1、 1 David Copperfields childhood 1 大卫科波菲尔的童年 I was born at Blunderstone，in Suffolk， in the east of England，and was given my poor fathers name，David Copperfield Sadly， he never saw me He was much older than my mother when they married， and died six months before I was born My fathers death made my bea
2、utiful young mother very unhappy， and she knew she would find life extremely difficult with a new baby and no husband The richest and most important person in our family was my fathers aunt，Miss Betsey Trotwood. She had in fact been married once， to a handsome young husband. But because he demanded
3、money from her， and sometimes beat her， she decided they should separate He went abroad， and soon news came of his death. 我出生在英国东部萨福克郡的布兰德斯通，并沿用了我不幸的父亲之名大卫科波菲尔。可悲的是，他从未见过我的面。他同我母亲结婚时比我母亲大许多，在我出生前 6个月就谢世了。他的死使我年轻美貌的母亲感到极为痛苦，因为她知道没有丈夫独自带婴儿的日子将会异常艰难。在我们家族中最富有、最重要的人物要数我父亲的姨妈贝茜特拉伍德小姐。其实她结过一次婚，嫁的是一个英俊的青年。
4、但是，由于这位丈夫总找她要钱，有时还动手打她，她便决定与他分手。他出了国，不久就有消息说他已去世了。 Miss Trotwood bought a small house by the sea， and lived there alone， with only one servant She had not spoken to my father since his marriage， because she considered he had made a mistake in marrying a very young girl But just before I was born， wh
5、en she heard that my mother was expecting a baby， she came to visit Blunder- stone. 特拉伍德小姐在海边买了一所小房子，独自生活在那里，身边只随了一位用人。自从我父亲结婚后她就不理睬我父亲了，因为她认为我父亲娶这么年轻的小姐做妻子是个错误。然而，在我出生前，当她听说我母亲临产时，就来到布兰德斯通拜访我们。 It was a cold， windy Friday afternoon in March My mother was sitting by the fire， feeling very lonely and
6、 unhappy， and crying a little. Suddenly a stern， strange-looking face appeared at the window. 那是在三月份的一个寒冷、多风的星期五下午，我母亲正独自坐在火炉旁，因感到孤单和不幸而轻声抽泣着。突然一张严肃、陌生的脸出现在窗外。 Open the door！ ordered the sternfaced lady My mother was shocked，but obeyed at once You must be David Copper fields wife，said the lady as sh
7、e enteredIm Betsey Trotwood Youve heard of me？ “开门！”这位满脸严肃的女人命令道。我母亲吓了一跳，但还是很快开了门。“你就是大卫科波菲尔的妻子吧，”她边进门边说，“我叫贝茜特拉伍德，你听说过吧？”“听说过，”母亲轻声答道，声音发颤。“你真年轻呀，”贝茜小姐叫道，“简直还是个孩子！” Yes，whispered mother，trembling How young you are！ cried Miss BetseyJust a baby！ My mother started sobbing againI know I look like a ch
8、ild！ I know I was young to be a wife， and Im young to be a mother！ But perhaps Ill die before I become a mother！ Come， come！ answered Miss Betsey.Have some 母亲开始抽泣，“我知道我看着像个孩子！我知道我年纪还小，不该为人妻，不该为人母！但也许我会在成为一个母亲之前死去！”“行了，行了！”贝茜小姐回答说，“喝口茶水吧，这样你会好受些。你叫你的女孩什么？”“我的女孩？我还不知道是不是女孩，”我母亲疑惑地答道。“不，我不是指小孩，我是说你的女用人
9、！” teaThen youll feel betterWhat do you call your girl？ My girl？ I dont know yet that it will be a girl，replied my mother miserably No，I dont mean the baby，I mean your servant！ Her names Peggotty Her first names Clara，the same as mine， so I call her by her family name，you see What a terrible name！ H
10、owever， never mind Peggotty！she called， going to the doorBring Mrs Copperfield some tea at once！ She sat down again and continued speakingYou were talking about the baby Im sure itll be a girl Now， as soon as she s born He， perhaps， said my mother bravely Don t be stupid， of course it ll be a sheIm
