現(xiàn)代英文選評(píng)：Romeo 大情人

Romeo 大情人

Charles Jackson (1903—1968)

本文作者查爾斯·杰克遜是一個(gè)謹(jǐn)慎用心的作家，他在四十歲的時(shí)候方才出版他的第一部作品 《失去了的周末》（The Lost Weekend, 1944）。這部描寫酒徒心理的小說(shuō)，至今仍被公認(rèn)是一部杰出的作品。

杰克遜生于美國(guó)紐澤西州，早年曾因患肺病，在療養(yǎng)院休養(yǎng)六年之久。杰氏著有長(zhǎng)篇小說(shuō)四種，短篇小說(shuō)若干篇，他不是一個(gè)多產(chǎn)的作家。

這篇《大情人》采自他的短篇小說(shuō)集《眾生相》（Earthly Creatures, 1953）。原文有很多處描寫精彩的地方，因?yàn)槠蓿荒軅滗?，這是要向讀者道歉的。我們?cè)谶@里所讀到的，只是故事的輪廓。故事的主題是一個(gè)夢(mèng)想的幻滅（disillusionment），題目“大情人”是一個(gè)“反語(yǔ)”（irony）。

As Alice Harvey hung up the receiver, her first thought, luckily, was a practical one: Now I've got to really do something about dinner.

● receiver：電話聽筒。hung up：掛好。luckily：僥幸。電話里所聽到的是什么消息，讀者暫時(shí)并不知曉?？梢圆聹y(cè)得到的是：消息很不平常，引起了那個(gè)女人很多思想；很僥幸地，第一個(gè)思想只是一個(gè)實(shí)際問(wèn)題的考慮（a practical one=a practical thought），并沒(méi)有牽涉到別的問(wèn)題，否則的話，她恐怕要頓失常態(tài)，連說(shuō)話的氣力都沒(méi)有的。

● I've got to=I have to：不得不。to really do：副詞放在不定式to和do的中間，語(yǔ)法家稱為split infinitive，引為大忌。事實(shí)上，英美人說(shuō)話作文時(shí)，常這么用，這里只是那個(gè)女人心里的思想，更不可以談嚴(yán)格的語(yǔ)法規(guī)則了。dinner：我們可以猜想，電話里所說(shuō)的大約是有人要來(lái)吃晚飯。

She stepped into the tiny kitchen.

Gladys, she said, "I hate telling you so late, but Ralph just phoned from uptown that he's bringing somebody home. He's a kind of, well, celebrity. Could you run over to Gristede's and get some steak or something?"

● Gladys：女傭之名。

● I hate：沒(méi)有早通知你，害得你臨時(shí)張羅，有道歉之意。Ralph：是那個(gè)女人的親人，關(guān)系在稍后即有說(shuō)明。uptown：上城。小說(shuō)發(fā)生于紐約市曼哈頓區(qū)（Manhattan）。五十九街（59th St.）以上皆為上城，包括哥倫比亞大學(xué)、林肯演奏中心在內(nèi)。五十八街至二十三街為中城（midtown）；二十二街以下為下城（downtown）。

● well：說(shuō)到這里，想不到一個(gè)適當(dāng)?shù)淖盅?，語(yǔ)氣在這里停頓一下。celebrity：有名人物。a kind of celebrity：可以說(shuō)相當(dāng)有名的人物。

● could：這樣說(shuō)比用can客氣，主人對(duì)于傭人用這種說(shuō)法，足以表示說(shuō)話者的修養(yǎng)，無(wú)損說(shuō)話者的尊嚴(yán)，勝過(guò)頤指氣使的命令句也。Gristede's：市場(chǎng)，超級(jí)市場(chǎng)； 曼哈頓有好多家Gristede Bros Food Markets同Gristede's supermarkets。steak：牛排。此字母音讀a長(zhǎng)音/ei/。臨時(shí)來(lái)了客人，菜肴還需添購(gòu)。

Back in the living room, she sat on the sofa and lit a cigarette. Perhaps now I can let myself think about it, she thought.

What does a woman do when faced with the prospect of seeing the man she fell in love with more than twenty years ago, fell in love with but never met?

● lit是light（點(diǎn)燃）的過(guò)去式。

● 她的第一個(gè)念頭只是廚房添菜的問(wèn)題，現(xiàn)在一個(gè)人靜靜地坐下，想起主要的問(wèn)題來(lái)了。

● What does a woman do：動(dòng)詞用現(xiàn)在式，表示一般情形。

● faced：過(guò)去分詞，前面省略了she is二字。prospect期待或期待中的事情。這個(gè)男人，她二十多年前曾經(jīng)愛過(guò)（愛過(guò)，但是沒(méi)有見過(guò)面），現(xiàn)在面臨著同他見面的機(jī)會(huì)了，在這種情形之下做女人的該怎么辦呢？

Ralph had phoned that he'd run into Gavin Douglas and could he bring him home to dinner. She had cried, "Who did you say? You can't mean the actor!" and he had replied in that infuriating unimaginative way he had, so like his father: "Why can't I mean the actor?" If the prospect of meeting and knowing Gavin Douglas had arisen when she was eighteen, she would have died. Now, after some twenty years, here he was, about to walk into her living room, the dream made flesh…

● 這一段是補(bǔ)敘電話里的話。但是這并不是小說(shuō)家在這里補(bǔ)充說(shuō)明，這里仍舊是那個(gè)女人的心理活動(dòng)——她坐在沙發(fā)上的回憶。

● run into：碰到，不期而遇。could he bring him home to dinner：這句話語(yǔ)法有問(wèn)題，但是為了要模仿打電話的口吻，這樣說(shuō)也未尚不可。（按規(guī)矩來(lái)說(shuō)，大約應(yīng)該如此：and had asked whether he could bring him home to dinner。）

● the actor：天下同名同姓的很多，Gavin Douglas是位名伶，但是現(xiàn)在這位Douglas可能另有其人。

● in that…way：這幾個(gè)字說(shuō)明了Ralph的個(gè)性，也說(shuō)明了他父親（so like his father：多么的像他的父親!）的個(gè)性。他們父子二人都是缺乏想象力的（unimaginative），令人氣惱（infuriating）。這幾個(gè)字又暗示：她對(duì)于她丈夫，并不完全滿意。母親聽到Gavin Douglas這個(gè)名字，情不自禁，大叫出聲，可是兒子不覺(jué)察到母親的音調(diào)有異，還侃侃地在電話里答辯：“為什么不可以就是舞臺(tái)名伶Douglas呢？”不能替別人設(shè)想，這就是做人缺乏想象力的地方。

● If the prospect…h(huán)ad arisen：這樣一個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)假如在她十八歲時(shí)候發(fā)生的話，她會(huì)死掉的。這是一句很標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的假定句子，請(qǐng)注意動(dòng)詞的形式。（prospect并不解釋作“機(jī)會(huì)”，這里為湊中文的方便，勉強(qiáng)譯作“機(jī)會(huì)”。）

● some twenty years：約摸二十年。about to：將要。the dream made flesh：這是一個(gè)nominative absolute phrase，made是過(guò)去分詞，flesh是subjective complement。夢(mèng)想實(shí)現(xiàn)，夢(mèng)中人將以血肉之軀和她相見了。

She had no idea that anyone she knew would actually know Gavin Douglas, least of all her son. But she didn't need to think twice to know where and how her son had met him.

