A Romantic Love Letter to Elizabeth Barrett致伊丽莎白·巴雷特的一封浪漫情书

1845年1月10日，诗人罗伯特·勃朗宁读完伊丽莎白·巴雷特的诗歌后有感而发，给她写了第一封信。在信中，他称她的美妙诗篇已深深地融入他的心灵，成为他身体的一部分，并深情款款地写道：“我确实发自内心地喜爱你的诗集——同时也爱着你。”这是一封意义非同寻常的信，它打开了伊丽莎白的心扉，让两位心灵相通的人从此渐渐走到了一起……

New Cross， Hatcham， Surrey

January 10th， 1845

I love your verses with all my heart， dear Miss barrett，—and this is no off-hand1） complimentary letter that I shall write，—whatever else， no prompt2） matter-of-course3） recognition of your genius， and there a graceful and natural end of the thing. Since the day last week when I first read your poems， I quite laugh to remember how I have been turning and turning again in my mind what I should be able to tell you of their effect upon me， for in the first flush of delight I thought I would this once get out of my habit of purely passive enjoyment， when I do really enjoy， and thoroughly justify my admiration—perhaps even， as a loyal fellow-craftsman should， try and find fault and do you some little good to be proud of hereafter！—but nothing comes of it all—so into me has it gone， and part of me has it become， this great living poetry of yours， not a flower of which but took root and grew—oh， how different that is from lying to be dried and pressed flat， and prized highly， and put in a book with a proper account4） at top and bottom， and shut up and put away … and the book called a “Flora5），” besides！

After all， I need not give up the thought of doing that， too， in time； because even now， talking with whoever is worthy， I can give a reason for my faith in one and another excellence， the fresh strange music， the affluent language， the exquisite pathos6） and true new brave7） thought； but in this addressing myself to you—your own self， and for the first time， my feeling rises altogether.

I do， as I say， love these Books with all my heart—and I love you too. Do you know I was once not very far from seeing—really seeing you？ Mr. Kenyon8） said to me one morning “Would you like to see Miss Barrett？”—then he went to announce me，—then he returned … you were too unwell， and now it is years ago， and I feel as at some untoward9） passage in my travels， as if I had been close， so close， to some world’s-wonder in chapel or crypt10）， only a screen to push and I might have entered， but there was some slight， so it now seems， slight and just sufficient bar to admission， and the half-opened door shut， and I went home my thousands of miles， and the sight was never to be？

Well， these Poems were to be， and this true thankful joy and pride with which I feel myself.

Yours ever faithfully，

Robert Browning

萨里郡海彻姆的纽克罗斯

1845年1月10日

我发自内心地喜欢你的诗作，亲爱的巴雷特小姐——这封信中所写的绝不是我信手拈来的恭维之辞——绝对不是，也不是对你的才华敷衍了事的顺口夸赞，而是我的感情美好而自然的流露。自从上周我第一次读到你的诗，我就一直在脑海中翻来覆去地想，我该怎样告诉你我读后的感受，至今想起此事我仍不免哑然失笑。在初次拜读的喜悦中，我想这一次我一定要摆脱掉单纯被动欣赏的习惯，因为这次我实在太喜欢了，我要完完全全地道出我倾慕的理由——甚至也许还应该像个忠实的同行那样，设法挑出一些毛病，以便对你有所助益，也好让我日后拥有夸耀的资本！但这一切都没有实现——你那充满生命力的美妙诗篇已如此深深地融入我的心灵，成为我身体的一部分，它所有的花朵都在我心中生根、成长。啊，如果这些花被晒干、压平，被视若珍宝，夹在一本书里，在书的封面封底都写上札记，然后被合上并束之高阁，这该是一种多么不同的境遇啊……而且，此书竟还美其名曰“花苑”！

虽则如此，我并不需要放弃以后也可能这样做的念头，因为即使现在，不管是和哪位有识之士谈起，我都能够说清为什么我会对你一首又一首的优美诗篇情有独钟，那清新别致的音乐美，那丰富流畅的语言，那精致动人的诗句，那真实、新颖、奇妙的思想；但在我这封写给你，写给你本人、而且是第一次写的信中，万千情丝却一起涌上心头。

我确实，正如我前面所言，发自内心地喜爱你的诗集——同时也爱着你。你知道吗？有一次，我差一点就能见到你——真正地见到你。一天早上，凯尼恩先生对我说：“你想要见见巴雷特小姐吗？”然后他就去代我通报了，后来他回来了……你当时身染贵恙。如今一晃几年过去了，我感觉那好像是我生命旅程中一段坎坷的旅途，仿佛我曾一度接近——如此接近——某个稀世珍宝，就在某个小教堂或者地下室里，只需轻轻推开一道屏风，我就可以置身其中，但却被某个薄薄的——现在看来的确是薄薄的——但却足以阻止我的屏障给挡在了外面。结果半开的门关闭了，我又回到了千里之外的家，难道再也无缘领略那道风景？

好了，现在我终于有缘领略到这些诗篇，还有这真实的、充满感激的喜悦以及我发自内心的骄傲。

你永远忠实的罗伯特·勃朗宁

1. off-hand：不假思索的；随便的；临时的

2. prompt [pr?mpt] adj. 迅速的，即时的

3. matter-of-course：当然的，无疑的

4. account [??ka?nt] n. 记述，描述

5. Flora [?fl??r?] n. [罗神]福罗拉（古罗马宗教女花神）。flora：植物群。

6. pathos [?pe?θ?s] n. 哀婉动人的词句

7. brave [bre?v] adj. 美好的，美妙的，极好的

8. Mr. Kenyon：请参见39页注释23。

9. untoward [??nt??w??（r）d] adj. 不顺利的；麻烦的；困难的

10. crypt [kr?pt] n. 地窖，（尤指用作墓穴的）教堂地下室