Francesca: Oh. I'm supposed to say, It's just fine. It's quiet. The people are really nice, and all that is true, mostly. It's quiet and people are nice. In some ways, you know, we'll help each other out. When someone is sick or hurt, all the neighbors come in. They pick corn, or harvest oats, whatever. When it's been done, you're going to town, you can leave your car unlocked, let the kids run around, don't worry about them. Yea, there are lot of nice things about people here and I respect them for these qualities, but…
弗朗西斯卡:噢,我应该说,一切都还好。这儿很幽静,人们都非常好。所有这一切都是真的。还有,这儿安静、人也好。你知道,在有些方面是这样,我们互相帮助。当有人病了或受伤了,邻居们都会来看望,他们帮忙摘玉米,或收割麦子,什么都做。忙完了手头的活,你去镇上,你可以不锁车,让小孩们到处奔跑戏耍而不用替他们操心。是呵,这里的人们有很多优点,因为这些品质,我尊重他们。但是……
(一段很精彩的描述, 给人一种浓浓的纯朴乡土气息。 句中所用的单词甚为简单,但表意无不到位,是英语学习者模仿练习的典范。)
Robert: But?
罗伯特:什么?
Francesca: Well,it is not what I dreamed of as a girl.
弗朗西斯卡:咳,我少女时代的梦想并不是这样的。
Robert: Yea. I scribbled【潦草地书写】something down the other day. I often do that when l am on the road. It goes like this,the old dreams or good dreams, they didn't work out, but l had them. I don't know what all that means, just thought it might be used someday. Well, anyway I think I kind of know how you feel.
罗伯特:是啊,前两天我记下了一些东西,我外出上路时有这习惯。大概内容是这样的:“旧梦与好梦,虽然没能实现,但我曾经梦过。我不完全知道其中意思,只是认为总有一天它也许会有用。好啦,总之我想我有点理解你的感受。
(爱的火花已经在短暂的四天里悄悄点燃,然而面对着爱情和家庭他们必须做出艰难的选择。选择总是要做出的,在最后一个漫长的夜晚里,他们进行了最后的一轮角逐。)
ROBERT: Tell me why you're not coming with me?
罗伯特: 告诉我你为什么不跟我一起走?
FRANCESCA: No matter how I keep turning it around in my mind -- it doesn't seem like the right thing.
弗朗西斯卡:不管我在心中考虑这件事多少次,我始终认为这样做是不对的。
ROBERT: For who?
罗伯特: 对谁而言?
***************************************************************
no matter 后接关系副词what/ how/ when/ where 引导让步状语从句,表示“不管——” 。
如 :No matter where you go, good luck would always come along with you.
不管你走到哪,好运总和你相伴。
No matter what things have happened, my heart would never change.
不管发生了什么事, 我心永远不会变。
***************************************************************
FRANCESCA: For anyone. They'll never be able to live through the talk. And Richard... will never be able to get himself all around this, it will break him in two-half. He doesn't deserve【该得】 this, as he never rude anyone else in his whole life.
弗朗西斯卡:对谁都是。他们无法永远生活在流言蜚语中。还有理查德……将永远无法面对这一切,这会给他带来巨大打击。他不该受到这种打击,因为这一生中他从来没有侵犯过其他任何人。
***************************************************************
get around/round sb. 意思是说服某人, 让某人接受相反的观点或某种事实。
如: I wonder if you can find some ways to get around/round your manufacturers for a special effort and deliver the goods all at one time.
我想你们是否能够说服厂家加倍努力,一次将货交完。
***************************************************************
ROBERT: (getting aggressive) Then he can move on as people move!
罗伯特:(变得有点激动)是这样,他可以像其他人一样搬家!
FRANCESCA: His family has been on this farm for almost a hundred years. Richard doesn't know how to live anywhere else. And the kids...
弗朗西斯卡:他家在这个农场上已经生活了一百多年。在其他地方理查德不知道该如何生存,还有我的孩子……
ROBERT: The kids are grown! They don't need you anymore. You told me that they hardly talk to you.
罗伯特:他们都已长大成人,他们不再需要你,你说过他们很少和你说话。
FRANCESCA: No, they don't say much. But Carolyn's 16. She's just about to find out about all this for herself -- she's going to fall in love, she's going to try and figure out how to build a life with someone. If I leave what does that say to her?
弗朗西斯卡:是的,他们说得不多。卡罗琳只有16岁,她即将独立生活,她会恋爱,和别人构筑家庭生活。如果我离开了,会给她带来多大影响呢?
***************************************************************
figure out 想出,弄明白 相当于come to understand
I can't figure out why he quit his job.
我琢磨不透为什么他要辞职。
***************************************************************
ROBERT: What about us?
罗伯特:我们怎么办?
FRANCESCA: You've got to know deep down that the minute we leave here, everything will change.
