下载掌阅APP，畅读海量书库
立即打开
第一章（2）
“是嘛！” 他将自己杯中的酒一口喝下，仿佛只饮了杯底的一滴。 “你做的那些事我都做不来。”
I looked at Miss Baker wondering what it was she "got done. " I enjoyed looking at her. She was a slender, small—breasted girl, with an erect carriage which she accentuated by throwing her body backward at the shoulders like a young cadet. Her grey sun—strained eyes looked back at me with polite reciprocal curiosity out of a wan, charming discontented face. It occurred to me now that I had seen her, or a picture of her, somewhere before.
我看着贝克小姐，很好奇她到底要 “做” 什么事情。看着她我很享受。她长得身材苗条，乳房瘦小，站在那里像一个军校学员一般挺胸抬头，身材越显挺拔。她那灰色的眼睛迎着阳光半眯着，带着同样的好奇，很礼貌地看着我，苍白而娇媚的脸上露出一丝不满。此刻我突然想起自己好像在哪儿见过她，或看过她的照片。
"You live in West Egg, 'she remarked contemptuously. " I know somebody there.
“你住在西卵吧，” 她轻蔑地说， “我在那边有个认识的人。”
"I don't know a single—"
“我谁都不认识……”
"You must know Gatsby. "
“你一定认识盖茨比。”
"Gatsby? " demanded Daisy. "What Gatsby? "
“盖茨比？” 黛西询问道， “哪个盖茨比啊？”
Before I could reply that he was my neighbor dinner was announced; wedging his tense arm imperatively under mine Tom Buchanan compelled me from the room as though he were moving a checker to another square.
我刚要回答说他是我的邻居，就有人宣布开饭了。汤姆•布坎南强行把他那硬实的胳膊插到我的胳膊下，将我从房间硬拖出去，像是在挪动棋盘上的一颗棋子一般。
Slenderly, languidly, their hands set lightly on their hips the two young women preceded us out onto a rosy—colored porch open toward the sunset where four candles flickered on the table in the diminished wind.
这两位年轻的女士将双手轻轻搭在臀部，无精打采地跟着我们来到玫瑰色的阳台上。阳台正朝落日方向，桌子上点着四根蜡烛，烛光在平息了一点的风中摇曳不定。
"Why CANDLES? " objected Daisy, frowning. She snapped them out with her fingers. "In two weeks it" ll be the longest day in the year. "She looked at us all radiantly. " Do you always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I always watch for the longest day in the year and then miss it. "
“干嘛要点蜡烛？” 黛西皱着眉头以示反对。她用手指将它们拍灭。 “再过两周就要到了一年当中最长的那天了。” 她一脸喜悦地看着我们。 “你们是否总是盼着一年中最长的这一天到来，而过后又无比怀念呢？我总是在盼着一年中最长的这天，而过后又无比怀念。”
"We ought to plan something, " yawned Miss Baker, sitting down at the table as if she were getting into bed.
“我们应该做点计划。” 贝克小姐边打呵欠边说道，她坐在桌边的样子仿佛躺在床上一般。
"All right, 'said Daisy. " Whatll we plan? She turned to me helplessly. What do people plan? Before I could answer her eyes fastened with an awed expression on her little finger.
“好吧。” 黛西说道， “我们做什么计划呢？” 她有点无助地转向我问道， “人们都怎么计划啊？” 我还没来得及开口，就看到她两眼死死盯着自己的小手指，一脸畏惧的表情。
"Look! 'she complained. " I hurt it.
“看吧！” 她抱怨道， “我把它弄疼了。”
We all looked—the knuckle was black and blue.
我们都看到了——关节处青一块紫一块的。
"You did it, Tom, 'she said accusingly. " I know you didn't mean to but you DID do it. That's what I get for marrying a brute of a man, a great big hulking physical specimen of a—
“汤姆，都是你干的。” 她带着点责怪的语气说道， “我知道你不是有意的，但你的确弄伤了我。这是我应得的，谁让我嫁了个野蛮的男人，一个高大而笨重的体育模范……”
"I hate that word hulking, " objected Tom crossly, "even in kidding. "
“我讨厌笨重这个词，” 汤姆十分反感，嚷嚷道， “即便是玩笑都不可以。”
"Hulking, " insisted Daisy.
