“雨尔根，我心里有一件事情！请让我作你的‘女助手’吧，因为你简直像我的一个弟兄。莫尔登只不过和我订过婚——他和我只不过是爱人罢了。但是这话不值得对别人讲！”
It seemed to Jurgen as if the loose sand was giving way under his feet. He did not speak a word，but nodded his head，and that meant “yes”。 It was all that was necessary； but he suddenly felt in his heart that he hated Martin，and the more he thought the more he felt convinced that Martin had stolen away from him the only being he ever loved，and that this was Else. he had never thought of Else in this way before，but now it all became plain to him.
雨尔根似乎觉得他脚下的一堆沙在向下沉。他一句话也说不出来，只是点着头，等于说：“好吧。”别的话用不着再说了。不过他心里忽然觉得，他瞧不起莫尔登。他越在这方面想——因为他从前从来没想到过爱尔茜——他就越明白，他认为莫尔登把他惟一心爱的人偷走了。现在他懂得了，爱尔茜就是他所爱的人。
When the sea is rather rough，and the fishermen are coming home in their great boats，it is wonderful to see how they cross the reefs. One of them stands upright in the bow of the boat，and the others watch him sitting with the oars in their hands. Outside the reef it looks as if the boat was not approaching land but going back to sea，then the man who is standing up gives them the signal that the great wave is coming which is to float them across the reef. The boat is lifted high into the air，so that the keel is seen from the shore； the next moment nothing can be seen，mast，keel，and people are all hidden—it seems as though the sea had devoured them； but in a few moments they emerge like a great sea animal climbing up the waves，and the oars move as if the creature had legs. The second and third reef are passed in the same manner； then the fishermen jump into the water and push the boat towards the shore—every wave helps them— and at length they have it drawn up，beyond the reach of the breakers.
海上掀起了一股不大不小的波浪，渔人们都驾着船回来；他们克服重重暗礁的技术，真是值得一看：一个人笔直地立在船头，别的人则紧握着桨坐着，注意地看着他。他们在礁石的外面，朝着海倒划，直到船头上的那个人打出一个手势，预告有一股巨浪到来时为止。浪就把船托起来，使它越过暗礁。船升得那么高，岸上的人可以看得见船身，接着整个的船就在海浪后面不见了——船桅、船身、船上的人都看不见了，好像海已经把他们吞噬了似的。可是不一会儿，他们像一个庞大的海洋动物，又爬到浪头上来了。桨在划动着，像是这动物的灵活肢体。他们于是像第一次一样，又越过第二道和第三道暗礁。这时渔人们就跳到水里去，把船拖到岸边来。每一股浪帮助他们把船向前推进一步，直到最后他们把船拖到海滩上为止。
A wrong order given in front of the reef—the slightest hesitation—and the boat would be lost，如果号令在暗礁面前略有错误——略有迟疑——船儿就会撞碎。
“Then it would be all over with me and Martin too！”
“那么我和莫尔登也就完了！”
This thought passed through Jurgens mind one day while they were out at sea，where his fosterfather had been taken suddenly ill. The fever had seized him. They were only a few oars strokes from the reef，and Jurgen sprang from his seat and stood up in the bow.
雨尔根来到海上的时候，心中忽然起了这样一个思想。他的养父这时在海上病得很厉害，全身烧得发抖。他们离开礁石只有数桨之遥。雨尔根跳到船头上去。
“Father—let me come！” he said，and he glanced at Martin and across the waves； every oar bent with the exertions of the rowers as the great wave came towards them，and he saw his fathers pale face，and dared not obey the evil impulseimpulse n.推动，刺激，冲动，推动力vt.推动 that had shot through his brain. The boat came safely across the reef to land； but the evil thought remained in his heart，and roused up every little fibre of bitterness which he remembered between himself and Martin since they had known each other. But he could not weave the fibres together，nor did he endeavourendeavour n.<英>尽力，竭力 to do so. He felt that Martin had robbed him，and this was enough to make him hate his former friend. Several of the fishermen saw this，but Martin did not—he remained as obliging and talkative as ever，in fact he talked rather too much.
