The_story_of_an_hour英文原文

The story of an hour

Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband's death.

It was her sister Josephine who told her, in broken sentences, veiled hints that revealed in half concealing. Her husband's friend Richards was there, too, near her. It was he who had been in the newspaper office when intelligence of the railroad disaster was received, with Brently Mallard's name leading the list of "killed." He had only taken the time to assure himself of its truth by a second telegram, and had hastened to forestall any less careful, less tender friend in bearing the sad message.

She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance. She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister's arms. When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her room alone. She would have no one follow her.

There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair. Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul. She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying his wares. The notes of a distant song which some one was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves.

There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled above the other in the west facing her window.

She sat with her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, quite motionless, except when a sob came up into her throat and shook her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in its dreams.

She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength. But now there was a dull stare in her eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off yonder on one of those patches of blue sky. It was not a glance of reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought.

There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it? She did not know; it was too subtle and elusive to name. But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air.

Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously. She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat it back with her will-as powerless as her two white slender hands would have been.

When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: "Free, free, free!" The vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed it went from her eyes. They stayed keen and bright. Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body.

She did not stop to ask if it were or were not a monstrous joy that held her. A clear and exalted perception enabled her to dismiss the suggestion as trivial.

She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death; the face that had never looked save with love upon her, fixed and gray and dead. But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely.

And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome.

There would be no one to live for her during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending her in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature. A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination.

And yet she had loved him-sometimes. Often she had not. What did it matter! What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in face of this possession of self-assertion, which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being!

"Free! Body and soul free!" she kept whispering.

Josephine was kneeling before the closed door with her lips to the keyhole,imploring for admission. "Louise, open the door! I beg; open the door-you will make yourself ill. What are you doing, Louise? For heaven's sake open the door."

"Go away. I am not making myself ill." No; she was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window.

Her fancy was running riot along those days ahead of her. Spring days, and summer days, and all sorts of days that would be her own. She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long.

She arose at length and opened the door to her sister's importunities. There was a feverish triumph in her eyes, and she carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory. She clasped her sister's waist, and together they descended the stairs. Richards stood waiting for them at the bottom.

Someone was opening the front door with a latchkey. It was Brently Mallard who entered, a little travel-stained, composedly carrying his gripsack and umbrella. He had been far from the scene of accident, and did not even know there had been one. He stood amazed at Josephine's piercing cry; at Richards' quick motion to screen him from the view of his wife.

But Richards was too late.

When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease-of joy that kills.

 

第二篇:Kate Chopin The Story of an Hour 一个钟头的故事 中文+英文+词汇学习注释

The Story of an Hour 一个钟头的故事

They knew that Louise Mallard had a weak heart. So they broke the bad news gently. Her husband, Brently, was dead.“There was a train accident, Louise,” said her sister Josephine, quietly. Her husband’s friend, Richards, brought the news, but Josephine told the story. She spoke in broken sentences.“Richards…was at the newspaper office. News of the accident came. Louise…Louise, Brently’s name was on the list. Brently…was killed, Louise.”

他们知道路易丝· 马拉德的心脏不太好,所以把坏消息告诉她时非常小心。她的丈夫布伦特里死了。“出了一次火车事故,路易丝。”姐姐约瑟芬轻声说道。带来消息的是她丈夫的朋友理查兹,但告诉她的是约瑟芬。约瑟芬在讲述时语不成句。“理查兹当时正在报社,消息传了过来。路易丝??路易丝,死者的名单上有布伦特里的名字。布伦特里??遇难了,路易丝。”

Louise did not hear the story calmly, like some women would. She could not close her mind or her heart to the news. Like a sudden storm, her tears broke out. She cried, at once, loudly in her sister’s arms. Then, just as suddenly, the tears stopped. She went to her room alone. She would not let anyone follow her. In front of the window stood a large, comfortable armchair. Into this her sank and looked out of the window. She was physically exhausted after her tears. Her body felt cold; her mind and heart were empty. Outside her window she could see the trees. The air amelled like spring rain. She could hear someone singing far away. Birds sang near the house. Blue sky showed between the clouds. She rested.

