20 A Transformation

CHAPTER 20 A Transformation Utterson put down Lanyon's letter and turned to the last envelope. He held it in his hands a few moments before opening it. He knew this letter would be his final contact with Henry Jekyll. He was both curious and worried by what his friend would have to say. Utterson slowly opened the envelope, unfolded the thick stack of papers, and began

厄特森放下兰宁的信，翻到最后一个信封。 在打开它之前，他把它握在手里几分钟。 他知道这封信将是他与亨利·杰基尔的最后一次接触。 他对朋友要说的话既好奇又担心。 厄特森慢慢地打开信封，打开那厚厚的一叠文件，开始说话了

to read. "I was born to a large fortune. I had a love of industry and study, and enjoyed the company of friends. All indications were that my life would be blessed with good fortune and promise. No one doubted that I was headed toward a great career. Indeed, my only fault was my rather free-spirited nature. It was always a great difficulty for me to hide my joy of life and display a more noble outlook. According to my family, it was considered impolite to appear too lively, too enthusiastic. I learned to hide my pleasures. I was one person when with my family and someone else when on my own. It wasn't until I was in my mid-twenties that I took stock of my surroundings and realized that I was leading a double life. Some men might have bragged about their exploits, but I saw them as shameful secrets. I took great pains to hide them from the world. Over time I

阅读。“我出身豪门。 我热爱工作和学习，喜欢朋友的陪伴。 一切迹象都表明，我的生活将被赐予好运和希望。 没有人怀疑我正在走向伟大的事业。 事实上，我唯一的缺点是我的自由奔放的天性。 对我来说，隐藏生活的乐趣，表现出更高尚的面貌，总是一件非常困难的事情。 据我的家人说，表现得太活泼、太热情被认为是不礼貌的。 我学会了隐藏我的快乐。 和家人在一起的时候我是一个人，独自一人的时候我是另一个人。 直到我二十五六岁的时候，我才对周围的环境进行了评估，并意识到我过着双重生活。 有些人可能会吹嘘他们的功绩，但我认为这是可耻的秘密。 我煞费苦心地把他们藏起来。 随着时间的推移

had succeeded in dividing the two sides of my nature, the good and the evil. I was in no sense a liar, as both sides of me were true. I was entirely myself when engaging in some shameful activity, just as I was entirely myself while living a good and clean life. My scientific studies centered on this dual nature of man, that we can be both good and bad. I assumed that there was a logical and chemical reason for this division. It must be a part of our physical makeup. Why is one person blond and the other brunette? Why are some people tall and others short? There must be a similar reason to explain the good and bad parts of mankind. I was my own lab experiment. Every day I felt I was drawing closer to understanding this division. It was my strong belief that man is not one, but two. Two persons in one. I am certain that other scientists will follow and discover that we are in fact even more than two. For now,

成功地将我天性的两个方面，善与恶分开了。 我绝不是个骗子，因为我的两面都是真实的。 我在从事一些可耻的活动时完全是我自己，正如我在过着美好而干净的生活时完全是我自己一样。 我的科学研究集中在人的两重性上，即我们可以是好人也可以是坏人。 我认为这种分裂有逻辑和化学上的原因。 它一定是我们身体构成的一部分。 为什么一个人是金发，另一个是黑发？ 为什么有的人高，有的人矮？ 一定有类似的理由来解释人类的善与恶。 我是我自己的实验品。 每一天，我都觉得自己离理解这种区别越来越近了。 我坚信人不是一个人，而是两个。 二人合一。我敢肯定，其他科学家会紧随其后，发现我们实际上不止两个人。 就目前而言,

though, I must stick with what I know to be true. During my studies and experiments, I became convinced that this dual nature could be separated. I told myself that if each side of a person could be divided into separate identities, life would be easier. The evil could go in one direction and the good in the other. We would easily recognize one from the other. There would be no more uncertainty or confusion. That these two opposing forces trapped within the same body had already caused too much pain. My next question was, 'How could I separate them?' "I will not go into the exact scientific details of my discovery for two reasons. First, I believe that it is too dangerous to pass on such information. We are all naturally curious and I would not want anyone else to be harmed. Second, as you will soon learn from my confession, my discoveries were incomplete. Needless to say, after much

不过，我必须坚持我所知道的事实。 在我的研究和实验中，我确信这种双重性质是可以分离的。 我告诉自己，如果一个人的每一面都能被分成不同的身份，生活就会容易一些。 恶可以朝一个方向，善可以朝另一个方向。 我们很容易就能分辨出谁是谁。 不会再有不确定性和混乱。 这两种对立的力量困在同一个身体里已经造成了太多的痛苦。 我的下一个问题是，‘我怎样才能把它们分开？出于两个原因，我不会详细介绍我的发现的科学细节。 首先，我认为传递这样的信息太危险了。 我们都天生好奇，我不希望任何人受到伤害。 第二，你很快就会从我的坦白中了解到，我的发现是不完整的。 不用说，之后

experimenting and trial and error, I discovered what I thought to be the perfect combination. "I waited some time before I put this theory into practice. I knew well that I risked death. Any drug that shakes the very idea of who we are must be dangerous. But my curiosity was too great. Any concerns I had were overcome by my intense desire to learn something new. I purchased a large quantity of a particular salt from a wholesale company. I knew this salt was the last piece to the puzzle. Late one night, I put all the elements together in a measuring glass. I watched as it bubbled, smoked, and boiled. It changed colors several times before turning a pale watery green. Taking a deep breath for courage, I swallowed the potion quickly. "The pain and sickness surprised me. I found myself rolling on the floor in agony. I felt certain that I had done myself serious

经过反复试验，我发现了我认为完美的组合。 “我等了一段时间才把这个理论付诸实践。 我很清楚我是冒着死亡的危险。 任何能动摇我们身份的药物都是危险的。 但我的好奇心太强了。 我对学习新东西的强烈渴望克服了所有的顾虑。 我从一家批发公司购买了大量的某种盐。 我知道这盐是解开谜底的最后一块。 一天深夜，我把所有的元素放在一个量杯里。 我看着它冒泡、冒烟、煮沸。 它变了几次颜色，最后变成了淡绿色。 我深吸一口气，鼓起勇气，迅速吞下了药水。 “疼痛和疾病让我大吃一惊。 我发现自己痛苦地在地板上打滚。 我确信我是认真对待自己的

harm. Then, quite suddenly, the pain stopped. I felt perfectly fine. I stood up and realized that I felt lighter, healthier, younger than I had in years. I had a strange feeling of restlessness. New, strange, and, dare I say, wicked images flashed through my mind. I believe wicked is the right word to use here. I felt positively wicked and free from any duty. I stretched out my arms and noticed for the first time that I was shorter. Somehow, I had shrunk during my transformation. My clothes were all too big for me now. I had become Mr. Edward Hyde."

伤害。然后，疼痛突然停止了。 我感觉很好。我站起来，意识到自己比过去几年更轻盈、更健康、更年轻了。 我有一种奇怪的不安感。 新的，奇怪的，而且，我敢说，邪恶的画面闪过我的脑海。 我认为在这里用邪恶这个词是恰当的。 我觉得自己很邪恶，没有任何责任。 我伸出双臂，第一次发现自己变矮了。 不知怎么的，我在变形的过程中缩小了。 现在我的衣服都太大了。 我成了爱德华·海德先生。”