During the past summer Ralph had had his first job. He had been assistant stage manager at a summer theater on the Cape, as a kind of apprenticeship for the work that he thought he wanted to take up later. He was eighteen but he was interested in the theater as a business. And that is how he must have met Gavin Douglas; the Cape playhouse was famous for its guest-stars, though these were usually tired or retired actors, stars of the past rather than the present. Odd that Ralph had never mentioned him before; but how could he have known what it would mean to his mother? He was too young to appreciate the name and fame of the great matinée idol of twenty and thirty years ago, the star who had been an idol of hers when she was Ralph's age.

● 她不知道，任何她所認(rèn)識(shí)的人，會(huì)真的認(rèn)識(shí)這位名伶；她尤其不能（least of all）相信，她兒子會(huì)認(rèn)識(shí)他。

● didn't need to think twice：用不著想兩遍，一猜就中。

● the past summer：過(guò)去的夏季，可能仍舊是今年。his first job：美國(guó)學(xué)生暑假期間多有做短工賺錢的。

● assistant stage manager：助理舞臺(tái)經(jīng)理。注意前面不用冠詞the，冠詞最為難用，不容易用規(guī)則來(lái)概括說(shuō)明。大抵predicate nominative（主語(yǔ)之補(bǔ)足詞）的名詞，前面可以不加the，如Wordsworth的名句：

The Child is father of the Man.

此句中的father前面就沒(méi)有冠詞。又，職位前面，常有無(wú)需冠詞the者，如Queen of England，headmaster of a school等，這里的manager這個(gè)字，既然用在動(dòng)詞had been之后，是個(gè)主語(yǔ)補(bǔ)足詞，又是一個(gè)職位的名稱（經(jīng)理），不加the，并不是一種奇怪的用法。但這種用法并不是一定的規(guī)則，讀者還得于讀書時(shí)隨時(shí)留意為要。

● summer theater：美國(guó)的夏季是戲劇季節(jié)，平常不大演戲的小城小鎮(zhèn)，到了夏天就會(huì)有劇團(tuán)租場(chǎng)演出，這種戲院就叫做summer theater（恐怕是為吸引避暑游客而設(shè)的）。the Cape：cape原意是海岬。這篇小說(shuō)的背景大約是美國(guó)東北部一帶，所指海岬恐怕是麻薩諸塞州的避暑勝地Cape Cod。

● a kind of apprenticeship：一種實(shí)習(xí)。這位青年希望干戲劇活動(dòng)（the theater），暑假里先實(shí)習(xí)起來(lái)。

● He was eighteen：十八歲。請(qǐng)參照本段最后一句：when she was Ralph's age。人不就是年齡，可是中間可以用動(dòng)詞was。

● guest-stars：客串明星。tired or retired actors：厭倦舞臺(tái)生涯或業(yè)已退隱的伶人，廣東話有個(gè)較能傳神的說(shuō)法：過(guò)氣老倌。（tired和retired兩個(gè)字連用，很巧妙。）那些小劇院所能請(qǐng)到的大明星，無(wú)非是些過(guò)時(shí)人物。

● Odd：當(dāng)系It was odd的簡(jiǎn)略，“這是很奇怪的。”

● what it would mean：這個(gè)人的名字有什么意義呢？

● appreciate：欣賞，了解。matinée idol：舞臺(tái)名伶，尤其是擁有女性觀眾的男明星。在英美各國(guó)看下午上演的matinée“日戲”觀眾，過(guò)去以女性占大多數(shù)。故她們的舞臺(tái)偶像稱為matinée idols。

● 文章寫到這里，一個(gè)是母親，一個(gè)是兒子，已經(jīng)說(shuō)得明明白白了。

Idol was not the word. She had fallen in love with him. And it was not too much to say that she had never really fallen out of love. Her love had never been requited or fulfilled, had never even been communicated. Gavin Douglas had been unaware of her very existence—except as a pair of clapping hands among all those other clapping hands that had become routine to him.

● 說(shuō)他是她的偶像，還不完全對(duì)。她不僅是像普通女學(xué)生那樣崇拜這位大明星而已，她是真“愛”他的。

● it was not too much to say：說(shuō)這樣的話也不算過(guò)分，事實(shí)的確如此。她于二十年前陷入情網(wǎng)，迄今猶未自拔。

● requited：得到報(bào)答。“單戀”是unrequited love。fulfilled：圓滿實(shí)現(xiàn)。communicated：表達(dá)出來(lái)。這一句里三個(gè)動(dòng)詞用得都很有勁。

● unaware of her very existence：根本不知這天下有她這么一個(gè)女人。very是形容詞。

● 她雖然盲目癡戀，臺(tái)上人只知道臺(tái)下紛紛鼓掌，在掌聲雷動(dòng)之中，有她這么一雙手掌，他怎么能分別出來(lái)呢？假如他知道有她這么一個(gè)人，也無(wú)非是知道臺(tái)下有一雙手掌而已。

● other：這個(gè)字在邏輯上是說(shuō)得通的。among=in or into the midst of。在許多“其他”手掌之間，她的那雙也在鼓掌。routine：習(xí)以為常的事情，“家常便飯”。

She never told her love except to Smith Harvey, the boy she married. She had had to tell someone and it was Smith she told inevitably. Smith was a junior at the University of Rochester when she was a freshman. They had met during her first year and, with no thought of the marriage that was to take place later, had started going together. One Saturday he took her to the matinée at the Lyceum to see the famous Constance Hope and her leading man Gavin Douglas in Romeo and Juliet. She had fallen in love at sight with the handsome actor, and through him (though no two men in the world could have been more unlike) with Smith Harvey.