路易丝听到这个噩耗,没有像有些妇女所可能表现的那样平静。她不可能做到无动于衷。泪水像突如其来的暴雨,夺眶而出。她立时呼号起来,在姐姐的怀里放声大哭。随后她的泪水就像它们突然来时的那样又突然止住了。她独自走进自己的房间,不让任何人跟着进去。窗前放着一把又大又舒适的扶手椅。她疲惫地坐到椅子上,向窗外望去。哭过之后,她筋疲力尽。她浑身冰凉,脑子里和心里一片空白。窗外,她能看到一片树木,空气闻起来就像春雨过后。她还能听到远处有人在唱歌,房子附近也有鸟儿在歌唱,白云间露出一片片蓝天。她平静了下来。

She sat quietly, but a few weak tears still fell. She was young with a fair, calm face that showed certain strength. But now there was a dull stare in her eyes. She looked out of the window at the blue sky. She was not thinking, or seeing. She was waiting. There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it with fear. What was it? She did not know. It was too subtle to name. But she felt it creeping out of the sky. It was reaching her through the sound, the smell, the color that filled the air. Slowly she became excited, her breath came fast; her heart beat faster. She was beginning to recognize the thing that was approaching to take her. She tried to beat it back with her will, but failed. Her mind was as weak as her two small white hands. When she stopped fighting against it, a little word broke from her lips.

她静静地坐着,又有几滴泪水掉落下来。她很年轻,白皙安详的脸上显露出一种毅力。但此时此刻,她的眼神中没有一丝生气。她望着窗外的蓝天。她不是在想,也不是在看,而是在等待。什么东西正向她靠近,她恐惧地等待着。是什么呢?她不知道。那东西太微妙,说不清楚。但是她感到它正从天边而来,透过空气中的声音、气息和颜色正在逼近她。慢慢地,她变得兴奋起来,呼吸急促,心跳加快。她开始意识到正向她逼近要控制她的是什么东西。

她试图用自己的意志力把这种朦胧的意识打回去,但毫无用处。她的意志就像她那纤细白皙的双手,脆弱无力,不能将其推开。当她干脆任其自由发展时,从她的双唇间蹦出一个词。

“free,” she whispered. “free, free, free!” the dull stare and look of fear went from her eyes. They stayed keen and bright. Her heart beat fast, and the blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body. A sudden feeling of joy held her. She did not ask if her joy was wrong. She saw her freedom clearly and could not stop to think of smaller things. She knew that she would weep again when she saw her husband’s body. The kind hands, now dead and still. The loving face, now fixed and gray. But she looked into the future and saw many long years to come that would belong to her alone. And now she opened and spread her arms out to those years in welcome.

“自由了,”她低语道,“自由了,自由了,自由了!”茫然的目光和恐惧的神色一扫而光。她的目光又敏锐、闪亮起来。她的心跳加快,血液沸腾,全身轻松了下来。她感到一种突如其来的欢悦。她想都没想这种欢悦的心情是否正当。今后的自由清清楚楚地展现在她的面前,别的都是小事,无暇顾及。她知道她看到丈夫的遗体时还会哭。那亲切的双手再也不能挥动,那可爱的脸庞变得呆滞而又苍白。但她看到了未来,看到了将来长远的岁月,那只属于她的岁月。她张开双臂,欢迎那美好的岁月。

There would be no one else to live for during those years. She would live for herself alone. There would be no powerful will bending hers. Men and women always believe they can tell others what to do and how to think. Suddenly Louise understood that this was wrong and that she could break away and be free of it. Amd yet, she had loved him----sometimes. Often she had not. What did love mean now? now she understood that freedom is stronger than love.“Free! Body and soul free!” she kept whispering. Her sister Josephine was waiting outside the door.“Please open the door,” Josephine cried. “You will make yourself sick. What are you doing in there, Louise? Please, please, let me in!”“Go away. I am not making myself sick.” No, she was drinking in life through that open window.

