Introduction：In“Rappaccini’s Daughter”，Hawthornetells a tale of a botanist who has raised his daughter as a rare flower in a clinically-controlled setting。The protagonist，a young suitor named Giovanni，notes that just as Dr。Rappaccini avoids handling his exotic plants（and it is true that some plants are damaged by contact with the oils in human skin），Beatrice goes out of her way to touch and caress them。Rappaccini even gives over to Beatrice the care of flowers which are poisonous to ordinary mortals—even himself—and they flourish under her care。
1 A young man，named Giovanni Guasconti，came，very long ago，fromthe more southern region of Italy，to pursue his studies at the University of Padua。Giovanni，who had but a scanty supply of gold ducats in his pocket，took lodgings in a high and gloomy chamber of an old edifice，which looked not unworthy to have been the palace of a Paduan noble，and which，in fact，exhibited over its entrance the armorial bearings of a family long since extinct。The young stranger，who was not unstudied in the great poem of his country，recollected that one of the ancestors of this family，and perhaps an occupant of this very mansion，had beenpictured by Dante as a partaker of the immortal agonies of his Inferno。These reminiscences and associations，together with the tendency to heart-break naturalto a young man for the first time out of his native sphere，caused Giovanni to sigh heavily，as he looked around the desolate and ill-furnished apartment。
2 “Holy Virgin，Signor，”cried old dame Lisabetta，who，won by theyouth’s remarkable beauty of person，was kindly endeavoring to give the chamber a habitable air，“what a sigh was that to come out of a young man’s heart！Do you find this old mansion gloomy？For the love of heaven，then，put your head out of the window，and you will see as bright sunshine as you have left in Naples。”
3 Guasconti mechanically did as the old woman advised，but could notquite agree with her that the Lombard sunshine was as cheerful as that of southern Italy。Such as it was，however，it fell upon a garden beneath the window，and expended its fostering influences on a variety of plants，which seemed to have been cultivated with exceeding care。
4 “Does this garden belong to the house？”asked Giovanni。
5 “Heaven forbid，Signor！—unless it were fruitful of better pot-herbs than any that grow there now，”answered old Lisabetta。“No，that garden is cultivatedby the own hands of Signor Giacomo Rappaccini，the famous Doctor，who，I warrant him，has been heard of as far as Naples。It is said he distils these plants intomedicines that are as potent as a charm。Oftentimes you may seethe Signor Doctor at work，and perchance the Signora his daughter，too，gathering the strange flowers that grow in the garden。”
Padua：帕多瓦，意大利东北部城市
ducat：n。从前流通于欧洲各国的钱币达克特，硬币
edifice：n。大厦，大建筑物
armorial：adj。徽章的，家徽的
partaker：n。参与者
inferno：n。地狱
dame：n。夫人
Naples：n。那不勒斯
oftentimes：adv。时常地
perchance：adv。偶然，恐怕
6 The old woman had now done what she could for the aspect of the chamber，and，commending the young man to the protection of the saints，took her departure。
7 Giovanni still found no better occupation than to look down into the garden beneath his window。From its appearance，he judged it to be one of those botanic gardens，which were of earlier date in Padua than elsewhere in Italy，or in the world。Or，not improbably，it might once have been the pleasure-place of an opulent familyfor there was the ruin of a marble fountain in the centre，sculptured with rare art，but so woefully shattered that it was impossible to trace the original design from the chaos of remaining fragments。The water，however，continued to gush and sparkle into the sunbeams as cheerfully as ever。
A little gurgling sound ascended to the young man’s window，and made him feel as if a fountainwere an immortal spirit，that sung its song unceasingly，and without heeding thevicissitudes around itwhile one century embodied it in marble，and another scattered the perishable garniture on the soil。All about the poolinto which the water subsided，grew various plants，that seemed to require a plentiful supply of moisture for the nourishment of gigantic leaves，and，in some instances，flowers gorgeously magnificent。There was one shrub in particular，set in a marble vase in the midst of the pool，that bore a profusion of purple blossoms，each of which had the lustre and richness of a gemand the whole together made a show soresplendent that it seemed enough to illuminate the garden，even had there beenno sunshine。Every portion of the soil was peopled with plants and herbs，which，if less beautiful，still bore tokens of assiduous careas if all had their individual virtues，known to the scientific mind that fostered them。Some were placed in urns，rich with old carving，and others in common garden-potssome creptserpent-like along the ground，or climbed on high，using whatever means of ascent was offered them。One plant had wreathed itself round a statue of Vertumnus，which was thus quite veiled and shrouded in a drapery of hangingfoliage，so happily arranged that it might have served a sculptor for a study。