● 她私下戀慕之情，不得不對(duì)人說(shuō)。她那時(shí)有一個(gè)男朋友，很自然地（inevitably）她就對(duì)他說(shuō)了。

● junior：三年級(jí)學(xué)生。University of Rochester：在紐約州的Rochester。

● started going together：開始一同出去玩。他們以后結(jié)為夫婦，但是在開始的時(shí)候，他們并沒(méi)有想到婚姻之事。take place：發(fā)生或舉行。“婚姻發(fā)生”是很壞的中文，可是這是合口語(yǔ)習(xí)慣的英文的。

● the Lyceum：戲院名。以前上海有家同名的戲院，中文譯名為“蘭心”，此字原指雅典一處花園，當(dāng)年亞里斯多德講學(xué)之所。注意：戲院的Theater可以不寫出來(lái)，但冠詞the非加不可。同樣的，揚(yáng)子江的英文名稱，可以不說(shuō)River，但是冠詞the非加不可。

● Constance Hope想是比Douglas更有名的女伶，leading man：男主角。

● through him：因?yàn)閻畚枧_(tái)上的羅密歐，也連帶地愛上了臺(tái)下的男同學(xué)。雖然這兩個(gè)人絕不相像：天下人之間個(gè)性的不同，無(wú)有過(guò)于他們兩個(gè)人者。一個(gè)是熱情奔放的羅密歐，至于另外一個(gè)，我們前面已經(jīng)有了一點(diǎn)認(rèn)識(shí)，他同他的兒子一樣，是缺乏想象力的。

She loved her husband and had always loved him, but somehow married love had never quite come up to what she had seen and felt that afternoon across the footlights. What puzzled her was the question that baffled her to this day: What was the nature of that youthful ardor, what did love of that kind really consist of, what was it? Illusion, perhaps; poetry and Shakespeare and the actor's art. But could make-believe—make-believe and nothing more—cause her to experience love, really experience it, so powerfully that it still held after twenty years of a marriage which, at its worst, had never been unhappy? No, she could not believe it had been illusion merely. It was something in the nature of Gavin Douglas, a special ardor he possessed that other men did not, a mysterious and ineffable quality in the artist. What she and Smith had together had lasted and would always last; it was durable and sound. Yet the other was durable, too; how else could she respond to, and even feel again, at this very moment, that powerful emotion that Romeo had given her from the stage?—pure, heart-piercing, like the poetry he spoke…

● 這一段分析夫妻之愛和浪漫的愛之間的不同。但這不是說(shuō)理文章（小說(shuō)中最好不要插入說(shuō)理文章），這里仍舊是在描寫女主角的心理，她覺(jué)得愛情有兩種，夫妻間的恩愛似乎還不能滿足她心里的要求。

● somehow：不知怎么的。married love：夫妻之愛。come up to：達(dá)到（她所見所感的那種熱烈的情形）。footlights：舞臺(tái)前面的一排照明燈。across the footlights：隔了這么一排的燈；（臺(tái)下人）所看到的臺(tái)上。

● that baffled her to this day：這個(gè)問(wèn)題她至今不能索解。

● 這個(gè)問(wèn)題作者用三種方式來(lái)表達(dá)：那種青春熱情（youthful ardor）的性質(zhì)是什么？那一種的愛到底是什么東西所組成的？它到底是什么東西？

● Illusion：幻覺(jué)。

● make-believe：假戲，以假作真的東西。臺(tái)上所看到的只是演員的藝術(shù)，所聽到的只是莎士比亞的詩(shī)句，這些并不是真人真事——但是這種以假作真的東西竟能使她經(jīng)驗(yàn)到“愛”嗎？

● really experience it, so powerfully (experience it)：這種話重復(fù)地說(shuō)，更可以表示女主角強(qiáng)烈的感情。held（不及物動(dòng)詞）：保持不失。at its worst：二十年的婚姻，當(dāng)然不能說(shuō)一無(wú)陰翳，但是在最壞的時(shí)候，她的婚姻并不是不快樂(lè)的。a marriage：冠詞a用得很好。先用不定冠詞，范圍不加限制；然后接著用一個(gè)限制性的定語(yǔ)從句（restrictive clause），把性質(zhì)確定。這一種用法是很常見的。

● No：這一段是心理描寫，難免有自問(wèn)自答的話。戲臺(tái)上的愛情只是幻覺(jué)嗎？不是的。it had been illusion：動(dòng)詞時(shí)態(tài)表示，這是專指“那天下午”所看到的戲。

● It was something中的It，仍是代替love。這種愛是那演員性格（nature）里的某種性質(zhì)（something）。a special ardor和something是同位語(yǔ)。other men did not=other men did not possess。

● something這個(gè)字用處很大。凡是抽象的性質(zhì)，作者怕一下子說(shuō)不清楚，都可暫時(shí)用這個(gè)字來(lái)代替，多用抽象的名詞和形容詞，文章可能成為古板；something是一個(gè)容易為讀者所接受的字，用了它，文章就較流暢。但是something意義廣泛，作者仍舊應(yīng)該設(shè)法用比較確定的字眼把意義說(shuō)明白。這里作者用了兩個(gè)同位格的詞，加以說(shuō)明補(bǔ)充：一個(gè)是a special ardor，第二個(gè)是a mysterious and ineffable（言語(yǔ)難以表達(dá)的）quality。

● 代替抽象名詞的除something外，更可以用“what”clasue。本段第一句what she had seen and felt就是一個(gè)例子。這里What she and Smith had together也是一樣。“她和她丈夫所共有”，是什么東西呢？當(dāng)然是夫妻之間的恩愛。但是作者為了避免多用love之類的抽象名詞，用了這樣一個(gè)名詞性從句。讀者諸君于習(xí)作英文論說(shuō)文時(shí)，如覺(jué)得抽象名詞運(yùn)用不易，這里所介紹的補(bǔ)救辦法，不妨一試。

● 他們夫妻間的愛情，歷久不衰（had lasted）；以后始終如一，也是在意料之中。這無(wú)疑是一種持久（durable）健全（sound）的愛。

● respond to：感應(yīng)。請(qǐng)注意：英文逗點(diǎn)的用法和中文不同。我們寫中文時(shí)，很少把動(dòng)詞和它的賓語(yǔ)用逗點(diǎn)分開來(lái)的。這里respond to的賓語(yǔ)是that powerful emotion，但是二者隔得很遠(yuǎn)，中間用了三個(gè)逗點(diǎn)。

● 舞臺(tái)上那種浪漫的愛，也是能持久不變的；要不然的話（else），她怎么此刻（at this very moment）對(duì)于那種強(qiáng)烈的感情，仍舊能發(fā)生感應(yīng)呢？非但發(fā)生感應(yīng)而已，她心里還能夠體會(huì)到那種感情。

● 最后幾個(gè)字形容emotion：純潔而摧人肝腸的感情，如同他所念的（劇中的）詩(shī)句一般。（按：莎士比亞的戲劇中的對(duì)白大半均系詩(shī)句。）

To this day she had only to pick up the play at any time and read again that passionate but plaintive plea

　　O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?

to remember how, shivering in the half-dark of the theater, she had turned compulsively toward Smith at her side, holding her hand absently, as he thought was expected of him—unaware, and sweet, but not Romeo!—and how she felt at the time such a strange, such a confused and confusing fear that love of that kind was not to be given to her; that, so to speak, art was one thing and life was another….