“爸爸，让我来吧！”他说。他向莫尔登和浪花看了一眼。不过当每一个人都在使出最大的气力划桨、当一股最大的海浪向他们袭来的时候，他看到了养父的惨白的面孔，于是他心里那种不良的动机也就不能再控制住他了。船安全地越过了暗礁，到达了岸边，但是那种不良的思想仍然留在他的血液里。在他的记忆中，自从跟莫尔登做朋友时起，他就怀着一股怨气。现在这种不良的思想就把怨恨的纤维都掀动起来了。但是他不能把这些纤维织到一起，所以也就只好让它去。莫尔登毁掉了他，他已经感觉到了这一点，而这已足够使他憎恨。有好几个渔人已经注意到了这一点，但是莫尔登没有注意到。他仍然像从前一样，喜欢帮助，喜欢聊天——的确，他太喜欢聊天了。
Jurgens fosterfather took to his bed，and it became his deathbed，for he died a week afterwards； and now Jurgen was heir to the little house behind the sandhills. It was small，certainly，but still it was something，and Martin had nothing of the kind.
雨尔根的养父只能躺在床上。而这张床也成了送他终的床，因为他在下个星期就死去了。现在雨尔根成为这些沙丘后面那座小屋子的继承人。的确，这不过是一座简陋的屋子，但它究竟还有点价值，而莫尔登却连这点东西都没有。
“You will not go to sea again，Jurgen，I suppose.” observed one of the old fishermen. “You will always stay with us now.”
“你不必再到海上去找工作吧，雨尔根？你现在可以永远地跟我们住在一起了。”一位年老的渔人说。
But this was not Jurgens intention； he wanted to see something of the world. The eelbreeder of Fjaltring had an uncle at Old Skjagen，who was a fisherman，but also a prosperous merchant with ships upon the sea，he was said to be a good old man，and it would not be a bad thing to enter his service. Old Skjagen lies in the extreme north of Jutland，as far away from the Hunsby dunes as one can travel in that country，and this is just what pleased Jurgen，for he did not want to remain till the wedding of Martin and Else，which would take place in a week or two.
雨尔根却没有这种想法。他还想看一看世界。法尔特令的那位年老的养鳝鱼的人在老斯卡根有一个舅父，也是一个渔人。不过他同时还是一个富有的商人，拥有一条船。他是一个非常可爱的老头儿，帮他做事倒是很不坏的。老斯卡根是在尤兰的极北部，离胡斯埠的沙丘很远——远得不能再远。但是这正合雨尔根的意思，因为他不愿看见莫尔登和爱尔茜结婚，他们在几个星期内就要举行婚礼了。
The old fisherman said it was foolish to go away，for now that Jurgen had a home Else would very likely be inclinedinclined adj.倾向……的 to take him instead of Martin.
那个老渔人说，现在要离开这地方是一件傻事，因为雨尔根现在有了一个家，而且爱尔茜无疑是愿意和他结婚的。
Jurgen gave such a vaguevague adj.含糊的，不清楚的，茫然的，暧昧的 answer that it was not easy to make out what he meant—the old man brought Else to him，and she said，“You have a home now； you ought to think of that.” And Jurgen thought of many things.
雨尔根胡乱地回答了他几句话；他的话里究竟有什么意思，谁也弄不清楚。不过老头儿把爱尔茜带来看他。她没有说多少话，只说了这一句：“你现在有一个家了，你应该仔细考虑考虑。”于是雨尔根就考虑了很久。
The sea has heavy waves，but there are heavier waves in the human heart. Many thoughts，strong and weak，rushed through Jurgens brain，and he said to Else： “If Martin had a house like mine，which of us would you rather have？”
海里的浪涛很大，而人心里的浪涛却更大。许多思想——坚强的和脆弱的思想——都集中到雨尔根的脑子里来。他问爱尔茜：“如果莫尔登也有我这样的一座屋子，你情愿要谁呢？”