"Show-off," I muttered.
“爱炫耀的家伙。”我喃喃自语道。
"Open your eyes, Bella," he said quietly.
“睁开眼睛,贝拉。”他安静地说道。
And he was right there, his face so close to mine. His beauty stunned my mind — it was too much, an excess I couldn't grow accustomed to.
他就在那里,他的脸离我的脸是那么的近。他的俊美刺痛了我的心——太过分了,远远超出了我能习惯的范围。
"I was thinking, while I was running…" He paused.
“当我在奔跑的时候,我在想……”他停了下来。
"About not hitting the trees, I hope."
“想着别撞到树上,我希望是这样。”
"Silly Bella," he chuckled. "Running is second nature to me, it's not something I have to think about."
“笨蛋贝拉,”他轻笑着。“奔跑是我的第二天性,这是我永远也不需要去思考的事情。”
"Show-off," I muttered again.
“爱炫耀的家伙。”我再次喃喃低语道。
He smiled.
他笑了。
"No," he continued, "I was thinking there was something I wanted to try." And he took my face in his hands again.
“不,”他继续说道。“我在想着一件我想要尝试的事情。”他又一次用双手捧住了我的脸。
I couldn't breathe.
我没办法呼吸。
He hesitated — not in the normal way, the human way.
他踌躇着——但不是用正常的方式,人类的方式,迟疑着。
Not the way a man might hesitate before he kissed a woman, to gauge her reaction, to see how he would be received. Perhaps he would hesitate to prolong the moment, that ideal moment of anticipation, sometimes better than the kiss itself.
不是一个男人在吻一个女人以前的那种方式,那种想要估计她的反应,想要看看他会被怎样地接纳的踌躇。也许他犹豫着,是想要延长这一刻,充满期待的完美的一刻,有时候比接吻本身更棒。
Edward hesitated to test himself, to see if this was safe, to make sure he was still in control of his need.
爱德华迟疑着,是在测试他自己,看看这是否安全,确认自己仍被自己的需要所控制着。
And then his cold, marble lips pressed very softly against mine.
然后,他冰冷的,大理石般的唇非常温柔地压在了我的唇上。
What neither of us was prepared for was my response.
我们两个都没有预料到的,是我的反应。
《暮光之城》
与图书题目相得益彰的是,“暮光之城”系列别具匠心的封面设计则很好地传达出了每本书内在的深远寓意。斯蒂芬妮·梅尔指出《暮色》封面上的苹果代表“创世纪” 内善恶树上的禁果。象征贝拉和爱德华之间人类与吸血鬼禁忌的爱恋。在书的开头引用了“创世纪”217页的内容:“只是分别善恶树上的果子,你不可吃,因为你吃的日子必定死。”这同时也代表了贝拉如何分辨善恶——选择是否吃下那颗禁忌的果实,这比喻了选择跟爱德华在一起或远离他。