第二章
Genevieve and Joe were working—class aristocrats. In an environment made up largely of sordidness and wretchedness they had kept themselves unsullied and wholesome. Theirs was a self—respect, a regard for the niceties and clean things of life, which had held them aloof from their kind. Friends did not come to them easily; nor had either ever possessed a really intimate friend, a heart—companion with whom to chum and have things in common. The social instinct was strong in them, yet they had remained lonely because they could not satisfy that instinct and at that same time satisfy their desire for cleanness and decency.
吉纳维芙和乔是工人阶级里的贵族。在一个满是污秽的恶劣环境里,他们却保持了自身的清白与健康。他们自尊自重,注重生活中美好、干净的事物,这使得他们与众不同。他们不轻易交朋友,也没有真正的密友,即那种心灵相通、有相同之处的密友。他们有着很强的社交本能,但却始终孤独,因为他们无法在满足那种本能的同时满足对干净体面的渴望。
If ever a girl of the working class had led the sheltered life, it was Genevieve. In the midst of roughness and brutality, she had shunned all that was rough and brutal. She saw but what she chose to see, and she chose always to see the best, avoiding coarseness and uncouthness without effort, as a matter of instinct. To begin with, she had been peculiarly unexposed. An only child, with an invalid mother upon whom she attended, she had not joined in the street games and frolics of the children of the neighborhood. Her father, a mild—tempered, narrow—chested, anaemic little clerk, domestic because of his inherent disability to mix with men, had done his full share toward giving the home an atmosphere of sweetness and tenderness.
如果工人阶级里有一个女孩过着备受呵护的生活,那她就是吉纳维芙。在粗暴无情的环境中,她却避开了所有粗暴与无情。她只看她愿意看到的,并且永远只愿意看到最好的,如同本能一样,轻易地就远离了劣等粗糙的事物。从一开始,她就受到了特别的保护。她是家里唯一的孩子,又有个病弱的母亲要照顾,所以她从不上街和邻居的孩子们嬉戏打闹。她的父亲,是个脾气温和,患有贫血症,胸部狭窄的小职员,因为天性不太合群,所以总是呆在家里,他尽其所能为家庭营造出一种甜蜜温馨的气氛。
An orphan at twelve, Genevieve had gone straight from her father's funeral to live with the Silversteins in their rooms above the candy store; and here, sheltered by kindly aliens, she earned her keep and clothes by waiting on the shop. Being Gentile, she was especially necessary to the Silversteins, who would not run the business themselves when the day of their Sabbath came round.
吉纳维芙十二岁就成了孤儿,父亲的葬礼结束后,她就直接和西尔弗斯坦一家人住在糖果店楼上的房间里。她在那儿得到了这家善良的外国人的保护,通过看店赚取自己的生活费和买衣服的钱。吉娜维夫不是犹太人,所以西尔弗斯坦一家人离不开她,因为在安息日到来之时他们自己不看店做生意。
And here, in the uneventful little shop, six maturing years had slipped by. Her acquaintances were few. She had elected to have no girl chum for the reason that no satisfactory girl had appeared. Nor did she choose to walk with the young fellows of the neighborhood, as was the custom of girls from their fifteenth year. "That stuck—up doll—face, " was the way the girls of the neighborhood described her; and though she earned their enmity by her beauty and aloofness, she none the less commanded their respect. "Peaches and cream, " she was called by the young men—though softly and amongst themselves, for they were afraid of arousing the ire of the other girls, while they stood in awe of Genevieve, in a dimly religious way, as a something mysteriously beautiful and unapproachable.
在这间平静的小店里,六个年头悄然而逝。她认识的人寥寥无几。因为没有令她满意的女孩子,她从不和女孩子们结为密友。她也不愿意和她的邻居小伙子们一起出去,尽管那是女孩子十五岁以后的惯常做法。 “那个高傲的娃娃脸。” 邻居的女孩子们这么形容她。虽然她的美丽和高傲招致她们的嫉妒,但依然也赢得她们的尊重。 “艳若桃李。” 年轻的男孩子都这么叫她——虽然总是很小声地在他们内部说,怕引起其他女孩的愤怒,但他们都很敬畏吉纳维芙,以一种朦胧的宗教形式,认为她神秘、美丽而又不可接近。
For she was indeed beautiful. Springing from a long line of American descent, she was one of those wonderful working—class blooms which occasionally appear, defying all precedent of forebears and environment, apparently without cause or explanation. She was a beauty in color, the blood spraying her white skin so deliciously as to earn for her the apt description, "peaches and cream. " She was a beauty in the regularity of her features; and, if for no other reason, she was a beauty in the mere delicacy of the lines on which she was moulded. Quiet, low—voiced, stately, and dignified, she somehow had the knack of dress, and but befitted her beauty and dignity with anything she put on. Withal, she was sheerly feminine, tender and soft and clinging, with the smouldering passion of the mate and the motherliness of the woman. But this side of her nature had lain dormant through the years, waiting for the mate to appear.
