Garrone attracts the love of all; Derossi, the admiration. He has taken the first medal; he will always be the first, and this year also; no one can compete with him; all recognize his superiority in all points. He is the first in arithmetic, in grammar, in composition, in drawing; he understands everything on the instant; he has a marvellous memory; he succeeds in everything without effort; it seems as though study were play to him. The teacher said to him yesterday:—
卡隆被所有人爱戴,而代洛西令人敬佩。代洛西得过一等奖牌;他总是得第一名,今年也是;没人能比得过他;所有人都承认他在各个方面的优势。算术、语法、作文和绘画,他都是第一名;任何事情他一学就会;他有惊人的记忆力;任何事情他不费吹灰之力就能成功;学习对他来说就像玩一样。昨天老师对他说:
"You have received great gifts from God; all you have to do is not to squander them." He is, moreover, tall and handsome, with a great crown of golden curls; he is so nimble that he can leap over a bench by resting one hand on it; and he already understands fencing. He is twelve years old, and the son of a merchant; he is always dressed in blue, with gilt buttons; he is always lively, merry, gracious to all, and helps all he can in examinations; and no one has ever dared to do anything disagreeable to him, or to say a rough word to him. Nobis and Franti alone look askance at him, and Votini darts envy from his eyes; but he does not even perceive it. All smile at him, and take his hand or his arm, when he goes about, in his graceful way, to collect the work. He gives away illustrated papers, drawings, everything that is given him at home; he has made a little geographical chart of Calabria for the Calabrian lad; and he gives everything with a smile, without paying any heed to it, like a grand gentleman, and without favoritism for any one. It is impossible not to envy him, not to feel smaller than he in everything. Ah! I, too, envy him, like Votini. And I feel a bitterness, almost a certain scorn, for him, sometimes, when I am striving to accomplish my work at home, and think that he has already finished his, at this same moment, extremely well, and without fatigue. But then, when I return to school, and behold him so handsome, so smiling and triumphant, and hear how frankly and confidently he replies to the master's questions, and how courteous he is, and how the others all like him, then all bitterness, all scorn, departs from my heart, and I am ashamed of having experienced these sentiments. I should like to be always near him at such times; I should like to be able to do all my school tasks with him: his presence, his voice, inspire me with courage, with a will to work, with cheerfulness and pleasure.
“上帝赐予了你非凡的天赋,你所要做的就是不要浪费了那些天赋。”此外,他还又高又帅,满头金黄色的卷发;他灵活敏捷,仅凭单手一撑,就能跳过一条长凳;而且他已经通晓了剑术。他十二岁,是一位商人的儿子;他总是穿着镶着镀金纽扣的蓝色衣服;他总是很活泼愉快,对每个人都亲切有礼,考试的时候他会尽其所能帮忙;没人敢做不讨他喜欢的事情,也没人敢对他说无礼的话。只有诺琵斯和弗兰蒂对他不以为然,华梯尼看他的眼神含着嫉妒;但是他对这些毫不在意。当他优雅地四处走动去收作业时,每个人都对他微笑,去握他的手或去挽他的胳膊。有插画的报纸啦,图画啦,凡是他在家里得到的东西,他都拿来送人;他还为那个卡拉布里亚男孩制了一张小小的卡拉布里亚地图呢;他送人东西的时候总是笑着,一点儿都不在意,像一位了不起的绅士一样,并不偏爱任何一个人。要想不去妒忌他,在他面前没有自卑感,是不可能的。啊!我也妒忌他,就像华梯尼一样。有些时候,当我在家努力想完成作业的时候,我想到他此刻已经轻松完美地做完,我就感到一阵苦闷,几乎对他产生一种蔑视。但是一回到学校,看到他漂亮的脸庞和胜利的微笑,听到他坦率而自信地回答老师的问题,看到他是那样彬彬有礼,其余的人是那样喜欢他,这时所有的苦闷和不屑都从我的内心消失了,我为自己有过那些情绪而感到羞愧。此时此刻,我真高兴能与他为伴,真高兴能与他一起完成所有的课业。他的音容笑貌赋予了我勇气和学习的动力,还有快乐和满足感。
The teacher has given him the monthly story, which will be read Tomorrow, to copy,—The Little Vidette of Lombardy. He copied it this morning, and was so much affected by that heroic deed, that his face was all aflame, his eyes humid, and his lips trembling; and I gazed at him: how handsome and noble he was! With what pleasure would I not have said frankly to his face: "Derossi, you are worth more than I in everything! You are a man in comparison with me! I respect you and I admire you!"
老师把明日要念给大家的每月故事稿件交给了他,让他誊写“伦巴第的小哨兵”。他今天早晨正誊写着,被那英雄的作为深深打动了,他脸涨得通红,眼睛湿润了,嘴唇颤抖着。我凝视着他:他是多么英俊,多么高尚啊!我几乎要当着他的面坦白地说:“代洛西,你任何事情都比我强!跟我相比,你就是个大人!我尊敬你,我崇拜你!”