牛津書蟲系列 遠離塵囂13 風暴

Chapter 13 The storm
第十三章 風暴
There was always a harvest supper for the farm workers after all the hay and wheat had been cut.
每當所有的干草和麥 子全都收割完畢，農(nóng)場主總會請在農(nóng)場干活的人們吃一次豐收晚餐。
On behalf of his wife，Sergeant Troy decided to have it one evening at the end of August，in the great barn.
托伊中士代表他的妻子決定于八月底的一個晚上在大谷倉舉辦晚宴。
The weather was unpleasantly warm that night.
那晚，天氣很熱，使人頗感 不適。
On his way to the harvest supper Gabriel stopped to check the eight huge hay and wheat ricks.
蓋伯瑞爾走在路上，停下來查看那八個麥垛。
If，as he suspected，there was a storm，the ricks，which were all uncovered，would be badly damaged.
如果像他想的那樣有風暴，那么，這些完全沒有覆蓋著的麥垛將會慘遭毀壞。
He went on to the barn，where the farm workers had already finished eating and started dancing.
他向前走，到了谷倉，干活的人們已經(jīng)吃完，開始跳起舞來。
Gabriel had to wait until Sergeant Troy had finished his dance with Bathsheba before he could warn him about possible damage to the ricks.
蓋伯瑞爾只得等托伊中士同芭絲謝芭跳完舞，然后才提醒他麥垛可能會遭受的損失。
Troy，however，was enjoying himself too much to listen to Gabriel's message.
可是，托伊興致正濃，蓋伯瑞爾的話哪里聽得進去。
‘Friends，’he was saying，‘I've ordered brandy to be served to you all，so that we can celebrate my wedding properly. ’
“朋友們，”他說，“我為你們大家訂了白蘭地，大家可以盡情慶祝我的婚禮!”
‘No，F(xiàn)rank，don't give them brandy，’begged Bathsheba，‘it will only do them harm!’
“弗蘭克，不行啊，別給他們喝白蘭地，”芭絲謝芭央求道。“這對他們沒好處!”
‘Don't be silly!’said Troy. ‘Friends，let's send the women home!
“你別犯傻!”托伊說，“朋友們，咱們把女人們送回家，
Then we men can drink and sing as much as we like!
留下咱們男人喝個痛快，喝個痛快!
’Angrily，Bathsheba left the barn，followed by the other women.
“芭絲謝芭生氣地走了，后邊跟著其他的婦女們。
Gabriel left soon afterwards Later，when he went to check that Bathsheba's sheep were safe，
蓋伯瑞爾隨后也很快 離開了。后來，他又去查看芭絲謝芭的羊，
he noticed that they looked very frightened.
注意到那些羊顯得很驚恐。
They were crowded together in a corner，their tails pointing the same way.
它們在角落里擠成一團，尾巴翹向同一個方向。
To the shepherd this meant they were expecting a storm.
牧羊人一看就明白，這表明羊群知道暴風雨即將來臨。
He went to look at the ricks again.
他又去查看麥垛。
Should the whole harvest of the farm，worth at least seven hundred and fifty pounds，be lost because of a woman's weakness?
這是農(nóng)場的全部收成，至少也值750鎊，能讓它因為一個女人的軟弱便毀之一旦嗎?
Never，if I can prevent it!thought Gabriel.
不能，我得設法保護!蓋伯瑞爾想。
He returned to the barn to ask the other farm workers to help him cover the ricks.
他返回谷倉，想請其他人們幫他把麥垛蓋上。
But the only noise he could hear coming from the barn was the men's loud and regular breathing，
但是，谷倉里傳來的聲音只有人們大聲而有節(jié)奏的呼吸，
and when he entered，he found them all asleep，including Troy.
他進去發(fā)現(xiàn)人們都睡著了，包括托伊。
The brandy，which they had been too polite to refuse，had made them drunk in a very short time，
人們出于禮貌而無法拒絕的白蘭地很快就把他們醉倒了，
as they were not used to drinking anything stronger than beer.
因為他們并不習慣喝比啤酒勁大的酒。
It was useless trying to wake them.
想叫醒他們是不行了。
Gabriel left the barn，and returned to the ricks，two of which he managed to cover with the heavy material kept on the farm for this purpose.