8 While Giovanni stood at the window，he heard a rustling behind a screen of leaves，and became aware that a person was at work in the garden。His figure soon emerged into view，and showed itself to be that of no common laborer，but a tall，emaciated，sallow，and sickly looking man，dressed in a scholar’s garb of black。He was beyond the middle term of life，with gray hair，a thin gray beard，anda face singularly marked with intellect and cultivation，but which could never，even in his more youthful days，have expressed much warmth of heart。
botanic：adj。植物的，植物学的
opulent：adj。丰饶的，繁茂的
woefully：adv。悲伤地，不幸地
gurgle：v。流水发出汩汩声
vicissitudes：n。兴衰，变迁
garniture：n。装饰品
subside：v。减退，衰减
illuminate：v。照亮
assiduous：adj。勤勉的，刻苦的
Vertumnus：费图纳斯（罗马神话中的四季之神，花果之神）
drapery：n。帏帐
emaciated：adj。瘦弱的，衰弱的
9 Nothing could exceed the intentness with which thisscientific gardener examined every shrub which grew in his pathit seemed as if he was looking into their inmost nature，making observations in regard to their creative essence，and discovering why one leaf grew in this shape，and another in that，and wherefore such and such flowers differed among themselves in hue and perfume。Nevertheless，in spite of the deep intelligence on his part，there was no approach to intimacybetween himself and these vegetable existences。On the contrary，he avoided their actual touch，or the direct inhaling of their odors，with a caution that impressed Giovanni most disagreeablyfor the man’s demeanor was that of one walkingamong malignant influences，such as savage beasts，or deadly snakes，or evil spirits，which，should he allow them one moment of license，would wreak upon him some terrible fatality。It was strangely frightful to the young man’s imagination，to see this air of insecurity in a person cultivating a garden，that most simple and innocent of human toils，and which had been alike the joy and labor of the unfallen parents of the race。Was this garden，then，the Eden of the present world？—and this man，with such a perception of harm in what his own hands caused to grow，was he the Adam？
评注：拉帕西尼不仅改造了女儿贝阿特丽丝的身体，还把象征意义上的女儿——那些体现“大自然的爱的温暖”的花草变成了美丽与剧毒的混合体。拉帕西尼在追求知识的道路上走上了一条疯狂的道路。
10 The distrustful gardener，while plucking away the dead leaves or pruning thetoo luxuriant growth of the shrubs，defended his hands with a pair of thick gloves。Nor were these his only armor。When，in his walk through the garden，he came to the magnificent plant that hung its purple gems beside the marble fountain，he placed a kind of mask over his mouth and nostrils，as if all this beauty didbut conceal a deadlier malice。But finding his task still too dangerous，he drew back，removed the mask，and called loudly，but in the infirm voice of a personaffected with inward disease：“Beatrice！—Beatrice！”
评注：园内花草茂盛，生机盎然，显示出主人的辛勤和博学，可同时也透出一丝奇怪的不协调感：园中灌木色彩鲜艳、娇美无比，可主人却是形容枯槁、一身病态，与周围的绚烂辉煌格格不入。他的表情分明显示出内心的冷漠和无情。
11 “Here am I，my father！What would you？”cried a rich and youthful voice from the window of the opposite housea voice as rich as a tropical sunset，and which made Giovanni，though he knew not why，think of deep hues of purple or crimson，and of perfumes heavily delectable。“Are you in the garden？”
12 “Yes，Beatrice，”answered the gardener，“and I need your help。”
13 Soon there emerged from under a sculptured portal the figure of a young girl，arrayed with as much richness of taste as the most splendid of the flowers，beautiful as the day，and with a bloom so deep and vivid that one shade more would have been too much。She looked redundant with life，health，and energyall ofwhich attributes were bound down and compressed，as it were，and girdled tensely，in their luxuriance，by her virgin zone。Yet Giovanni’s fancy must have grownmorbid，while he looked down into the gardenfor the impression which the fairstranger made upon him was as if here were another flower，the human sister of those vegetable ones，as beautiful as they—more beautiful than the richest ofthem—but still to be touched only with a glove，nor to be approached without amask。As Beatrice came down the garden-path，it was observable that she handled and inhaled the odor of several of the plants，which her father had most sedulously avoided。
intentness：n。热心，专心
inhale：v。吸入
wreak upon：对……发泄（怒火）
parents：此处指《圣经》故事中人类的始祖亚当与夏娃
pluck away：扯去，撕去
prune：v。修枝，剪枝
armor：n。盔甲
malice：n。恶意，怨恨，
infirm：adj。不坚固的，柔弱的
delectable：adj。使人愉快的
redundant：adj。多余的
girdle：v。束，绕
luxuriance：n。茂盛
sedulously：adv。坚韧不拔地
consign：v。把……委托给……
14 “Here，Beatrice，”said the latter，—“see how many needful offices require to be done to our chief treasure。Yet，shattered as I am，my life might pay the penalty of approaching it so closely as circumstances demand。Henceforth，I fear，this plant must be consigned to your sole charge。”