弗朗西斯卡:你必须往深处想。我们一离开这里,一切都会改变。
ROBERT: Yeah. It could get better.
罗伯特:是的,也许会变得更好。
FRANCESCA: No matter how much distance we put between us and this house, I carry it with me. And I'll feel it every minute we're together. I start to blame loving you for how much it hurts. And then even these four days won't be anything more than something sordid【肮脏的】and a mistake.
弗朗西斯卡:不管我们走得多远,我都不会忘记这个屋子,当我们在一起的时候,我会感受到这屋子里的一切。我会责备自己爱上你,因为这造成了很大的痛苦,而这四天也只不过是一场污秽和一个错误。
***************************************************************
blame 意为“责备,谴责”, 后面可和介词for 连用,表示受谴责的原因。
如 :Which driver was to blame for the accident?
哪个司机应承担事故的责任?
在上面句子中“was to blame” 是一个习惯搭配,句中虽然有表示被动之意,但不能说成“was to be blamed”,这一点大家需要时刻注意。再看看下一句,这绝对是一句帮助你推卸责任的好句子。
如: It's not my fault. I'm not the one to blame.
这不是我的错,我不应该受到责备。
***************************************************************
ROBERT: Francesca, listen to me. You think what's happened to us happens to just anybody? All we feel for each other were hardly to separate people now. Some people search their whole lives for this and never found it-- others don't even think it exists. You are going to tell me that this is the right thing to do, to give it up?
罗伯特:弗朗西斯卡,你以为我们之间已经发生的事会在任何人中间发生吗?我们之间的感情现在已很难让人分开。有些人毕其一生寻找这种爱,但永远也没找到,还有些人甚至认为它不存在。你现在想告诉我说选择放弃是正确的吗?
FRANCESCA: We are the choices that we have made, Robert. Please. You don't understand. Don't you see, nobody understands when a woman makes a choice to marry, to have children? In one way her life begins, but in another way it stops. You build a life of details, you just stop and stay steady so that your children can move. And when they leave, they take your life of details with them. And then you're expected move again only you don't remember what moves you, because no one has asked in so long. Not even yourself. You never think that love like this can happen to you.
弗朗西斯卡:我们自己就是我们已经作出的选择,罗伯特,求求你了。(绝望地解释道) 你不明白。你难道不明白,没有人会理解一个女人决定嫁人和生孩子的意义?从一方面来说,她的生活刚开始,而另一方面,她的生活又停止了。过具体的生活,成为母亲,妻子,你就得停下来,过平稳的日子,这样你的孩子们才能长大。当他们离开的时候,他们把你的琐碎生活也随之带走。别人期望你继续前进。只是你不记得你的生活动力是什么,因为很久没人问你了,包括你自己。你也没有想过这样的爱情会发生在你的身上。
ROBERT: But now you have it.
罗伯特:可不管怎样你现在拥有了它。
FRANCESCA: I want to keep it forever. I want to love you the way I do now the rest of my life. But if we leave we lose it. And I can't make an entire life disappear to start a new one. All I can do is try to hold up so well inside of me. You have to help me.
弗朗西斯卡:是的。我想永远保持它。我希望下半生都象现在这样爱你。可是,如果我们一走了之,我们就会失去它。我不能使我的全部生活消失而去开始一种新的生活。我所能做的就是把我们的爱藏在内心深处。你得容许我这样做。
ROBERT: Who is us? Don't throw us away. Maybe you feel in this way, maybe you don't. Maybe it's because you are in this house. Maybe tomorrow when they come back, you will feel in different way. Don't you think it's possible?
罗伯特:不要离开我,不要把我们的机会扔掉。也许你有这种感觉,也许你没有。也许是因为你在这个屋子里。也许明天他们回来的时候,你是另一种感受。你不认为有这种可能吗?
FRANCESCA: I don't know.
弗朗西斯卡:我不知道。
ROBERT: Well, look, I'm gonna be here a few more days. We can talk it later. We don't have to decide it right now. Maybe we will see each other and you will change your mind.
罗伯特:听着,我在这里还会多呆几天,这个问题我们可以再谈,我们不必马上作出决定。或许我们可以达成一致,你会改主意的。
FRANCESCA: Robert. Don't do this.
弗朗西斯卡:罗伯特,不要留下。
ROBERT: I don't want to say goodbye right now! We have to make that decision. Maybe you'll change your mind.
罗伯特:我不想现在就说再见,但我们必须作出决定,也许你会改变主意的。
FRANCESCA: If that happens, you have to decide. Because I can't.
弗朗西斯卡: 如果真是那样,你得做决定,因为我不能。
ROBERT: I'll say this once. I never said it before. This kind of certainty comes just once in a lifetime.
罗伯特: 我只想声明一次,我以前从来没有这样说过。像这样肯定的事一生中只能出现一次。