“笨重。” 黛西继续重复着。
Sometimes she and Miss Baker talked at once, unobtrusively and with a bantering inconsequence that was never quite chatter, that was as cool as their white dresses and their impersonal eyes in the absence of all desire. They were here—and they accepted Tom and me, making only a polite pleasant effort to entertain or to be entertained. They knew that presently dinner would be over and a little later the evening too would be over and casually put away. It was sharply different from the West where an evening was hurried from phase to phase toward its close in a continually disappointed anticipation or else in sheer nervous dread of the moment itself.
有时候她和贝克小姐一起开腔讲话，内容并不引人注意，都是一些不合逻辑的逗乐儿罢了，并不是什么琐碎的闲话，她们的话语正如她们的白色裙子一样淡然，也似她们那双冷淡而又无欲无求的眼睛一样冷漠。她们在这里——接待着我和汤姆，竭力礼貌而适宜地让我们开心，或者自己也寻一些开心。她们明白很快晚饭时间就过去了。再晚一会儿，一个傍晚就这样随便被打发过去了。这一切与西部的傍晚简直是大相径庭，那里傍晚从始至终都是一个乐曲接着一个乐曲地演奏，带着期望也伴着失望，有时唯恐面临结束的那一刻来得太早。
"You make me feel uncivilized, Daisy, " I confessed on my second glass of corky but rather impressive claret. "Can't you talk about crops or something? "
“你让我感到自己很不文明，黛西。” 我饮下第二杯夹着一点木塞味却香醇无比的葡萄酒，坦言道， “你能不能说说庄稼作物或者是什么别的呢？”
I meant nothing in particular by this remark but it was taken up in an unexpected way.
我说这些话并无他意，但这些话引起的下文出乎了我的意料。
"Civilization's going to pieces, " broke out Tom violently. "I" ve gotten to be a terrible pessimist about things. Have you read "The Rise of the Coloured Empires" by this man God—dard? "
“文明已经濒临瓦解。” 汤姆粗暴地大声吼道， “我已变成了一个可怕的悲观主义者。你有没有读过戈达德写的《有色帝国兴起》这本书？”
"Why, no, " I answered, rather surprised by his tone.
“没看过，怎么了？” 我回答说，他的语气让我吃了一惊。
"Well, it's a fine book, and everybody ought to read it. The idea is if we don't look out the white race will be—will be utterly submerged. It's all scientific stuff; it's been proved. "
“嗯，这本书很好，每个人都应该读一下。书的主要思想是说如果我们不警惕，白色人种将会……将会彻底被湮没。所有这些都有科学根据，而且经过证明。”
"Tom's getting very profound, 'said Daisy with an expression of unthoughtful sadness. " He reads deep books with long words in them. What was that word we—
“汤姆开始变得深沉了，” 黛西说道，脸上带着一种淡淡的忧伤， “他经常读一些很难懂的书，书上都是一个个长长的词。那个词叫什么来着，我们……”
"Well, these books are all scientific, " insisted Tom, glancing at her impatiently. "This fellow has worked out the whole thing. It's up to us who are the dominant race to watch out or these other races will have control of things. "
“嗯，这些书上讲的可全都是科学。” 汤姆坚持自己的观点，同时有点不耐烦地扫了她一眼， “这家伙可是把全部道理讲得明明白白。作为占支配地位的人种，我们必须注意防范其他人种将来的统治和占领。”
"We" ve got to beat them down, "whispered Daisy, winking ferociously toward the fervent sun.
“我们必须将他们统统打败。” 黛西一边小声嘀咕，一边朝着炽热的太阳使劲地眨巴着眼睛。
"You ought to live in California—" began Miss Baker but Tom interrupted her by shifting heavily in his chair.
