§subject_2This brings us to the beginning of the Second Act of the play, where the action really commences; for all that we had hitherto is merely a kind of prologue.
由此我们进入了本剧的第二幕，剧情在这里才真正开始；因为我们迄今为止所看到的一切不过是一种序幕。
Laches, Pamphilus’ father, has now heard of this estrangement between his wife and his daughter-in-law, and comes into town to look into the matter.
潘菲路斯的父亲拉刻斯现在听说了他妻子和儿媳之间的不和，便来到城里调查此事。
Priding himself much upon his wonderful knowledge of every thing that is going on, he lays it down decidedly that Sostrata alone is to blame; that all mothers-in-law hate their daughters-in-law, and that she must have driven Philumena away by her unkindness;
他对自己通晓周围发生的一切奇妙知识深感自豪，断定完全是索斯特拉塔一个人的错；他认为所有的婆母都讨厌自己的儿媳，她一定是因为对菲鲁墨娜不和善才把她赶走的。
and he is more confirmed in his opinion by the statement of Phidippus that his daughter refuses to come back to Laches’ house while her husband is away.
菲迪普斯声明他的女儿在丈夫不在家时拒绝回到拉刻斯的家，这更加证实了拉刻斯的看法。
Sostrata in vain endeavours to clear herself.
索斯特拉塔徒劳地试图澄清自己。
At this moment Philumena’s expected child is born; and Pamphilus returns home at the critical moment.
就在这时，菲鲁墨娜预期的孩子出生了；潘菲路斯在这一关键时刻回到了家。
Hearing that his wife is ill, he rushes into the house to see her, and there discovers the whole state of the case.
听说妻子病了，他冲进屋去看她，并在那里发现了事情的真相。
Myrrhina entreats him to keep the matter quiet, and he so far retains his affection for his wife that he promises to do so, and is wretched at the thoughts of a separation from her, though he comes to the conclusion that after this child’s birth, the son of he does not know whom, it is impossible for him ever to receive her back into his house.
米里娜哀求他对此事保密，由于他仍然深深爱着妻子，他答应了这样做，并因想到要与她分离而痛苦万分，尽管他得出的结论是，在这个孩子（他不知是谁的儿子）出生后，他再也不可能把她接回自己家中了。
Meanwhile he sees the necessity of getting rid of his slave Parmeno, who will otherwise be sure to discover what is going on.
与此同时，他看到有必要打发走他的奴隶帕尔墨诺，否则帕尔墨诺肯定会发现正在发生的事情。
So he sends him off on two errands, the last of which keeps him fully employed at a distance the rest of the day.
于是他派帕尔墨诺去办两件事，其中后一件事让他这一天剩下的时间都在远处忙个不停。
§subject_3The body of the play is occupied by the indignant expostulations of the two fathers with Pamphilus, and with their wives.
该剧的主要篇幅被两位父亲对潘菲路斯以及对他们妻子的愤怒控诉所占据。
Now that Pamphilus has a son, Laches cannot conceive why he should not take his wife home again; and Phidippus is furious with him, with Laches, and with Myrrhina his wife.
既然潘菲路斯有了一个儿子，拉刻斯就无法想象为什么他不把妻子接回家；而菲迪普斯则对他、对拉刻斯以及对自己的妻子米里娜大发雷霆。
Sostrata comes to the determination of leaving town, and going to live with her husband in the country, hoping that her absence will remove the last obstacle to Philumena’s return; but notwithstanding this, Pamnphilus still persists in his refusal to receive his wife, and at last the old men come to the conclusion that he must be still carrying on his old love affair with Bacchis, and determine to send for her, and to endeavour by fair means or foul to break off her intimacy with Pamphilus.
索斯特拉塔决定离开城镇，去乡下和丈夫一起生活，希望她的缺席能消除菲鲁墨娜回归的最后一个障碍；但尽管如此，潘菲路斯仍然坚持拒绝接纳他的妻子，最后老人们得出结论，他一定还在和巴克科斯继续过去的地下恋情，并决定召见她，企图用尽一切手段来斩断她与潘菲路斯的亲密关系。
Bacchis is accordingly sent for, and she completely clears herself and Pamphilus from the suspicion, and further undertakes to explain the real state of affairs to Myrrhina and Philumena.
因此，巴克科斯被召来，她完全洗清了自己和潘菲路斯的嫌疑，并进一步承诺向米里娜和菲鲁墨娜解释事情的真相。
This brings out the true history of Philumena; and Bacchis is able to inform Pamphilus that his wife was the owner of the ring which she had received from him.
这揭示了菲鲁墨娜的真实经历；巴克科斯得以告知潘菲路斯，他的妻子正是她从他那里得到的那枚戒指的主人。
This entirely changes Pamphilus’ view of the case, and he is beside himself with delight.
这完全改变了潘菲路斯对这件事的看法，他高兴得欣喜狂。
This play is not remarkable for any of the spirit which generally appears in Terence’s plays.
这部戏在泰伦提乌斯戏剧中通常表现出的那种生气方面并不突出。
The event on which the plot of the play depends, and the circumstances of Philumena’s illness, having necessarily to be kept in the background, gives an air of restraint to the whole piece.
由于戏剧剧情所依赖的事件以及菲鲁墨娜生病的状况必须保留在背景中，这给整部作品带来了一种克制的气氛。
Indeed, within the whole action, properly so called, there is no incident except the discovery of the ring.
事实上，在严格意义上的整个剧情中，除了发现戒指之外，没有任何其他事件。
The plot is much more simple, and the characters less interesting than those of any other play; and in the treatment of the character of the slave we notice a marked departure from the ordinary idea of that part.
剧情要简单得多，人物也比其他任何剧作都更缺乏吸引力；在对待奴隶角色的手法上，我们注意到与该角色的通常构想有明显的偏离。
The Parmeno of the Hecyra is a very different personage from his namesake of the Eunuchus.
《婆母》中的帕尔墨诺与《宦官》中同名的人物完全不同。
He is merely sententious and inquisitive; and the only amusement which we get out of him is that he is very anxious to discover his master’s secret, and that his curiosity is not gratified.
他只是爱说教、爱打听；我们从他身上得到的唯一乐趣在于，他非常想发现主人的秘密，而他的好奇心却没有得到满足。