在那些岁月里,她将不再为其他任何人而活着,只为她自己。那时再也没有人使自己屈从于他的意志。人们总是认为他们可以叫其他人做什么,叫其他人如何思考。路易丝突然明白这是错误的,她完全可以从中摆脱出来。然而她曾经爱过他——有的时候。更多的时候她又不爱他。爱到底意味着什么?现在她知道自由比爱情更加强烈,更加重要。“自由了!彻底自由了!”她不停地低声说道。姐姐约瑟芬在门外等着。“请开门,”约瑟芬大声喊道。“你会把自己弄病的。你到底在里面干什么,路易丝?请,请让我进去!”“走开。我不会把自己弄病的。”是的,她不会。透过敞开的窗户,她正在领略着窗外生命的气息,体验着生命的美好。

She thought joyfully of all those days before her. Spring days, summer days. All kinds of days that would be her own. She began to hope life would be long. It was only yesterday that life seemed so long! After a while she got up and opened the door. Her eyes were bright; her cheeks were red. She didn’t know how strong and well she looked---so full of joy. They went downstairs, where Richards was waiting. Someone was opening the door. It was Brently Mallard, who entered, looking dirty and tired, carrying a suitcase and an umbrella. He was not killed in the accident. He didn’t even know there had been one. He stood surprised at Josephine’s sudden cry. He didn’t understand why Richards moved suddenly between them, to hide Louise from her husband. But Richards was too late. When the doctors came, they said she had died of heart disease ----of joy that kills.

她高兴地想着以后的日子。春天,夏天,所有属于她自己的日子。她开始渴望长寿,而就在昨天她还嫌生命漫长,看不到尽头!过了一会,她起身把门打开。她的眼睛炯炯有神,她的脸颊很红润。她不知道她的身体看起来是多么地健康——充满了喜悦。她们下了楼,理查兹在楼下等着。有人在开门。进来的是布伦特里· 马拉德,他满面风尘,手提着一只旅行箱并拿着把雨伞。他没有在事故中遇难,他甚至不知道发生了车祸。他愣在那里,对约瑟芬的惊叫感到诧异。他不理解理查兹为什么突然站到他们中间,把路易丝挡起来。但是理查兹太晚了。当医生赶到时,他们说她死于心脏病——死于心脏承受不了的喜悦。

注释

A. 词汇(Vocabulary)

1. break: vt, vi

1)(cause to)separate into parts with suddenness or violence, but not by cutting or tearing 打破;击破;(使)破裂;(使)破碎;断

He broke a window. 他打破了一扇窗。

The rope broke when they were climbing. 他们向上爬时,绳索断了。

The glass broke into pieces. 玻璃破成碎片。

A large piece of ice broke away from the main mass. 一大块冰从冰堆上断裂开来。

2)(cause to)become unusable by damage to one or more parts (弄)坏;损坏; (使)破损

He broke his wristwatch by dropping it. 他把手表掉在地上,摔坏了。

This machine is broken and must be repaired. 这台机器坏了,得修理一下。

3)(cause to)become suddenly or violently (使)突然变为

The prisoner broke loose. 犯人突然挣脱逃跑了。

The box broke open when it fell. 盒子掉下来时,盖子一下子 摔开了。

4)not to keep (a law, etc.); go actively against 违反;违背(法律等)

If you do this , you will be breaking the law. 如果你这样做,就会违反法律。

He broke the speed limit by driving his car at 80 mph. 他以八十英里的时速开车,违反了车速限制的规定。

5) tell, make known, reveal 告诉;使知道

Someone must break the bad news to her. 一定得有人将坏消息告诉她。

2.exhausted 和exhaustive 的区别

exhausted 的意思是“筋疲力尽”;exhaustive 看起来与exhausted 很相近,但意思完全不一样,它是“全面而彻底的;详尽无遗的”的意思。例如:

The exhausted men fell on the road and slept where they lay. 那些筋疲力尽的人躺倒 在路上,就地睡着了。

This is an exhaustive study of the subject. 这是有关该题目的一个详尽的研究。

3.subtle: adj.

1) delicate, hardly noticeable, and esp. pleasant 难以捉摸的;微妙的

There are subtle differences between the two things. 这两者之间有着微妙的关系。

It’s a subtle taste. 那是一种无法形容的味道。

2) clever in arrangement 精巧的;巧妙的

That’s a subtle plan. 那是一个巧妙的计划。

4.creep: vi. (pt, pp crept)

1) move slowly, quietly or secretly with the body to the ground (身体贴近地面而且 悄悄地)爬行;匍匐前进

The cat crept silently towards the mouse. 猫悄悄地向老鼠爬过去。

2) (of time , age, etc.)come on gradually (指时间,年龄等)不知不觉地而来

Old age creeps upon one unawares. 不知不觉地老年就来临了。

3) (of plants, etc) grow along the ground over the surface of a wall, etc. (指 植 物等)沿地面、墙壁的表面等而蔓延;攀爬

Ivy had crept over the ruined castle walls. 常春藤已爬满了那荒堡残垣。

4) (of the flesh)have the feeling that things are creeping over it (as the result of fear, repugnance, etc.) (指肌肤)有虫爬的感觉(如由于恐惧、嫌恶等之结果);起鸡皮疙瘩

The sight of the cold, damp prison cell, with rats running about, made her flesh creep.看见那冰冷阴湿的牢房,还有老鼠在里面跑来跑去, 她浑身起鸡皮疙瘩。

5. will : n.

