第一章被遗弃的挤奶姑娘

CHAPTER 1 A lorn milkmaid

It was an eighty—cow dairy, and the troop of milkers, regular and supernumerary, were all at work; for, though the time of year was as yet but early April, the feed lay entirely in water—meadows, and the cows were in full pail. The hour was about six in the evening, and three—fourths of the large, red, rectangular animals having been finished off, there was opportunity for a little conversation.

这是一个有着八十头奶牛的牛奶场，有一群正式的和临时的挤奶工，他们都在干活；因为虽然眼下才不过是四月初，但奶牛的饲料完全取自浸水草地，所以奶牛个个都装着 “满桶奶” 。时间到了傍晚六点钟左右，那些大块头、红颜色、长方形的奶牛中有四分之三已经挤完奶了。这样，挤奶工们就有机会聊天了。

He do bring home his bride tomorrow, I hear. Theyve come as far as Anglebury today.

“我听说，他明天真要把新娘子带回家了。他们今天已经到了安格伯里了。”

The voice seemed to proceed from the belly of the cow called Cherry, but the speaker was a milking—woman, whose face was buried in the flank of that motionless beast.

声音似乎是从那头叫樱桃的奶牛的肚子里发出来的，不过说话的是一个挤奶女工，她的脸位于母牛的身体的一侧，被这头一动不动的庞然大物给遮住了。

Hav anybody seen her? said another.

“有人见过她吗？” 另一个人问道。

There was a negative response from the first. Though they say shes a rosy—cheeked, tisty—tosty little body enough, she added; and as the milkmaid spoke she turned her face so that she could glance past her cows tail to the other side of the barton, where a thin, fading woman of thirty milked somewhat apart from the rest.

先前说话的那个人回答说没有。 “不过他们说，她可是有着粉红色的脸蛋，樱草花球样的小身段。” 她又补充说。这位挤奶工一边说，一边转过脸去。这样，她就可以从那头奶牛的尾巴旁朝场院的另一边瞟上一眼。那边有一个三十岁左右的女人正在挤奶，这个人瘦削而憔悴，和其他人离得有些远。

Years younger than he, they say, continued the second, with also a glance of reflectiveness in the same direction.

“他们说，新娘子比他小好几岁呢。” 第二个人接着说，也向那个方向若有所思地瞥了一眼。

How old do you call him, then?

“那你说他有多大了？”

Thirty or so.

“三十岁左右吧。”

More like forty, broke in an old milkman near, in a long white pinafore or wropper, and with the brim of his hat tied down, so that he looked like a woman. A was born before our Great Weir was builded, and I hadnt mans wages when I laved water there.

“我看更像四十岁。” 旁边一个上了岁数的男挤奶工插了一句，他套着一件白色的长围裙，或者说是 “工作罩衣” ，他的帽檐向下耷拉着，这样让他看起来像个女人。 “他出生的时候，我们的大水坝还没建起来，我在那里提水的时候，还不能和成年人拿一样多的工资呢。”

The discussion waxed so warm that the purr of the milk—streams became jerky, till a voice from another cows belly cried with authority, Now then, what the Turk do it matter to us about Farmer Lodges age, or Farmer Lodges new misess? I shall have to pay him nine pound a year for the rent of every one of these milchers, whatever his age or hers. Get on with your work, or twill be dark afore we have done. The evening is pinking in aready. This speaker was the dairyman himself; by whom the milkmaids and men were employed.

他们议论得越来越热闹，牛奶流下来时发出的声音变得断断续续起来，这时从另一头奶牛的肚子里传出一个充满威信的声音： “好了，农场主洛奇的年纪，或者洛奇的新太太，和咱们有什么关系呢？不管他或她岁数多大，我每年还是要按每头母牛九镑的价格向他交纳租金。接着干你们的活吧，要不然天黑之前就干不完了。天都已经暗下来了。” 这个说话的人是牛奶场的老板，这些挤奶工都是他雇来的。

Nothing more was said publicly about Farmer Lodges wedding, but the first woman murmured under her cow to her next neighbour, Tis hard for she, signifying the thin worn milkmaid aforesaid.

没有人再公开地议论农场主洛奇的婚事了。但是第一个说话的女人仍在牛肚子下面对挨着她的挤奶工小声说道： “她不好受。” 这个 “她” 指的是刚才提到的那个瘦削的女挤奶工。

O no, said the second. He hant spoke to Rhoda Brook for years.

