听英文名着可以耳朵怀孕 | 里昂读《了不起的盖茨比》- 018

听英文名著可以耳朵怀孕

里昂读《了不起的盖茨比》

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　　The nature of Mr. Tostoff’s composition eluded me, because just as it began my eyes fell on Gatsby, standing alone on the marble steps and looking from one group to another with approving eyes. His tanned skin was drawn attractively tight on his face and his short hair looked as though it were trimmed every day. I could see nothing sinister about him. I wondered if the fact that he was not drinking helped to set him off from his guests, for it seemed to me that he grew more correct as the fraternal hilarity increased. When the JAZZ HISTORY OF THE WORLD was over, girls were putting their heads on men’s shoulders in a puppyish, convivial way, girls were swooning backward playfully into men’s arms, even into groups, knowing that some one would arrest their falls—but no one swooned backward on Gatsby, and no French bob touched Gatsby’s shoulder, and no singing quartets were formed with Gatsby’s head for one link.

托斯托夫先生这个乐曲是怎么回事，我没有注意到，因为演奏一开始，我就一眼看到了盖茨比单独一个人站在大理石台阶上面，用满意的目光从这一群人看到那一群人。他那晒得黑黑的皮肤很漂亮地紧绷在脸上，他那短短的头发看上去好像是每天都修剪似的。我看不出他身上有什么诡秘的迹象。我纳闷是否他不喝酒这个事实有助于把他跟他的客人们截然分开，因为我觉得随着沆瀣一气的欢闹的高涨，他却变得越发端庄了。等到《爵士音乐世界史》演奏完毕，有的姑娘像小哈巴狗一样乐滋滋地靠在男人肩膀上，有的姑娘开玩笑地向后晕倒在男人怀抱里，甚至倒进人群里，明知反正有人会把她们托住--可是没有人晕倒在盖茨比身上，也没有法国式的短发碰到盖茨比的肩头，也没有人组织四人合唱团来拉盖茨比加入。

　　“I beg your pardon.”

"对不起。"

　　Gatsby’s butler was suddenly standing beside us.

盖茨比的男管家忽然站在我们身旁。

　　“Miss Baker?” he inquired. “I beg your pardon, but Mr. Gatsby would like to speak to you alone.”

"贝克小姐？"他问道，"对不起，盖茨比先生想单独跟您谈谈。"

　　“With me?” she exclaimed in surprise.

"跟我谈？"她惊奇地大声说。

　　“Yes, madame.”

"是的，小姐。"

　　She got up slowly, raising her eyebrows at me in astonishment, and followed the butler toward the house. I noticed that she wore her evening-dress, all her dresses, like sports clothes—there was a jauntiness about her movements as if she had first learned to walk upon golf courses on clean, crisp mornings.

她慢慢地站了起来，惊愕地对我扬了扬眉毛，然后跟着男管家向房子走去。我注意到她穿晚礼服，穿所有的衣服，都像穿运动服一样--她的动作有一种矫健的姿势，仿佛她当初就是在空气清新的早晨在高尔夫球场上学走路的。

　　I was alone and it was almost two. For some time confused and intriguing sounds had issued from a long, many-windowed room which overhung the terrace. Eluding Jordan’s undergraduate, who was now engaged in an obstetrical conversation with two chorus girls, and who implored me to join him, I went inside.

我独自一人，时间已快两点了。有好一会儿，从阳台上面一间长长的、有许多窗户的房间里传来了一阵阵杂乱而引人人胜的声音。乔丹的那位大学生此刻正在和两个歌舞团的舞女大谈助产术，央求我去加人，可是我溜掉了，走到室内去。

　　The large room was full of people. One of the girls in yellow was playing the piano, and beside her stood a tall, red-haired young lady from a famous chorus, engaged in song. She had drunk a quantity of champagne, and during the course of her song she had decided, ineptly, that everything was very, very sad—she was not only singing, she was weeping too. Whenever there was a pause in the song she filled it with gasping, broken sobs, and then took up the lyric again in a quavering soprano. The tears coursed down her cheeks—not freely, however, for when they came into contact with her heavily beaded eyelashes they assumed an inky color, and pursued the rest of their way in slow black rivulets. A humorous suggestion was made that she sing the notes on her face, whereupon she threw up her hands, sank into a chair, and went off into a deep vinous sleep.

