Cornelius had not three hundred paces to walk outside theprison to reach the foot of the scaffold. —
Cornelius走出监狱，走到脚手架底部不到三百步路程。 —

At the bottom ofthe staircase, the dog quietly looked at him whilst he waspassing; —
在楼梯底部，那只狗安静地看着他走过； —

Cornelius even fancied he saw in the eyes of themonster a certain expression as it were of compassion.
Cornelius甚至觉得他在怪兽的眼中看到了某种怜悯的表情。

　　The dog perhaps knew the condemned prisoners, and only bitthose who left as free men.
狗也许认识那些被判处死刑的囚犯，只会咬那些作为自由人离开的人。

　　The shorter the way from the door of the prison to the footof the scaffold, the more fully, of course, it was crowdedwith curious people.
从监狱门到脚手架脚下的路越短，显然路上站满了好奇的人。

　　These were the same who, not satisfied with the blood whichthey had shed three days before, were now craving for a newvictim.
这些人不满足于三天前流了血，现在渴望新的受害者。

　　And scarcely had Cornelius made his appearance than a fiercegroan ran through the whole street, spreading all over theyard, and re-echoing from the streets which led to thescaffold, and which were likewise crowded with spectators.
Cornelius一露面，整条街上顿时尖叫声、呻吟声满天飞，从通往脚手架的街道上也是人山人海，回荡着同样的声音。

　　The scaffold indeed looked like an islet at the confluenceof several rivers.
脚手架看起来就像几条河汇流的小岛。

　　In the midst of these threats, groans, and yells, Cornelius,very likely in order not to hear them, had buried himself inhis own thoughts.
在这些威胁、呻吟和叫喊声中，Cornelius可能为了不听见而陷入了自己的思考之中。

　　And what did he think of in his last melancholy journey?
在他最后悲伤的旅程中，他在想些什么呢？

　　Neither of his enemies, nor of his judges, nor of hisexecutioners.
既不是在想他的敌人，也不是他的法官，更不是他的刽子手。

　　He thought of the beautiful tulips which he would see fromheaven above, at Ceylon, or Bengal, or elsewhere, when hewould be able to look with pity on this earth, where Johnand Cornelius de Witt had been murdered for having thoughttoo much of politics, and where Cornelius van Baerle wasabout to be murdered for having thought too much of tulips.
他想到了他将在天堂从上帝视角俯瞰的美丽郁金香，也想到了自己为郁金香思虑过多而将被处死，像约翰和康乃留斯·徳·威特因政治思想太过枉死的这个地球。

“It is only one stroke of the axe,” said the philosopher tohimself, “and my beautiful dream will begin to be realised.” —
“只有一斧头劈下，”哲学家自言自语道，“我美丽的梦就会开始实现。” —

Only there was still a chance, just as it had happenedbefore to M. de Chalais, to M. de Thou, and other slovenlyexecuted people, that the headsman might inflict more thanone stroke, that is to say, more than one martyrdom, on thepoor tulip-fancier.
尽管如此，范·巴尔勒还是毅然登上了脚手架，骄傲自己曾是那位杰出的约翰的朋友，那位高贵的康乃留斯·徳·威特的教子，这些现在赶来围观他即将面临死刑的暴徒们曾在三天前撕裂、焚烧过。

　　Yet, notwithstanding all this, Van Baerle mounted thescaffold not the less resolutely, proud of having been thefriend of that illustrious John, and godson of that nobleCornelius de Witt, whom the ruffians, who were now crowdingto witness his own doom, had torn to pieces and burnt threedays before.
然而，尽管如此，范·巴尔勒还是毅然登上了脚手架，骄傲自己曾是那位杰出的约翰的朋友，那位高贵的康乃留斯·徳·威特的教子，这些现在赶来围观他即将面临死刑的暴徒们曾在三天前撕裂、焚烧过。

　　He knelt down, said his prayers, and observed, not without afeeling of sincere joy, that, laying his head on the block,and keeping his eyes open, he would be able to his lastmoment to see the grated window of the Buytenhof.
他跪下，念起祷文，内心充满着真诚的喜悦，他发现，将头放在斧下，目视着布伊滕霍夫的铁栅栏，直到最后一刻。

At length the fatal moment arrived, and Cornelius placed hischin on the cold damp block. —
最终，致命的时刻来临了，科内利厄斯把下巴放在冰冷潮湿的砧板上。 —

But at this moment his eyesclosed involuntarily, to receive more resolutely theterrible avalanche which was about to fall on his head, andto engulf his life.
但就在这一刻，他的眼睛不由自主地闭上了，以更坚定地面对即将落在他头上、吞噬他生命的可怕洪流。

　　A gleam like that of lightning passed across the scaffold:
一个闪电般的闪光划过刑场：

　　it was the executioner raising his sword.
那是行刑者举起剑的一刻。

　　Van Baerle bade farewell to the great black tulip, certainof awaking in another world full of light and glorioustints.
范巴尔给那盛开的黑郁金香告别，确信自己将在另一个光明而辉煌的世界中醒来。

Three times he felt, with a shudder, the cold current of airfrom the knife near his neck, but what a surprise! —
他感到寒冷的空气从刀刃旁边掠过三次，不禁打了个寒颤，但令人惊讶的是！ —

he feltneither pain nor shock.
他既没有感到疼痛，也没有受到震击。

　　He saw no change in the colour of the sky, or of the worldaround him.
他看不到天空或周围世界的颜色有任何变化。

