"One night, a herd of deer passed his hiding place. He was so wild with thirst that he attacked without a thought. His strength returned and he realized there was an alternative to being the vile monster he feared. Had he not eaten venison in his former life? Over the next months his new philosophy was born. He could exist without being a demon. He found himself again.
“一天晚上，一群野鹿经过了他隐藏的地方。他因为饥渴而变得狂暴，于是不假思索地袭击了它们。他恢复了强壮，然后意识到他还有一个选择，可以不必变成他所惧怕的卑鄙的怪物。他的前生难道没有吃过鹿肉吗？之后的一个多月里他新的人生观形成了。他可以活下去，而不必成为一个魔鬼。他又找回了他自己。”
"He began to make better use of his time. He'd always been intelligent, eager to learn. Now he had unlimited time before him. He studied by night, planned by day. He swam to France and —"
“他开始更好地利用他的时间。他总是那么的聪明，充满了求知欲。现在他有了无穷无尽的时间。他在夜间学习，在白天做计划。他游到了法国，然后——”
"He swam to France?"
“他游到法国？”
"People swim the Channel all the time, Bella," he reminded me patiently.
“人们一直都能游过那道海峡，贝拉。”他耐心地提醒我。
"That's true, I guess. It just sounded funny in that context. Go on."
“我猜，这倒是真的。只是在这样的上下文里听到它实在是很有趣。继续。”
"Swimming is easy for us —"
“游泳对我们来说是件轻而易举的事——”
"Everything is easy for you," I griped.
“每件事对你来说都是轻而易举。”我死咬着不放。
He waited, his expression amused.
他在等待着，他的表情有些发笑。
"I won't interrupt again, I promise."
“我不会再打断你了，我保证。”
He chuckled darkly, and finished his sentence. "Because, technically, we don't need to breathe."
他阴暗地轻笑起来，然后继续说完他的话。“因为，就技术层面而言，我们不需要呼吸。”
"You —"
“你——”
"No, no, you promised." He laughed, putting his cold finger lightly to my lips. "Do you want to hear the story or not?"
“不，不，你保证过的。”他大笑起来，伸出一根冰冷的手指轻轻点住我的唇。“你想不想听故事了？”
"You can't spring something like that on me, and then expect me not to say anything," I mumbled against his finger.
“你不能像这样忽然向我提起某件事，然后又不许我说话。”我在他的手指下喃喃低语着。
He lifted his hand, moving it to rest against my neck. The speed of my heart reacted to that, but I persisted.
他移开他的手，挪到我的颈窝上。我的心跳速度立刻做出了反应，但我依然坚持着。
"You don't have to breathe?" I demanded.
“你不需要呼吸？”我诘问道。
"No, it's not necessary. Just a habit." He shrugged.
“不，这毫无必要。只是一种习惯。”他耸耸肩。
"How long can you go… without breathing?"
“你能走多远……如果不呼吸？”
"Indefinitely, I suppose; I don't know. It gets a bit uncomfortable — being without a sense of smell."
“我猜，不能确定。我不知道。这会有点不舒服——不能闻到味道。”
"A bit uncomfortable," I echoed.
“有点不舒服。”我随声附和着。
《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。