● plaintive：悲傷的，悲訴的。plea：懇求。這里連用三個(gè)p開首的字，后兩個(gè)又都是pl開首的，這在韻律學(xué)里稱為“頭韻”（alliteration）。這里要描寫一種強(qiáng)烈的感情，句法和普通口語(yǔ)式的散文不同，音調(diào)起伏，已經(jīng)接近莎翁的無(wú)韻詩(shī)了。

● O, wilt thou…原句是《羅密歐與朱麗葉》第二幕第二場(chǎng)，這就是最有名的“后花園私訂終身”那一場(chǎng)。朱麗葉在懇求羅密歐：“你就這樣不讓我滿足地離開我嗎？”

● She had only to pick up the play…to remember：她只要檢出莎翁原劇，重讀到這個(gè)地方，心里就會(huì)記起兩件事情。這兩件事情是用how連結(jié)的兩個(gè)名詞性從句。

第一，在光線黯淡的戲院里面，她身體顫抖，不由自主地（compulsively）靠向（恐怕是心理上的靠向）她身旁的男同學(xué)。男同學(xué)心不在焉地握住她的手（他知道她所求于他者為此），他情意纏綿（sweet），但是他不是羅密歐！

第二，她在那時(shí)候有一種恐懼之感（奇怪的恐懼之感），它本身是混亂不清的（confused），同時(shí)卻使她心思更為昏亂（confusing），她覺(jué)得像戲臺(tái)上的那種愛情是沒(méi)有人會(huì)給她的。

● 最后一個(gè)“that”clasue仍是說(shuō)明fear。她覺(jué)得可以這么說(shuō)（so to speak）。藝術(shù)是一回事，人生是另一回事。

The door opened and Smith came in. He crossed to the sofa, bent down and kissed her. Then he stood up and gazed at her in a curious way. "What's eating you?" he said.

Me? Why nothing. Why?

You look all… He shrugged.

All what

…Peculiar.

Smith. Listen to me. Sit down. Who do you suppose is coming to dinner tonight?

Alice, what the hell's the matter with you?

Gavin Douglas, Ralph called up. He's bringing him home for dinner.

Who did you say?

Gavin Douglas. The actor. Romeo.

My God….

Why do you say that?

He laughed. "I'm saying it for you."

Well, you can stop it right now. This isn't a bit funny!

The dream made flesh….

In spite of herself, she smiled. It was exactly she had thought, to the very words. "But what am I going to do?" she all but cried. "What under heaven am I going to do?…"

● 剛才是回憶，是情感的起伏，現(xiàn)在又回復(fù)到現(xiàn)實(shí)生活來(lái)了，文字也幾乎換了一種。

● eating：用文言來(lái)說(shuō)，當(dāng)是“嚙蝕”；譯成白話，該是“傷你的腦筋”。

● what the hell's the matter=what is the matter。the hell為咒罵之詞，但咒罵之意可強(qiáng)可弱，視語(yǔ)氣而定，這里咒罵之意當(dāng)然很弱。

● Ralph called up. He's bringing：注意時(shí)態(tài)的用法。雖然是家常談話，也一點(diǎn)不可馬虎。

● to the very words：字都用得一樣的。她聽說(shuō)那伶人要來(lái)吃飯時(shí)，曾經(jīng)想到過(guò)the dream made flesh（見前面本文）?，F(xiàn)在她丈夫也有同感，把她的思想一字不易地說(shuō)出來(lái)。

● all but cried：幾乎要哭。

● under heaven：用以加強(qiáng)what，別無(wú)他意。

Her attention was drawn to a car just driving up below. The apartment was on the third floor, and she stood close to the window behind the curtains, and looked down.

It was a Ford convertible. Her son Ralph got out, from the other side stepped a hatless youngish man in a reversible overcoat. It couldn't be Gavin Douglas; it was certainly not Romeo. He rounded the rear of the car and disappeared with Ralph into the small foyer.

● attention was drawn：注意力被吸引。driving up：開到門口。

● the apartment：他們所住的那套客寓房間。

● convertible：篷車。這一切都是從她眼睛里看到的。

● from the other side：她的兒子從一邊下車，另外一個(gè)人從另一邊下車。youngish：年紀(jì)不算大。reversible overcoat：正反可穿的晴雨兩用大衣（反穿就是雨衣）。

● It couldn't be：這樣一個(gè)人怎么可能是她心目中的大情人呢？

● rounded the rear：從車子后面繞過(guò)來(lái)。foyer：公寓房子進(jìn)口的小門廳。他們兩人走進(jìn)來(lái)了（disappeared）。

She heard them in the living room, heard Smith being hearty and cordial. A minute later her bedroom door opened and Ralph came in.

Thank God you didn't dress up, he said.

And why would I dress up? she replied airily. "It isn't a dinner party, after all."

Come on out. Dad's making drinks….

When she came into the living room, Gavin Douglas sprang up from the chair.

I'm Ralph's mother, she said. "How do you do…."

● living room：上了樓進(jìn)了房了。being hearty and cordial：正在熱誠(chéng)招待。verb to be通常并沒(méi)有動(dòng)作的意思，但是being這個(gè)現(xiàn)在分詞也表示一點(diǎn)動(dòng)作。例如：

I am being a fool.（我正在說(shuō)傻話，或做傻事。）

cordial其實(shí)和hearty同一意義，都解作“懇切”，不過(guò)cordial的字源是拉丁文的“心”，hearty的字源是盎格魯薩克遜文的“心”；cordial比較近于文言，意義亦較弱。

● dress up：穿上禮服。西俗婦人參加正式宴會(huì)（dinner party），當(dāng)穿晚禮服（evening dress）。

● airily：輕快地。

● making drinks：調(diào)酒。美國(guó)人晚餐之前如家有客人，通常要為他們準(zhǔn)備飲料的。最普通的為威士忌加冰塊或蘇打水，或加馬鐵尼（Martini）等的雞尾酒。

Was it truly Gavin Douglas? Why, he looked no more like an actor than—why, than her husband did; and scarcely older. With inexpressible relief she noted that he was still handsome, very masculine-looking, and he might have been—anybody; anybody, that is, with a certain background and breeding. He was of medium height; his complexion was ruddy and healthy; his eyes were blue as a robin's egg. His voice was resonant and deep but not thrilling—not as it had been in the theater; his diction was no better than it should be. But what amazed her most of all was his dress. He looked just like Smith on a weekend in Connecticut.

