After days and nights of incredible labour and fatigue, I succeeded in discovering the cause of generation and life; nay, more, I became myself capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter.
The astonishment which I had at first experienced on this discovery soon gave place to delight and rapture. After so much time spent in painful labour, to arrive at once at the summit of my desires was the most gratifying consummation of my toils. But this discovery was so great and overwhelming that all the steps by which I had been progressively led to it were obliterated, and I beheld only the result, what had been the study and desire of the wisest men since the creation of the world was now within my grasp. Not that, like a magic scene, it all opened upon me at once: the information I had obtained was of a nature rather to direct my endeavours so soon as I should point them towards the object of my search than to exhibit that object already accomplished. I was like the Arabian who had been buried with the dead and found a passage to life, aided only by one glimmering and seemingly ineffectual light.
經過日以繼夜的勞累，我成功發現了生命發生的原因。哦，甚至，我有能力對無生命之物賦予生命。這項發現之初，我感受到的驚愕很快轉為狂喜。花這麼多時間在如此令人難以忍受的勞累上之後，突然間達成我最大的願望，我的辛勞換得了令人滿意的成果，但這項發現太偉大，令人難以承受，使我忽視了發現過程中的所有步驟，只見到結果。打從開天闢地以來，人類最富智慧之士所研究、想達成的東西，如今在我的掌握之中。它並不像變魔術，突然之間呈現在我眼前；我所獲得的資訊是要引導我的努力投注在我追求的目標上，並不是要我展示已完成的成績。我就像個陪葬的阿拉伯人，發現了逃生之路，但輔助我的只有一盞乎明乎暗、似乎無啥功用的燈火。 47-48
I beheld the wretch -- the miserable monster whom I had created. He held up the curtain of the bed; and his eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fixed on me. His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks. He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped and rushed downstairs. I took refuge in the courtyard belonging to the house which I inhabited, where I remained during the rest of the night, walking up and down in the greatest agitation, listening attentively, catching and fearing each sound as if it were to announce the approach of the demoniacal corpse to which I had so miserably given life.
Oh! No mortal could support the horror of that countenance. A mummy again endued with animation could not he so hideous as that wretch. I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then, but when those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it became a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived.
我看見了怪人—我創造的那個可怕怪物。他掀開床幔；而且他那雙眼睛—如果可以稱之為眼睛的話—正凝視我。他張開口，咕噥了幾個聽不懂的聲音，同時咧嘴笑著，弄皺了雙頰的皮膚。他或者說了什麼，但是他逃開，衝下樓梯。我逃到我居住的那棟屋子院落中，待了一整夜，激動得來回走著，仔細聆聽著，害怕每一個聲響，似乎每一個聲響都顯示出我自討苦吃。我賦予生命的那個怪物般的死屍出現了。哦！無人能承受那種形貌帶來的驚恐。就算是起死回生的木乃伊也不可能比那個怪人更可怕。未完成前我曾凝視他；當時他就很醜陋，但等到那些肌肉和關節可以活動時，他變成一個即使但丁也想像不出來的東西。 54-55
Two years had now nearly elapsed since the night on which he first received life, and was this his first crime? Alas! I had turned loose into the world a depraved wretch whose delight was in carnage and misery; had he not murdered my brother?
打從他獲得生命的那一夜起，迄今已過了將近兩年，那麼，這可是他犯下的第一樁罪行？啊！我把一個以殘殺和不幸為樂的邪惡怪物縱放到人世間；他不是已殺害了我的弟弟嗎？77
I considered the being whom I had cast among mankind and endowed with the will and power to effect purposes of horror, such as the deed which he had now done, nearly in the light of my own vampire, my own spirit let loose from the grave and forced to destroy all that was dear to me.
