Chapter 08 THE ELF-CHILD AND THE MINISTER
第八章　小鬼和牧師

"This is awful!" cried the Governor, slowly recovering from the astonishment into which Pearl's response had thrown him. "Here is a child of three years old, and she cannot tell who made her! Without question, she is equally in the dark as to her soul, its present depravity and future destiny! Methinks, gentlemen, we need inquire no further!"
“這太可怕了！”總督叫著，漸漸從珠兒的應(yīng)答所帶給他的震驚中恢復(fù)過(guò)來(lái)。“這是個(gè)三歲的孩子，可她根本說(shuō)不出是誰(shuí)造出了她！毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)，她對(duì)自己的靈魂，對(duì)目前的墮落，對(duì)未來(lái)的命運(yùn)，全然一無(wú)所知！依我看，諸位先生，我們無(wú)需再問(wèn)了。

Hester caught hold of Pearl, and drew her forcibly into her arms, confronting the old Puritan magistrate with almost a fierce expression. Alone in the world, cast off by it, and with this sole treasure to keep her heart alive, she felt that she possessed indefeasible rights against the world, and was ready to defend them to the death.
海絲特抓住珠兒，強(qiáng)把她拉進(jìn)自己的懷里，面對(duì)著那幾乎是滿險(xiǎn)兇相的清教徒長(zhǎng)官。她被這個(gè)世界所拋棄，只剩下孤身一人，只有這一件珍寶才能維持她心靈的生存，她感到她有不可剝奪的權(quán)利來(lái)對(duì)抗這個(gè)世界，而且準(zhǔn)備好維護(hù)自己的權(quán)利一直到死。

"God gave me the child!" cried she. "He gave her in requital of all things else, which ye had taken from me. She is my happiness!- she is my torture, none the less! Pearl keeps me here in life! Pearl punishes me too! See ye not, she is the scarlet letter, only capable of being loved, and so endowed with a millionfold the power of retribution for my sin? Ye shall not take her! I will die first!"
“上帝給了我這個(gè)孩子！”她大聲說(shuō)道?！八阉o了我是為了補(bǔ)償你們從我手中奪走的一切。她是我的幸福！——也分毫不爽地是我的拆磨！是珠兒叫我還活在世上！也是珠兒叫我受著懲罰！你們看見(jiàn)沒(méi)有？她就是紅字，只不過(guò)能夠受到喜愛(ài)，因此也具有千萬(wàn)倍的力量來(lái)報(bào)應(yīng)我的罪孽！你們帶不走她！我情愿先死給你們看！

"My poor woman," said the not unkind old minister, "the child shall be well cared for!- far better than thou canst do it!"
“我可憐的女人，”那不無(wú)慈悲的老牧師說(shuō)，“這孩子會(huì)受到很好的照顧的！——遠(yuǎn)比你能辦到的要強(qiáng)。

"God gave her into my keeping," repeated Hester Prynne, raising her voice almost to a shriek. "I will not give her up!"- And here, by a sudden impulse, she turned to the young clergyman, Mr. Dimmesdale, at whom, up to this moment, she had seemed hardly so much as once to direct her eyes.- "Speak thou for me!" cried she. "Thou wast my pastor, and hadst charge of my soul, and knowest me better than these men can. I will not lose the child! Speak for me! Thou knowest- for thou hast sympathies which these men lack- thou knowest what is in my heart, and what are a mother's rights, and how much the stronger they are, when that mother has but her child and the scarlet letter! Look thou to it! I will not lose the child! Look to it!"
“上帝把這孩子交給了我來(lái)?yè)狃B(yǎng)，”海絲特·白蘭重復(fù)說(shuō)，嗓音大得簡(jiǎn)直象喊叫了?！拔医^不會(huì)放棄她的！”說(shuō)到這里，她突然一陣沖動(dòng)，轉(zhuǎn)向了年輕的牧師丁梅斯代爾先生，此前她簡(jiǎn)直始終沒(méi)有正眼看過(guò)他?！澳銇?lái)替我說(shuō)一句話嘛！”她說(shuō)?！澳阍瓉?lái)是我的牧師，曾經(jīng)對(duì)我的靈魂負(fù)責(zé)，你比這些人更了解我。我不能失去這個(gè)孩子！替我說(shuō)句話吧！你了解我——而且你還具有這些人所缺乏的同情心！你了解我心里的想法，也了解一個(gè)母親的權(quán)利，而當(dāng)那位母親只有她的孩子和紅字的時(shí)候，這種權(quán)利就更煙強(qiáng)烈！請(qǐng)你關(guān)注一下吧！我絕不會(huì)失去這個(gè)孩子的！關(guān)注一下吧！”