爱伦坡 椭圆画像 原创译文

爱伦坡《椭圆画像》全文 原创译文

180776 Alice翻译之窝 2022-05-27 11:49 发表于江苏

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英文部分选自《爱伦坡小说》，原创译文

（1）THE chateau into which my valet had ventured to make forcible entrance, rather than permit me, in my desperately wounded condition, to pass a night in the open air, was one of those piles of commingled gloom and grandeur which have so long frowned among the Appennines, not less in fact than in the fancy of Mrs. Radcliffe. 

我身受重伤，急需休息，于是男仆领着我，找了一间城堡，这儿空无一人，我们便破门而入。这座城堡很是高大，远远看去宏伟壮观，但近看还有些阴森之气，让我想起了安·拉德克里夫夫人写的恐怖故事，里头也经常出现诡异的古堡。不过这里地处意大利的亚平宁半岛，这样的城堡多的是。

（2）To all Appearance it had been temporarily and very lately abandoned. We established ourselves in one of the smallest and least sumptuously furnished apartments. It lay in a remote turret of the building. Its decorations were rich, yet tattered and antique. Its walls were hung with tapestry and bedecked with manifold and multiform armorial trophies, together with an unusually great number of very spirited modern paintings in frames of rich golden arabesque. 

这座城堡可能刚离弃不久，我们在一间最远最小的塔楼上安顿下来，这个房间里没多少装饰品，与其他房间相比，显得有些清冷。不过现有的摆件挂画，也许可以称得上华美，但也因年代久远，疏于打理，显出破败的样子。这儿原先应该是按照中世纪的样式打造的，墙上贴着大块的壁画，底下摆着各种盔甲盾牌，唯一有些奇怪的，是这里有很多张金框装裱的现代油画，人物栩栩如生。

（3）In these paintings, which depended from the walls not only in their main surfaces, but in very many nooks which the bizarre architecture of the chateau rendered necessary—in these paintings my incipient delirium, perhaps, had caused me to take deep interest; so that I bade Pedro to close the heavy shutters of the room—since it was already night—to light the tongues of a tall candelabrum which stood by the head of my bed—and to throw open far and wide the fringed curtains of black velvet which enveloped the bed itself. I wished all this done that I might resign myself, if not to sleep, at least alternately to the contemplation of these pictures, and the perusal of a small volume which had been found upon the pillow, and which purported to criticise and describe them.

整座城堡都被画填满了，每面墙上都有一块块壁画，角落里也塞着一幅幅画像，目之所及，皆是油画。也许是因为伤势，我现在有些迷糊了，居然对这些画产生了兴趣。天色已晚，我叫男仆佩德罗关起百叶窗，点上床头的蜡烛，拉开大床的丝帐。一切收拾停当，我舒了口气，总算是可以放心休息了，睡不着也没事，至少可以闭目养神，品味刚才看见的画作。枕边翻到了本小册，打开一看，里面是油画鉴赏。

（4）Long—long I read—and devoutly, devotedly I gazed. Rapidly and gloriously the hours flew by and the deep midnight came. The position of the candelabrum displeased me, and outreaching my hand with difficulty, rather than disturb my slumbering valet, I placed it so as to throw its rays more fully upon the book.

我读了很久，仔细观看，时间过得很快，转眼已是深夜。蜡烛已经燃掉了大截，视线受阻，见佩德罗斜靠在那儿，似乎已经睡着，不忍打扰他，我静静地起身，费力地伸手，重新调整烛台的位置，好让烛光照亮书页。

（5）But the action produced an effect altogether unanticipated. The rays of the numerous candles (for there were many) now fell within a niche of the room which had hitherto been thrown into deep shade by one of the bed-posts. I thus saw in vivid light a picture all unnoticed before. It was the portrait of a young girl just ripening into womanhood. I glanced at the painting hurriedly, and then closed my eyes. Why I did this was not at first Apparent even to my own perception. But while my lids remained thus shut, I ran over in my mind my reason for so shutting them. It was an impulsive movement to gain time for thought—to make sure that my vision had not deceived me—to calm and subdue my fancy for a more sober and more certain gaze. In a very few moments I again looked fixedly at the painting.

