牛津书虫系列《神秘及幻想故事集》Chapter4 附中英双语文本

William Wilson
威廉·威尔逊
william Wilson is not my name．But I shall use it in this story because my real name is too well known， too hated in every corner of the world． My evil crimes have made sure of that．And as the day of my death comes nearer，I feel the need to write， to explain to you how my life of crime began.
威廉·威尔逊并不是我的名字，但我将在这个故事中使用它，因为我的真名实姓早已在世界上每一个角落广为人知、深受憎恶了。我所犯下的邪恶罪行确保了这一点。由于我的死期正一天天临近，我觉得有必要诉诸笔墨，向诸位解释一下我的犯罪生涯是如何开始的。
Most men become evil slowly．They start with little crimes and then move on to bigger ones．But I am different．I moved into real crime with just one big step．Has any man lived a life as evil as mine？ But now， the shadow of death fills me with fear；day and night I have the most terrible dreams．Perhaps someone， somewhere， will feel sorry for me．Listen to my story…
人们走向堕落大都是一步步地来，开始时犯些小过错，接下来罪行便愈犯愈大。但我的情形完全不同。我只消迈上一大步便堕入了真正的罪恶深渊。曾经有人像我一样经历过如此邪恶的一生吗？可是现在，死亡的阴影使我的内心充满了恐惧，我没日没夜地做最可怕的噩梦。也许在某个地方有某个人会为我感到难过。请听我的故事……
I was a wild and excitable child．My parents worried about me and often tried to punish me， but they never succeeded in changing me．I refused to obey them and I never followed any orders that they gave me．I wanted to be free so I listened only to myself．
我小时候是个野性十足、容易激动的孩子，我父母很为我操心，总想惩罚我，但他们从未成功地令我有所改变。我拒不服从他们，从不照着他们给我的指令去做。我一心想自由自在地生活，于是干什么都是我行我素。
The first school that I can remember was a large and very old house in a small， quiet English village．As I write，I can sill feel the coolness of the shadowy gardens near the house． I can smell the sweetness of the flowers and hear the deep sound of the church bells as they rang every hour.
我记得我上的第一所学校是位于英格兰一座僻静的小村庄中的一栋非常古旧的大房子。我现在一边写，一边还能感觉到房子旁边那幽暗的花园里的丝丝凉意，还能嗅到花朵的芬芳，听到每当整点时便敲响的深沉的教堂钟声。
These feelings give me some moments of happiness as I sit here in black misery， waiting for death．In fact，it is here，in this school，that my story really begins…
当我无比凄惨地在这里坐以待毙的时候，这些感觉给了我片刻的欢悦。事实上，我的故事就是从这里、从这所学校真正开始的……
The school building was large and dd．The big gardens were closed in by a high wall，with broken glass at the top，just like a prison．We only went out three times a week．On Saturday afternoons we took a walk in some fields near the school，under the watchful eye of one of our teachers．On Sundays we went out twice，morning and evening，to go to the village church．
学校的校舍规模宏大，年代久远。大大的花园被一道高墙紧紧围住，墙头还插着碎玻璃片，活像一座监狱。我们一个星期只能出去三次。到了星期六下午，我们要在一位老师的密切监视下去学校附近的田野里散一圈步。星期天我们能出去两次，早一次晚一次，都是去村里的教堂。
I was not bored or unhappy during my life at school．Children can amuse themselves very easily，and in my imagination，I lived an exciting life，full of mystery and interest．But in the real world，the days were always the same-we woke up and went to bed，we walked in the fields and played in the play-ground…The playground was，indeed，a very special place．It was a place where friends were made and lost，a place always full of trouble and excitement．
我的读书生涯并未令我感到厌烦和不快，孩子们总是能够很轻易地找到自我娱乐的法子。在我的想像中，我过着一种激动人心的生活，生活中充满了神秘和有趣的事情；但是在真实的世界中，一个个日子总是千篇一律——我们醒来，睡去，去田野里散步，在操场上玩耍……说实在的，操场可真是一个非常特别的地方。这是个交到朋友、失去朋友的地方，是个总是充满了麻烦和骚动的地方。
I was the kind of boy who liked to give orders，not to take them．I always wanted to win every game，every fight，and to be first in everything．All the other boys，even those a bit older than myself，were happy to follow and obey me．All，that is，except one．His name was the same as mine，so I shall call him William William，too．We were not from the same family，but we both had the same name．This was not surprising because my name was not an unusual one．