15 “And gladly will I undertake it，”cried again the rich tones ofthe young lady，as she bent towards the magnificent plant，and opened her arms as if to embrace it。“Yes，my sister，my splendor，it shall be Beatrice’s task to nurse andserve theeand thou shalt reward her with thy kisses and perfume breath，whichto her is as the breath of life！”
16 Then，with all the tenderness in her manner that was so strikingly expressed in her words，she busied herself with such attentions as the plant seemed to requireand Giovanni，at his lofty window，rubbed his eyes，and almost doubted whether it were a girl tending her favorite flower，or one sister performing theduties of affection to another。The scene soon terminated。Whether Doctor Rappaccini had finished his labors in the garden，or that his watchful eye had caughtthe stranger’s face，he now took his daughter’s arm and retired。Night was already closing inoppressive exhalations seemed to proceed from the plants，and steal upward past the open windowand Giovanni，closing the lattice，went to his couch，and dreamed of a rich flower and beautiful girl。Flower and maiden were different and yet the same，and fraught with some strange peril in either shape。
17 But there is an influence in the light of morning that tends to rectify whatever errors of fancy，or even of judgment，we may have incurred during the sun’sdecline，or among the shadows of the night，or in the less wholesome glow of moonshine。Giovanni’s first movement on starting from sleep，was to throw open thewindow，and gaze down into the garden which his dreams had made so fertile of mysteries。He was surprised，and a little ashamed，to find how real and matter-of-fact an affair it proved to be，in the first rays of the sun，which gilded thedew-drops that hung upon leaf and blossom，and，while giving a brighter beauty to each rare flower，brought everything within the limits of ordinary experience。The young man rejoiced，that，in the heart of the barren city，he had the privilege of overlooking this spot of lovely and luxuriant vegetation。It would serve，he said to himself，as a symbolic language，to keep him in communion with Nature。Neither the sickly and thought-worn Doctor Giacomo Rappaccini，it is true，nor his brilliant daughter，were now visibleso that Giovanni could not determine how much of the singularity which he attributed to both，was due to their own qualities，and how much to his wonder-working fancy。But he was inclined to take a most rational view of the whole matter。
18 In the course of the day，he paid his respects to Signor Pietro Baglioni，Professor of Medicine in the University，a physician of eminent repute，to whom Giovanni had brought a letter of introduction。The rofessor was an elderly personage，apparently of genial nature，and habits that might almost be called jovialhe kept the young man to dinner，and made himself very agreeable by the freedomand liveliness of his conversation，especially when warmed by a flask or two ofTuscan wine。Giovanni，conceiving that men of science，inhabitants of the same city，must need be on familiar terms with one another，took an opportunity to mention the name of Doctor Rappaccini。But the Professor did not respond with so much cordiality as he had anticipated。
lattice：n。格子窗
peril：n。危险
rectify：v。矫正，调整
incur：v。招致
fertile：adj。肥沃的，富饶的
barren：adj。贫瘠的，单调的
eminent：adj。显赫的，杰出的
repute：n。名誉，名声
genial：adj。亲切的
jovial：adj。快活的，高兴的
cordiality：n。诚实，诚恳19“It would be wrong being a teacher of the divine art of medicine，”said Professor Pietro Baglioni，in answer to a question of Giovanni，“to withhold due and well-considered praise of a physician so eminently skilled as Rappaccini。But，on the other hand，I should answer it but scantily to my conscience，were I to permit a worthy youth like yourself，Signor Giovanni，the son of an ancient friend，to imbibe erroneous ideas respecting a man who might hereafter chance to hold your life and death in his hands。The truth is，our worshipful Doctor Rappaccini has as much science as any member of the faculty—with perhaps one single exception—in Padua，or all Italy。But there are certain grave objections to his professional character。”
20 “And what are they？”asked the young man。
21 “Has my friend Giovanni any disease of body or heart，that he is so inquisitive about physicians？”said the Professor，with a smile。“But as for Rappaccini，it is said of him—and I，who know the man well，can answer for its truth—thathe cares infinitely more for science than for mankind。His patients are interesting to him only as subjects for some new experiment。He would sacrifice human life，his own among the rest，or whatever else was dearest to him，for the sake of adding so much as a grain of mustard-seed to the great heap of his accumulated knowledge。”
22 “Methinks he is an awful man，indeed，”remarked Guasconti，mentally recalling the cold and purely intellectual aspect of Rappaccini。“And yet，worshipful Professor，is it not a noble spirit？Are there many men capable of so spiritual a love of science？”
