[短文閱讀] 一件紀念品 part4

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

paragraph 4

I hurried through the rooms, hoping to see a continuation of that drama — a scene of appeasement, perhaps, or of fury still implacable. But the two oddly- assorted players were not performing there. My waiter had told me he had not seen either of them before. I suppose they had arrived that day. But I was not destined to see either of them again. They went away, I suppose, next morning; jointly or singly; singly, I imagine.

我快步通過那些房間，想要趕上看這齣戲的續集－也許是恢愎太平，卻又可能是怒猶未遏的場景。然而這兩個怪異組合的演員並未在這表演。服務生告訴我，他過去從未見過他們。我猜他們是那日才抵達。我命中註定不能再見他們一面。他們隔天早上離開了，我猜想，或許一起，或許個別單獨走的。我想像中，他們是各走各的。

paragraph 5

They made, however, a prolonged stay in my young memory, and would have done so even had I not had that tangible memento of them. Who were they, those two of whom that one strange glimpse had befallen me? What, I wondered, was the previous history of each? What, in particular, had all that tragic pother been about? Mlle. Ange'lique I guessed to be thirty years old, her friend perhaps fifty-five. Each of their faces was as clear to me as in the moment of actual vision — the man's fat shiny bewildered face; the taut white face of the woman, the hard red line of her mouth, the eyes that were not flashing, but positively dull, with rage. I presumed that the fan had been a present from him, and a recent present — bought perhaps that very day, after their arrival in the town. But what, what had he done that she should break it between her hands, scattering the splinters as who should sow dragon's teeth? I could not believe he had done anything much amiss. I imagined her grievance a trivial one. But this did not make the case less engrossing. Again and again I would take the fan- stump from my pocket, examining it on the palm of my hand, or between finger and thumb, hoping to read the mystery it had been mixed up in, so that I might reveal that mystery to the world. To the world, yes; nothing less than that. I was determined to make a story of what I had seen — a conte in the manner of great Guy de Maupassant. Now and again, in the course of the past year or so, it had occurred to me that I might be a writer. But I had not felt the impulse to sit down and write something. I did feel that impulse now. It would indeed have been an irresistible impulse if I had known just what to write.

他們在我年輕的記憶中存留許久，就算我沒有他們留下的那件實質紀念物也會一樣。我那奇妙一瞥所見的兩人究竟是何許人？我很好奇他們各自有何過去？特別是這場可憐的吵嚷究竟因何而起？Mlle. Ange'lique約莫三十歲，她那位友伴也許五十五歲。兩人的臉孔仍如當時一樣清晰－男人油亮而茫然的胖臉；繃著一張白臉的女人，嘴似硬直紅線，無神、呆滯而帶怒意的雙眼。我假定扇子是他給的禮物，新的－或許是當天抵達此地才剛買的。然而他到底做了什麼事，竟教她將扇折斷，把碎片四散，似要引起戰火？我不相信他能做什麼太不應該的事。我的想像中，她是為了一件瑣事而感到委屈。這並未使我的好奇心稍息。一次又一次地，我從口袋拿出這柄殘扇，放在掌心檢視，或用姆指與食指抓住，像是要讀出那已然混亂的謎團，以便向世界透露其秘密。是的，向世界公布，至少。我決定將我所見，寫成故事－用偉大的莫泊桑的方法。在這幾年生涯裡，偶而看來我可能會是個作家，但我並未有坐下來寫些什麼的衝動。現在有了，當我知道寫什麼時，那將是無法抵擋的衝動。

continuation [記憶法] [kənˌtɪnjʊ`ɛʃən; kənˌtinju'ɛiʃn] 續集,續篇
appeasement [記憶法] [ə`pizmənt; ə'pi:zmənt] 安撫,平息,緩和,讓步
assort [記憶法] [ə`sɔrt; ə'sɔ:t] 配對
destined [記憶法] 注定的
jointly [記憶法] 一起地
singly [記憶法] [`sɪŋglɪ; 'siŋgli] 單獨地
prolonged [記憶法] a ~ stay 長期滯留
tangible [記憶法] [`tændʒəbl; 'tændʒəbl] 有形的
memento [記憶法] [mɪ`mɛnto; mi'mɛntou] 紀念品
glimpse [記憶法] [glɪmps; glimps] 瞥見
tragic [`trædʒɪk; 'trædʒik] 悲劇的
pother [記憶法] [`pɑðɚ; 'pɔðə]喧擾,紛擾
bewildered [記憶法] [bɪ`wɪldɚd; bi'wildəd] 困惑的; 完全混亂的
taut [記憶法] [tɔt; tɔ:t] <肌肉等>繃緊的
positively [記憶法] 完全,全然,斷然
dull [記憶法] [dʌl; dʌl] 呆滯的
presumed [記憶法] [prɪ'zu:md]假定的，推測的
scattering [記憶法] [`skætɚrɪŋ; 'skættəriŋ] 散開的,分散的
splinter [記憶法] [`splɪntɚ; 'splintə] 裂片,破片,斷片
sow [記憶法] [so; sou] 播種
amiss [記憶法] [ə`mɪs; ə'mis] 不妥的
grievance [記憶法] [`grivəns; 'gri:vns] 不滿 (的原因) ; 委屈,怨憤
trivial [記憶法] ['trɪvɪəl] adj. 瑣細的
engrossing [記憶法] [ɪn'grəusɪŋ] 引人入勝的
stump [記憶法] [stʌmp; stʌmp]殘株
mystery [記憶法] [`mɪstrɪ, `mɪstərɪ; 'mistəri] 秘密,謎
conte [記憶法] [kɔt; kɔ:nt] 小故事 (尤指冒險或幻想的短篇故事 [小說] )
course [記憶法] [kors, kɔrs; kɔ:s] [常 the ~] (時空的) 進行, 過程,經過
irresistible [記憶法] [ˌɪrɪ`zɪstəbl; ˌiri'zistəbl] 不能抵抗的