女孩子分手后對男友念念不忘,終日沉湎于傷痛之中。數(shù)月后的一天,女孩子突然醒悟,于是拿起話筒,再次按下那個曾經(jīng)爛熟于心的號碼。聽筒那邊,再次想起了熟識的聲音:
man: Hello?
woman: It's me.
man: Oh...(silence)how are you?
woman: Look, I was just calling...to tell you...that...(long pause) I'm over you.(hang up)
簡單的一句話,卻傳達出千言萬語。Over本來就有完結(jié)的含義,往往用于難過的事情。這句I am over you就是My feelings for you are over的意思。
連年的戰(zhàn)火結(jié)束后,總統(tǒng)向群眾宣布:The war is finally over.
安慰正受病魔折磨的朋友,告訴他一切痛苦會很快過去,可以說:It'll all be over soon.
一對鬧分手的情侶可向?qū)Ψ秸f:We're over! 或Our relationship is over!
接下來再來看一封世界上最絕的分手信——也就是小說《Sense and Sensibility》中的 Willoughby威羅比給女主角Marianne瑪麗安娜的那封冷血的分手信。
當(dāng)扭傷了腳踝被威羅比送回家后,瑪麗安娜立即愛上了這個年輕英俊的小伙子。于是兩人陷入熱戀。未曾想威羅比為人不正,根本沒有把瑪麗安娜的感情真正放在心上?,旣惏材仍趥惗卦庥隽送_比的冷淡后,一封無情的信破滅了她心中的最后一絲希望。威羅比由于金錢而背棄了和瑪麗安娜之間的愛,而娶了富家小姐為妻。
那封絕情份額分手信是這樣寫的:
My Dear Madam,
I have just had the honour of receiving your letter, for which I beg to return my sincere acknowledgements. I am much concerned to find there was anything in my behaviour last night that did not meet your approbation; and though I am quite at a loss to discover in what point I could be so unfortunate as to offend you, I entreat your forgiveness [...]. My esteem for your whole family is very sincere; but if I have been so unfortunate as to give rise to a belief of more than I felt, or meant to express, I shall reproach myself for not having been more guarded in my professions of that esteem. [...] It is with great regret that I obey your commands of returning the letters, with which I have been honoured from you, and the lock of hair, which you so obligingly bestowed on me.
I am, dear Madam, Your most obedient humble Servant,
John Willoughby.
信的大意是:我跟你從來沒有什么關(guān)系,是你自作多情了。最要命的是信中的措辭。信中用字極度謙卑有理,卻同時冷酷得叫人不寒而栗。這些字句,好像是寫給陌生人的公函,而非舊愛:
had the honour of receiving your letter
beg to return my sincere acknowledgements
anything in my behaviour... that did not meet your approbation
at a loss to discover in what point I could be so unfortunate as to offend you
負心男更把責(zé)任都推在了自作多情的女主角身上,這些仍通過委婉的言辭道出:
if I have been so unfortunate as to give rise to a belief of more than I felt, I shall reproach myself for not having been more guarded in my professions of that esteem.
(大意是:假如我對你表現(xiàn)得太有善而引起誤會,我深感遺憾。)