不动不要紧，一调整还带来了出其不意的效果。烛光照到了一样东西，我定睛一看，是个壁龛。之前它都被床柱子挡了，所以我一直没注意到。细细一瞧，壁龛里也有一幅油画，画的是一个即将成熟的少女。我看了一眼，急忙闭上眼睛。我也不知道为什么我立刻闭眼。于是我想了想，可能自己只是一时冲动而已，免得视觉欺骗我，静下心来，好仔细观赏这副画。于是过了一阵，我抬起头，目不转睛的看着画。

（6）That I now saw aright I could not and would not doubt; for the first flashing of the candles upon that canvas had seemed to dissipate the dreamy stupor which was stealing over my senses, and to startle me at once into waking life.

我一下子惊醒了，这下我看清楚了，刚才那种迷迷糊糊的感觉完全褪去，烛光照在上面，画是分分明明摆在那儿的，没有半点差错。

（7）The portrait, I have already said, was that of a young girl. It was a mere head and shoulders, done in what is technically termed a vignette manner; much in the style of the favorite heads of Sully. The arms, the bosom, and even the ends of the radiant hair melted imperceptibly into the vague yet deep shadow which formed the back-ground of the whole. The frame was oval, richly gilded and filigreed in Moresque. 

这张半身像的主人公是个少女，手法专业，业内称为“半身晕映画法”，也就是让人物的头部与双肩轮廓和背景依次变淡。美国肖像画家托马斯·萨利的得意之作，也是以此法画成。这张人像的胳膊、胸部、发梢都融进了背景中，产生了朦胧之美。画像是用金丝装裱，富丽堂皇，就像非洲西部摩尔民族的艺术品，精雕细琢，雍容华贵。

（8）As a thing of art nothing could be more admirable than the painting itself. But it could have been neither the execution of the work, nor the immortal beauty of the countenance, which had so suddenly and so vehemently moved me. Least of all, could it have been that my fancy, shaken from its half slumber, had mistaken the head for that of a living person. I saw at once that the peculiarities of the design, of the vignetting, and of the frame, must have instantly dispelled such idea—must have prevented even its momentary entertainment. 

这幅画真的可以称得上是艺术品。但再好的艺术品，再精湛的技法，也不会如此扣人心弦。最起码，它画的非常逼真，有一瞬间我甚至觉得这就是个活生生的人，不过我很快清醒了，这只是张画而已。我发现这张画的设计、技法、装裱都有特别之处，所以才会带来如此持久的审美效果。

（9）Thinking earnestly upon these points, I remained, for an hour perhaps, half sitting, half reclining, with my vision riveted upon the portrait. At length, satisfied with the true secret of its effect, I fell back within the bed. I had found the spell of the picture in an absolute life-likeliness of expression, which, at first startling, finally confounded, subdued, and Appalled me. With deep and reverent awe I replaced the candelabrum in its former position. The cause of my deep agitation being thus shut from view, I sought eagerly the volume which discussed the paintings and their histories.

我就这样思考着，靠在那儿，过了一小时左右，我觉得这幅画的秘密已经了然于心，便心满意足的睡了下去。但这会儿，画的魔力又展现出来了，人物画的那样逼真，真的让我非常震撼，也让人迷惑，有些细思极恐。我有些害怕，于是把蜡烛又调回了原先的位置，想着眼不见，心不慌。然后拿起小册子，想看看这幅画到底什么来头。

（10）Turning to the number which designated the oval portrait, I there read the vague and quaint words which follow:

下文就是对这幅椭圆画像的介绍，遣词造句含蓄古雅。

（11）"She was a maiden of rarest beauty, and not more lovely than full of glee. And evil was the hour when she saw, and loved, and wedded the painter. He, passionate, studious, austere, and having already a bride in his Art; she a maiden of rarest beauty, and not more lovely than full of glee; all light and smiles, and frolicsome as the young fawn; loving and cherishing all things; hating only the Art which was her rival; dreading only the pallet and brushes and other untoward instruments which deprived her of the countenance of her lover.