蓋伯瑞爾離開谷倉，回到麥垛邊，用農(nóng)場上的遮蓋布把其中兩垛蓋上。
The only way to cover the other six ricks was by thatching them with straw，and this was a long and difficult job to do alone.
若想把其他六垛也蓋起來，唯一的辦法便是用稻草蓋，可一個人單獨干，既費時又費力。
The moon disappeared，and there was a slow，light wind，like the breath of a dying man，
月亮消失了，輕風緩緩刮起，仿佛垂死的人的呼吸。
as Gabriel climbed the ladder and started thatching high up on top of the third rick.
這時，蓋伯瑞爾爬上梯子，開始在第三垛上蓋稻草。
Lightning flashed in the sky，and there was a loud crash of thunder.
天上開始閃電，雷聲大作。閃電的一剎那，
In the sudden brightness Gabriel could see every tree around him，until the light disappeared just as suddenly，leaving him in the blackest darkness.
蓋伯瑞爾看到了四周的每一棵樹;電光迅即消失，又把他淹沒在漆黑的黑暗之中。
He knew his position was dangerous，but considered his life was not valuable enough to worry about.
他知道自己處境危險，但卻認為他的生命不值得擔心。
Another flash of lightning allowed him to see the figure of a woman running towards the rick.
又一次閃電中，他看到一個女人的身影向麥垛跑來。
Was it Bathsheba?
難道是芭絲謝芭嗎?
‘Is that you，ma'am?’he called to the darkness.
“是你嗎，太太?”他向黑暗中大喊。
‘Who's there?’said Bathsheba's voice.
“誰呀?”是芭絲謝芭的聲音。
‘It's Gabriel. I'm on the rick，thatching. ’
“蓋伯瑞爾，我在麥垛上蓋稻草呢。”
‘Oh Gabriel!I'm so worried about the ricks!
“是你，蓋伯瑞爾!我正擔心這些草垛、麥垛呢!
Can we save them?The thunder woke me.
有辦法嗎?雷聲把我驚醒了，
I can't find my husband. Is he there?’
我丈夫也找不到。他在這兒嗎?”
‘No，he isn't. He's—asleep in the barn. ’
“他沒在。他——他在倉房睡著了。”
‘He promised me the ricks would be covered，and he hasn't done it!
“他還答應要把麥垛蓋上，可他并沒有益!
Can I help you?Let me help!’
我能幫你嗎?我來幫你干吧。”
‘You can bring the straw up to me in armfuls，if you aren't afraid to climb the ladder in the dark，’said Gabriel.
“你要不怕在這黑天里爬梯子，就給我往上抱稻草吧。”蓋伯瑞爾說。
‘I'll do anything to help!’she said. She started to go up and down the ladder，carrying the straw.
“只要能幫忙，我干什么都可以!”芭絲謝芭喊道。她開始上梯子，爬上爬下地遞著稻草。
In the brightness of the lightning，Gabriel saw their two shadows，wildly enlarged，on the hill in front of him.
在閃電的光亮里，蓋伯瑞爾看見了他們兩個身影夸張地映在他面前的小山上。
Then came the loudest crash so far.
又是一聲炸雷。
‘How terrible!’cried Bathsheba，and held on to his arm.
“太可怕了!”芭絲謝芭叫起來，一邊拉住了他的胳膊。
The lightning flashed in a wild dance of death，and thunder came from every part of the huge sky.
一道電光閃過，跳著狂烈的死亡之舞，接著雷聲從廣闊天空的四面八方傳來。
Bathsheba and Gabriel could only stare，and tremble at the strange and dangerous beauty of the storm.
這是罕見的暴風雨，很危險，芭絲謝苞和蓋伯瑞爾看了，渾身直發(fā)抖。
As they watched，a tall tree in front of them seemed to be burning with a white flame.
他們看到面前的一棵大樹似乎著了火，閃著白色的火苗。
There was a final，violent crash of thunder，and in the bright light they saw that the tree had been torn in half by the lightning.
