The Story of an Hour 一个钟头的故事
They knew that Louise Mallard had a weak heart. So they broke the bad news gently. Her husband, Brently, was dead.“There was a train accident, Louise,” said her sister Josephine, quietly. Her husband’s friend, Richards, brought the news, but Josephine told the story. She spoke in broken sentences.“Richards…was at the newspaper office. News of the accident came. Louise…Louise, Brently’s name was on the list. Brently…was killed, Louise.”
他们知道路易丝· 马拉德的心脏不太好，所以把坏消息告诉她时非常小心。她的丈夫布伦特里死了。“出了一次火车事故，路易丝。”约瑟芬轻声说道。带来消息的是她丈夫的朋友理查兹，但告诉她的是约瑟芬。约瑟芬在讲述时语不成句。“理查兹当时正在报社，消息传了过来。路易丝……路易丝，死者的名单上有布伦特里的名字。布伦特里……遇难了，路易丝。”
Louise did not hear the story calmly, like some women would. She could not close her mind or her heart to the news. Like a sudden storm, her tears broke out. She cried, at once, loudly in her sister’s arms. Then, just as suddenly, the tears stopped. She went to her room
alone. She would not let anyone follow her. In front of the window stood a large, comfortable armchair. Into this her sank and looked out of the window. She was physically exhausted after her tears. Her body felt cold; her mind and heart were empty. Outside her window she could see the trees. The air amelled like spring rain. She could hear someone singing far away. Birds sang near the house. Blue sky showed between the clouds. She rested.
actively是什么意思中文路易丝听到这个噩耗，没有像有些妇女所可能表现的那样平静。她不可能做到无动于衷。泪水像突如其来的暴雨，夺眶而出。她立时呼号起来，在的怀里放声大哭。随后她的泪水就像它们突然来时的那样又突然止住了。她独自走进自己的房间，不让任何人跟着进去。窗前放着一把又大又舒适的扶手椅。她疲惫地坐到椅子上，向窗外望去。哭过之后，她筋疲力尽。她浑身冰凉，脑子里和心里一片空白。窗外，她能看到一片树木，空气闻起来就像春雨过后。她还能听到远处有人在唱歌，房子附近也有鸟儿在歌唱，白云间露出一片片蓝天。她平静了下来。
She sat quietly, but a few weak tears still fell. She was young with a fair, calm face that sh
owed certain strength. But now there was a dull stare in her eyes. She looked out of the window at the blue sky. She was not thinking, or seeing. She was waiting. There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it with fear. What was it? She did not know. It was too subtle to name. But she felt it creeping out of the sky. It was reaching her through the sound, the smell, the color that filled the air. Slowly she became excited, her breath came fast; her heart beat faster. She was beginning to recognize the thing that was approaching to take her. She tried to beat it back with her will, but failed. Her mind was as weak as her two small white hands. When she stopped fighting against it, a little word broke from her lips.
她静静地坐着，又有几滴泪水掉落下来。她很年轻，白皙安详的脸上显露出一种毅力。但此时此刻，她的眼神中没有一丝生气。她望着窗外的蓝天。她不是在想，也不是在看，而是在等待。什么东西正向她靠近，她恐惧地等待着。是什么呢？她不知道。那东西太微妙，说不清楚。但是她感到它正从天边而来，透过空气中的声音、气息和颜正在逼近她。慢慢地，她变得兴奋起来，呼吸急促，心跳加快。她开始意识到正向她逼近要控制她的是什么东西。她试图用自己的意志力把这种朦胧的意识打回去，但毫无用处。她的意志
就像她那纤细白皙的双手，脆弱无力，不能将其推开。当她干脆任其自由发展时，从她的双唇间蹦出一个词。
“free,” she whispered. “free, free, free!” the dull stare and look of fear went from her eyes. They stayed keen and bright. Her heart beat fast, and the blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body. A sudden feeling of joy held her. She did not ask if her joy was wrong. She saw her freedom clearly and could not stop to think of smaller things. She knew that she would weep again when she saw her husband’s body. The kind hands, now dead and still. The loving face, now fixed and gray. But she looked into the future and saw many long years to come that would belong to her alone. And now she opened and spread her arms out to those years in welcome.
“自由了，”她低语道，“自由了，自由了，自由了！”茫然的目光和恐惧的神一扫而光。她的目光又敏锐、闪亮起来。她的心跳加快，血液沸腾，全身轻松了下来。她感到一种突如其来的欢悦。她想都没想这种欢悦的心情是否正当。今后的自由清清楚楚地展现在她的面前，别的都是小事，无暇顾及。她知道她看到丈夫的遗体时还会哭。那亲切的双手再也不
能挥动，那可爱的脸庞变得呆滞而又苍白。但她看到了未来，看到了将来长远的岁月，那只属于她的岁月。她张开双臂，欢迎那美好的岁月。
There would be no one else to live for during those years. She would live for herself alone. There would be no powerful will bending hers. Men and women always believe they can tell others what to do and how to think. Suddenly Louise understood that this was wrong and that she could break away and be free of it. Amd yet, she had loved him----sometimes. Often she had not. What did love mean now? now she understood that freedom is stronger than love.“Free! Body and soul free!” she kept whispering. Her sister Josephine was waiting outside the door.“Please open the door,” Josephine cried. “You will make yourself sick. What are you doing in there, Louise? Please, please, let me in!”“Go away. I am not making myself sick.” No, she was drinking in life through that open window.
在那些岁月里，她将不再为其他任何人而活着，只为她自己。那时再也没有人使自己屈从于他的意志。人们总是认为他们可以叫其他人做什么，叫其他人如何思考。路易丝突然明
白这是错误的，她完全可以从中摆脱出来。然而她曾经爱过他——有的时候。更多的时候她又不爱他。爱到底意味着什么？现在她知道自由比爱情更加强烈，更加重要。“自由了！彻底自由了！”她不停地低声说道。约瑟芬在门外等着。“请开门，”约瑟芬大声喊道。“你会把自己弄病的。你到底在里面干什么，路易丝？请，请让我进去！”“走开。我不会把自己弄病的。”是的，她不会。透过敞开的窗户，她正在领略着窗外生命的气息，体验着生命的美好。
She thought joyfully of all those days before her. Spring days, summer days. All kinds of days that would be her own. She began to hope life would be long. It was only yesterday that life seemed so long! After a while she got up and opened the door. Her eyes were bright; her cheeks were red. She didn’t know how strong and well she looked---so full of joy. They went downstairs, where Richards was waiting. Someone was opening the door. It was Brently Mallard, who entered, looking dirty and tired, carrying a suitcase and an umbrella. He was not killed in the accident. He didn’t even know there had been one. He stood surprised at Josephine’s sudden cry. He didn’t understand why Richards moved suddenly between them, to hide Louise from her husband. But Richards was too late. Wh
en the doctors came, they said she had died of heart disease ----of joy that kills.

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