I
我

ONCE upon a time there lived at Quesnoy, in Flanders, a great lord whose name was Burchard, but whom the country people called Burchard the Wolf. Now Burchard had such a wicked, cruel heart, that it was whispered how he used to harness his peasants to the plough, and force them by blows from his whip to till his land with naked feet.
从前在弗兰德的奎斯诺伊住着一个伟大的领主，他的名字叫布哈尔德，但乡下人叫他布哈尔德狼。如今有人私下里传闻他那邪恶残忍的心肠，说他曾经把农民拴在犁上，用鞭子抽打他们，命令他们光着脚踏着他的土地。

His wife, on the other hand, was always tender and pitiful to the poor and miserable.
然而，他的妻子对穷苦悲惨的人总是温柔并心怀怜悯。

Every time that she heard of another misdeed of her husband’s she secretly went to repair the evil, which caused her name to be blessed throughout the whole country-side. —
每次她听说丈夫的又一罪行，她都会秘密前往修复那个罪恶，这个行为让她在全乡赢得了祝福。 —

This Countess was adored as much as the Count was hated.
这位伯爵夫人深受爱戴，而伯爵却备受憎恨。
II
我

One day when he was out hunting the Count passed through a forest, and at the door of a lonely cottage he saw a beautiful girl spinning hemp.
有一天，当伯爵外出打猎时，他穿过一片森林，看到一间孤寂的小屋门口站着一个美丽的女孩在纺麻。

‘What is your name?’ he asked her.
‘你叫什么名字？’他问她。

‘Renelde, my lord.’
‘伯爵，我叫雷内尔德。’

‘You must get tired of staying in such a lonely place?’
‘在这样一个孤独的地方住久了你一定会觉得厌倦吧？’

‘I am accustomed to it, my lord, and I never get tired of it.’
‘我已经习惯了，伯爵，我从来不会觉得厌倦。’

‘That may be so; but come to the castle, and I will make you lady’s maid to the Countess.’
‘可能是这样，但请来城堡，我会让你成为伯爵夫人的侍女。’

‘I cannot do that, my lord. I have to look after my grandmother, who is very helpless.’
‘我无法这样做，大人。我必须照顾我无助的祖母。’

‘Come to the castle, I tell you. I shall expect you this evening,’ and he went on his way.
‘来城堡吧，我告诉你。我今晚会等你的，’他走了。

But Renelde, who was betrothed to a young wood-cutter called Guilbert, had no intention of obeying the Count, and she had, besides, to take care of her grandmother.
但是Renelde，这位和年轻的伐木工Guilbert订婚的漂亮纺纱工，没有打算听从伯爵的话，而且她还要照顾祖母。

Three days later the Count again passed by.
三天后，伯爵再次经过。

‘Why didn’t you come?’ he asked the pretty spinner.
‘你为什么没来？’他问这位漂亮的纺纱工。

‘I told you, my lord, that I have to look after my grandmother. —
‘我告诉过您，我要照顾祖母。 —

’ ‘Come to-morrow, and I will make you lady-in-waiting to the Countess,’ and he went on his way.
‘明天来吧，我会让你成为伯爵夫人的侍女，’然后他走了。

This offer produced no more effect than the other, and Renelde did not go to the castle.
这个提议对她没有产生更多的影响，Renelde没有去城堡。

‘If you will only come,’ said the Count to her when next he rode by, ‘I will send away the Countess, and will marry you.’
‘只要你来，’伯爵在下一次骑过的时候对她说，‘我会把伯爵夫人赶走，并和你结婚。’

But two years before, when Renelde’s mother was dying of a long illness, the Countess had not forgotten them, but had given help when they sorely needed it. —
但是两年前，当Renelde的母亲患上了一场长期的疾病时，伯爵夫人没有忘记他们，在他们最需要帮助的时候给予了帮助。 —

So even if the Count had really wished to marry Renelde, she would always have refused.
所以即使伯爵真的想娶Renelde，她也永远会拒绝。
III
第三部分

Some weeks passed before Burchard appeared again.
几个星期过去了，Burchard再次出现。

Renelde hoped she had got rid of him, when one day he stopped at the door, his duck-gun under his arm and his game-bag on his shoulder. —
Renelde希望她已经摆脱了他，但有一天他停在门口，手臂下夹着鸭枪，肩上背着猎物袋。 —