11、going to send her to school，and educate her well I want to prevent her from making the mistakes Ive made in life Miss Betsey looked quite angry as she said this My mother said nothing，as she was not feeling at all well.But tell me， were you and your husband happy？asked Miss Betsey “她叫辟果提。她的教名是克拉拉，因为
12、和我同名，所以我就以她的姓称呼她，就这样！”“多难听的名字！不过没关系，辟果提！”她走到门边叫道。“马上给科波菲尔太太上点茶水！”她又坐下来，继续说道：“你刚才说到孩子，我肯定她会是个女孩。那么，只要她一出生，”“他，或许是，”母亲勇敢地更正道。“别犯傻，当然应该是她，我会送她上学，让她接受良好的教育。我要让我生活中所犯的错误避免在她身上重演。”贝茜小姐说此话时显得很愤怒。母亲没吭声，因为她感觉不太舒服。“好吧，告诉我，你和你丈夫过得幸福吗？”贝茜小姐问道。 This made my poor mother feel worse than ever.I know I wasnt very se
13、nsibleabout moneyor cookingor things like that！ she sobbed.But we loved each otherand he was helping me to learnand then he died！Oh！Oh！And she fell back in her chair， completely unconscious 这个问题让我母亲更感难受。“我知道我很不开窍在钱方面，做饭方面，等等！”她抽泣着说，“但我们彼此相爱他帮助我慢慢学可他死了，唉！唉！”她倒在椅子上，失去了知觉。 Peggotty， who came in just th
14、en with the tea，realized how serious the situation was， and took my mother upstairs to bed. The doctor arrived soon afterwards， and stayed all evening to take care of his patient. 辟果提正巧端着茶进来，意识到情况的严重性，把我母亲扶到楼上。医生随即叫到，并彻夜守护着病人。 At about midnight he came downstairs to the sittingroom where Miss Betsey
15、 was waiting impatiently 大约午夜时分，医生下楼来到客厅，贝茜小姐已经等得很不耐烦了。 Well，doctor, whats the news？ How is she？ “大夫，有什么消息吗？她怎么样了？” The young mother is quite comfortable， madam， replied the doctor politely “年轻的母亲情况很好，小姐，”大夫很礼貌地回答。 But she， the baby， how is she？ cried “她，孩子，她怎么样？”贝茜小姐追问。 Miss Betsey The doctor looke
16、d strangely at Miss Betsey.Its a boy，madam， he replied 大夫很纳闷地看着贝茜小姐，“是个男孩，小姐。”他回答道。 Miss Betsey said nothing，but walked straight out of the house， and never came back 贝茜小姐二话没说，径直走出屋子，从此不再登门。 That was how I was born. My early childhood was extremely happy， as my beautiful mother and kind Peggotty too
17、k care of me. But when I was about eight， a shadow passed over my happiness. My mother often went out walking，in her best clothes， with a gentleman called Mr Murdstone He had black hair， a big black moustache and an unpleasant smile， and seemed to be very fond of my mother. But I knew that Peggotty
18、did not like him 就这样我来到了世上。孩提时的我非常幸福，因为有我美丽的母亲和善良的辟果提照顾我。然而，在我 8岁左右，我的幸福生活开始蒙上了阴影。我母亲经常穿着最好的衣服，和一位叫摩德斯通的先生出去散步。那人有一头黑发，留一大撇黑胡子，笑容阴沉，似乎很喜欢我母亲。但我知道辟果提不喜欢他。 A few months later Peggotty told me that my mother was going to have a short holiday with some friends. Meanwhile Peggotty and I would go to stay
19、with her brother Daniel in Yarmouth，on the east coast， for two weeksI was very excited when we climbed into the cart， although it was sad saying goodbye to my mother Mr Murdstone was at her shoulder，waving goodbye， as the driver called to his horse， and we drove out of the village 几个月后，辟果提告诉我，母亲要和几位
20、朋友出去度短假。辟果提可以趁此机会带我去东海岸的雅茅斯镇和她兄弟丹尼尔生活两个星期。登上马车时我兴奋不已，虽然与母亲分手有些伤感。摩德斯通先生和我母亲并肩站着，向我们挥手道别。这时，马车夫吆喝一声，把我们拉出村去。 When we got down from the cart in Yarmouth，after our journey，Peggotty said， Thats the house，Master David！ 当我们结束旅程，在雅茅斯下车时，辟果提说：“到家了，大卫少爷。” I looked all round， but could only see an old ship on
