The Turkish Embassy Letters of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (Letter I)蒙太古夫人《東方來信》（第一封）

瑪麗·渥特萊·蒙太古夫人

【導讀】蒙太古夫人（1689—1762），英國書信作家、詩人、旅行家，出身于貴族家庭。自幼天資聰穎，博覽群書，少女時期即開始寫詩，并自學了拉丁文。1712年，她違抗父命，與相戀的愛德華·渥特萊·蒙太古（Edward Wortley Montagu）秘密結婚。婚后不久，愛德華升任財政大臣，蒙太古夫人也因此得以廣結社會名流，與當時的著名文人斯梯爾、艾狄生、康格里夫、蒲柏、蓋依等交往甚密。1716年，愛德華擔任英國駐土耳其大使，她便隨夫沿歐洲各國一路行至土耳其，直到兩年后才返回故土。在此期間，她寫下一組“東方來信”1，共計52封，記錄、分享了沿途的旅行見聞以及土耳其的風土人情。返回倫敦后，蒙太古夫人大力推廣她在土耳其見到的用以預防天花的種痘術，被后世傳為美談。《東方來信》的初版刊行于1763年。

To Lady Mar2，

Rotterdam3， 3 August 1716

I flatter myself， dear sister， that I shall give you some pleasure in letting you know that I am safely past the sea， though we had the ill fortune of a storm. We were persuaded by the captain of our yacht to set out in a calm， and he pretended that there was nothing so easy as to tide it over; but， after two days slowly moving， the wind blew so hard that none of the sailors could keep their feet and we were all Sunday night tossed very handsomely. I never saw a man more frighted than the captain. For my part I have been so lucky neither to suffer from fear or sea-sickness， though I confess I was so impatient to see myself once more upon dry land that I would not stay till the yacht could get to Rotterdam， but went in the long boat to Helvoetsluys4， where we hired voitures5 to carry us to the Brill6. I was charmed with the neatness of this little town， but my arrival in Rotterdam presented me a new scene of pleasure. All the streets are paved with broad stones， and before the meanest artificers’ doors seats of various coloured marbles， and so neatly kept that， I’ll assure you， I walked almost all over the town yesterday， incognito， in my slippers， without receiving one spot of dirt， and you may see the Dutch maids washing the pavement of the street with more application than ours do our bedchambers. The town seems so full of people， with such busy faces， all in motion， that I can hardly fancy that it is not some celebrated fair， but I see it is every day the same. ’Tis certain no town can be more advantageously situated for commerce. Here are seven large canals， on which the merchant ships come up to the very doors of their houses. The shops and warehouses are of a surprising neatness and magnificence， filled with an incredible quantity of fine merchandise， and so much cheaper than what we see in England I have much ado to persuade myself I am still so near it. Here is neither dirt nor beggary to be seen. One is not shocked with those loathsome cripples so common in London， nor teased with the importunities of idle fellows and wenches that choose to be nasty and lazy. The common servants and the little shop women here are more nicely clean than most of our ladies， and the great variety of neat dresses （every woman dressing her head after her own fashion） is an additional pleasure in seeing the town.

You see， hitherto， dear sister， I make no complaints， and if I continue to like travelling as well as I do at present， I shall not repent my project. It will go a great way in making me satisfied with it， if it affords me opportunities of entertaining you. But it is not from Holland that you must expect a disinterested offer. I can write enough in the style of Rotterdam to tell you plainly， in one word， that I expect returns of all the London news. You see I have already learnt to make a good bargain， and that it is not for nothing I will so much as tell you that I am your affectionate sister.

致馬爾伯爵夫人，

鹿特丹，1716年8月3日

親愛的妹妹，我想你得知這事后會頗感欣快。我們雖然不幸遇到了暴風雨，但還算平安地渡過了大洋。起初，在風平浪靜之時，船長勸大家登船出航，仿佛天底下再沒有比越洋渡海更容易的事了。哪知在緩緩前行了兩日后，天上卻刮起了無比猛烈的大風，使得船員沒有一個能站穩腳跟。在那個周日，我們整晚都感到顛簸得厲害。至于船長，我還未曾見過有誰像他那樣驚恐萬狀的。所幸的是我自己既不感到害怕，也不覺得暈船，只是難免也想盡快回到陸地上。故我等不急我們這船抵達鹿特丹，便坐進了一艘大艇里，先前往海勒富特斯勒斯，而后又雇了馬車把我們送至布里勒。我很是喜歡這座小城整潔的樣子。然待我們來到鹿特丹，卻又見到了另一番迷人的景象。那里的街道都以大石板鋪之，即便在卑微至極的匠人的家門前，也有貼著五顏六色大理石片的座椅。并且街道上面還纖塵不染——我不騙你，昨日我穿著便鞋悄悄地把全城游了個遍，也未沾上哪怕一丁點兒的泥污。你可想見荷蘭女傭清洗街道的路面都比我們的女傭打掃臥房更用心。另外，那城里真可說是人山人海，每個人都神色匆匆，馬不停蹄，我很難不以為正在舉辦什么歡慶會，可哪有天天如此的呢。此城實在是最得貿易經商之地利，有著七條大運河，商船往來其間，直抵各家門前。而城中商鋪和貨棧也出乎意料地規整、氣派，里面精美的商品琳瑯滿目，遠比我們在英國所見的要便宜許多——真是難以置信，我竟身臨其境。這里是見不到臟污或乞丐的，人們既不會被遍布倫敦的那類討厭的跛子給驚著，也不會陷入自甘邋遢、懶惰的浪蕩男女的胡攪蠻纏之中。他們就連尋常的傭人、瘦小的女店員也比我們大多數的女士要更顯俏麗甜凈，而那各色各樣漂亮的裝扮——女子們均按自己的喜好打理頭發——又為這座城市的景象增添了額外的光彩。

你瞧，親愛的妹妹，我至此也未抱怨過一句。如若接下來我對旅行還像現在這樣感到中意的話，那我是不會后悔自己當初的計劃的。而在旅行途中，假使能遇到什么有趣的，可拿來逗你一樂，這也會助我生出不虛此行之感。不過，在荷蘭你可別想有什么不求利益的交易。我就單以鹿特丹的方式直言相告吧，總之，你得給我以回報，要把倫敦的近況統統告訴我。你看我都學會如何做一樁好買賣了，而末了的這句“你親愛的姐姐手書”也不是白白寫給你的。

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎選手，單位：中鐵科研院）