双语小说连载:《董贝父子》第一章 Part 1
作者简介：
查尔斯•狄更斯 英国小说家，出生于海军小职员家庭，10岁时全家被迫迁入负债者监狱，11岁就承担起繁重的家务劳动。曾在皮鞋作坊当学徒，16岁时在律师事务所当缮写员，后担任报社采访记者。他只上过几年学，全靠刻苦自学和艰辛劳动成为知名作家。
他生活在英国由半封建社会向工业资本主义社会的过渡时期。其作品广泛而深刻地描写这时期社会生活的各个方面，鲜明而生动地刻画了各阶层的代表人物形象，并从人道主义出发对各种丑恶的社会现象及其代表人物进行揭露批判，对劳动人民的苦难及其反抗斗争给以同情和支持。但同时他也宣扬以“仁爱”为中心的忍让宽恕和阶级调和思想。对劳动人民的反抗斗争抱行动上支持而道德上否定的矛盾态度。表现了他的现实主义的强大力量和软弱空想。
狄更斯一生共创作了14部长篇小说，许多中、短篇小说和杂文、游记、戏剧、小品。其中最著名的作品是描写劳资矛盾的长篇代表作《艰难时期》（1854）和描写1789年法国革命的另一篇代表作《双城记》（A Tale of Two Cities）（1859）。前者展示了工业资本家对工人的残酷剥削和压迫，描写了工人阶级的团结斗争，并批判了为资本家剥削辩护的自由竞争原则和功利主义学说。后者以法国贵族的荒淫残暴、人民群众的重重苦难和法国大革命的历史威力，来影射当时的英国社会现实，预示这场“可怕的大火”也将在法国重演。其他作品有《奥列佛·特维斯特》（又译《雾都孤儿》1838）、《老古玩店》（1841），《董贝父子》（1848），《大卫·科波菲尔》（1850）和《远大前程》（1861）等等。
狄更斯是19世纪英国现实主义文学的主要代表。艺术上以妙趣横生的幽默、细致入微的心理分析，以及现实主义描写与浪漫主义气氛的有机结合著称。马克思把他和萨克雷等称誉为英国的“一批杰出的小说家”。
作品简介：
《董贝父子》无论从形式方面还是从内容方面而论，都在狄更斯的作品中占据特别重要的地位,它突破了早期作品中流浪汉体（thepicaresque）的影响，紧紧围绕一个中心人物、一个主导观念来展开故事，在狄更斯的小说中是第一部结构严谨的代表作。作者在序言、书信中多次提到，在写《董贝父子》时，他时刻注意“扣紧该书的一般目的与设计，并以此严格束缚自己”。《董贝父子》形式上的新特点是跟内容方面的发展相联系的。在这以前，狄更斯在小说中曾抨击了负债人监狱、新的济贫法、地方上的所谓慈善事业以及大城市底层的罪恶与黑暗，多多少少把它们当作孤立的现象。《董贝父子》却试图在更严谨的形式中以现代城市为背景，通过一个资产者的典型形象表达出对资本主义社会的总体观，而不复在个别社会弊病上做文章。当然，这并不一定意味着作者的小说艺术向着更高级阶段发展——结构的严谨在美学上不一定比流浪汉体小说的松散更优越，它们可以各有各自的美，但无论如何，《董贝父子》代表了作者思想的深化，表现了他对社会问题的进一步思考。
在写法上面，狄更斯就是在这样一种背景上塑造了一个资产者的典型形象。穿插于故事中的众多的陪衬人物都天真无邪，不是傻得可爱就是“狡猾”得可笑。他们不仅推动情节发展，而且为全书带来了欢乐气氛和幽默情趣，使《董贝父子》成为狄更斯小说中既有深度又饶有趣味的代表作。还在连载的时候,不识字的老百姓在一天的劳累之后就要聚在一起听人朗读《董贝父子》，直至今天，它还受到广大读者的喜爱。Dombey sat in the corner of the darkened room in the great arm chair by the bedside, and Son lay tucked up warm in a little basket bedstead, carefully disposed on a low settee immediately in front of the fire and close to it, as if his constitution were analogous to that of a muffin, and it was essential to toast him brown while he was very new.