21、 the sand.Is thatthat your brothers house？I asked in delight. And when we reached it，I saw it had doors and windows and a chimney，just like a real house I could not imagine a nicer place to live. Everything was clean and tidy， and smelt of fish Now I was introduced to the Peggotty familyThere was Da
22、niel Peggotty， a kind old sailor Although he was not married， he had adopted two orphans， who lived with him and called him Uncle Ham Peggotty was a large young man with a gentle smile，and Emily was a beautiful，blue-eyed little girl. They all welcomed Peggotty and me warmly 我环顾四周，只看见沙滩上的一艘旧船，便高兴地问道：
23、“那个那个就是你兄弟的家？”我们走到近处一看，船上有门，有窗，有烟囱，俨然是一所名符其实的住房。我再也想像不出比这更好的住处了。屋内一切陈设干净、整齐，散发着鱼味。这时，我被介绍给辟果提一家。家里有丹尼尔辟果提，一位善良的老水手，他没有结婚，但收养了两个孤儿。孩子们和他生活在一起，管他叫叔叔。哈姆辟果提是一位壮小伙子，脸上总是现出亲切的笑容，埃米莉是一位美丽的姑娘，长着一对蓝眼睛。他们都热情地欢迎我和辟果提的到来。 I spent a wonderfully happy two weeks there， playing all day on the beach with Emily，and s
24、leeping in my own little bed on the ship. I am sure I was in love with little Emily in my childish way， and I cried bitterly when we had to say goodbye at the end of the holiday 在这儿的两个星期我过得相当愉快，整天和埃米莉在海滩上玩，夜里就睡在船屋里我的小床上。我相信当时我的确以孩童的方式爱上了小埃米莉。当假日结束我俩不得不道别时我哭得很伤心。 But on the way home to Blunderstone，
25、Peggotty looked at me very worriedly.Master David，my dear，she said suddenly in a trembling voice.I must tell youyoull have to know now While weve been away， your dear motherhas married Mr Murdstone！Hes your stepfather now！ 在我们回布兰德斯通的路上，辟果提很忧郁地看着我。“大卫少爷，亲爱的，”她突然说道，声音颤抖，“我必须告诉你你现在该知道了在我们离家的这段时间，你亲爱的母亲
26、嫁给了摩德斯通先生！他如今已是你的继父了！” I was deeply shocked I could not understand how my mother could have married that manAnd when we arrived home， I could not help showing my mother how very miserable I was I went straight to my room and lay sobbing on my bed，which made my poor mother very unhappy too As she sat
27、 beside me， holding my hand， Mr Murdstone suddenly came in 我非常震惊，不明白母亲怎么会嫁给那个人。我们回到家后，我控制不住自己，让母亲看出了我有多痛苦。我径直走进我的卧室，倒在床上哭泣，弄得我可怜的母亲也伤心起来。正当她坐在我床边，拉着我的手时，摩德斯通先生突然走了进来。 Whats this， Chara， my love？ he asked sternlyRemember，you must be firm with the boy！Ive told you before，youre too weak with him！ “怎么了，
28、克拉拉，我亲爱的？”他严肃地说道，“记住，对孩子应该严厉点！我已经跟你说过，你太娇惯他了！” Oh yes，Edward，Im afraid youre right， my mother replied quicklyIm very sorry Ill try to be firmer with him And when she left the room， Mr Murdstone whispered angrily to me，David，do you know what Ill do if you dont obey me？ Ill beat you like a dog！ I was
29、still very young，and I was very frightened of him If he had said one kind word to me， perhaps I would have liked and trusted him，and my life would have been different. Instead， I hated him for the influence he had over my dear mother，who wanted to be kind to me， but also wanted to please her new hus
