Why didn't he come clean? Of course, they took "The Purloined Ribbon" to be his sort of allegorical way of suggesting that he couldn't possibly confess because nobody can confess, there's no human subjectivity, etc., etc., etc.

为什么不全盘招供，当然，人们把他写的“偷窃的缎带“当成他用一种讽喻的方式,来暗示说他不可能承认,因为没有人能承认，人类主观性的缺失，等等等等。

耶鲁公开课 - 文学理论导论课程节选

Nobody really believed he still had these sympathies, but the whole question was, why didn't he fess up?

没有人真的相信他仍怀有这些同情，但问题是，他为什么不坦率地承认？

耶鲁公开课 - 文学理论导论课程节选

He wasn't that widely read, I must admit, but it shows us how far pro-slavery could ultimately go.

我必须承认,他的作品流传不广,但他向人们展示了亲奴主义者可以走多远

耶鲁公开课 - 美国内战与重建课程节选

And then,lo and behold it turns out that his widow, to whom he confessed various infidelities before expiring, was pregnant; indeed,he was the father.

之后,他的遗孀怀孕了,他在断气前向她承认曾经有过不忠,但他确实是孩子的父亲

耶鲁公开课 - 1871年后的法国课程节选

in some ways, one has to admit also there maybe a grain, if not more than a grain of truth in what he seems to be saying.

我们多么不喜欢他，但必需承认,他可能有点儿道理，但就那么点儿,关于他所说的话。

耶鲁公开课 - 政治哲学导论课程节选