接著又是一聲巨雷，在耀眼的亮光中，他們看見那棵樹被閃電劈成了兩半。
‘That was close to us!’said Gabriel. ‘We'd better go down. ’
“這離咱們太近了!”蓋伯瑞爾說。“咱們最好下去。”
They climbed down and stood together in the darkness，
他們爬下來，在黑暗中一起站著。
Bathsheba seeming to think only of the storm，Gabriel thinking only of her.
芭絲謝芭似乎只想著風暴，而蓋伯瑞爾卻只想著她。
At last he said，‘The storm appears to have passed，but the rain will be coming soon.
最后，他說：“風暴像是過去了，不過雨很快就會來的。
I'll go up and finish thatching the ricks. ’
我上去把麥垛蓋完吧。”
‘Gabriel，you are kind to me!Oh why aren't the others here?
“蓋怕瑞爾，你對我真好!哎呀，他們在哪兒呢?
Don't tell me，I know. They're all drunk in the barn，aren't they?
不說我也知道，都醉倒在倉房里了吧?
It was my husband's fault. Gabriel，I want to tell you something. ’
都怨我丈夫。蓋伯瑞爾，我想告訴你。”
The soft flashes of the dying lightning showed her face，very white against the black sky.
閃電將盡，柔和的亮光照亮了她的臉，映襯著墨黑的天空，非常蒼白。
‘I care about your good opinion of me，so I want to explain why I went to Bath that night.
“你覺得我好，我十分在意，所以我想對你解釋那一晚我去巴斯的原因。
It wasn't to marry Troy，it was to break off my relationship with him.
我并不是去嫁給托伊的，而是想去和他斷絕關系。
Perhaps you wonder why I married him then?
可能你納悶我為什么又嫁 給了他吧?
Well，I suppose I must tell you.
這個，我想我必須告訴你。
It was because he told me he had seen a woman more beautiful than me，
他告訴我他看到一個比我漂亮的女人，
and said that if I wanted him as a husband，I must marry him at once!
如果我想讓他做我的丈夫，我就必須立即同他結(jié)婚!
I was wild with love and jealousy，so I married him!’Gabriel did not reply.
我愛得發(fā)狂，嫉妒得要命，就和他結(jié)了婚!”蓋伯瑞爾沒有說什么。
‘I'll bring some more straw up to you，shall I?’she offered.
“我給你再抱些稻草，好嗎?”她提議。
She made several more journeys before he noticed her tiredness.
她又上下幾趟，他才注意到她的倦容。
‘I think you'd better go indoors now，’he said，as gently as a mother. ‘I'll finish the work alone. ’
“我想你還是回屋內(nèi)吧，”他像母親一樣溫柔地說。“我一個人干完。”
‘If I'm useless，I'll go，’said Bathsheba. ‘But，oh，if you fell…!’
“如果我沒用，我就走，”芭絲謝芭說。“可你要是覺得……”
‘You aren't useless，but you're tired. You've done well. ’
“你不是沒用，你是累了。你干得挺好的。”
‘And you've done better，’she said gratefully.
“你干得更好，”她感激地說，
‘Thank you a thousand times，Gabriel!Goodnight. ’
“我對你感謝不盡，蓋伯瑞爾!晚安。”
She disappeared in the darkness. He went on thatching in a kind of dream.
她消失在黑暗中。蓋伯瑞爾像在夢幻中一樣繼續(xù)蓋稻草。
She had spoken more warmly to him tonight than she had ever done when she was unmarried and free to speak as warmly as she liked.
比起她未婚時和自由自在地熱情交談時，今晚她的態(tài)度可熱情多了。
The wind changed and became stronger. At the same time heavy rain started falling.
風向變了，風更大了。與此同時，開始下起了傾盆大雨。
As Gabriel worked on the top of the ricks，
蓋伯瑞爾在麥垛上干著活，
he suddenly remembered that，eight months before，he had been fighting against fire in the same place as desperately as he was fighting against water now
突然記起八個月前他曾在這兒奮力救火，正如他現(xiàn)在拼命救災一樣
and for love of the same woman，who did not love him.
為了同一個他愛的女人，而這個女人卻并不愛他。
It was not until seven o'clock in the morning that Gabriel climbed down from the last rick，exhausted and wet to the skin.