因为她确实很美丽。她拥有纯正的美国血统,是那些伟大的工人阶级之中一朵罕见的花朵,美貌足以藐视所有她的前辈和周围的人们,她的美显而易见, 无需任何解释。她的肤色很美,血液流经雪白的肌肤,显出的颜色如此美丽诱人,这为她赢得了那个恰当的描述—— “艳若桃李” 。她相貌端庄美丽,即便单论她气质中所带有的娇美,也无愧 “美人” 这个称号了。她安静、低声细语、庄严、高贵,且不知怎么掌握了着装的诀窍,无论穿什么都能衬托出她的美丽和高贵。此外,她具有十足的女性特质,温柔而执着,既有成为一名伴侣潜在的激情,又有作为一个女人所拥有的母性。但她天性中的这一面这些年来却一直处于沉睡状态,在等待着她的白马王子的出现。
Then Joe came into Silverstein's shop one hot Saturday afternoon to cool himself with ice—cream soda. She had not noticed his entrance, being busy with one other customer, an urchin of six or seven who gravely analyzed his desires before the show—case wherein truly generous and marvellous candy creations reposed under a cardboard announcement, "Five for Five Cents. "
然后,在一个酷热的星期六下午,乔到西尔弗斯坦的小店去买冰激凌苏打水,想凉快一下。她没有注意到他进来,而是在忙着招待另一个顾客,一个六七岁的小孩。这个小顽童正站在糖果橱窗前一本正经地解释着他想要的东西。橱窗里有相当多的、造型令人叫绝的糖果陈列,这些糖果安放在一块硬纸板下,纸板上标着 “五分五个” 的说明。
She had heard, "Ice—cream soda, please, " and had herself asked, "What flavor? " without seeing his face. For that matter, it was not a custom of hers to notice young men. There was something about them she did not understand. The way they looked at her made her uncomfortable, she knew not why; while there was an uncouthness and roughness about them that did not please her. As yet, her imagination had been untouched by man. The young fellows she had seen had held no lure for her, had been without meaning to her. In short, had she been asked to give one reason for the existence of men on the earth, she would have been nonplussed for a reply.
她听到他说: “请给我冰激凌苏打水。” 她没看他的脸,就问: “什么口味?” 说到这一点,她没有注意年轻男孩子的习惯。关于这些男孩子,有些事她不能理解。他们看她的方式让她觉得不舒服,她不知道为什么,他们有些粗野低俗,她不喜欢。迄今为止,她的想象从未被男人触动过。她所见过的小伙子们对她都没什么吸引力,也没什么意义。总之,要是问她世界上为什么要有男人,她会迷惑不已,不知道该怎么回答。
As she emptied the measure of ice—cream into the glass, her casual glance rested on Joe's face, and she experienced on the instant a pleasant feeling of satisfaction. The next instant his eyes were upon her face, her eyes had dropped, and she was turning away toward the soda fountain. But at the fountain, filling the glass, she was impelled to look at him again—but for no more than an instant, for this time she found his eyes already upon her, waiting to meet hers, while on his face was a frankness of interest that caused her quickly to look away.
她把量杯里的冰激凌倒进杯子里,随意瞥了乔一眼。那一刻,她体验到一种幸福的感觉。下一刻,他就看到了她的脸。她已经低垂眼帘,转身朝冷饮柜台走去。但她站在柜台前,往杯子里装苏打水时,又禁不住再次看他——但是看的时间没有超过一秒钟,因为,这一次,她发现他的眼睛正看着自己,等待着和自己的目光相遇,而他脸上那种直率的兴味使得她很快移开了目光。
That such pleasingness would reside for her in any man astonished her. "What a pretty boy, " she thought to herself, innocently and instinctively trying to ward off the power to hold and draw her that lay behind the mere prettiness. "Besides, he isn't pretty, " she thought, as she placed the glass before him, received the silver dime in payment, and for the third time looked into his eyes. Her vocabulary was limited, and she knew little of the worth of words; but the strong masculinity of his boy's face told her that the term was inappropriate.
她会因为一个男人很高兴,这一点让她很震惊。 “这男孩子长得真好看。” 她暗自想着,却出于本能,单纯地试着去避开那纯粹的漂亮背后吸引和控制她的力量。 “不,他并不好看。” 她一边想着一边把杯子放到他面前,收了一角的银币,然后又第三次与他四目相对。她词汇有限,对言语的价值也知之甚少,但是他男孩的面孔上那强烈的男子气概告诉她 “好看” 这个词不太合适。
"He must be handsome, then, " was her next thought, as she again dropped her eyes before his. But all good—looking men were called handsome, and that term, too, displeased her. But whatever it was, he was good to see, and she was irritably aware of a desire to look at him again and again.
