The Great Gatsby了不起的蓋茨比

⊙ByF.ScottFitzgerald ⊙翻譯：巫寧坤

Reading Café 悅讀時(shí)光

The Great Gatsby了不起的蓋茨比

⊙ByF.ScottFitzgerald ⊙翻譯：巫寧坤

在美國歷史上，20世紀(jì)20年代是一個(gè)非常特殊的時(shí)期。從一戰(zhàn)結(jié)束到大蕭條之前，美國處于新舊交替的歷史十字路口，經(jīng)濟(jì)形勢(shì)一片大好，整個(gè)國家迅速進(jìn)入工業(yè)化現(xiàn)代社會(huì)。在這種大環(huán)境下，財(cái)富成了當(dāng)時(shí)衡量成功的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，賺錢成了人們唯一的追求。拜金主義、享樂主義與消費(fèi)主義開始大行其道，奢華鋪張的揮霍風(fēng)氣席卷全國。

就在這被后世稱為“喧囂年代”或“爵士時(shí)代”的十年間，美國涌現(xiàn)出一批極其優(yōu)秀的文學(xué)大家——弗朗西斯·斯科特·基·菲茨杰拉德（Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald，1896–1940）正是其中的佼佼者。

菲茨杰拉德生于圣保羅市一個(gè)小商人家庭，雖然祖輩財(cái)大氣粗，傳到菲茨杰拉德父母這一代早已家道衰落，菲茨杰拉德還得靠親戚資助才能讀上大學(xué)。直到其處女作《人間天堂》（This Side of Paradise）在1920年一炮而紅，這位青年作家終于得以擺脫一窮二白的潦倒生活。隨后，以《了不起的蓋茨比》為代表的一系列作品奠定了菲茨杰拉德在美國現(xiàn)代文學(xué)史上的地位，他成了“爵士時(shí)代”的發(fā)言人和“迷惘的一代”代表作家之一。

作為菲茨杰拉德最重要的作品，《了不起的蓋茨比》中處處折射出作家本人的生活經(jīng)歷及其對(duì)“美國夢(mèng)”的思考與批判。小說以尼克作為第一敘述人，講述了他的鄰居蓋茨比與他的表妹黛西之間令人扼腕的愛情故事：年輕時(shí)的蓋茨比是個(gè)窮軍官，他愛上了一個(gè)名叫黛西的姑娘。后來一戰(zhàn)爆發(fā)，蓋茨比被調(diào)往歐洲，黛西因此和他分手，與紈绔子弟湯姆結(jié)了婚。蓋茨比堅(jiān)信是金錢改變了黛西，立志要成為富翁。幾年以后，功成名就的蓋茨比在黛西家對(duì)面建了一座大宅，揮金如土，夜夜笙歌，一心想挽回失去的愛情，豈料真正的悲劇悄然而至……

本期選段節(jié)選出自小說第三章。

The lights grow brighter as the earth1)lurch [lз?t?] v.東倒西歪地走lurchesaway from the sun and now the orchestra is playing yellow2)cocktail [?k?kte?l] n.雞尾酒cocktailmusic and the opera of voices3)pitch [p?t?] v.定音pitchesa key higher.Laughter is easier,minute by minute,spilled with4)prodigality [?pr?d??g?l?t?] n.揮霍，浪費(fèi)prodigality,tipped out at a cheerful word.The groups change more swiftly,swell with new arrivals,dissolve and form5)in the same breath 同時(shí)in the same breath—already there are wanderers,confident girls who weave here and there among the6)stout [sta?t] adj.結(jié)實(shí)的，堅(jiān)定的stouterand more stable,become for a sharp,7)joyous [?d????s] adj.高興的，充滿快樂的joyousmoment the center of a group and then excited with8)triumph [?tra??mf] n.勝利的喜悅，得意triumph9)glide [gla?d] v.滑行，滑動(dòng)glideon through the seachange of faces and voices and color under the constantly changing light.

Suddenly one of these10)gypsy [?d??ps?] n.吉卜賽人，流浪者gypsiesin trembling11)opal [???p（?）l] n.[礦]貓眼石，蛋白石opal,seizes a cocktail out of the air,12)dump [d?mp] v.傾倒dumpsit down for courage and moving her hands like13)Frisco [?fr?sk??] n.<美口>舊金山（San Francisco）的口語略稱Friscodances out alone on the canvas platform.A14)momentary [?m??m?nt?r?] adj.瞬間的，剎那間的momentaryhush; the orchestra leader varies his rhythm15)obligingly [??bla?d???l?] adv.樂于助人地，親切地obliginglyfor her and there is a burst of16)chatter [?t??t?（r）] n.饒舌，喋喋不休chatteras the17)erroneous [??r??n??s] adj.錯(cuò)誤的，不正確的erroneousnews goes around that she is Gilda Gray’s understudy from the “Follies.”注The party has begun.