23 “God forbid，”answered the Professor，somewhat testily—“at least，unless they take sounder views of the healing art than those adopted by Rappaccini。It ishis theory，that all medicinal virtues are comprised within those substances which we term vegetable poisons。These he cultivates with his own hands，and is said even to have produced new varieties of poison，more horribly deleterious thanNature，without the assistance of this learned person，would ever have plagued the world withal。That the Signor Doctor does less mischief than might be expected，with such dangerous substances，is undeniable。Now and then，it must be owned，he has effected—or seemed to effect—a marvellous cure。But，to tell youmy private mind，Signor Giovanni，he should receive little credit for such instances of success—they being probably the work of chance—but should be held strictly accountable for his failures，which may justly be considered his own work。”
24 The youth might have taken Baglioni’s opinions with many grains of allowance，had he known that there was a professional warfare of long continuance betweenhim and Doctor Rappaccini，in which the latter was generally thought to have gained the advantage。If the reader be inclined to judge for himself，we refer himto certain black-letter tracts on both sides，preserved in the medical department of the University of Padua。
25 “I know not，most learned Professor，”returned Giovanni，after musing on what had been said of Rappaccini’s exclusive zeal for science—“Iknow not how dearly this physician may love his artbut surely there is one object more dear to him。He has a daughter。”
scantily：adv。缺乏地，吝啬地
imbibe：v。吸收
inquisitive：adj。好奇的
methinks：v。（无人称动词）我以为，据我看来
deleterious：adj。有害的，有毒的
warfare：n。冲突，竞争
exclusive：adj。排外的，独占的
26 “Aha！”cried the Professor with a laugh。“So now our friend Giovanni’s secret is out。You have heard of this daughter，whom all the young men in Padua are wild about，though not half a dozen have ever had the good hap to see her face。Iknow little of the Signora Beatrice，save that Rappaccini is said to have instructed her deeply in his science，and that，young and beautiful as fame reports her，she is already qualified to fill a professor’s chair。Perchance her father destines her for mine！Other absurd rumors there be，not worth talking about，or listening to。So now，Signor Giovanni，drink off your glass of Lacryma。”
27 Guasconti returned to his lodgings somewhat heated with the wine he had quaffed，and which caused his brain to swim with strange fantasies in reference to Doctor Rappaccini and the beautiful Beatrice。On his way，happening to pass by a florist’s，he bought a fresh bouquet of flowers。
28 Ascending to his chamber，he seated himself near the window，but within the shadow thrown by the depth of the wall，so that he could look down into the garden with little risk of being discovered。All beneath his eye was a solitude。Thestrange plants were basking in the sunshine，and now and then nodding gently toone another，as if in acknowledgment of sympathy and kindred。In the midst，by the shattered fountain，grew the magnificent shrub，with its purple gems clustering all over itthey glowed in the air，and gleamed back again out of the depths of the pool，which thus seemed to overflow with colored radiance from the richreflection that was steeped in it。At first，as we have said，the garden was a solitude。Soon，however，—as Giovanni had half-hoped，half-feared，would be the case，—a figure appeared beneath the antique sculptured portal，and came down between the rows of plants，inhaling their various perfumes，as if she were one ofthose beings of old classic fable，that lived upon sweet odors。On again beholding Beatrice，the young man was even startled to perceive how much her beauty exceeded his recollection of itso brilliant，so vivid in its character，that sheglowed amid the sunlight，and，as Giovanni whispered to himself，positively illuminated the more shadowy intervals of the garden path。Her face being now more revealed than on the former occasion，he was struck by its expression of simplicity and sweetnessqualities that had not entered into his idea of her character，and which made him ask anew，what manner of mortal she might be。
Nor did he fail again to observe，or imagine，an analogy between the beautiful girl and the gorgeous shrub that hung its gem-like flowers over the fountaina resemblance which Beatrice seemed to have indulged a fantastic humor in heightening，both by the arrangement of her dress and the selection of its hues。
29 Approaching the shrub，she threw open her arms，as with a passionate ardor，and drew its branches into an intimate embraceso intimate，that her features were hidden in its leafy bosom，and her glistening ringlets all intermingled withthe flowers。
30 “Give me thy breath，my sister，”exclaimed Beatrice“for I am faint withcommon air！And give me this flower of thine，which I separate with gentlest fingers from the stem，and place it close beside my heart。”
