A Tale of Two Cities—The road to Paris（1775）

背景介紹

《雙城記》是英國作家查爾斯·狄更斯所著的一部以法國大革命為背景所寫成的長篇歷史小說，首次出版于1859年。故事將巴黎、倫敦兩個大城市連結起來，圍繞著曼馬內特醫生一家和以德發日夫婦為首的圣安東尼區展開故事。小說描寫了貴族如何敗壞、如何殘害百姓，人民心中積壓著對貴族的刻骨仇恨，導致了不可避免的法國大革命。書名中的“雙城”指的是巴黎與倫敦。

狄更斯于1812年2月7日生于樸次茅斯市郊的波特西地區，出生于海軍小職員家庭，少年時因家庭生活窘迫，只能斷斷續續入校求學。后被迫到工場做童工。15歲以后，當過律師事務所學徒、錄事和法庭記錄員。20歲開始當報館采訪員，報道下議院。1837年他完成了第一部長篇小說《匹克威克外傳》，是第一部現實主義小說創作，后來創作日漸成熟，先后出版了《霧都孤兒》（1838）、《老古玩店》（1841）、《董貝父子》（1848）、《大衛·科波菲爾》（1850）、《艱難時世》（1854）、《雙城記》（1859）、《遠大前程》（1861）等。 1870 年6月9日卒于羅切斯特附近的蓋茨山莊。

狄更斯特別注意描寫生活在英國社會底層的“小人物”的生活遭遇，深刻地反映了當時英國復雜的社會現實，為英國批判現實主義文學的開拓和發展做出了卓越的貢獻。他的作品對英國文學發展起到了深遠的影響。

It was the best of times,it was the worst of times.It was the season of light,it was the season of darkness.It was the spring of hope,it was the winter of sadness.It was the year one thousand seven hundred and seventyfive.

那是最好的年代，也是最糟的年代。那是光明的時節，也是黑暗的時節。那是希望的春季，也是悲傷的冬日。那是公元1775年。

In France there was a King and a Queen,and in England there was a King and a Queen.They believed that nothing would ever change.But in France things were bad,and getting worse.The people were poor,hungry and unhappy.The King made paper money and spent it,and the people had nothing to eat.Behind closed doors in the homes of the people,voices spoke in whispers against the King and his noblemen；they were only whispers,but they were the angry whispers of desperate people.

那時的法國有國王和王后，英國也有國王和王后，他們相信什么事情都不會改變。但是法國的境況很糟糕，而且是每況愈下。人民在貧窮、饑餓和不幸中生活。國王發行紙幣進行揮霍，而百姓卻要忍饑挨餓。在門戶緊閉的家中，人們悄聲地談論著反對國王和他的貴族們的話題；他們只是低聲地密談，但卻是絕望中的人們憤怒的聲音。

Late one November night,in that same year 1775,a coach going from London to Dover,stopped at the top of a long hill.The horses were tired,but as they rested,the driver heard another horse coming fast up the hill behind them.The rider stopped his horse beside the coach and shouted：

“I want a passenger,Mr Jarvis Lorry,from Tellson's Bank in London.”

“I am Mr Jarvis Lorry,” said one of the passengers,putting his head out of the window.“What do you want?”

“It's me！Jerry,Jerry Cruncher,from Tellson's Bank,Sir,”cried the man on the horse.

“Wha's the matter,Jerry?” called Mr Lorry.

“A message for you,Mr Lorry.You've got to wait at Dover for a young lady.”

“Very well,Jerry,” said Mr Lorry. “Tell them my answer is CAME BACK TO LIFE.”

It was a strange message,and a stranger answer.No one in the coach understood what they meant.

The next day Mr Lorry was sitting in his hotel in Dover when a young lady arrived.She was pretty,with golden hair and blue eyes,and Mr Lorry remembered a small child,almost a baby.He had carried her in his arms when he came from Calais to Dover,from France to England,many years ago.Mr Lorry asked the young lady to sit down.

就在那1775年11月的一個深夜，一輛從倫敦趕往多佛的馬車停在了一條綿延的山丘的頂部。馬匹都已經很累了，但在它們休息時，趕車人聽到后面有另一匹馬正急速地朝他們趕來。騎馬人把馬停在馬車的旁邊并喊道：

“我要找一位乘客，倫敦臺爾森銀行的賈維斯·勞里先生。”

“我就是賈維斯·勞里先生，”車內的一位乘客從車窗探出頭來說道。“有什么事嗎?”

“是我！杰里，杰里·克拉徹，從臺爾森銀行來的，先生，”騎馬的人喊道。

“什么事，杰里？”勞里先生問道。

“捎個信兒給您，勞里先生，您得在多佛等候一位年輕女士。”

“好吧，杰里，”勞里先生說，“告訴他們，就說我的答復是活過來。”

口信兒是奇特的，而答復就更奇特了。馬車上的人都不明白他們在說什么。

第二天，勞里先生在多佛的旅館里坐著時，來了一位年輕的女士。她很美，有一頭金黃的頭發和藍色的眼睛，這讓勞里先生想起了一個小孩兒，幾乎是個嬰兒。那是在很多年前，在從法國加來去英國多佛的路上，他曾把她抱在懷里。勞里先生讓這位年輕女士坐下來。

“馬內特小姐，”他說道。“我有個離奇的故事要告訴你，是關于臺爾森銀行的一位顧客的。臺爾森銀行是我工作的地方。”

“好吧，但是我不太明白，勞里先生，”年輕的女士說,“我從臺爾森銀行接到口信，要我到這兒來見您。我知道一些有關我可憐的父親的錢的事。他很早就已死了——還在我出生之前。您要告訴我的是什么故事呢?”