I believe that on the first night I went to Gatsby’s house I was one of the few guests who had actually been invited.People were not invited—they went there.They got into18)automobile [???t??m?bi?l] n.汽車，小汽車automobileswhich19)bear [be?（r）] v.載送，運(yùn)輸，過去式為bore。borethem out to Long Island and somehow they ended up at Gatsby’s door.Once there they were introduced by somebody who knew Gatsby and after that they conducted themselves according to the rules of behavior associated with amusement parks.Sometimes they came and went without having met Gatsby at all,came for the party with a20)simplicity [s?m?pl?s?t?] n.簡單，單純simplicityof heart that was its own ticket of admission.

I had been actually invited.A21)chauffeur [????f?r] n.<法>私人司機(jī)chauffeurin a uniform of22)robin’s egg blue 知更鳥蛋藍(lán)，藍(lán)綠色robin’s eggbluecrossed my23)lawn [l??n] n.草坪lawnearly that Saturday morning with a surprisingly formal note from his employer—the honor would be entirely Gatsby’s,it said,if I would attend his “l(fā)ittle party” that night.He had seen me several times and had intended to call on me long before but a24)peculiar [p??kju?l??（r）] adj.特別的，特殊的peculiarcombination of circumstances had prevented it—signed Jay Gatsby in a25)majestic [m??d?est?k] adj.莊嚴(yán)的，威風(fēng)的majestichand.

注：吉爾德·格雷是20世紀(jì)20年代名噪一時(shí)的美國舞星，她所屬的齊格菲歌舞團(tuán)（Ziegfeld Follies）當(dāng)時(shí)在百老匯很受歡迎。

Dressed up in white26)flannel [?fl?n（?）l] n.法蘭絨，法蘭絨衣服（復(fù)數(shù)形式）flannelsI went over to his lawn a little after seven and wandered around rather27)ill-at-ease [??l?t?i?z] adj.局促不安的，不自在的ill-at-easeamong28)swirl [swз?l] n.旋渦swirlsand29)eddy [?ed?] n.漩渦，渦流eddiesof people I didn’t know—though here and there was a face I had noticed on the30)commute [k??mju?t] v.通勤commutingtrain.I was31)immediately [??mi?d??tl?] adv.立即，即刻immediatelystruck by the number of young Englishmen32)dot [d?t] v.星羅棋布于，點(diǎn)綴dottedabout; all well dressed,all looking a little hungry and all talking in low33)earnest [?з?n?st] adj.誠摯的，熱心的earnestvoices to34)solid [?s?l?d] adj.殷實(shí)的solidand35)prosperous [?pr?sp?r?s] adj.富裕的，富足的prosperousAmericans.I was sure that they were selling something:36)bond [b?nd] n.債券，證券bondsor insurance or automobiles.They were,at least,37)agonizingly [??g?na?z??l?] adv.極度痛苦地，苦惱地agonizinglyaware of the easy money38)in the vicinity 附近，鄰近（常與of連用）in the vicinityand convinced that it was theirs for a few words in the right key.

As soon as I arrived I made an attempt to find my host but the two or three people of whom I asked his39)whereabouts [?（h）we?r??ba?ts] n.下落，所在whereaboutsstared at me in such an amazed way and denied so40)vehemently [?vi??m?ntl?] adv.強(qiáng)烈地，激烈地vehementlyany knowledge of his movements that I41)slink [sl??k] v.偷偷溜走，過去式為slunk。slunkoff in the direction of the cocktail table—the only place in the garden where a single man could42)linger [?l??g?（r）] v.逗留，徘徊lingerwithout looking purposeless and alone.