31 With these words，the beautiful daughter of Rappaccini plucked one of the richest blossoms of the shrub，and was about to fasten it in her bosom。But now，unless Giovanni’s draughts of wine had bewildered his senses，a singular incidentoccurred。A small orange colored reptile，of the lizard or chameleon species，chanced to be creeping along the path，just at the feet of Beatrice。It appeared to Giovanni—but，at the distance from which he gazed，he could scarcely have seen anything so minute—it appeared to him，however，that a drop or two of moisture from the broken stem of the flower descended upon the lizard’s head。For an instant，the reptile contorted itself violently，and then lay motionless in the sunshine。Beatrice observed this remarkable phenomenon，and crossed herself，sadly，but without surprisenor did she therefore hesitate to arrange the fatal flower in her bosom。There it blushed，and almost glimmered with the dazzling effect of a precious stone，adding to her dress and aspect the one appropriate charm，which nothing else in the world could have supplied。But Giovanni，out of the shadow of his window，bent forward and shrank back，and murmured and trembled。
评注：拉帕西尼为了能够享受科学赐予的力量，他不仅用花草、病人来做实验，甚至把自己的女儿也沦为科学实验的牺牲品。自贝阿特丽丝出生之日起，他便用毒药加以喂养，致使她变成了“有多么美丽，就有多么可怕”的邪恶精灵。
quaff：v。一口气喝干，大口地喝
florist：n。种花人
bask：v。晒太阳
kindred：n。家族，亲属关系
steep：v。浸，泡，沉浸
antique：adj。古时的，过时的
glistening：adj。闪耀的，反光的
ringlet：n。卷发
intermingle：v。混合
bewilder：v。使迷惑，使不知所措
reptile：n。爬虫动物
chameleon：n。变色龙
minute：adj。微小的，详细的
blush：v。呈现红色
dazzling：adj。眼花缭乱的，耀眼的
aspect：n。样子，外表，面貌
appropriate：adj。适当的
32 “Am I awake？Have I my senses？”said he to himself。“What is thisbeing？—beautiful，shall I call her？—or inexpressibly terrible？”
33 Beatrice now strayed carelessly through the garden，approaching closer beneath Giovanni’s window，so that he was compelled to thrust his head quite out of its concealment in order to gratify the intense and painful curiosity which she excited。At this moment，there came a beautiful insect over the garden wallit had perhaps wandered through the city and found no flowers nor verdure among those antique haunts of men，until the heavy perfumes of Doctor Rappaccini’s shrubshad lured it from afar。Without alighting on the flowers，this winged brightness seemed to be attracted by Beatrice，and lingered in the air and fluttered about her head。Now here it could not be but that Giovanni Guasconti’s eyes deceivedhim。Be that as it might，he fancied that while Beatrice was gazing at the insect with childish delight，it grew faint and fell at her feet！—its bright wings shivered！it was dead！—from no cause that he could discern，unless it were theatmosphere of her breath。Again Beatrice crossed herself and sighed heavily，as she bent over the dead insect。
34 An impulsive movement of Giovanni drew her eyes to the window。There she beheld the beautiful head of the young man—rather a Grecian than an Italian head，with fair，regular features，and a glistening of gold among his ringlets—gazingdown upon her like a being that hovered in mid-air。Scarcely knowing what he did，Giovanni threw down the bouquet which he had hitherto held in his hand。
35 “Signora，”said he，“there are pure and healthful flowers。Wear them for the sake of Giovanni Guasconti！”
36 “Thanks，Signor，”replied Beatrice，with her rich voice，that cameforth as it were like a gush of musicand with a mirthfulexpression half childish and half woman-like。“I accept your gift，and would fain recompense it with this precious purple flowerbut if I toss it into the air，it will not reach you。So Signor Guasconti must even content himself with my thanks。”
37 She lifted the bouquet from the ground，and then as if inwardly ashamed at having stepped aside from her maidenly reserve to respond to a stranger’s greeting，passed swiftly homeward through the garden。But，few as the moments were，it seemed to Giovanni when she was on the point of vanishing beneath the sculpturedportal，that his beautiful bouquet was already beginning to wither in her grasp。It was an idle thoughtthere could be no possibility of distinguishing a faded flower from a fresh one at so great a distance。
38 For many days after this incident，the young man avoided the window that looked into Doctor Rappaccini’s garden，as if something ugly and monstrous would have blasted his eye-sight，had he been betrayed into a glance。