“那他肯定是英俊了。” 这是她的下一个想法。这时,她又低垂眼帘,看着他面前的地方。但是所有好看的男人都可以称为 “英俊” ,这个词也不能让她满意。无论那个词是什么,总之他看起来很舒服。她意识到自己总想一次又一次地看他,对此她很苦恼。
As for Joe, he had never seen anything like this girl across the counter. While he was wiser in natural philosophy than she, and could have given immediately the reason for woman's existence on the earth, nevertheless woman had no part in his cosmos. His imagination was as untouched by woman as the girl's was by man. But his imagination was touched now, and the woman was Genevieve. He had never dreamed a girl could be so beautiful, and he could not keep his eyes from her face. Yet every time he looked at her, and her eyes met his, he felt painful embarrassment, and would have looked away had not her eyes dropped so quickly.
对于乔来说,他还从未见过一个女孩子像柜台对面的这个女孩子那样。但是在自然哲学上,他比她聪明,能够立即给出地球上为什么要有女人的原因。不过,女人从来不是他世界的一部分。他的想象也从未被女人触动过,就像她的也从未被男人触动过一样。但是现在他的想象却被触动了,而那个女人就是吉纳维芙。他从来没有想象过一个女孩子能够那么美丽,美丽得他都移不开眼。然而每次两人目光相交,他就会感到一种令人棘手的尴尬,要是她没有那么快就低下眼帘,他早就看向别处了。
But when, at last, she slowly lifted her eyes and held their gaze steadily, it was his own eyes that dropped, his own cheek that mantled red. She was much less embarrassed than he, while she betrayed her embarrassment not at all. She was aware of a flutter within, such as she had never known before, but in no way did it disturb her outward serenity. Joe, on the contrary, was obviously awkward and delightfully miserable.
但当最终她慢慢抬起了眼睛,两个人彼此凝视对方时,是他先低下了眼帘,脸颊飞满了红晕。她远没有他那么尴尬,但还是觉得不好意思。她感觉得到内心的波动,这可是她以前未曾经历过的,但是她外表依旧平静如水。相反地,乔明显地局促不安,看起来高兴又困窘。
Neither knew love, and all that either was aware was an overwhelming desire to look at the other. Both had been troubled and roused, and they were drawing together with the sharpness and imperativeness of uniting elements. He toyed with his spoon, and flushed his embarrassment over his soda, but lingered on; and she spoke softly, dropped her eyes, and wove her witchery about him.
他们都不了解爱情,唯一知道的就是有一种强烈的欲望想要看着对方。他们都被爱情唤醒而陷入困境中,并被那直入人心,不可抵抗的联系的因素拉到了一起。他玩弄着勺子,一股气喝光了冰激凌苏打水,好像要把自己的窘迫都倾泻到里面,但他还是耽搁着不走,而她轻声细语、低垂眼帘,对他施着自己的魔法。
But he could not linger forever over a glass of ice—cream soda, while he did not dare ask for a second glass. So he left her to remain in the shop in a waking trance, and went away himself down the street like a somnambulist. Genevieve dreamed through the afternoon and knew that she was in love. Not so with Joe. He knew only that he wanted to look at her again, to see her face. His thoughts did not get beyond this, and besides, it was scarcely a thought, being more a dim and inarticulate desire.
但他不能拿着一杯冰激凌苏打水一直喝下去,却也不敢要第二杯。于是,最后他离开了她,让她精神恍惚地呆在店里,他自己则像个梦游症患者似的沿着街道走。吉纳维芙做了一整个下午的白日梦,最终明白自己是坠入爱河了。乔却并非如此。他只知道想再看到她,想再看到她的脸。他的想法还没有超出这一点,而且,这都说不上是一种想法,只是一种模模糊糊、难以言明的渴望而已。
The urge of this desire he could not escape. Day after day it worried him, and the candy shop and the girl behind the counter continually obtruded themselves. He fought off the desire. He was afraid and ashamed to go back to the candy shop. He solaced his fear with, "I ain't a ladies' man. " Not once, nor twice, but scores of times, he muttered the thought to himself, but it did no good. And by the middle of the week, in the evening, after work, he came into the shop. He tried to come in carelessly and casually, but his whole carriage advertised the strong effort of will that compelled his legs to carry his reluctant body thither. Also, he was shy, and awkwarder than ever. Genevieve, on the contrary, was serener than ever, though fluttering most alarmingly within. He was incapable of speech, mumbled his order, looked anxiously at the clock, despatched his ice—cream soda in tremendous haste, and was gone.
他摆脱不掉这种强烈的欲望。这种欲望每天都折磨着他,糖果店和柜台后的女孩总是不停地闯进他的脑海。他打消自己的欲望。他不敢再去那家糖果店,也不好意思再去。为了给自己的害怕找个理由,他说: “我不是受女人欢迎的男人。” 不只一两次,而是几十次,他这样喃喃自语,但都无济于事。到了那周三晚上,他工作结束后走进了那家小店。进去时,他努力让自己看起来是一副漫不经心的样子。但他的整个行为却表明了他是费了很大力气才挪动他的双腿,勉强将自己拖到那儿去的。而且,他很害羞,比以前任何时候都要窘迫。相反,吉纳维芙却比以前都要镇静,尽管心都快跳出了嗓子眼。他不善言辞,嘟囔着他要买的东西,不安地盯着时钟,以令人惊讶的速度匆匆地喝下冰激凌苏打水后就离开了。
She was ready to weep with vexation. Such meagre reward for four days' waiting, and assuming all the time that she loved! He was a nice boy and all that, she knew, but he needn't have been in so disgraceful a hurry. But Joe had not reached the corner before he wanted to be back with her again. He just wanted to look at her. He had no thought that it was love. Love? That was when young fellows and girls walked out together. As for him—And then his desire took sharper shape, and he discovered that that was the very thing he wanted her to do. He wanted to see her, to look at her, and well could he do all this if she but walked out with him. Then that was why the young fellows and girls walked out together, he mused, as the week—end drew near. He had remotely considered this walking out to be a mere form or observance preliminary to matrimony. Now he saw the deeper wisdom in it, wanted it himself, and concluded therefrom that he was in love.