30、band “哦，是的，爱德华，恐怕你是对的，”母亲赶紧答道，“我很抱歉，我会尽量对他严厉些。”她离开房间后，摩德斯通先生压低声音，愤愤地说道，“大卫，你知道你要是不听话我会怎么对待你吗？我会像揍一条狗一样揍你！”我当时还小，很怕他。当时他要是跟我说上一句和蔼的话，或许我会喜欢他，信任他，我后来的生活也就会完全不同。然而，我恨他给我亲爱的母亲施加压力，她总想好好待我，可还得讨好她的新丈夫。 That evening Mr Murdstones sister arrived to helpmy mother in the house A tall dark lady， with a stern，
31、frowning face，she looked and sounded very much like her brotherI thought she was planning to stay with us for a 当天晚上，摩德斯通先生的姐姐来到家中“帮助”我母亲料理家务。她又高又黑，眉头紧锁，板着面孔，神态和说话声音和她兄弟别无两样。我想她可能要长期和我们呆在一起了，果不出所料，她准备永远住下去。第二天一早她就开始行动起来了。 long time， and I was rightIn fact，she intended to stay for ever She started wo
32、rk the next morning. Now， Clara， she said firmly to my mother at breakfast，I am here to help you. You re much too pretty and thoughtless to worry about the servants， the food and so on So just hand me your keys to all the cupboards， and Ill take care of everything for you My poor mother just blushed
33、，looked a little ashamed，and obeyed. From then on， Miss Murdstone took complete control of the house， keeping the keys hanging from her waist as she hurried through the house，checking that everything was being done just as she wished. “现在，克拉拉，”早餐时她严肃地告诉我母亲，“我到这儿是来帮助你的。你在安排用人、食品等方面显得太幼稚，太没主意。所以你把所有橱子
34、、柜子的钥匙交给我，我来为你照料一切。”可怜的母亲只是一阵阵脸红，显得很羞愧，最终还是同意了。从那以后，摩德斯通小姐完全掌管了家事，她把钥匙挂在手腕上，来回地穿梭在屋里屋外，检查着每一件事是否照她的意思办了。 2 David is sent away to school 2 大卫被送往学校 I was very unhappy during this time. Mr Murdstone insisted on my studying， and so my mother gave me lessons In the past she and I had enjoyed our studies
35、together， and she had taught me a lot in her gentle way. But now both Mr and Miss Murdstone were present during my lessons， and somehow I could not concentrate or remember what I had learnt. My poor mother was very sympathetic，and tried to encourage me，sometimes even whispering the answer to me. But
36、 the Murdstones had sharp ears 这段时期我很不愉快。摩德斯通先生坚持要我学习，所以母亲就教我功课。在过去，母亲和我都可以从教和学当中得到乐趣，她用她温和的方式教给我许多知识。但如今，我们上课时摩德斯通先生和小姐都在场，这在很大程度上让我不能集中精神，记住所学的内容。可怜的母亲同情我，设法提示我，有时甚至悄声告诉我答案，可摩德斯通先生和小姐的耳朵特别尖。 Clara，my love！ Mr Murdstone used to say crossly.Remember！Be firm！You re making the boys character worse by
37、helping him like that！ “克拉拉，亲爱的！”摩德斯通先生总是很恼怒地说道，“记住！要严厉！你这样帮着孩子会把他的脾气惯得更糟！” Oh，Edward, Im sorry,my mother replied, looking embarrassed and hanging her head like a guilty child “哦，爱德华，很抱歉，”母亲答道，满脸尴尬，像一个认错的孩子似地低下了头。 One morning when I arrived in the sittingroom as usual for my lesson，I saw that Mr Mur
38、d stone had a thin stick in his hand. I could not take my eyes off it. 一天早上，我像往常一样来到客厅学功课，看见摩德斯通先生手上拿着一根细木棍，我的眼睛直钩钩地盯着它不放。 You must be very careful today， David, he said with his unpleasant smile， holding the stick in both hands I knew what would happen then. A terrible fear took hold of me， and all
39、 “你今天要非常小心，大卫，”他冷笑道，双手握着那根木棍。我知道接下来要发生什么。一阵强烈的恐惧占据了我的心头，把我所学会的东西从我的记忆中一扫而光，以致于母亲问我的问题我一个都回答that I had learnt disappeared immediately from my memory， so that I could not answer any of my mothers questions. Mr Murdstone got up from his chair. 不上来。摩德斯通先生从座位上站起来。 Well David，he said heavily, I think youv