在一间光线被遮暗了的房间的角落里，董贝坐在床边一张大扶手椅子上；他的儿子被包裹得暖和和的，躺在一个小摇篮里；这个小摇篮被考虑周到地放在紧靠着壁炉前面的一条矮矮的长靠椅上，仿佛他的体质和松饼相似，需要趁着他很新鲜的时候，把他烤成棕色。
Dombey was about eight-and-forty years of age. Son about eight-and-forty minutes. Dombey was rather bald, rather red, and though a handsome well-made man, too stern and pompous in appearance, to be prepossessing. Son was very bald, and very red, and though (of course) an undeniably fine infant, somewhat crushed and spotty in his general effect, as yet. On the brow of Dombey, Time and his brother Care had set some marks, as on a tree that was to come down in good time remorseless twins they are for striding through their human forests, notching as they go while the countenance of Son was crossed with a thousand little creases, which the same deceitful Time would take delight in smoothing out and wearing away with the flat part of his scythe, as a preparation of the surface for his deeper operations.
董贝大约四十八岁。他的儿子出世大约四十八分钟。董贝的头稍稍有些秃，脸色稍稍有些红；虽然他是一位外貌漂亮、身材匀称的男子，可是神色过分严厉与傲慢，因此不能使人产生好感。他的儿子的头很秃，脸色很红；虽然他当然不可否认地是一个可爱的婴孩，可是看上去有些皱巴巴的，身上斑斑点点。时间和他的兄弟操劳——他们是一对残酷无情的孪生兄弟；当大踏步穿过人类森林的时候，他们一边走，一边砍伐——已经在董贝的前额上留下了一些痕迹，就像在一株在适当的时候要被砍倒的树上留下痕迹一样；他的儿子的脸上则被纵横交错地布满了上千道细小的的皱纹；同样是这个爱欺诈人的时间，他将用他大镰刀扁平的一面把这些皱纹抚平、消除，准备好一个表面，好让他在上面进行更深入的操作。
注释:be essential to :对……必不可少的;对……必要的
1. Food, water and air are essential to life.
食物、水和空气对(维持)生命是必不可少的。
2. Most experts agree that computers are essential to solving the problems of increasing population, city living and public welfare.
多数专家认为计算机对于解决人口增长、城市居住以及公共福利是不可缺少的。Dombey, exulting in the long-looked-for event, jingled and jingled the heavy gold watch-chain that depended from below his trim blue coat, whereof the buttons sparkled phosphorescently in the feeble rays of the distant fire. Son, with his little fists curled up and clenched, seemed, in his feeble way, to be squaring at existence for having come upon him so unexpectedly.“The House will once again, Mrs Dombey,” said Mr Dombey, “be not only in name but in fact Dombey and Son”; and he added, in a tone of luxurious satisfaction, with his eyes half-closed as if he were reading the name in a device of flowers, and inhaling their fragrance at the same time; “Dombey and Son!”
这桩盼望已久的大事终于来临，董贝感到兴高采烈；他玩弄着悬挂在他的整洁的蓝上衣下面的沉甸甸的金表链，让它发出了叮零叮零的响声；在远处炉火的微弱光线中，上衣钮扣像磷火一样闪烁着亮光。他的儿子紧握着卷曲的小拳头，似乎凭他那微弱的气力，正在向这突然降临到他身上的生命摆好进攻的架势。“董贝夫人，”董贝先生说道，“我们的公司将再一次成为名副其实的董贝父子公司，而不是徒有虚名的了；董——贝父子！”
The words had such a softening influence, that he appended a term of endearment to Mrs Dombey's name (though not without some hesitation, as being a man but little used to that form of address): and said, “Mrs Dombey, my - my dear.”A transient flush of faint surprise overspread the sick lady's face as she raised her eyes towards him.
