Under the Moonlight （月光下的房間 ）
Moonlight，in a familiar room，falling so white upon the carpet，and showing all its figures so distinctly――making every object so minutely visible，yet so unlike a morning or noontide visibility――is a medium the most suitable for a romance-writer to get acquainted with his illusive guests. There is the little domestic scenery of the well-known apartment；the chairs，with each its separate individuality；the centre-table，sustaining a work-basket，a volume or two，and an extinguished lamp；the sofa；the book-case；the picture on the wall――all these details，so completely seen，are so spiritualised by the unusual light，that they seem to lose their actual substance，and become things of intellect. Nothing is too small or too trifling to undergo this change，and acquire dignity thereby. A child‘s shoe；the doll，seated in her little wicker carriage；the hobby-horse――whatever，in a word，has been used or played with during the day is now invested with a quality of strangeness and remoteness，though still almo st as vividly present as by daylight. Thus，therefore，the floor of our familiar room has become a neutral territory，somewhere between the real world and fairy-land，where the Actual and the Imaginary may meet，and each imbue itself with the nature of the other. Ghosts might enter here without affrighting us. It would be too much in keeping with the scene to excite surprise，were we to look about us and discover a form，beloved，but gone hence，now sitting quietly in a streak of this magic moonshine，with an aspect that would make us doubt whether it had returned from afar，or had never once stirred from our fireside.
From“The Custom House”，introduction of“The Scarlet Letter”by Nathaniel Hawthorne
月光下的房間
這間早已熟悉的房間，讓皎月灑下一片銀光，地毯上的圖案，連細節都清晰可見，然而卻不像白晝或正午的那樣昭然若揭。月光最能讓小說家和他虛幻的客人結友，而這里正是一派居家氣氛：幾張座椅隨隨便便地放著，居中的那張桌上是個針線筐兒，一兩本書和一臺熄滅的燈；還有沙發，書柜，和掛在墻上的畫――這一切的一切，在月光下顯得如此超凡脫俗，仿佛已沒有了實體，而成為一種抽象。再渺小的事物，經此月光點染，也擁有了幾分莊嚴：一只小孩鞋子，柳條小車里的洋娃娃，還有那木馬――總之任何我們日間使用或玩耍過的東西，都披上了一層陌生、疏遠的外衣，但同時又不失鮮活生動。于是我們的房間成了人間與仙境的通衢，在這里幻想與現實不僅相接，而且緊密交織在一起。也許鬼魂來了我們也不害怕的。當環顧四周，突然發現我們所愛且已故去的那個人，他的身影正靜靜地坐在一道魔幻般的月光當中，我們并不會驚訝，只會禁不住猜想，他究竟是從遠方而來，還是從未離開我們的壁爐半步。
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