The Minister's Black Veil（2）
Such was the effect of this simple piece of crape, that more than one woman of delicate nerves精神脆弱的女士 was forced to leave the meeting-house. Yet perhaps the pale-faced congregation was almost as fearful a sight to the minister, as his black veil to them.
Mr. Hooper had the reputation of a good preacher, but not an energetic one: he strove to win his people heavenward by mild, persuasive influences, rather than to drive them thither到那里 by the thunders of the Word. The sermon which he now delivered was marked by the same characteristics of style and manner as the general series of his pulpit布道坛 oratory布道. But there was something, either in the sentiment of the discourse itself讲道本身的情绪, or in the imagination of the auditors, which made it greatly the most powerful effort that they had ever heard from their pastor's lips. It was tinged着色, rather more darkly than usual, with the gentle gloom of Mr. Hooper's temperament带有他的温婉忧郁. The subject had reference to secret sin, and those sad mysteries which we hide from our nearest and dearest, and would fain 不得不conceal from our own consciousness, even forgetting that the Omniscient can detect them. A subtle power was breathed into his words. Each member of the congregation, the most innocent girl, and the man of hardened breast, felt as if the preacher had crept upon them, behind his awful veil, and discovered their hoarded深藏的iniquity 罪恶o f deed or thought. Many spread their clasped hands on their bosoms. There was nothing terrible in what Mr. Hooper said, at least, no violence; and yet, with every tremor 颤动of his melancholy voice, the hearers quaked. An unsought 莫名的pathos悲伤 came hand in hand with awe. So sensible were the audience of some unwonted 反常的attribute特制 in their minister, that they longed for a breath of wind to blow aside the veil, almost believing that a stranger's visage would be discovered, though the form, gesture, and voice were those of Mr. Hooper.
At the close of the services, the people hurried out with indecorous不合礼节的 confusion, eager to communicate their pent-up 被压抑的amazement, and conscious of lighter spirits the moment they lost sight of the black veil. Some gathered in little circles, huddled closely together, with their mouths all whispering in the centre; some went homeward alone, wrapt in silent meditation; some talked loudly, and profaned亵渎 the Sabbath day with ostentatious夸张的 laughter. A few shook their sagacious聪明 heads, intimating 暗示that they could penetrate the mystery; while one or two affirmed that there was no mystery at all, but only that Mr. Hooper's eyes were so weakened by the midnight lamp, as to require a shade. After a brief interval, forth came good Mr. Hooper also, in the rear of his flock. Turning his veiled face from one group to another, he paid due应有的 reverence礼节 to the hoary灰白的 heads, saluted the middle aged with kind dignity as their friend and spiritual guide, greeted the young with mingled authority and love, and laid his hands on the little children's heads to bless them. Such was always his custom on the Sabbath day. Strange and bewildered looks repaid him for his courtesy. None, as on former occasions, aspired to 渴求the honor of walking by their pastor's side. Old Squire Saunders, doubtless by an accidental lapse过失 of memory, neglected to invite Mr. Hooper to his table, where the good clergyman had been wont to 习惯于bless the food, almost every Sunday since his settlement. He returned, therefore, to the parsonage, and, at the moment of closing the door, was observed to look back upon the people, all of whom had their eyes fixed upon the minister. A sad smile gleamed faintly from beneath the black veil, and flickered闪烁 about his mouth, glimmering as he disappeared.
"How strange," said a lady, "that a simple black veil, such as any woman might wear on her bonnet, should become such a terrible thing on Mr. Hooper's face!"
"Something must surely be amiss 有毛病with Mr. Hooper's intellects," observed her husband, the physician of the village. "But the strangest part of the affair is the effect of this vagary奇异行为, even on a sober-minded man like myself. The black veil, though it covers only our pastor's face, throws its influence over his whole person, and makes him ghostlike from head to foot. Do you not feel it so?"
"Truly do I," replied the lady; "and I would not be alone with him for the world. I wonder he is not afraid to be alone with himself!"
"Men sometimes are so," said her husband.
The afternoon service宗教仪式 was attended with similar circumstances. At its conclusion, the bell tolled for the funeral of a young lady. The relatives and friends were assembled in the house, and the more distant acquaintances stood about the door, speaking of the good qualities of the deceased死者, when their talk was interrupted by the appearance of Mr. Hooper, still covered with his black veil. It was now an appropriate emblem. The clergyman stepped into the room where the corpse was laid, and bent over the coffin, to take a last farewell of his deceased parishioner. As he stooped, the veil hung straight down from his forehead, so that, if her eyelids had not been closed forever, the dead maiden might have seen his face. Could Mr. Hooper be fearful of her glance, that he so hastily caught back the black veil? A person who watched the interview between the dead and living, scrupled not to affirm毫不犹豫地断言, that, at the instant when the clergyman's features were disclosed, the corpse had slightly shuddered, rustling the shroud寿衣 and muslin cap, though the countenance retained the composure震惊 of death. A superstitious old woman was the only witness of this prodigy奇观. From the coffin Mr. Hooper passed into the chamber of the mourners送葬者, and thence 从那儿to the head of the staircase楼梯, to make the funeral prayer为死者祈祷. It was a tender and heart-dissolving感人肺腑的 prayer, full of sorrow, yet so imbued with 充满celestial 进天堂的hopes, that the music of a heavenly harp, swept by the fingers of the dead, seemed faintly to be heard among the saddest accents of the minister. The people trembled, though they but darkly understood him when he prayed that they, and himself, and all of mortal race, might be ready, as he trusted this young maiden had been, for the dreadful hour that should snatch the veil from their faces. The bearers 抬棺材的人went heavily forth, and the mourners followed, saddening all the street, with the dead before them, and Mr. Hooper in his black veil behind.
"Why do you look back?" said one in the procession送葬队伍 to his partner.
"I had a fancy," replied she, "that the minister and the maiden's spirit were walking hand in hand."
"And so had I, at the same moment," said the other.
That night, the handsomest couple in Milford village were to be joined in wedlock婚姻. Though reckoned a melancholy man, Mr. Hooper had a placid平静的 cheerfulness for such occasions, which often excited a sympathetic smile where livelier merriment would have been thrown away. There was no quality of his disposition 性情which made him more beloved than this. The company at the wedding awaited his arrival with impatience, trusting that the strange awe, which had gathered over him throughout the day, would now be dispelled消除. But such was not the result. When Mr. Hooper came, the first thing that their eyes rested on was the same horrible black veil, which had added deeper gloom to the funeral, and could portend预示 nothing but evil to the wedding. Such was its immediate effect on the guests that a cloud seemed to have rolled duskily微暗的 from beneath the black crape, and dimmed the light of the candles. The bridal pair 新婚夫妇stood up before the minister. But the bride's cold fingers quivered in the tremulous hand of the bridegroom, and her deathlike paleness caused a whisper that the maiden who had been buried a few hours before was come from her grave to be married. If ever another wedding were so dismal凄凉, it was that famous one where they tolled the wedding knell丧钟. After performing the ceremony, Mr. Hooper raised a glass of wine to his lips, wishing happiness to the new married couple in a strain of mild pleasantry语气轻松诙谐 that ought to have brightened the features面庞 of the guests, like a cheerful gleam from the hearth. At that instant, catching a glimpse of his figure in the looking-glass, the black veil involved his own spirit in the horror with which it overwhelmed all others. His frame shuddered颤抖, his lips grew white, he spilt the untasted wine upon the carpet, and rushed forth into the darkness. For the Earth, too, had on her Black Veil. 注：因为是黑夜，大地也披上黑纱 |
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