这几个字具有一种使他变得温柔起来的影响力，所以他在董贝夫人的名字后面又加上了一个表示亲爱的称呼（虽然他并不是没有经过一些迟疑才说出的，因为他毕竟是一位不习惯采用这种称呼方式的人），说道，”董贝夫人，我的——我的亲爱的。”那位有病的夫人抬起眼睛望他的时候，脸上片刻间泛起了由于微感惊讶而产生的红晕。
“He will be christened Paul, my - Mrs Dombey - of course.”
She feebly echoed, “Of course,” or rather expressed it by the motion of her lips, and closed her eyes again.
“His father's name, Mrs Dombey, and his grandfather's! I wish his grandfather were alive this day! There is some inconvenience in the necessity of writing Junior,”said Mr Dombey, making a fictitious autograph on his knee; “but it is merely of a private and personal complexion. It doesn't enter into the correspondence of the House. Its signature remains the same.” And again he said 'Dombey and Son, in exactly the same tone as before.
“在给他施洗礼的时候将给他命名为保罗，我的——董贝夫人——，当然是这样。”
她有气无力地重复说了“当然是这样”，或者更确切地说，只是动了动嘴唇，并没有发出声音，然后又闭上了眼睛。“这是他爸爸的名字，董贝夫人，也是他爷爷的名字！我真但愿他爷爷能活到今天就好了！”然后他又用刚才同样的声调，说道，“董贝父子”。
注释：seem to be:看来; 好像
1. You seem to be having a spot of bother with your car can I help?
看来你的汽车有点让你伤脑筋了--要我帮忙吗?
2. We seem to be missing two chairs.
我们好像少了两把椅子。Those three words conveyed the one idea of Mr Dombey's life. The earth was made for Dombey and Son to trade in, and the sun and moon were made to give them light. Rivers and seas were formed to float their ships; rainbows gave them promise of fair weather; winds blew for or against their enterprises; stars and planets circled in their orbits, to preserve inviolate a system of which they were the centre. Common abbreviations took new meanings in his eyes, and had sole reference to them. A. D. had no concern with Anno Domini, but stood for anno Dombei and Son.
这四个字表达了董贝先生生活中唯一的思想。土地创造出来是为了给董贝父子去经营商业的；太阳与月亮创造出来是为了给他们亮光。河流与海洋是为了运载他们的商船而形成的；彩虹向他们预示良好的气候；刮风对他们的企业有利或不利；星星和行星沿着轨道运行，是为了保存一个以他们为中心的神圣不可侵犯的体系。普通的缩略语在他的眼中有了新的意义，而且只和他们有关系：A.D与annoDomini（公元）无关，而只是代表annoDombei－andSon（董贝父子纪元）。
He had risen, as his father had before him, in the course of life and death, from Son to Dombey, and for nearly twenty years had been the sole representative of the Firm. Of those years he had been married, ten - married, as some said, to a lady with no heart to give him; whose happiness was in the past, and who was content to bind her broken spirit to the dutiful and meek endurance of the present. Such idle talk was little likely to reach the ears of Mr Dombey, whom it nearly concerned; and probably no one in the world would have received it with such utter incredulity as he, if it had reached him. Dombey and Son had often dealt in hides, but never in hearts. They left that fancy ware to boys and girls, and boarding-schools and books. Mr Dombey would have reasoned: That a matrimonial alliance with himself must, in the nature of things, be gratifying and honourable to any woman of common sense. That the hope of giving birth to a new partner in such a House, could not fail to awaken a glorious and stirring ambition in the breast of the least ambitious of her sex. That Mrs Dombey had entered on that social contract of matrimony: almost necessarily part of a genteel and wealthy station, even without reference to the perpetuation of family Firms: with her eyes fully open to these advantages. That Mrs Dombey had had daily practical knowledge of his position in society. That Mrs Dombey had always sat at the head of his table, and done the honours of his house in a remarkably lady-like and becoming manner. That Mrs Dombey must have been happy. That she couldn't help it.