“哦，不会的。” 第二个人说， “他已经好些年不和罗达·布鲁克说话了。”

When the milking was done they washed their pails and hung them on a many—forked stand made of the peeled limb of an oak—tree, set upright in the earth, and resembling a colossal antlered horn. The majority then dispersed in various directions homeward. The thin woman who had not spoken was joined by a boy of twelve or thereabout, and the twain went away up the field also.

挤完了奶，他们刷好奶桶，把它们挂在奶桶架上。奶桶架是用一根剥了皮的橡树树枝做的，上面有许多钩子。这个奶桶架竖在地上，像一只硕大的鹿角。之后大多数人都朝着不同的方向各自回家去了。那个一言不发的瘦削的女人和一个十二岁左右的男孩走在一起，他们沿着着那片地离开了。

Their course lay apart from that of the others, to a lonely spot high above the water—meads, and not far from the border of Egdon Heath, whose dark countenance was visible in the distance as they drew nigh to their home.

与其他人的路线不同，他们俩走向一个孤零零的地方，那儿比浸水草地高得多，离伊登荒原的边缘不远，当他们走近家门口的时候，就可以远远地看到荒原阴暗的影子。

Theyve just been saying down in barton that your father brings his young wife home from Anglebury tomorrow, the woman observed. I shall want to send you for a few things to market, and youll be pretty sure to meet em.

“他们刚才在院子里说，你爸爸明天要把他年轻的妻子从安格伯里带回家来，” 那个女人说道， “我想让你去市场上买些东西，你肯定能见到他们。”

Yes, mother, said the boy. Is father married then?

“好的，妈妈。” 男孩说， “那么爸爸结婚了吗？”

Yes... You can give her a look, and tell me whats shes like, if you do see her.

“是的……如果你真的见到了她，你可以看她一眼，回来告诉我她长什么样。”

Yes, mother.

“好的，妈妈。”

If shes dark or fair, and if shes tall—as tall as I. And if she seems like a woman who has ever worked for a living, or one that has been always well off, and has never done anything, and shows marks of the lady on her, as I expect she do.

“看看她长得黑还是白，看她高不高——是不是和我一样高。看看她是不是个靠干活吃饭的女人，还是像我预料的那样，是个过惯了富日子，从不干活，一身娇气的贵妇人。”

Yes.

“好的。”

They crept up the hill in the twilight, and entered the cottage. It was built of mud—walls, the surface of which had been washed by many rains into channels and depressions that left none of the original flat face visible; while here and there in the thatch above a rafter showed like a bone protruding through the skin.

他们在暮色中爬上那座小山，回到他们的小屋。小屋是土墙砌成的，经过多次雨水的冲刷，墙面已经出现了许多沟痕和浅坑，原来平整的墙面已经看不见了；而铺着草的房顶不时冒出一根椽子，像是一根戳破了皮肤露在外面的骨头。

She was kneeling down in the chimney—corner, before two pieces of turf laid together with the heather inwards, blowing at the red—hot ashes with her breath till the turves flamed. The radiance lit her pale cheek, and made her dark eyes, that had once been handsome, seem handsome anew. Yes, she resumed, see if she is dark or fair, and if you can, notice if her hands be white; if not, see if they look as though she had ever done housework, or are milkers hands like mine.

她跪在火炉旁边，面对着两块泥煤，煤块中间放着石楠树枝。她用力吹着那堆炽热的余灰，一直吹到泥煤燃烧起来。火光照亮了她苍白的脸颊，让她那双曾经漂亮的黑眼睛好像又漂亮起来。 “是的，” 她接着说， “看看她长得是黑还是白，如果可以的话，留意看一下她的手白不白；要是不白，看看那双手是像一双从来没有做过家务的手，还是像我这双挤牛奶的手。”

The boy again promised, inattentively this time, his mother not observing that he was cutting a notch with his pocket—knife in the beech—backed chair.

男孩同样答应了下来，不过这次却有些心不在焉。他妈妈并没有注意到他正在用小刀在山毛榉靠背椅上刻着一道凹痕。

CHAPTER 2 The young wife

第一章 被遗弃的挤奶姑娘

第一章被遗弃的挤奶姑娘