This time Renelde was spinning not hemp, but flax.
这次Renelde正在纺细麻。

‘What are you spinning?’ he asked in a rough voice.
‘你在纺什么？’他用粗声问道。

‘My wedding shift, my lord.’
‘我的婚纱，我的贵族。’

‘You are going to be married, then?’
‘那你要结婚了？’

‘Yes, my lord, by your leave.’
‘是的，大人，如果您允许的话。’

For at that time no peasant could marry without the leave of his master.
因为那时候没有村民能够在未经主人许可下结婚。

‘I will give you leave on one condition. —
‘我只有一个条件才会让你去结婚。 —

Do you see those tall nettles that grow on the tombs in the churchyard? —
你看到那些在教堂墓地上长出的高大的荨麻吗？ —

Go and gather them, and spin them into two fine shifts. —
去采集它们，并将其纺成两件漂亮的纱衣。 —

One shall be your bridal shift, and the other shall be my shroud. —
一件将是你的婚纱，另一件将是我的寿衣。 —

For you shall be married the day that I am laid in my grave. —
当我入土为安的那一天，你将会成婚。 —

’ And the Count turned away with a mocking laugh.
伯爵发出嘲笑的笑声，转身离开。

Renelde trembled. Never in all Locquignol had such a thing been heard of as the spinning of nettles.
蕾妮德颤抖了。在洛基尼奥尔，从来没有听说过纺织荨麻的事情。

And besides, the Count seemed made of iron and was very proud of his strength, often boasting that he should live to be a hundred.
而且，伯爵似乎像是铁打的一样，非常骄傲自己的力量，经常夸口自己会活到一百岁。

Every evening, when his work was done, Guilbert came to visit his future bride. —
每天晚上，当吉尔贝完成工作后，就会来看望他未来的新娘。 —

This evening he came as usual, and Renelde told him what Burchard had said.
今晚他像往常一样来了，蕾妮德告诉他伯查德说了什么。

‘Would you like me to watch for the Wolf, and split his skull with a blow from my axe?’
「你想要我去守夜，用斧头砍开狼的脑袋吗？」

‘No,’ replied Renelde, ‘there must be no blood on my bridal bouquet. —
「不，」蕾妮德回答说，「我的婚礼花束上不能有一滴血。」 —

And then we must not hurt the Count. Remember how good the Countess was to my mother.’
「而且我们不能伤害伯爵。记住伯爵夫人对我母亲的好处。」

An old, old woman now spoke: she was the mother of Renelde’s grandmother, and was more than ninety years old. —
一位年迈的老妇人现在说话了：她是蕾妮德祖母的母亲，已经九十多岁了。 —

All day long she sat in her chair nodding her head and never saying a word.
她整天坐在椅子上点头，从不说一句话。

‘My children,’ she said, ‘all the years that I have lived in the world, I have never heard of a shift spun from nettles. —
‘孩子们，’她说道，‘我在这个世界上活了这么多年，还从未听说有人用荨麻纺织出过衣物。’ —

But what God commands, man can do. Why should not Renelde try it?’
‘但是上帝的旨意，人皆能遵守。为什么雷内尔德不试试呢？’
IV
IV

Renelde did try, and to her great surprise the nettles when crushed and prepared gave a good thread, soft and light and firm. —
雷内尔德果然一试，令她大吃一惊的是，压碎和处理过的荨麻竟然可以纺成质地柔软、轻巧而坚固的线。 —

Very soon she had spun the first shift, which was for her own wedding. —
很快她就纺好了第一件衣物，那是她自己的婚纱。 —

She wove and cut it out at once, hoping that the Count would not force her to begin the other. —
她一边纺纱一边裁剪，希望伯查德伯爵不会强迫她开始制作另一件。 —

Just as she had finished sewing it, Burchard the Wolf passed by.
正在她刚刚缝完时，伯查德狼刚好路过。

‘Well,’ said he, ‘how are the shifts getting on?’
‘嗯，’他说道，‘你的衣物进行得怎么样了？’

