第一章

A green and yellow parrot, which hung in a cage outside the door, kept repeating over and over:

在门外挂着的鸟笼子里一只绿黄相间的鹦鹉不停地叫着：

"Allez vous-en! Allez vous-en! Sapristi! That's all right! "

“滚！滚！该死的东西！这才像话！”

He could speak a little Spanish, and also a language which nobody understood, unless it was the mocking-bird that hung on the other side of the door, whistling his fluty notes out upon the breeze with maddening persistence.

它能说一点儿西班牙语，还能说一种谁也听不懂的语言，但是挂在门另一侧的鸟笼里的画眉除外。这只画眉也迎着微风清亮地啁啾着，叫个不停，真让人生气。

Mr. Pontellier, unable to read his newspaper with any degree of comfort, arose with an expression and an exclamation of disgust.

蓬迪里埃先生实在没法舒舒服服地看报纸了。他站了起来，脸上和嘴里都流露着厌恶。

He walked down the gallery and across the narrow "bridges" which connected the Lebrun cottages one with the other. He had been seated before the door of the main house. The parrot and the mockingbird were the property of Madame Lebrun, and they had the right to make all the noise they wished. Mr. Pontellier had the privilege of quitting their society when they ceased to be entertaining.

他走下长廊，穿过连接勒布伦家一栋栋别墅的狭窄通道。他原本是坐在正屋门口的。鹦鹉和画眉都是勒布伦夫人的宝贝，它们有权为所欲为地喧闹。但当它们不惹人爱的时候，蓬迪里埃先生也有权走开。

He stopped before the door of his own cottage, which was the fourth one from the main building and next to the last. Seating himself in a wicker rocker which was there, he once more applied himself to the task of reading the newspaper. The day was Sunday; the paper was a day old. The Sunday papers had not yet reached Grand Isle. He was already acquainted with the market reports, and he glanced restlessly over the editorials and bits of news which he had not had time to read before quitting New Orleans the day before.

他走到自己的别墅门前停下来。他的别墅是从正屋数的第四栋，也是倒数第二栋。他在门口的柳条摇椅上坐下来，又接着读报。这天是星期天，报纸是前一天的。星期天的报纸还没送到格兰德岛上。他已经了解了有关市场的报道，便匆忙地瞅了几眼社论和杂七杂八的新闻，这些是他头一天离开新奥尔良前没来得及看的。

Mr. Pontellier wore eye-glasses. He was a man of forty, of medium height and rather slender build; he stooped a little. His hair was brown and straight, parted on one side. His beard was neatly and closely trimmed.

蓬迪里埃先生戴着一副眼镜。他四十来岁，中等身高，身形稍瘦，有点儿驼背。棕色的直发梳成分头。胡子被仔细地修剪得整整齐齐。

Once in a while he withdrew his glance from the newspaper and looked about him. There was more noise than ever over at the house. The main building was called "the house, " to distinguish it from the cottages. The chattering and whistling birds were still at it. Two young girls, the Farival twins, were playing a duet from "Zampa" upon the piano. Madame Lebrun was bustling in and out, giving orders in a high key to a yard-boy whenever she got inside the house, and directions in an equally high voice to a dining-room servant whenever she got outside. She was a fresh, pretty woman, clad always in white with elbow sleeves. Her starched skirts crinkled as she came and went. Farther down, before one of the cottages, a lady in black was walking demurely up and down, telling her beads. A good many persons of the pension had gone over to the Cheniere Caminada in Beaudelet's lugger to hear mass. Some young people were out under the wateroaks playing croquet. Mr. Pontellier's two children were there sturdy little fellows of four and five. A quadroon nurse followed them about with a faraway, meditative air. Mr. Pontellier finally lit a cigar and began to smoke, letting the paper drag idly from his hand. He fixed his gaze upon a white sunshade that was advancing at snail's pace from the beach. He could see it plainly between the gaunt trunks of the water-oaks and across the stretch of yellow camomile. The gulf looked far away, melting hazily into the blue of the horizon. The sunshade continued to approach slowly. Beneath its pink-lined shelter were his wife, Mrs. Pontellier, and young Robert Lebrun. When they reached the cottage, the two seated themselves with some appearance of fatigue upon the upper step of the porch, facing each other, each leaning against a supporting post.

