unit-5An-alpine-divorce

Unit 5

An alpine divorce, written in the 1880s and set during the Victorian era,sheds light on

the

hypocrisy(伪善)and entrapment(诱骗)of marriage in Victorian society,where divorce was still

very much a taboo(禁忌的) story goes like this…

《阿尔卑斯山上的离婚》写于19世纪80年代，以维多利亚时代为背景，将当时社会中充满着虚伪和欺骗的状况呈现在读者面前。那个时候离婚可是个禁忌的话题。故事是这样

An alpine divorce阿尔卑斯山上的离婚

Bodman was a man who was always at one extreme or the other. This probably would

have mattered little had he not married a wife whose nature was an exact duplicate of his own.

1.约翰·伯德曼是一个常常走极端的人。这本来应该没什么，但可惜，他妻子的性格整个儿是他的翻版。

ess there exists in this world precisely the right woman for any given

man to marry and

vice versa； but when you consider that a human being has the opportunity of being acquainted

with only a few hundred people， and out of the few hundred that there are but a dozen or less

whom he knows intimately， and out of the dozen， one or two friends at most， it will easily be

seen， when we remember the number of millions who inhabit this world， that probably， since

the earth was created， the right man has never yet met the right woman. The mathematical

chances are all against such a meeting， and this is the reason that divorce courts exist. Marriage

at best is but a compromise， and if two people happen to be united who are of an

uncompromising nature there is trouble.

2..毋庸置疑，对于任何一个男人，这世上总会有一个相当合适的女人能和他成家，反之亦然。但是如果你考虑一下:每个人仅有机会结识几百个人而已，在这几百个人之中熟知的只有那么干几人甚至更少，在这十几个人之中又最多只有一两个知心朋友;别忘了，居住在这世上的人有多少个百万，因此显而易见:自地球存在以来，这合适的男人极有可能从来就没有遇到过他那个合适的女人。。从概率上来讲，这样相遇的机会微乎其微，这也正是离婚法庭存在的原因。婚姻充其量不过是一种妥协，而如果恰好两个个性上互不妥协的人结合了，那就肯定会有麻烦。

the lives of these two young people there was no middle distance. The result was

bound to

be either love or hate， and in the case of Mr. and Mrs. Bodman it was hate of the most bitter and

arrogant kind.

3. 对于两个这样的年轻人来说，生活没有什么中间点，其结局注定要么是爱，要么是恨，而就伯德曼夫妇而言，他们到头来有的是那种最刻骨、最傲慢的恨。

some parts of the world incompatibility of temper is considered a just cause for

obtaining a

divorce， but in England no such subtle distinction is made， and so until the wife became

criminal， or the man became both criminal and cruel， these two were linked together by a bond

that only death could sever. Nothing can be worse than this state of things， and the matter was

only made the more hopeless by the fact that Mrs. Bodman lived a blameless life， and her

husband was no worse， but rather better， than the majority of men. Perhaps， however， that

statement held only up to a certain point， for John Bodman had reached a state of mind in which

he resolved to get rid of his wife at all hazards. If he had been a poor man he would probably have

deserted her， but he was rich， and a man cannot freely leave a prospering business because his

domestic life happens not to be happy.

4.在这世界上的某些地方，夫妻性情不合就能够成为离婚的正当理由，但是在英格兰，并没有如此微妙的区分，所以除非妻子犯罪，或丈夫犯罪并且为人残暴，否则两者的婚姻关系将一直维系下去，直至死神将他们分开。没有什么比这种事情更糟糕的了，而更令人绝望的是也许上面的表述只能说在然而，而她丈夫也并不比一般男人差。伯德曼太太为人无可厚非，

某种程度上是正确的，因为约翰·伯德曼已经忍无可忍，下定决心不管付出什么代价也要摆脱他的妻子。如果他是个穷人，也许他会抛弃她，但是他很富有，而一个人不能因为家庭生活碰巧不幸就轻易放弃一份蒸蒸日上的事业。

a man's mind dwells too much on any one subject， no one can tell just how far he

will

go. The mind is a delicate instrument， and even the law recognises that it is easily thrown from

its balance. Bodman's friends——for he had friends——claim that his mind was unhinged；Whether

John Bodman was sane or insane at the time he made up his mind to murder his wife，

will never be known， but there was certainly craftiness in the method he devised to make the

crime appear the result of an accident. Nevertheless， cunning is often a quality in a mind that has

gone wrong.

