名家經典散文閱讀
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約翰•斯坦貝克經典散文閱讀：菊花
Elisa is a young married lady working on an isolated farm and proud of her skills in growing flowers. One day, she suddenly feels a desire to communicate with the outside world. What happens to her? Please read the following story.
年輕媳婦伊利莎住在一家偏僻的農場，一手高超的種花技能令她自豪。一天，她突然有了與外界交流的願望。有什麼故事發生呢?請您往下看。
The high grey-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salinas Valley from the sky and from all the rest of the world. On every side it sat like a lid on the mountains and made of the great valley a closed pot. On the broad, level land floor the gang plows bit deep and left the black earth shining like metal where the shares had cut. On the foothill ranches across the Salinas River, the yellow stubble fields seemed to be bathed in pale cold sunshine, but there was no sunshine in the valley now in December. The thick willow scrub along the river flamed with sharp and positive yellow leaves.
飄蕩在半空中的冬霧呈現出灰法蘭絨色，將薩利納斯山谷嚴實地罩了起來;同時也把它與外界分隔開。霧氣鎖着山頭，四面象頂蓋子，而山谷則成了一口蓋得嚴嚴實實的深鍋。農民在寬闊平坦的土地上深耕，犁鏵過處，黑色的土地閃着金屬的光澤。在橫臥薩利納斯河的丘陵地上，農場裏的茬地泛着黃色，象是沐浴在冷冷的蒼白日光下;不過，現在時至臘月，山谷裏沒什麼陽光。河邊上密密麻麻的柳叢上的黃葉顏色鮮濃，象着了火似的。
It was a time of quiet and of waiting. The air was cold and tender. A light wind blew up from the southwest so that the farmers were mildly hopeful of a good rain before long; but fog and rain do not go together.
這是一個安靜，叫人等待的季節。空氣涼涼的，柔柔的。從西南方向吹來一陣輕風，農民們隱隱地感到不久會有一場及時雨，但雨和霧是不 一起來的。
Across the river, on Henry Allen's foothill ranch there was little work to be done, for the hay was cut and stored and the orchards were plowed up to receive the rain deeply when it should come. The cattle on the higher slopes were becoming shaggy and rough-coated.
河對岸亨利•埃倫家位於丘陵上的農場裏已經沒什麼活計了：乾草都收割過並存放了起來，果園業已深翻過，好等到有雨的時候澆個透底墒。高處山坡上的牛變得毛皮雜亂粗糙。
Elisa Allen, working in her flower garden, looked down across the yard and saw Henry, her husband, talking to two men in business suits. The three of them stood by the tractor shed, each man with one foot on the side of the little Fordson. They smoked cigarettes and studied the machine as they talked.
伊利莎•埃倫正在花園裏幹活兒，穿過院子朝遠處望時，她看見丈夫亨利正在與兩個身着工作服的人交談。三個人都站在拖拉機棚邊上，一隻腳蹬在那輛小型福特牌拖拉機的一側。說話的時候，他們邊抽着煙，邊打量拖拉機。
Elisa watched them for a moment and then went back to her work. She was thirty-five. Her face was lean and strong and her eyes were as clear as water. Her figure looked blocked and heavy in her gardening costume, a man's black hat pulled low down over her eyes, clod-hopper shoes, a figured print dress almost completely covered by a big corduroy apron with four big pockets to hold the snips, the trowel and scratcher, the seeds and the knife she worked with. She wore heavy leather gloves to protect her hands while she worked.
伊利莎看了他們一會兒，又繼續忙自己的活兒。她今年三十五歲，臉龐瘦俏並透着堅毅，一雙眼睛清澈如水。由於穿着園藝工作服，她顯得鼓囊囊的、有點兒笨拙。她頭上戴着一頂男式的黑帽子，拉得很低，直到她的眼睛。腳上是一雙粗笨的鞋子。下面穿的印花裙子幾乎全給那個大號的燈心絨圍裙遮蓋了起來。圍裙上有四個大口袋，用來放她幹活時用的剪刀、泥鏟、刮管器、種子和刀。幹活時她戴着厚厚的皮手套，免得弄傷手。
She was cutting down the old year's chrysanthemum stalks with a pair of short and powerful scissors. She looked down toward the men by the tractor shed now and then. Her face was eager and mature and handsome; even her work with the scissors was over-eager, over-powerful. The chrysanthemum stems seemed too small and easy for her energy.
她這會兒正用一把鋒利的小剪子把去年的菊花枝剪短，還不時朝站在拖拉機棚邊上的三個男人望一望。她的臉上充滿着渴望，看起來成熟漂亮——甚至連她拿着剪刀幹活的樣子都顯得那麼有力，飽含期待，以至於那些菊花的枯杆相比之下都顯得纖細柔弱，容易收拾了。
She brushed a cloud of hair out of her eyes with the back of her glove, and left a smudge of earth on her cheek in doing it. Behind her stood the neat white farm house with red geraniums close-banked around it as high as the windows. It was a hard-swept looking little house with hard-polished windows, and a clean mud-mat on the front steps.
