No, I am not deceived. In her dark eyes I read a genuine interest in me and in my fortunes. Yes, I feel it; and I may believe my own heart which tells me—dare I say it?—dare I pronounce the divine words?—that she loves me!
That she loves me! How the idea exalts me in my own eyes! And, as you can understand my feelings, I may say to you, how I honour myself since she loves me!
Is this presumption, or is it a consciousness of the truth? I do not know a man able to supplant me in the heart of Lotte; and yet when she speaks of her betrothed with so much warmth and affection, I feel like the soldier who has been stripped of his honours and titles, and deprived of his sword.
不,我不是自己欺騙自己!我在她那烏黑的眼睛里,的的確確看到了對我和我的命運的同情。是的,這是我心中的感覺;然而,在這一點上,我可以相信我的心不會錯……我感覺:她……呵,我可以,我能夠用這句話來表達自己的無上幸福么?——這句話就是:她愛我!
她愛我!——而我對于自己也變得多么可貴了呵,我是多么——這話我可以告訴你,因為你能夠理解它——多么崇拜自己了呵,自從她愛我!
也不知是自己想入非非,還是對情況的正確感覺?那個使我為自己在綠蒂心中的地位擔心的人,我不了解??墒?,盡管如此,每當她談起自己的未婚夫來,談得那么溫柔,那么親切,我心中就頹唐得如一個喪失了所有榮譽與尊嚴的人,連手中自衛(wèi)的寶劍也被奪去了。