1) mental power by which a person can direct his thoughts and actions, and influence those of others意志

He has the will to live; he‘ll recover. 他有活下去的决心;他会康复的。

2)control exercised over oneself, one’s impulses意志力,自制力

He showed a strength of will that overcame all obstacles. 他表现出坚强的意志力,克服了所有的障碍。

3)determination; desire or purpose决心;意向;欲望;目的

Where there is a will, there is a way. 有志者,事竟成。

6. weep: vi. vt

1) esp. formal & literary to cry 流泪;哭泣

He lost control of his feelings and began to weep. 他控制不住自己的感情,流起眼泪来。 She wept bitter tears. 她流下了伤心的眼泪。

2)to put (oneself) into a certain state by weeping 哭得使(处于某种状态)

She wept herself silly. 她哭得死去活来。

7.spread: vt. vi

1) stretch or extend in space or time (空间上)扩展;伸开;分散(在一段时间里) In the last hundred years, the city has spread a lot. 在近一百年里,这个城市扩

展了许多。

He stood up and spread his arms. 他站起来,伸开了双臂。

His visits to Canada were spread over five years. 他的几次加拿大之行是分散在五年中进行的。

2)put ( a covering ) on ( a surface ) 涂在?的表面上

She spread butter on the bread. 她在面包上涂了黄油。

8. bend: vt. vi. (pt, pp bent)

1) cause (sth. rigid) to be out of a straight line or surface使(硬的东西)弯曲

Lead bends easily. 铅容易弯曲。

2)bow; stoop弯腰;屈身

She bent over to look at the stones. 她弯腰去看那些石块。

3)direct使朝向

All eyes are bent on me. 大家都在看着我。

4)submit屈从,服从

The people in the country are bent to their king‘s will. 这个国家的人民服从国王的意志。

9. stay: vi.

1) not to move, go, come, etc. 停留;逗留

You go; I’ll stay here till you come back. 你走吧,我会待在这里等你回来。

She stayed where she was. 她待在原地不动。

My car stays in the garage most of the week. 一周大部分时间我的车都停放在车库里不用。

2)continue to be (in an unchanged state) 保持(不变状态)

I hope the soup will stay warm till they come back. 我希望在他们回来之前汤不

会凉。

The room has stayed the same since he died; no one has changed anything. 他死

后,房间一直保持原状;谁也没有动过任何东西。

10. approach vt. vi.

1)move, come, or go near 走近;接近;临近

He approached them slowly. 他慢慢走近他们。

Spring is approaching. 春天临近了。

2)come or go to (someone) to talk about, suggest, ask for(something) 与?打交

道;找?商量;向?接洽、查询

He approached me about this last week. 上星期他找我商谈这件事。

Can you approach them on the matter for me? 你能找他们替我查询一下这件事

情吗?

B. 短语、句型(Set Phrases and Sentence Patterns)

1. keep doing sth.: continue doing sth.; doing sth. frequently or repeatedly 继续做某事;老是做

某事

Alice kept waving to us. 爱丽丝不停地向我们挥手。

They kept watering the fields until they got a good harvest. 他们不断浇地,直

到获得了好收成。

Many problems kept cropping up in his mind. 他脑中不断出现许多问题。

2. drink in: (fig)take in eagerly through the senses or with pleasure (喻)欣赏

The boy drank in every word of the sailor‘s story of his adventures. 这小男孩全 神贯注地倾听着那水手叙述他冒险故事的每一句话。

They stopped for a moment to drink in the beauty of the scenery. 他们逗留了一 会儿,欣赏周围的美丽景色。

3. stop to do sth.: stop doing what is being done and start to do another thing 停下来去某事 He stopped to speak to Martin. 他停下来和马丁讲话。

They stopped to listen, but there was no more sound. 他们停下来去听,但已

没有声音了。

On my return journey, I stopped to see two factories that had just been

built 回去的途中,我停下来参观了刚建起来的两座工厂。

Cf. stop doing sth.: stop doing what one is doing 停止做某事

Has it stopped raining? 雨停了吗?