在生与死的过程中，他跟他父亲先前一样，曾经从儿子上升为董贝；在这之后的近20年中，他是这个公司的唯一的代表。在这20年中，他结婚已有10年。有人说，他是跟一位没有把心交给他的女士结了婚，这位女士过去曾经有过幸福，后来安心让那颗破碎了的心对现状逆来顺受，安守本分。这种流言蜚语与董贝先生密切有关，因此不大可能传到他的耳朵里；如果真的传到了，那么世界上大概没有第二个人能像他那样对它完全不相信的。董贝父子公司经常经营皮革生意，但却从来不经营心的生意。他们把这个花俏的商品让给青年男女、寄宿学校和书籍去打交道了。董贝先生可能会这样来推断事理：任何一位具有常识、和他本人结婚的妇女，理所当然地一定会觉得心满意足，光彩体面；给这样一个公司生下一个新的合伙人的希望，即使在她们当中最没有野心的女性的心中也必定会唤起那光荣得意、兴奋激动的抱负来；董贝夫人签订了那份婚约就意味着她几乎必然就会成为那个高贵的、富有的家庭的一员，且不提她给那个家庭传宗接代的事了，因此她一定会完全看到这些好处；董贝夫人曾经从日常生活经验中认识到他的社会地位；董贝夫人经常坐在他的餐桌的首席，并以出色的贵夫人的风度，十分得体地履行了家庭主妇的职责；董贝夫人一定一直是幸福的，她不可能不这样。
注释:give birth to :产生;生（孩子）; 产（仔）;引起
1. It is said that James Watt's observation of steam issuing from a kettle gave birth to the idea of the steam engine.
据说，詹姆斯·瓦特对水壶蒸气的观察使他产生了发明蒸汽机的想法。
2. On October17, at9:25A. I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.
10月17日上午9时25分，我生下一个漂亮的小女孩。Or, at all events, with one drawback. Yes. That he would have allowed. With only one; but that one certainly involving much. With the drawback of hope deferred. That hope deferred, which, (as the Scripture very correctly tells us, Mr Dombey would have added in a patronising way; for his highest distinct idea even of Scripture, if examined, would have been found to be; that as forming part of a general whole, of which Dombey and Son formed another part, it was therefore to be commended and upheld) maketh the heart sick. They had been married ten years, and until this present day on which Mr Dombey sat jingling and jingling his heavy gold watchchain in the great armchair by the side of the bed, had had no speak of; none worth mentioning. There had been a girl some six years before, and the child, who had stolen into the chamber unobserved, was now crouching timidly, in a corner whence she could see her mother's face. But what was a girl to Dombey and Son! In the capital of the House's name and dignity, such a child was merely a piece of base coin that couldn't be invested a bad Boy nothing more.
不过，也有美中不足的地方。对了。这个缺点他是会承认的。就只有这一个缺点；但是这一个缺点却确实关系重大。他们已经结婚十年，但是直到今天，董贝先生坐在床边的大扶手椅子上，玩弄着他的沉甸甸的金表链，让它发出了叮零叮零的响声之前，他们还没有后嗣。——没有值得一提的后嗣。大约在六年以前，他们有了一个女儿；这个孩子没有被人觉察，已经偷偷地溜进了这个房间，现在正战战兢兢地蹲在一个角落里；她从那里可以望得见她妈妈的脸孔。可是对董贝父子公司来说，一个女儿算得了什么呢！在公司的声望与尊严的资本中，这样一个孩子只不过是一枚不能用来投资的劣币——一个坏孩子——，如此而已。
Mr Dombey's cup of satisfaction was so full at this moment, however, that he felt he could afford a drop or two of its contents, even to sprinkle on the dust in the by path of his little he said, “Florence, you may go and look at your pretty brother, if you like, I daresay. Don't touch him!”