5.一个人的心思要是太专注于一件事情，没有人敢说他最后会做出什么来。大脑是如此脆弱的一个思维工具，以至于它容易失去平衡。伯德曼的朋友(他确实有几个朋友)事后声称他精神错乱。下定决心要谋杀妻子时，约翰·伯德曼的神智清醒还是不清醒，现在已无从知晓，但无疑他把谋杀方案设计成看起来像是意外事件，这种方式的确很狡猾。不过，一般来说，脑子有问题的人才狡猾。

. Bodman well knew how much her presence afflicted her husband， but her nature was

as

relentless as his， and her hatred of him was， if possible， more bitter than his hatred of her.

Wherever he went she accompanied him， and perhaps the idea of murder would never have

occurred to him if she had not been so persistent in forcing her presence upon him at all times and

on all occasions. So， when he announced to her that he intended to spend the month of July in

Switzerland， she said nothing， but made her preparations for the journey. On this occasion he

did not protest， as was usual with him， and so to Switzerland this silent couple departed.

6.伯德曼太太非常清楚，她的存在相当折磨她的丈夫，可她的冷酷无情跟他不相上下，而她对他的恨—有可能的话—恐怕比他对她的恨还更人骨。不管他去哪儿，她都跟着。要不是任何时间任何场合，她都要顽固地强行出现在他面前，他也许永远不会心生谋杀之念。就这样，他一跟她说打算七月份去瑞士度假，她二话不说就打点行李。往常他总会抗议，但这次没有，于是这对无话可说的夫妇动身去了瑞士。

is an hotel near the mountain-tops which stands on a ledge over one of the

great

glaciers. It is a mile and a half above the level of the sea， and it stands alone， reached by a

toilsome road that zigzags up the mountain for six miles. There is a wonderful view of snow-peaks

and glaciers from the verandahs of this hotel， and in the neighbourhood are many picturesque

walks to points more or less dangerous.

7.有一间旅馆位于一座很高的冰川的脊架上，离山峰只有几步之遥.旅馆海拔一点五英里，孑然独立，仅有一条长六英里、盘旋而上的崎岖山路可以到达.在旅馆的回廊可以观赏到雪峰和冰川的美景。旅馆附近小道遍布，沿路风景如画，但通往的地点多少都带点儿危险。

Bodman knew the hotel well， and in happier days he had been intimately acquainted

with the vicinity. Now that the thought of murder arose in his mind， a certain spot two miles

distant from this inn continually haunted him. It was a point of view overlooking everything， and

its extremity was protected by a low and crumbling wall. He arose one morning at four o'clock，

slipped unnoticed out of the hotel， and went to this point， which was locally named the Hanging

Outlook. His memory had served him well. It was exactly the spot， he said to himself. The

mountain which rose up behind it was wild and precipitous. There were no inhabitants near to

overlook the place. The distant hotel was hidden by a shoulder of rock..

8.约翰·伯德曼对这家旅馆很熟悉，以前日子还挺幸福的时候他常来这一带。如今既然已生谋杀之念，他就总是不由自主地想起距离客栈两英里的某个地方。从那地方可以俯瞰周围，当地人叫—来到了这儿他偷偷溜出旅馆，一天凌晨四点，它的尽头被一堵破败的矮墙挡住。．

“悬望角”。这儿和他印象中的丝毫不差。就是这里了，他对自己说。“悬望角”背靠的山荒芜而陡峭，附近也无人居住，所以没人会俯视这里。而且远处的旅馆还被山肩遮住了。

glance over the crumbling wall at the edge was generally sufficient for a visitor

of even

the strongest nerves. There was a sheer drop of more than a mile straight down， and at the distant

bottom were jagged rocks and stunted trees that looked， in the blue haze， like shrubbery.

9.站在破墙边沿朝外望，胆子再大的游客也不敢看第二眼。峭壁陡直垂下约有一英里，底下怪石林立，杂树丛生，蓝雾霭笼革下，看起来就像灌木丛。

10.“This is the spot，” said the man to himself， “and to-morrow morning is the time.”

10.“就是这里了!”他想，“而且就明天早上!”

