牛津书虫系列《神秘及幻想故事集》Chapter1 附中英双语文本

“鄂榭府本身，”他对我说道，“就好像是一个活物。当墙壁最初被垒起来的时候，生命便进入了这些石头，此后年复一年，逐渐成长壮大。哪怕是围绕着石墙、聚集在湖面上的空气，也有它自己的生命，它是属于这宅子的。你难道没看见吗，”他嚷道，“那石头、那空气是如何塑造了鄂榭家族的众多生灵的？”
These ideas were too fantastic for me，and I could not answer him．
这些看法对我来说简直太离奇了，我都不知该怎么回答他才好。
One evening I was reading quietly when my friend told me，in very few words，that the Lady Madeleine had died．He had decided，he said，to keep her body for a fortnight in one of the vaults under the house，before it went to its last resting-place．This was because his sister's illness had been a mysterious one，and her doctors wanted to learn more about it．He asked me to help him and I agreed．
一天傍晚，我正在安安静静地看书，我的朋友非常简短地告诉我，玛德琳小姐已经故去了。他说，他已经决定在宅子下面的一间地窖里停尸两个星期，然后再将其送往最后的长眠之地，理由是他妹妹的病很古怪，医生们还想再研究研究。他请求我帮忙料理一下，我答应了。
Together we carried the body in its coffin down to the vaults under the house．The vault that he had chosen was a long way down，but was under the part of the house where I slept．It had once been a prison，and was small，dark，and airless，with a heavy metal door．
我们两个一起抬着盛了尸体的棺材，向下来到房子底部的地窖里。他选定的那间地窖要向下走很长一段才到，但它的正上方恰巧是我的寝室那一带。它从前曾经做过牢房，又小又黑，叫人透不过气来，还装着一扇沉重的铁门。
We put the coffin down and then gently lifted up the cover to look at the dead woman for the last time．As I looked down at her face，I realized how much Usher's sister looked like him．My friend then said a few quiet words and I learnt that he and his sister had been born on the same day．Each had known the other's mind without the need for words．
我们把棺材放下，然后轻轻地掀开棺盖，想最后看一眼死者。我低头朝鄂榭的妹妹脸上望去，这才发现他们兄妹二人是多么相像。然后我的朋友沉着地说了几句话，我终于得知他们二人是同日出生的孪生兄妹，彼此间无须言语交流便能心意相通。
We could not look at her for long．Her strange illness had left her with a soft pink colour on her face，and that unchanging half－smile on her lips which is so terrible in death．We put back the cover of the coffin，fixed it down well，and after locking the heavy door of the vault，went back upstairs into the gloomy house．
我们对死者不敢久看。她的怪病使得她脸上微微泛出一抹粉红，嘴唇上挂着一丝若有若无、凝定不变的微笑；这笑容出现在死人脸上，可真叫人毛骨悚然。我们将棺盖重新盖上，仔细钉牢，又锁好了地窖那沉甸甸的屋门，才爬上楼梯，回到阴悒的宅子里。
After some days of deep unhappiness，I saw that my friend's illness of the mind was growing worse．He did not paint or read any more．He moved slowly from room to room，never knowing what to do．His face became paler，the light disappeared from his eyes，and his voice often shook with fear when he spoke．Sometimes I thought he was trying to tell me some terrible secret．At other times I thought he was going mad．He used to sit for hours，looking at nothing，listening to nothing-except the sounds in his own mind．I myself began to know real fear．I felt my friend's terror，his deep gloom，slowly taking hold of my own mind．
无比沉痛的几天过去，我发现我的朋友精神错乱的病情有所加重。他不再画画，也不再读书，只是在一个又一个房间里徘徊，脚步迟缓，漫无目的。他的脸色更加苍白了，光芒已从他眼中消失，一说起话来，他的声音便常常因恐惧而发抖。有时候我想他是企图向我透露什么可怕的秘密，有时候我以为他要发疯了。他往往一坐就是几个小时，什么也没在看，什么也没在听——听的只是他自己头脑里的声音。我自己开始体会到真正的恐惧了。我感到我的朋友的惶恐，他那致命的阴悒，正在慢慢攫住我的心。
About seven or eight days after we had put Lady Madeleine's coffin in the vault，I went to bed but could not sleep．Hour after hour I lay there，fighting the fear and gloom that filled my mind．Outside，there was a storm which was growing wilder，and my room was full of shadows and the dark shapes of the gloomy furniture．I tried to calm myself，but I only became more frightened．