5 Thomas Hardy: Tess of the D'Urbervilles 哈代：《苔丝》

哈代的小说《苔丝》，全名为Tess ofthe D'Urbervilles，即《德伯家的苔丝》，讲述了一个纯洁质朴、聪明美丽的乡下女子为环境所迫备遭不幸并最终杀人的悲剧故事。故事情节大致如下：苔丝（Tess）为一乡下小贩家的长女，屡屡遭受不幸和打击。首先是在外出打工时遭纨绔子弟亚雷（Alec D'Urbervilles）的诱奸而怀孕。婴儿夭折后，苔丝来到一家农场做挤奶女工。其间，与出身牧师却决意务农的安玑（Angel Clare）相识并互生爱意。新婚之夜，苔丝向安玑诉说了过去的不幸，不期安玑情感顿变并抛弃新婚妻子而远去南美。苔丝被迫再次到农场打工，饱受辛劳与欺辱。一天偶然遇上已经做了牧师的亚雷。亚雷一而再地纠缠，而丈夫又杳无音信，父亲去世，母亲弟妹生活无着，苔丝只得违心地与亚雷同居。在南美历经磨难和反思顿悟之后的安玑返回故土，几经打听终于寻找到了妻子。苔丝依旧在内心深爱安玑，痛感自己的不幸皆由亚雷而引起，于是悲愤之中杀死了后者，来到安玑身边。二人在逃亡的途中过了几天的幸福时光，最后苔丝在巨石阵（Stonehenge）的祭台上被捕，并在不久后被处死。

在小说中，读者明显感受到古希腊剧作家埃斯库罗斯（Aeschylus）悲剧思想对作者的影响：个人越是反抗命运，他在命运设置的罗网里就陷得越深，离自己的毁灭就越近。在《苔丝》里，所谓“命运”常常表现为一系列阴差阳错的偶然事件的发生。出身贫寒、坚强不屈、期盼美好爱情的苔丝努力改变自己的命运，但这种奋斗最终却以自己生命的毁灭而悲剧性地结束。在小说结尾处，苔丝被执行绞刑，哈代这样写道：“‘正义’得到了伸张。用埃斯库罗斯的话说，那是众神之首结束了他跟苔丝的游戏。（‘Justice' was done, and the President of the Immortals, in Aeschylean phrase, had ended his sport with Tess.）”这里的“众神之首”也许可以理解为苔丝所处的艰难生存环境。常被后人诟病的“宿命论”也许可以理解为哈代对当时社会所做出的批评。

选文摘自小说的第一部的1、2章。请注意选文1中的对话与行为描写和选文2中偶然因素与人物命运之间的关系暗示。后附4首短诗则有助于理解哈代的思想倾向。

Excerpt 1 PHASE THE FIRST THE MAIDEN Chapter I

On an evening in the latter part of May a middle-aged man was walking homeward from Shaston to the village of Marlott, in the adjoining Vale of Blakemore or Blackmoor.The pair of legs that carried him were rickety, and there was a bias in his gait which inclined him somewhat to the left of a straight line.He occasionally gave a smart nod, as if in confirmation of some opinion, though he was not thinking of anything in particular.An empty egg-basket was slung upon his arm; the nap of his hat was ruffled, a patch being quite worn away at its brim where his thumb came in taking it off.Presently he was met by an elderly parson astride on a gray mare, who, as he rode, hummed a wandering tune.

“Good night t'ee, ” said the man with the basket.

“Good night, Sir John, ” said the parson.

The pedestrian, after another pace or two, halted, and turned round.

“Now, sir, begging your pardon; we met last market-day on this road about this time, and I said ‘Good night, ' and you made reply ‘Good night, Sir John, ' as now.”

“I did.” said the parson.

“And once before that—near a month ago.”

“I may have.”

“Then what might your meaning be in calling me‘Sir John' these different times, when I be plain Jack Durbeyfield, the haggler? ”

The parson rode a step or two nearer.