‘Here, my lord, is my wedding garment,’ answered Renelde, showing him the shift, which was the finest and whitest ever seen.
‘我主，这是我的婚礼服装，’雷内尔德回答道，向他展示那件精致而洁白无瑕的衣物，空前绝后。

The Count grew pale, but he replied roughly, ‘Very good. Now begin the other.’
伯查德伯爵脸色苍白，但他咄咄逼人地回答道：‘非常好。现在开始制作另一件。’

The spinner set to work. As the Count returned to the castle, a cold shiver passed over him, and he felt, as the saying is, that some one was walking over his grave. —
纺车开始工作。当伯爵回到城堡时，一股寒意传过他身上，他感到有人在他的坟墓上行走。 —

He tried to eat his supper, but could not; he went to bed shaking with fever. —
他试图吃晚餐，但无法下咽，他发抖着上床。 —

But he did not sleep, and in the morning could not manage to rise.
他无法入睡，在早晨也无法起床。

This sudden illness, which every instant became worse, made him very uneasy. —
这突然的病情每一刻都在恶化，使他非常不安。 —

No doubt Renelde’s spinning-wheel knew all about it. —
毫无疑问，Renelde的纺车知道所有的情况。 —

Was it not necessary that his body, as well as his shroud, should be ready for the burial?
他的躯体和裹尸布都应该准备好入土的。

The first thing Burchard did was to send to Renelde and to stop her wheel.
Burchard所做的第一件事就是派人去找Renelde，停止她的纺车。

Renelde obeyed, and that evening Guilbert asked her:
Renelde服从了，那天晚上Guilbert问她：

‘Has the Count given his consent to our marriage?’
‘伯爵是否同意我们的婚姻？’

‘No,’ said Renelde.
‘不，’Renelde说。

‘Continue your work, sweetheart. It is the only way of gaining it. —
‘继续工作，亲爱的。这是获取他同意的唯一方法。 —

You know he told you so himself.’
你知道他自己告诉过你这个。’
V
V

The following morning, as soon as she had put the house in order, the girl sat down to spin. —
第二天早上，她收拾好房子后，女孩坐下来纺织。 —

Two hours after there arrived some soldiers, and when they saw her spinning they seized her, tied her arms and legs, and carried her to the bank of the river, which was swollen by the late rains.
两小时后，一些士兵到达那里，当他们看到她在纺纱，就抓住她，绑住她的手脚，抬她到河边，那里的河水在最近的雨季里涨水了。

When they reached the bank they flung her in, and watched her sink, after which they left her. —
当他们到达河岸时，他们把她扔进去，看着她沉下去，然后离开了她。 —

But Renelde rose to the surface, and though she could not swim she struggled to land.
但是Renelde浮到了水面上，尽管她不会游泳，她还是拼命向岸边挣扎。

Directly she got home she sat down and began to spin.
她一回到家就坐下来开始纺纱。

Again came the two soldiers to the cottage and seized the girl, carried her to the river bank, tied a stone to her neck and flung her into the water.
再次来了两个士兵到小屋里抓住女孩，把她带到河岸，给她脖子上套上石头，把她扔进水里。

The moment their backs were turned the stone untied itself. —
在他们背过身的一瞬间，石头解开了。 —

Renelde waded the ford, returned to the hut, and sat down to spin.
Renelde涉过浅滩，回到了棚屋，并坐下来纺线。

This time the Count resolved to go to Locquignol himself; —
这次伯爵决定亲自去洛林诺尔； —

but, as he was very weak and unable to walk, he had himself borne in a litter. —
但是，因为他非常虚弱，不能走路，他让人抬着他的轿子去。 —

And still the spinner spun.
纺线的人还在继续纺线。

When he saw her he fired a shot at her, as he would have fired at a wild beast. —
当他看到她时，他向她开了一枪，就像他对待野兽一样。 —

The bullet rebounded without harming the spinner, who still spun on.
子弹弹回而不伤到旋转器，旋转器依然继续旋转。

Burchard fell into such a violent rage that it nearly killed him. —
伯查德陷入了如此激烈的愤怒，差点让他丧命。 —

He broke the wheel into a thousand pieces, and then fell fainting on the ground. —
他把车轮打碎成千片，然后晕倒在地。 —