“你们应该去加利福尼亚居住……” 贝克小姐刚开口说话，汤姆就一边在椅子上使劲地转了下身子，一边打断她说道：
"This idea is that we" re Nordics. I am, and you are and you are and— "After an infinitesimal hesitation he included Daisy with a slight nod and she winked at me again. ‘—and we" ve produced all the things that go to make civilization—oh, science and art and all that. Do you see? "
“这种思想是说我们属于北欧日耳曼民族。我是，你也是，你也是，还有……” 经过片刻犹豫，他点了点头，表示将黛西也包括进去了，只见黛西又向我眨了眨眼睛。 “我们还制造了一切通向文明的东西——嗯，科学、艺术、还有所有的这些。你们清楚了吗？”
There was something pathetic in his concentration as if his complacency, more acute than of old, was not enough to him any more. When, almost immediately, the telephone rang inside and the butler left the porch Daisy seized upon the momentary interruption and leaned toward me.
他那全神贯注的样子让人觉得挺可怜的，似乎他那种比往昔越发严重的高傲自满对他来说还是不够。此刻突然屋里响起了电话铃声，男管家离开了阳台进屋接电话。黛西赶紧抓住这短暂的间歇，将身子向我这边靠过来。
"I" ll tell you a family secret, 'she whispered enthusiasti—cally. It's about the butler's nose. Do you want to hear about the butler's nose?
“我来告诉你一个家庭内部秘密，” 她压低嗓子激动地说， “是关于管家鼻子的。你想不想听有关管家鼻子的秘密呢？”
"That's why I came over tonight. "
“那也正是我今夜来访的原因嘛。”
"Well, he wasn't always a butler; he used to be the silver polisher for some people in New York that had a silver service for two hundred people. He had to polish it from morning till night until finally it began to affect his nose—
“听着，他以前可不是管家，他曾经在纽约给别人擦银器，在那里他给两百多人提供擦银器服务。他从早到晚擦呀擦，直到后来鼻子受不了了……”
"Things went from bad to worse, 'suggested Miss Baker.
“情况越来越糟糕。” 贝克小姐提示说。
"Yes. Things went from bad to worse until finally he had to give up his position. "
“是啊，情况越来越糟糕，无奈最后他只能放弃这份工作。”
For a moment the last sunshine fell with romantic affection upon her glowing face; her voice compelled me forward breathlessly as I listened—then the glow faded, each light deserting her with lingering regret like children leaving a pleasant street at dusk.
那一瞬间，夕阳的余晖爱抚着她那神采奕奕的脸庞。她的声音使我倾身向前，屏住呼吸，仔细聆听——随后那种神采不见了，她脸颊泛着的红光恋恋不舍地退去，仿佛小孩子在黄昏时分不舍地离开一条快乐的街道。
The butler came back and murmured something close to Tom's ear whereupon Tom frowned, pushed back his chair and without a word went inside. As if his absence quickened something within her Daisy leaned forward again, her voice glowing and singing.
男管家走回来在汤姆的耳边嘀咕了几句，汤姆便皱着眉头将椅子推开，一声不响地走进屋去了。他的离开似乎让黛西更加活跃，她再次将身子倾向前，用热情动听的声音说道：
"I love to see you at my table, Nick. You remind me of a—of a rose, an absolute rose. Doesn't he? " She turned to Miss Baker for confirmation. "An absolute rose? "
“你来我家吃饭，我真的很开心，尼克。你让我想起了一朵——一朵玫瑰花，一朵绝美的玫瑰花。是吧？” 她将头转向贝克小姐，期待着她的赞同。 “一朵绝美的玫瑰花？”
This was untrue. I am not even faintly like a rose. She was only extemporizing but a stirring warmth flowed from her as if her heart was trying to come out to you concealed in one of those breathless, thrilling words. Then suddenly she threw her napkin on the table and excused herself and went into the house.
