Editor’s Note
故事发生在Verona名城，有两家门第相当的巨族，累世的宿怨不断激起新争。命运却注定这两家仇敌，造就了一对不幸的恋人…… 情不知所起，一往而深，生者可以死，死可以生，在那一轮皎洁的月光下，盛开了一朵旷古的爱情之花。
Romeo and Juliet
– Chapter 1 –
THE TRAGEDY OF ROMEO AND JULIET
By William Shakespeare, provided by Mint Reading, narrated by Gillian Martin and Dryw McArthur.
Two houses, both alike in dignity(尊贵),
In fair Verona(维罗纳,地名), where we lay our scene.
From ancient grudge(积怨) create new enmity(敌意),
Where noble blood makes noble hands unclean.
Born from the seed of these two enemies
A pair of(一对) star-crossed(命运多舛的) lovers take their life.
These children of the warring dynasties
Shall, with their death, bury their parents’ strife(纠纷).
The fearful passage of their death-marked love,
And the continuing of their parents’ rage(盛怒)
Which nothing but their deaths could then remove,
Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage.
And now, if you with patient ears attend(倾听),
What you might miss, our play shall try to mend.
ACT I
Scene I.
Two servants of the house of Capulet were talking in the streets of Verona:
“We won’t take it any more!” said Sampson.
“From now on, we’ll give as good as we get!” Gregory replied.
“It’s time for us to settle accounts(算账) with those Montagues!”
“If they start something, we’re ready!”
“The best defense is attack!”
As they were talking, they saw two servants of the Montagues coming down the street.
“Draw your weapon(武器)! Here come two Montagues!”
“My naked(拔出鞘的) weapon is out. Now start a fight! I will back you up.”
“How? By running away?”
“Don’t be afraid. I’m right here.”
“There’s nothing about you that could scare anyone, that’s what scares me.”
“We want to have the law on our side, so let’s make them start the fight.”
“I’ll give them a dirty look as I pass by, and let them take it as they want.”
“You mean: take it as they dare.
I will bite my thumb(拇指) at them—which is a disgrace(羞辱) to them, if they don’t do something about it.”
So Sampson went up to the Montagues, and made the insulting(侮辱性的) gesture to them.
“Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?” one of the Montagues asked.
“I bite my thumb, sir.”
“Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?”
Then Sampson asked Gregory, “Is the law on our side if I say ‘yes’?”
“No,” was the reply.
So Sampson said to the Montagues, “No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir; but I bite my thumb, sir. Are you looking for a fight, sir?”
“A fight, sir? No, sir,” was the Montague’s reply.
“If you are looking for one, you have come to the right place.
I serve a better man than you.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Yes, I do.”
“You lie!”
“Draw your swords, if you are men!”
And so all four of them drew their swords and started fighting, right there in the street.
But before anybody could get hurt, Benvolio, a gentleman of the Montague family, arrived.
He saw what was happening, and knocked aside their swords.
“Stop this fighting!” said Benvolio.
“You don’t know what you’re doing!”
But at that moment Tybalt appeared.
He was a Capulet who had a very strong hatred of the Montagues, and was the main reason that the feud(夙仇) was still continuing.
“I see you, Benvolio!” said Tybalt, drawing his sword as well.
“You have attacked these men, and now you shall pay for it with your life!”
“I am only trying to keep the peace,” Benvolio replied.
“Either put away your sword, or help me separate these men and send them home.”
“You talk of peace, with a drawn sword in your hand?” said Tybalt.
“Peace! I hate the very word! And I hate all Montagues, and you in particular.
Now defend yourself, coward(懦夫)!”
Then Tybalt fiercely attacked Benvolio, who had to defend himself as best he could.
Fortunately, before too long, an officer arrived, together with three or four ordinary citizens armed with clubs and long spears.
“Citizens, stop them!” said the officer.
“Use your weapons if you have to!”
“Down with the Capulets! Down with the Montagues!” shouted the citizens.
Old Capulet, the head of the family, had heard about what happened and arrived with his wife.
“Give me my long sword, now!” he said to his wife.
“I’m sure you mean your crutch(腋杖), dear,” said his wife.
“I mean my sword, woman! Don’t you see that Old Montague has arrived, and is about to draw his sword to fight me?”
For Old Montague and his wife had also just arrived.
“You villain(恶棍) Capulet!” Montague shouted.
“Let me get at you!”
But his wife held him back, and said, “I will not let you get even one foot further into trouble than you already are!”
Prince(亲王) Escalus, the ruler of Verona, had also heard about the fight, and now arrived with his guards.
The two sides at once stopped fighting, and each side tried to look as if the other side had started it.
Prince Escalus said to them all:
“You disobedient(不顺从的) subjects and enemies of peace!
What is this fire in your hearts that can only be put out with blood?
Are you men, or wild beasts?
Let those blood-stained hands of yours drop their weapons at once, and let your ears now hear my judgment(判决)!
There have already been three such fights in the streets of Verona.
They started with nothing more serious than words.
They ended only when the peaceful, elderly citizens of Verona were forced to leave their peaceful pleasures, come out into the streets, and separate you by force.
Their hands are calloused(生茧的) from the arts of peace; yours, from the arts of destruction.
If ever you disturb(扰乱) our streets again, you shall pay for it with your lives.
Now all of you go home, except for you, Old Capulet—I have a few words to say to you.
And Montague, I have some things to say to you too—
come this afternoon to Freetown, the court where I give judgment.
Now all of you go home, at once!”