In 1897, Sybylla Melvyn has just entered young womanhood. She is still living at home with her poor farming parents in the Australian outback. She considers herself to be unattractive but clever. She dreams of a “brilliant” creative-oriented career, such as in the arts, but she is not yet ready to strike out on her own despite her spirited independent streak. She sees that independence as being incompatible with marriage which her elders seem to feel is the next logical step in her life. She welcomes her mother’s decision for her to live with her wealthy maternal grandmother, especially considering the alternative which is to accept a job as a servant. That move is so that she can learn to be a proper young woman to attract that husband. Her Aunt Helen encourages her to marry a man she likes with prospects rather than marry a man she loves without prospects. In the former category is jackaroo Frank Hawdon, although Sybylla does not even seem to like him. In the latter category is Harry Beecham, an acquaintance from her childhood. He is a wealthy landowner, who has his pick of any woman he wants as his wife. Regardless of how she feels for Harry and how Harry may feel for her, she still may not see marriage as being part of her immediate future. But factors outside of her control may dictate what happens in Sybylla’s life.
参考翻译：
1897年，西比拉·梅尔文刚刚进入年轻女性时代。她仍然和澳大利亚内陆贫穷的务农父母住在家里。她认为自己没有吸引力，但很聪明。她梦想着一个“辉煌”的、以创意为导向的职业，比如艺术，但她还没有准备好独自出击，尽管她有着精神独立的性格。她认为独立与婚姻是不相容的，她的长辈们似乎认为这是她人生中合乎逻辑的下一步。她欢迎母亲让她与富有的外祖母住在一起的决定，尤其是考虑到另一种选择，那就是接受一份仆人的工作。这一举动是为了让她学会成为一个合适的年轻女性来吸引丈夫。她的姑姑海伦鼓励她嫁给一个她喜欢的有前途的男人，而不是嫁给一个她爱的没有前途的男人。前一类是杰卡洛·弗兰克·霍顿，尽管西比拉似乎并不喜欢他。后一类人是哈里·比查姆，她从小就认识她。他是一个富有的地主，他想娶什么样的女人都可以。不管她对哈利有什么感觉，也不管哈利对她有什么感觉，她仍然可能不认为婚姻是她近期未来的一部分。但她无法控制的因素可能决定了西比拉的生活。
重点词汇释义
such as例如; 像; 象…这样; 诸如…之类
strike out删除; 删去; 划掉; 自立谋生; 猛击; 猛打; 猛烈抨击; 失败; 不成功
incompatible with不相容，与……不一致
step in介入，干预，插手
live with与…同处；与同居; 学会去适应；接受并忍受
so that因此; 以便