大房间里挤满了人。穿黄衣的姑娘有一个在弹钢琴，她身旁站着一个高高的红发少妇，是从一个有名的歌舞团来的，正在那里唱歌。她已经喝了大量的香摈，在她唱歌的过程中她又不合时宜地认定一切都非常非常悲惨--她不仅在唱，而且还在哭。每逢曲中有停顿的地方，她就用抽抽噎噎的哭声来填补，然后又用震颤的女高音继续去唱歌词。眼泪沿着她的面颊往下流--可不是畅通无阻地流，因为眼泪一碰到画得浓浓的睫毛之后就变成了黑墨水，像两条黑色的小河似的慢慢地继续往下流。有人开玩笑，建议她唱脸上的那些音符，她听了这话把两手向上一甩，倒在一张椅子上，醉醺醺地呼呼大睡起来。

　　“She had a fight with a man who says he’s her husband,” explained a girl at my elbow.

"她刚才跟一个自称是她丈夫的人打过一架。"我身旁一个姑娘解释说。

　　I looked around. Most of the remaining women were now having fights with men said to be their husbands. Even Jordan’s party, the quartet from East Egg, were rent asunder by dissension. One of the men was talking with curious intensity to a young actress, and his wife, after attempting to laugh at the situation in a dignified and indifferent way, broke down entirely and resorted to flank attacks—at intervals she appeared suddenly at his side like an angry diamond, and hissed: “You promised!” into his ear.

我向四周看看，剩下的女客现在多半都在跟她们所谓的丈夫吵架。连乔丹的那一伙，从东卵来的那四位，也由于意见不和而四分五裂了。男的当中有一个正在劲头十足地跟一个年轻的女演员交谈，他的妻子起先还保持尊严，装得满不在乎，想一笑置之，到后来完全垮了，就采取侧面攻击--不时突然出现在他身边，像一条袖脊蛇愤怒时口腔里发出嘶嘶声一般，对着他的耳朵从牙缝里挤出一句话："你答应过的！"

　　The reluctance to go home was not confined to wayward men. The hall was at present occupied by two deplorably sober men and their highly indignant wives. The wives were sympathizing with each other in slightly raised voices.

舍不得回家的并不限于任性的男客。穿堂里此刻有两个毫无醉意的男客和他们怒气冲天的太太。两位太太略微提高了嗓子在互相表示同情。

　　“Whenever he sees I’m having a good time he wants to go home.”

"每次他一看见我玩得开心他就要回家。"

　　“Never heard anything so selfish in my life.”

"我这辈子从来没见过有谁像他这么自私。"

　　“We’re always the first ones to leave.”

"我们总是第一个走。"

　　“So are we.”

"我们也是一样。"

　　“Well, we’re almost the last to-night,” said one of the men sheepishly. “The orchestra left half an hour ago.”

"不过，今晚我们几乎是最后的了，"两个男的中的一个怯生生地说，"乐队半个钟头以前就走了。"

　　In spite of the wives’ agreement that such malevolence was beyond credibility, the dispute ended in a short struggle, and both wives were lifted, kicking, into the night.

尽管两位太太一致认为这种恶毒心肠简直叫人难以置信，这场纠纷终于在一阵短短的揪斗中结束，两位太太都被抱了起来，两腿乱踢，消失在黑夜里。

　　As I waited for my hat in the hall the door of the library opened and Jordan Baker and Gatsby came out together. He was saying some last word to her, but the eagerness in his manner tightened abruptly into formality as several people approached him to say good-bye.

我在穿堂里等我帽子的时候，图书室的门开了，乔丹·贝克和盖茨比一同走了出来。他还在跟她说最后一句话，可是这时有几个人走过来和他告别，他原先热切的态度陡然收敛，变成了拘谨。