听英文名着可以耳朵怀孕 | 里昂读《了不起的盖茨比》- 015

听英文名著可以耳朵怀孕

里昂读《了不起的盖茨比》

试听部分

　　Dressed up in white flannels I went over to his lawn a little after seven, and wandered around rather ill at ease among swirls and eddies of people I didn’t know—though here and there was a face I had noticed on the commuting train. I was immediately struck by the number of young Englishmen dotted about; all well dressed, all looking a little hungry, and all talking in low, earnest voices to solid and prosperous Americans. I was sure that they were selling something: bonds or insurance or automobiles. They were at least agonizingly aware of the easy money in the vicinity and convinced that it was theirs for a few words in the right key.

晚上七点一过，我身穿一套白法兰绒便装走过去到他的草坪上，很不自在地在一群群我不认识的人中间晃来晃去--虽然偶尔也有一个我在区间火车上见过的面扎。我马上注意到客人中夹着不少年轻的英国人：个个衣着整齐，个个面有饥色，个个都在低声下气地跟殷实的美国人谈话。我敢说他们都在推销什么--或是债券。或是保险，或是汽车。他们最起码都揪心地意识到，近在眼前就有唾手可得的钱，并且相信，只要几句话说得投机，钱就到手了。

　　As soon as I arrived I made an attempt to find my host, but the two or three people of whom I asked his whereabouts stared at me in such an amazed way, and denied so vehemently any knowledge of his movements, that I slunk off in the direction of the cocktail table—the only place in the garden where a single man could linger without looking purposeless and alone.

我一到之后就设法去找主人，可是问了两三个人他在哪里，他们都大为惊异地瞪着我，同时矢口否认知道他的行踪，我只好悄悄地向供应鸡尾酒的桌子溜过去--整个花园里只有这个地方，一个单身汉可以留连一下而不显得无聊和孤独。

　　I was on my way to get roaring drunk from sheer embarrassment when Jordan Baker came out of the house and stood at the head of the marble steps, leaning a little backward and looking with contemptuous interest down into the garden.

我百无聊赖，正准备喝个酷配大醉，这时乔丹·贝克从屋里走了出来，站在大理石台阶的最上一级，身体微向后仰，用轻貌的神气俯瞰着花园。

　　Welcome or not, I found it necessary to attach myself to some one before I should begin to address cordial remarks to the passers-by.

不管人家欢迎不欢迎，我觉得实在非依附一个人不可，不然的话，我恐怕要跟过往的客人寒暄起来了。

　　“Hello!” I roared, advancing toward her. My voice seemed unnaturally loud across the garden.

"哈罗！"我大喊一声，朝她走去。我的声音在花园里听上去似乎响得很不自然。

　　“I thought you might be here,” she responded absently as I came up. “I remembered you lived next door to——” She held my hand impersonally, as a promise that she’d take care of me in a minute, and gave ear to two girls in twin yellow dresses, who stopped at the foot of the steps.

"我猜你也许会来的，"等我走到跟前，她心不在焉地答道，"我记得你住在隔壁……"

　　她不带感情地拉拉我的手，作为她答应马上再来理会我的表示，同时去听在台阶下面站住的两个穿着一样的黄色连衣裙的姑娘讲话。

　　“Hello!” they cried together. “Sorry you didn’t win.”

"哈罗！"她们同声喊道，"可惜你没赢。"

　　That was for the golf tournament. She had lost in the finals the week before.

这说的是高尔夫球比赛。她在上星期的决赛中输掉了。

　　“You don’t know who we are,” said one of the girls in yellow, “but we met you here about a month ago.”

"你不知道我们是谁，"两个穿黄衣的姑娘中的一个说，"可是大约一个月以前我们在这儿见过面。"

　　“You’ve dyed your hair since then,” remarked Jordan, and I started, but the girls had moved casually on and her remark was addressed to the premature moon, produced like the supper, no doubt, out of a caterer’s basket. With Jordan’s slender golden arm resting in mine, we descended the steps and sauntered about the garden. A tray of cocktails floated at us through the twilight, and we sat down at a table with the two girls in yellow and three men, each one introduced to us as Mr. Mumble.

