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But before I go on, tell me what you mean by your 'Well, sir?'
我往下说之前，告诉我你的‘那么，先生？’是什么意思。
It is a small phrase very frequent with you;
这个小小的短语你经常挂在嘴边，
and which many a time has drawn me on and on through interminable talk: I don't very well know why."
很多次是它把我导入无休止的交谈，连我自己也不十分清楚究竟为什么？”
"I mean, What next? How did you proceed? What came of such an event?"
“我的意思是--随后发生了什么？你怎么继续下去？这件事情后来怎样了？”
"Precisely! and what do you wish to know now?"
“完全如此。现在你希望知道什么呢？”
"Whether you found any one you liked: whether you asked her to marry you; and what she said."
“你是否发现了一个你喜欢的人，是否求她嫁给你，她说了些什么。”
"I can tell you whether I found any one I liked, and whether I asked her to marry me:
“我可以告诉你是否找到了自己喜欢的人，是否向她求婚，
but what she said is yet to be recorded in the book of Fate.
但是她所说的话却要记录在‘命运’的书本里。
For ten long years I roved about, living first in one capital, then another:
十年中我四处飘泊，先住在一个国家的首都，后来又到了另外一个：
sometimes in St. Petersburg; oftener in Paris; occasionally in Rome, Naples, and Florence.
有时在圣彼得堡，更多的时候在巴黎，偶尔在罗马、那不勒斯和佛罗伦萨。
Provided with plenty of money and the passport of an old name,
因为身边有的是钱，又有祖辈的威名作通行证，
I could choose my own society: no circles were closed against me.
我可选择自己的社交领域，没有哪个圈子会拒绝我。
I sought my ideal of a woman amongst English ladies, French countesses, Italian signoras, and German grafinnen.
我寻找着我理想中的女人，在英国的女士中间，法国的伯爵夫人中间，意大利的signoras中间和德国的Grafinner中间。
I could not find her. Sometimes, for a fleeting moment,
我找不到她。有时刹那之间我以为抓住了一个眼神，
I thought I caught a glance, heard a tone, beheld a form, which announced the realisation of my dream: but I was presently undeserved.
听到了一种腔调，看到了一种体形，宣告我的梦想就要实现，但我又马上醒悟了。
You are not to suppose that I desired perfection, either of mind or person.
你别以为我无论在心灵还是人本身上渴求完美。
I longed only for what suited me -- for the antipodes of the Creole: and I longed vainly.
我只是盼望有适合我的人--与克里奥尔人形，成对比，而我徒劳地企望着。
Amongst them all I found not one whom, had I been ever so free,
即使我完全自由--我常常回想起
I -- warned as I was of the risks, the horrors, the loathings of incongruous unions -- would have asked to marry me.
不和谐的婚姻的危险、可怕和可憎--在她们所有的人中间，我也找不到一个可以向她求婚的人。
Disappointment made me reckless. I tried dissipation -- never debauchery: that I hated, and hate.
失望使我变得轻率起来。我尝试了放荡--但从来没有纵欲，过去和现在我都厌恶纵欲。
That was my Indian Messalina's attribute: rooted disgust at it and her restrained me much, even in pleasure.
那恰是我的那位西印度荡妇的特点，我对她和她的淫荡深恶痛绝，所以即使在作乐时也有所约束。
Any enjoyment that bordered on riot seemed to approach me to her and her vices, and I eschewed it."
一切近乎淫荡的享受，会使我同她和她的罪恶靠拢，于是我尽力避免。”