He was carried back to the castle, unconscious.
他失去知觉时被抬回城堡。

The next day the wheel was mended, and the spinner sat down to spin. —
第二天车轮修好了，旋转器坐下来继续旋转。 —

Feeling that while she was spinning he was dying, the Count ordered that her hands should be tied, and that they should not lose sight of her for one instant.
感觉到她旋转着时他正在垂死，伯查德下令把她的手绑起来，并且不让她离开视线一刻。

But the guards fell asleep, the bonds loosed themselves, and the spinner spun on.
但是守卫们睡着了，束缚自行松开，旋转器依然在旋转着。

Burchard had every nettle rooted up for three leagues round. —
伯查德把三英里内的荨麻全都连根拔起。 —

Scarcely had they been torn from the soil when they sowed themselves afresh, and grew as you were looking at them.
刚刚从土壤里拔起来，它们就重新发芽，就在你凝视它们的时候。

They sprung up even in the well-trodden floor of the cottage, and as fast as they were uprooted the distaff gathered to itself a supply of nettles, crushed, prepared, and ready for spinning.
甚至在村舍那已经被踩踏的地板上也长出了荨麻，无论被连根拔起多少，纺纱车还是能得到足够的荨麻，把它们捣碎、加工好，准备好用来旋转。

And every day Burchard grew worse, and watched his end approaching.
每天布查德的病情都在恶化，他看着自己的终点逐渐逼近。
VI
VI

Moved by pity for her husband, the Countess at last found out the cause of his illness, and entreated him to allow himself to be cured. —
悲悯之心使女伯爵最终发现了丈夫病情的原因，并请求他允许接受治疗。 —

But the Count in his pride refused more than ever to give his consent to the marriage.
但男伯爵因为骄傲而比以往更加拒绝同意这门婚事。

So the lady resolved to go without his knowledge to pray for mercy from the spinner, and in the name of Renelde’s dead mother she besought her to spin no more. —
于是，女伯爵决定不告诉他，去恳求纺线女神的怜悯，并以Renelde的亡母的名义恳求她不再纺线。 —

Renelde gave her promise, but in the evening Guilbert arrived at the cottage. —
Renelde答应了她，但晚上吉尔贝特来到小屋。 —

Seeing that the cloth was no farther advanced than it was the evening before, he inquired the reason. —
看到布料与前一晚并没有多少进展，他询问原因。 —

Renelde confessed that the Countess had prayed her not to let her husband die.
Renelde坦白女伯爵恳求她不要让她的丈夫死去。

‘Will he consent to our marriage?’
‘他会同意我们的婚事吗？’

‘No.’
‘不会。’

‘Let him die then.’
‘那就任他去死吧。’

‘But what will the Countess say?’
‘但女伯爵会说什么呢?’

‘The Countess will understand that it is not your fault; —
‘女伯爵会明白这不是你的错； —

the Count alone is guilty of his own death.’
只有男伯爵才是自己死亡的罪魁祸首。’

‘Let us wait a little. Perhaps his heart may be softened.’
‘让我们再等一段时间吧。也许他的心会软化。’

So they waited for one month, for two, for six, for a year. The spinner spun no more. —
于是他们等了一个月，两个月，六个月，一年。纺锤再也没有转动。 —

The Count had ceased to persecute her, but he still refused his consent to the marriage. —
伯爵停止了迫害她，但他仍然拒绝同意这场婚姻。 —

Guilbert became impatient.
吉尔伯特开始不耐烦了。

The poor girl loved him with her whole soul, and she was more unhappy than she had been before, when Burchard was only tormenting her body.
可怜的女孩全心全意地爱着他，她比以前更加不幸，当伯查德只是折磨她的身体时。

‘Let us have done with it,’ said Guilbert.
“我们别再等了，”吉尔伯特说。

‘Wait a little still,’ pleaded Renelde.
“再等一会儿吧，”蕾涅尔德请求道。

But the young man grew weary. He came more rarely to Locquignol, and very soon he did not come at all. —
但是年轻人厌倦了。他越来越少来罗昆奈尔，很快他就不再来了。 —

Renelde felt as if her heart would break, but she held firm.
蕾涅尔德感觉自己的心要碎了，但她坚持下去。

