[短文閱讀] 一件紀念品 part 8

網路摘錄文章:

A RELIC

By Max Beerbohm

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1956/1956-h/1956-h.htm#2H_4_0001

Down below, the sea rustled to and fro over the shingle.'

「在其下，海水沙沙作響地來回拍打著岸石。」

I decided that I must choose the first of these two ways. It was the less chivalrous as well as the less lurid way, but clearly it was the more artistic as well as the easier. The 'chose vue,' the 'tranche de la vie' — this was the thing to aim at. Honesty was the best policy. I must be nothing if not merciless. Maupassant was nothing if not merciless. He would not have spared Mlle. Ange'lique. Besides, why should I libel M. Joumand? Poor — no, not poor M. Joumand! I warned myself against pitying him. One touch of ' sentimentality,' and I should be lost. M. Joumand was ridiculous. I must keep him so. But — what was his position in life? Was he a lawyer perhaps? — or the proprietor of a shop in the Rue de Rivoli? I toyed with the possibility that he kept a fan shop — that the business had once been a prosperous one, but had gone down, down, because of his infatuation for this woman to whom he was always giving fans — which she always smashed.... '"Ah monsieur, cruel and ungrateful to me though she is, I swear to you that if I had anything left to give, it should be hers; but," he stared at me with his old hopeless eyes, "the fan she broke to-night was the last — the last, monsieur — of my stock." Down below,' — but I pulled myself together, and asked pardon of my Muse.

我決定只能採用前者。即或較缺敬重女性的態度，亦少激昂炫麗筆調，卻顯然較具藝術性，也較易處理。 'chose vue' 和 'tranche de la vie'是行文的目標。誠實為上策。若不能不帶個人感情的描述事實，我將什麼也不是。就算莫泊桑亦是如此。他不會饒過Ange'lique小姐。此外，我又何必詆譭Joumand先生？可憐的－不，不可憐的Joumand先生！我警告自己不要同情他。一丁點的感情用事，都會讓我迷失。Joumand先生真是可笑，我得叫他維持那個樣子。但是他在生活中是什麼地位？是個律師或是？在Rue De Rivoli的一家小店老闆？我隨意的假想，也許他開了一家扇子店，由於他迷戀這女人，經常送扇子給她，而她也常折毁，曾經興隆的生意卻每況愈下。「先生，她是個對我冷酷無情又不知感恩的女人，然而，我向您發誓，若我尚有任何餘物可送，絕對是給她，可是，」他用蒼老無助的眼睛望著我，「今晚她折斷的那扇子已是最後一把，我僅存的最後一把，先生。」「在其下，」－我回神整理思緒，向我的靈感謬思致歉。

chivalrous [記憶法] [`ʃɪvlrəs; 'ʃivlrəs] (對婦女) 敬重的
lurid [記憶法] ['ljuərɪd]炫麗的
merciless [記憶法] ['mə:sɪləs]無情的，冷酷的
libel [記憶法] [`laɪbl; 'laibl] 『法律』文字譭謗 (罪) (藉文字、繪畫的侮辱
pity [記憶法] [`pɪtɪ; 'piti] 憐憫,同情
sentimentality [記憶法] [ˌsɛntəmɛn`tælətɪ; ˌsɛntimɛn'tæləti] 傷感,溺於感情,多愁善感,感傷性
ridiculous [記憶法] [rɪ`dɪkjələs; ri'dikjuləs] 荒謬的,荒唐的,可笑的
proprietor [記憶法] [prə`praɪətɚ; prə'praiətə] 經營者,業主
toy [記憶法] [tɔɪ; tɔi] [對…]不慎重,不認真考慮,隨便想想,[將…]視為兒戲 [不重要的事] [with]
prosperous [記憶法] [`prɑspərəs; 'prɔspərəs] 繁榮的,富裕的; (經濟上) 成功的
infatuation [記憶法] [ɪnˌfætʃʊ`ɛʃən; inˌfætju'ɛiʃn] 入迷,迷戀,醉心 [for,with]
smash [記憶法] [smæʃ; smæʃ] 打碎,粉碎
cruel [記憶法] [`kruəl; 'kru:əl, 'kruəl] 殘酷的, 冷酷的,殘忍的,心狠的; 刻毒傷人的
ungrateful [記憶法] [ʌn`grɛtfəl; ʌn'grɛitful] 不感恩的,忘恩負義的
pardon [記憶法] [`pɑrdn; 'pɑ:dn] 原諒,寬恕,赦免