菲茨杰拉德本人熱愛社交，常年出入各種娛樂場(chǎng)所，其筆下的大都會(huì)摩登生活刻畫入微、鮮活傳神，具有非常突出的時(shí)代特色。在本期選段中，作家透過尼克的視角對(duì)宴會(huì)眾人進(jìn)行群像描寫，各種隱喻與意象令人耳目一新，給讀者展現(xiàn)了當(dāng)時(shí)的上流社會(huì)眾生相。其風(fēng)格幽默細(xì)膩，文筆流暢嚴(yán)謹(jǐn)，值得大家仔細(xì)品讀，多加體會(huì)。

參考譯文

大地蹣跚著離開太陽，電燈顯得更亮，此刻樂隊(duì)正在奏黃色雞尾酒會(huì)音樂，于是大合唱般的人聲又提高了一個(gè)音調(diào)。笑聲每時(shí)每刻都變得越來越容易，毫無節(jié)制地傾瀉而出，只要一句笑話就會(huì)引起哄然大笑。人群的變化越來越快，忽而隨著新來的客人而增大，忽而分散后立即重新組合；已經(jīng)有一些人在東飄西蕩——臉皮厚的年輕姑娘在比較穩(wěn)定不變的人群中間鉆進(jìn)鉆出，一會(huì)兒在片刻的高聲歡騰中成為一群人矚目的中心，一會(huì)兒在不斷變化的燈光下穿過變幻不定的面孔、聲音和色彩，得意地?fù)P長而去。

忽然間，在這些到處流連的姑娘中，有一個(gè)滿身珠光寶氣的跳出來，她一把抓過一杯雞尾酒，一口干下去壯壯膽子，然后手舞足蹈地跳起舊金山舞，一個(gè)人在篷布舞池中間表演了起來。片刻的寂靜過后，樂隊(duì)指揮殷勤地為她改變了拍子，隨后突然響起一陣嘰嘰喳喳的說話聲，因?yàn)橛兄{言傳開，說她是吉爾德·格雷在齊格菲歌舞團(tuán)的替角。晚會(huì)正式開始了。

我相信那天晚上我第一次到蓋茨比家去時(shí)，我是少數(shù)幾個(gè)真正接到請(qǐng)?zhí)目腿酥?。人們并不是?yīng)邀而來的——他們不請(qǐng)自來。他們坐上汽車，車子把他們送到長島，后來也不知怎的，他們就這樣出現(xiàn)在蓋茨比的門口。到達(dá)之后，總會(huì)有什么認(rèn)識(shí)蓋茨比的人給他們介紹一下，從此他們的言談行事就像在主題公園一樣入鄉(xiāng)隨俗了。有時(shí)候他們從到場(chǎng)到離開根本沒見過蓋茨比，他們懷著一片至誠前來赴會(huì)，這一點(diǎn)就可以算是一張入場(chǎng)券了。

我確實(shí)是受到邀請(qǐng)的。那個(gè)星期六一清早，一個(gè)身穿藍(lán)綠色制服的司機(jī)穿過我的草地，為他主人送來一封措辭非常客氣的請(qǐng)柬，上面寫道：如蒙我光臨當(dāng)晚他的“小小聚會(huì)”，蓋茨比當(dāng)感到不勝榮幸。他已經(jīng)看到我?guī)状?，并且早就打算前來拜訪，但由于種種特殊原因未能如愿——落款是杰伊·蓋茨比，筆跡特別神氣。

晚上七點(diǎn)一過，我身穿一套白法蘭絨便裝走到他家的草坪上，很不自在地在一群群我不認(rèn)識(shí)的人中間晃來晃去——雖然偶爾也有一兩張我在區(qū)間火車上見過的面孔。我馬上注意到客人中夾雜著不少年輕的英國人，個(gè)個(gè)衣著整齊，個(gè)個(gè)一臉貪婪，個(gè)個(gè)都在低聲下氣地跟殷實(shí)富裕的美國人熱情聊天。我敢說他們都在推銷什么——或是債券，或是保險(xiǎn)，或是汽車。他們最起碼都揪心地意識(shí)到，唾手可得的大筆金錢近在眼前；他們相信只要說上幾句花言巧語，這錢便是自己的囊中之物。

我到場(chǎng)之后就設(shè)法去找主人，可是問了兩三個(gè)人他在哪里，他們都大為驚異地瞪著我，同時(shí)一口咬定他們也不知道他的行蹤，我只好悄悄地向供應(yīng)雞尾酒的桌子溜過去——在整個(gè)花園里，只有這個(gè)地方能讓一個(gè)單身漢流連一下，而不至于顯得無所事事、行單只影。

（節(jié)選自上海譯文出版社版本，有改動(dòng)）