本书是英国著名作家托马斯·哈代的传世之作。讲述了天生丽质的农家姑娘苔丝，一生命运坎坷。家境一贫如洗，却逢酗酒无为的父亲；性情桀骜而善良，后遭纨绔子弟诱奸；倾心相爱的恋人，又执偏激的理想弃她而去。一连串不幸的命运，浓浓的悲情悲剧，跌宕起伏，扣人心弦。为生计所迫，苔丝只好与富人同居。后新郎回心转意愿与苔丝言归于好。绝望中的苔丝认为富人毁了她一生的幸福。便杀了他，自己也被处死刑。

On an evening in late May,a middle-aged man was walking home from Shaston to the Village of Marlotts. His legs were weak, and he found it difficult to walk in a straigh line. He appeared to

be deep in thought, but in fact he was thinking about very little. Near the village he met an old Vicar riding on a gney horse.

‘Goodnight to you,said the man.

‘Goodnight, Sir John,said the vicar.

The man, after another step or two, stopped, and turned round.‘Now,sir,I beg your pardon, he said.‘we met last market-day on this road at about this time. I said “Goodnight”,and you replied“Goodnight, Sir John”，as you did just now.

五月下旬的一个傍晚，有一个中年男子正从沙斯顿走回马勒特村的家去。他两腿软弱无力，一溜歪斜地走着。他似乎是在沉思默想，实际上他却几乎什么也没在想。在靠近村庄的地方, 他碰见一位骑灰马的牧师。

“晚安，”这个男子说。

“晚安，约翰爵士，”那位牧师说道。

这个男子又走了一两步便停住脚，转过身来。“呃，先生，对不起，”他说道。“上次赶集的那天，我们也是大约在这个时候，在这条路上碰见的。我说了声‘晚安’，您也跟刚才一样口答说‘晚安，约翰爵士’。”