伊夫莱娜 (Fanny Burney): 第一封信

第一封信 —— 霍华德夫人致威拉斯牧师

发信地： 肯特郡，霍华德园 (Howard Grove, Kent)

CAN any thing, my good Sir, be more painful to a friendly mind, than a necessity of communicating disagreeable intelligence? Indeed it is sometimes difficult to determine, whether the relator or the receiver of evil tidings is most to be pitied.

尊敬的先生，难道还有什么比不得不传达令人不快的消息，更能令友善之心感到痛苦的吗？事实上，有时甚至很难断定，传话的人和听闻噩耗的人，究竟谁更值得同情。

I have just had a letter from Madame Duval; she is totally at a loss in what manner to behave; she seems desirous to repair the wrongs she has done, yet wishes the world to believe her blameless. She would fain cast upon another the odium of those misfortunes for which she alone is answerable. Her letter is violent, sometimes abusive, and that of you!-you, to whom she is under obligations which are greater even than her faults, but to whose advice she wickedly imputes all the sufferings of her much injured daughter, the late Lady Belmont. The chief purport of her writing I will acquaint you with; the letter itself is not worthy your notice.

我刚收到德瓦尔夫人的一封信；她完全不知道该如何行事；她似乎很想弥补自己所造成的伤害，却又希望世人相信她是无辜的。她很乐意把那些本应由她一人负责的不幸归咎于他人。她的信措辞激烈，有时甚至充满辱骂，而且指责的对象还是你！——你，她所欠下的恩情甚至比她的过错还要大，可她却恶意地把她那位屡遭伤害的女儿、已故的贝尔蒙特夫人的一切苦难都归咎于你的劝告。她信中的主要意思，我会告诉你；至于那封信本身，实在不值得你留意。

She tells me that she has, for many years past, been in continual expectation of making a journey to England, which prevented her writing for information concerning this melancholy subject, by giving her hopes of making personal inquiries; but family occurrences have still detained her in France, which country she now sees no prospect of quitting. She has, therefore, lately used her utmost endeavors to obtain a faithful account of whatever related to her ill-advised daughter; the result of which giving her some reason to apprehend, that, upon her death-bed, she bequeathed an infant orphan to the world, she most graciously says, that if you, with whom she understands the child is placed, will procure authentic proofs of its relationship to her, you may sent it to Paris, where she will properly provide for it.

她告诉我，多年来她一直不断期待前往英格兰，因此未曾就这一令人悲伤的事情写信求问，因为她一直抱有亲自调查的希望；但家中诸事仍将她羁留在法国，而如今她也已看不到离开这个国家的任何希望。因此，她近来尽其所能，试图获取一切与她那位轻率的女儿有关的真实情况；而所得结果使她略有理由担忧，女儿在临终前把一个尚在襁褓中的孤儿留给了世间。她极为和善地表示：如果你——据她所知，孩子如今是在你那里——能为她取得证明孩子与她血缘关系的确凿证据，你便可以把孩子送往巴黎，她会在那里妥善照料它。

• 【注】英法文化对立： 乔治时代的英国文学中存在强烈的民族情绪。当时的英国人自认为是理性、道德、讲究常识的；而法国（特别是巴黎）在英国人眼中，是虚荣、轻浮、道德败坏和只重外表的代名词。把一个纯洁英国血统的孤儿送到巴黎去抚养，在当时看来，无异于把羊送入虎口，是绝对不能接受的荒唐提议，因此下文称她粗鄙无知。

This woman is, undoubtedly, at length, self-convicted of her most unnatural behaviour; it is evident, from her writing, that she is still as vulgar and illiterate as when her first husband, Mr. Evelyn, had the weakness to marry her; nor does she at all apologize for addressing herself to me, though I was only once in her company.

这个女人无疑终于自觉其最不自然的行为了；从她的信中可见，她至今仍和当初她的第一任丈夫艾夫林先生一时糊涂娶她时一样粗鄙而无知；而且她对写信给我这件事也完全没有丝毫歉意，尽管我只曾与她见过一次面。

Her letter has excited in my daughter Mirvan, a strong desire to be informed of the motives which induced Madame Duval to abandon the unfortunate Lady Belmont, at a time when a mother’s protection was peculiarly necessary for her peace and her reputation. Notwithstanding I was personally acquainted with all the parties concerned in that affair, the subject always appeared of too delicate a nature to be spoken of with the principals; I cannot, therefore, satisfy Mrs. Mirvan otherwise than by applying to you.

她的来信在我女儿米尔文心中激起了强烈的愿望，想要弄清楚促使杜瓦尔夫人抛弃不幸的贝尔蒙特夫人的动机；而在那时，母亲的庇护对她的安宁和名誉尤为必要。尽管我曾亲自认识那件事中所有相关的人，但此事始终显得过于敏感，不便与当事人谈及；因此，除了写信向您请教之外，我无法给米尔文夫人以别的答复。

• 【注】女性名誉与保护人制度： 乔治时代，年轻女性没有独立的经济地位，唯一的生存筹码就是“名誉”，这一点在英剧《贝尔格维亚》中就有许多体现。一个女孩进入社交界，绝不能单独行动，必须要有年长且体面的女性亲属（通常是母亲或已婚女性长辈）作为“保护人”。如果没有这个保护人，女孩就会被社交界视为“可以随便占便宜”的对象，随时面临名誉扫地、身败名裂的绝境。

By saying that you may send the child, Madame Duval aims at conferring, where she most owes obligation. I pretend not to give you advice; you, to whose generous protection this helpless orphan is indebted for every thing, are the best and only judge of what she ought to do; but I am much concerned at the trouble and uneasiness which this unworthy woman may occasion you.

她说您可以把孩子送去，这不过是杜瓦尔夫人想把恩惠施予她最亏欠之处罢了。我并不敢向您进言；您对这个无依无靠的孤儿施以慷慨庇护，使她一切得以仰赖于您，您最有资格也最能判断她该怎么做；但我对这位不配之人可能给您带来的麻烦与不安深感忧虑。

My daughter and my grandchild join with me in desiring to be most kindly remembered to the amiable girl; and they bid me remind you, that the annual visit to Howard Grove, which we were formerly promised, has been discontinued for more than four years. I am, dear Sir, with great regard, Your most obedient friend and servant, M. HOWARD.

我的女儿和我的孙辈，恳请你向那位可爱的姑娘转致我们最诚挚的问候；他们还嘱我提醒你，我们从前曾蒙允诺的每年一次前往霍华德格罗夫的拜访，已中止四年有余。亲爱的先生，我怀着深切的敬意，您最顺从的朋友兼仆人，M. 霍华德。