● 這是她第一次正式見到在臺(tái)下的大情人。他的模樣可真不像個(gè)演員。本段首二句是模仿口語(yǔ)的，這位主婦雖不開口，但心里自問(wèn)自答卻如同說(shuō)話一般。第二句的兩個(gè)why就是說(shuō)話時(shí)才用得到的感嘆詞。why作感嘆詞用，據(jù)《簡(jiǎn)明牛津字典》解釋，至少有五種意義（詳情請(qǐng)查該字典）。此處第一個(gè)why用以表示一種“使人驚訝的發(fā)現(xiàn)或認(rèn)識(shí)”（surprised discovery or recognition），相當(dāng)于中文的“啊”（原來(lái)如此?。?。第二個(gè)why用以表示“停頓而加以思索”（pause for reflection），相當(dāng)于中文的“嗯”（讓我想想看）。她丈夫既不類伶人，客人看來(lái)也不像，兩人年齡似乎也相仿。

● relief：心頭覺(jué)得說(shuō)不出的安慰。她只怕她心目中的大情人已經(jīng)白發(fā)蒼蒼，老態(tài)龍鐘，破壞了她的美麗的夢(mèng)想。

● might have been：后面跟一破折號(hào)，表示她想到這里，又停頓了一下。anybody：照那人的樣子看來(lái)，她決看不出他的身份；他可能是任何人，但先說(shuō)任何人，又嫌太泛，她又替自己做注解，那就是說(shuō)（that is），任何有某種生活背景（background）和高尚教養(yǎng)的人。

● robin's egg：知更雀的蛋。知更雀在美國(guó)東北部是很常見的一種鳥，它的蛋有一種特殊的藍(lán)色，作者拿來(lái)和那人的眼睛顏色相比，是很好的譬喻。

● resonant：響亮的，余音裊裊的。deep：深沉的。thrilling：動(dòng)人的。

● diction：所用的字，措辭。（dictionary就是從這個(gè)字衍化來(lái)的）。no better than it should be：恰到分寸，并不見得特別出色。

● on a weekend：美國(guó)男子大約有幾套服裝。上寫字間是一套，正式宴會(huì)是一套，度周末假期又是一套。她丈夫周末去康州（離紐約非常近的一個(gè)州）時(shí)所穿的衣服并沒(méi)有什么出奇之處，現(xiàn)在來(lái)客所穿的也不過(guò)這么一套，并無(wú)大明星派頭。

It's delightful meeting Rafe's parents, he said. "I can scarcely believe it. Neither of you seem old enough to have produced such a strapping young man."

Rafe? Had she heard correctly? But of course! It was the British pronunciation.

Are you English, Mr. Douglas?

Heavens no. I was born and brought up in the tiny town of Two Buttes, Colorado. My father had a small mine. I used to say that after I left, they changed the name to One Butte, but I've long since gotten over such lousy jokes—I hope.

● 第一句主語(yǔ)It代替動(dòng)名詞meeting Rafe's parents。

● Neither of you后面的動(dòng)詞用復(fù)數(shù)式seem，不用單數(shù)式seems，這是合乎語(yǔ)法的。strapping：高大的。這一句話是在恭維他們夫妻二人長(zhǎng)得年輕，看不出老。

● Rafe：兒子的名字是Ralph，這個(gè)字在美國(guó)的讀音，讀者不難從字面上猜測(cè)得之。可是英國(guó)人把它讀成Rafe（讀a長(zhǎng)音），聽來(lái)很特別。

● Heavens no：Heavens恐怕是Good heavens！之略。good heavens沒(méi)有中文“天呀！”那么嚴(yán)重，語(yǔ)氣相當(dāng)于北平話的“是英國(guó)人才怪哪”。

● mine：礦。

● Butte：美國(guó)西部用語(yǔ)，解作“山崗”。他的家鄉(xiāng)就是科羅拉多的雙崗鎮(zhèn)了。接著他還講一個(gè)笑話，他說(shuō)他離開家鄉(xiāng)之后，家鄉(xiāng)人士就把鎮(zhèn)名改為單崗鎮(zhèn)。注者猜他的幽默所在，恐怕他是把butte（u長(zhǎng)音/ju:/）當(dāng)作butt（u短音/^/）來(lái)瀆。butt者，是大眾嘲笑作弄的對(duì)象；中國(guó)人笑人為“土包子”，這里也許可以勉強(qiáng)應(yīng)用。（土做的包子，有沒(méi)有山崗的意義？）鎮(zhèn)名改成單崗鎮(zhèn)了，因?yàn)樯倭艘粋€(gè)土包子。這種幽默很難翻譯，何況注者不敢自信已經(jīng)捉住文中幽默的要點(diǎn)。這兩句主要表示的是：此人有他的幽默感，而且不惜拿自己來(lái)挖苦的。

● gotten：照有些語(yǔ)法書規(guī)定，get的過(guò)去分詞是got，不是gotten，但是美國(guó)人常有用gotten的。《英漢四用字典》說(shuō)：英國(guó)人用got，美國(guó)人用gotten，想必有它的根據(jù)。gotten over：有超越或克服之意?！拔乙呀?jīng)有很久（long since）不說(shuō)這種低級(jí)笑話了?！眑ousy：這是一個(gè)應(yīng)用很廣的American slang字眼。相當(dāng)于北平話的“陋”或“糟”，上海話的“蹩腳”。

● 這個(gè)人的說(shuō)話，既然按英國(guó)音讀Rafe，又用美國(guó)人的gotten和lousy。我們可以說(shuō)他所表現(xiàn)的有兩方面，一是他的藝術(shù)家與眾不同的一方面，一是他平易近人善于“做人”的一方面。

Really a mining town? she said. "How did you happen to go on the stage, Mr. Douglas?"

After all, one has to do something. And one night in Pueblo, when I was sixteen, I saw a road company of Way Down East. After that there was no holding me. My father kicked like a steer but it was no use. Green as I was, the stage was for me, from then on.

When you were sixteen? It doesn't seem possible….

Why not?

● to go on the stage：從事舞臺(tái)生活。

● After all：說(shuō)來(lái)說(shuō)去，人總得要做事（我就挑選了戲劇）。

● Pueblo：科羅拉多州的城市名。

● road company：走江湖跑碼頭的戲班。Way Down East：美國(guó)本世紀(jì)初很有名的戲，為L(zhǎng)ottie Blair Parker（1858—1937）所作。該戲拍成無(wú)聲電影后在中國(guó)映出，片名為《賴婚》。

● there was no holding me：there is的后面跟一個(gè)動(dòng)名詞，解作“從此以后，沒(méi)有辦法管得住我了”。我就想投身戲劇界了。

● steer：小公牛。kicked：舉腳亂踢；發(fā)脾氣。Green：嫩，沒(méi)有經(jīng)驗(yàn)。

You seemed hardly sixteen when my husband and I saw you in Romeo and Juliet.

Oh, did you see that? Imagine!

I've never forgotten it, Mr. Douglas.

Well, I was twice sixteen during my Romeo period, he said, and smiled charmingly. "Do you know how old I am now? Fifty-three, no less."

…Twice sixteen, she was thinking. That youth—that slim young lover? A Romeo of thirty-two? Incredible it seemed; it was possible, perhaps, but not probable.