偶尔他会把目光从报纸上移开，看看四周。宅子的噪音比以前更大了。正屋被称作 “宅子” ，以区别于其他的别墅。鸟儿们还在那儿喋喋不休地叫着。法理瓦尔家的双胞胎小姐妹正在钢琴上弹奏《扎姆巴》（注：《扎姆巴》：三幕喜歌剧）里的二重奏。勒布伦夫人正忙里忙外，一进屋就要对院子里的杂工大声地发号施令；一出门又要用同样的嗓门对饭厅里的侍女指东道西的。她是一个皮肤鲜亮的漂亮女子，总穿着白色短袖衣服。来回进出时她那浆得硬挺的裙子发出沙沙的声响。远处一栋别墅前，一位身穿黑衣服的女子正娴静地来回走动，边走边数着念珠。膳宿公寓里的很多人都乘坐博德莱家的帆船到谢尼·卡米内达去望弥撒了。一些年轻人在水栎树下玩槌球。蓬迪里埃先生那两个长得结结实实的孩子也在那儿，两个小家伙一个四岁，一个五岁。一个有点黑人血统的保姆跟着他们，心不在焉的样子，好像在想着什么。蓬迪里埃先生终于点了支雪茄烟开始抽起来，任凭报纸从手中散乱地滑落到地上。他的目光停在一把白色的太阳伞上，它正从海滩缓缓地向前移动。透过细长的水栎树干的缝隙，穿过一片黄春菊丛，他可以清楚地看到它。远处，朦朦胧胧中，海湾与蓝色的地平线交融在一起。太阳伞还在徐徐地靠近。粉色边的伞盖下走着他的妻子蓬迪里埃夫人和年轻的罗伯特·勒布伦。他们俩走到别墅跟前时，面对面地坐到了走廊的上层台阶上，每人靠着一根柱子，面露倦色。

"What folly! To bathe at such an hour in such heat! " exclaimed Mr. Pontellier. He himself had taken a plunge at daylight. That was why the morning seemed long to him.

“真蠢！在这么热的天气里的这个时候去洗澡。” 蓬迪里埃先生大声说。他自己在天刚亮时已经下水洗了一阵子。因此这个上午对他来说特别漫长。

"You are burnt beyond recognition, " he added, looking at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage. She held up her hands, strong, shapely hands, and surveyed them critically, drawing up her fawn sleeves above the wrists. Looking at them reminded her of her rings, which she had given to her husband before leaving for the beach. She silently reached out to him, and he, understanding, took the rings from his vest pocket and dropped them into her open palm. She slipped them upon her fingers; then clasping her knees, she looked across at Robert and began to laugh. The rings sparkled upon her fingers. He sent back an answering smile.

“你被晒得都让人认不出来了。” 他看着他的妻子接着说道，就好像看着一件受了些损坏的贵重私人物件一样。她伸出两只又结实又漂亮的手，又把浅黄色的袖子拉到手腕上边，挑剔地打量着自己的手。看着她的手，她忽然想起了她的戒指，临去海滩前她把它们交给了她的丈夫。她默默地向他伸出手，他明白了她的意思，从背心兜儿里掏出戒指放入她打开的掌心。她把戒指一个个套上，然后抱着双膝看着罗伯特笑起来。戒指在她手指上闪闪发光。罗伯特也冲她回以微笑。

"What is it? " asked Pontellier, looking lazily and amused from one to the other. It was some utter nonsense; some adventure out there in the water, and they both tried to relate it at once. It did not seem half so amusing when told. They realized this, and so did Mr. Pontellier. He yawned and stretched himself. Then he got up, saying he had half a mind to go over to Klein's hotel and play a game of billiards.

“什么事？” 蓬迪里埃先生边问边懒散地向两人各看了一眼，感到很好笑。其实完全只是胡闹，是他们在水里遇到的有意思的事，他们俩都争着马上讲出来。可是讲出来以后就没那么有意思了。他们意识到了这一点，蓬迪里埃先生也是这么觉得。他打了个哈欠，又伸伸懒腰。然后他站起来，说他有点想去克莱恩旅馆玩一盘台球。

"Come go along, Lebrun, " he proposed to Robert. But Robert admitted quite frankly that he preferred to stay where he was and talk to Mrs. Pontellier.

“走吧，一块儿去玩吧，勒布伦！” 他向罗伯特建议道。但罗伯特十分坦率地说他更愿意留下来陪蓬迪里埃夫人聊天。

"Well, send him about his business when he bores you, Edna, " instructed her husband as he prepared to leave.

“那么，爱德娜，他要是招你烦了，你就让他干自己的事去吧。” 她丈夫准备走时叮嘱她说。

"Here, take the umbrella, " she exclaimed, holding it out to him. He accepted the sunshade, and lifting it over his head descended the steps and walked away.

“哎，把伞带上。” 她边喊边把伞递给他。他接过伞，撑在头顶，下了台阶走了。

"Coming back to dinner? " his wife called after him. He halted a moment and shrugged his shoulders. He felt in his vest pocket; there was a ten-dollar bill there. He did not know; perhaps he would return for the early dinner and perhaps he would not. It all depended upon the company which he found over at Klein's and the size of "the game. " He did not say this, but she understood it, and laughed, nodding good-by to him.

“你回来吃午饭吗？” 她的妻子在他身后喊道。他停了一下，耸了耸肩。他伸手摸了摸背心口袋，里面有一张十美元的钞票。他自己也说不好，或许回来吃顿午饭，或许不回。这都要看他在克莱恩旅馆找到什么球友和台球戏的规模而定。他没明说，但她懂他的意思，笑了笑，点了点头表示再见。

Both children wanted to follow their father when they saw him starting out. He kissed them and promised to bring them back bonbons and peanuts.

两个孩子看到爸爸要出门都要跟着去。他亲了亲他们，答应他们回来时会给他们带糖果和花生。

II