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第34部分

雨果 悲惨世界 英文版1-第34部分

小说: 雨果 悲惨世界 英文版1 字数: 每页4000字

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  Fantine was beautiful; without being too conscious of it。Those rare dreamers; mysterious priests of the beautiful who silently confront everything with perfection; would have caught a glimpse in this little working…woman; through the transparency of her Parisian grace; of the ancient sacred euphony。
  This daughter of the shadows was thoroughbred。
  She was beautiful in the two ways style and rhythm。
  Style is the form of the ideal; rhythm is its movement。
  We have said that Fantine was joy; she was also modesty。
  To an observer who studied her attentively; that which breathed from her athwart all the intoxication of her age; the season; and her love affair; was an invincible expression of reserve and modesty。She remained a little astonished。
  This chaste astonishment is the shade of difference which separates Psyche from Venus。Fantine had the long; white; fine fingers of the vestal virgin who stirs the ashes of the sacred fire with a golden pin。
  Although she would have refused nothing to Tholomyes; as we shall have more than ample opportunity to see; her face in repose was supremely virginal; a sort of serious and almost austere dignity suddenly overwhelmed her at certain times; and there was nothing more singular and disturbing than to see gayety bee so suddenly extinct there; and meditation succeed to cheerfulness without any transition state。This sudden and sometimes severely accentuated gravity resembled the disdain of a goddess。
  Her brow; her nose; her chin; presented that equilibrium of outline which is quite distinct from equilibrium of proportion; and from which harmony of countenance results; in the very characteristic interval which separates the base of the nose from the upper lip; she had that imperceptible and charming fold; a mysterious sign of chastity; which makes Barberousse fall in love with a Diana found in the treasures of Iconia。
  Love is a fault; so be it。
  Fantine was innocence floating high over fault。