Bodman had planned his crime as grimly and relentlessly， and as coolly，

as ever he

had concocted a deal on the Stock Exchange. There was no thought in his mind of mercy for his

unconscious victim. His hatred had carried him far.

11.约翰·伯德曼冷酷，无情，沉着地谋划着他的罪行，一如他在证券交易所策划交易。对于那位还蒙在鼓里的受害者，他心中没有一丝怜悯。怨恨让他丧失了所有理智。

next morning after breakfast， he said to his wife： “I intend to take a walk in

the

mountains. Do you wish to come with me？”

12.第二天，用过早餐，他对妻子说:“我想去山里面走走。你想不想跟我一起去?”

13.“Yes，” she answered briefly.13. “好啊，”她回答得很干脆。

14.“Very well， then，” he said； “I shall be ready at nine o'clock.” 14.“那就好，”他说:“我九点出门。”

that hour they left the hotel together， to which he was shortly to return alone.

The spoke

no word to each other on their way to the Hanging Outlook. The path was practically level，

skirting the mountains， for the Hanging Outlook was not much higher above the sea than the

hotel.

15.九点整，两个人一起出了旅馆。按计划，用不了多久他就会一个人回来。一路上谁也没说话，只是在山间绕来绕去，基本上是平路，因为“悬望角”的海拔和旅馆差不多。

Bodman had formed no fixed plan for his procedure when the place was reached. He

resolved to be guided by circumstances. Now and then a strange fear arose in his mind that she

might cling to him and possibly drag him over the precipice with her. He found himself wondering

whether she had any premonition of her fate， and one of his reasons for not speaking was the fear

that a tremor in his voice might possibly arouse her suspicions. He resolved that his action should

be sharp and sudden， that she might have no chance either to help herself or to drag him with her.

Of her screams in that desolate region he had no fear. No one could reach the spot except from the

hotel,and no one that morning had left the premises.

16.到了目的地后，约翰·伯德曼也没有什么固定计划，他决定伺机而行。他心中时不时生出一种恐惧，害怕她会死死地拽住自己，一起坠下悬崖。他不自觉地想:厄运当头，她是否已有预感?他一直没有说话，就是怕自己颤抖的声音会引起她的怀疑。他决心要突然行动，干脆利落，让她无法自救，更没机会把他也拉下去。至于她要尖叫，他倒是一点也不害怕。因为这地方人迹罕至，只有从旅馆有一条路可以过来，而他知道那天早晨没有人离开那幢楼。

sly enough,when they came within sight of the Hanging Outlook， Mrs. Bodman

stopped and shuddered. Bodman looked at her through the narrow slits of his veiled eyes， and

wondered again if she had any suspicion. No one can tell， when two people walk closely

together， what unconscious communication one mind may have with another.

17.这时“悬望角”已经在望了，伯德曼太太却停住了脚步，还打了个冷战，这着实令人怀疑。伯德曼先生眼睛微眯，审视着太太，又开始怀疑她是否已有所警觉。没人敢说，两个人这样紧挨着走路，他们的大脑之间会有什么无意识的交流。

累“他生硬地问道，?”怎么了“18. ”？ tired” he asked gruffly. “Are you？“What is the

matter18.

了?”

19.“John,” she cried,with a gasp in her voice， calling him by his Christian name for

the first

time in years， “don't you think that if you had been kinder to me at first， things might have been

different？”

19.“约翰，”她叫道，声音中带着喘息，好多年没有叫过他的教名了，“你不觉得如果你当初对我好点儿，事情也许会不一样?”

20.“It seems to me，” he answered， not looking at her， “that it is rather late in the day for

discussing that question.” 20.“我觉得，”他答道，眼睛看着别处，“现在讨论这个问题已经太晚了。”

21.“I have much to regret，” she said quaveringly. “Have you nothing？” 21.“我有很多遗憾，”她声音发颤，“你就没有?”

22.“No，” he answered. 22.“没有，”他答道。

23.“Very well,” replied his wife,with the usual hardness returning to her voice. “I was

merely

giving you a chance. Remember that.” 23.“很好，”伯德曼太太答道，语气又恢复了一贯的生硬，“我只是想给你一次机会。”

husband looked at her suspiciously. 24.她丈夫盯着她，心生疑虑。

25.“What do you mean？” he asked， “giving me a chance？ I want no chance nor anything

else from you. A man accepts nothing from one he hates. My feeling towards you is， I imagine，

no secret to you. We are tied together， and you have done your best to make the bondage

insupportable.”

