；表示位置、时间或状态
- all
- 全部；所有的；完全
- events
- 事件；发生的事情或情况
- the
- 定冠词；表示特定的人或事物
- present
- 现在的；目前的；呈现
- writer
- 作者；写作的人；撰写者
- as
- 作为；当...时候；由于
- their
- 他们的；她们的；它们的
- representative
- 代表；代理人；具有代表性的
- take
- 拿；取；接受；花费
- shame
- 羞愧；羞耻；令人遗憾的事
- upon
- 在...上；当...时；对于
- myself
- 我自己；用于强调或反身
- for
- 为了；因为；对于
- and
- 和；与；并且
- pray
- 祈祷；恳求；请求
- that
- 那；那个；以至于
- any
- 任何；任何一个；一些
- curse
- 诅咒；咒骂；祸患
- by
- 由...；被...；通过
- them
- 他们；她们；它们
- have
- 有；拥有；已经
- heard
- 听到；听说；听见
- condition
- 条件；状况；情形
- of
- 的；属于；来自
- race
- 种族；民族；竞赛
- many
- 许多；很多；大量的
- long
- 长的；久的；远的
- year
- 年；年份；一年
- back
- 背部；后面；回到
- would
- 将会；会；过去式助动词
- argue
- 争论；辩论；表明
- to
- 到；向；用于不定式
- exist
- 存在；生存；居住
- may
- 可能；可以；五月
- be
- 是；存在；成为
- now
- 现在；现在就；此刻
- removed
- 移除；消除；解除
- however
- 然而；不过；但是
- either
- 任一个；两者之一；也
- these
- 这些；这种；这样的
- stern
- 严肃的；严厉的；船尾
- thought
- 思想；想法；认为
- it
- 它；那个
- quite
- 很；相当；完全
- sufficient
- 充分的；足够的；充足的
- his
- 他的；男性的所有格
- sins
- 罪恶；错误；过失
- after
- 在...之后；追求；后来
- so
- 所以；这样；如此
- years
- 年份；岁数；很长时间
- old
- 旧的；老的；古老的
- trunk
- 树干；箱子；躯干
- family
- 家庭；家族；科属
- tree
- 树；树木；家谱
- with
- 和...一起；用；具有
- much
- 很多；许多；大量
- should
- 应该；应当；将会
- its
- 它的；其的
- an
- 一个；非元音前的不定冠词
- like
- 喜欢；像；相似
- No
- 没有；无；不是
- aim
- 目的；目标；瞄准
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