直到早上七點，蓋伯瑞爾才從最后一堆麥垛上下來。他筋疲力竭，渾身濕透。
He noticed figures coming out of the barn，walking slowly and painfully to their homes.
他看到有人從倉房中出來，緩慢、痛苦地走回家去。
They all looked ashamed except Troy，who was whistling cheerfully as he entered the farmhouse.
他們都面帶愧色，可托伊卻不，他興高采烈地吹著口哨回到房里。
None of them thought of looking at the ricks.
他們誰也沒想到要看麥垛一眼。
On his way back to Coggan's house，Gabriel met Boldwood.
蓋伯瑞爾在回考根家的路上，遇到了伯德伍德。
‘How are you，sir?’asked Gabriel.
“你好嗎，先生?”蓋伯瑞爾問道。
‘Yes，it's a wet day. Oh，I'm very well，thank you. ’
“是啊。下雨天。噢，我挺好的，謝謝。”
‘You look a little different，sir. ’
“你看上去有點異樣，先生。”
‘No，you're wrong，Oak. I'm just the same.
“沒有，奧克，你說錯了。我還是那樣。
Nothing hurts me. But you look tired. ’
沒什么會讓我悲傷。不過你倒是看著挺疲勞的。”
‘I've been working all night to get our ricks covered.
“我一整夜都在給麥垛蓋稻草。
Never worked so hard in my life!Yours are safe of course，sir?’
一輩子還沒這么狠干過呢!你的麥垛沒事吧，先生?”
‘Oh yes. ’Boldwood added after a silence，‘What did you ask?’
“嗯，挺好的。”伯德伍德沉默了一會兒，又說，“你問什么來著?”
‘Your ricks are all covered?’
“你的麥垛都蓋好了嗎?”
‘No，none of them. I forgot to tell the men to thatch them.
“沒有，一垛也沒蓋。我忘記對他們說了。
I expect most of my wheat will be destroyed in this rain. ’
我估計我的大部分麥子都讓這場雨給毀了。”
‘Forgot，’repeated Gabriel to himself.
“忘記了，”蓋伯瑞爾自語道。
It was difficult to believe that the most careful farmer in the area would lose all his harvest because of a moment's forgetfulness.
難以相信這一帶最細心的農(nóng)場主會因一時疏忽而失掉全部收成。
This would never have happened before Boldwood fell in love with Bathsheba.
這種事情在伯德伍德愛上芭絲謝芭以前是絕不可能發(fā)生的。
Boldwood clearly wanted to talk，although it was still raining heavily.
伯德伍德顯然想說話，盡管天還下著大雨。
‘Oak，you knew I wanted to get married. ’
“奧克，你知道我曾想結(jié)婚吧。”
‘I thought my mistress was going to marry you，’said Gabriel sympathetically.
“我本以為我的女主人會嫁給你的，”蓋伯瑞爾同情地說。
‘However，nothing that we expect ever happens. ’
“可是我們預料的事情沒有發(fā)生。”
He spoke with the calmness of a man used to disaster.
他說話時語氣平靜，就象一個飽經(jīng)災患的人。
‘Perhaps the villagers laugh at me，’said Boldwood with a pretended lightness.
“可能村民們都在嘲笑我吧，”伯德伍德故作輕松地說。
‘Oh no，I don't think so. ’
“沒有吧，我覺得不會。”
‘But the truth is that we were never engaged，so she never broke off the engagement，you see. ’
“但事實上我倆從未訂過婚，所以她也從未違背婚約，你看是吧。”
But Boldwood could not remain calm. ‘Oh Gabriel，’he said wildly，‘I'm weak and foolish，and I feel it's better to die than to live!’
但是，伯德伍德無法保持平靜。“蓋伯瑞爾啊，”他激烈地說。“我又軟弱，又蠢，我覺得活著還不如死了好!”
After a silence，he continued more normally. ‘I've accepted the fact of her refusal now.
沉 默了片刻，他恢復了常態(tài)，接著又說，“我接受了她的拒絕，
I'm sorry，of course，but no woman has ever controlled my life. Well，good morning. ’
當然，我很遺憾沒有一個女人曾經(jīng)支配過我的生命。好吧，就這樣，再見。”