　　Then suddenly Van Baerle felt gentle hands raising him, andsoon stood on his feet again, although trembling a little.
接着，范巴尔感到温柔的手把他扶起，虽有些颤抖，但很快站了起来。

　　He looked around him. There was some one by his side,reading a large parchment, sealed with a huge seal of redwax.
他四处看看，有人站在他身边，读着一卷用红蜡封好的大纸张。

And the same sun, yellow and pale, as it behooves a Dutchsun to be, was shining in the skies; —
同样的，荷兰式的太阳黄而苍白，在天空中闪耀着； —

and the same gratedwindow looked down upon him from the Buytenhof; —
那同样的铁栅窗从布伊滕霍夫往下俯视着他； —

and the samerabble, no longer yelling, but completely thunderstruck,were staring at him from the streets below.
那同样的喧哗声已经不再，如今是完全惊呆了的人群从下面的街道上望着他。

　　Van Baerle began to be sensible to what was going on aroundhim.
范巴尔开始意识到周围发生的事情。

　　His Highness, William, Prince of Orange, very likely afraidthat Van Baerle’s blood would turn the scale of judgmentagainst him, had compassionately taken into considerationhis good character, and the apparent proofs of hisinnocence.
他的高官，奥兰治王子威廉，很可能害怕范巴尔勒的血液会左右判决的天平，因此怜悯地考虑了他的良好品行以及明显的无辜证据。

　　His Highness, accordingly, had granted him his life.
因此，他的高官赦免了他的生命。

　　Cornelius at first hoped that the pardon would be complete,and that he would be restored to his full liberty and to hisflower borders at Dort.
开始时，科内利斯希望这个赦免是完全的，他将被恢复到他在多特的完全自由和花园。

But Cornelius was mistaken. To use an expression of Madamede Sevigne, who wrote about the same time, “there was apostscript to the letter;” —
但是科内利斯错了。用丝维涅夫人的话来说，谁当时也写道，“信的后记还在笔下；” —

and the most important part ofthe letter was contained in the postscript.
信的最重要部分内容在后记中。

In this postscript, William of Orange, Stadtholder ofHolland, condemned Cornelius van Baerle to imprisonment forlife. —
在这个附言中，荷兰统领威廉将科内利斯·范巴尔勒判处终身监禁。 —

He was not sufficiently guilty to suffer death, but hewas too much so to be set at liberty.
他并不足以受到死刑的惩罚，但他太有罪以至于不能被释放。

Cornelius heard this clause, but, the first feeling ofvexation and disappointment over, he said to himself, –“Never mind, all this is not lost yet; —
科内利斯听到这条款，但在烦恼和失望的初感过去后，他对自己说，“不要紧，这一切还不是全部都失去了； —

there is some good inthis perpetual imprisonment; —
这种终身监禁也有一些好处； —

Rosa will be there, and also mythree bulbs of the black tulip are there.” —
罗莎会在那里，还有我那三个黑郁金香的球茎在那里。” —

But Cornelius forgot that the Seven Provinces had sevenprisons, one for each, and that the board of the prisoner isanywhere else less expensive than at the Hague, which is acapital.
但科内利斯忘记了七个省份有七个监狱，每一个都有一个，而犯人的膳食在海牙以外的任何地方都比在海牙便宜，那可是一个首都。

His Highness, who, as it seems, did not possess the means tofeed Van Baerle at the Hague, sent him to undergo hisperpetual imprisonment at the fortress of Loewestein, verynear Dort, but, alas! —
他的高官，似乎没有能力养活范巴尔勒，在海牙指定他在距离多特很近但遥远的Loewestein要塞永久监禁，但， —

also very far from it; for Loewestein,as the geographers tell us, is situated at the point of theislet which is formed by the confluence of the Waal and theMeuse, opposite Gorcum.
同样也离多特很远；因为正如地理学家告诉我们的那样，Loewestein位于瓦尔河和莱茵河汇合处形成的小岛的端点，对面是霍尔科姆。

Van Baerle was sufficiently versed in the history of hiscountry to know that the celebrated Grotius was confined inthat castle after the death of Barneveldt; —
范巴尔勒足够了解他的国家历史，知道著名的格罗廷斯基在巴尔涅维尔德去世后被囚禁在那座城堡中； —

and that theStates, in their generosity to the illustrious publicist,jurist, historian, poet, and divine, had granted to him forhis daily maintenance the sum of twenty-four stivers.
并且States，对这位杰出的公共主义者、法学家、历史学家、诗人和神学家，在慷慨时，为他的日常生活费用提供了24个客币。

“I,” said Van Baerle to himself, “I am worth much less thanGrotius. —
“我,“范·巴尔勒自言自语道，”价值远不及格罗缇乌斯。 —

They will hardly give me twelve stivers, and Ishall live miserably; —
“他们几乎不会给我十二司特文，我将过着贫困的生活; —

but never mind, at all events I shalllive.” —
但无论如何，至少我还会活着.” —

Then suddenly a terrible thought struck him.
突然，一种可怕的念头袭上心头.

“Ah!” he exclaimed, “how damp and misty that part of thecountry is, and the soil so bad for the tulips! —
“啊!“他叫道，”那个地方的气候多潮湿和多雾，土地对郁金香来说太糟糕了！ —

And thenRosa will not be at Loewestein!”
而且罗莎也不会在罗威斯坦！”