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【导读】 世界名著《呼啸山庄》是 19 世纪英国文学的代表作之一。小说
全篇充满强烈的反压迫、争幸福的斗争精神,又始终笼罩着离奇、紧张的浪漫气
氛。阅读下面的节选,对比中外文化中对收养弃儿态度的异同。
Wuthering Heights (excerpt)
Ellen Dean's story—Catherine and Heathcliff as children
1770.When I was a child,I was always at Wuthering Heights,because my
mother was a servant of the Earnshaw family.They are a very old family who have
lived in that house for centuries,as you can see from their names on the stone over the
front door.I grew up with Catherine and Hindley Earnshaw , and we three played
together as children.
One day,their father Mr.Earnshaw came back from a long
journey.He had travelled sixty miles to Liverpool and back on
business,and was very tired.
“Look what I've brought you!” he told us all,unwrapping
something he was holding carefully in his arms.Catherine and
Hindley were expecting presents,and they rushed eagerly to see
what it was.They were very disappointed to see only a dirty,blackhaired gipsy child.
“I found him all alone in the busy streets of Liverpool,”Mr.Earnshaw explained
to them,“and I couldn't leave him to die.He can sleep in your room.” But Hindley and
Catherine were angry because they had not received any presents,and refused to let
the strange child share their room.However Mr.Earnshaw insisted,and little by little
the boy became accepted by the family.He was called Heathcliff,as a first and last
name.No one ever discovered who his parents had been.
Catherine and he became great friends,but Hindley hated him,and was often
cruel to him.Old Mr.Earnshaw was strangely fond of this gipsy child,and frequently
punished his son for behaving badly to Heathcliff.Hindley began to be jealous of his
father's feelings for Heathcliff,and saw them both as enemies.
This situation could not last.As Mr.Earnshaw grew old and ill,Heathcliff became
even more his favourite,and Hindley often quarrelled with his father.When Hindley
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was sent away to study,I hoped that we would have peace in the house.But then it
was that old servant Joseph who caused trouble.He tried to persuade his master to be
stricter with the children,and was always complaining that Heathcliff and Catherine
did not spend enough time studying the Bible or attending church services.
Catherine was a wild , wicked girl in those days.We had to watch her every
moment of the day,to stop her playing her tricks on us.She was proud,and liked
giving orders.But she had the prettiest face and the sweetest smile you've ever seen.I
could forgive her anything when she came to say she was sorry.
She was much too fond of Heathcliff , and the worst
punishment we could invent was to keep her separate from
him.Her father could no longer understand her or her behaviour,
and Catherine did not realize that his illness made him less patient
with her.
At last Mr.Earnshaw found peace.He died quietly in his chair
by the fire one October evening in 1775.The night was wild and stormy,and we were
all sitting together in the big kitchen.Joseph was reading his Bible at the table,while
Catherine had her head on her father's knee.He was pleased to see her so gentle for
once,and she was singing him to sleep.I was glad the old gentleman was sleeping so
well.But when it was time to go to bed,Catherine put her arms round her father's neck
to say goodnight,and immediately screamed,“Oh,he's dead,Heathcliff! He's
dead!”
Heathcliff and I started crying loudly and bitterly too.Joseph told me to fetch the
doctor,so I ran to the village,although I knew it was too late.When I came back,I
went to the children's room,to see if they needed me,and I listened for a moment at
their door.They were imagining the dead man in a beautiful distant place,far from the
troubles of this world.And as I listened,crying silently,I could not help wishing we
were all there safe together.
