Shy, reserved and proud, I would have died rather than have breathed a syllable of my view.

breathe a syllable of my view  说出我看法的只言片语。
breathe：吐出，呼出。
syllable：音符、字符。引申意：只言片语、一言半语
注意结构格式：
1. I would rather die than breathe...

（实际是在 than 后省略了 I would）
2. I would die rather than breathe...

（rather than 是并列连词，前后连接两个动词原形。情态动词 would 后自然用动词原形。如果没有 would，则是这样并列：He went to town rather than stayed at home. He rides to school rather than walks to school.）
3.  I would have died rather than have breathed...

（结构同2，区别是，这是不定式的完成体，除了表示与过去不符的虚拟意义外，还可表示对过去情况的真实描述，本句便是。）

【翻译】因为羞怯，矜持，高傲，所以，我（当时）宁愿死也不愿说出我的看法（的一言半语）。