He felt consciousof having put himself，to a certain extent，within the influence of an unintelligible power，by the communication which he had opened with Beatrice。The wisest course would have been，if his heart were in any real danger，to quit his lodgings and Padua itself，at oncethe next wiser，to have accustomed himself，as faras possible，to the familiar and day-light view of Beatricethus bringing herrigidly and systematically within the limits of ordinary experience。Least of all，while avoiding her sight，should Giovanni have remained so near this extraordinary being，that the proximity and possibility even of intercourse，should givea kind of substance and reality to the wild vagaries which his imagination ran riot continually in producing。Guasconti had not a deep heart—or at all events，its depths were not sounded now—but he had a quick fancy，and an ardent southern temperament，which rose every instant to a higher fever-pitch。Whether or noBeatrice possessed those terrible attributes—that fatal breath—the affinity with those so beautiful and deadly flowers—which were indicated by what Giovanni had witnessed，she had at least instilled a fierce and subtle poison into his system。It was not love，although her rich beauty was a madness to himnor horror，even while he fancied her spirit to be imbued with the same baneful essence that seemed to pervade her physical framebut a wild offspring of both love and horror that had each parent in it，and burned like one and shivered like the other。
Giovanni knew not what to dreadstill less did he know what to hopeyet hope and dread kept a continual warfare in his breast，alternately vanquishing one another and starting up afresh to renew the contest。Blessed are all simple emotions，be they dark or bright！It is the lurid intermixture of the two that produces the illuminating blaze of the infernal regions。
stray：v。迷路，漂泊游荡
verdure：n。新鲜
gush：n。涌出
mirthful：adj。愉快的，高兴的
recompense：v。报偿
wither：v。使凋谢
monstrous：adj。怪异的，恐怖的
rigidly：adv。坚硬地，严格地
systematically：adv。系统地
proximity：n。接近，亲近
intercourse：n。交往，交流
vagary：n。奇想，反复无常的行为
be imbued with：浸透
baneful：adj。有害的，使人苦恼的
lurid：adj。苍白的，可怕的
infernal：adj。阴间的，恶魔的39Sometimes he endeavored to assuage the fever of his spiritby a rapid walk through the streets of Padua，or beyond its gateshis footsteps kept time with the throbbings of his brain，so that the walk was apt to accelerate itself to a race。One day，he found himself arrestedhis arm was seized by a portly personage who had turned back on recognizing the young man，and expendedmuch breath in overtaking him。
40 “Signor Giovanni！—stay，my young friend！”—cried he。“Have you forgotten me？That might well be the case，if I were as much altered as yourself。”
41 It was Baglioni，whom Giovanni had avoided，ever since their first meeting，from a doubt that the Professor’s sagacity would look too deeply into his secrets。Endeavoring to recover himself，he stared forth wildly from his inner world into the outer one，and spoke like a man in a dream。
42 “Yes，I am Giovanni Guasconti。You are Professor Pietro Baglioni。Now let me pass！”
43 “Not yet—not yet，Signor Giovanni Guasconti，”said the Professor，smiling，but at the same time scrutinizing the youth with an earnest glance。“Whatdid Igrow up side by side with your father，and shall his son pass me like a stranger，in these old streets of Padua？Stand still，Signor Giovannifor we must havea word or two，before we part。”
44 “Speedily，then，most worshipful Professor，speedily！”said Giovanni，with feverish impatience。“Does not your worship see that I am in haste？”
45 Now，while he was speaking，there came a man in black along the street，stooping and moving feebly，like a person in inferior health。His face was all overspread with a most sickly and sallow hue，but yet so pervaded with an expression of piercing and active intellect，that an observer might easily have overlooked the merely physical attributes，and have seen only this wonderful energy。As he passed，this person exchanged a cold and distant salutation withBaglioni，but fixed his eyes upon Giovanni with an intentness that seemed to bring out whateverwas within him worthy of notice。Nevertheless，there was a peculiar quietness in the look，as if taking merely a speculative，not a human interest，in the young man。
assuage：v。缓和，减轻，镇定
throbbing：n。悸动
portly：adj。魁伟的，一表人材的
personage：n。要人，名流
sagacity：n。睿智，聪敏
scrutinize：v。细察
speedily：adv。赶紧
feverish：adj。狂热的，兴奋的
in haste：匆忙，急忙
hue：n。色调，样子
pervade with：v。遍及
attribute：n。属性，品质，特征
salutation：n。招呼
speculative：adj。投机的46“It is Doctor Rappaccini！”whispered the Professor，when the stranger had passed。—“Has he ever seen your face before？”
47 “Not that I know，”answered Giovanni，startled at the name。
48 “He has seen you！—he must have seen you！”said Baglioni，hastily。“For somepurpose or other，this man of science is making a study of you。I know that look of his！It is the same that coldly illuminates his face，as he bends over a bird，a mouse，or a butterfly，which，in pursuance of some experiment，he has killed by the perfume of a flower—a look as deep as Nature itself，but without Nature’s warmth of love。Signor Giovanni，I will stake my life upon it，you are the subject of one of Rappaccini’s experiments！”
49 “Will you make a fool of me？”cried Giovanni，passionately。“That，Signor Professor，were an untoward experiment。”