她苦恼得都要哭出来了。她等了四天,整天想着她爱的人,却得到如此渺茫的结果!她完全知道,他是个好男孩。他无须这样匆匆忙忙的,一点都不光彩。而乔还没走到街角就又想回去和她呆在一起了。他只是想看看她。他还根本不知道那就是爱。爱?那就是年轻的男孩子和女孩子在一起外出散步。至于他——他的渴望更强烈了,他发现那就正是他想要她做的事。他想要看到她、看着她,只要是她和他一起散步,他就能实现这些了。这就是为什么年轻的男孩女孩在周末来临时会一起散步,他沉思着。以前,他以为这种散步只是结婚前的形式或者惯例。现在他看到了其中更为深层的智慧,自己也想做同样的事,因此得出结论,就是他坠入爱河了。
Both were now of the same mind, and there could be but the one ending; and it was the mild nine days' wonder of Genevieve's neighborhood when she and Joe walked out together.
现在他们两个想法都一样了,那就只会迎来一种结果。最后吉纳维芙和乔一起散步这事最终成了她的左邻右舍间轰动一时的大事。
Both were blessed with an avarice of speech, and because of it their courtship was a long one. As he expressed himself in action, she expressed herself in repose and control, and by the love—light in her eyes—though this latter she would have suppressed in all maiden modesty had she been conscious of the speech her heart printed so plainly there. "Dear" and "darling" were too terribly intimate for them to achieve quickly; and, unlike most mating couples, they did not overwork the love—words. For a long time they were content to walk together in the evenings, or to sit side by side on a bench in the park, neither uttering a word for an hour at a time, merely gazing into each other's eyes, too faintly luminous in the starshine to be a cause for self—consciousness and embarrassment.
两个人都惜字如金,因此他们的爱情简直像长征一样。当他用行动表达自己时,她表现得冷静而有节制。通过她眼中爱情的光芒——她才意识到原来她的心迹已经表露得如此明显,虽然后来她用少女的谦逊掩盖这点。 “亲爱的” 、 “心爱的” 对他们来说太过亲密了,不能在短时间内就那么称呼,而且不同于大多数的恋人,他们不滥用这些爱情的字眼。有很长一段时间,他们满足于晚上一起散步,或者并肩坐在公园的长椅上,每次整个小时一句话也不说,只是凝视对方的眼睛,星光是如此地微弱渺茫,以至于他们不会觉得那么害羞和窘迫。
He was as chivalrous and delicate in his attention as any knight to his lady. When they walked along the street, he was careful to be on the outside, —somewhere he had heard that this was the proper thing to do, —and when a crossing to the opposite side of the street put him on the inside, he swiftly side—stepped behind her to gain the outside again. He carried her parcels for her, and once, when rain threatened, her umbrella. He had never heard of the custom of sending flowers to one's lady—love, so he sent Genevieve fruit instead. There was utility in fruit. It was good to eat. Flowers never entered his mind, until, one day, he noticed a pale rose in her hair. It drew his gaze again and again. It was her hair, therefore the presence of the flower interested him. Again, it interested him because she had chosen to put it there. For these reasons he was led to observe the rose more closely. He discovered that the effect in itself was beautiful, and it fascinated him. His ingenuous delight in it was a delight to her, and a new and mutual love—thrill was theirs—because of a flower. Straightway he became a lover of flowers. Also, he became an inventor in gallantry. He sent her a bunch of violets. The idea was his own. He had never heard of a man sending flowers to a woman. Flowers were used for decorative purposes, also for funerals. He sent Genevieve flowers nearly every day, and so far as he was concerned the idea was original, as positive an invention as ever arose in the mind of man.
