爱德加·爱伦·坡（1809—1849），美国诗人、小说家、文艺评论家、现代侦探小说的创始人。其主要作品有诗歌《乌鸦》、恐怖小说《莉盖亚》、侦探小说《莫格街凶杀案》等。死后其作品一直引起人们的争议，但仍然受到许多人的喜爱。
My dear Heart—My Dear Virginia—Our mother will explain to you why I stay away from you this night. I trust the interview I am promised will result in some substantial good for me—for your dear sake and hers—keep up your heart in all hopefulness, and trust yet a little longer. On my last great disappointment I should have lost my courage but for you—my little darling wife. You are my greatest and only stimulus now, to battle with this uncongenial, unsatisfactory, and ungrateful life.
I shall be with you tomorrow, and be assured until I see you that I will keep in loving remembrance your last words, and your fervent prayer!
Sleep well, and may God grant you a peaceful summer with your devoted.
Edgar
我亲爱的宝贝——亲爱的弗吉尼亚，我们的母亲会向你解释为什么今晚我没和你在一起。我相信我承诺的这次会面，会使我受益颇多——为了亲爱的你，也为了她，充满希望吧，也再多—些信任吧。我亲爱的妻子啊，如果没有你，在上次的巨大打击中我就会丧失勇气。奋斗挣扎在这失衡、压抑与冷漠的生活中，你是我最大的也是唯一的慰藉与动力。
明天我就要和你在一起了。我保证，我会把你上次的话和热诚的祈祷深藏在心里，直到见到你。
晚安，愿上帝保佑你和你忠诚的爱人有一个祥和的夏天。
爱德加
倡议书
倡议书是个人或集体提出建议并公开发起，希望共同完成某项任务或开展某项公益活动所运用的一种专用书信。
interview [intvju:] n. 面试；面谈；访谈
May I have an interview?
请给我个面试机会。
substantial [sbst鎛l] adj. 大量的；价值巨大的；重大的
They made substantial changes.
他们作了重大改变。
stimulus [stimjls] n. 促进因素；激励因素；刺激物
Her word of praise is a stimulus to work harder.
她赞扬的话鼓舞人工作更努力。
fervent [f:vnt] adj. 热情的；热诚的；热烈的
He's a fervent believer in free speech.
他是言论自由的狂热信奉者。
我亲爱的妻子啊，如果没有你，在上次的巨大打击中我就会丧失勇气。
奋斗挣扎在这失衡、压抑与冷漠的生活中，你是我最大的也是唯一的慰藉与动力。
我保证，我会把你上次的话和热诚的祈祷深藏在心里，直到见到你。
My dear Virginia, our mother will explain to you why I stay away from you this night.
stay away from：离开；缺席；不在家
You are my greatest and only stimulus now ,to battle with this uncongenial, unsatisfactory, and ungrateful life.
battle with：与……作战；战斗
巴尔扎克致汉斯卡女士
Balzac to Madame Hanska
巴尔扎克（1799—1850），19世纪法国伟大的批判现实主义作家，欧洲批判现实主义文学的奠基人和杰出代表。一生创作96部长、中、短篇小说和随笔，总名为《人间喜剧》。其中代表作为《欧也妮·葛朗台》、《高老头》。100多年来，他的作品传遍了全世界，对世界文学的发展和人类进步产生了巨大的影响。1832年，巴尔扎克开始与汉斯卡通信。在随后的18年里，留下了不少情书，他们直到1850年3月才结婚。结婚五个月后，巴尔扎克就离开了人世。
I entreat you to separate the author entirely from the man and to believe in the sincerity of the sentiments which I have had to express vaguely in the correspondence you have obliged me to carry on with you. If you are kind enough to excuse the folly of a youthful heart and of an imagination quite unsullied, I will confess to you that you have been to me the object of the sweetest dreams, it pleases me to include you amongst the remains, nearly always unfortunate, of a scattered people, a people found only here and there on earth. Perhaps exiled from Heavcn...Poetry, music, and religion are their three divinities, their dominating passions, each of which awakens in their hearts equally powerful sensations. So I have clothed you with all these ideas, and have stretched forth my hand to you fraternally from afar, without foppishness as well as without sentimental foolery, but with a confidence, almost domestic, with conscientiousness; and if you had only gazed upon my face, you might have traced there at the same time the lover's gratitude and the heart's religion—the true tenderness that binds the son to the mother and the brother to the sister, all the respect of the young man for the woman and the delightful anticipation of a long and fervent friendship.
我恳求你将作家之我与常人之我彻底分开，并相信我真挚的感情。这是我忍不住给你写信时隐约表达出的感情。如果你宽容善良，能够原谅一个年轻人唐突、天真而愚蠢的幻想，我会坦诚地告诉你，你是我最甜蜜的梦。你是这世界上所剩无几、命运坎坷、四处飘零、难以寻觅的人物之一。我很高兴的是，你能成为我生命的一部分。或许你是从天国流放下来的……诗歌、音乐和宗教是这些人的三位神灵和最强烈的感情支撑，每一位神灵都能在我心中引发同样有力的反应。我把这些思想全部赋予你，并从遥远的地方向你伸出友爱之手，没有纨绔子弟的习气，没有愚昧的伤感，只有发自内心的自信与真诚。你只要凝视着我的脸，也许就会发现那情人的感激和心灵的虔诚——那是连接儿子与母亲、兄弟与姐妹的真情，那是青年男性对女性的全部尊敬，那是对深挚友情的美好期待。
1833年1月
entreat [in'trit] v. 恳求；乞求
They gathered outside the palace to entreat favours of the king.
他们聚集在宫廷外面，请求过往施以恩典。
scattered ['sk鎡d] adj. 分散的；散乱的
Jews are widely scattered over Europe.
犹太人散居在欧洲各地。
sentimental [,senti'mentl] adj. 感伤的；感情脆弱的
It has great sentimental value for me.
它对我有很重要的情感价值。
gratitude [r鎡itju:d] n. 感激之情；感谢
Her eyes were immediately filled with gratitude.
她的眼里立刻充满了感激之情。
我恳求你将作家之我与常人之我彻底分开，并相信我真挚的感情。
如果你宽容善良，能够原谅一个年轻人的唐突、天真而愚蠢的幻想，我会坦诚地告诉你，你是我最甜蜜的梦。
你是这世界上所剩无几、命运坎坷、四处飘零、难以寻觅的人物之一。
I entreat you to separate the author entirely from the man and to believe in the sincerity of the sentiments...
believe in：相信；信仰；信奉；赞成
If you had only gazed upon my face, you might have traced there at the same time the lover' s gratitude and the heart' s religion.
at the same time：同时；一起；但是；必然