“大約20年前，馬內特小姐，有位法國醫生娶了一位英國女士。他們有了一個女兒，但是在他們的女兒出生之前，這位父親卻失蹤了。沒有人知道他出了什么事。不久，他那位傷心的妻子也死了，他們的女兒被帶回了英國。”

“但這像是我父親的故事呀，勞里先生。況且不正是您把我帶回英國的嗎?”

“是的，是這樣的，馬內特小姐。很多年前我把你從法國帶到了英國，并且自那以后臺爾森銀行就開始照料你。別人告訴你說你的父親已經死了。但是設想一下，馬內特小姐，或許你的父親那時并沒有死，或許他在監獄里呢。那并不是因為他犯了什么罪！而只是因為他有一個強大的敵人——這個敵人擁有權勢將他投進監獄，而且讓他在那里與世隔絕、被人遺忘地關了18年！”

“這是真的嗎?我父親可能還活著嗎?”路茜·馬內特緊盯著勞里先生。她的臉色蒼白，雙手顫抖著。“那會是他的靈魂，而不是他本人！”

“不，馬內特小姐，”勞里先生溫和地說。“他還活著，只是有了很大的變化，就連他自己的名字也不記得了！我們絕對不可以問起從前的事，一點都不能問。那樣的話就太危險了。他已經被帶到巴黎的一個老仆人的家里，我們就是要去那里讓他回到日常生活中來。”

（未完待續）

“Miss Manette, ” he said.“I have a strange story to tell you,about one of the customers of Tellson's Bank.That's where I work.”

“Yes,but I don't quite understand,Mr Lorry,”said the young lady.“I received a message from Tellson's Bank,asking me to come here to meet you.I understood there was some news about my poor father's money.He died so long ago—before I was born.What is this story you want to tell me?”

“About twenty years ago,Miss Manette,a French doctor married an English lady.They had a daughter,but just before she was born,her father disappeared.Nobody knew what had happened to him.Not long afterwards his unhappy wife died,and their daughter was brought back to England.”

“But this is like my father's story,Mr Lorry.And wasn't it you who brought me back to England?”

“Yes,that's true,Miss Manette.Many years ago I brought you from France to England,and Tellson's Bank has taken care of you since then.You were told that your father had died.But think,Miss Manette.Perhaps your father wasn't dead.Perhaps he was in prison.Not because he had done something wrong！ But just because he had a powerful enemy—an enemy with the power to send him to prison and to keep him there,hidden and forgotten,for eighteen years！”

“Can it be true?Is it possible that my father is still alive?”Lucie Manette stared at Mr Lorry.Her face was white and her hands trembled.“It will be his ghost （鬼）—not him！”

“No,Miss Manette,”said Mr Lorry gently.“He is alive,but he has changed very much.Even his name had been forgotten！And we must ask no questions about the past,no questions at all.It would be too dangerous.He has been taken to the house of an old servant in Paris,and we are going there to bring him back to life."

（To be continued）

閱讀掃障

Ⅰ.熱詞積累

1.desperate adj.絕望的；孤注一擲的

2.come back to life 蘇醒；復活

3.take care of照顧

4.in prison坐牢

5.stare at盯著；瞪著

6.bring...back to life使……復活

Ⅱ.難句分析

1.The next day Mr Lorry was sitting in his hotel in Dover when a young lady arrived.第二天，勞里先生在多佛的旅館里坐著時，來了一位年輕的女士。

本句用的是 “過去進行時 +when+一般過去時”句型，該句型表示一個延續性的動作正在進行時，另外一個短暫性的動作出其不意地發生，前者用過去進行時，后者用一般過去時。

句式仿寫

我正在吃晚餐時，兒子突然哭了起來。

2.And wasn't it you who brought me back to England?不正是您把我帶回英國的嗎?

本句是一個使用了反問句式的強調句，旨在加強句子的語氣，陳述句式為It was you who brought me back to England。強調句的陳述句式為 “It is/was+被強調部分 +that/who...”，當被強調的部分為人時，強調句的引導詞可用that/who，其他情況一律用that；其特殊疑問句式為 “特殊疑問詞 +is/was it that...”。

句式仿寫

正是我的教練幫我克服了恐懼。

3.Is it possible that my father is still alive?

我父親可能還活著嗎?

本句的句型為“It be+adj.+that...”，句中的 it為形式主語，實際主語為that引導的主語從句。當句中的形容詞為 necessary，natural，important， 以 及vital等表示 “欲望”的形容詞時，主語從句要用“（should）+動詞原形”形式的虛擬語氣。

句式仿寫

我們在兩點之前完成這項工作是很重要的。