这真是瞎扯。我和玫瑰花真是半点都沾不上边。她仅仅是随便瞎讲，但却表现出满心的激动和热情，仿佛在她那一句句令人屏息而又激动万分的话语里，藏着一颗准备向你尽情吐露的心。接着，她突然将餐巾扔到桌上，同我们告辞，走进了屋里。
Miss Baker and I exchanged a short glance consciously devoid of meaning. I was about to speak when she sat up alertly and said "Sh! " in a warning voice. A subdued impassioned murmur was audible in the room beyond and Miss Baker leaned forward, unashamed, trying to hear. The murmur trembled on the verge of coherence, sank down, mounted excitedly, and then ceased altogether.
贝克小姐和我相互看了一下，故意避免让对方看出自己的想法。我正准备开口说话，只见她警觉地坐直身体，带有警告意味地 “嘘” 了一声。只听那边屋里一阵故意压低了的激动的说话声，贝克小姐毫不知羞地侧身向前倾听，试图想听到说话的内容。两人的低语交谈声一起高低起伏着，一会降了下来，一会又略带激动地高了上去，然后又一起停止了。
"This Mr. Gatsby you spoke of is my neighbor—" I said.
“刚刚说起的那位盖茨比先生是我的邻居——” 我说道。
"Don't talk. I want to hear what happens. " "Is something happening? " I inquired innocently. "You mean to say you don't know? 'said Miss Baker, honestly surprised. " I thought everybody knew. I don't.
“不要说话。我想听一下发生什么事了。” “出什么事了吗？” 我带着些无知询问道。 “你的意思是你什么都不知道？” 贝克小姐说，显然大为惊奇， “我以为大家都知道的。” “我真不知道。”
"Why— 'she said hesitantly, " Tom's got some woman in New York.
“嗯……” 她迟疑了一下说道， “汤姆在纽约有一个女人。”
"Got some woman? " I repeated blankly. Miss Baker nodded.
“有女人？” 我一脸茫然地重复道。贝克小姐点了点头。
"She might have the decency not to telephone him at dinner—time. Don't you think? "
“她可能也不至于这么不识大体，选择在晚饭时间给他打电话吧。你觉得呢？”
Almost before I had grasped her meaning there was the flutter of a dress and the crunch of leather boots and Tom and Daisy were back at the table.
我还没来得及领会她的话，就听见唰唰的衣裙飘动声以及噔噔的皮靴脚步声，紧接着，汤姆和黛西重新坐到了桌子旁。
"It couldn't be helped! " cried Daisy with tense gayety.
“真是不可救药了！” 黛西故作欢悦地大声吼道。
She sat down, glanced searchingly at Miss Baker and then at me and continued: "I looked outdoors for a minute and it's very romantic outdoors. There's a bird on the lawn that I think must be a nightingale come over on the Cunard or White Star Line. He's singing away—" her voice sang.
她坐下来，用敏捷的目光将贝克小姐和我逐一扫视了一番之后，说道： “我到外面看了一下，外面真的很浪漫。草坪上落着一只鸟，我想它肯定是康拉德或者是白星号船上的一只夜莺。他唱着歌飞走了……” 她似乎也跟着唱了起来。
‘—It's romantic, isn't it, Tom? "
“真是浪漫，对吧，汤姆？”
"Very romantic, " he said, and then miserably to me: "If it's light enough after dinner I want to take you down to the stables. "
“特别浪漫。” 汤姆说。然后他又一脸可怜样地对我说： “晚饭后要是天还亮的话，我带你去看看马厩。”
The telephone rang inside, startlingly, and as Daisy shook her head decisively at Tom the subject of the stables, in fact all subjects, vanished into air. Among the broken fragments of the last five minutes at table I remember the candles being lit again, pointlessly, and I was conscious of wanting to look squarely at every one and yet to avoid all eyes. I couldn't guess what Daisy and Tom were thinking but I doubt if even Miss Baker who seemed to have mastered a certain hardy skepticism was able utterly to put this fifth guest's shrill metallic urgency out of mind. To a certain temperament the situation might have seemed intriguing—my own instinct was to telephone immediately for the police.