One day she met the Count. She clasped her hands as if in prayer, and cried:
一天，她遇到了伯爵。她双手合十，像是在祈祷，大喊道：

‘My lord, have mercy!’
“我的主啊，求您怜悯！”

Burchard the Wolf turned away his head and passed on.
狼人伯查德扭过头，径直离开。

She might have humbled his pride had she gone to her spinning-wheel again, but she did nothing of the sort.
如果她再次回到纺车前，她可能会羞辱他的傲慢，但她没有这样做。

Not long after she learnt that Guilbert had left the country. —
不久之后，她得知吉尔伯特离开了这个国家。 —

He did not even come to say good-bye to her, but, all the same, she knew the day and hour of his departure, and hid herself on the road to see him once more.
他甚至没有来向她告别，但她仍然知道他的离去的日期和时间，她躲在路上想再见他一面。

When she came in she put her silent wheel into a corner, and cried for three days and three nights.
当她进来时，她把安静的纺车放在角落里，哭了三天三夜。
VII
第 VII 章

So another year went by. Then the Count fell ill, and the Countess supposed that Renelde, weary of waiting, had begun her spinning anew; —
于是又过了一年。然后，伯爵生病了，伯爵夫人以为伦耶德已经厌倦等待，又开始纺线了； —

but when she came to the cottage to see, she found the wheel silent.
但当她到小屋去看时，纺车却静止不动。

However, the Count grew worse and worse till he was given up by the doctors. —
然而，伯爵的病情越来越严重，医生也束手无策。 —

The passing bell was rung, and he lay expecting Death to come for him. —
丧钟已经敲响，他躺在那里等待死神的来临。 —

But Death was not so near as the doctors thought, and still he lingered.
但死神并不像医生们预测的那样接近，他仍然延续生命。

He seemed in a desperate condition, but he got neither better nor worse. —
他似乎陷入绝境，既无法好转也不能更加糟糕。 —

He could neither live nor die; he suffered horribly, and called loudly on Death to put an end to his pains.
他既不能活也不能死；他痛苦万分，大声呼唤死神来结束他的痛苦。

In this extremity he remembered what he had told the little spinner long ago. —
在极度绝望之际，他记起了很久以前对那个小纺纱工说的话。 —

If Death was so slow in coming, it was because he was not ready to follow him, having no shroud for his burial.
如果死神来得如此缓慢，那是因为他还没有准备好跟随他，没有为他的葬礼准备殓衣。

He sent to fetch Renelde, placed her by his bedside, and ordered her at once to go on spinning his shroud.
他派人去请来雷内尔德，把她放在床边，并立即命令她继续纺织他的殓衣。

Hardly had the spinner begun to work when the Count began to feel his pains grow less.
织工刚开始工作，伯爵就感觉到他的痛苦减轻了。

Then at last his heart melted; he was sorry for all the evil he had done out of pride, and implored Renelde to forgive him. —
此时他的心终于软化了；他为自己因骄傲而做的所有恶事感到遗憾，并乞求雷内尔德原谅他。 —

So Renelde forgave him, and went on spinning night and day.
于是雷内尔德原谅了他，日夜不停地纺织。

When the thread of the nettles was spun she wove it with her shuttle, and then cut the shroud and began to sew it.
当麻疹的线纺完后，她用梭子将其织成布，然后裁剪殓衣并开始缝制。

And as before, when she sewed the Count felt his pains grow less, and the life sinking within him, and when the needle made the last stitch he gave his last sigh.
与之前一样，当她缝制时，伯爵感觉到痛苦减轻，生命正在消失；当针做最后的一针时，他发出了最后的叹息。
VIII
VIII

At the same hour Guilbert returned to the country, and, as he had never ceased to love Renelde, he married her eight days later.
就在同一个时间，吉尔伯特回到了乡村，由于他对雷内尔德的爱从未停止，八天后他与她结婚了。

He had lost two years of happiness, but comforted himself with thinking that his wife was a clever spinner, and, what was much more rare, a brave and good woman.
他失去了两年的幸福，但他安慰自己，认为他的妻子是一个聪明的纺纱工，更难得的是，她是一个勇敢而善良的女人。