评论
打印
The Fall of the House of Usher
鄂榭府崩溃记
It was a grey autumn day and the sky was full of large black clouds．All day I had ridden through flat and uninteresting countryside，but at last，as it began to grow dark，I saw the end of my journey．
这是秋日里灰蒙蒙的一天，空中积满了大团大团的乌云。整整一天，我骑着马从平淡、乏味的乡野间驰过；不过，到天色开始变得昏暝的时候，我终于望见了此行的目的地。
There，in front of me，stood the House of Usher．And at once -I do not know why-a strange feeling of deep gloom came down on me and covered me like a blanket．I looked up at the old house with its high stone walls and narrow windows．I looked around at the thin dry grass and the old dying trees，and an icy hand seemed to take hold of my heart．I felt cold and sick，and could not think of one happy thought to chase away my gloom．
在我眼前，兀然立着鄂榭府。一看见它——不知何故——一种阴悒至极的怪异感觉便降临在我身上，像一张毯子一样罩住了我。我抬头仰望这座有着高大的石墙和狭小的窗户的古旧府第，又环顾四周稀疏的枯草和垂死的老树，这时，仿佛有一只冰冷的手抓住了我的心。我觉得奇寒彻骨，浑身乏力，怎么也想不起一件乐事来驱散心头的阴悒。
Why，I wondered，did the House of Usher make me feel so sad？I could find no answer．
我真奇怪，为什么鄂榭府会令我感觉如此之差？我百思不得其解。
There was a lake next to the house and I rode my horse up to the edge and stopped．Perhaps from here the house would not seem so sad，so full of gloom．I looked down into the mirror of dark，still water，and saw again the empty，eye-like windows of the house and the dying trees all around it．The feeling of gloom was stronger than ever．
紧挨着宅子有一个湖，我骑马来到湖边停住。也许从这个角度看上去，宅子就不显得那样黯淡、那样阴悒了。我低头朝幽暗、凝止的湖水望去，在倒影中再一次看见了房子上面空荡的、眼睛似的窗户，以及四周那些垂死的树。阴悒的感觉愈发强烈起来。
It was in this house that I was going to spend the next few weeks．Its owner，Roderick Usher，had been a good friend of mine when I was a boy．I had not seen him for many years， but recently he had sent me a letter-a sad and terrible letter．He wrote that he was ill，ill in body and ill in mind；that he wanted and needed to see me．I was his only friend，the only person who could help him in his illness．
我将在这座府邸里盘桓几个星期。府邸的主人罗德里克·鄂榭，是我孩提时代的一个好友，我已有好多年没有见到他了；可是最近他给我来了一封信——一封透着悲哀与恐怖的信。他在信中说他患了病，身体和精神都不正常，还说他急切地要见我。我是他惟一的朋友，只有我能够帮助他摆脱疾病的折磨。
Although we had been good friends when we were young，I knew very little about him．He had never spoken much about himself，but I knew that he came from a very old family of which he was the last living man．I also knew that in the Usher family there had never been many children and so for hundreds of years the family name，together with the family home，had passed straight from father to son．
虽说我们年少的时候是挚友，但我对他了解得非常少。他极少谈及他自己，不过我知道他来自一个历史特别悠久的世家，而他是这个世家最后一位活在人间的男性。我还知道，在鄂榭家族史上还从未有过子息繁盛的时候，于是，数百年来，家族的姓氏连同家族的宅第均是由父及于由子及孙一脉单传。
