英語專業8級翻譯練習

Though fond of many acquaintances, I desire an intimacy only with a few. The Man in Black, whom I have often mentioned, is one whose friendship I could wish to acquire, because he possesses my esteem. His manners, it is true, are tinctured with some strange inconsistencies, and he may be justly termed a humorist in a nation of humorists. Though he is generous even to profusion, he affects to be thought a prodigy of parsimony and prudence; though his conversation be replete with the most sordid and selfish maxims, his heart is dilated with the most unbounded love. I have known him profess himself a man-hater, while his cheek was glowing with compassion; and, while his looks were softened into pity, I have heard him use the language of the most unbounded ill-nature. Some affect humanity and tenderness, others boast of having such dispositions from Nature; but he is the only man I ever knew who seemed ashamed of his natural benevolence. He takes as much pains to hide his feelings, as any hypocrite would to conceal his indifference; but on every unguarded moment the mask drops off, and reveals him to the most superficial observer.

(譯 文)

儘管我喜歡廣交朋友，但我只願與為數不多的幾人成為至交。我所提及的那位黑衣男士，就是那樣一個我希冀與其成為莫逆之交的人，因為他深得我的景仰。誠然，其行為舉止不乏某些怪異的出爾反爾，他全然可被稱為幽默家王國中的幽默大師。雖然他慷慨大方，乃至奢靡無度，但他仍假惺惺地希望人們將其視作節儉與審慎之奇才。儘管其言談之中滿是污穢和自私的格言，其內心卻充盈着最博大無際的.愛心。據我所知，他常宣稱自己是人類憎惡者;然而，他的臉龐上卻總漾溢着憐憫之情。雖然其神情會柔化為一片慈悲，我卻聽到過他使用最為惡劣的言辭，其惡劣程度可謂無以復加。有些人佯裝人道與柔情，也有一些人則誇耀説這樣的秉性乃天性使然。但在我所有認識的人當中，唯有他似乎羞恥於其與生俱有的慈悲之心。他會竭力掩飾其真情，一如任何一個偽君子會掩飾其冷漠那樣。然則，在每一個毫無防範的瞬間，那戴着的假面具便會脱落下來，使其畢露於哪怕是最為膚淺的觀察者。