对恋人,他像骑士一样既有武士精神又心思细腻。他们沿着街道散步时,他细心地站在她的外侧——他不知道从什么地方听说过这样做才恰当——横穿马路到街道对面去时,他就走在了内侧,然后很快在她身后横跨几步,就又走到了她的外侧。他替她拿包。还有一次快下雨时,他替她撑伞。他从未听说过送花给爱人的习俗,所以总是送给吉纳维芙水果。水果很实用。它们也很好吃。他从没想过要送花,直到有一天,他注意到她头发上别了一朵凋零的玫瑰。他盯着看了又看。因为别在她的头发上,所以那朵花的存在引起了他的兴趣。并且,他还感兴趣为什么她会将花别在头发上。因为这些原因,他又靠得更近地看了看那朵玫瑰。他发现玫瑰本身所产生的效果很漂亮,这种美感把他迷住了。他对玫瑰直白的喜爱让她很开心,他们之间有了一个对爱的新的共鸣——因为一朵花。他马上变成了一个爱花的人。同时,他也变成了一个殷勤的恋人。他送了她一束紫罗兰。这是他自己想出来的点子。之前,他从没听说过男人给女人送花。花是用来装饰的,也用在葬礼上。他几乎每天都送吉纳维芙鲜花。他自认为这个点子是他原创的,就像任何其他人发明的点子一样棒。
He was tremulous in his devotion to her—as tremulous as was she in her reception of him. She was all that was pure and good, a holy of holies not lightly to be profaned even by what might possibly be the too ardent reverence of a devotee. She was a being wholly different from any he had ever known. She was not as other girls. It never entered his head that she was of the same clay as his own sisters, or anybody's sister. She was more than mere girl, than mere woman. She was—well, she was Genevieve, a being of a class by herself, nothing less than a miracle of creation.
他小心翼翼地将自己奉献给她——就像她小心翼翼地接受他一样。她那么纯洁美好,如不容亵渎的圣地,即使是信徒,太过热情的崇敬也是不对的。她和他之前知道的一切都截然不同。她和其他女孩不一样。他从来没有想过她和自己的姐妹或者其他任何人的姐妹一样,都有着同样的血肉之躯。她不仅仅是个女孩,也不仅仅是个女人。她是——没错,她就是吉纳维芙,独一无二,简直是造物的奇迹。
And for her, in turn, there was in him but little less of illusion. Her judgment of him in minor things might be critical (while his judgment of her was sheer worship, and had in it nothing critical at all); but in her judgment of him as a whole she forgot the sum of the parts, and knew him only as a creature of wonder, who gave meaning to life, and for whom she could die as willingly as she could live. She often beguiled her waking dreams of him with fancied situations, wherein, dying for him, she at last adequately expressed the love she felt for him, and which, living, she knew she could never fully express.
同样地,对她而言,他就像一种幻象。她在小事上对他可能有点儿挑剔(而他对她则是完全崇拜,根本无可挑剔)。但是就整体评价而言,她就忘记了这些部分,只知道他是奇迹的创造者,给了她生命的意义。为了他,即使是死,她也像生一样甘之如饴。她总是把时间消磨在做有关他的白日梦里。梦里有华丽的背景,而她即将为他死去,并最终倾吐了自己对他的爱恋。她明白,只要自己活着,就永远表达不尽她的爱。
Their love was all fire and dew. The physical scarcely entered into it, for such seemed profanation. The ultimate physical facts of their relation were something which they never considered. Yet the immediate physical facts they knew, the immediate yearnings and raptures of the flesh—the touch of finger tips on hand or arm, the momentary pressure of a hand—clasp, the rare lip—caress of a kiss, the tingling thrill of her hair upon his cheek, of her hand lightly thrusting back the locks from above his eyes. All this they knew, but also, and they knew not why, there seemed a hint of sin about these caresses and sweet bodily contacts.
他们的爱情就像烈火和朝露。身体从来不是他们爱情的一部分,因为那似乎是一种对神的亵渎。他们从未考虑过要有亲密的身体接触。而对于肉体的渴望和狂喜,他们所体验到的最亲密的身体接触就是——手指尖碰到对方的手臂或胳膊,握手时短暂的用力,偶尔的轻吻,她的头发触在他脸上,以及她用手将他眼睛上方的一缕头发向后推时他的一阵酥麻感。这些是他们知道的,但是,他们不知道为什么,对于这些亲吻和甜蜜的身体接触似乎怀有那么一丝罪恶感。
There were times when she felt impelled to throw her arms around him in a very abandonment of love, but always some sanctity restrained her. At such moments she was distinctly and unpleasantly aware of some unguessed sin that lurked within her. It was wrong, undoubtedly wrong, that she should wish to caress her lover in so unbecoming a fashion. No self—respecting girl could dream of doing such a thing. It was unwomanly. Besides, if she had done it, what would he have thought of it? And while she contemplated so horrible a catastrophe, she seemed to shrivel and wilt in a furnace of secret shame.