呼啸山庄(节选)
艾伦·迪恩讲述的故事——凯瑟琳和希斯克利夫的童年
1770 年,我小时候一直在呼啸山庄,因为我母亲在欧肖家做佣人。欧肖家
是一个很古老的家族,在那幢宅子住了好几百年,你能从门前石头上刻着的名字
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看出来。我是同凯瑟琳和亨德雷·欧肖一起长大的,小时候我们仨都在一起玩儿。
一天,他们的父亲欧肖先生出远门回来。他走了六十英里去利物浦办事后又
赶回来, 非常疲倦。
“看我给你们带来了什么!”他对我们大家说,一边打开了怀里小心抱着的
东西。凯瑟琳和亨德雷正盼望着是礼物呢,兴冲冲地围上来看到底是什么东西。
当他们只看到一个脏兮兮、黑头发的吉普赛孩子时,大失所望。
“我看到他孤零零地待在利物浦繁忙的街头,”欧肖先生对他们解释说,“我
总不能让他就那么死了吧。他可以睡在你们的房里。”但亨德雷和凯瑟琳气恼没
有得到礼物, 不肯让这个野孩子睡在他们的房间。在欧肖先生的坚持下,一家
人还是渐渐地接受了这个孩子。大家叫他希斯克利夫,既是名, 也是姓。始终
没人搞清楚他的父母是谁。
凯瑟琳和他成了好朋友,但亨德雷不喜欢他,对他常常很粗暴。老欧肖先生
异乎寻常地喜欢这个吉普赛孩子,时常因为自己的儿子对希斯克利夫不友善而惩
罚他。亨德雷开始嫉妒他父亲对希斯克利夫的感情,视他俩为敌。
这种情况不可能持续下去。随着欧肖先生变得年迈多病, 他越发地偏爱希
斯克利夫了, 而亨德雷则常同他父亲吵架。当亨德雷被送到外头上学后,我本
指望我们能在家里过上安稳日子。但又轮到老仆人约瑟夫招惹是非。他试图怂恿
他的主人对孩子们再严厉些,总是抱怨希斯克利夫和凯瑟琳不下功夫研读《圣经》
和参加教堂的礼拜。
凯瑟琳当时是个任性、淘气的姑娘。我们一天到晚都得盯着她,一不留意就
捉弄我们。她自大,好发号施令。但您从没看到过她那可爱的小脸和甜甜的微笑。
只要她过来说抱歉时,我就什么都原谅她了。
她太喜欢希斯克利夫了,不让她和希斯克利夫在一起是我们所能采取的最严
厉的惩罚。她的父亲已无法理解她和她的所作所为,而凯瑟琳也没有意识到父亲
的病情已使他对自己不像以前那样惯着了。
欧肖先生最终安息了。1775 年 10 月的一个晚上,他安祥地死在火炉旁他的
椅子上。那天晚上狂风肆虐,我们都一起坐在大厨房里。约瑟夫伏案读着他的《圣
经》,凯瑟琳把头枕在她父亲的膝头。好不容易看到她这么乖,欧肖先生很高兴,
她唱着歌儿催他入眠。老先生睡得这么好,我很欣慰。但该上床睡觉,凯瑟琳用
胳膊搂着她父亲的脖子道晚安时,她突然尖叫起来,“啊,他死了,希斯克利夫!
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他死了!”
希斯克利夫和我也都开始嚎啕痛哭。约瑟夫叫我去喊大夫,虽然我知道太晚
了,但还是跑去了村子。回来后,我到孩子们的房间去看看他们是否需要我,我
在门前站着听了一会儿。他们正在那儿想象死去的人如何在一个遥远、美丽的地
方远离凡世的烦恼。我边听边默默地哭着,不禁开始祈祷我们都能在天堂相安无
事地相处。
[知识积累]
1.gipsy n. 吉普赛人
2.jealous adj. 妒忌的
3.wicked adj. 邪恶的;淘气的
4.bitterly adv. 痛苦地
5.distant adj. 遥远的
[文化链接]
《呼啸山庄》之角色解读
吉普赛弃儿希斯克利夫被山庄老主人收养后,因受辱和恋爱不遂,外出致富,
回来后对与其女友凯瑟琳结婚的地主林顿及其子女进行报复,但并不感到高兴。
最终希斯克利夫放弃了对小凯瑟琳和哈顿的复仇,说明其本性还是善良的。