White nights, and other stories — Page 13
坦白告诉我吧；我事先保证，我不是那种动不动就生气的人……"
Tell me frankly; I assure you beforehand that I am not quick to take offence?..."
"不，没什么，没什么，恰恰相反。如果你非要我说实话，我告诉你，女人喜欢这种腼腆；如果你想知道得更多，我也喜欢，而且在我到家之前，我不会把你赶走的。"
"No, nothing, nothing, quite the contrary. And if you insist on my speaking frankly, I will tell you that women like such timidity; and if you want to know more, I like it too, and I won't drive you away till I get home."
"你会让我，"我上气不接下气地说，心中满是喜悦，"把我的腼腆都消磨掉，那我所有的机会也就全完了……"
"You will make me," I said, breathless with delight, "lose my timidity, and then farewell to all my chances...."
"机会！什么机会——什么方面的机会？这话听起来不太好听。"
"Chances! What chances--of what? That's not so nice."
"对不起，我很抱歉，那是一时失言；但是在这样的时刻，您怎么能指望一个人没有任何渴望呢……"
"I beg your pardon, I am sorry, it was a slip of the tongue; but how can you expect one at such a moment to have no desire...."
"想被人喜欢，是吗？"
"To be liked, eh?"
"好吧，是的；但请您行行好，善待我吧。想想我是什么样的人！我都二十六岁了，从未见过任何人。我怎么能说得好，说得得体，说到点子上呢？等我把一切都坦诚地告诉您，您会觉得好一些的……我不知道当我的心在说话时该如何保持沉默。算了……请相信我，从来没有一个女人，从来、从来没有！任何形式的相识都没有！而我每天无所事事，只是做梦，梦想着终于能遇见某个人。哦，如果您知道我曾经以那种方式爱上过多少次……"
"Well, yes; but do, for goodness' sake, be kind. Think what I am! Here, I am twenty-six and I have never seen any one. How can I speak well, tactfully, and to the point? It will seem better to you when I have told you everything openly.... I don't know how to be silent when my heart is speaking. Well, never mind.... Believe me, not one woman, never, never! No acquaintance of any sort! And I do nothing but dream every day that at last I shall meet some one. Oh, if only you knew how often I have been in love in that way...."
"怎么爱上的？爱上了谁……"
"How? With whom?..."
"哦，没有爱上任何人，爱上的是一个理想，是我在梦中幻想的那个人。
"Why, with no one, with an ideal, with the one I dream of in my sleep.
Vocabulary
- Tell
- 告诉，动词，表示传达信息
- frankly
- 坦率地，直接地表达意见
- assure
- 向某人保证某事属实
- beforehand
- 事先，在某事发生之前
- quick
- 快速的，反应迅速的
- offence
- 冒犯，被某言行激怒或伤害
- quite
- 相当，完全，程度副词
- contrary
- 相反，与所述情况完全相对
- insist
- 坚持，强烈要求某事发生
- tell
- 告诉，动词，传达某一信息
- timidity
- 胆怯，缺乏勇气或自信的性格
- drive
- 驱使，迫使某人离开某地
- till
- 直到，表示时间延续到某点
- breathless
- 令人屏息的，激动得喘不过气
- delight
- 喜悦，极大的快乐与满足感
- farewell
- 再见，永别，表示告别之意
- chances
- 机会，可能获得成功的可能性
- Chances
- 机会，chance的复数，此处强调
- beg
- 恳请，在beg your pardon中表道歉
- pardon
- 原谅，请求对方宽恕或再说一遍
- slip
- 失误，无意中说错的话
- tongue
- 舌头，a slip of the tongue指口误
- expect
- 期望，预期某人做某事
- moment
- 时刻，某一特定的时间点
- desire
- 渴望，强烈希望得到某事物
- liked
- 被喜欢，受到他人的好感
- goodness
- 善意，for goodness sake表示恳求
- sake
- 缘故，for goodness sake表恳求
- kind
- 善良的，体贴的，形容词
- tactfully
- 圆滑地，说话或行事不伤人
- point
- 要点，直接说明的关键内容
- seem
- 似乎，看起来是某种情况
- openly
- 公开地，毫无保留地说出
- silent
- 沉默的，不说话的状态
- mind
- 思想，精神，内心想法
- Believe
- 相信，认为某事是真实的
- acquaintance
- 相识，认识但不深交的人
- sort
- 某种，这类，表示模糊分类
- dream
- 梦想，梦境，憧憬的事物
- last
- 最终，终于，表示结果
- shall
- 将，表示将来或意愿的助动词
- often
- 经常，表示频率的副词
- whom
- 谁，who的宾格，询问对象
- ideal
- 理想，心目中完美的对象
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