有时候,她觉得有股力量推动她伸开双臂拥抱他来表达内心满满的爱恋,但总有些神圣的东西在阻止着她。每当这时,她就很清楚地意识到自己的内心潜伏着某种未知的罪恶,这使她感到很不愉快。毫无疑问,她想用这种不适当的方式亲吻爱人是错误的。没有哪个自尊自爱的女孩会想着做这种事的。那不是女人该做的。而且,要是她真那样做了,他会怎么想呢?每当她设计了这样一场可怕的灾难时,她似乎就会在暗藏着羞耻的熔炉里枯萎并融化了。
Nor did Joe escape the prick of curious desires, chiefest among which, perhaps, was the desire to hurt Genevieve. When, after long and tortuous degrees, he had achieved the bliss of putting his arm round her waist, he felt spasmodic impulses to make the embrace crushing, till she should cry out with the hurt. It was not his nature to wish to hurt any living thing. Even in the ring, to hurt was never the intention of any blow he struck. In such case he played the Game, and the goal of the Game was to down an antagonist and keep that antagonist down for a space of ten seconds. So he never struck merely to hurt; the hurt was incidental to the end, and the end was quite another matter. And yet here, with this girl he loved, came the desire to hurt. Why, when with thumb and forefinger he had ringed her wrist, he should desire to contract that ring till it crushed, was beyond him. He could not understand, and felt that he was discovering depths of brutality in his nature of which he had never dreamed.
乔也没有摆脱这种好奇的欲望所带来的悔恨感,其中最强烈的也许就是想要伤害吉纳维芙的欲望。过了漫长而曲折的阶段后,他终于享受到了用手臂拥着她腰的极大快乐。他不时有股冲动,想抱得更紧些,直到吉纳维芙疼得叫出声来。他天性不想伤害任何生物。即使是在拳击场里,伤人也绝不是他打出任何一拳的目的。在这种情况下,他去参加拳赛,他参赛的目的只在于击倒对手,让他们倒地十秒钟。因此,他从来不仅仅为要伤人而出拳,受伤只是结果的附加品,而结果本身完全是另外一回事。但是,对这个他深爱的女孩,他竟然有了想伤害她的欲望。当他用食指和拇指圈起她的手腕时,他竟然想要缩小这个圈,直到把它压碎。这是为什么呢?他不能理解自己的这个想法。他不能理解自己的欲望,也意识到自己正在逐渐发现他天性中的残忍程度,这种残忍是他之前做梦也没有想过的。
Once, on parting, he threw his arms around her and swiftly drew her against him. Her gasping cry of surprise and pain brought him to his senses and left him there very much embarrassed and still trembling with a vague and nameless delight. And she, too, was trembling. In the hurt itself, which was the essence of the vigorous embrace, she had found delight; and again she knew sin, though she knew not its nature nor why it should be sin.
有一次,分别时,他又张开双臂拥抱她,然后很快把她拉到自己身前。她因为惊讶和疼痛而急促地呼吸,并叫喊着,这唤回了他的意识,他愣在那里尴尬得不知所措,但仍因一种模糊的、无名的快感而颤抖不已。她,同样也在颤抖。这个强有力的拥抱的实质就是疼痛本身,而她却在疼痛中找到了一种快感。她再次感到罪恶,虽然她既不知道这种罪恶感的实质是什么,也不知道它为什么叫做罪恶。
Came the day, very early in their walking out, when Silverstein chanced upon Joe in his store and stared at him with saucer—eyes. Came likewise the scene, after Joe had departed, when the maternal feelings of Mrs. Silverstein found vent in a diatribe against all prize—fighters and against Joe Fleming in particular. Vainly had Silverstein striven to stay the spouse's wrath. There was need for her wrath. All the maternal feelings were hers but none of the maternal rights.
这一天最后还是来了,他们一大早出去散步,当西尔弗斯坦在他的小店里偶然撞见乔,便一直用他茶色的眼睛盯着他。乔离开了以后,类似的情形又发生了。西尔弗斯坦夫人臭骂所有的职业拳击手,尤其是乔? 弗莱明,来发泄自己作为母亲的感觉。西尔弗斯坦努力地去平息妻子的怒气,但根本是徒劳的。她有理由发怒。她有作为母亲的所有情感,但却未享有任何作为母亲的权利。
Genevieve was aware only of the diatribe; she knew a flood of abuse was pouring from the lips of the Jewess, but she was too stunned to hear the details of the abuse. Joe, her Joe, was Joe Fleming the prize—fighter. It was abhorrent, impossible, too grotesque to be believable. Her clear—eyed, girl—cheeked Joe might be anything but a prize—fighter. She had never seen one, but he in no way resembled her conception of what a prize—fighter must be—the human brute with tiger eyes and a streak for a forehead. Of course she had heard of Joe Fleming—who in West Oakland had not? —but that there should be anything more than a coincidence of names had never crossed her mind.
吉纳维芙只听明白那是恶骂,她知道辱骂正如洪流一样从这个犹太女人的嘴里喷涌出来,但是她太震惊了,以至于没有听懂具体骂的内容。乔,她的乔,是那个职业拳击手乔? 弗莱明。这真令人讨厌,是不可能的,太恶心了,荒唐得叫人难以置信。她的乔有一双清澈的眼睛,有女孩子般的脸颊。他可能做过许多职业,但绝不可能是职业拳击手。她从来没有见过一个职业拳击手,但是他和她想象中的职业拳击手一点儿都不像——那都是些长着老虎一样的眼睛、前额纹着花纹的野蛮人。她当然听说过乔? 弗莱明——西奥克兰的人谁没听说过?——但除了想到名字是个巧合外,从未想过其他。
She came out of her daze to hear Mrs. Silverstein's hysterical sneer, "keepin 'company vit a bruiser. " Next, Silverstein and his wife fell to differing onnotedandnotoriousas applicable to her lover.
