《简·爱》 Chapter 12 第十二章（3）（在线收听）

It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquillity.

说人类应当满足于平静的生活，是徒劳无益的。

they must have action, and they will make it if they cannot find it.

他们应当有行动，而且要是他们没有办法找到，那就自己来创造。

Millions are condemned to a stiller doom than mine, and millions are in silent revolt against their lot.

成千上万的人命里注定要承受比我更沉寂的灭亡；而成千上万的人在默默地反抗他们的命运。

Nobody knows how many rebellions besides political rebellions ferment in the masses of life which people earth.

没有人知道除了政治反抗之外，有多少反抗在人世间芸芸众生中酝酿着。

Women are supposed to be very calm generally, but women feel just as men feel;

一般都认为女人应当平平静静，但女人跟男人有一样的感觉。

They need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts, as much as their brothers do;

她们需要发挥自己的才能，而且也像兄弟们一样需要有用武之地。

They suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer.

她们对严厉的束缚，绝对的停滞，都跟男人一样感到痛苦，比她们更享有特权的同类们。

And it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that

只有心胸狭窄者才会说，

they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags.

女人们应当只做做布丁，织织长袜，弹弹钢，绣绣布包。

It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them,

要是她们希望超越世俗认定的女性所应守的规范，

if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex.

做更多的事情，学更多的东西，那么为此去谴责或讥笑她们未是轻率的。

When thus alone, I not unfrequently heard Grace Poole's laugh.

我这么独自一人时，常常听到格雷斯.普尔的笑声，

the same peal, the same low, slow ha! ha! which, when first heard, had thrilled me.

同样的一阵大笑，同样的低沉、迟缓的哈哈声，初次听来，令人毛骨悚然。

I heard, too, her eccentric murmurs; stranger than her laugh.

我也曾听到过她怪异的低语声，比她的笑声还古怪。

There were days when she was quite silent, but there were others when I could not account for the sounds she made.

有些日子她十分安静，但另一些日子她会发出令人费解的声音。

Sometimes I saw her:

有时我看到了她。

She would come out of her room with a basin, or a plate, or a tray in her hand,

她会从房间里出来，手里拿着一个脸盆，或者一个盘子，或者一个托盘，

go down to the kitchen and shortly return, generally (oh, romantic reader, forgive me for telling the plain truth!) bearing a pot of porter.

下楼到厨房去，并很快就返回，一般说来（唉，浪漫的读者，请恕我直言！）拿着一罐黑啤酒。

Her appearance always acted as a damper to the curiosity raised by her oral oddities.

她的外表常常会消除她口头的怪癖所引起的好奇。

Hard-featured and staid, she had no point to which interest could attach.

她一脸凶相，表情严肃，没有一点使人感兴趣的地方。

I made some attempts to draw her into conversation, but she seemed a person of few words.

我几次想使她开口，但她似乎是个少言寡语的人。

A monosyllabic reply usually cut short every effort of that sort.

回答往往只有一两个字，终于使我意兴全无了。

The other members of the household, viz. , John and his wife,

府上的其他成员，如约翰夫妇，

Leah the housemaid, and Sophie the French nurse, were decent people, but in no respect remarkable;

女佣莉娅和法国保姆索菲娅都是正派人，但决非杰出之辈。

With Sophie I used to talk French, and sometimes I asked her questions about her native country,

我同索菲娅常说法语，

but she was not of a descriptive or narrative turn,

有时也问她些关于她故国的问题，

and generally gave such vapid and confused answers as were calculated rather to check than encourage inquiry.

但她没有描绘或叙述的才能，一般听作的回答既乏味又混乱，仿佛有意阻止而不是鼓励我继续发问。