素 以篇幅精致、風格優(yōu)雅為賣點的英國古典劇是不少劇迷的心頭好。本期所選的《雀起鄉(xiāng)到燭鎮(zhèn)》就是一部英倫味兒十足的英國古典劇，第一季于2008年在BBC首播，2011年播出第四季也是最后一季。劇集受到觀眾的熱捧，好評如潮，英劇控可不要錯過哦！

故事發(fā)生在19世紀末的牛津郡小村莊雀起鄉(xiāng)和富裕的鄰鎮(zhèn)燭鎮(zhèn)。16歲的雀起鄉(xiāng)少女勞拉·提敏斯（Laura Timmins）離開本鄉(xiāng)到鄰近的燭鎮(zhèn)投奔她的堂姨——精干而熱心腸的燭鎮(zhèn)郵政局長朵克思·雷恩小姐（Dorcas Lane），開始了一段新的生活。聰穎敏銳、熱愛生活的勞拉把日常的所見所感都記錄在她的日記中，整個故事都是通過勞拉的視角來講述的。一幅維多利亞時期的英國鄉(xiāng)鎮(zhèn)畫卷就此緩緩展開，各色人物在這小小的一鄉(xiāng)一鎮(zhèn)中演繹著屬于他們的小故事，其中既有溫馨浪漫的親情愛情，也有睿智幽默的生活小品。整部劇集以一種平實的基調(diào)娓娓講述著恬淡的鄉(xiāng)村生活，也是那一時期英格蘭鄉(xiāng)村生活的縮影。詩情畫意的田園風光，溫暖親切的生活故事，不僅給人視覺上的享受，也給人心靈上的啟迪。

本劇改編自英國女作家弗洛拉·湯普森（Flora Thompson，1876-1947）所著的半自傳體作品《Lark Rise To Candleford》。弗洛拉出生于牛津郡，自幼生活在鄉(xiāng)村，對于那里的生活十分眷戀。這部作品事實上也是作者根據(jù)自己少年時期在牛津郡的生活回憶而著。

（Mr. Rushton， the Post Office inspector， is on a surprise visit to the Candleford Post Office. He overhears a local saying “passing a morning hour” in the Post Office.）

Mr. Rushton： How did you come to be Postmistress here， Miss Lane？

Miss Lane： Do you mean how did a woman come to be in charge？

Mr. Rushton： It is rather...unexpected.

Miss Lane： That very much depends upon your expectations. I inherited from my father. I seemed to have a natural instinct for it.

Mr. Rushton： Im not sure that what Ive witnessed here is a 1）well-oiled business. We are not highly trained in order to waste valuable time， “passing a morning hour.”

Miss Lane： A Post Office is more than the 2）dispensing of stamps and postal orders. It is the soul of the community. You may want to write in the bottom of your report that I love my work. Do you suppose there will be room in your report for love， Mr. Rushton？

（Mr. Rushton discovers that Miss Lane allows some Irish labourers to post things at night after the Post Office is closed.）

Mr. Rushton： And you are trading outside of licensed hours. You realise what this means， Miss Lane？

Miss Lane： I know too well. It means that good men who work every hour of daylight are able to send home a little something for their loved ones.

Mr. Rushton： It is a 3）flagrant disregard of the 4）statutes of your office. You have 5）forfeited your right to practise. Miss Lane： I think it is rather 6）undignified for a man to threaten a woman in such a 7）brutish fashion.

Mr. Rushton： I have watched you. I know you. You think because you dress so fine and you talk so fine， because you are born to it， that you are above Post Office regulations， above everything and everyone. I am here to show you that you are nothing compared to the rule of Post Office command and decree！

Miss Lane： If I have given the impression of being 8）aloof， I apologise. I promise you， I have no such intention. I merely consider it my duty to be a human being before a servant to my office.

