Dear Tess

亲爱的苔丝:

恕我冒昧，也许你更愿意听我叫你安琪 克莱夫人。不论如何，打开这封信请不要害怕。

五月再次来临，雏菊和毛茛郁郁葱葱，绿意爬在篱笆上头。牧场上的牛群在徜徉，草长风动见牛矮。我想你会同意五月的天气清朗又恬静，即使在牧场上待到傍晚也很暖和。我能否将你比作一个夏日？你却比夏天更温存可爱。狂风将五月的蓓蕾凋残，夏日的勾留何其短暂。我难以将莎翁的句子排出脑外，也难以不想到你。

眼下温切斯特（即书中的温顿塞斯特）——威塞克斯王国首府和我，都沐浴在五月和煦的阳光之下。我正爬上一条又长又整齐的坡道，去重访旧日的游踪。走走停停大约一二英里，我来到了山顶，那儿的风要凌厉不少。从山顶看下去，温切斯特城景、高低起伏的屋顶勾勒的天际线一览无余。在一片错落有致的哥特式建筑的掩映下，一幢红砖大楼和其顶上的平顶八角高阁，非常突出。大楼上一排排带铁栅栏的小窗户暗示着这里曾经来来去去不少犯人。这地方在安琪克莱和丽莎-露眼里，是两个人想要拭去的温切斯特城美景中的一个污点；我微眯着眼睛打量，这个污点是城景的一部分。不多时，太阳要坠下去了，略带凉气的风携来城里敲响的沉重的钟声，我不由地惊了一跳。苔丝，我似乎在风中听见你一声声的呼唤，你说你有着幸福的容颜，你说你时常感受苦痛的折磨。

是怎样的幸福哟？风声如诉。你说安琪 克莱无论漫游何地，我都能感应而至；只要他轻声一叹，我就能应声而至。飘浮环绕，仅有咫尺之遥，我欢喜与他一同游历，我亦欢喜丽莎-露与他琴瑟和谐。

是怎样的痛苦哟？风声如咽。你说只一点，在于罪孽深重。肉身已然陨灭，灵魂当轻盈似羽毛，却秤砣般沉重，缘是不知如何赎罪而终日徘徊在天堂之外。

我闭上眼默默想着，苔丝自降临在这污浊的尘世，降生在家道中落而又深信宿命论的德贝菲尔一户中，到香消玉殒，不过二十余年，你先辈给你带来的古老高贵的德伯维尔姓氏，是劫还是缘？那年夏日穿着白裙子在布莱克摩谷游行会上的跳舞，到温顿塞斯特刑场上的临刑，不过五六年而已。

回想你还在这人世间的时候，你的容颜沉鱼落雁闭月羞花，你的心地如钻石般纯洁良善，你的品质就算黄金也无法衡量。安琪（天使）不是你的名字，你却更加的名副其实。挤奶女工，伊兹，雷蒂，玛丽有哪个不羡慕你的娴静，村庄里谁人不知道你的美貌。在淤泥一样的家庭中开出了一朵馨香的白莲，说是奇迹也不为过。

世间好物不坚牢，彩云易散琉璃脆。粗野的人往往将高雅的人占为己有，纯真的女人往往被不匹配的男人所占有。你樱桃般的嘴唇，褪去了鲜红，发出呻吟；你深邃的双眸，变得浑浊，布满愁容。你衣襟上的泪痕已经干透，苍鹭公寓天花板上的血痕未淡，新婚时的珠宝散落在草丛里，镶着细绒花边的衣裳不知被丢弃何处。杂草丛生的旷野之上，强风吹拂巨石阵，你的芳魂丽影渐渐逝去。特兰岭牧场上的奶牛还在等着你挤奶，一手养育的弟弟妹妹有时还在梦中呼唤你。

义人多受苦难。苔丝，你把圣经读得滚瓜烂熟，你会从什么时候对这一句话深有同感呢？是凌晨赶着老马“王子”眼睁睁看着它死于非命，是自投罗网式遇见亚历克 德伯维尔，是儿子苦痛匆匆离开人世，是新婚夜安琪的无法宽恕，是父丧家贫再次不得已倒向亚历克，还是已作他人妇时重逢安琪？