“It was only my whim, ” he said; and, after a moment's hesitation: “It was on account of a discovery I made some little time ago, whilst I was hunting up pedigrees for the new county history.I am Parson Tringham, the antiquary, of Stagfoot Lane.Don't you really know, Durbeyfield, that you are the lineal representative of the ancient and knightly family of the d'Urbervilles, who derive their descent from Sir Pagan d'Urberville, that renowned knight who came from Normandy with William the Conqueror, as appears by Battle Abbey Roll? ”

“Never heard it before, sir! ”

“Well it's true.Throw up your chin a moment, so that I may catch the profile of your face better.Yes, that's the d'Urberville nose and chin—little debased.Your ancestor was one of the twelve knights who assisted the Lord of Estremavilla in Normandy in his conquest of Glamorganshire.Branches of your family held manors over all this part of England; their names appear in the Pipe Rolls in the time of King Stephen.In the reign of King John one of them was rich enough to give a manor to the Knights Hospitallers; and in Edward the Second's time your forefather Brian was summoned to Westminster to attend the great Council there.You declined a little in Oliver Cromwell's time, but to no serious extent, and in Charles the Second's reign you were made Knights of the Royal Oak for your loyalty.Aye, there have been generations of Sir Johns among you, and if knighthood were hereditary, like baronetcy, as it practically was in old times, when men were knighted from father to son, you would be Sir John now.”

……

“But you'll turn back and have a quart of beer wi'me on the strength o't, Pa'son Tringham? There's a very pretty brew in tap at The Pure Drop-though, to be sure, not so good as at Rolliver's.”

“No, thank you-not this evening, Durbeyfield.You've had enough already.” Concluding thus the parson rode on his way, with doubts as to his discretion in retaining this curious bit of lore.

When he was gone, Durbeyfield walked a few steps in a profound reverie, and then sat down upon the grassy bank by the roadside, depositing his basket before him.In a few minutes a youth appeared in the distance, walking in the same direction as that which had been pursued by Durbeyfield.The latter, on seeing him, held up his hand, and the lad quickened his pace and came near.

“Boy, take my basket! I want ‘ee to go on an errand for me.”

The lath-like stripling frowned.“Who be you, then, John Durbeyfield, to order me about and call me ‘boy'? You know my name as well as I know yours! ”

“Do you, do you? That's the secret-that's the secret! Now obey my orders, and take the message I'm going to charge ‘ee wi' …Well, Fred, I don't mind telling you that the secret is that I'm one of a noble race—it has been found out by me this present afternoon, P.M.” And as he made this announcement, Durbeyfield, declining from his sitting position, luxuriously stretched out upon the bank among the daisies.

The lad stood before Durbeyfield, and contemplated his length from crown to toe.

“Sir John D'Urbervilles-that's who I am, ” continued the prostrate man.“That is if knights were baronets-which they be.‘Tis recorded in history all about me.Dost know of such a place, lad, as Kingsbere-sub-Greenhill? ”

“Ees, I've been there to Greenhill Fair.”

“Well, under the church of that city there lie—”

“Tisn't a city, the place I mean; leastwise ‘twaddn' when I was there—‘twas a little one-eyed, blinking sort o' place.”

“Never you mind the place, boy, that's not the question before us.Under the church of that there parish lie my ancestors—hundreds of‘em-in coats of mail and jewels, in gr't lead coffins weighing tons and tons.There is not a man in the country of South-Wessex that's got grander and nobler skeletons in his family than I.”

“Oh? ”

“Now take up that basket, and goo on to Marlot, and when you've come to The Pure Drop Inn, tell'em to send a horse and carriage to me immed'ately, to carry me hwome.And in the bottom o'that carriage they be to put a noggin o'rum in a small bottle, and chalk it up to my account.And when you've done that, goo on to my house with the basket and tell my wife to put away that washing, because she needn't finish it, and wait till I come hwome, as I've news to tell her.”

As the young man stood in a dubious attitude, Durbeyfield put his hand in his pocket, and produced a shilling, one of the chronically few that he possessed.

“This is for your labour, lad.”

This made a difference in the young man's estimate of the position.

“Yes, Sir John.Thank'ee.Anything else I can do for'ee, Sir John? ”

“Tell'em at hwome that I should like fort supper, —well, lamb's fry they can't get it;and if they can't, black pot; and if they can't get that, well, chitterlings will do.”

“Yes, Sir John.”

The boy took up the basket and as he set out the notes of a brass band were heard from the direction of the village.

“What's that? ” said Durbeyfield.“Not on account o'I? ”

“Tis the women's club-walking, Sir John.Why, your da'ter is one o'the members.”

“To be sure—I'd quite forgot it in my thoughts of greater things! Well, vamp on to Marlot, will ye, and order that carriage, and maybe I'll drive round and inspect the club.”

The lad departed, and Durbeyfield lay waiting on the grass and daisies in the evening sun.Not a soul passed that way for a long while, and the faint notes of the band were the only human sound audible within the rim of blue hills.