（郵局檢查員拉什頓先生在對燭鎮(zhèn)郵局進行突擊檢查。他聽到一個鎮(zhèn)民說要在郵局“打發(fā)一點上午的時光”。）

拉什頓先生：雷恩小姐，你是怎么成為郵政局長的？

雷恩小姐：你是說一個女人如何能掌管郵局嗎？

拉什頓先生：有點……意想不到。

雷恩小姐：那可要看你是怎么想的。我從我父親那接管了郵局，我似乎對此很有天賦。

拉什頓先生：我不確定你的郵局是否運轉(zhuǎn)良好，經(jīng)過專業(yè)訓練的我們不是來這浪費時間的，“打發(fā)一點上午的時光”。

雷恩小姐：郵局不僅僅是賣一下郵票和匯票而已，它是整個社區(qū)的靈魂。你可以在你的報告末尾寫上我熱愛我的工作。你認為你的報告中有愛存在的空間嗎，拉什頓先生？

（拉什頓先生發(fā)現(xiàn)雷恩小姐在夜晚郵局關(guān)門之后還允許幾個愛爾蘭勞工寄東西。）

拉什頓先生：你居然在營業(yè)時間外執(zhí)業(yè)！你知道這意味著什么嗎，雷恩小姐？

雷恩小姐：我非常清楚，這意味著白天忙著勞作的人們能夠有機會給心愛的家人寄去一點點東西。

拉什頓先生：這是公然違背郵局的規(guī)定，你已經(jīng)失去了掌管郵局的權(quán)力。

雷恩小姐：我認為一個男人以這樣一種殘酷的方式來威嚇一個女人有失體面。

拉什頓先生：我觀察過你，我了解你，你以為因為你穿著好，談吐好，因為你生來就擁有這一切，你就可以無視郵局規(guī)章，無視其他人和其他所有事情。我來這里是要告訴你，和郵局法規(guī)比起來，你什么都不是！

雷恩小姐：如果我給你留下高傲的印象，我道歉。我保證我從來沒有這樣想過。我只是更重視人之常情，而不是一味地對郵局效忠。

（Laura is sitting on a log drawing the beautiful view of Lark Rise， when Fisher Bloom， a young clockmaker， comes to her.）

Fisher： （Clearing his throat） You have my spot.

Laura： Ill have you know that Ive been coming to this spot for many years. My whole life. And Ive drawn this view a hundred times and more.

Fisher： Why here？ Why this spot？

Laura： There are pathways that Ive trodden daily. Bushes and wildflowers I know better than my own hands. The pond where the yellow brandy bull water lilies grow. Little birch 9）thickets where the long-tailed 10）tits 11）congregate. Ive seen these fields in the blackest thunderstorms， and in more sunshine than we have a right to deserve.

（勞拉正坐在一段木頭上畫著雀起鄉(xiāng)的美景，這時年輕的鐘表匠費瑟·布魯姆來到了她身邊。）

費瑟：（清了清嗓子）你占了我的地方。勞拉：那我告訴你，這個地方我已經(jīng)來了好多年了，從小到大都會來。這片風景我已經(jīng)畫過不下百遍了。

費瑟：為什么是這里？為什么選這個地方？勞拉：這里有我每天經(jīng)過的小路。我對這些灌木、野花，比對自己的手還要熟悉。這里有黃色睡蓮盛開的池塘，也有長尾山雀聚集的樺樹林。我見過這片田野被狂風暴雨洗禮，也見過其沐浴在不似人間應(yīng)有的明媚陽光中。

（Mrs. Arless buys beer from an Oxford brewer， but constantly delays paying the bill and thus is taken to court. Sir Timothy， the local squire， is in charge of the hearing.）

Sir Timothy： Mrs. Arless， why did you buy the beer if you knew you could not afford to pay for it？

Mrs. Arless： I was brought up to respect my betters， Sir. And this gentle fellow here is a clever Oxford man with an expensive suit of clothes. Now if a man with all his schooling in numbers and such tells a simple 12）gal like me， Sir， that I can afford his beer， well， who am I to tell him hes wrong？

Sir Timothy： Having taken the beer， you made no attempt to pay the money that you owed.

Mrs. Arless： That...thats cos they made it so tasty， Your Lordship， Sir. The deliciousness of it had me coming back for more. And the more I drank， the more I forgot my worries...Beer does that for you， Sir. I only wish they hadnt made it so enjoyable， and then I mightve paid for it！

Sir Timothy： Did you not think it irresponsible， Mrs. Arless， for a mother of so many children to spend your money on 13）ale？

Mrs. Arless： Thats why I didnt pay for it， Sir. If my children see me worrying， that has them worrying. And no good mother would want that， would she， Sir？ So， see， if the beer makes me happy， that makes them happy， to see me happy. What would you rather my children had， Sir， a downhearted mother， or a merry one？

Sir Timothy： I would rather they had a mother at liberty to take care of them and not locked up for bad debts.