屋内的电话铃将我们惊住了，黛西看着汤姆果断地摇了摇头。马厩的话题——其实是所有的话题——一下子消失地无影无踪。我依稀记得晚餐的最后五分钟，蜡烛无缘无故被再次点燃，我故意朝四周看了看他们，却又有意避开他们每个人的目光。我不知道黛西和汤姆当时在想什么，但我却想知道这位似乎拥有某种强硬的怀疑精神的贝克小姐，是否能完全将这第五位客人那刺耳的催促声完全置若罔闻。这种情形对于某些性情的人来讲可能还是很有意思的——我自己的本能反应是赶快给警察打电话。
The horses, needless to say, were not mentioned again. Tom and Miss Baker, with several feet of twilight between them strolled back into the library, as if to a vigil beside a perfectly tangible body, while trying to look pleasantly interested and a little deaf I followed Daisy around a chain of connecting verandas to the porch in front. In its deep gloom we sat down side by side on a wicker settee.
不用说，再也没有提起马了。汤姆和贝克小姐一前一后悠闲地走回书房去了，他们之间几英尺的距离被暮色笼罩着。他们的样子像是要去值夜班看守一个实实在在的躯体。而我则装出很开心又很感兴趣的样子，像什么都没发生一样，跟着黛西走出一连串的走廊，来到房子前面的走廊上。我们在灰暗的黄昏中并肩坐在一张柳条编的靠背长椅上。
Daisy took her face in her hands, as if feeling its lovely shape, and her eyes moved gradually out into the velvet dusk. I saw that turbulent emotions possessed her, so I asked what I thought would be some sedative questions about her little girl. "We don't know each other very well, Nick, 'she said suddenly. " Even if we are cousins. You didn't come to my wedding.
黛西双手托着自己的脸颊，似乎在抚摸着自己那秀美的轮廓，而她的双眼渐渐抬起，向黄昏柔和的暮色望去。我能感觉到她心神不定，于是就问了一些关于她女儿的事情，以使她平静下来。 “我们彼此并不了解，尼克。” 她突然说道， “虽然我们是表兄妹。你没有来参加我的婚礼。”
"I wasn't back from the war. "
“我那时还没有从战场回来。”
"That's true. " She hesitated. "Well, I" ve had a very bad time, Nick, and I 'm pretty cynical about everything.
“确实如此。” 她犹豫了一下， “唉，我过得并不开心，尼克，而且非常愤世嫉俗。”
Evidently she had reason to be. I waited but she didn't say any more, and after a moment I returned rather feebly to the subject of her daughter.
显然她的愤世嫉俗是有原因的。我等她继续往下说，但是她却没有多说。过了一会儿，我没办法就只好又开始聊起她的女儿：
"I suppose she talks, and—eats, and everything. "
“我猜她已经会说话了，而且……会吃东西了，应该什么都会了吧。”
"Oh, yes. " She looked at me absently. "Listen, Nick; let me tell you what I said when she was born. Would you like to hear? "
“嗯，对。” 她茫然地看着我， “听着，尼克，我来告诉你她出生的时候我都说了些什么。你想不想听啊？”
"Very much. "
“很想。”
"It" ll show you how I "ve gotten to feel about—things. Well, she was less than an hour old and Tom was God knows where. I woke up out of the ether with an utterly abandoned feeling and asked the nurse right away if it was a boy or a girl. She told me it was a girl, and so I turned my head away and wept. " All right, "I said, " I 'm glad it's a girl. And I hope shell be a fool—that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.
