第45章 呼啸山庄 (1)

　　Wuthering Heights

　　在英格兰北部荒凉的山区里，有座呼啸山庄。

　　主人恩萧收养了一个孤儿，取名希斯克利夫。在后

　　来的相处中，他爱上了主人的女儿凯瑟琳，但身份

　　的悬殊使他们不能在一起。希斯克利夫带着仇恨离

　　家。等他衣锦返乡时，凯瑟琳已经成为画眉山庄的

　　女主人。但最终悔恨离世，留下了女婴凯蒂。报复

　　心很强的希斯克利夫在孩子身上继续着他疯狂的报

　　复。但对凯瑟琳的爱化解了他心头的恨，在饱尝人

　　间的辛酸后愤然离世。

　　[ 英] 艾米莉·勃朗特（Emily Bronte）

　　They lifted their eyes together，to encounter Mr. Heathcliff:

　　perhaps you have never remarked that their eyes are precisely

　　similar，and they are those of Catherine Earnshaw. The present

　　Catherine has no other likeness to her，except a breadth of

　　forehead，and a certain arch of the nostril that makes her appear

　　rather haughty，whether she will or not. With Hareton the

　　resemblance is carried farther: it is singular at all times，then it

　　was particularly striking ；because his senses were alert，and his

　　mental faculties wakened to unwonted activity. I suppose this

　　resemblance disarmed Mr. Heathcliff: he walked to the hearth

　　in evident agitation ；but it quickly subsided as he looked at the

　　young man: or，I should say，altered its character ；for it was

　　there yet. He took the book from his hand，and glanced at the

　　open page，then returned it without any observation ；merely

　　signing Catherine away: her companion lingered very little behind

　　her，and I was about to depart also，but he bid me sit still.

　　“It is a poor conclusion，is it not?”he observed，having

　　brooded awhile on the scene he had just witnessed:“an absurd

　　termination to my violent exertions? I get levers and mattocks

　　to demolish the two houses，and train myself to be capable of

　　working like Hercules，and when everything is ready and in my

　　power，I find the will to lift a slate off either roof has vanished!

　　My old enemies have not beaten me ；now would be the precise

　　time to revenge myself on their representatives: I could do it ；

　　and none could hinder me. But where is the use? I don’t care for

　　striking: I can’t take the trouble to raise my hand! That sounds as

　　if I had been labouring the whole time only to exhibit a fine trait of

　　magnanimity. It is far from being the case: I have lost the faculty

　　of enjoying their destruction，and I am too idle to destroy for

　　nothing.”

　　“Nelly，there is a strange change approaching ；I’m in its

　　shadow at present. I take so little interest in my daily life that

　　I hardly remember to eat and drink. Those two who have left

　　the room are the only objects which retain a distinct material

　　appearance to me ；and that appearance causes me pain，

　　amounting to agony. About her I won’t speak ；and I don’t desire

　　to think ；but I earnestly wish she were invisible: her presence

　　invokes only maddening sensations. He moves me differently:

　　and yet if I could do it without seeming insane，I’d never see

　　him again! You’ll perhaps think me rather inclined to become

　　so，”he added，making an effort to smile，“if I try to describe

　　the thousand forms of past associations and ideas he awakens or

　　embodies. But you’ll not talk of what I tell you ；and my mind is

　　so eternally secluded in itself，it is tempting at last to turn it out

　　to another .”

　　“Five minutes ago Hareton seemed a personification of

　　my youth，not a human being ；I felt to him in such a variety of

　　ways，that it would have been impossible to have accosted him

　　rationally. In the first place，his startling likeness to Catherine

　　connected him fearfully with her. That，however，which you may

　　suppose the most potent to arrest my imagination，is actually the

　　least: for what is not connected with her to me? And what does

　　not recall her? I cannot look down to this floor，but her features

　　are shaped in the flags! In every cloud，in every tree — filling the air

　　at night，and caught by glimpses in every object by day — I am

　　surrounded with her image! The most ordinary faces of men

　　and women — my own features-mock me with a resemblance.

　　The entire world is a dreadful collection of memoranda that she

　　did exist，and that I have lost her! Well，Hareton’s aspect was

　　the ghost of my immortal love ；of my wild endeavours to hold

　　my right ；my degradation，my pride，my happiness，and my

　　anguish.”

　　“But it is frenzy to repeat these thoughts to you: only it

　　will let you know why，with a reluctance to be always alone，

　　his society is no benefit ；rather an aggravation of the constant

　　torment I suffer: and it partly contributes to render me regardless

　　how he and his cousin go on together. I can give them no

　　attention any more.”

　　“But what do you mean by a change，Mr. Heathcliff?”I

　　said，alarmed at his manner: though he was neither in danger of

　　losing his senses，nor dying，according to my judgment: he was

　　quite strong and healthy ；and，as to his reason，from childhood

　　he had a delight in dwelling on dark things，and entertaining odd

　　fancies. He might have had a monomania on the subject of his

　　departed idol ；but on every other point his wits were as sound as

　　mine.

　　“I shall not know that till it comes，”he said ；“I’m only half

　　conscious of it now.”

　　“You have no feeling of illness，have you?”I asked.

　　“No，Nelly，I have not，”he answered.

　　“Then you are not afraid of death?”I pursued.

　　“Afraid? No!”he replied.“I have neither a fear，nor a

　　presentiment，nor a hope of death. Why should I? With my