牛津书虫系列《苔丝》Chapter16 附中英双语文本

“亲爱的安吉尔，可是，你的妻子呢？”当他到家时，他母亲喊道。
‘She's at her mother's for the moment．I've come home in rather a hurry，because I've decided to go to Brazil．’
“她这会儿在她娘家，我是相当匆忙地赶回家的，因为我已经决定了要去巴西。”
‘Brazil！But they're all Roman Catholics there！’
“巴西！但是那儿都是罗马天主教徒！”
‘Are they？I hadn't thought of that．’
“是吗？我还没想过这个呢。”
But Mr and Mrs Clare were even more interested in their son's marriage than in Brazil's religion．
但是比起巴西的宗教来，克莱尔先生和克莱尔夫人对他们儿子的婚姻大事更为关切。
‘Angel，we do want to meet your wife．We are not in the least angry about this rather hurried wedding，so why haven't you brought her？It seems strange．’
“安吉尔，我们真地想见见你的妻子。对你这次草率的婚礼，我们丝毫没有生气。那么，为什么你不把她带来？这显得有点奇怪。”
Angel explained that she would be staying at her mother's while he went to Brazil alone to see if the country was suitable．He planned to bring her to meet his parents before he went there a second time，with her．But his mother was disappointed at not seeing Tess．She watched her son as he ate，and asked questions．
安吉尔解释说，在他单独赴巴西考察那个国家是否适合期间，她先住在娘家。他安排好了，在下次他和她一起去巴西之前，带她来见他的父母。但他的母亲对于没有见到苔丝非常失望。她看着儿子吃饭，还问了些问题。
‘Is she very pretty？’
“她很漂亮吗？”
‘She certainly is！’
“那是毫无疑问的。”
‘And a maiden of course？’
“自然是个少女喽？”
‘Of course．’
“自然是的。”
‘I imagine you were her first love？’
“我想你是她的初恋吧？”
‘Exactly．’
“正是。”
His father asked no questions，but when the moment for evening prayers arrived，he chose a passage from the Bible．
他的父亲什么也没问，但是到晚上做祈祷的时刻，他从《圣经》里挑选了一段文章。
‘This passage is very suitable，as you are here，Angel．It is in praise of a pure wife．’
“安吉尔，这一段非常适合现在这个场合，这是赞美纯洁的妻子的。”
‘We shall all think of her as your father reads it，’ added his mother．As they listened to the ancient，beautiful words，Angel felt like crying．
“当你父亲读这段话时，我们都会想到她。”他母亲加了一句。当他听着这些古老、优美的辞句时，安吉尔简直要哭了。
His mother said，‘You see，Angel，the perfect woman，the Bible tells us，is a working woman，not a fine lady，a girl just like your wife．A girl who uses her hands and heart and head for others．I wish I could have met her，Angel．As she is pure，she is fine enough for me．’
他的母亲说：“安吉尔，你看，《圣经》告诉我们，完美的女人是一个勤劳的女人，就像你的妻子那样的姑娘，一个用自己的双手、心灵和头脑为别人奉献的姑娘，而不是一位体面的小姐。安吉尔，我真希望我见过她了。我觉得她已经够好了，因为她是个纯洁的姑娘。”
Clare's eyes were full of tears．He quickly said goodnight and went to his room．His mother followed and stood at his door looking anxiously at him．
克莱尔的眼眶里满是泪水。他迅速地道了晚安，就到自己的房间去了。他的母亲跟了过去，站在门口忧虑地看着他。
‘Angel，why are you going away so soon？Have you quarrelled with your wife in these three weeks？Angel，is she …is she a woman with a past？’The mother's instinct had found the cause of her son's worries．
“安吉尔，你为什么这么快就要离去了？这三个星期里，你和你的妻子吵架了吗？安吉尔，她是……她是一个有经历的女人吗？”做母亲的本能发现了儿子忧虑的原由。
‘She is totally pure！’he replied，and felt that he had to tell that lie，even if he went to hell there and then for it．
“她是完全纯洁的！”他回答道，他觉得自己一定要撒那个谎，哪怕他要为此在此时此地下地狱。
‘Then never mind the rest．There are few better things in nature than a pure country girl．’
“那就永远不要在乎别的方面。自然界里很难再有比一个纯洁的乡村姑娘更好的事物了。”
Clare felt furious with Tess，because she had forced him to deceive his parents．Then he remembered her sweet voice， and the touch of her fingers on his face，and her warm breath on his lips．But this well－meaning young man，despite his advanced ideas，was still limited in his thinking．He could not see that Tess was in character as pure as the pure wife in the Bible．