第四章

It would have been a difficult matter for Mr. Pontellier to define to his own satisfaction or any one else's wherein his wife failed in her duty toward their children. It was something which he felt rather than perceived, and he never voiced the feeling without subsequent regret and ample atonement.

他的妻子到底在哪些地方没有尽到做母亲的责任，蓬迪里埃先生对此还真难做出令自己或别人满意的解释。这其实只是他感觉到的，而不是他察觉到的，而且每次他把这种感觉说出来就开始后悔，接着就尽力弥补。

If one of the little Pontellier boys took a tumble whilst at play, he was not apt to rush crying to his mother's arms for comfort; he would more likely pick himself up, wipe the water out of his eyes and the sand out of his mouth, and go on playing. Tots as they were, they pulled together and stood their ground in childish battles with doubled fists and uplifted voices, which usually prevailed against the other mother-tots. The quadroon nurse was looked upon as a huge encumbrance, only good to button up waists and panties and to brush and part hair; since it seemed to be a law of society that hair must be parted and brushed.

蓬迪里埃家的孩子如果在玩耍时摔了一跤，通常不会立刻哭着跑到妈妈怀里寻找安慰，而是自己爬起来，擦干泪水，弄掉嘴里的沙子，再接着玩。虽然他们还只是些小娃娃，但在跟其他依赖母亲的小孩子们打架时，他们总是能挥舞着双拳，提高嗓门，绑在一起，共同作战，因此他们总是能在打架中占上风。他们把那个有点黑人血统的保姆看成是个大累赘，他们认为她只会给他们系系衣裤的扣子、梳梳头发，因为头发一定是要梳理整齐似乎是社会的法则。

In short, Mrs. Pontellier was not a mother-woman. The motherwomen seemed to prevail that summer at Grand Isle. It was easy to know them, fluttering about with extended, protecting wings when any harm, real or imaginary, threatened their precious brood. They were women who idolized their children, worshiped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels.

简单地说，蓬迪里埃夫人不算是个好妈妈。那年夏天在格兰德岛上到处都能看到好妈妈。好妈妈们一眼就能认出来，她们只要感觉自己的幼雏受到伤害，无论是真的还是她们想象的，她们就会立刻张开翅膀去保护他们。她们是这样的女人：宠爱孩子，尊敬丈夫，认为抹杀自我，长出翅膀成为救苦救难的天使是一种神圣的权利。

Many of them were delicious in the role; one of them was the embodiment of every womanly grace and charm. If her husband did not adore her, he was a brute, deserving of death by slow torture. Her name was Adele Ratignolle. There are no words to describe her save the old ones that have served so often to picture the bygone heroine of romance and the fair lady of our dreams. There was nothing subtle or hidden about her charms; her beauty was all there, flaming and apparent: the spun-gold hair that comb nor confining pin could restrain; the blue eyes that were like nothing but sapphires; two lips that pouted, that were so red one could only think of cherries or some other delicious crimson fruit in looking at them. She was growing a little stout, but it did not seem to detract an iota from the grace of every step, pose, gesture. One would not have wanted her white neck a mite less full or her beautiful arms more slender. Never were hands more exquisite than hers, and it was a joy to look at them when she threaded her needle or adjusted her gold thimble to her taper middle finger as she sewed away on the little night-drawers or fashioned a bodice or a bib.

她们很多人都在甜蜜地扮演着这种角色，其中有一个女人身上更是体现了所有女性的美德与魅力。如果她的丈夫不珍惜她，那么他就是个十恶不赦、不得好死的浑蛋。她的名字是阿黛尔·拉蒂诺尔。除了经常用来描写久远的爱情故事中的女主人公和我们梦中的窈窕淑女的那些陈词滥调外，还真是找不出更好的词来形容她了。她的魅力完全外露，没有什么含蓄与微妙之处。她的美丽全然显现，光彩照人：一头漂亮的金发不管是梳子还是发夹都难束住，一双眼睛像蓝宝石一样闪亮，撅起的两片红唇让人一看就会想起红红的樱桃或是其他深红色的甜蜜果子。她开始有点儿发胖，但这似乎丝毫不影响她步态的优美，姿势的高雅和举止的得体。人们不会要求她那白白的脖颈再稍微瘦些或是她那漂亮的手臂再细些。没有谁的手比她的手更美了，尤其是在她穿针引线或在其纤细的中指上戴着金顶针缝小孩儿睡裤或做着胸衣和围兜的时侯，看着这样一双手简直就是一种享受。

Madame Ratignolle was very fond of Mrs. Pontellier, and often she took her sewing and went over to sit with her in the afternoons. She was sitting there the afternoon of the day the box arrived from New Orleans. She had possession of the rocker, and she was busily engaged in sewing upon a diminutive pair of night-drawers.

拉蒂诺尔夫人很喜欢蓬迪里埃夫人。她经常在下午拿着针线活到她那里坐坐。蓬迪里埃先生从新奥尔良寄来盒装食品的那天下午，她碰巧也在那里。当时她坐在那张摇椅里，正忙着缝制一条小睡裤。

She had brought the pattern of the drawers for Mrs. Pontellier to cut out-a marvel of construction, fashioned to enclose a baby's body so effectually that only two small eyes might look out from the garment, like an Eskimo's. They were designed for winter wear, when treacherous drafts came down chimneys and insidious currents of deadly cold found their way through key-holes.