She got up. "I—think it's time for dinner," she said. "Mr. Douglas, won't you bring your drink in to the table?"

● Imagine：請(qǐng)想想看！怪不怪？

● during my Romeo period：我演羅密歐那個(gè)時(shí)期。

● That youth—that slim young lover：這是舞臺(tái)上所看見的羅密歐，演員本人則是已經(jīng)三十二歲了。

● Incredible：令人難信。not probable：不近情理。

● bring your drink in：把酒一塊兒帶來(lái)。

So you saw our Romeo and Juliet, he said. "Fancy that. You must have been kids."

We weren't. We were both in college at the time.

About Rafe's age. I should imagine," he said. "Wouldn't you call him a kid?"

● Fancy that：同上文的Imagine一樣，是一種自言自語(yǔ)。

● must have been：“從現(xiàn)在的立場(chǎng)，猜度過(guò)去的事情”所用的動(dòng)詞形式。

● kids：小孩子。

● I should imagine和Wouldn't you兩個(gè)虛擬式動(dòng)詞，都是比較客氣而不武斷的說(shuō)法。

● call him a kid：大學(xué)生還算是小孩子，其人顯然有點(diǎn)倚老賣老。

…We played Romeo and Juliet thirty consecutive weeks at the Morosco, he was saying, "and then took it on the road for another whole season. You can imagine the bang it gave me when we played Pueblo, Colorado. After the American tour, there was a three months' run at the Haymarket in London. I'm telling you, I was never so sick of anything in my life as I was of Romeo when we finally quit. Bored stiff."

Bored? But you couldn't have been! I can't believe it, Mr. Douglas?

● he was saying：只聽他在那里滔滔不絕地說(shuō)。

● thirty consecutive weeks：連續(xù)演三十個(gè)星期（莎翁名劇重演，賣座如此持久不衰，在紐約百老匯也很難得）。Morosco：百老匯的戲院名。上文說(shuō)Alice和Smith是在“蘭心”戲院看的戲，“蘭心”戲院想是在紐約州Rochester，那時(shí)候戲班已經(jīng)出發(fā)巡回表演了。

● took it on the road：各處巡回公演。road有一個(gè)特別意義，專指戲班跑碼頭而言。請(qǐng)參照上文road company。

● bang：美俚，突然而來(lái)的或強(qiáng)烈的歡欣、興奮。他自己是十六歲的時(shí)候，看見了戲班子在那里演出，而決心獻(xiàn)身戲劇的，現(xiàn)在自己的戲班也在那里演出了，當(dāng)然興奮異常。played：play作及物動(dòng)詞用，這種用法比較特別。根據(jù)The American College Dictionary，此字的解釋是：（戲班）在（某地）公演，（to give performance in, as a theatrical company does），該字典并舉了一個(gè)例子：

to play the larger cities（在大城市公演）

這里We played Pueblo, Colorado用地名做played的賓語(yǔ)，意義亦不難了解了。

● run：連續(xù)演出。the Haymarket：倫敦劇院名；該戲院有悠久的歷史，1705年落成，首任經(jīng)理為William Congreve，在英國(guó)文學(xué)史上是有它的地位的。

● sick of：厭倦。as I was of=as I was sick of。so sick連后面的as。quit：這個(gè)字是quit的過(guò)去形式（用quitted亦可）。各處巡回演出之后，他對(duì)于羅密歐這個(gè)角色厭煩到了極點(diǎn)了。

● Bored stiff：恐怕是I was bored stiff的省略。stiff當(dāng)是subjective complement，形容主語(yǔ)。bored：厭煩（到使人要命的程度）。

Sorry to disillusion you, Mrs. Harvey, but I was thoroughly bored by that time. Forcing myself, putting it on, faking. But then, art is nothing if it's not make-believe. You build a performance out of artifice and tricks, and then you bring into play whatever skills you have, to make it true, convincing, or if you will, realistic. He laughed, that pleasant, hearty laugh. "The world of art is different from the actual, the facts. As for the artist himself—or the actor or writer or whatever—well, the less said about him, perhaps, the better."

● disillusion you：使你的迷夢(mèng)幻滅。

● Forcing等三個(gè)字是現(xiàn)在分詞呢？還是動(dòng)名詞？句子沒(méi)有做完，很難下判斷。假如是現(xiàn)在分詞，那么這三個(gè)字可以說(shuō)是形容上一句的主語(yǔ)I的。假如是動(dòng)名詞，那么這三個(gè)字前面大約省了What I had been doing was…這幾個(gè)字。Forcing myself：強(qiáng)迫自己（做戲背臺(tái)詞）。putting it on：裝做像煞有介事。（putting on是假裝，it大約是指演戲那一套，所指較泛）。faking：偽造偽裝。所作所為，無(wú)非如此，怎不叫人厭倦呢？

● make-believe：上文已有解釋。“可是藝術(shù)就是以假作真，假如藝術(shù)不是如此，藝術(shù)根本就一無(wú)所有了?！?

● artifice：人工，技巧。tricks：手法。演戲就是利用種種技巧手法（從種種技巧手法里面，建立你的演技）。bring into play是個(gè)成語(yǔ)，解作“發(fā)揮作用”。play在這里并不作“戲”解。artifice和tricks是演戲的基本條件，此外演員各人有不同的演技才能，你就把你所有的技能全拿出來(lái)，使你的表情（it=your performance）宛然像真的一般使人見了信服；或者你喜歡用這種字眼（or if you will），我們可以說(shuō)你的表情可以更“現(xiàn)實(shí)化”（realistic）。（這里的“你”，當(dāng)然是泛指，并不是指聽話的人。）

● 這許多話無(wú)非要表示，演戲雖然是作假，但是“假”里面還有道理。

● He laughed后面跟一個(gè)逗點(diǎn)，這表示that pleasant, hearty laugh并不是laughed的賓語(yǔ)，（沒(méi)有那個(gè)逗點(diǎn)，laugh就成了laughed的賓語(yǔ)）?，F(xiàn)在這樣標(biāo)點(diǎn)法，that pleasant, hearty laugh該是一個(gè)補(bǔ)充說(shuō)明（parenthetical）的短語(yǔ)，說(shuō)明laughed的。

● the less said：關(guān)于藝術(shù)家本人，愈少講起他愈好。藝術(shù)家的貢獻(xiàn)是他的藝術(shù)，我們只須注意他的藝術(shù)，不必注意他的本人。

All but breathless, thrilled to her fingertips, Alice Harvey was only able to ask: "Why do you say that?"

Well, I don't mean to hold the floor too much, but the artist is both scoundrel and angel. He's gifted and cursed, happy and in despair, parasitic and productive, neurotic and brilliant, antisocial and socially aware to the very heart of him—and always intensely interesting, because there's a little of the artist in us all. Biddy used to say "Give me the man of talent to act with, but the mediocrity to live with—every time."