上帝说，伸冤在我，我必报应。世上没有不犯罪的人。你那懒惰而酗酒无度的父亲，迷信而贪慕虚荣的母亲，为你种下了罪恶的种子。亚历克 德伯维尔，你也知道这个道貌岸然、乘人之危的禽兽，对你如何作恶多端，是你身旁一朵摇曳的恶之花。哦，安琪，他对你而言是永远不会忘记的存在。你以为的他能够把四分五裂的你完整地带回来，然而他却让你更加四分五裂，且是心甘情愿地。还真是“上帝不在天堂，人间一切都乱套。”。然而上帝即使在天堂，人间怎么会有这些虚伪的基督徒祸害他人？这些基督徒与所传的基督精神差之远矣。你比任何人都更适合做基督精神的传教士，因为它的核心是爱，人类之间的相互关爱。你五体投地地、热烈地爱着安琪，是不参杂质地爱着他本身，他过去的经历不管如何，都塑造了他，成为了他的一部分。你用宽广的胸怀毫无犹豫地接纳了、拥抱了风流龌龊过的他。你也知道，安琪爱的不过是一个和你相似的女人，他爱他幻想中纯洁无暇的你，他对你的痛苦经历不抱有一丝怜悯，在你敞开心扉的那个夜晚，他毅然决然离你远去……安琪爱的，从头到尾是他自己。你足够聪明，是一个能够发问“女人的贞洁，真的一次失去了，就永远失去了吗？”的孩子，无需多言。记住，你的灵魂更为高尚。

我现在向你传达上帝的旨意，穿过一片黑暗的广阔森林，你会看到高低崎岖各不相同的阶梯，你当爬过陡峭的阶梯，不可停滞不前，只有太阳落山后须得停下你的步伐，太阳升起自然会有天使引领你。穿过七层，你可以在此稍作停顿，你能看到千万各处飞翔的神圣的天使，他们带来的欢乐将洒向你的脸庞，你将感受到你不曾感受过的爱。你卑谦而又崇高，你的品性如此高贵，莫要忏悔，只要片刻，你将告别愁苦，告别永劫，告别万劫不复的人群，你将和本原的爱一起与世长存，升入天堂。

而我已在此地逗留多时，将要一步一步地走下坡道，走向人间，走向繁忙的牧场，在那里有不少和你一样看过同样风景，同样挤过牛奶的姑娘，同样像五月一样可爱。她们的故事早已被风吹散，或是流落在哪个草丛间。

苔丝，我没有一绺你的秀发，没有一行你的字迹，更没有一张描绘你倩影的画像。早些时候的你像一颗芬香的草莓，在阳光下熠熠生辉。我只能把你少女的魂魄留下，作为我唯一的纪念，这是我能够呈现的最美好的你，这也是我代为上帝的一些怜悯。安息吧，我的孩子。

托马斯 哈代

Dear Tess:

Maybe you prefer me calling you Mrs.Angle Clare. Be not alarmed, lady, anyhow on receiving this letter.

It’s May again. Luxuriant is the daisy-and-buttercup land; green creeps over the fence. Elsewhere the mead is possessed of the cattle range which is not greatly above the grass. I think you

will agree with me that the weather is serene and charming in May, even the

sunset of the meadow is nice. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and

more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's

lease hath all too short a date.I tried in vain to get Shakespeare’s poem out of my mind, and you.

The city of Wintoncester(Winchester in Tess of the D’Urbervilles)---the capital of Wessex and me lay amidst in all the brightness and warmth of May shine. I was climbing a long, straight ramp to find the trace of the past. In this stop-and-go, about 2 miles, I came to the windy mountaintop, where I saw the silhouette created by up-and-down roofs of skyline obviously. Looking from thetop of the great West Hill, a large red-brick building with rows of short barred windows bespeaking captivity and a flat-topped octagonal tower were sharp though they were disguised by yews and evergreen oaks. It seemed the one blot on the city’s beauty that Angel Clare and Liza-Lu concerned. Yet the blot was one of the beauty from the gaze of me. Sun was about to falling behind the hill and church bells rang out which astonished me. Tess, the echo of cool wind seemed to be your calling, saying you have a face sparking with happy shine now, saying you are tormented by sorrow often.

What kind of happiness did you have? The wind told that you can be with Angel wherever he goes, floating around him just a few steps away. You like to travel with him and look Liza-Lu take care of him.

What kind of sorrow did you have? The wind wept that you think you are so sinful that the soul should be as light as feather but now as heavy as stone. Without help and forgive, you have no idea how to atone for your sin, surrounding outsides the gate of Heaven.

I closed my eyes and thought, it was been only 2 decades---from Tess arriving this world to leaving. Tess was born in the superstitious Durbeyfield that only owned an old and noble ancestor the D’Urbervilles sarcastically. Could you tell it’s a doom or luck? In May you danced in white skirt in the valley fair; In May you walked toward to the execution ground. It was only 5 or 6 years.

Recalling you were here, your appearance was as fresh as a rose; your heart was as innocent as diamond; your attributes were as noble as gold. Angel was more like your name, instead of Angel Clare’s.You were known for your demure and gentle look in the village. Everybody marveled at the miracle of a white lotus grown in mud.

Good times don’t last long