Chapter II

…

Once the club was in the field, dancing began.Some girls started to dance with each other immediately; others just stood around, talking and looking.

Among this group there were three young brothers.They were too well-dressed to be villagers.The eldest was a vicar.The second was obviously a student.It was more difficult to guess the job of the third brother.Probably he was too young to have started anything yet. These three brothers were on a walking holiday in the vale of Blackmoor.They leant over the gate by the road, and asked someone about the meaning of the club dance.The two older brothers plainly wanted to move on quickly, but the sight of a group of girls dancing without men seemed to amuse the third.He didn't want to leave in a hurry.So he took off his pack, put it on the grass, and opened the gate.

“What are you going to do, Angel? ” asked the oldest.

“I want to go and have a dance with them.Why don't we all go in? Just for a minute or two—it won't take long.”

“No, no.Nonsense! ” said the first.“Dancing in public with a lot of country girls! I'm surprised that you could even think of it.Come along, or it will be dark before we get to Stourcastle.That's the only place we can stay tonight.”

“All right.I'll catch up with you and Cuthbert in five minutes.Don't stop.I promise that I will, Felix.”

The two older brothers then left, and the youngest entered the field.

“This is a great shame, ” he said, to two girls near him.“Where are your men, my dears? ”

“They haven's finished work yet, ” answered one of the bravest.“They'll be here soon. Would you dance with us, until they come? ”

“Certainly.But what is one man among so many girls? ”

“Better than none.It's sad work dancing with one of your own sex.Now, pick and choose.”

The young man looked at the group of girls, and attempted to choose someone.But because they were all so new to him, he didn't know where to start.So he took the nearest. This was not the speaker, as she had hoped; nor was it Tess Durbeyfield.Her noble D'Urbervilles blood had not yet started to help Tess.

The sound of the church clock suddenly reminded the young man that he ought to leave. As he left the dance, he saw Tess Durbeyfield.She looked at him, and he felt sorry, then, that he had not danced with her.When he had climbed the hill above the field he looked back.He could see the white shapes of the girls dancing on the grass.They all seemed to have forgotten him already.

All of them, except, perhaps, one.This white shape stood apart by the hedge alone. From her position he knew it to be the pretty maiden with whom he had not danced.Trifling as the matter was, he yet instinctively felt that she was hurt by his oversight.He wished that he had asked her; he wished that he had inquired her name.She was so modest, so expressive; she had looked so soft in her thin white gown that he felt he had acted stupidly.

However, it could not be helped, and turning, and bending himself to a rapid walk, he dismissed the subject from his mind.

Topics for discussion

1．Why in the first excerpt did John Durbeyfield speak and act differently to the Parson and then to the young man？

2．What character can you see from the second excerpt of Tess and Angel? What mood underlies the seemingly objective description？

附：哈代小诗四首

1．Hap

If but some vengeful god would call to me

From up the sky, and laugh: “Thou suffering thing，

Know that thy sorrow is my ecstasy，

That thy love's loss is my hate's profiting! ”

Then would I bear it, clench myself, and die，

Steeled by the sense of ire unmerited；

Half-eased in that a powerfuller than I

Had willed and meted me the tears I shed.

But not so.How arrives it joy lies slain

And why unblooms the best hope ever sown？

Crass casualty obstructs the sun and rain，

And dicing Time for gladness casts a moan…

These purblind Doomsters had as readily strewn

Blisses about my pilgrimage as pain.（1866）

2．She at His Funeral

They bear him to his resting place—

In slow procession sweeping past；

I follow at a stranger's space：

His kindred they, his sweetheart I.

Unchanged my gown of garnish dye，

Though sable-sad their attire：

But they stand round with griefless eye，

While my regret consumes like fire！

3．I Looked into My Glass

I looked into my glass，

And view my wasting skin，

And say, ‘Would God it came to pass

My heart had shrunk as thin! '

……

But Time, to make me grieve，

Part steals, lets part abide；

And shakes this fragile frame at eve，

With throbbings at noontide.

4．The Man He Killed

Had he and I but met

By some old ancient inn，

We should have set us down to wet

Right many a nipperkin！

But ranged as infantry，

And staring face to face，

I shot at him as he at me，

And killed him in his place.

I shot him dead because—

Because he was my foe.

Just so: my foe of course he was；

That's clear enough; although

He thought he'd list, perhaps，

Off-hand like-just as I—

Was out of work—had sold his traps

No other reason why.

Yes; quaint and curious war is！

You shoot a fellow down

You'd treat if met where any bar is，

Or help to half-a-crown.（1902）