It was indeed in itself a great honour for Cornelius vanBaerle to be confined in the same prison which had oncereceived the learned master Grotius.
冯·巴尔勒被囚禁在曾经收容过学识渊博的格罗缇乌斯大师的同一监狱里，这本身确实是一种巨大荣耀。

But on arriving at the prison he met with an honour evengreater. —
但是抵达监狱后，他遇到了更大的荣幸。 —

As chance would have it, the cell formerlyinhabited by the illustrious Barneveldt happened to bevacant, when the clemency of the Prince of Orange sent thetulip-fancier Van Baerle there.
碰巧，由于奥兰治亲王的仁慈，那个曾经容纳过著名的巴尔尼福尔德的牢房竟然空着，而图兰花爱好者冯·巴尔勒正好被送进了那里。

　　The cell had a very bad character at the castle since thetime when Grotius, by means of the device of his wife, madeescape from it in that famous book-chest which the jailersforgot to examine.
该牢房在城堡中享有坏名声，自从格罗缇乌斯以妻子的计谋从中逃脱的那个著名案例后，监狱守卫就忘记检查书箱而获得自由的情况。

　　On the other hand, it seemed to Van Baerle an auspiciousomen that this very cell was assigned to him, for accordingto his ideas, a jailer ought never to have given to a secondpigeon the cage from which the first had so easily flown.
另一方面，对冯·巴尔勒来说，分配给他这个牢房似乎是个吉兆，因为在他看来，一位狱卒永远不应该把第一只鸽子轻松飞走的笼子给第二只。

The cell had an historical character. —
这个牢房具有历史性特征。 —

We will only statehere that, with the exception of an alcove which wascontrived there for the use of Madame Grotius, it differedin no respect from the other cells of the prison; —
我们只想说，除了专门为格罗缇乌斯夫人设计的一间凹室外，它在监狱的其他牢房和那里并无两样； —

only,perhaps, it was a little higher, and had a splendid viewfrom the grated window.
只是也许稍微高一些，并且从格栅窗中可以看到辉煌景色。

Cornelius felt himself perfectly indifferent as to the placewhere he had to lead an existence which was little more thanvegetation. —
冯·巴尔勒对于自己不得不过着近乎植物般的生活的地方其实是完全无所谓的。 —

There were only two things now for which hecared, and the possession of which was a happiness enjoyedonly in imagination.
现在只有两件事是他关心的，而且只能在想象中享受的幸福。

　　A flower, and a woman; both of them, as he conceived, lostto him for ever.
一朵花，一个女人；他认为这两者都永远失去了。

Fortunately the good doctor was mistaken. —
幸运的是，那位善良的医生错了。 —

In his prison cellthe most adventurous life which ever fell to the lot of anytulip-fancier was reserved for him.
在他的牢房中，等待着他的是任何郁金香爱好者所经历过的最冒险的生活。

　　One morning, whilst at his window inhaling the fresh airwhich came from the river, and casting a longing look to thewindmills of his dear old city Dort, which were looming inthe distance behind a forest of chimneys, he saw flocks ofpigeons coming from that quarter to perch fluttering on thepointed gables of Loewestein.
有一天早晨，当他在窗前吸入来自河边的清新空气，向遥远处农厅的风车望去时，他看到一群群来自那个方向的鸽子飞来，停在洛韦斯坦尖利的山墙上。

These pigeons, Van Baerle said to himself, are coming fromDort, and consequently may return there. —
冯·巴尔勒自言自语道，这些鸽子是从农厅来的，因此可以飞回那里。 —

By fastening alittle note to the wing of one of these pigeons, one mighthave a chance to send a message there. —
通过将一张小纸条系在这些鸽子的翅膀上，或许可以有机会发送一条消息过去。 —

Then, after a fewmoments’ consideration, he exclaimed, –“I will do it.” —
然后，经过几分钟的考虑，他喊道，“我要这么做。” —

A man grows very patient who is twenty-eight years of age,and condemned to a prison for life, – that is to say, tosomething like twenty-two or twenty-three thousand days ofcaptivity.
一个二十八岁的男人，被判终身监禁，他会变得非常耐心，也就是说，要被囚禁大约两万两千到两万三千天。

Van Baerle, from whose thoughts the three bulbs were neverabsent, made a snare for catching the pigeons, baiting thebirds with all the resources of his kitchen, such as it wasfor eight slivers (sixpence English) a day; —
凡·巴尔勒一直念念不忘这三个球茎，在他的思想中，他用厨房的所有资源做了捕鸽子的陷阱，每天花费六便士； —

and, after amonth of unsuccessful attempts, he at last caught a femalebird.
经过一个月不成功的尝试，他终于捕到一只母鸟。

It cost him two more months to catch a male bird; —
捕到一只雄鸟花了他两个月; —

he thenshut them up together, and having about the beginning of theyear 1673 obtained some eggs from them, he released thefemale, which, leaving the male behind to hatch the eggs inher stead, flew joyously to Dort, with the note under herwing.
他把它们关在一起，1673年初终于从它们那里得到了一些鸟蛋，他就释放了母鸟，它高兴地飞到了多特，翅膀下夹着便条。