"你们后来染过头发了。"乔丹说，我听了一惊，但两个姑娘却已经漫不经心地走开了，因此她这句话说给早升的月亮听了，月亮和晚餐的酒菜一样，无疑也是从包办酒席的人的篮子里拿出来的。乔丹用她那纤细的、金黄色的手臂挽着我的手臂，我们走下了台阶，在花园里闲逛。一盘鸡尾酒在暮色苍茫中飘到我们面前，我们就在一张桌子旁坐下，同座的还有那两个穿黄衣的姑娘和三个男的，介绍给我们的时候名字全含含糊糊一带而过。

　　“Do you come to these parties often?” inquired Jordan of the girl beside her.

"你常来参加这些晚会吗？"乔丹问她旁边的那个姑娘。

　　“The last one was the one I met you at,” answered the girl, in an alert confident voice. She turned to her companion: “Wasn’t it for you, Lucille?”

"我上次来就是见到你的那一次，"姑娘回答，声音是机灵而自信的。她又转身问她的朋友，"你是不是也一样，露西尔？"

　　It was for Lucille, too.

露西尔也是一样。

　　“I like to come,” Lucille said. “I never care what I do, so I always have a good time. When I was here last I tore my gown on a chair, and he asked me my name and address—inside of a week I got a package from Croirier’s with a new evening gown in it.”

"我喜欢来，"露西尔说，"我从来不在乎干什么，只要我玩得痛快就行。上次我来这里，我把衣服在椅子上撕破了，他就问了我的姓名住址--不出一个星期我收到克罗里公司送来一个包裹，里面是一件新的晚礼服"

　　“Did you keep it?” asked Jordan.

"你收下了吗？"乔丹问。

　　“Sure I did. I was going to wear it to-night, but it was too big in the bust and had to be altered. It was gas blue with lavender beads. Two hundred and sixty-five dollars.”

"我当然收下了。我本来今晚准备穿的，可是它胸口太大，非改不可。衣服是淡蓝色的，镶着淡紫色的珠子。二百六十五美元。"

　　“There’s something funny about a fellow that’ll do a thing like that,” said the other girl eagerly. “He doesn’t want any trouble with ANYbody.”

"一个人肯干这样的事真有点古怪，"另外那个姑娘热切地说，"他不愿意得罪任何人。"

　　“Who doesn’t?” I inquired.

"谁不愿意？"我问。

　　“Gatsby. Somebody told me...”

"盖茨比。有人告诉我……"

　　The two girls and Jordan leaned together confidentially.

两个姑娘和乔丹诡秘地把头靠到一起。

　　“Somebody told me they thought he killed a man once.”

"有人告诉我，人家认为他杀过一个人。"

　　A thrill passed over all of us. The three Mr. Mumbles bent forward and listened eagerly.

我们大家都感到十分惊异，位先生也把头伸到前而，竖起耳朵来听。

　　“I don’t think it’s so much THAT,” argued Lucille sceptically; “it’s more that he was a German spy during the war.”

"我想并不是那回事，"露西尔不以为然地分辩道，"多半是因为在人战时他当过德国间谍。"

　　One of the men nodded in confirmation.

三个男的当中有一个点头表示赞同。

　　“I heard that from a man who knew all about him, grew up with him in Germany,” he assured us positively.

"我也听过一个人这样说，这人对他一清二楚，是从小和他一起在德国长大的。"他肯定无疑地告诉我们。

　　“Oh, no,” said the first girl, “it couldn’t be that, because he was in the American army during the war.” As our credulity switched back to her she leaned forward with enthusiasm. “You look at him sometimes when he thinks nobody’s looking at him. I’ll bet he killed a man.”

"噢，不对，"第一个姑娘又说，"不可能是那样，因为大战期间他是在美国军队里。"由于我们又倾顷向于听信她的话，她又兴致勃勃地把头伸到侧面。"你只要趁他以为没有人看他的时候看他一眼。我敢打赌他杀过一个人。"

　　She narrowed her eyes and shivered. Lucille shivered. We all turned and looked around for Gatsby. It was testimony to the romantic speculation he inspired that there were whispers about him from those who found little that it was necessary to whisper about in this world.

她眯起眼睛，哆嗦了起来。露西尔也在哆嗦。我们大家掉转身来，四面张望去找盖茨比。有些人早就认为这个世界上没有什么需要避讳的事情，现在谈起他来却这样窃窃私语，这一点也足以证明他引起了人们何等浪漫的遐想了。