牛津书虫系列《勃朗特一家的故事》Chapter3 附中英双语文本

这些玩具兵为我的孩子们打开了一个新的世界。他们给我看了一些故事，可还有上百个故事对我保着密。他们那么小就开始写作了。最年长的夏洛蒂也才10岁，爱米丽8岁。自此以后他们就从未停止过写作。尼可斯先生现在把夏洛蒂的全部小书收藏在他房间的一个柜橱里。有几本差不多五六公分厚。它们制作精美，里面尽是小画和纤细的手写笔迹。还有一本现在就在我的书桌上，可是我读不了，我的眼神太差了。
Charlotte and Branwell wrote about a country called Angria，while Emily and Anne wrote about a land called Gondal．The paple in those countries fought battles and fell in love， and wrote letters and poems．My children wrote these poems and letters，and they wrote books about Angria and Gondal．They drew maps of the countries，wrote newspapers about them， and drew pictures of the towns and people in their stories．They in－vented a new world for themselves．
夏洛蒂和布兰韦尔写了一个叫安哥利亚的国家。爱米丽和安妮写了一片叫哥恩达尔的土地。那些地区的人们打仗、恋爱，写信和诗歌。孩子们不只写这些诗和信，还描绘了安哥利亚和哥恩达尔这两个国家。他们画了地图，编了它们的报纸，还画了故事中的城堡及人。他们为自己设计了一个新世界。
They wrote many of these stories when I was in bed．I used to read to the family，and pray with them in the evening， and then I usually went to bed at nine o'clock．One night，I re-member，I woke up and came down again at ten．There was a noise in my room—this room where I am writing now． I opened the door and saw Charlotte and Branwell with a candle，looking at a picture on my wall．
我睡觉的时候他们就写很多这样的故事。我习惯念书给大家听，晚上和他们一起祷告，然后通常在9点钟时上床睡觉。记得一天夜里，我醒来，10点钟又下楼去。在我现在写作的房间听到了一点声音。我开门看见夏洛蒂和布兰韦尔举着一枝蜡烛，正在看我墙上的一幅画。
'What are you doing here？'I asked．
“你们在这儿干什么？”我问。
'We're looking at the picture， papa，'Branwell said．'It's the Duke of Zamorna and the Duke of Northangerland fighting in Glasstown．'
“我们在看画呢，爸爸。”布兰韦尔说道，“这是扎摩那公爵和北安哥兰公爵的玻璃城之战。”
I looked at the picture．It's here now behind me．It's a pic－ture of a story in the Bible，with a town，mountains，and hun-dreds of people in It．'What do you mean？'I asked．
我看着画，它现在就在我身后。那是圣经里的一个故事，有城镇、山峦和几百个人。“你们是什么意思？”我问他们。
'It's one of our stories，papa，'Charlotte said．'We have to come in here to look at the picture．Then we invent what hap-pens．'
“这是我们的一个故事，爸爸。”夏洛蒂说，“我们得来这儿看看它，这样才能把故事编出来。”
'Tell me，then，'I said．They both looked very excited；their faces were pink，and their eyes were bright in the candlelight．But they looked happy too．I put my candle on the table，and sat down here，where I am sitting now，to listen to their story．
“那么讲给我听听。”我说。他们看上去很兴奋，小脸红扑扑的，眼睛在烛光下闪闪发亮。看样子他们很开心。我把手中的蜡烛放到桌上，坐了下来——就是我现在坐的地方——听他们讲故事。
It was a wonderful story．Charlotte's wooden soldier，the Duke of Wellington，had had a son，Arthur，Duke of Zamorna．Branwell's toy soldier，Bonaparte，had become the strong， bad，good-looking Duke of Northangerland．The two Dukes were fighting a terrible battle in a city called Glasstown．There were soldiers who died bravely，and beautiful women who fell in love．I listened until two o'clock in the morning．There was much more，but I have forgotten it now．
那真是个奇妙的故事。夏洛蒂的木头兵是惠灵顿公爵，他有个叫亚瑟的儿子，也就是扎摩那公爵。布兰韦尔的木头兵波拿巴成了一个强壮、邪恶而又英俊的北安哥兰公爵。两个公爵在一个叫玻璃城的地方进行了一场激烈的战斗，士兵们英勇地死去，美丽的女人们堕入爱河。我一直听到凌晨两点。还有很多情节我现在已经忘记了。
But I remember the excitement in my children's faces．Sometimes I thought they could actually see these people，as they talked．
但我还记得孩子们脸上兴奋的表情。有时我觉得，当他们讲述时，他们真的都能看到那些人物。
Next day they said no more about it，and I did not ask．It was their own secret world，and they did not let me into it again．But I was pleased they had told me about it once．And sometimes they showed me drawings of places in Angria or Gondal．All my children could draw and paint beautifully．Charlotte used watercolours，and often spent hours painting small pictures．Branwell used oil-paints as well．