1705003645

1705003646 The ocean is becoming rough. The waves come in slowly, and then crack, dashing fiercely upon the sand, bouncing upward and forward, and at last petering out into a small stream which races up the beach and then is recalled. My parents gaze absentmindedly at the ocean, scarcely interested in its harshness. The sun overhead does not disturb them. But as I stared at the terrible sun and the fatal, merciless ocean, I forget my parents. I stare fascinated and finally, shocked by the indifference of my father and mother, I burst out weeping once more. The old lady next to me pats me on the shoulder and says, “There, there, all of this is only a movie, young man, only a movie,” but I look up once more at the terrifying sun and the terrifying ocean, and being unable to control my tears, I get up and go to the men’s room, stumbling over the feet of the other people seated in my row.

1705003647

1705003648 ● rough：波涛起伏。crack：碎裂，浪花迸发。bouncing：跳跃。petering out：势力转弱，归于消沉。海水往岸上打来，其势初颇迟缓，继而浪花四溅，声势汹涌，直上沙滩，平地凌空，一跃而前，但终于力竭消沉，化为细流一条，余势未歇，仍向沙滩上方奔去（races up the beach），迅即急流勇退，召归大海（recalled）。

1705003649

1705003650 ● harshness：波涛汹涌之状。

1705003651

1705003652 ● disturb them：扰乱他们的心神。

1705003653

1705003654 ● fatal, merciless ocean：操生杀之权的无情的海洋。

1705003655

1705003656 ● fascinated：出神（过去分词，形容主语I）。indifference：漠然，不感兴趣。顶上日光灼目，脚下怒潮澎湃，可是其人之父母只是凭栏眺望，悠然若有所思，对于眼前景物不感兴趣。这样把银幕下的这位看客气坏了。他自己看太阳看海水看出神了，他的父母为什么这样漠不关心呢？想是两人心心相印，神思专一，无暇再顾及外物了。

1705003657

1705003658 ● 行文至此，读者可以看出来：这位说梦的痴人是不大赞成他的父母的恋爱的。他的父母如不恋爱，就不会结婚，不结婚就不会有他这样一个人。一个为自己的生命而喜悦的人，应该感谢他父母当初的恋爱。谁要是不赞成自己父母的恋爱，这个人对于人生的态度大概是悲观的，而且也许是病态的。

1705003659

1705003660 ● 但是本文并不想提出一种言之成理的人生观，它只是表示一种感情的态度，这种态度可能很不合理，但是感情的态度本无需乎合理。何况整篇故事是一个梦：一个最正常健全的人也常常会做些悖逆荒谬的梦。据近代心理学研究，隐藏于一个人心底下的感情的态度，往往可以左右此人的言行举止乃至思想推理。而了解这种隐藏的感情，梦常常是一种很好的线索。小说假如是反映人生的，那么人生的合理的方面，和不合理的方面，应该统统在反映之列。伟大的作品决不逃避现实，也决不怕描写人生任何不合理的情形；只是近代小说对于人生不合理的一方面——诸如梦和白日梦，隐藏的喜和憎，遏制的欲望等等情形，特别觉得有兴趣，而多加描写而已。

1705003661

1705003662 ● 所以读者要欣赏这一篇小说，请且慢责备这个痴人的荒谬。正当的欣赏态度是：这一种感情的态度是不是人生很普通的现象？即使有人认为并不普通，但是照作者写来，这种情形是不是可能的？他的处理方式能不能令人心服？他描写轻松的地方，是不是使读者也觉得轻松？他描写紧张的地方，是不是使读者也跟着紧张？他的组织是不是紧凑？他是不是恰到好处地把他的这种感情的态度表达出来了？还有一点很重要的：他所提出的人生问题是不是很有意义的问题？读者读过这篇小说之后，会不会对于人生增添一点认识？会不会对于人生多添一点严肃敬畏的感觉？

1705003663

1705003664 ● 说到这里，还是回到原文：那人看见父母对于日光海洋漠不关心，心中大为惊奇，又哭起来了。（他已哭过一次，见前文。）隔壁的那位老太太拍拍（pats）他的肩说道：“喂，喂（There, there表示安慰鼓励之意），小伙子，这不过是电影而已，何必因此伤心呢？”可是他看看可怕的太阳和可怕的海洋，眼泪兀是忍不住地往下流，他因此就起身到厕所（men’s room）里去哭个痛快了，出去的时候太挤，还是从同排看客的脚上跌出去的。

1705003665

1705003666 When I return, several hours have apparently passed and my parents are looking for a place to have dinner. My father suggests the best one on the boardwalk and my mother demurs, in accordance with her principles.

1705003667

1705003668 However they do go to the best place, asking for a table near the window, so that they can look out on the boardwalk and the mobile ocean. The place is crowded and there is music from a kind of string trio. My father orders dinner with a fine confidence.

1705003669

1705003670 ● 他从厕所里回来，银幕上显然（apparently）又是好几个钟头过去了，他的父母正在找地方吃晚饭。他父亲提议到路边最好的馆子去吃，可是他母亲反对（demurs）。反对也没有什么理由，只是根据她的原则，她大约是不赞成进豪华的餐馆，花费太多的。

1705003671

1705003672 ● mobile：流动的，荡漾的。

1705003673

1705003674 ● string trio：弦乐三重奏；普通由第一第二小提琴和大提琴各一组织而成，这里是a kind of string trio（某一种的弦乐三重奏），可能似是而非，并不照此规定。

1705003675

1705003676 ● orders：点菜。with a fine confidence：态度很有自信；不慌不忙，指挥若定。

1705003677

1705003678 As the dinner is eaten, my father tells of his plans for the future, and my mother shows with expressive face how interested she is, and how impressed. My father becomes exultant. He is lifted up by the waltz that is being played, and his own future begins to intoxicate him. My father tells my mother that he is going to expand his business, for there is a great deal of money to be made. He wants to settle down. After all, he is twenty-nine, he is making more and more money, and he is envious of his married friends, and then as the waltz reaches the moment when all the dancers swing madly, then, then with awful daring, then he asks my mother to marry him, although awkwardly enough and puzzled even in his excitement, at how he had arrived at the proposal, and she, to make the whole business worse, begins to cry, and my father looks nervously about, not knowing at all what to do now, and my mother says: “It’s all I’ve wanted from the moment I saw you.”

1705003679

1705003680 ● expressive face：善于表情的脸。impressed：听后印象很深。how interested she is, and how impressed这一种句法上文已用过一次：how intelligent she is, and how interesting。

1705003681

1705003682 ● exultant：十分高兴。

1705003683

1705003684 ● waltz：一种舞曲，普通译作“华尔兹”。lifted up：音乐把人“举”起来了？应该是听得飘飘然而已。intoxicate him：使他陶醉。

1705003685

1705003686 ● expand：扩张。

1705003687

1705003688 ● settle down：成家立业，不再飘荡。

1705003689

1705003690 ● 描写求婚的这一句很长，句法略嫌噜苏，但非如此不足尽这位情郎的兴奋与尴尬之妙。请注意连用四个then（then as the waltz…, then, then…, then he asks my mother…），读者读到这里，当可想象这位情郎吞吞吐吐，欲说又止的神情。

1705003691

1705003692 ● envious of：羡慕。swing madly：疯狂地旋转。with awful daring：提起了可怕的勇气。

1705003693

1705003694 ● awkwardly enough：情形够窘了。puzzled连后面的at：迷惑不解；即使说他那时很兴奋吧，但是他自己也不明白怎么会走到（arrived at）求婚这条路上来的。

[ 上一页 ]  [ :1.705003645e+09 ]  [ 下一页 ]