她是个极美的少女，生活无忧无虑。但她自从认识了这个画家，结为夫妇，厄运也就来临了。画家热情专心，只爱艺术，不爱美人；而她涉世不深，生性好动，活泼淘气，怎能让“艺术”这一情敌，夺了自己所爱？她恨这些刷子画板，占用了丈夫大把的时间。

（12）It was thus a terrible thing for this lady to hear the painter speak of his desire to portray even his young bride. But she was humble and obedient, and sat meekly for many weeks in the dark, high turret-chamber where the light dripped upon the pale canvas only from overhead. But he, the painter, took glory in his work, which went on from hour to hour, and from day to day. And he was a passionate, and wild, and moody man, who became lost in reveries; so that he would not see that the light which fell so ghastly in that lone turret withered the health and the spirits of his bride, who pined visibly to all but him. Yet she smiled on and still on, uncomplainingly, because she saw that the painter (who had high renown) took a fervid and burning pleasure in his task, and wrought day and night to depict her who so loved him, yet who grew daily more dispirited and weak.

有一天，她居然听丈夫说，想为自己画像，她虽然恐惧，但仍然乖乖听从，在塔楼上幽暗的房间里呆了几周，只有一丝光线，从楼顶的缝隙中，打在苍白的画布上。画家毫不在乎，每天不知疲倦，日夜绘画。画着画着，他就沉醉在自己的幻想中了。至于妻子的健康，他早已抛之脑后。她也毫无怨言，一直面带微笑，因为她看见自己所爱的丈夫画画的时候如痴如醉，而且画中人还是自己，因此非常满意，只是她的身体一天比一天差了。

（13）And in sooth some who beheld the portrait spoke of its resemblance in low words, as of a mighty marvel, and a proof not less of the power of the painter than of his deep love for her whom he depicted so surpassingly well. But at length, as the labor drew nearer to its conclusion, there were admitted none into the turret; for the painter had grown wild with the ardor of his work, and turned his eyes from canvas merely, even to regard the countenance of his wife. And he would not see that the tints which he spread upon the canvas were drawn from the cheeks of her who sate beside him. 

有些人曾有幸参观这一场面，无不低声惊叹其技巧之高超，绘画之精美；这不光是对他功力的赞许，也是深深证明了他的爱妻之情。不过，当作品到了最后阶段，即将完工，他却闭门谢客，因为此时，他已经无心接待客人，一心扑在作品上了。他眼里只有画像，连妻子的脸都顾不上看。他哪知道画布上的人像多一笔颜色，妻子面容就憔悴一分。

（14）And when many weeks had passed, and but little remained to do, save one brush upon the mouth and one tint upon the eye, the spirit of the lady again flickered up as the flame within the socket of the lamp. And then the brush was given, and then the tint was placed; and, for one moment, the painter stood entranced before the work which he had wrought; but in the next, while he yet gazed, he grew tremulous and very pallid, and aghast, and crying with a loud voice, 'This is indeed Life itself!' turned suddenly to regard his beloved:—She was dead!"

就这样，过了几周，一切都结束了，只剩眼睛还缺一抹神韵，嘴唇也差一丝血色。而妻子此时却突然回光返照，眼里又发出最后一丝光，于是画家连忙添上一笔：大功告成。他站在画布前，欣赏自己的人像，心满意足了。而当他回过神来，他顿时吓的浑身无力，大声疾呼：“这明明就是个活生生的人！”然后他赶紧转过头，看看妻子的情况——她已魂归天国。

【全文完】