英语沙龙：我的前公爵夫人

My Last Duchess

Ferrara

That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall,

Looking as if she were alive. I call

That piece a wonder, now: Fra Pandolf’s hands

Worked busily a day, and there she stands.

Will’t please you sit and look at her? I said

“Fra Pandolf” by design, for never read

Strangers like you that pictured countenance¹,

The depth and passion of its earnest glance,

But to myself they turned (since none puts by

the curtain I have drawn² for you, but I)

And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst,

How such a glance came there; so, not the first

Are you to turn and ask thus. Sir, ’twas not

Her husband’s presence only, called that spot

Of joy into the Duchess’ cheek: perhaps

Fra Pandolf chanced to say “Her mantle³ laps

Over my lady’s wrist too much,” or “Paint

Must never hope to reproduce the faint

Half-flush that dies along her throat”; such stuff

Was courtesy, she thought, and cause enough

For calling up that spot of joy. She had

A heart—how shall I say—too soon made glad,

Too easily impressed; she liked whate’er

She looked on, and her looks went everywhere.

Sir, ’twas all one! My favour at her breast,

The dropping of the daylight in the West,

The bough⁴ of cherries some officious fool

Broke in the orchard⁵ for her, the white mule⁶

She rode with round the terrace—all and each

Would draw from her alike the approving speech,

Or blush, at least. She thanked men—good! but thanked

Somehow—I know not how—as if she ranked

My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name

With anybody’s gift. Who’d stoop to blame

This sort of trifling⁷? Even had you skill

In speech (which I have not) to make your will

Quite clear to such an one, and say, “Just this

Or that in you disgusts me; here you miss,

Or there exceed the mark”—and if she let

Herself be lessoned so, nor plainly set

Her wits to yours, forsooth, and made excuse,

E’en that would be some stooping; and I choose

Never to stoop. Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt,

Whene’er I passed her; but who passed without

Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands;

Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands

As if alive. Will’t please you rise? We’ll meet

The company below, then. I repeat,

The Count your master’s known munificence⁸

Is ample warrant that no just pretence⁹

Of mine for dowry will be disallowed¹⁰;

Though his fair daughter’s self, as I avowed¹¹

At starting, is my object. Nay¹², we’ll go

Together down, sir. Notice Neptune¹³, though,

Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity,

Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!

斐拉拉（Ferrara）Duomo（天主教堂）内部，Alessandro Grussu拍摄

我的前公爵夫人

斐拉拉

墙上的这幅画是我的前公爵夫人，

看起来就像她活着一样。如今，

我称它为奇迹：潘道夫师的手笔

经一日忙碌，从此她就在此站立。

你愿坐下看看她吗？我有意提起

潘道夫，因为外来的生客（例如你）

凡是见了画中描绘的面容、

那真挚的眼神的深邃和热情，

没有一个不转向我（因为除我外

再没有别人把画上的帘幕拉开），

似乎想问我可是又不大敢问：

是从哪儿来的——这样的眼神？

你并非第一个人回头这样问我。

先生，不仅仅是她丈夫的在座

使公爵夫人面带欢容，可能

潘道夫偶然说过：“夫人的披风

盖住她的手腕太多，”或者说：

“隐约的红晕向颈部渐渐隐没，

这绝非任何颜料所能复制。”