Stop talking. 不要讲话了。

Help never stopped coming from the day she fell ill. 从她生病的那一天起,

各方面的帮助就没停过。

4. break out:(of fire, disease, war, rioting)appear, start,suddenly (指火灾,疾病, 战 争,暴乱)突然发生

A fire broke out during the night. 夜间突然发生火灾。

The Second World War broke out in September 1939. 第二次世界大战爆发于1939 年。

5. belong to: be owned by 属于

This book belongs to him; it’s his. 这本书属于他,是他的。

Who does that car belong to? 那辆车是谁的?

6. break away: free oneself from脱离;摆脱

He has broken away from his old habits. 他戒除了旧习。

Startled by the sudden whistle of the train, the horse broke away. 火车突然鸣笛,那匹马受惊脱逃。

C. 难句理解(Sentence Comprehension)

1. So they broke the bad news gently.

——So they told the bad news in a soft way. 因此他们俩委婉地告诉了那坏

消息。

break the bad news gently: reveal the news in such a way that its effect is less of a shock 把一个坏消息非常委婉地告诉某人

2. Louise did not hear the story calmly, like some women would.

——Louise was not as calm as some women would do when she heard the story. 路易丝听到这个消息,不象有些女人那样平静。

该句中like做连词用,意思是“象,如”,一般认为这种用法不正确,但实际上许多知名作家也这样用。又如:She can‘t cook like her mother does. 她烹饪的技术不如她的母亲。

3. She could not close her mind or her heart to the news.

——It was impossible for her to remain unmoved at the news. 他不可能做到无动于衷。 close one’s mind to: not to be affected, remain unmoved 不受影响;无动于衷

4. Like a sudden storm, her tears broke out.

——Like a sudden storm, her tears came out immediately. 她的泪水就像突如其来的暴雨,夺眶而出。

like a sudden storm 是一种比喻用法,这种修辞手法常用于文学作品中,使描写更加形象生动。又如:And then Della leaped up like a little singed cat and cried: “Oh, Oh!” 接着,黛拉像挨烫的小猫一样跳起来,喊叫着说:“啊,啊!”

5. Into this she sank and looked out of the window.

——She sat down in the large and comfortable armchair, and looked out of the window. 她疲惫地坐下来,向窗外望去。

这是一个倒装句,使该句与上句之间更加连贯。句中的this 指的是上句中的 a large, comfortable armchair。又如:They laughed together, and with that laugh ended all serious talk. 他们一起大笑起来,随着大笑声起,一切严肃的谈话边结束了。

6. She was physically exhausted after tears.

——She became tired out after she had cried. 哭过之后,她疲惫不堪。

after tears 是一种简洁的表达方法,通常我们会说after she cried。

7. She was beginning to recognize the thing that was approaching to take her.

——She was beginning to know what the thing was that was coming near to take control of her.

她开始意识到向她步步逼近想要控制她的究竟是什么东西。

句中的 approaching 表达的是“步步逼近”的意思,在这里用得非常贴切。

8. When she stopped fighting against it, a little word broke from her lips.

——When she ceased her struggle with it, she involuntarily spoke out a little word. 当她干脆任其 自由发展时,从她的双唇迸发出一个词。

it 系指上文中的 the thing that was approaching to take her。

9. There would be no powerful will bending hers.

——There would be no one who is so dominating in her life as to make her obey all the time. 再也没有人使自己屈从于他的意志。

这里的 will 用作名词,意思是“意志”。

10. She was drinking in life through that open window.

——She was watching and listening to what was happening outside with great pleasure. 透过敞开的窗户,她正领略着窗外生命的气息,体验着生命的美好。

句中的 drink in 是一种形象生动的比喻用法。

11. …they said she had died of heart disease---of joy that kills.

——?they said she had died of heart disease. It was joy that killed her. 医生说她死于心脏病——死于她的心脏承受不了的强烈的喜悦。

句中的 die of 表示“因??而死”,又如:

His father died of starvation. 他的父亲饿死了。

The old man died of cancer. 这位老人是患癌症死的。

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