25.“你什么意思?”他问，“给我机会?我不要你的机会，也不要你别的什么。男人不会接受他憎恨的人的任何东西。我想我对你的感觉对你来说不是秘密。我们是硬绑在一起的，而你更是想方设法让这份关系变得让人忍无可忍。”

26.“Yes,” she answered,with her eyes on the ground， “we are tied together——we are tied

together！” 26.“没错”她答道，眼睛看着地上，“我们是绑在一起的—我们是绑在一起的!”

repeated these words under her breath as they walked the few remaining steps to the

Outlook. Bodman sat down upon the crumbling wall. The woman dropped her alpenstock on the

rock， and walked nervously to and fro， clasping and unclasping her hands. Her husband caught

his breath as the terrible moment drew near.

27.她低声反复嘀咕着这句话，两人走完剩下的几步来到了“悬望角”。伯德曼坐在那摇摇欲坠的破墙上。他妻子则把登山杖扔在了石头上，心神不宁地走来走去，拳头摄了又松，松了又撰。随着那可怕时刻的临近，他屏住了呼吸。

28.“Why do you walk about like a wild animal？” he cried. “Come here and sit down beside

me， and be still.”28.“你干嘛像个野兽走来走去?”他叫道，“过来坐我旁边，安静点。”

faced him with a light he had never before seen in her eyes——a light of insanity and of

hatred. 29.她面对着他，眼中闪耀着一种他从未见过的光芒—一种疯狂和憎恨的光芒。

30.“I walk like a wild animal,” she said， “because I am one. You spoke a moment ago

of your

hatred of me； but you are a man， and your hatred is nothing to mine. Bad as you are， much as

you wish to break the bond which ties us together， there are still things which I know you would

not stoop to. I know there is no thought of murder in your heart， but there is in mine.

30.她说:“我走起来像个野兽，因为我本来就是。你刚才说了你对我的恨，但你是男的，比起我的恨你的不值一提。尽管你人很坏，非常想了断这份将我们绑在一起的关系，但我知道有些事你还是不会去做的。我知道你没想过谋杀我，但是我想过。

man nervously clutched the stone beside him， and gave a guilty start as she

mentioned

murder. 31.听到谋杀，他不由得一惊，心里有些负罪感，双手紧张地抓着身旁的石头。

32.“Yes,” she continued,“I have told all my friends in England that I believed you intended

to

murder me in Switzerland.” 32.“是的，”她接着说，“我已经跟我英格兰的所有朋友说我肯定你 ”打算在瑞士谋杀我。．

33.“Good God！” he cried. “How could you say such a thing？” 33.“我的上帝!你怎么能说出这样的话?”他大叫。

34.“I say it to show how much I hate you——how much I am prepared to give for revenge.

I

have warned the people at the hotel， and when we left two men followed us. The proprietor tried

to persuade me not to accompany you. In a few moments those two men will come in sight of the

Outlook. Tell them， if you think they will believe you， that it was an accident.”

34.“我这么说是要让你瞧瞧我有多恨你，让你瞧瞧为了报复你我准备付出什么样的代价。我已经让旅馆的人提高警惕，我们出门时就有两个人跟着我们。旅馆老板还劝我别跟你来。再过一会儿那两个人就会看到“悬望角”了。如果你觉得他们会相信你的话，那你就跟他们说只是个意外吧。”

mad woman tore from the front of her dress shreds of lace and scattered them around.

Bodman started up to his feet， crying， “What are you about？” But before he could move

toward her she precipitated herself over the wall， and went shrieking and whirling down the

awful abyss.

35.这个疯女人一把扯碎了裙子前片上的花边，并撒落一地。伯德曼站起身，喊道:“你在做什

么?”但是，他还没来得及靠近她，她就已经跳过矮墙，尖叫着，翻滚着，掉进了那令人生畏的万丈深渊。

next moment two men came hurriedly round the edge of the rock， and found the man

standing alone. Even in his bewilderment he realised that if he told the truth he would not be

believed.

36.不一会儿，有两个人急急忙忙来到石头边，发现伯德曼一个人愣在那里。尽管内心一团乱麻，但他知道就算实话实说也没人会相信他。