Chapter I Silas Marner, past and present(1)

第一章:塞拉斯?馬南的過(guò)去和現(xiàn)在(一)

In the early years of the nineteenth century, strange-looking little men were often seen on the country roads, usually with a heavy bag on their shoulders. They were linen weavers, taking the linen they had woven to the women in the villages. Unlike the strong, healthy country people, they were small and thin with tired white faces, bent backs and round shoulders. They were often shortsighted too, because they had to look so closely at their work. To the villagers the weavers looked almost foreign, and quite frightening. Where did they come from? Was it the devil who sent them? Who were their parents? How could you trust a man if you didn’t know his father or mother? Country people used to be very suspicious of all strangers and travellers. They were also suspicious of clever people, people who could do something they themselves had not learnt to do. That is why the linen weavers, who often moved from towns to live and work in the country, were considered strangers all their lives by their neighbours and were sometimes very lonely as a result.

在19世紀(jì)初期戒洼，經(jīng)常在鄉(xiāng)間小路上看到外表奇特的矮個(gè)子记舆，通常肩上背著一個(gè)沉重的包情龄。他們是織布工，把編織好的亞麻布帶給村里的婦女。與健壯驯用、健康的鄉(xiāng)下人不同，他們又瘦又小，臉顯得疲憊蒼白赞草、駝背圓肩。他們通常還是近視眼吆鹤，因?yàn)樗麄児ぷ鲿r(shí)必須離得很近厨疙。對(duì)于村民來(lái)說(shuō)，織布工看上去幾乎像外國(guó)人疑务，而且還很?chē)樔苏雌唷Ｋ麄兪菑哪膩?lái)的梗醇？是惡魔派來(lái)的嗎？他們的父母是誰(shuí)撒蟀？如果您不認(rèn)識(shí)一個(gè)人的父親或母親叙谨，您怎么能信任他呢？鄉(xiāng)下人常常猜疑所有的陌生人和旅客保屯。他們也不信聰明人手负，猜疑那些能做自己不會(huì)做的事情的人。這就是為什么織布工經(jīng)常搬到城鎮(zhèn)生活和在鄉(xiāng)下工作的原因姑尺，一生都被他們的鄰居當(dāng)作陌生人竟终，因此他們有時(shí)會(huì)很孤獨(dú)。

Silas Marner was one of these weavers. He lived in a small cottage near the village of Raveloe. Every day he worked at his loom in the cottage. The small boys of Raveloe had never heard the sound of a loom before, and sometimes they used to run up to his house to look quickly in at the window. If Silas noticed them. he lifted his shortsighted eyes from the loom to stare at the boys. There was something terrible about his stare, which made the boys run away at once, screaming with fear. The villagers believed that Silas had an almost devilish power which he could use to harm them if he wanted, and so they were all afraid of him. Raveloe was an important-looking village with a fine old church and a number of large arms. But it was at least an hour away from any other village, and very few strangers visited it, which explains why the villagers' opinions were so out of date.

塞拉斯·馬南就是這些織工之一切蟋。他住在拉弗爾村附近的一間小屋里统捶。他每天都在農(nóng)舍里的織布機(jī)上工作。拉弗爾的小男孩以前沒(méi)聽(tīng)過(guò)織布機(jī)的聲音敦姻，有時(shí)他們跑到房子周?chē)常焖俪皯衾锿Ｈ绻棺⒁獾剿麄兞耄銓⒔曆蹚目棽紮C(jī)上抬起迷守，盯著孩子們看。他的目光像有種可怕的東西兑凿，使孩子們立刻跑開(kāi)，還一邊驚慌地尖叫茵瘾。村民們相信，塞拉斯有種近乎邪惡的力量拗秘，如果他愿意，他可以用來(lái)傷害他們雕旨，所以他們都怕他扮匠。拉弗爾是一個(gè)看上去很重要的村莊凡涩，有一座漂亮的老教堂和許多大武器。但是離其他村莊都至少有一個(gè)小時(shí)的路程活箕，很少會(huì)有陌生人造訪，這也就解釋了為什么村民們的想法如此過(guò)時(shí)。

Silas Marner had first come to Raveloe fifteen years before, as a young man. He and his way of life seemed very strange to the villagers. He worked long hours at his loom and had no friends or visitors from the village or anywhere else. He never talked to his neighbours unless it was necessary for his work, and he never looked at any of the Raveloe girls. ‘Who would want to marry him anyway?’ the girls laughed to each other. ‘Marry a dead man come to life again, with that unhealthy white skin and those insect-like eyes of his? Certainly not!'

塞拉斯·馬南15年前第一次到拉弗爾克蚂，當(dāng)時(shí)他還是個(gè)年輕人。他和他的生活方式對(duì)村民們來(lái)說(shuō)很奇怪陨舱。他在織布機(jī)上工作很長(zhǎng)時(shí)間，沒(méi)有朋友游盲，也沒(méi)有來(lái)自村里或其他任何地方的訪客蛮粮。他從不和鄰居打交道益缎，除非是工作需要，他也從來(lái)不看拉弗爾的女孩然想≥罕迹“誰(shuí)愿意嫁給他呢？”姑娘們互相打趣道变泄×钣矗“嫁給一個(gè)死了又活過(guò)來(lái)的人，不健康的白皙皮膚和眼睛小得跟昆蟲(chóng)眼睛一樣的人妨蛹？當(dāng)然不屏富！”

One of the villagers had had a strange experience with Silas. One evening he had discovered the weaver resting on a held gate, his eyes open but unseeing, and his body cold and hard, like a dead man's. After a few moments Silas appeared to wake up, said ‘Goodnight,’ and walked away.