我想到自己縱放到人世間的那個生物，我賦予了他可以達成恐怖目的的意志和力量，例如眼前他已做過的事；他簡直就像我自己的吸血鬼，就像我自己的鬼魂從墳墓中被釋放出來，去摧毀我所珍愛的一切。 77
Remorse extinguished every hope. I had been the author of unalterable evils, and I lived in daily fear lest the monster whom I had created should perpetrate some new wickedness. I had an obscure feeling that all was not over and that he would still commit some signal crime, which by its enormity should almost efface the recollection of the past. There was always scope for fear so long as anything I loved remained behind. My abhorrence of this fiend cannot be conceived. When I thought of him I gnashed my teeth, my eyes became inflamed, and I ardently wished to extinguish that life which I had so thoughtlessly bestowed. When I reflected on his crimes and malice, my hatred and revenge burst all bounds of moderation.
悔恨毀滅了一切希望。我是造成無法改變的惡行的始作俑者，日日活在憂懼中，擔心我所創造的怪物會再犯下新的惡行。我隱隱約約感覺到一切尚未結束，他還會犯下某種重大罪行，其嚴重性幾乎會使過去的恐怖記憶相形遜色。只要有任何一個我所愛的人還在，就有恐懼的理由。無人能理解我對這個怪物的憎惡。一想到他，我就咬牙切齒，雙眼冒火，殷切希望毀滅這個我未加考慮便賦予的生命。想起他的罪行和惡毒，強烈的仇恨之心便油然而生。 97
“All men hate the wretched; how, then, must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things! Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me, thy creature, to whom thou art bound by ties only dissoluble by the annihilation of one of us. You purpose to kill me. How dare you sport thus with life? ”
所有人都憎恨可憐人；那麼，我這個比所有生物更可憐的人，必然要受到多大的憎恨啊！然而你，我的創造者，鄙棄我，你的創造物，你與我的關係只有靠消滅我倆之中的一方可能消失。你決意殺死我。你怎麼敢如此玩弄生命？ 106
Life, although it may only be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to me, and I will defend it. Remember, thou hast made me more powerful than thyself; my height is superior to thine, my joints more supple. But I will not be tempted to set myself in opposition to thee. I am thy creature, and I will be even mild and docile to my natural lord and king if thou wilt also perform thy part, the which thou owest me. Oh, Frankenstein, be not equitable to every other and trample upon me alone, to whom thy justice, and even thy clemency and affection, is most due. Remember that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed.
生命，儘管可能只是痛苦的累積，但是我珍惜它，我會保衛他。記住，你已把我創造得比你更強大有力；我比你高，我的關節較粗壯。但是我不會受激與你為敵。我是你的創造物，只要你盡你的職責—這是你欠我的—我就會對我的生命主人更馴服。哦，Frankenstein，不要對其他人都公正，唯獨踐踏我。你最應該給我公道，甚至你的仁慈和感情。記住，我是你創造的；我應是你的亞當，但我卻是個墮落天使，沒有犯錯卻被你剝奪喜悅。107
“It was your journal of the four months that preceded my creation. You minutely described in these papers every step you took in the progress of your work; this history was mingled with accounts of domestic occurrences. You doubtless recollect these papers. Here they are. Everything is related in them which bears reference to my accursed origin; the whole detail of that series of disgusting circumstances which produced it is set in view; the minutest description of my odious and loathsome person is given, in language which painted your own horrors and rendered mine indelible. I sickened as I read. `Hateful day when I received life!'I exclaimed in agony. `Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust?”
那是在我創生之前四個月間你所寫的札記。你在這些文件上詳細記錄了工作進展中的每一個步驟；這份紀錄中還夾雜了一些家庭事件。無疑你還記得這些札記。這就是。其中內容記載了我這天譴的生命源始的相關資料；那一連串製造過程中的噁心事件歷歷在目；對我這個可憎之人的詳細描述刻化出你自己的驚駭，也使我的驚駭永遠難忘。我越讀越難過。「我獲得生命那一天多教人憎恨啊！」我痛苦吶喊。「天殺的創造者！你為什麼要製造一個如此醜陋的怪物，連你自己都厭惡地棄我而去？」144
I had read Feankenstein before you wrote about it. I think the writer wanted to emphasize the horrible result of deciding creatures' living and death. Therefore, the result of controling life in Feankenstein is bad. However, if we think of some examples which have advantage on scientific aspects, like Dolly the sheep. What's your oponion about it? This is just the question came up in my mind when I am trying to think about the question like this.
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