她摆脱茫然的思绪,听着西尔弗斯坦夫人歇斯底里地嘲笑: “和一个职业拳击手一路。” 接下来,西尔弗斯坦和他妻子争执起到底该用 “闻名遐迩” 还是 “臭名昭著” 来形容她的爱人。
"But he iss a good boy, " Silverstein was contending. "He make der money, an 'he safe der money. "
“但他确实是个好孩子。” 西尔弗斯坦据理力争, “他挣钱、存钱。”
"You tell me dat! " Mrs. Silverstein screamed. "Vat you know? You know too much. You spend good money on der prize—fighters. How you know? Tell me dat! How you know? "
“你再说一遍!” 西尔福斯坦夫人尖叫道, “你知道什么?你知道的可真不少。你花了不少钱在那个拳击手身上吧。你怎么知道的?告诉我!你怎么知道的?”
"I know vat I know, " Silverstein held on sturdily—a thing Genevieve had never before seen him do when his wife was in her tantrums. "His fader die, he go to work in Hansen's sail—loft. He haf six brudders an 'sisters younger as he iss. He iss der liddle fader. He vork hard, all der time. He buy der pread an' der meat, an 'pay der rent.
“我就是知道,” 西尔弗斯坦坚持着——吉纳维芙从未见过他妻子在大发雷霆时他这样坚持过。 “他爸爸死了,他才去汉森的船帆阁楼工厂工作的。他有六个弟弟妹妹。他就是一家之主。他一直辛勤工作。他要买面包和肉,还要付房租。
On Saturday night he bring home ten dollar. Den Hansen gif him twelve dollar—vat he do? He iss der liddle fader, he bring it home to der mudder. He vork all der time, he get twenty dollar—vat he do? He bring it home.
每周六晚,他都带回家十块钱。丹? 汉森总是给他十二块钱——他拿这些钱做什么了?他是一家之主,把钱带回家给他妈妈了。他总是一直在工作,挣到二十块钱——他拿这些钱干什么了?他把钱带回家。
Der liddle brudders an 'sisters go to school, vear good clothes, haf better pread an' meat; der mudder lif fat, dere iss joy in der eye, an 'she iss proud of her good boy Joe.
他的弟弟妹妹能上学,能穿好衣服,能吃更好的面包和肉;他妈妈很胖,眼里总是笑意盈盈,她为她的好儿子乔而骄傲。
"But he haf der beautiful body—ach, Gott, der beautiful body! —stronger as der ox, k—vicker as der tiger—cat, der head cooler as der ice—box, der eyes vat see eferytings, k—vick, just like dat. He put on der gloves vit der boys at Hansen's loft, he put on der gloves vit de boys at der varehouse. He go before der club; he knock out der Spider, k—vick, one punch, just like dat, der first time. Der purse iss five dollar—vat he do? He bring it home to der mudder.
“他身材很好——啊,上帝,多好的身材!——比公牛还强壮,比山猫还迅捷,头脑比冰箱还冷静,眼睛锐利得能看透一切。他戴上手套在汉森的阁楼里和男孩子们一起工作。他戴上手套在仓库里和那些男孩子们一起工作。他在俱乐部里很厉害。他打败了斯派德,出手迅猛,一拳,就像这样,一次就打倒了。奖金是五块钱——他拿它做什么了?他把钱带回家给他妈妈。
"He go many times before der clubs; he get many purses—ten dollar, fifty dollar, one hundred dollar. Vat he do? Tell me dat! Quit der job at Hansen's? Haf der good time vit der boys? No, no; he iss der good boy.
“他在俱乐部里赢过很多次;得过很多次奖金——十块、五十块、一百块。他拿这些钱做什么了?告诉我!辞掉汉森那里的工作了?和那些男孩子们一起玩乐了?不,没有。他是个好孩子。
He vork efery day. He fight at night before der clubs.
“他每天都工作,晚上才在俱乐部里比赛。
He say, 'Vat for I pay der rent, Silverstein? ' —to me, Silverstein, he say dat. Nefer mind vat I say, but he buy der good house for der mudder. All der time he vork at Hansen's and fight before der clubs to pay for der house. He buy der piano for der sisters, der carpets, der pictures on der vall. An 'he iss all der time straight. He bet on himself—dat iss der good sign. Ven der man bets on himself dat is der time you bet too—”
“他说: ‘西尔弗斯坦,我拿什么付房租呢?’ ——对我,西尔弗斯坦,他是这样说的。不管我说了什么,他还给他妈妈买了那栋不错的房子。他一直在汉森那里工作,在俱乐部里比赛,就是为了付那栋房子的贷款。他给妹妹们买了钢琴、地毯,还有墙上的画。而且一直以来,他都很正直。他把赌注下在自己身上——这是个好现象。当一个人把赌注下在自己身上时,也是你该把赌注下在他身上的时候——”
Here Mrs. Silverstein groaned her horror of gambling, and her husband, aware that his eloquence had betrayed him, collapsed into voluble assurances that he was ahead of the game. "An 'all because of Joe Fleming, " he concluded. I back him efery time to vin.