50 “Patience，patience！”replied the imperturbable Professor。—“I tell thee，my poor Giovanni，that Rappaccini has a scientific interest in thee。Thou hast fallen into fearful hands！And the Signora Beatrice？What part does she act in this mystery？”
51 But Guasconti，finding Baglioni’s pertinacity intolerable，here broke away，and was gone before the Professor could again seize his arm。He looked after theyoung man intently，and shook his head。
52 “This must not be，”said Baglioni to himself。“The youth is the son of my old friend，and shall not come to any harm from which the arcana of medical science can preserve him。Besides，it is too insufferable an impertinence in Rappaccini，thus to snatch the lad out of my own hands，as I may say，and make use of him for his infernal experiments。This daughter of his！It shall be looked to。Perchance，most learned Rappaccini，I may foil you where you little dream of it！”
53 Meanwhile，Giovanni had pursued a circuitous route，and atlengthfound himself at the door of his lodgings。As he crossed the threshold，he was met by old Lisabetta，who smirked and smiled，and was evidently desirous toattract his attentionvainly，however，as the ebullition of his feelings had momentarily subsided into a cold and dull vacuity。He turned his eyes full upon the withered facethat was puckering itself into a smile，but seemed to behold itnot。The old dame，therefore，laid her grasp upon his cloak。
in pursuance of：追求
stake one’s life upon：拿生命赌博或冒险
untoward：adj。不幸的，麻烦的
imperturbable：adj。沉着的，冷静的
pertinacity：n。顽固
impertinence：n。不适宜，鲁莽，无礼
foil：v。阻止，挫败
circuitous：adj。迂回线路的
smirk：v。傻笑
ebullition：n。（感情等的）爆发，迸发
vacuity：n。空虚
pucker：v。折叠
54 “Signor！—Signor！”whispered she，still with a smile over the whole breadth of her visage，so that it looked not unlike a grotesque carving in wood，darkened by centuries—“Listen，Signor！There is a private entrance into the garden！”
55 “What do you say？”exclaimed Giovanni，turning quickly about，as if an inanimate thing should start into feverish life。—“A private entrance into Doctor Rappaccini’s garden！”
56 “Hush！hush！—not so loud！”whispered Lisabetta，putting her hand over his mouth。“Yes，into the worshipful Doctor’s garden，where you may see all his fineshrubbery。Many a young man in Padua would give gold to be admitted among those flowers。”
57 Giovanni put a piece of gold into her hand。
58 “Show me the way，”said he。
59 A surmise，probably excited by his conversation with Baglioni，crossed his mind，that this interposition of old Lisabetta might perchance beconnected with the intrigue，whatever were its nature，in which the Professor seemed to supposethat Doctor Rappaccini was involving him。But such a suspicion，though it disturbed Giovanni，was inadequate to restrain him。The instant he was aware of the possibility of approaching Beatrice，it seemed an absolute necessity of his existence to do so。It mattered not whether she were angel or demonhe was irrevocably within her sphere，and must obey the law that whirled him onward，in ever lessening circles，towards a result which he did not attempt to foreshadow。And yet，strange to say，there came across him a sudden doubt，whether this intense interest on his part were not delusory—whether it were really of so deep and positive a nature as to justify him in now thrusting himself into an incalculable position—whether it were not merely the fantasy of a young man’s brain，only slightly，or not at all，connected with his heart！
60 He paused—hesitated—turned half about—but again went on。His withered guide led him along several obscure passages，and finally undid a door，through which，as it was opened，there came the sight and sound of rustling leaves，with the broken sunshine glimmering among them。Giovanni stepped forth，and forcing himself through the entanglement of a shrub that wreathed its tendrils over the hidden entrance，he stood beneath his own window，in the open area of Doctor Rappaccini’s garden。
visage：n。面貌，容貌
inanimate：adj。死气沉沉的，没生命的
shrubbery：n。灌木，灌木林
interposition：n。插入
intrigue：n。阴谋，诡计
irrevocably：adv。不能取消地，不能撤回地
delusory：adj。困惑的，迷惑的
obscure：adj。暗的，朦胧的
glimmer：v。发微光
entanglement：n。纠缠
wreathe：v。环绕盘旋
tendril：n。[植]卷须，蔓61How often is it the case，that，when impossibilities have come topass，and dreams have condensed their misty substance into tangible realities，we find ourselves calm，and even coldly self-possessed，amid circumstances which it would have been a delirium of joy or agony to anticipate！Fate delightsto thwart us thus。Passion will choose his own time to rush upon the scene，and lingers sluggishly behind，when an appropriate adjustment of events would seem to summon his appearance。So was it now with Giovanni。Day after day，his pulses had throbbed with feverish blood，at the improbable idea of an interview with Beatrice，and of standing with her，face to face，in this very garden，basking in the oriental sunshine of her beauty，and snatching from her full gaze the mystery which he deemed the riddle of his own existence。But now there was a singular and untimely equanimity within his breast。He threw a glance around the garden to discover if Beatrice or her father were present，and perceiving that he was alone，began a critical observation of the plants。