她拿来了一个小睡裤的样式让蓬迪里埃夫人剪裁--这真是一个让人惊异的作品：衣服做得正好包住孩子的身体，只露出两只眼睛，就像爱斯基摩人一样。这是专门设计冬天穿的，即便是危险的寒风从烟囱窜入或是冷得要死的寒流阴险地从锁眼袭进，也不用害怕了。

Mrs. Pontellier's mind was quite at rest concerning the present material needs of her children, and she could not see the use of anticipating and making winter night garments the subject of her summer meditations. But she did not want to appear unamiable and uninterested, so she had brought forth newspapers, which she spread upon the floor of the gallery, and under Madame Ratignolle's directions she had cut a pattern of the impervious garment.

蓬迪里埃夫人对于孩子们目前的物质需要很放心，也看不出有什么必要在夏天去想着为孩子做冬季睡衣的事。但是她不想让人感觉她没有亲切感，对此漠不关心，因此她拿出报纸，摊在走廊地面上，在拉蒂诺尔夫人的指点下，把这个风穿不透的睡衣的样式剪出来。

Robert was there, seated as he had been the Sunday before, and Mrs. Pontellier also occupied her former position on the upper step, leaning listlessly against the post. Beside her was a box of bonbons, which she held out at intervals to Madame Ratignolle.

罗伯特也在，还坐在上个星期天坐过的老地方。蓬迪里埃夫人也坐在台阶最上面一级那老地方，懒散地靠着柱子。在她旁边放着一盒糖果，她时不时地拿起来递给拉蒂诺尔夫人。

That lady seemed at a loss to make a selection, but finally settled upon a stick of nougat, wondering if it were not too rich; whether it could possibly hurt her. Madame Ratignolle had been married seven years. About every two years she had a baby. At that time she had three babies, and was beginning to think of a fourth one. She was always talking about her "condition. " Her "condition" was in no way apparent, and no one would have known a thing about it but for her persistence in making it the subject of conversation.

那位女士好像不知所措，不知道挑哪块好，最后拿了一块牛轧糖，还担心是不是太腻了会使她不适。拉蒂诺尔夫人结婚七年了。大约每两年就有一个孩子。现在她有三个孩子，正准备要第四个呢。她总是谈起她的身孕。她的身孕不大明显，如果不是她总是在谈话当中不时地提起，没人会知道她怀孕了。

Robert started to reassure her, asserting that he had known a lady who had subsisted upon nougat during the entire-but seeing the color mount into Mrs. Pontellier's face he checked himself and changed the subject.

罗伯特开始安慰她，让她放心，说曾认识一位女士简直靠牛轧糖过活，在她整个……但他看到蓬迪里埃夫人脸色不对，马上停住，换了话题。

Mrs. Pontellier, though she had married a Creole, was not thoroughly at home in the society of Creoles; never before had she been thrown so intimately among them. There were only Creoles that summer at Lebrun's. They all knew each other, and felt like one large family, among whom existed the most amicable relations. A characteristic which distinguished them and which impressed Mrs. Pontellier most forcibly was their entire absence of prudery. Their freedom of expression was at first incomprehensible to her, though she had no difficulty in reconciling it with a lofty chastity which in the Creole woman seems to be inborn and unmistakable.

蓬迪里埃夫人虽然嫁给了一个克里奥尔人，但在克里奥尔人的社交圈子里却并非熟不拘礼，此前也从未十分亲切地融入到他们中间去。那年夏天租住勒布伦家别墅的只有克里奥尔人。他们互相之间很熟悉，感觉像是个大家庭，他们中间存在着最为亲切友好的关系。他们与众不同，给蓬迪里埃夫人印象最深的特点是他们从不表现出拘束。他们无拘无束的表达开始蓬迪里埃夫人是不能理解的，可是后来发现克里奥尔女人们天生的明显的高尚德操，她很容易就谅解了她们。

Never would Edna Pontellier forget the shock with which she heard Madame Ratignolle relating to old Monsieur Farival the harrowing story of one of her accouchements, withholding no intimate detail. She was growing accustomed to like shocks, but she could not keep the mounting color back from her cheeks. Oftener than once her coming had interrupted the droll story with which Robert was entertaining some amused group of married women.

爱德娜·蓬迪里埃永远都不会忘记当她听到拉蒂诺尔夫人跟法里瓦尔老先生讲起一次她生孩子的痛苦经历时她有多么震惊，而且拉蒂诺尔夫人讲得非常详细，没有漏掉任何私密的细节。她已经渐渐习惯于类似的让她吃惊的事，但有时还是禁不住脸红。不止一次，当罗伯特正在讲一个可笑的故事逗那些已婚女子时，爱德娜的到来打断了他。

A book had gone the rounds of the pension. When it came her turn to read it, she did so with profound astonishment. She felt moved to read the book in secret and solitude, though none of the others had done so, -to hide it from view at the sound of approaching footsteps. It was openly criticised and freely discussed at table. Mrs. Pontellier gave over being astonished, and concluded that wonders would never cease.

在这个别墅区曾经传读着一本书。她觉得这种书只能在僻静的角落里偷着读，一听到别人的脚步声就该藏起来。可是没有人这样做。这样的书竟被拿到桌面上公开讲评，自由讨论。蓬迪里埃夫人也不再惊愕，她断定这种怪事会经常出现。