　　She returned in the evening. She had preserved the note.
　　她傍晚返回了。 她保存了那张便条。

　　Thus it went on for fifteen days, at first to thedisappointment, and then to the great grief, of Van Baerle.
　　如此进行了十五天，一开始让凡·巴尔勒失望，后来令他非常伤心。

　　On the sixteenth day, at last, she came back without it.
　　在第十六天，最后，她回来了，但没有便条。

Van Baerle had addressed it to his nurse, the old Frisianwoman; —
凡·巴尔勒把便条写给了他的护士，老弗里斯兰妇女； —

and implored any charitable soul who might find it toconvey it to her as safely and as speedily as possible.
并恳求任何有爱心的灵魂，如果找到它请尽可能快地送到她那里。

　　In this letter there was a little note enclosed for Rosa.
　　这封信里附带着一张小纸条给罗莎。

　　Van Baerle’s nurse had received the letter in the followingway.
凡·巴尔勒的护士是这样收到这封信的。

　　Leaving Dort, Mynheer Isaac Boxtel had abandoned, not onlyhis house, his servants, his observatory, and his telescope,but also his pigeons.
离开多特时，艾萨克·博克斯特尔不仅抛弃了他的房子、仆人、天文台和望远镜，还抛弃了他的鸽子。

　　The servant, having been left without wages, first lived onhis little savings, and then on his master’s pigeons.
仆人因未得到工资而开始靠着自己的存款生活，后来靠着主人的鸽子活下去。

　　Seeing this, the pigeons emigrated from the roof of IsaacBoxtel to that of Cornelius van Baerle.
看到这一情况，鸽子从艾萨克·博克斯特的屋顶迁移到了科内利斯·范巴尔勒的屋顶上。

The nurse was a kind-hearted woman, who could not livewithout something to love. —
这位护工是个善良的女人，无法没有一些可爱的东西。 —

She conceived an affection forthe pigeons which had thrown themselves on her hospitality; —
她对那些寻求庇护的鸽子怀有感情； —

and when Boxtel’s servant reclaimed them with culinaryintentions, having eaten the first fifteen already, and nowwishing to eat the other fifteen, she offered to buy themfrom him for a consideration of six stivers per head.
当博克斯特的仆人带着烹饪的意图要回这些鸽子时，护工向他提议以每只六角的价格购买，已经吃了前面的十五只鸽子，现在想吃剩下的十五只。

　　This being just double their value, the man was very glad toclose the bargain, and the nurse found herself in undisputedpossession of the pigeons of her master’s envious neighbour.
这个价格正好是它们实际价值的两倍，因此那个人非常高兴地达成了交易，护工从此便独享了邻居们嫉妒的主人的鸽子。

　　In the course of their wanderings, these pigeons with othersvisited the Hague, Loewestein, and Rotterdam, seekingvariety, doubtless, in the flavour of their wheat orhempseed.
在它们的旅行中，这些鸽子和其他鸽子一起访问了海牙、洛伊斯坦和鹿特丹，无疑是为了寻找麦子或大麻籽的风味的多样性。

　　Chance, or rather God, for we can see the hand of God ineverything, had willed that Cornelius van Baerle shouldhappen to hit upon one of these very pigeons.
机缘或者可说是上帝的旨意，让科内利斯·范巴尔勒刚好碰到了这其中的一只鸽子。

Therefore, if the envious wretch had not left Dort to followhis rival to the Hague in the first place, and then toGorcum or to Loewestein, – for the two places are separatedonly by the confluence of the Waal and the Meuse, – VanBaerle’s letter would have fallen into his hands and not thenurse’s: —
因此，如果这个嫉妒的恶党没有首先离开多特跟着他的竞争对手去海牙，然后再去戈尔坎或洛伊斯坦，因为这两个地方只有瓦勒河和梅斯河的汇流处相隔，威廉·巴尔勒的信不会落到她的手上而不是护工的手上： —

in which event the poor prisoner, like the raven ofthe Roman cobbler, would have thrown away his time, histrouble, and, instead of having to relate the series ofexciting events which are about to flow from beneath our penlike the varied hues of a many coloured tapestry, we shouldhave naught to describe but a weary waste of days, dull andmelancholy and gloomy as night’s dark mantle.
那样的话，可怜的囚犯，如同罗马皮匠的乌鸦，就会白白浪费自己的时间和精力，而我们也只有无聊而沉闷、乏味而忧郁，阴暗如夜幕的一片荒凉日子，而不是我们将要用笔下流尽的多彩的画卷般的激动事件。

　　The note, as we have said, had reached Van Baerle’s nurse.
这封信，正如我们所说，已经到达了范巴尔勒的护工手中。

　　And also it came to pass, that one evening in the beginningof February, just when the stars were beginning to twinkle,Cornelius heard on the staircase of the little turret avoice which thrilled through him.
并且，二月初的一个晚上，就在星星开始闪烁的时候，科内利斯听到了小塔楼楼梯上一个声音，让他激动万分。

