原文

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood， this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.

“My dear Mr. Bennet，” said his lady to him one day， “have you heard that Netherfield Park is rented at last？”

Mr. Bennet replied that he had not.

“But it is，” returned she; “for Mrs. Long has just been here， and she told me all about it.”

Mr. Bennet made no answer.

“Do not you want to know who has taken it？” cried his wife impatiently.

“You want to tell me， and I have no objection to hearing it.”

This was invitation enough.

“Why， my dear， you must know， Mrs. Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England; that he came down on Monday in a carriage and four to see the place， and was so much delighted with it that he immediately agreed with Mr. Morris， the landlord of the Park; that he is to take possession before Michaelmas （米迦勒節(jié)）， and some of his servants are to be in the house by the end of next week.”

“What is his name？”

“Bingley.”

“Is he married or single？”

“Oh！ Single， my dear， to be sure！ A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls！”

“How so？ How can it affect them？”

“My dear Mr. Bennet，” replied his wife， “how can you be so tiresome！ You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them.”

“Is that his design in settling here？”

“Design！ Nonsense， how can you talk so！ But it is very likely that he may fall in love with one of them， and therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes.”

“I see no occasion for that. You and the girls may go， or you may send them by themselves， which perhaps will be still better， for as you are as handsome as any of them， Mr. Bingley might like you the best of the party.”

“My dear， you flatter （奉承） me. I certainly have had my share of beauty， but I do not pretend to be anything extraordinary now. When a woman has five grown up daughters， she ought to give over thinking of her own beauty.”

“In such cases， a woman has not often much beauty to think of.”

“But， my dear， you must indeed go and see Mr. Bingley when he comes into the neighborhood.”

“It is more than I engage for， I assure you.”

“But consider your daughters. Sir William and Lady Lucas are determined to go， merely on that account， for in general you know they visit no newcomers. Indeed you must go， for it will be impossible for us to visit him if you do not.”

...

“My dear， depend upon it that if twenty such young men of four thousand a year come into the neighborhood， I will visit them all，” said Mr. Bennet.

Mr. Bennet was so strange that the experience of threeandtwenty years had not been enough to make his wife understand his character. She was a woman of mean understanding， little information and uncertain temper. The business of her life was to get her daughters married， and its comfort was visiting and news.

《傲慢與偏見》是簡·奧斯丁的代表作。這部作品以日常生活為素材，一反當(dāng)時(shí)社會(huì)上流行的感傷小說的內(nèi)容和矯揉造作的寫作方法，生動(dòng)地反映了18世紀(jì)末到19世紀(jì)初處于保守和閉塞狀態(tài)下的英國鄉(xiāng)鎮(zhèn)生活和世態(tài)人情。這部社會(huì)風(fēng)情畫式的小說不僅在當(dāng)時(shí)吸引著廣大的讀者，時(shí)至今日，仍給讀者以獨(dú)特的藝術(shù)享受。本文節(jié)選自小說《傲慢與偏見》的一開始部分。

譯文

凡是有錢的單身漢，總想娶位太太，這已經(jīng)成了一條舉世公認(rèn)的真理。這樣的單身漢，每逢新搬到一個(gè)地方，四鄰八舍雖然完全不了解他的性情如何，見解如何，可是，既然這樣的一條真理早已在人們心目中根深蒂固，因此人們總是把他看作自己某一個(gè)女兒理所應(yīng)得的一筆財(cái)產(chǎn)。

有一天班納特太太對她的丈夫說：“我的好老爺，尼日斐花園終于租出去了，你聽說過沒有？”

班納特先生回答道，他沒有聽說過。

“的確租出去了，”她說，“朗格太太剛剛上這兒來過，她把這件事的底細(xì)一五一十地告訴了我?！?/p>

班納特先生沒有理睬她。

“你難道不想知道是誰租去的嗎？”太太不耐煩地嚷起來了。

“既是你要說給我聽，我聽聽也無妨?！?/p>

這句話足夠鼓勵(lì)她講下去了。

“哦！親愛的，你得知道，郎格太太說，租尼日斐花園的是個(gè)闊少爺，他是英格蘭北部的人;聽說他星期一那天，乘著一輛駟馬大轎車來看房子，看得非常中意，當(dāng)場就和莫理斯先生談妥了;他要在‘米迦勒節(jié)以前搬進(jìn)來，打算下個(gè)周未先叫幾個(gè)傭人來住?！?/p>

“這個(gè)人叫什么名字？”

“彬格萊?！?/p>

“有太太的呢，還是單身漢？”

“噢！是個(gè)單身漢，親愛的，確確實(shí)實(shí)是個(gè)單身漢！一個(gè)有錢的單身漢;每年有四五千磅的收入。真是女兒們的福氣！”

“這怎么說？關(guān)女兒們什么事？”

“我的好老爺，”太太回答道，“你怎么這樣叫人討厭！告訴你吧，我正在盤算，他要是挑中我們一個(gè)女兒做老婆，可多好！”

“他住到這兒來，就是為了這個(gè)打算嗎？”

“打算！胡扯，這是哪兒的話！不過，他倒作興看中我們的某一個(gè)女兒呢。他一搬來，你就得去拜訪拜訪他?！?/p>

“我不用去。你帶著女兒們?nèi)ゾ偷美玻荒愀纱啻虬l(fā)她們自己去，那或許倒更好些，因?yàn)槟愀畠簜儽绕饋?，她們哪一個(gè)都不能勝過你的美貌，你去了，彬格萊先生倒可能挑中你呢？”

“我的好老爺，你太捧我啦。從前也的確有人贊賞過我的美貌，現(xiàn)在我可有敢說有什么出眾的地方了。一個(gè)女人家有了五個(gè)成年的女兒，就不該對自己的美貌再轉(zhuǎn)什么念頭?！?/p>

“這樣看來，一個(gè)女人家對自己的美貌也轉(zhuǎn)不了多少念頭嘍?！?/p>

“不過，我的好老爺，彬格萊一搬到我們的鄰近來，你的確應(yīng)該去看看他。”

“老實(shí)跟你說吧，這不是我份內(nèi)的事?！?/p>

“看女兒的份上吧。只請你想一想，她們不論哪一個(gè)，要是攀上了這樣一個(gè)人家，多好。威廉爵士夫婦已經(jīng)決定去拜望他，他們也無非是這個(gè)用意。你知道，他們通常是不會(huì)拜望新搬來的鄰居的。你的確應(yīng)該去一次，要是你不去，叫我們怎么去?！?/p>

“親愛的，放心吧，如果有20位年收入達(dá)4000鎊的年輕男士成為我們的鄰居，我會(huì)一一拜訪的，”班納特先生說。

——班納特先生真是個(gè)古怪人，他一方面喜歡插科打渾，愛挖苦人，同時(shí)又不拘言笑，變幻莫測，真使他那位太太積二十三年之經(jīng)驗(yàn)，還摸不透他的性格。太太的腦子是很容易加以分析的。她是個(gè)智力貧乏、不學(xué)無術(shù)、喜怒無常的女人，只要碰到不稱心的事，她就以為神經(jīng)衰弱。她生平的大事就是嫁女兒;她生平的安慰就是訪友拜客和打聽新聞。

（作者：劉建國，如皋市第一中學(xué)）