“听了这些你就会知道我是怎样感觉——这些事情的。她刚出生不到一小时，天知道汤姆跑到哪里去了。我从麻醉中刚苏醒过来，就感到自己完全被遗弃了，立即问护士孩子是男孩还是女孩。她告诉我是女孩，于是我转过头，泪水流了下来。 ‘好，’ 我说， ‘我很开心生了个女孩。而且我希望她以后是个傻瓜——在这个世界上，这是女孩最好的选择——一个漂亮的小傻瓜。’”
"You see I think everything's terrible anyhow, 'she went on in a convinced way. " Everybody thinks so—the most advanced people. And I KNOW. Ive been everywhere and seen everything and done everything. Her eyes flashed around her in a defiant way, rather like Tom's, and she laughed with thrilling scorn. Sophisticated—God, I' m sophisticated! "
“你看，我觉得所有一切都让人厌恶。” 她用确信的口吻继续讲道， “大家都这么想——那些最先进的人中大部分都这么想。而且我明白，我所有的地方都去过了，所有一切都见过了，所有的事情也都做过了。” 她的眼睛向四周扫射了一圈，那种目中无人的神情真有点像汤姆。接着，她笑了起来，带着一种可怕的轻蔑： “老于世故……我的天啊，我真是老于世故。”
The instant her voice broke off, ceasing to compel my attention, my belief, I felt the basic insincerity of what she had said. It made me uneasy, as though the whole evening had been a trick of some sort to exact a contributory emotion from me. I waited, and sure enough, in a moment she looked at me with an absolute smirk on her lovely face as if she had asserted her membership in a rather distinguished secret society to which she and Tom belonged.
她的声音停止的瞬间，一种迫使我关注她和信任她的东西消失了，我才觉得她刚才的话有点虚伪。我感到非常不自在，似乎整个傍晚发生的一切只不过是一个骗局，欺骗了我的真心与感情。我等了一会儿，她开始看着我，果然她那妩媚的脸上露出了得意的笑，仿佛在很肯定地告诉我，她是那个她和汤姆同属的神秘上流社会中的一份子。
Inside, the crimson room bloomed with light. Tom and Miss Baker sat at either end of the long couch and she read aloud to him from the "Saturday Evening Post" —the words, murmurous and uninflected, running together in a soothing tune. The lamp—light, bright on his boots and dull on the autumn—leaf yellow of her hair, glinted along the paper as she turned a page with a flutter of slender muscles in her arms.
里面那绯红色的房间被灯光映得无比明亮辉煌。汤姆和贝克小姐坐在那个长沙发的两端，贝克小姐在为汤姆朗读着《星期六晚邮报》——声音不大，语调平稳，听起来心里有种暖暖的感觉。灯光照着他锃亮的皮靴，同时也照到她那如秋叶般暗黄的头发上。她轻轻抬起纤细的手臂翻过一页书时，灯光在那翻动的纸张上闪耀。
When we came in she held us silent for a moment with a lifted hand.
但我们走进屋的时候，她举起一只手示意我们要暂时保持安静。
"To be continued, 'she said, tossing the magazine on the table, " in our very next issue.
“预知下文，” 她边把杂志扔到桌上边说， “请听下期再续。”
Her body asserted itself with a restless movement of her knee, and she stood up.
她动了动膝盖，将上身挺直，接着就站了起来。
"Ten o" clock, 'she remarked, apparently finding the time on the ceiling. Time for this good girl to go to bed.
“十点钟啦，” 她说道，显然看到了天花板上的钟， “该是好孩子上床休息的时候啦。”
"Jordan's going to play in the tournament tomorrow, " explained Daisy, "over at Westchester. "
“明天乔丹要参加锦标赛，” 黛西解释说， “在威斯切斯特。”
"Oh, —you" re JORdan Baker. "
“哦……你是乔丹•贝克。”
I knew now why her face was familiar—its pleasing contemptuous expression had looked out at me from many rotogravure pictures of the sporting life at Asheville and Hot Springs and Palm Beach. I had heard some story of her too, a critical, unpleasant story, but what it was I had forgotten long ago.
我此刻才明白为什么她的脸庞看起来那么熟悉——在很多关于阿希维尔、温泉和棕榈海滩的体育生活报道的凹版图片上，我都看到过她的照片，她的表情总是讨人喜爱却又高傲。我曾经也听说过一些关于她的报道，一些批判性的负面报道，但我早就忘了内容是什么了。
"Good night, 'she said softly. " Wake me at eight, won't you?