BOOK THIRD。IN THE YEAR 1817
CHAPTER IV 
  THOLOMYES IS SO MERRY THAT HE SINGS A SPANISH DITTY
  That day was posed of dawn; from one end to the other。All nature seemed to be having a holiday; and to be laughing。The flower…beds of Saint…Cloud perfumed the air; the breath of the Seine rustled the leaves vaguely; the branches gesticulated in the wind; bees pillaged the jasmines; a whole bohemia of butterflies swooped down upon the yarrow; the clover; and the sterile oats; in the august park of the King of France there was a pack of vagabonds; the birds。
  The four merry couples; mingled with the sun; the fields; the flowers; the trees; were resplendent。
  And in this munity of Paradise; talking; singing; running; dancing; chasing butterflies; plucking convolvulus; wetting their pink; open…work stockings in the tall grass; fresh; wild; without malice; all received; to some extent; the kisses of all; with the exception of Fantine; who was hedged about with that vague resistance of hers posed of dreaminess and wildness; and who was in love。〃You always have a queer look about you;〃 said Favourite to her。
  Such things are joys。
  These passages of happy couples are a profound appeal to life and nature; and make a caress and light spring forth from everything。
  There was once a fairy who created the fields and forests expressly for those in love;in that eternal hedge…school of lovers; which is forever beginning anew; and which will last as long as there are hedges and scholars。Hence the popularity of spring among thinkers。
  The patrician and the knife…grinder; the duke and the peer; the limb of the law; the courtiers and townspeople; as they used to say in olden times; all are subjects of this fairy。
  They laugh and hunt; and there is in the air the brilliance of an apotheosiswhat a transfiguration effected by love!
  Notaries' clerks are gods。
  And the little cries; the pursuits through the grass; the waists embraced on the fly; those jargons which are melodies; those adorations which burst forth in the manner of pronouncing a syllable; those cherries torn from one mouth by another;all this blazes forth and takes its place among the celestial glories。
  Beautiful women waste themselves sweetly。
  They think that this will never e to an end。Philosophers; poets; painters; observe these ecstasies and know not what to make of it; so greatly are they dazzled by it。
  The departure for Cythera! exclaims Watteau; Lancret; the painter of plebeians; contemplates his bourgeois; who have flitted away into the azure sky; Diderot stretches out his arms to all these love idyls; and d'Urfe mingles druids with them。
  After breakfast the four couples went to what was then called the King's Square to see a newly arrived plant from India; whose name escapes our memory at this moment; and which; at that epoch; was attracting all Paris to Saint…Cloud。 It was an odd and charming shrub with a long stem; whose numerous branches; bristling and leafless and as fine as threads; were covered with a million tiny white rosettes; this gave the shrub the air of a head of hair studded with flowers。There was always an admiring crowd about it。
  After viewing the shrub; Tholomyes exclaimed; 〃I offer you asses!〃 and having agreed upon a price with the owner of the asses; they returned by way of Vanvres and Issy。
  At Issy an incident occurred。The truly national park; at that time owned by Bourguin the contractor; happened to be wide open。
  They passed the gates; visited the manikin anchorite in his grotto; tried the mysterious little effects of the famous cabinet of mirrors; the wanton trap worthy of a satyr bee a millionaire or of Turcaret metamorphosed into a Priapus。They had stoutly shaken the swing attached to the two chestnut…trees celebrated by the Abbe de Bernis。
  As he swung these beauties; one after the other; producing folds in the fluttering skirts which Greuze would have found to his taste; amid peals of laughter; the Toulousan Tholomyes; who was somewhat of a Spaniard; Toulouse being the cousin of Tolosa; sang; to a melancholy chant; the old ballad gallega; probably inspired by some lovely maid dashing in full flight upon a rope between two trees: 
  〃Soy de Badajoz; 
  〃Badajoz is my home; 
   Amor me llama; 
  And Love is my name; 
   Toda mi alma; 
   To my eyes in flame; 
   Es en mi ojos; 
  All my soul doth e; 
   Porque ensenas;
   For instruction meet 
   A tuas piernas。 
   I receive at thy feet〃
  Fantine alone refused to swing。
  〃I don't like to have people put on airs like that;〃 muttered Favourite; with a good deal of acrimony。
  After leaving the asses there was a fresh delight; they crossed the Seine in a boat; and proceeding from Passy on foot they reached the barrier of l'Etoile。 They had been up since five o'clock that morning; as the reader will remember; but bah! there is no such thing as fatigue on Sunday; said Favourite; on Sunday fatigue does not work。
  About three o'clock the four couples; frightened at their happiness; were sliding down the Russian mountains; a singular edifice which then occupied the heights of Beaujon; and whose undulating line was visible above the trees of the Champs Elysees。
  From time to time Favourite exclaimed:
  〃And the surprise?
  I claim the surprise。〃
  〃Patience;〃 replied Tholomyes。


BOOK THIRD。IN THE YEAR 1817
CHAPTER V 
  AT BOMBARDA'S
  The Russian mountains having been exhausted; they began to think about dinner; and the radiant party of eight; somewhat weary at last; became stranded in Bombarda's public house; a branch establishment which had been set up in the Champs…Elysees by that famous restaurant…keeper; Bombarda; whose sign could then be seen in the Rue de Rivoli; near Delorme Alley。
  A large but ugly room; with an alcove and a bed at the end (they had been obliged to put up with this acmodation in view of the Sunday crowd); two windows whence they could survey beyond the elms; the quay and the river; a magnificent August sunlight lightly touching the panes; two tables; upon one of them a triumphant mountain of bouquets; mingled with the hats of men and women; at the other the four couples seated round a merry confusion of platters; dishes; glasses; and bottles; jugs of beer mingled with flasks of wine; very little order on the table; some disorder beneath it; 
   〃They made beneath the table A noise; a clatter of the feet that was abominable;〃
  says Moliere。
  This was the state which the shepherd idyl; begun at five o'clock in the morning; had reached at half…past four in the afternoon。The sun was setting; their appetites were satisfied。
  The Champs…Elysees; filled with sunshine and with people; were nothing but light and dust; the two things of which glory is posed。The horses of Marly; those neighing marbles; were prancing in a cloud of gold。
  Carriages were going and ing。
  A squadron of magnificent body…guards; with their clarions at their head; were descending the Avenue de Neuilly; the white flag; showing faintly rosy in the setting sun; floated over the dome of the Tuileries。The Place de la Concorde; which had bee the Place Louis XV。once more; was choked with hap

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