牛津书虫系列《苔丝》Chapter12 附中英双语文本

As he walked with his brothers， Angel felt that， however lucky they were to have a university education， neither of them really saw life as it was lived． They thought farming was a poor man's job， not suitable for a gentleman． Angel felt all the more determined to keep to his choice．
当他和哥哥们走在一起时，安吉尔感觉到，尽管他们俩很幸运地接受了大学教育，但没有一个能实事求是地看待生活。他们认为务农是穷人的职业，对一个绅士来说是不合适的。安吉尔坚持自己选择的决心更坚定了。
In the evening he spoke to his father alone after prayers． Mr Clare told his son he had been saving the money he would have spent on his university education for him． This encouraged Angel to ask his father what sort of wife a farmer needed．
晚上做完祷告之后，他和父亲单独谈了谈。克莱尔先生告诉儿子，他一直都在积攒那笔该用来给他支付大学教育费用的钱。这让安吉尔有了勇气，问父亲一个农场主需要什么样的妻子。
‘A really Christian woman． Nothing else matters．For example，my neighbour Dr Chant…’
“一个虔诚的基督教徒，别的什么都不重要。比如说，我的邻居钱特医生……”
‘But isn't the main thing that she should be able to milk cows，churn good butter， value animals and direct farm workers？’
“但是难道这点不重要吗？就是她要会挤牛奶，搅制出上等的黄油，珍惜动物，并指导农场工人？”
Mr Clare had clearly never thought of this before．
很明显，克莱尔先生以前从未想过这个方面。
‘Yes，yes， certainly． But I was going to say that you will never find a purer woman than Mercy Chant． Your mother and I would be very happy if you…’
“是的，是的，当然。但我要说的是，你不可能再遇到一位比默茜·钱特更纯洁的姑娘啦。你母亲和我会非常高兴的，如果你……”
‘Yes，yes，Mercy is good， I know．But，father，don't you think that one who is just as good and pure，and who understands farm life as well as the farmer， would be much better？’
“是的，是的，我知道默茜是个好姑娘。但是，爸爸，难道你不认为一位同样纯洁善良的姑娘，像一个农场主一样了解农场生活的姑娘，会更合适吗？”
After much discussion Angel got down to details．He explained he had met a woman who was ideally suited to be a farmer's wife， who went to church reqularly， who was honest， sensitive， intelligent， graceful， pure as snow， and extremely beautiful．
商讨了好一阵之后，安吉尔开始细细阐述。他解释道，他遇上了一位非常适合做农场主妻子的姑娘，她经常去教堂，她真诚、聪慧、机智、可爱，雪一般地纯洁，而且极其美丽。
‘Is she of a good family， like Mercy？’ asked his surprised mother， who had come in during the conversation．
“她是位大家闺秀吗？像默茜一样？”颇感意外的母亲问道，她是在他们谈话时进来的。
‘She is not what we call a lady，’ said Angel firmly．‘ She is a cottager's daughter．What's the advantage of good family to me？ My wife will have to work hard and manage with very little money．’
“她不是一位我们印象中的小姐，”安吉尔毫不退缩地说道，“她是一个农村人家的姑娘。大家闺秀能给我带来什么好处呢？我的妻子要卖力地工作，还要会安排那点微不足道的收入。”
‘Mercy is educated． That has its charm，’ said his mother，looking at him through her silver glasses．
“默茜受过教育，这是她的迷人之处。”他母亲透过她的银边眼镜看着他，说道。
‘I shall help her with her reading． She will learn fast． She's full of poetry， real poetry． She lives what poets only write．And she is a good Christian girl． I'm sure you'll value her for that．’
“我将帮助她读书。她很快就能学会的。她充满了诗意，真正的诗意。她充满诗意地生活着，而诗人们只有在笔下流露这些。而且她还是位虔诚的基督教徒，我相信你们会因为这点珍视她的。”
His parents already doubted Angel's religious belief， so they were almost relieved to hear this of his future wife． They told him not to act in a hurry， but they would like to see her．Although Angel was free to marry or not as he wished， he did not want to hurt his parents， and he accepted their advice．
他的父母已经怀疑安吉尔的宗教信仰了，因此他关于未来妻子的这一番话，倒让他们觉得宽心了。他们叫他别草率行事，表示愿意见见她。尽管安吉尔能够自由地选择结婚或不结婚，但他却不愿伤害他的父母。因此，他接受了他们的建议。
As he set off to return to the dairy and Tess， his father rode with him a little way． Mr Clare was telling his son about the new d’Urberville family who had taken the ancient name and lived near Trantridge． There was a young man and his blind mother． Preaching in the church there one day， Mr Clare had spoken out bravely against the well-known wickedness of young d’Urberville， who， after this， had publicly insulted him when they met later．