● All but：差不多，幾乎（作副詞用）。breathless：透不過(guò)氣來(lái)。她并沒(méi)有真的透不過(guò)氣來(lái)的，但是除此以外，一切透不過(guò)氣來(lái)的現(xiàn)象都有了。又例：all but drowned（幾乎淹死）。

● thrilled：激動(dòng)。前面那個(gè)伶人的一段話，在她是聞所未聞，她聽見了全身顫動(dòng)，一直到手指尖都有一種異樣的感覺(jué)。她開不出口，只能問(wèn)這么一句話。

● floor：國(guó)會(huì)里發(fā)表議論的地方。take the floor：發(fā)言，參加討論。hold the floor：老是一個(gè)人在講，不讓別人發(fā)言。scoundrel：壞人。注意：scoundrel和angel連用，因此前面沒(méi)有冠詞a。在兩個(gè)或兩個(gè)以上的noun連用時(shí)，通常不用a或an，例如：We are brother and sister.

● 藝術(shù)家（the artist中的冠詞the并不表示某一個(gè)藝術(shù)家，而是表示這一類的人）是有矛盾的性格的，說(shuō)他可恨（scoundrel）固然可以，說(shuō)他可愛（angel）也可以。

● gifted和cursed二字都是從過(guò)去分詞轉(zhuǎn)化而成的形容詞。假如問(wèn)：By whom is he gifted and cursed? 我看是by God。gifted：天賦獨(dú)厚的。cursed：受詛咒的，上帝規(guī)定藝術(shù)家不得過(guò)好日子。

● 藝術(shù)家是幸福的人，也是沒(méi)有希望的人；他是社會(huì)的寄生蟲，同時(shí)也是有創(chuàng)造天才的人；他神經(jīng)失常，可是又是才華出眾；他離群索居，不喜社交，可是心底里決丟不掉社會(huì)。socially aware：有“社會(huì)意識(shí)”；明白個(gè)人對(duì)于社會(huì)的責(zé)任等等。

● interesting：藝術(shù)家總是可以引起人家很大的興趣，因?yàn)槲覀冋l(shuí)都有一點(diǎn)兒“藝術(shù)家的氣質(zhì)”（a little of the artist）。

● Biddy那句話可以這么譯：“同我一起演戲的，我希望是一個(gè)天才；和我共同生活的，我希望是個(gè)庸人。”藝術(shù)家或天才固然有趣，但是平常是很難處的。mediocrity=a person of but moderate ability：才藝平庸之人。

Biddy? Was she your wife?

Good heavens no! Biddy was the glamorous, the beauteous Constance Hope. Juliet herself.

But—why Biddy? Was that really her nickname?

It's what I called her. You see, Biddy was fifteen years older than I. Forty-seven when we played Shakespeare.

● 這位伶人脫口而出地說(shuō)起了Biddy這個(gè)名字。這是個(gè)昵稱，又像是個(gè)女人的名字，無(wú)怪聽的人以為是他太太的名字了。

● glamorous：美得迷人的。glamorous原義是“有魔力的”，有些出版較早的字典，恐怕還只列這樣一個(gè)解釋。近年來(lái)這個(gè)字似乎專指“惑陽(yáng)城，迷下蔡”的那種“妖艷”，和“魔法，妖法”已經(jīng)脫離關(guān)系了。beauteous用作“美”解，則古人詩(shī)中常見，是一個(gè)比較有書卷氣的字眼。總之，glamorous（作這個(gè)解釋）是個(gè)通俗的新字，beauteous是個(gè)古雅的老字，這位伶人是這兩種字都喜歡用。

Alice Harvey shook her head in bewilderment, and then, in spite of herself, she laughed; but only because it was also fantastic, beyond belief. "About that business of make-believe," she managed to say, "do you really, Mr. Douglas, do you actually expect me to take you seriously when—" She flushed, trying to find an illustration for what she meant. "Well, for instance, the thrilling scene where Juliet comes on alone and launches that long speech that ends with something like

　　Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die,

　　Take him and cut him out in little stars,…

I mean, do you actually mean to sit there and tell us, Mr. Douglas, that—that Constance Hope wasn't moved when she spoke those lines? Wasn't carried away?"

● 舞臺(tái)上的朱麗葉，事實(shí)上已經(jīng)是四十七歲的中年婦人了，難怪我們這位女主人搖搖她的頭，不知所措了。

● in spite of herself：不能控制自己。

● 四十七歲的婦人能演十四歲的朱麗葉，而且演得非常之好，看戲的人大受感動(dòng)，現(xiàn)在想想，未免好笑。但是另外還有一點(diǎn)可笑之處（because…also）：雖然這位伶人不會(huì)騙人，但事情畢竟荒唐（fantastic），令人難以置信。

● make-believe：演戲本來(lái)是以假作真的。she managed to say：好容易才想出這句話來(lái)說(shuō)。她雖然想了這句話來(lái)說(shuō)，但是話說(shuō)得還是斷斷續(xù)續(xù)。這句話很長(zhǎng)，句法轉(zhuǎn)了好幾次：

● do you actually是重復(fù)do you really。to take you seriously相信你不是在開玩笑。when以后，句子做不下去了，她就換一種說(shuō)法。flushed：臉紅。an illustration：用以說(shuō)明的例子。

● thrilling scene：動(dòng)人的一場(chǎng)戲。原劇第三幕第二場(chǎng)，朱麗葉一個(gè)人出場(chǎng)，開始（launches）大段獨(dú)白。這段話是朱麗葉的禱告，她求太陽(yáng)快些下去，夜快些來(lái)?！鞍蚜_密歐賞賜給我！他死后，你再把他帶到天上去，分散成為點(diǎn)點(diǎn)繁星……”

● Well, for instance…這句話沒(méi)有說(shuō)完，她又換了一句。I mean：這兩個(gè)字是很有用的成語(yǔ)，自己覺(jué)得話說(shuō)不清楚，不得不反復(fù)說(shuō)明時(shí)，這兩個(gè)字就用得著。

● sit there：坐在那里（餐廳的那張椅子上）。

● 朱麗葉那一段話很動(dòng)人的，豈有演員自己反不受感動(dòng)之理？carried away：出神，著迷。

I'll tell you how carried away she was, he said. "Naturally I remember that scene well—God, I hear it in my sleep, to this day, Capulet's orchard, just before intermission. Biddy hadn't been in the previous scene, but I was. When I came off-stage, I always found her standing there in the wings waiting, smoking a cigarette—against all the rules, of course, but that was Biddy, a law unto herself. When she heard the cue, she handed me the cigarette and went on. It was a long scene, with the Nurse. Biddy kept on hoping, but in vain. She always had to light a new one, and cursed the Nurse for being so slow with her lines that she wasted a whole cigarette."