这种无聊话，却被她当成好意，

也足以唤起她的欢心。她那颗心——

怎么说好呢？——要取悦容易得很，

也太易感动。她看到什么都喜欢，

而她的目光又偏爱到处观看。

先生，她对什么都一样！她胸口上

佩戴的我的赠品，或落日的余光，

过分殷勤的傻子在园中攀折

给她的一枝樱桃，或她骑着

绕行花圃的白骡——所有这一切

都会使她同样地赞羡不绝，

或至少泛起红晕。她感激人，好的！

但她的感激（我说不上怎么搞的）

仿佛把我赐她的九百年的门第

与任何人的赠品并列。谁愿意

屈尊去谴责这种轻浮举止？即使

你有口才（我却没有）能把你的意志

给这样的人儿充分说明：“你这点

或那点令我讨厌。这儿你差德远，

而那儿你超越了界限。即使她肯听

你这样训诫她而毫不争论，

毫不为自己辩解，——我也觉得

这会有失身份；所以我选择

绝不屈尊。哦，先生，她总是在微笑，

每逢我走过；但是谁人走过得不到

同样慷慨的微笑？发展至此，

我下了令：于是一切微笑都从此制止。

她站在那儿，像活着一样。请你起身，

客人们在楼下等。我再重复一声：

你的主人——伯爵先生闻名的大方

足以充分保证：我对嫁妆

提出任何合理要求都不会遭拒绝；

当然，如我开头声明的，他美貌的小姐

才是我追求的目标。别客气，让咱们

一同下楼吧。但请看这海神尼普顿

在驯服海马，这是件珍贵的收藏，

是克劳斯为我特制的青铜铸像。

1 countenance   

n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同

参考例句：

• At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。
• I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地，仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。

2 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

3 mantle   

n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红

参考例句：

• The earth had donned her mantle of brightest green.大地披上了苍翠欲滴的绿色斗篷。
• The mountain was covered with a mantle of snow.山上覆盖着一层雪。

4 bough   

n.大树枝，主枝

参考例句：

• I rested my fishing rod against a pine bough.我把钓鱼竿靠在一棵松树的大树枝上。
• Every bough was swinging in the wind.每条树枝都在风里摇摆。

5 orchard   

n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场

参考例句：

• My orchard is bearing well this year.今年我的果园果实累累。
• Each bamboo house was surrounded by a thriving orchard.每座竹楼周围都是茂密的果园。

6 mule   

n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人

参考例句：

• A mule is a cross between a mare and a donkey.骡子是母马和公驴的杂交后代。
• He is an old mule.他是个老顽固。

7 trifling   

adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的

参考例句：

• They quarreled over a trifling matter.他们为这种微不足道的事情争吵。
• So far Europe has no doubt, gained a real conveniency,though surely a very trifling one.直到现在为止,欧洲无疑地已经获得了实在的便利，不过那确是一种微不足道的便利。

8 munificence   

n.宽宏大量，慷慨给与

参考例句：

• He is kindness and munificence by nature. 他天生既仁慈又宽宏大量。 来自辞典例句
• He is not only kindness but also munificence. 他天生既仁慈又宽宏大量。 来自互联网

9 pretence   

n.假装，作假；借口，口实；虚伪；虚饰

参考例句：

• The government abandoned any pretence of reform. 政府不再装模作样地进行改革。
• He made a pretence of being happy at the party.晚会上他假装很高兴。

10 disallowed   

v.不承认（某事物）有效( disallow的过去式和过去分词 )；不接受；不准；驳回

参考例句：

• The judge disallowed that evidence. 法官驳回那项证据。 来自辞典例句
• Her claim was disallowed on the ground(s) that she had not paid her premium. 她要求赔款遭到拒绝，原因是她事先没有交纳保险费。 来自辞典例句

11 avowed   

adj.公开声明的，承认的v.公开声明，承认( avow的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• An aide avowed that the President had known nothing of the deals. 一位助理声明，总统对这些交易一无所知。
• The party's avowed aim was to struggle against capitalist exploitation. 该党公开宣称的宗旨是与资本主义剥削斗争。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 nay   

adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者

参考例句：

• He was grateful for and proud of his son's remarkable,nay,unique performance.他为儿子出色的，不，应该是独一无二的表演心怀感激和骄傲。
• Long essays,nay,whole books have been written on this.许多长篇大论的文章，不，应该说是整部整部的书都是关于这件事的。

13 Neptune   

n.海王星

参考例句：

• Neptune is the furthest planet from the sun.海王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Neptune turned out to be a dynamic,stormy world.海王星原来是个有生气、多风暴的世界。