I gave him the box. He took it with trembling hands. 'At last!' he cried. He turned to me. His face was deathly pale. 'Have you a medicine glass?' he asked.
我递出盒子,他双手颤抖地接了过去。“最后”他开口道。他转向我,面色犹死般灰白,出声问“你有玻璃药瓶吗?”
I gave it to him. He put a little of the red liquid in the glass and added a packet of powder. A small cloud of smoke rose from the glass and the colour of the liquid changed from red to purple, and from purple to a watery green. The stranger put the glass down on the table and looked sharply at me.
我将瓶子给他,他往玻璃瓶中倒一点红色的液体,再倒进去一包药粉。玻璃瓶中腾起淡淡的青烟,液体的颜色由红变紫再变成水绿色。陌生人将玻璃瓶放到桌上,眼睛锐利地盯着我。
'And now,' he said, 'choose carefully. You can leave the room now. Or you can stay and experience something new, something unknown to science. You can be rich, famous and successful, if only you will believe.'
“现在”他说,“谨慎考虑选择。你可以立马离开房间。或者留下来体验一下新的、未知的科学。你要是你信的话,你能因此而变得富有、赢得名声和取得成功。”
'Sir,' I said, trying to remain calm, 'I don't understand what you're trying to say, and I think you are probably mad. But I will stay.'
“先生”我竭力保持冷静,说。“我不明白你想表达什么,觉得可能是疯言疯语。但我会留在这。”
'Very well,' said the stranger. 'Now remember your promise. You've been an unbeliever all your life. You laughed at Doctor Jekyll's ideas and called them unscientific rubbish-now see for yourself!'
“很好”陌生人说,“记得你说的话。你一直不相信。你嘲笑杰基尔博士的想法,还说他们是没有科学的垃圾――现在睁大眼睛看看。”
图片截自扇贝He put the glass to his lips and drank the liquid. His whole body shook and jumped and he almost fell. He held onto the edge of the table, breathing fast through his open mouth. As I watched, his whole body seemed to change. He seemed to become taller, fatter-his face turned black and its shape began to change...The next moment I jumped back against the wall, trembling with fear and horror. There before my eyes, pale and shaken and sick, stood Henry Jekyll!
他端起玻璃瓶,将液体一饮而尽。他的整个身体都在晃动,差点摔倒。他紧紧抓住桌子边缘,张嘴大口呼吸。我看着他的整个身体都像要变化了。他像是变高、变胖了――他的脸变黑了,身形也开始变了……下一刻我被吓得退到墙边,怕得发抖。我面前站着脸色苍白、浑身战栗、难受不已的,是亨利·杰基尔。
I cannot make myself write down the things that Jekyll, with tears in his eyes, confessed to me that night.
当晚杰基尔满眼泪水地向我忏悔,我实在无法将事情都写下来。
Now fear and horror are my only companions. Sleep has left me and I feel that I have not long to live. As I write, I wonder. Did I imagine it all? As a scientist I cannot believe it-but I saw it happen with my own eyes.
现在唯一伴着我的是害怕和恐惧。睡眠都没了,感觉我活不长了。我写信时,就在想,一切都是我臆想的吗?作为一个科学家,我还是无法相信――但我已亲眼所见。
I will say just one thing more, Utterson. The evil thing that came into my house that night-as Jekyll told me-was known by the name of Hyde, and was wanted by the police for the murder of Sir Danvers Carew.
我还要再多说一件事,厄特森。那晚进我房间的可怕之物――杰基尔说――它叫海德,是警察想逮捕的杀害丹佛斯·克鲁爵士的凶手。
Hastie Lanyon
黑斯蒂·兰宁
With fear in his heart, Mr Utterson put away Doctor Lanyon's letter, and then opened the confession of Doctor Henry Jekyll.
厄特森先生满心恐惧地放下兰宁医生的信,然后拆开了亨利·杰基尔博士的忏悔信。
更多译文:
PS:本书为牛津系列简易读物,由英国著名作家罗斯玛丽·博德根据英国作家查罗伯特·路易莎·斯蒂文森的同名小说改写。
英文为书虫系列原文,译文是笔者翻译。本文仅因个人兴趣而译,故本文谢绝转载和各种商业用途,同时承诺若出现任何责任由作者承担,必要时简书可删除文章。
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