[英]夏洛蒂·勃朗特(Charlotte Bronte)
簡父母早亡,自小寄居在舅舅里德家里,舅母在舅舅病逝后,對簡百般虐待,還把她關(guān)在恐怖的紅屋子里,但是簡卻堅(jiān)決反抗,于是被送到了條件更為惡劣的勞渥德學(xué)校。后來她受聘到桑菲爾德莊園當(dāng)家庭教師,其間她和男主人羅切斯特摩擦出了愛的火花。簡強(qiáng)烈的自尊心迫使她毅然決然地離開了已婚的羅切斯特。繼承遺產(chǎn)后的簡回到了羅切斯特的身邊,而此刻的他在經(jīng)歷了一場大火后眼瞎肢殘。后來他們?nèi)缭敢詢數(shù)厣钤诹艘黄稹?/p>
“Never,”said he, as he ground his teeth,“never was anything at once so frail and so indomitable. A mere reed she feels in my han d!”(And he shook me with the force of his hold.)“I could bend her with my finger and thumb:and what good would it do if I bent, if I uptore, if I crushed her?Consider that eye:consider the resolute, wild, free thing looking out of it, defying me, with more than courage—with a stern triumph.Whatever I do with its cage, I cannot get at it—the savage, beautiful creatur e!If I tear, if I rend the slight prison, my outrage will only let the captive loose.Conqueror I might be of the house;but the inmate would escape to heaven before I could call myself possessor of its clay dwelling-place.And it is you, spirit—with will and energy, and virtue and purity—that I want:not alone your brittle frame.Of yourself you could come with soft flight and nestle against my heart, if you would:seized against your will, you will elude the grasp like an essence—you will vanish ere I inhale your fragrance.O h!come, Jane, com e!”
As he said this, he released me from his clutch, and only looked at me. The look was far worse to resist than the frantic strain:only an idiot, however, would have succumbed now.I had dared and baffled his fury;I must elude his sorrow:I retired to the door.
“You are going, Jane?”
“I am going, sir.”
“You are leaving me?”
“Yes.”
“You will not come?You will not be my comforter, my rescuer?My deep love, my wild woe, my frantic prayer, are all nothing to you?”
What unutterable pathos was in his voic e!How hard it was to reiterate firmly,“I am going.”
“Jan e!”
“Mr. Rocheste r!”
“Withdraw, then—I consent;but remember, you leave me here in anguish. Go up to your own room;think over all I have said, and, Jane, cast a glance on my sufferings—think of me.”
He turned away;he threw himself on his face on the sofa.“Oh, Jan e!my hope—my love—my lif e!”broke in anguish from his lips. Then came a deep, strong sob.
I had already gained the door;but, reader, I walked back—walked back as determinedly as I had retreated. I knelt down by him;I turned his face from the cushion to me;I kissed his cheek;I smoothed his hair with my hand.
“God bless you, my dear maste r!”I said,“God keep you from harm and wrong—direct you, solace you—reward you well for your past kindness to me.”
“Little Jane's love would have been my best reward,”he answered;“without it, my heart is broken. But Jane will give me her love:yes—nobly, generously.”
Up the blood rushed to his face;forth flashed the fire from his eyes;erect he sprang;he held his arms out;but I evaded the embrace, and at once quitted the room.
“Farewel l!”was the cry of my heart as I left him. Despair added,“Farewell for eve r!”
“從來沒有,”他咬牙切齒地說,“從來沒有什么東西像這樣既纖弱又不屈不撓的。在我看來她只不過像根蘆葦?。ㄋ呎f邊用抓住我的手使勁搖我)我可以輕而易舉地把它弄彎,但我即使是把它弄彎了,拔起來,捏碎了,又有什么用呢?看看那對眼睛,看看那里面流露出來的堅(jiān)決、大膽、什么也不顧的神氣,不僅帶著勇氣,還帶著堅(jiān)定的勝利感對我公然蔑視。這野性難馴的美麗的東西,不管我怎么做,都無法靠攏這個(gè)籠子!即使我拆掉、搗毀那纖脆的牢籠,我的暴行也只會放走囚徒。我也許可以征服那房子,但我還來不及稱自己是這泥屋的主人,里邊的居住者就會飛上天去。而我要的正是你,你的精神——富有意志、能量、德行和純潔——而不僅僅是你那脆弱的身軀。如果你愿意,你會悄然朝我飛來,偎依在我的懷中。倘若不顧你的意愿硬把你抓住,你就像香氣似的從我手中消失——在我還沒有聞到你的芬芳時(shí),就消失得無影無蹤了。哦,來吧!簡,來吧!”
