夏洛蒂?勃朗特致罗伯特?骚塞
夏洛蒂?勃朗特（1816—1855），英国文学史上著名的三姊妹作家之一。她出生于英格兰北部约克郡一个与世隔绝的村子里，父亲是个牧师，她曾和其他几个姐妹一起被送进一家生活条件恶劣、教规严厉的寄宿学校读书。夏洛蒂当过教师和家庭教师，也曾与妹妹艾米莉一起于1842年去比利时布鲁塞尔学习法语和古典文学。夏洛蒂的作品主要描写贫苦的小资产者的孤独、反抗和奋斗，《简?爱》是她的**作，也是代表作，至今仍受到广大读者的欢迎。夏洛蒂还出版过诗集，她的其他小说有《雪莉》（1849）、《维莱特》（1853）和《教师》（1857）等。
先生，——不回复您的来信我就不得安心，虽然这是给您写的第二封信，我仍觉得有些打扰您，可是我必须对您那友善而睿智的赐教表示感谢。我从来不敢奢求能收到这样一封回信：它语气体贴，让人精神振奋。我不得不控制住自己的感情，否则，您会认为我的热情有些傻气。
第一次仔细阅读您的来信时，我只感到惭愧和懊丧，我怎么能烦您审阅我的愚作。一想到我那些写满诗句的稿纸我就两颊发烧，我曾为这些诗欣喜万分，但现在我只是迷惑疑虑。可是，我思考一阵后又反复读了几遍您的信，这时前景似乎明晰起来。您没有让我停止写作；您没有说我的诗毫无可取之处；您只是反复劝诫我不要愚蠢地只顾着想像的乐趣而把真正的职责忘记了；不要只为名声而写；不要在寻求自我刺激时摸仿他人。您好心地要我为诗歌本身而写作，不要搁浅自己应该做的事情，而只为追求那种独一无二、让人入迷、近乎完美的满足。先生，您也许会觉得我很傻。我知道我给您写的第一封信全是胡言乱语，可我并非与那封信中似乎要表示的那种人完全相像：游手好闲，异想天开。我父亲是位牧师，收入虽有限但足够养活家人，我是他最大的孩子。他尽可能在我的教育费用上多花点钱，以便与其他孩子保持平衡。因此，我从学校毕业时，认为自己有义务去做家庭女教师。当上了家庭女教师就有足够多的事情让我去整天思考，去动脑筋和处理事情，再没有一点时间去东想西想。坦白地说，每到晚上，我的确在思考，但我从不让任何一个人受到我思想的干扰。我平时小心谨慎，避免表现出任何聚精会神和古怪的样子，因为这可能让那些和我住在一起的人猜出我所要追求的东西。我听从父亲的忠告——在我还是孩子时，他就给我忠告，他语气友好，才智丰富，这和您来信的语气完全一样——我已作出努力，不仅要注意履行一个女子应尽的所有职责，还要对此表现出浓厚的兴趣。我并非总能成功，因为有时候，在我教书或做针线活时，我倒更愿意去读书或写作，但是我努力克制自己，这种努力的最好回报就是让父亲满意。让我再一次向您真诚致谢。我相信，我将不再殷切期望自己的诗作发表。要是滋生了这种愿望，我就看看骚塞的来信，将它抑制住。单是给他写信并收到回信就足以让我引以为荣。这封信是神圣的东西，除我父亲和弟妹们外，谁也别想看到它。我再一次感谢您。我想这样的事将永远不会再发生了，要是我能活到成为老太太时，三十年后，我将把它像一场美梦般记在心里。那个被您怀疑的伪造签名的确是我的真名，因此我必须再一次签下自己的名字。
夏洛蒂?勃朗特
1837年3月16日
附言：另外，先生，请原谅我再一次给您写信，我是忍不住才写的，一方面告诉您我对您的好意如此感激，另一方面让您知道您的忠告没有白费，尽管开始做起来是非常的痛苦和不情愿。
夏?勃
Charlotte Brontè
To
March. 16,1837
Sir ,—I cannot rest till I have answered your letter, even though by addressing you a second time I should appear a little intrusive, but I must thank you for the kind and wise advice you have condescended to give me. I had not ventured to hope for such a reply; so considerate in its tone, so noble in its spirit. I must suppress what I feel, or you will think me foolishly enthusiastic.
At the first perusal of your letter I felt only shame and regret that I had ever ventured to trouble you with my erude rhapsody; I felt a painful heat rise to my face when I thought of the quires of paper I had covered with what once gave me so much delight, but which now was only a sourec of confusion; but after I had thought a little, and read it again and again, the prospect seemed to clear. You do not forbid me to write ;you do not say that what I write is utterly destitute of merit. You only warn me against the folly of neglecting real duties for the sake of imaginative pleasures; of writing for the love of fame, for the selfish excitement of emuComtion. You kindly allow me to write poetry for its own sake, provided I leave undone nothingwhich I ought to do, in order to pursue that single, absorbing, exquisite gratification. I am afraid, sir, you think me very foolish. I know the first letter I wrote to you was all senseless trash from beginning to end: but I am not altogether the idle dre***ng being it would seem to denote. My father is a clergyman limited though competent income, and I am the eldest of his children. He expended quite as much in my education as he could afford in justice to the rest. I thought it there for my duty, when I left school, to become a governess. In that capacity I find enough to occupy my thoughts all day long and my head and hands too, without having a moment time for one dream of the imagination. In the evenings, confess, I do think, but I never trouble any one else with thoughts. I carefully avoid any appearance of pre?occupation and eccentricity, which might lead those I live amongstsuspect the nature of my pursuits. Following my father's advice—who from my childhood has counselled me, just in the wise and friendly tone of your letter—I have endeavoured not only attentively to observe all the duties a woman ought to fulfill, but to feel deeply interested in them. I don't always succeed, for sometimes when I'm teaching or sewing I would rather be reading or writing; but I try to deny myself; and my fathers' approbation amply rewarded me for the privation. Once more allow me to thank you with sincere gratitude. I trust I shall never more feel ambitious to see my name in print; if the wish should rise, I'll look at Southey's letter, and suppress it. It is honor enough for me that I have written to him, and received an answer. That letter is consecrated, no one shall ever see it but papa and my brother and sisters. Again I thank you. This incident, I suppose, will be renewed no more; if I live to be an old woman, I shall remember it thirty years hence as a bright dream. The signature which you suspected of being fictitious is my real name. Again, therefore, I must sign myself.
C. BRONTè,
PS. Pray, sir, excuse me for writing to you a second time; I could not help writing, partly to tell you how thankful I am for your kindness, and partly to let you know that your advice shall not be wasted ,however sorrowfully and reluctantly it may at first be followed.
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