其中一個(gè)村民和塞拉斯有過(guò)一次奇怪的經(jīng)歷。一天晚上蛙卤，他發(fā)現(xiàn)織布工躺在一扇固定的大門(mén)上狠半，睜著眼睛卻目光呆滯，身體又冷又硬颤难，像死人一樣神年。過(guò)了一會(huì)兒，塞拉斯醒了過(guò)來(lái)行嗤，說(shuō)“晚安”已日，然后走開(kāi)了。

When this was discussed in the village, some people thought that Silas had had a fit. But others, like Mr Macey, the church clerk, refused to accept a medical explanation.

當(dāng)村里在討論這件事時(shí)栅屏，有些人認(rèn)為塞拉斯是病了飘千。但其他人，像教會(huì)職員梅西先生既琴，不接受醫(yī)學(xué)解釋占婉。

‘No, he isn’t ill, that weaver,’ said old Mr Macey, shaking his head knowingly.‘If he had a fit, he'd fall down. Wouldn’t he? I think his soul flies out of his body sometimes and that’s why he looks so strange. He doesn't come to church, does he? And how does he know so much about medicines? You all remember how he made Sally Oates better when the doctor himself could do no more for her. That's the devil's work. believe me!’

“不，他沒(méi)病甫恩，那個(gè)織布工沒(méi)發(fā)病逆济，”梅西先生像知道般搖搖頭說(shuō)。“如果他生病了奖慌，會(huì)摔倒抛虫，不是嗎？我想他的靈魂有時(shí)會(huì)飛離他的身體简僧，這就是他看起來(lái)奇怪的原因建椰。他不來(lái)教堂，對(duì)吧岛马？他是如何了解那么多藥物的呢棉姐？你們都還記得當(dāng)醫(yī)生都無(wú)法讓薩利好轉(zhuǎn)時(shí)，他是如何使薩莉·奧茨好轉(zhuǎn)了的啦逆。這是魔鬼的杰作铆遭。相信我哮兰！”

However, the housewives needed Silas to weave their linen, and they could find nothing wrong with his work. The years passed, and Raveloe villagers did not change their opinion of the weaver. At the end of fifteen years they said exactly the same things about him, but they believed them more strongly. They also said that he had saved up a lot of money since he had come to Raveloe.

然而，家庭主婦們需要塞拉斯編織她們的亞麻，她們也挑不出他工作的錯(cuò)處矢劲。幾年過(guò)去啤贩，拉弗爾村民沒(méi)有改變對(duì)織布工的看法求类。十五年過(guò)去矫膨，他們還在談?wù)撝棽脊さ耐瑯拥氖拢酉嘈拍切┦铝颂搿Ｋ麄冞€說(shuō)宇色，自從他到拉弗爾后，存了很多錢(qián)例隆。

Silas had come from a large town to the north of Raveloe. Here he had lived a very different life. Because he was one of a large number of weavers, he was not considered strange, and he belonged to an enthusiastic religious group. They met every Sunday at the chapel in Light Street. Once, at a chapel meeting, Silas had become unconscious and had sat without moving, hearing or seeing, for over an hour. This experience made him specially interesting to the rest of the group.

塞拉斯來(lái)自拉弗爾以北的一個(gè)大城鎮(zhèn)抢蚀。在這里，他過(guò)著完全不同的生活唱逢。因?yàn)樗潜姸嗫椆ぶ械囊粏T屋休，所以并不會(huì)讓人覺(jué)得奇怪，他們屬于一個(gè)狂熱的宗教團(tuán)體痪枫。他們每個(gè)星期天都在光明街的禮拜堂見(jiàn)面。有一次奶陈，在禮拜堂的會(huì)議上，塞拉斯失去意識(shí)超過(guò)一個(gè)小時(shí)潦俺，一動(dòng)不動(dòng)地坐在那里事示，既聽(tīng)不到也看不見(jiàn)。這一經(jīng)歷使其他人對(duì)他特別感興趣很魂。

譯《織工馬南》第一章：塞拉斯·馬南的過(guò)去和現(xiàn)在（二）

PS:本書(shū)為書(shū)蟲(chóng)系列四級(jí)讀物，由英國(guó)著名女作家喬治·艾略特所著、英國(guó)書(shū)蟲(chóng)系列著名作家克萊爾·韋斯特改寫(xiě)法挨。
英文為書(shū)蟲(chóng)系列原文，譯文是筆者翻譯窃植。本文僅因個(gè)人興趣而譯荐糜，故本文謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載和各種商業(yè)用途，同時(shí)承諾若出現(xiàn)任何責(zé)任由作者承擔(dān)延塑，必要時(shí)簡(jiǎn)書(shū)可刪除文章答渔。