● hear it：這一段戲詞，他念念不忘，現(xiàn)在時(shí)隔多年，他在睡夢(mèng)中似乎還聽得見。

● Capulet's orchard：Capulet是朱麗葉的姓氏，他們家的果園，是那場(chǎng)戲的背景。intermission：休息時(shí)間。

● the previous scene：第三幕第一場(chǎng)，即羅密歐擊斃Tybalt的那一場(chǎng)。那場(chǎng)戲中沒(méi)有朱麗葉的戲。

● off-stage：這是個(gè)形容詞（這里應(yīng)該是形容主語(yǔ)I）；解作“在后臺(tái)”。

● wings：舞臺(tái)的側(cè)面（此字用復(fù)數(shù)形式）。against all the rules：翻遍后臺(tái)管理規(guī)則，沒(méi)有一條是容許演員在那種地方抽煙的?？墒沁@位演員與眾不同：她是Biddy，她可以率性行事。unto就是to，這是個(gè)古字。（類似的例子：until就是till，但till和until是一樣適用的。）a law unto oneself是成語(yǔ)，解作“不可以常理來(lái)規(guī)定”。例如：A child is often a law unto itself. 小孩常有小孩自己的辦法。

● cue：上一場(chǎng)的最后幾句話（朱麗葉聽見了，就預(yù)備出場(chǎng)。此字也可解作同一場(chǎng)另一演員一段對(duì)白的最后幾個(gè)字，演員聽見了，就預(yù)備接口說(shuō)話。）

● Nurse：朱麗葉的乳娘是戲里一個(gè)重要角色。

● kept on hoping：這句話意義不大清楚，但看后面兩句，便知她是希望這場(chǎng)戲早點(diǎn)結(jié)束，回去抽那枝香煙！

● to light a new one：重新點(diǎn)一枝香煙。原來(lái)那一枝已經(jīng)燒完了。

● so slow with her lines：乳娘背臺(tái)詞（lines）背得太慢，害得朱麗葉糟塌一枝香煙。

Poor Alice Harvey—her head was swimming. She didn't believe, almost didn't dare listen; and certainly didn't dare to glance at her husband by now, who was probably grinning at her with his own particular brand of fiendish delight. "But if Constance Hope," she faltered, "wasn't affected by the scene, wasn't deeply moved inside, then why…h(huán)ow…why was I moved?"

● her head was swimming：眩暈。

● dare listen二字之間，原文沒(méi)有to，這種用法很奇怪。照普通用法，用dared not listen時(shí)不用to，用didn't dare后面就得用to。本段接著就是didn't dare to glance，用to是不錯(cuò)的。

● 她一向所崇拜的演員，原來(lái)把演戲看得如此隨便，她怕她丈夫在竊笑。grinning：露齒而笑。brand：種類。她丈夫有一種特別的“惡毒的取笑”，所謂“惡毒”者（fiendish：魔鬼的），就是看見別人窘迫了，他就引以為樂(lè)。

● faltered：吞吞吐吐地說(shuō)。

My dear Mrs. Harvey, he said, with his gentlest, his most intimate smile. "If Biddy had been moved herself—carried away by the emotion of the scene, swept off her feet, whatever you want to call it—you wouldn't have been moved at all. You'd have sat there cold and impassive, resisting it with your whole being, irritated, in fact, by the spectacle of a woman making a holy show of herself.”

● gentlest：最溫柔的。most intimate：最親切的。

● If Biddy…h(huán)erself中的herself用以加強(qiáng)主語(yǔ)Biddy。moved是“感動(dòng)”，說(shuō)話的人怕這個(gè)字意義不夠清楚，換了兩種說(shuō)法：“假定她被戲里的情感所支配了，假定她演得忘其所以了……?！眘wept off one's feet：（成語(yǔ)）感動(dòng)得忘其所以，興奮過(guò)度。

● whatever you want to call it：不論你用moved也好，用別種說(shuō)法也好。假如演員自己大受感動(dòng)，觀眾就不受感動(dòng)了。

● impassive：不感痛癢，無(wú)動(dòng)于衷（形容詞，形容主語(yǔ)You）。

● resisting it中的it即上一句whatever you want to call it中的it——指Biddy真動(dòng)了情感去做戲。with your whole being：用你全力來(lái)反抗，你就要看不下去了。being：要素，本性，“存在”。your whole being：精神身體統(tǒng)統(tǒng)算進(jìn)去。

● irritated：仍是形容主語(yǔ)You?！澳憧匆娏艘鷼獾摹贝俗诌B后面的by。in fact是插進(jìn)去補(bǔ)充說(shuō)明的。spectacle：奇觀，慘相，“好戲”。making a…show of herself：炫耀，表現(xiàn)自己。holy原義是“神圣”，這里是反語(yǔ)。a holy show該是“出丑，出洋相”。一個(gè)女人當(dāng)著大庭廣眾，真正地大哭大笑起來(lái)，別人是忍受不了的。

Shortly after ten, Gavin Douglas rose to leave.

He was at the open door leading to the hall and the stairs, his reversible coat over his arm. He turned back momentarily, then, and Alice Harvey was delighted to see that he was about to make an exit, so to speak. He took her outstretched hand in both of his and gave her a long, searching, and very complimentary look. She waited, pleased.

Mrs. Harvey, he said, his voice dropping a full octave lower and thrilling her through and through, "all summer long I've wondered where Rafe got those eyes. Now I know…."

● open door：公寓的大門，不是房間的門，所以這里說(shuō)是“通到門堂（hall）和樓梯的那扇門”。over his arm：挽在臂上。

● then：那時(shí)候他本來(lái)已經(jīng)預(yù)備跨步外出，現(xiàn)在忽然回轉(zhuǎn)身來(lái)。to make an exit：（演員）下場(chǎng)。下場(chǎng)的時(shí)候演員常常要念兩句“下場(chǎng)詩(shī)”。現(xiàn)在當(dāng)然不在舞臺(tái)上，但是在女主人心目中，他現(xiàn)在的姿勢(shì)，可以說(shuō)（so to speak）是在準(zhǔn)備下場(chǎng)，正要說(shuō)什么精彩的話，或者做什么精彩的表情。

● outstretched：伸出來(lái)的。both of his=both of his hands。look前面有三個(gè)形容詞：long（時(shí)間長(zhǎng)），searching（仔細(xì)——似乎在尋些什么東西），complimentary（帶著恭維的意義）。

● pleased：過(guò)去分詞作形容詞用。

● dropping a full octave lower：聲音忽然下降了整整一個(gè)音階，即本來(lái)唱do re mi的，現(xiàn)在唱低音的do re mi。thrilling：這個(gè)字又出現(xiàn)了，這里可以解作“使她心神蕩漾，全身的汗毛孔都覺(jué)得異樣的舒服”。

● where Rafe got those eyes：我一直猜不透令郎怎么會(huì)有這樣一雙美的眼睛，現(xiàn)在我明白了……。