这时,西尔弗斯坦夫人用不停地叹息来表达她对赌博的恐惧。她的丈夫,意识到自己的长篇大论已经暴露了他赌博的事,丧失了刚才的自信,口若悬河地保证他在赌局里是赢家。 “多亏了乔? 弗莱明,” 他总结道, “每次我都赌他赢。”
But Genevieve and Joe were preeminently mated, and nothing, not even this terrible discovery, could keep them apart. In vain Genevieve tried to steel herself against him; but she fought herself, not him. To her surprise she discovered a thousand excuses for him, found him lovable as ever; and she entered into his life to be his destiny, and to control him after the way of women. She saw his future and hers through glowing vistas of reform, and her first great deed was when she wrung from him his promise to cease fighting.
但吉纳维芙和乔实在是天生一对,没有什么事能把他们分开,即使是这个糟糕的发现也不能。吉纳维芙尝试着让自己对他铁石心肠起来,却是徒劳的,她打败的只是自己,而不是他。令她惊讶的是,她为他找了一千个借口,觉得他还是像以前那么讨人喜爱。而且,她命中注定要进入他的生命,并用女人的方式去掌控他。通过展望没有拳赛的光辉前景,她看到自己和他的未来。她的第一个伟大成就就是让他保证不再参加拳赛。
And he, after the way of men, pursuing the dream of love and striving for possession of the precious and deathless object of desire, had yielded. And yet, in the very moment of promising her, he knew vaguely, deep down, that he could never abandon the Game; that somewhere, sometime, in the future, he must go back to it. And he had had a swift vision of his mother and brothers and sisters, their multitudinous wants, the house with its painting and repairing, its street assessments and taxes, and of the coming of children to him and Genevieve, and of his own daily wage in the sail—making loft. But the next moment the vision was dismissed, as such warnings are always dismissed, and he saw before him only Genevieve, and he knew only his hunger for her and the call of his being to her; and he accepted calmly her calm assumption of his life and actions.
而他,以男人的方式,为了追求梦想的爱情,也为了拥有吉纳维芙,这个珍贵的、鲜活的、他渴望的女孩,也已经屈服了。然而,在向她许诺的那一刻,在他内心深处,他模模糊糊地明白,他绝不可能放弃拳赛;也许在未来的某个时候、某个地方,他还一定会重新回到赛场的。他脑海里曾快速地闪现出一幅幅图片,他的母亲和弟弟妹妹、他们的各种需求、要粉刷和修补的房子、这所房子的市场行情和税收,他和吉纳维芙的孩子的出生,还有他在船帆阁楼工厂每天的工资。但这些景象下一刻就消失了,就像那些总是被忽略的警告。在他面前,他只看到吉纳维芙,只知道自己对她的渴望和自己的存在对她的吸引力。他平静地接受了她对他的生活和行为冷静的推断。
He was twenty, she was eighteen, boy and girl, the pair of them, and made for progeny, healthy and normal, with steady blood pounding through their bodies; and wherever they went together, even on Sunday outings across the bay amongst people who did not know him, eyes were continually drawn to them. He matched her girl's beauty with his boy's beauty, her grace with his strength, her delicacy of line and fibre with the harsher vigor and muscle of the male. Frank—faced, fresh—colored, almost ingenuous in expression, eyes blue and wide apart, he drew and held the gaze of more than one woman far above him in the social scale. Of such glances and dim maternal promptings he was quite unconscious, though Genevieve was quick to see and understand; and she knew each time the pang of a fierce joy in that he was hers and that she held him in the hollow of her hand. He did see, however, and rather resented, the men's glances drawn by her. These, too, she saw and understood as he did not dream of understanding.
他二十岁,而她十八岁。一个是男孩子,一个是女孩子。他们这对小情侣会有健康正常的子女,血液平稳地流遍他们的身体。无论他们一起去哪儿,即使是周日远足穿过海滩,和不认识的人走在一起,也总是有很多人不停地关注他们。他的阳刚之美配她的阴柔之美,她的优雅配他的力量,她精致的线条和肌理配他旺盛的精力和男性的肌肉。面孔真诚、肤色年轻、言语坦诚,蓝色的眼睛配上宽宽的间距,他吸引了很多女人的注意,而她们的社会地位远高于他。他浑然不觉这样的眼光和女性含蓄的诱惑,尽管吉纳维芙总是很快注意到并明白其中的含义。每次确认他是属于她的而她正握着他的手,她就感到一种猛烈的痛苦的喜悦,她了解这种感受。但是,他看到男人的目光落到吉纳维芙身上时则很反感。她也看到了那些男人的目光,也明白其中的含义,正如他根本就不想弄明白那些女人目光中的含义一样。