“晚安。” 她温柔地说， “明早八点叫我起床，好不好？”
"If you" ll get up. "
“如果你可以起得来的话。”
"I will. Good night, Mr. Carraway. See you anon. "
“我一定可以。晚安，卡拉韦先生。希望下次再见。”
"Of course you will, " confirmed Daisy. "In fact I think I" ll arrange a marriage. Come over often, Nick, and I "ll sort of—oh—fling you together. You know—lock you up accidentally in linen closets and push you out to sea in a boat, and all that sort of thing—"
“你们当然会再见啦。” 黛西肯定地说道， “实话说我还想给你俩做媒呢。经常过来嘛，尼克，然后我就可以——嗯——将你俩撮合到一起。就是说——碰巧将你俩一起锁在床上用品储物室啦，或把你俩放在一艘小船里推进海里啦，以及一系列类似的意外巧合。”
"Good night, " called Miss Baker from the stairs. "I haven't heard a word. "
“晚安。” 贝克小姐站在楼梯上说道， “我可什么都没听见。”
"She's a nice girl, 'said Tom after a moment. " They oughtn't to let her run around the country this way.
“她是一个好女孩。” 过了一会儿，汤姆开口说道， “他们不该让她这样全国到处跑。”
"Who oughtn't to? " inquired Daisy coldly.
“谁不该让她到处跑？” 黛西冷淡地问。
"Her family. "
“她的家人。”
"Her family is one aunt about a thousand years old. Besides, Nick's going to look after her, aren't you, Nick? She's going to spend lots of week—ends out here this summer. I think the home influence will be very good for her. "
“她家人就是一个七老八十的姨妈。而且，尼克将来要照顾她，对不对，尼克？今年夏天她许多周末都是在这儿度过的。我觉得这种家庭氛围对她的影响将会让她受益。”
Daisy and Tom looked at each other for a moment in silence.
黛西和汤姆都沉默着相互对视了片刻。
"Is she from New York? " I asked quickly.
“她是纽约人吗？” 我迅速问道。
"From Louisville. Our white girlhood was passed together there. Our beautiful white—"
“是路易斯维尔人。我们纯真的少女时代就是在那儿一起度过的。我们美丽纯真的……”
"Did you give Nick a little heart to heart talk on the veranda? " demanded Tom suddenly. "Did I? " She looked at me. "I can't seem to remember, but I think we talked about the Nordic race. Yes, I 'm sure we did. It sort of crept up on us and first thing you know—"
“在阳台上你有没有和尼克说说心里话？” 汤姆冷不丁地问道。 “我有没有？” 她看着我， “我好像记不得了，不过我觉得我们谈到了北欧日耳曼民族。是，我们确实谈到了这个。也没注意怎么就谈到这里了，而且开始的时候……”
"Don't believe everything you hear, Nick, " he advised me.
“不要听到什么都信以为真，尼克。” 他劝诫我说。
I said lightly that I had heard nothing at all, and a few minutes later I got up to go home. They came to the door with me and stood side by side in a cheerful square of light. As I started my motor Daisy peremptorily called "Wait!
我随意地说自己什么都没听到。又过了几分钟，我便起身要回家了。他们送我走到门口，并排站在令人愉悦的灯光下。我刚启动发动机，黛西急切地喊道： “等一下！
"I forgot to ask you something, and it's important. We heard you were engaged to a girl out West. "
我刚才忘了问你一件事，很重要的一件事。我们听说你同西部的一个女孩订婚了。”
"That's right, " corroborated Tom kindly. "We heard that you were engaged. "
“对，” 汤姆亲切地附和着， “我们是听说你订婚了。”
"It's libel. I 'm too poor. "
“那是无中生有的事。我太穷了。”
"But we heard it, " insisted Daisy, surprising me by opening up again in a flower—like way. "We heard it from three people so it must be true. "
“但是我们确实听说了。” 黛西坚持说道，她那如花绽放的神态让我惊讶不已， “我们都听三个人说了，所以肯定是真的。”
Of course I knew what they were referring to, but I wasn't even vaguely engaged. The fact that gossip had published the banns was one of the reasons I had come east. You can't stop going with an old friend on account of rumors and on the other hand I had no intention of being rumored into marriage.
