少年维特的烦恼 英文版 The Sorrows of Young Werther
歌德 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
MAY 27.
I find I have fallen into raptures, declamation, and similes, andhave forgotten, in consequence, to tell you what became of thechildren. Absorbed in my artistic contemplations, which I brieflydescribed in my letter of yesterday, I continued sitting on theplough for two hours. Toward evening a young woman, with a basketon her arm, came running toward the children, who had not movedall that time. She exclaimed from a distance, "You are a goodboy, Philip!" She gave me greeting: I returned it, rose, andapproached her. I inquired if she were the mother of those prettychildren. "Yes," she said; and, giving the eldest a piece ofbread, she took the little one in her arms and kissed it with amother's tenderness. "I left my child in Philip's care," she said,"whilst I went into the town with my eldest boy to buy some wheatenbread, some sugar, and an earthen pot." I saw the various articlesin the basket, from which the cover had fallen. "I shall makesome broth to-night for my little Hans (which was the name of theyoungest): that wild fellow, the big one, broke my pot yesterday,whilst he was scrambling with Philip for what remained of thecontents." I inquired for the eldest; and she bad scarcely timeto tell me that he was driving a couple of geese home from themeadow, when he ran up, and handed Philip an osier-twig. I talkeda little longer with the woman, and found that she was the daughterof the schoolmaster, and that her husband was gone on a journeyinto Switzerland for some money a relation had left him. "Theywanted to cheat him," she said, "and would not answer his letters;so he is gone there himself. I hope he has met with no accident,as I have heard nothing of him since his departure." I left thewoman, with regret, giving each of the children a kreutzer, withan additional one for the youngest, to buy some wheaten bread forhis broth when she went to town next; and so we parted. I assureyou, my dear friend, when my thoughts are all in tumult, the sightof such a creature as this tranquillises my disturbed mind. Shemoves in a happy thoughtlessness within the confined circle of herexistence; she supplies her wants from day to day; and, when shesees the leaves fall, they raise no other idea in her mind thanthat winter is approaching. Since that time I have gone out therefrequently. The children have become quite familiar with me; andeach gets a lump of sugar when I drink my coffee, and they sharemy milk and bread and butter in the evening. They always receivetheir kreutzer on Sundays, for the good woman has orders to giveit to them when I do not go there after evening service. They arequite at home with me, tell me everything; and I am particularlyamused with observing their tempers, and the simplicity of theirbehaviour, when some of the other village children are assembledwith them.
It has given me a deal of trouble to satisfy the anxiety of themother, lest (as she says) "they should inconvenience the gentleman."