40、e worried your mother enough today. Well go upstairs， boy. Come，and he picked up the stick. I heard my mother crying as we went upstairs. Please，Mr Murdstone！I cried. Dont beat me！Ive tried to learn，really I have, sir！ “好了，大卫，”他严厉地说，“我想你今天够难为你母亲的了，我们上楼吧，孩子，来吧。”他拿起木棍。我们俩上楼时我听见母亲在哭泣。“求您了，摩德斯通先生！”我哭道，“
41、别打我！学习我尽了努力，我真的尽了努力，先生！” But he did not listen to me. In my bedroom，he held my arms and started hitting me with the stick. I managed to get hold of his hand， and bit deep into it. He cried out angrily，and began to hit me as hard as he couldAbove the noise of my screams， I could hear my mother and Pe
42、ggotty crying outside the door. Then the next moment， he was gone. I heard him lock the door. And I was lying， sore and bleeding, on the floor. The whole house seemed suddenly very quiet. 可他并不理睬。到了我的卧房，他抓住我的双臂，抡起木棍就打。我使劲抓住他的手，狠狠地咬了他一口。他愤怒地叫了一声，使出浑身的劲来打我。在我一阵阵的尖叫声背后，我听见母亲和辟果提在门外哭泣的声音。过了一会儿，他走了。我听见他锁了
43、门。我躺在地上，浑身疼痛，还流着血。整个屋子似乎突然一下子变得寂静了。 I stayed there for a time， without moving. In the evening Miss Murdstone brought me some bread and milk， which she left on the floor beside me，frowning angrily at me as she went out. I was kept locked in that room for five days and nights，and saw nobody except Mis
44、s Murdstone， who brought me food but never spoke to me. To a small boy， the five days seemed like years，and I can still remember how frightened and guilty I felt But during the fifth night I heard a strange noise at the key-hole. It was Peggotty，trying to give me a message 我一动不动地在地上躺了很长时间。晚上，摩德斯通小姐给
45、我拿来一些面包和牛奶，放在我身边的地上，出门时还生气地冲我皱皱眉头。我被锁在房间里五天五夜，其间除了摩德斯通小姐默不作声地给我送点食物，未见有其他任何人来。对一个孩子来说，这五天时间简直就像数年，我至今还记得当时有多恐惧、有多内疚。第五天夜里，我听到有一个奇怪的声音从锁眼里传来。那是辟果提，设法给我送口信来了。 Master David，my dear，she whispered, sobbing，they are going to send you away to boarding school！ Tomorrow！ “大卫少爷，亲爱的，”她低声抽泣道，“他们要把你送到寄宿学校去！明天！”
46、Oh Peggotty！ I cried.Then I wont see you and mother very often！ No， my love. But dont forget， Ill take care of your mother. She needs her cross old Peggotty！ Ill stay with her，although I hate these Murdstones. And remember，David, I love you as much as I “哦！辟果提！”我哭道，“那我就不能常见着你和妈妈了！”“不能了，我亲爱的。但你放心，我会照
47、顾你母亲，她需要我这位脾气大的老辟果提！我会留下来陪她，尽管我讨厌摩德斯通姐弟。记住，大卫，我爱你跟爱你母亲一样，只多不少。我会写信给你。” love your mother，and more. And Ill Write to you. Thank you，dear Peggotty！I whispered back, tears rolling down my face.Will you write to your brother too，and Ham，and little Emily, and tell them Im not as bad as the Murdstones thin
48、k？ And send my love to them，especially little Emily？ “谢谢你，亲爱的辟果提！”我轻声回答，泪水滚落到脸颊。“请你也写信给你的兄弟，还有哈姆，小埃米莉，告诉他们我并不像摩德斯通姐弟认为的那么坏。带给他们我的问候，特别是小埃米莉，好吗？” Peggotty promised to do what I asked. The next morning Miss Murdstone told me that because of my wickedness I was going away to schoolShe had already packe
49、d my case for me. My mother was only allowed to say a very quick goodbye to me， when the horse and cart arrived The driver put my case on the cart， and we drove slowly out of Blunderstone. I was still sobbing loudly when suddenly I saw Peggotty running after us on the road. The driver stopped and waited for her. With difficult