（阿萊斯太太從一個牛津的啤酒商那里買啤酒喝，卻一直賴著不給錢，因此被告上了法庭。當?shù)剜l(xiāng)紳蒂莫西爵士負責審理此案。）

蒂莫西爵士：阿萊斯太太，既然知道自己花費不起，你為什么還要買啤酒？

阿萊斯太太：我自小就被教育要尊敬勝于己者，先生。這位文雅的紳士是個聰明的牛津畢業(yè)生，穿著一身昂貴的西裝。要是這樣一位受過教育、精通數(shù)學的人對一個像我這般普通的姑娘說，我買得起他的啤酒，我又有什么資格說他是錯的呢？

蒂莫西爵士：但你喝了啤酒，卻不打算還清欠下的債。

阿萊斯太太：那……那是因為他們把酒釀得太好喝了，大人。如此美味令我留戀難舍。幾杯下肚，我便忘卻擔憂。啤酒就是如此神奇，先生。我寧愿他們沒把酒釀得如此美味可口，那興許我早就付賬了！

蒂莫西爵士：你難道不覺得自己缺乏責任感嗎，阿萊斯太太？拖兒帶女，卻把錢花在啤酒上？

阿萊斯太太：這就是我沒付賬的原因，先生。要是孩子們看到我在擔心，他們也會跟著擔心，好母親不會這么做的，是吧，先生？所以，你看，啤酒使我快樂，看到我快樂，他們也就開心啦。你希望孩子們有哪種母親呢，先生？悶悶不樂的，還是興高采烈的？

蒂莫西爵士：我倒寧愿選個能夠照顧他們而不會因欠債被關(guān)起來的母親。

（Robert Timmins and his wife Emma had a falling-out. Later that night， Emma talks to Robert.）

Emma： Im always the one to fix things between us. Why？ Because Im a woman， thats why. But not this time. No. I shall let you 14）sulk and boil all you like. You are the one who can turn the mere slip of the tongue into a quarrel. You are the one puffs out your chest like you know you are always in the right. You are the one insists that everyone e l s e l i v e b y y o u r principles. Have you any idea...what its like living with a man like Robert Timmins？ I am human. I make mistakes. But by God in heaven， Robert Timmins， I dont make half as many as you do！ Im done apologising to you. Im done living my life to make you feel good about yourself.

Robert： Youre right. Perhaps a little unfair about puffing out my chest...but I do know what its like to live with Robert Timmins. Ive had to put up with him all my life.

Emma： Oh， Robert...

Robert： Ive always wanted children， a wife， a home. How can a man get trapped into something he longs for more than anything else in this world？

Emma： It was cruel of me to say such a thing. A woman rules the house.

Robert： I thought you were all done apologising？

Emma： Dont you pick at everything I do and dont say?。˙oth of them laughing）

（羅伯特·提敏斯和妻子艾瑪大吵了一架。當晚，艾瑪和羅伯特談話。）

艾瑪：我們倆之間，總是我做出讓步。為什么？因為我是個女人，這就是原因。但是這次不會了，不會了。你想怎么生氣，怎么憤怒都行。把無心之言升級為大吵大鬧的是你，得意洋洋、永遠覺得自己有道理的也是你，讓別人都按你的原則生活的還是你。你有沒有想過……跟羅伯特·提敏斯這樣的男人生活是什么感覺？我是個人，我會犯錯，但是老天作證，羅伯特·提敏斯，我犯的錯絕對不到你的一半！我已經(jīng)受夠了跟你道歉，我受夠了只為讓你自我感覺良好而活著。

羅伯特：你是對的。也許說我得意洋洋有點不公平……但我知道跟羅伯特·提敏斯一起生活是什么感覺，我這一輩子都得忍受他。

艾瑪：哦，羅伯特……

羅伯特：我一直想要孩子、妻子，想要一個家，一個男人得到了這世上他最渴望的東西，怎能說是上當受騙了呢？

艾瑪：我是太過分了，說了那種話，說家里掌權(quán)的是女人。

羅伯特：你不是受夠了道歉嗎？

艾瑪：你就不能別老是對我的話吹毛求疵么？

（兩人大笑起來）

（Mr. James Dowland from London opens a grand hotel in Candleford. Pearl and Ruby Pratt， the snobbish owners of the drapery store， hasten to pay him a visit.）

Pearl： Pearl and Ruby Pratt of The Stores.

R u b y ： We a r e s o p l e a s e d ， i n d e e d ， gratified， to see that you are bringing such London sophistication and refinement to

Candleford.

Pearl： Oak panelling！ We have been trying our best to introduce London standards.

Ruby： Were quite a lonely outpost of cosmopolitalia.

Pearl： When we heard you were from London， I said to my sister， “Ruby， at last！ A 16）boulevardier， who can take this town by the horns.”

Ruby： It is our intention to expand. The Pratts of London， Paris and Candleford.

