1705007388
现代英文选评注 A Writer’s Life作家甘苦
1705007389
1705007390
Catherine Drinker Bowen (1897—1973)
1705007391
1705007392
本文作者波文为美国著名传记作家,所著以Yankee from Olympus, A Biography of Oliver Wendell Holmes最为世所传诵。本文原题“Discipline and Reward: A Writer’s Life”,刊于1957年《大西洋月刊》12月号。文中所述作家生活之甘苦,凡曾经用心写过文章的人,想必都有同感。本文风格近乎美国口语,很少经营刻划的痕迹。
1705007393
1705007394
In 1920, I sold my first piece to a magazine. I have been writing fairly steadily ever since. And fairly steadily I have been asked the same questions:
1705007395
1705007396
“Do you write at regular intervals, or do you wait for inspiration?”
1705007397
1705007398
“How do you manage with children, husband, household, and find time to write?”
1705007399
1705007400
● piece:一篇文章。sold:投稿录取。
1705007401
1705007402
● fairly:相当;steadily:不停地,不懈地。第二句的动词时态have been writing表示写作已有数十年历史,现在还是在写;这可以说是完成进行式的典型的例子。
1705007403
1705007404
● 第三句把第二句的两个副词重复地用。所不同者:第二句中,副词放在动词之后;第三句中,副词放在主语之前。这样用法使前后两句连接得很稳。
1705007405
1705007406
● at regular intervals:经常的间隔(如一天工作几小时,一星期工作几天等)。这句用现在式,表示习惯如此。
1705007407
1705007408
● manage在这里是不及物动词,《简明牛津字典》解作:succeed in one’s aims(实现你写作的愿望,同时还得对付[manage with]家务)。
1705007409
1705007410
Now, in answering these questions I shall go beyond them to talk about discipline, about the rewards and sacrifices of a writer’s life. I shall speak out of my own experience, though I have no way of knowing if my experience will prove of value to anyone besides myself.
1705007411
1705007412
● go beyond them:超过这两个问题的范围。go这个字应用很广,在这个场合,中国学生大致想不到用go字的。discipline:纪律,自律(想做的事不许做,不愿做的事偏该做)。
1705007413
1705007414
● rewards and sacrifices:报酬与牺牲,甘苦。about重复地用,也是使语气通畅的一法。about后面,如有三个宾语,读起来难免气急辞促之弊,这里about discipline两个字自成一段落,读文至此换一口气,换气之后再读about the…,岂不是语气就通畅了吗?
1705007415
1705007416
● out of my own experience:从我自己的经验里面。no way of knowing:无法知道。if=whether。of value:有价值。
1705007417
1705007418
That is the risk I take: the risk of boring my audience, the risk of ridicule from overexposure of the person. This is the risk we all take when we walk on stage, or send our painting to be exhibited, our manuscript to a publisher: the risk of public exposure. It is no small thing, the incurrence of this risk, and it runs from beginning to end of a writer’s life. After thirty-five years of writing for publication, I suffer from it more than I did in the beginning. As one gains in reputation, the risk becomes somehow larger, or one thinks it does. Consciousness of it generally strikes in the night when one wakes. Actual physical sweating takes place, loud moans are rendered, and the question is put, “Why in God’s name did one undertake such a venture, such a presumptuous, enormous, unlikely book? Why can’t one be content to live an anonymous, respectable life?”
1705007419
1705007420
● take the risk:冒险(I take是定语从句)。risk重复地用,也是使语气通畅之一法。本文原为一篇演讲稿,起稿时当把听众存在心头。risk重复地用,节奏分明,容易唤起读者的注意。
1705007421
1705007422
● 第一句说的是:我自己的经验,别人也许听了不感兴趣,我就冒了一个使听众生厌(boring)之险;我把自己的私人生活(或意见)过分在人前暴露(overexposure),也就冒了一个惹人嘲笑(ridicule:这里是名词)之险。
1705007423
1705007424
● 第二句把第一句的意思作更进一层的发挥。不但是我讨论自己的写作经验,是冒了“抛头露面”(public exposure)之险,其他一切艺术活动如登台演戏、图画展览、投稿卖文又何独不然?
1705007425
1705007426
● incurrence的动词形式是incur:招惹。这一句用了一个expletive “it”做主语,it就是下面的incurrence。所以如此说法,也是为了要语气通畅平易近人之故。如易成The incurrence of this risk is no small thing,读起来就较为庄重;而且开头用了incurrcnce这种书卷气的字,后面no small thing这样平凡的字跟上去就有点不配了。照现在这样用法,主语是It,incurrence云云只是陪衬,读起来比较轻松。
1705007427
1705007428
● runs:请参考前面我所说关于go字的一点意见。人一做作家,就有这种危险,到停止创作搁笔不写时为止。
1705007429
1705007430
● writing for publication:写文章不是为了自己怡情悦性之用,而是为了发表。more than I did:初发表文章时,固然怕出丑露乖,现在比过去更怕了。
1705007431
1705007432
● gains in reputation:声名日盛。这句主语改用one(不用I),表示是一般情形。one thinks it does=one thinks the risk becomes larger。名作家出丑的危险不一定更大,但他自以为危险很大。盛名之累,不得不更兢业从事。
1705007433
1705007434
● Consciousness:觉得(自己在冒出丑之险)。strikes:这个字可以易以别个动词(如happens),但是strikes较有力量。充分表示:作者想到自己万一写糟了那时的惶恐情形。in the night when one wakes:午夜梦回之时。
1705007435
1705007436
● sweating:出汗。吓得一身冷汗不是过甚其辞的说法,是实实在在身体上出汗。takes place:发生。中国人说英文,很难做出sweating takes place这样的句子,我们很可能说one sweats这样的话。把动词sweat,化成动名词sweating,然后再找一个动词来配合成一个句子——这一点是和中国人思想习惯不合的。
[
上一页 ]
[ :1.705007387e+09 ]
[
下一页 ]