他一邊這么說著,一邊松開他那緊握的手,只是那樣地看著我。這眼神遠(yuǎn)比發(fā)瘋時(shí)的緊扯更讓人難受。然而,現(xiàn)在只有白癡才會屈服。我已面對他的怒火,并把它挫敗了。我得避開他的憂愁。我朝門口退去。
“你要走了,簡?”
“我要走了,先生?!?/p>
“你要離開我了?”
“是的?!?/p>
“你不愿意來了?你不愿做我的安慰者,我的拯救者了?——面對我這深沉的愛,劇烈的痛苦,瘋狂的祈求,你都無動于衷嗎?”
他的聲音中帶有一種難以言說的悲哀!而要毅然決然重復(fù)說出“我走了”這句話,是多么困難??!
“簡!”
“羅切斯特先生!”
“那么,去吧——我同意——但是記著,你把我一個(gè)人撇在痛苦之中。到樓上你的房間再好好想想我說過的話,簡,看一看我所承受的痛苦吧——想想我吧?!?/p>
他轉(zhuǎn)過身去,一頭扎進(jìn)了沙發(fā)里?!芭叮?!我的希望——我的愛——我的生命啊!”他痛苦地脫口而出。隨后便聽到了他那深沉而強(qiáng)烈的哭泣聲。
我那時(shí)已經(jīng)走到了門口,可我的讀者呀,我又走了回去——就像我剛剛走出時(shí)那樣堅(jiān)決。我跪在他身旁,把他的臉從沙發(fā)墊里捧起來,并轉(zhuǎn)向我;我吻了吻他的臉頰,理了理他的頭發(fā)。
“上帝保佑你,我親愛的主人!”我說,“上帝會保佑你不受傷害,不做錯(cuò)事——他會指引你,安慰你——會好好報(bào)答你過去對我的恩情?!?/p>
“可簡的愛情才是對我最好的酬謝,”他答道,“沒有了它,我的心就碎了,不過簡一定會把她的愛給我的,會的——會高尚、慷慨地給我的!”
血色一下子泛在他的臉上,他的眼睛里射出了火一般的光芒。他猛地跳了起來,站直了身子,張開了雙臂。但我躲開了他的擁抱,立即跑出了房間。
“別了!”就在我離開他時(shí),我的心在狂喊。絕望又使我加了一句:“永別了!”
實(shí)戰(zhàn)提升
作者介紹
夏洛蒂·勃朗特(1816—1855),英國19世紀(jì)著名的女作家?!逗啞邸肥且徊烤哂凶詡魃实淖髌?。她的作品包括《簡·愛》《雪莉》《維萊特》等。
單詞注解
resolute[5rezElu:t]adj.堅(jiān)決的,堅(jiān)定的;果敢的
outrage[5autreidV]n.惡行,暴行
nestle[5nesl]v.依偎;貼靠
elude[i5lu:d]v.逃避,躲避;使困惑
frantic[5frAntik]adj.狂暴的,狂亂的
reward[ri5wC:d]n./v.報(bào)答;報(bào)償;獎(jiǎng)賞
embrace[im5breis]n./v.擁抱
名句大搜索
你不愿意來了?你不愿做我的安慰者,我的拯救者了?
他的聲音中帶有一種難以言說的悲哀!而要毅然決然重復(fù)說出“我走了”這句話,是多么困難??!
“別了!”就在我離開他時(shí),我的心在狂喊。絕望又使我加了一句:“永別了!”