I'd seen Dr. Cullen before, of course, yet I couldn't help but be struck again by his youth, his outrageous perfection. At his side was Esme, I assumed, the only one of the family I'd never seen before. She had the same pale, beautiful features as the rest of them. Something about her heart-shaped face, her billows of soft, caramel-colored hair, reminded me of the ingénues of the silent-movie era. She was small, slender, yet less angular, more rounded than the others. They were both dressed casually, in light colors that matched the inside of the house. They smiled in welcome, but made no move to approach us. Trying not to frighten me, I guessed.
当然，我之前见过卡伦医生，但我还是情不自禁地被他的年轻，他可恶的完美震撼了。站在他身旁的是艾思梅，我敢确定，因为她是这个家里我此前唯一从未见过的人。她和其他人一样，有着苍白，美丽的外表。她心形的脸庞，波浪般起伏的柔软的焦糖色的秀发，让我想起了默片时代电影中的纯真少女。她个子小巧，身形纤细，但不像其他人那样消瘦，她更圆润些。他们的穿着都很随意，都穿着与屋里的色调相衬的浅颜色衣服。他们微笑着表示欢迎，但并没有向我们走过来。我猜，是为了避免吓着我。
"Carlisle, Esme," Edward's voice broke the short silence, "this is Bella."
“卡莱尔，艾思梅，”爱德华的声音打破了这阵短暂的沉默。“这位是贝拉。”
"You're very welcome, Bella." Carlisle's step was measured, careful as he approached me. He raised his hand tentatively, and I stepped forward to shake hands with him.
“非常欢迎你，贝拉。”卡莱尔向我走过来，他的步子十分小心慎重。他试探性地伸出手，我走向前去，和他握手。
"It's nice to see you again, Dr. Cullen."
“很高兴再次见到你，卡伦医生。”
"Please, call me Carlisle."
“拜托，叫我卡莱尔。”
"Carlisle." I grinned at him, my sudden confidence surprising me. I could feel Edward's relief at my side.
“卡莱尔。”我向他露齿一笑，忽然涌起的自信让我吃惊不小。我能感觉到，站在我身旁的爱德华如释重负。
Esme smiled and stepped forward as well, reaching for my hand. Her cold, stone grasp was just as I expected.
艾思梅微笑着，也走上前来，握住了我的手。她冰冷如石头般的紧握和我期待的一样
"It's very nice to know you," she said sincerely.
“很高兴认识你。”她由衷地说道。
"Thank you. I'm glad to meet you, too." And I was. It was like meeting a fairy tale — Snow White, in the flesh.
“谢谢。我也很高兴见到你。”而且我一直都是。就像遇见一个童话故事——一个活生生的白雪公主。
"Where are Alice and Jasper?" Edward asked, but no one answered, as they had just appeared at the top of the wide staircase.
“爱丽丝和贾斯帕在哪里？”爱德华问道，但没人回答，他们已经出现在宽阔的楼梯顶上。
"Hey, Edward!" Alice called enthusiastically. She ran down the stairs, a streak of black hair and white skin, coming to a sudden and graceful stop in front of me. Carlisle and Esme shot warning glances at her, but I liked it. It was natural — for her, anyway.
“嗨，爱德华！”爱丽丝热情地喊道。她跑下楼梯，只见一阵黑发雪肤的幻影，顷刻之间她已优雅地出现在我面前。卡莱尔和艾思梅警告地瞪着她，但我喜欢这样。这很正常——无论如何，对她而言确实是这样。
"Hi, Bella!" Alice said, and she bounced forward to kiss my cheek. If Carlisle and Esme had looked cautious before, they now looked staggered. There was shock in my eyes, too, but I was also very pleased that she seemed to approve of me so entirely. I was startled to feel Edward stiffen at my side. I glanced at his face, but his expression was unreadable.
“嗨，贝拉！”爱丽丝说着，跳上前来亲吻我的脸颊。如果卡莱尔和艾思梅之前只是警惕地看着的话，他们现在简直是难以置信地看着。我的眼里也露出了震惊的神情，但我还是很高兴，她竟然如此如此全盘地认同我。我惊奇地感觉到爱德华在我身旁僵住了。我瞥了一眼他的脸，但他的神情有些难以琢磨。
"You do smell nice, I never noticed before," she commented, to my extreme embarrassment.
“你闻起来真的很棒，我之前从没注意到。”让我异常窘迫地是，她如此评价道。
《暮光之城》与图书题目相得益彰的是，“暮光之城”系列别具匠心的封面设计则很好地传达出了每本书内在的深远寓意。斯蒂芬妮·梅尔指出《暮色》封面上的苹果代表“创世纪” 内善恶树上的禁果。象征贝拉和爱德华之间人类与吸血鬼禁忌的爱恋。在书的开头引用了“创世纪”217页的内容：“只是分别善恶树上的果子，你不可吃，因为你吃的日子必定死。”这同时也代表了贝拉如何分辨善恶——选择是否吃下那颗禁忌的果实，这比喻了选择跟爱德华在一起或远离他。