62 The aspect of one and all of them dissatisfied himtheir gorgeousness seemed fierce，passionate，and even unnatural。There was hardly an individual shrub which a wanderer，straying by himself through a forest，would not have been startled to find growing wild，as if an unearthly face had glared at him out of the thicket。Several，also，would have shocked a delicate instinct by an appearance of artificialness，indicating that there had been such commixture，and，as it were，adultery of various vegetable species，that the production was no longer of God’s making，but the monstrous offspring of man’s depraved fancy，glowing withonly an evil mockery of beauty。They were probably the result of experiments，which，in one or two cases，had succeeded in mingling plants individually lovely into a compound possessing the questionable and ominous character that distinguished the whole growth of the garden。In fine，Giovanni recognized but two or three plants in the collection，and those of a kind that he well knew to be poisonous。While busy with these contemplations，he heard the rustling of a silken garment，and turning，beheld Beatrice emerging from beneath the sculptured portal。
misty：adj。有薄雾的
delirium：n。（暂时的）精神狂乱，精神极度兴奋
thwart：v。反对，横过
equanimity：n。镇定
gorgeousness：n。华丽，灿烂
artificialness：n。人为之事，不自然
commixture：n。混合
adultery：n。通奸
depraved：adj。堕落的，颓废的
mockery：n。嘲笑
contemplation：n。注视，沉思63Giovanni had not considered with himself what should be his deportmentwhether he should apologize for his intrusion into the garden，or assume that he wasthere with the privity，at least，if not the desire of Doctor Rappaccini orhis daughter。But Beatrice’s manner placed him at his ease，though leaving himstill in doubt by what agency he had gained admittance。She came lightly along the path，and met him near the broken fountain。There was surprise in her face，but brightened by a simple and kind expression of pleasure。
64 “You are a connoisseur in flowers，Signor，”said Beatrice with a smile，alluding to the bouquet which he had flung her from the window。“It is no marvel，therefore，if the sight of my father’s rare collection has tempted you to take a nearer view。If he were here，he could tell you many strange and interesting facts as to the nature and habits of these shrubs，for he has spent a life-time in such studies，and this garden is his world。”
65 “And yourself，lady”—observed Giovanni—“if fame says true—you，likewise，are deeply skilled in the virtues indicated by these rich blossoms，and these spicy perfumes。Would you deign to be my instructress，I should prove an apter scholar than under Signor Rappaccini himself。”
66 “Are there such idle rumors？”asked Beatrice，with the music of apleasant laugh。“Do people say that I am skilled in my father’s science of plants？What ajest is there！Nothough I have grown up among these flowers，I know no more ofthem than their hues and perfumeand sometimes，methinks I would fain rid myself of even that small knowledge。There are many flowers here，and those not the least brilliant，that shock and offend me，when they meet my eye。But，pray，Signor，do not believe these stories about my science。Believe nothing of me save what you see with your own eyes。”
67 “And must I believe all that I have seen with my own eyes？”askedGiovanni pointedly，while the recollection of former scenes made him shrink。“No，Signora，you demand too little of me。Bid me believe nothing，save what comes from your own lips。”
68 It would appear that Beatrice understood him。There came a deep flush to hercheekbut she looked full into Giovanni’s eyes，and responded to his gaze of uneasy suspicion with a queen-like haughtiness。
69 “I do so bid you，Signor！”she replied。“Forget whatever you may have fancied in regard to me。If true to the outward senses，still it may be false in its essence。But the words of Beatrice Rappaccini’s lips are true from the heart outward。Those you may believe！”
70 A fervor glowed in her whole aspect，and beamed upon Giovanni’s consciousness like the light of truth itself。But while she spoke，there was a fragrance in the atmosphere around her，rich and delightful，though evanescent，yet which the young man，from an indefinable reluctance，scarcely dared to draw into his lungs。It might be the odor of the flowers。Could it be Beatrice’s breath，which thusembalmed her words with a strange richness，as if by steeping them in her heart？A faintness passed like a shadow over Giovanni，and flitted awayhe seemed togaze through the beautiful girl’s eyes into her transparent soul，and felt no more doubt or fear。
connoisseur：n。（艺术品的）鉴赏家
allude：v。暗指，影射，间接提到
instructress：n。女教师，女指导
fain：adv。欣然地，乐意地
pointedly：adv。尖锐地，指向地
haughtiness：n。傲慢，不逊
bid：v。命令，吩咐
fervor：n。热情，热烈
evanescent：adj。逐渐消失的，会凋零的
indefinable：adj。不确定的
embalm：v。用香料处理