Pearl： May we offer you a small piece of advice， Mr....？

Ruby： Mr. JD.

Pearl： You may want to hang a sign on your front door.

Ruby： “Only Refined Custom.”

Pearl： There are， shall we say， lower orders， who pass along the street， and may wander in out of curiosity！

Ruby： Hardly likely theyve ever seen a 17）chandelier.

Pearl： They are to be actively discouraged.

Mr. Dowland： Yes， ladies， I am well aware of the 18）impertinent ways of the lower orders.

（Mr. Dowland turns the Pratts out of the door.）

（來自倫敦的詹姆斯·道蘭德先生在燭鎮(zhèn)開了家豪華的酒店。經(jīng)營服裝店的佩爾和露比·布拉特姐妹倆迫不及待地過去拜訪。）

佩爾：我們是服裝店的佩爾和露比·布拉特

姐妹。

露比：我們很樂意，實際上是欣悅無比，看到你把倫敦的精致典雅帶到燭鎮(zhèn)來。

佩爾：橡木鑲板！我們一直在努力引進倫敦的潮流。

露比：站在時尚前沿真是高處不勝寒啊。

佩爾：聽說你來自倫敦，我對我妹妹說：“露比，總算來了個潮男，勇敢地引領(lǐng)燭鎮(zhèn)風潮。”

露比：我們有意擴張生意，成為倫敦、巴黎、燭鎮(zhèn)的布拉特姐妹。

佩爾：容我們提個小建

議吧，先生貴姓？

露比：JD先生。

佩爾：你也許該在大門貼個告示。

露比：“衣冠不整恕不接待?！?/p>

佩爾：會有些，怎么說呢，下等人經(jīng)過這里，可能會出于好奇進來晃蕩。

露比：他們肯定連枝形吊燈都沒見過。

佩爾：可得把他們攔在門外啊。

道蘭德先生：是的，女士們，我很了解下等人的無禮行為。

（道蘭德先生把布拉特姐妹推出門外。）

（Miss Lane tells Sir Timothy not to attend her maid Zillars birthday party.）

Miss Lane： There will always be reasons why you and I should be in one anothers company， and I feel that we have to be strong in our resistance.

Sir Timothy： Yes. I understand. But then Ive always understood we must do things exactly at your bidding.

Miss Lane： I will explain to Zillah that you were unable to join us.

Sir Timothy： It was at your bidding that we live like this.

Miss Lane： Timothy， please...

Sir Timothy： Tell me why， Dorcas. Weve been like this for years. We meet and we chat and we smile and...Were on our guard to be decent and polite. We never say anything that matters.

Miss Lane： Timothy， this is all past and gone and we should leave it well alone.

Sir Timothy： I dont believe what you told me then， that you dont love me. I live my life bound by duty and obligation. I didnt want any of this. All I ever really wanted was you. Tell me why you refused me. Tell me the truth.

Miss Lane： It was my father. He told me it could never work. “Love never crosses the great divide of social class.”Those were his words.

Sir Timothy： Then your father was a 19）bigoted， smallminded fool of a man.

（Miss Lane slaps Sir Timothy.）

Sir Timothy： Thank you. At last something real between us.

（雷恩小姐讓蒂莫西爵士不要參加她的女仆紫拉的生日宴會。）

雷恩小姐：總有理由讓我們待在一起，但我覺得我們得堅定地抵擋這些理由。

蒂莫西爵士：是的，我明白，但我也一直明白任何事情都得按照你的吩咐做。

雷恩小姐：我會向紫拉解釋你不能到場。

蒂莫西爵士：就是按照你的意愿我們才會這樣。

雷恩小姐：蒂莫西，拜托了……

蒂莫西爵士：朵克思，告訴我為什么。我們這樣已經(jīng)很多年了，我們見面，聊天，微笑……我們小心翼翼，禮貌得體，從不談?wù)撜嬲匾氖虑椤?/p>

雷恩小姐：蒂莫西，都過去了，別再想了。

蒂莫西爵士：我不相信你當時說的，說你不愛我。我的生活被責任和義務(wù)所束縛，這些我都不想要，我真正想要的只有你。告訴我你為什么拒絕我，告訴我真相。

雷恩小姐：是因為我爸爸，他告訴我這不可能，“愛情永遠無法逾越等級的鴻溝”，這是他的話。

蒂莫西爵士：那你父親就是一個固執(zhí)己見、眼光狹隘的蠢人。

（雷恩小姐打了蒂莫西爵士一個耳光。）

蒂莫西爵士：謝謝，我們之間終于真正發(fā)生了點什么。