　　He put his hand on his heart, and listened.
他抚摸着自己的心脏，静静聆听。

　　It was the sweet harmonious voice of Rosa.
那是罗莎甜美和谐的声音。

Let us confess it, Cornelius was not so stupefied withsurprise, or so beyond himself with joy, as he would havebeen but for the pigeon, which, in answer to his letter, hadbrought back hope to him under her empty wing; —
让我们承认，如果不是那只鸽子在她空空的翅膀下给他带来了希望，科内利斯不会有这么大的惊喜和欢乐。 —

and, knowingRosa, he expected, if the note had ever reached her, to hearof her whom he loved, and also of his three darling bulbs.
知道罗莎，他期望，如果这张便条真的送达了，能收到他所爱的她的消息，也能收到他三颗心爱的鳞茎的消息。

　　He rose, listened once more, and bent forward towards thedoor.
他站起来，再次倾听，向着门前俯身。

　　Yes, they were indeed the accents which had fallen sosweetly on his heart at the Hague.
是的，这确实是在海牙曾经那样甜美地落在他心头的口音。

　　The question now was, whether Rosa, who had made the journeyfrom the Hague to Loewestein, and who – Cornelius did notunderstand how – had succeeded even in penetrating into theprison, would also be fortunate enough in penetrating to theprisoner himself.
现在的问题是，罗莎究竟能否像从海牙到洛韦斯坦那样成功，甚至穿过监狱成功接近囚犯，这一点对于科尔内利厄斯来说是不明所以的。

Whilst Cornelius, debating this point within himself, wasbuilding all sorts of castles in the air, and was strugglingbetween hope and fear, the shutter of the grating in thedoor opened, and Rosa, beaming with joy, and beautiful inher pretty national costume – but still more beautiful fromthe grief which for the last five months had blanched hercheeks – pressed her little face against the wire gratingof the window, saying to him, –“Oh, sir, sir! —
“哦，先生，我在这里！” 科尔内利厄斯张开双臂，朝天空望去，发出欢乐的叫声，“哦，罗莎，罗莎！” —

here I am!“Cornelius stretched out his arms, and, looking to heaven,uttered a cry of joy, –“Oh, Rosa, Rosa!” —
“嘘！我们说话要小声点：我父亲紧跟在我后面，”女孩说。 —

“Hush! let us speak low: my father follows on my heels,“said the girl.
“你父亲？” “是的，他在楼梯下面的院子里，接受着总督的指示；他马上就会上来。”

“Your father?”“Yes, he is in the courtyard at the bottom of the staircase,receiving the instructions of the Governor; —
“总督的指示？” —

he willpresently come up.”“The instructions of the Governor?” —
“听我说，我尽量简短地告诉你。 统治者有一座别墅，离莱顿只有一英里，严格来说那是一座大型牧场，我的姨妈，他的保姆，负责管理着那里。 —

“Listen to me, I’ll try to tell you all in a few words. —
“他马上就会上来。” —

TheStadtholder has a country-house, one league distant fromLeyden, properly speaking a kind of large dairy, and myaunt, who was his nurse, has the management of it. —
“总督的指示？” —

As soonas I received your letter, which, alas! —
“听我说，我尽量简短地告诉你。统治者有一座别墅，离莱顿只有一英里，严格来说那是一座大型牧场，我的姨妈，他的保姆，负责管理着那里。 —

I could not readmyself, but which your housekeeper read to me, I hastened tomy aunt; —
“这是科尔内利厄斯的信，哎呀，我自己无法读懂，但是你的管家读给我听了，我急忙前往我姨姨那里； —

there I remained until the Prince should come tothe dairy; —
我就待在那里等王子来牧场； —

and when he came, I asked him as a favour toallow my father to exchange his post at the prison of theHague with the jailer of the fortress of Loewestein. —
当他到达时，我请求他允许我父亲与海牙监狱的看守交换职位，到洛韦斯坦要塞去。 —

ThePrince could not have suspected my object; —
王子不可能怀疑我的目的；” —

had he known it,he would have refused my request, but as it is he grantedit.““And so you are here?” —
如果他知道的话，他本来会拒绝我的请求，但是现在他却批准了。”“所以你在这里？” —

“As you see.”“And thus I shall see you every day?”“As often as I can manage it.” —
“正如你所看到的。”“那么我每天都会见到你？”“尽我所能。” —

“Oh, Rosa, my beautiful Rosa, do you love me a little?”“A little?” —
“哦，罗莎，我美丽的罗莎，你爱我吗？”“一点点？” —

she said, “you make no great pretensions,Mynheer Cornelius.” —
她说，”你并不自吹自擂，Cornelius先生。” —

Cornelius tenderly stretched out his hands towards her, butthey were only able to touch each other with the tips oftheir fingers through the wire grating.
Cornelius温柔地伸出双手向她，但是他们只能通过铁栏的尖端彼此触碰。

　　”Here is my father,” said she.
“这是我父亲，”她说。

　　Rosa then abruptly drew back from the door, and ran to meetold Gryphus, who made his appearance at the top of thestaircase.
罗莎突然从门边退了回去，跑去迎接从楼梯上出现的格里弗斯老人。