当然我明白他们在说什么，但是我的的确确没订婚。事实上关于订婚的流言蜚语也是我决定来东部的原因之一。你不可能因为流言蜚语而与老朋友断绝关系，可是我也不想在别人的谣言下结婚。
Their interest rather touched me and made them less remotely rich—nevertheless, I was confused and a little disgusted as I drove away. It seemed to me that the thing for Daisy to do was to rush out of the house, child in arms—but apparently there were no such intentions in her head. As for Tom, the fact that he "had some woman in New York" was really less surprising than that he had been depressed by a book. Something was making him nibble at the edge of stale ideas as if his sturdy physical egotism no longer nourished his peremptory heart.
他们对此事的兴趣倒使我有点感动，这种关心让他们不再显得那么高高在上——即便如此，驾车回家的路上，我还是有些困惑，甚至有点反感。在我看来，黛西应该抱上孩子赶快离开那座房子——然而，显然她的脑海里根本没有这种想法。至于汤姆，与其说 “他在纽约有女人” 这个事实让我吃惊，倒不如说他由于读了一本书而变得无比沮丧更让我难以理解。某些东西让他将那些陈腐的思想当成了精神食粮，似乎他强壮的体魄中的那种自负已无法为他那颗狂妄自大的心提供养分。
Already it was deep summer on roadhouse roofs and in front of wayside garages, where new red gas—pumps sat out in pools of light, and when I reached my estate at West Egg I ran the car under its shed and sat for a while on an abandoned grass roller in the yard. The wind had blown off, leaving a loud bright night with wings beating in the trees and a persistent organ sound as the full bellows of the earth blew the frogs full of life. The silhouette of a moving cat wavered across the moonlight and turning my head to watch it I saw that I was not alone—fifty feet away a figure had emerged from the shadow of my neighbor's mansion and was standing with his hands in his pockets regarding the silver pepper of the stars. Something in his leisurely movements and the secure position of his feet upon the lawn suggested that it was Mr. Gatsby himself, come out to determine what share was his of our local heavens.
路边客栈的屋顶上已经是一片盛夏的景象，修车厂门前明亮的灯光下有一台台崭新鲜红的油泵。到了西卵的住处后，我把车停在车棚里，出来在院子里废弃的除草机上坐了一会儿。风已停息，夜晚显得更加喧闹而明亮，有鸟儿挥动翅膀拍打树枝的声音，也有青蛙在大地的咆哮声中攒足了劲儿发出的持续不断的叫声，如风琴一般。一只在月光中移动的猫的轮廓吸引了我的视线，我转过头去看的时候，发现自己并不是一个人——五十英尺以外的地方，一个人从邻居豪宅的阴影下走出来，他双手插到衣兜里站在那儿，凝视着满天银白色的星斗。他那有些悠闲的动作，还有双脚踏在草坪上那安详的姿势告诉我，他就是盖茨比先生本人，他出来是要确定一下这儿的哪一片天空属于他。
I decided to call to him. Miss Baker had mentioned him at dinner, and that would do for an introduction. But I didn't call to him for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone—he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and far as I was from him I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward—and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness.
我决定和他打个招呼。贝克小姐晚饭的时候提到过他，这也许可以当作引荐了。但是我并没有和他打招呼，因为他一个突然的动作让我感到他在享受着一个人独处的快乐——他古怪地将自己的双手伸向幽暗的海水，虽然我当时离他很远，我敢肯定我看到他在发抖。我也不知不觉地向海上望去——我什么都看不清楚，除了很远的地方一盏闪着微光的绿灯，也许那儿便是码头的尽头吧。我再次回头寻找盖茨比的时候，他已经不见了。在这喧闹漆黑的夜里再次剩下了我独自一人。