名著精讀《飄》第三章 第3節

Sometimes when Scarlett tiptoed at night to kiss her tall mother’s cheek, she looked up at the mouth with its too short, too tender upper lip, a mouth too easily hurt by the world, and wondered if it had ever curved in silly girlish giggling or whispered secrets through long nights to intimate girl friends. But no, that wasn’t possible. Mother had always been just as she was, a pillar of strength, a fount of wisdom, the one person who knew the answers to everything.

思嘉有時夜裏輕輕走去親吻高個子母親的面頰，她仰望着那張上脣顯得太短太柔嫩的嘴，那張太容易爲世人所傷害的嘴，她不禁暗想它是否也曾像嬌憨的姑娘那樣格格地笑過，或者同知心的女友通宵達旦喁喁私語。可是，不，這是不可能的。母親從來就是現在這個模樣，是一根力量的支柱，一個智慧的源泉，一位對任何問題都能夠解答的人。

　
But Scarlett was wrong, for, years before, Ellen Robillard of Savannah had giggled as inexplicably as any fifteen-year-old in that charming coastal city and whispered the long nights through with friends, exchanging confidences, telling all secrets but one. That was the year when Gerald O’Hara, twenty-eight years older than she, came into her life—the year, too, when youth and her black-eyed cousin, Philippe Robillard, went out of it. For when Philippe, with his snapping eyes and his wild ways, left Savannah forever, he took with him the glow that was in Ellen’s heart and left for the bandy-legged little Irishman who married her only a gentle shell.

但是思嘉錯了，因爲多年以前，薩凡納州的愛倫·羅畢拉德也曾像那個迷個的海濱城市裏的每一位１５歲的姑娘那樣格格地笑過，也曾同朋友們通宵達旦喁喁私語，互談理想，傾訴衷腸，只有一個祕密除外。就是在那一年，比她大２８歲的傑拉爾德·奧哈拉闖進了她的生活----也是那一年，青春和她那黑眼睛表兄菲利普·羅畢拉德從她的生活中消退了。 因爲，當菲利普連同他那雙閃閃發光的眼睛和那種放蕩不羈的習性永遠離開薩凡納時，他把愛倫心中的光輝也帶走了，只給後來娶她的這位羅圈腿矮個兒愛爾蘭人留下了一個溫馴的軀殼。
　
But that was enough for Gerald, overwhelmed at his unbelievable luck in actually marrying her. And if anything was gone from her, he never missed it. Shrewd man that he was, he knew that it was no less than a miracle that he, an Irishman with nothing of family and wealth to recommend him, should win the daughter of one of the wealthiest and proudest families on the Coast. For Gerald was a self-made man.
　　
不過對傑拉爾德這也就夠了，他還因爲真正娶上了她這一難以相信的幸運而嚇壞了呢。而且，如果她身上失掉了什麼，他也從不覺得可惜。他是個精明人，懂得像他這樣一個既無門第又無財產但好吹噓的愛爾蘭人，居然娶到海濱各洲中最富有最榮耀人家的女兒，也算得上是一個奇蹟了。要知道，傑拉爾德是個白手起家的人。

oe n. 腳尖 vi. 用腳尖走 adv. 用腳尖

She tiptoed across to the bed where the child was lying asleep.
孩子睡了，她掂着腳走到牀前。

e n. 曲線，彎曲，弧線，彎曲物 vt. 使...彎曲 vi. 彎曲

The road curved sharply to the right.
道路有個急轉彎拐向右邊。

t[faunt] n. 泉，源泉 n. 字體

That old man is a fount of wisdom.
那個老人有無窮的智慧。

plicably adv. 費解地，無法說明地

idence adj. 騙得信任的 n. 信任，信心，把握

The two girls told each other confidences about their boyfriends.
這兩個姑娘相互談了關於各自男友的悄悄話。

ping adv. 顯著地，非常地，強烈地 adj. 發出啪啦聲的，閃光的，急躁的 動詞snap的現在分詞形式

y-legged 膝向外彎曲的

whelm vt. 淹沒，打擊，壓倒

Your kindness quite overwhelmed me.
你的好意使我感激難言。

-made['self'meid] adj. 自造的，自力更生的，獨力奮鬥的

1. But no, that wasn’t possible. Mother had always been just as she was, a pillar of strength, a fount of wisdom, the one person who knew the answers to everything.

【難句解析】be always as she was“歷來如此”；the answer to...“...的答案”；

【句子翻譯】可是，不，這是不可能的。母親從來就是現在這個模樣，是一根力量的支柱，一個智慧的源泉，一位對任何問題都能夠解答的人。

that was enough for Gerald, overwhelmed at his unbelievable luck in actually marrying her.

【難句解析】overwhelmed前省略了who was;

【句子翻譯】不過對傑拉爾德這也就夠了，他還因爲真正娶上了她這一難以相信的幸運而嚇壞了呢。

wd man that he was, he knew that it was no less than a miracle that he, an Irishman with nothing of family and wealth to recommend him, should win the daughter of one of the wealthiest and proudest families on the Coast.

【難句解析】no less than“和...一樣；不少於”；

【句子翻譯】他是個精明人，懂得像他這樣一個既無門第又無財產但好吹噓的愛爾蘭人，居然娶到海濱各洲中最富有最榮耀人家的女兒，也算得上是一個奇蹟了。