然而，董贝先生这时杯子里却装满了称心满意的酒，装得很满很满，因此他甚至可以把其中的一两滴洒到他的小女儿的小径中的尘土上。所以他说道，“弗洛伦斯，我想，如果你喜欢的话，你可以去看看你漂亮的小弟弟嘛。可别去碰他！”
注释：part of :一部分
1. This part of the book may be omitted.
书的这一部分可以省略。
2. These beautiful old palaces are part of our national heritage.
这些美丽的古老宫殿是我们民族遗产的一部分。The child glanced keenly at the blue coat and stiff white cravat, which, with a pair of creaking boots and a very loud ticking watch, embodied her idea of a father; but her eyes returned to her mother's face immediately, and she neither moved nor answered."Her insensibility is as proof against a brother as against every thing else,” said, Mr Dombey to himself. He seemed so confirmed in a previous opinion by the discovery, as to be quite glad of it.
Next moment, the lady had opened her eyes and seen the child; and the child had run towards her; and, standing on tiptoe, the better to hide her face in her embrace, had clung about her with a desperate affection very much at variance with her years."Oh Lord bless me!”said Mr Dombey, rising testily. “A very illadvised and feverish proceeding this, I am sure. Please to ring there for Miss Florence's nurse. Really the person should be more care”
“Wait! I had better ask Doctor Peps if he'll have the goodness to step upstairs again perhaps. I'll go down. I'll go down. I needn't beg you,” he added, pausing for a moment at the settee before the fire, “ to take particular care of this young gentleman,Mrs…Blockitt, Sir?”suggested the nurse, a simpering piece of faded gentility, who did not presume to state her name as a fact, but merely offered it as a mild suggestion.
女孩子朝着蓝色的上衣和笔挺的白色领带敏锐地看了一眼，这两件东西加上一双走起来格吱格吱响的长靴和一只滴答滴答走得很响的表，构成了她对父亲的概念；但是她的眼睛立刻又回到了她母亲的脸上；她没有移动，也没有回答。不一会儿，夫人张开了眼睛，看到了女孩子；女孩子向她跑过去，然后踮起脚跟，好让脸部尽量藏到她的怀抱中，一边悲观绝望地、而又满怀深情地紧紧抱着她，女孩子的这种感情与她的年龄是很不相称的。“啊，天主保佑我！”董贝先生急躁地站起来，说道，“这真是十分鲁莽、十分冒失的行动！也许我最好去请佩普斯大夫，劳驾他再到楼上来一趟。我就下去。我就下去。”他走到壁炉前的长靠椅边，停了片刻，又补充说道，“我想用不着我请求您，要格外小心地照看好这位年轻的先生吧，您这位——”
“布洛基特太太，先生？”护士提示道，她是一位爱装出假笑，门第已经衰微的女人；她不敢把她的姓名当作事实来陈述，而只是把它当作一个可供考虑的建议提出来。
"Of this young gentleman, Mrs Blockitt.”
"No, Sir, indeed. I remember when Miss Florence was born ”
"Ay, ay, ay, ”said Mr Dombey, bending over the basket bedstead, and slightly bending his brows at the same time. "Miss Florence was all very well, but this is another matter. This young gentleman has to accomplish a destiny. A destiny, little fellow!” As he thus apostrophised the infant he raised one of his hands to his lips, and kissed it; then, seeming to fear that the action involved some compromise of his dignity went awkwardly enough away.
照看好这位年轻的先生，布洛基特太太。”
“是的，先生，当然的。我记得弗洛伦斯小姐出生的时候——”“是的，是的，是的，”董贝先生向那个摇篮弯下身去，同时稍稍皱了一下眉头，说道，“弗洛伦斯小姐那时一切都很好，但这却是另外一码事。这位年轻的先生是命中注定要去完成一番伟大事业的。命中注定的伟大事业呵，小家伙！”当他向婴孩这样打了招呼的时候，他把他的一只手举到唇边，吻了吻它；然后，似乎害怕这个动作有损于他的尊严，就很不自然地走开了。
注释:proof against:能防......;能耐......;能抗......
1. The shelter was proof against the bitter weather.
这个棚子可以避寒。
2. If John had come straight home none of this would have happened. Ah well, life is full of snares and pitfalls and no one is proof against them all.
要是约翰直接回家就不会发生这种事了。算了吧，生活充满了诱惑和风险，没有人能挡得住的。