她用手套的背部將眼前的一綹烏髮抹開，一點污漬就留在了她的臉頰上。她身後是整潔的白色農舍，紅色的天竺葵緊緊地簇擁着，直到窗戶附近。看得出這座不大的屋子好好打掃過，窗戶也曾細心地擦拭過，就連前面臺階上的擦鞋墊都收拾得乾乾淨淨。
Elisa cast another glance toward the tractor shed. The strangers were getting into their Ford coupe. She took off a glove and put her strong fingers down into the forest of new green chrysanthemum sprouts that were growing around the old roots. She spread the leaves and looked down among the close-growing stems. No aphids were there, no sowbugs or snails or cutworms. Her terrier fingers destroyed such pests before they could get started.
伊利莎又朝拖拉機棚的方向看了一眼，那些陌生人正鑽進他們的福特牌小客車裏。她脫掉一隻手套，將自己有力的手指伸到從老的菊花根部新生的一叢幼苗裏，然後分開葉子，在長得鬱鬱蔥蔥的幼苗裏查看。裏面蚜蟲、潮蟲、蝸牛、毛蟲什麼的都沒有。如果真有的話，她那犀利無比的手指也會在這些害蟲逃跑之前就將它們消滅。
Elisa started at the sound of her husband's voice. He had come near quietly, and he leaned over the wire fence that protected her flower garden from cattle and dogs and chickens.
聽到丈夫的聲音，伊利莎吃了一驚。原來他已經悄悄地走到了她的旁邊，從鐵絲柵欄那邊俯過身來。鐵絲柵欄把她的花園圈了起來，免得牛呀，狗呀，雞呀這些家畜糟蹋。
"At it again," he said. "You've got a strong new crop coming." Elisa straightened her back and pulled on the gardening glove again: "Yes. They'll be strong this coming year." In her tone and on her face there was a little smugness. "You've got a gift with things," Henry observed. "Some of those yellow chrysanthemums you had this year were ten inches across. I wish you'd work out in the orchard and raise some apples that big." Her eyes sharpened. "Maybe I could do it, too. I've a gift with things, all right. My mother had it. She could stick anything in the ground and make it grow. She said it was having planters' hands that knew how to do it." "Well, it sure works with flowers," he said. "Henry, who were those men you were talking to?" "Why, sure, that's what I came to tell you. They were from the Western Meat Company. I sold those thirty head of three-year-old steers. Got nearly my own price, too."
“又侍弄你的花兒啦，”他說，“它們今年長勢好啊。”聽到丈夫搭話，伊利莎直起身，順手把那隻手套又戴上：“對，今年長勢會很好。”不管是言語中還是臉上都洋溢着得意。 “你幹活兒很有一手，”亨利說，“你今年種的黃菊花中有的有十英寸那麼大，真希望你去侍弄果園，也結出那麼大的蘋果來。”她的眼睛一亮。“或許我也能。我的確在種植方面有一手，我媽媽也是那樣。她隨便把什麼東西往地下一插，就能活。她說是因爲有了莊稼人的手才知道怎麼去種植。”“嗯，種花也是這樣的，”他說。“亨利，剛纔同你說話的那些人是誰呀?”“啊，對了，我正要跟你說呢。他們是西部肉製品公司的。我把那三十頭三歲的菜牛賣給他們，差不多是我要的價格。”
"Good," she said. "Good for you." "And I thought," he continued, "I thought how it's Saturday afternoon, and we might go into Salinas for dinner at a restaurant, and then to a picture show - to celebrate, you see." "Good," she repeated. "Oh, yes. That will be good." Henry put on his joking tone. "There's fights tonight. How'd you like to go to the fights?" "Oh, no," she said breathlessly. "No, I wouldn't like fights." "Just fooling, Elisa. We'll go to a movie. Let's see. It's two now. I'm going to take Scotty and bring down those steers from the hill. It'll take us maybe two hours. We'll go in town about five and have dinner at the Cominos Hotel. Like that?" "Of course I'll like it. It's good to eat away from home." "All right, then. I'll go get up a couple of horses." She said, "I'll have plenty of time to transplant some of these sets, I guess."
“太好了，”她說，“真有你的。” “我想，”他接着說，“現在是週六下午，我們可以去薩利納斯的一家飯店吃頓飯，再去看場電影，慶祝一下，你看怎麼樣。”“太好了，”她重複道。“真是好極了。”亨利接着開玩笑說，“今天晚上有拳擊賽，你願意看嗎?”“不，”她緊張地說，“我可不喜歡拳擊賽。”“騙你哪，伊利莎。我們去看電影。讓我想一下，現在是下午兩點，我去叫斯哥迪，把牛趕下山。這大概要兩個鐘頭。我們會在五點鐘到城裏，去克民諾斯酒店吃晚飯。你覺得怎麼樣?”“當然可以，在外面吃飯好。”“那好，我去準備幾匹馬。”“我想我會有充裕的時間把這些苗兒種上的。”伊利莎說。
She heard her husband calling Scotty down by the barn. And a little later she saw the two men ride up the pale yellow hillside in search of the steers. There was a little square sandy bed kept for rooting the chrysanthemums. With her trowel she turned the soil over and over, and smoothed it and patted it firm. Then she dug ten parallel trenches to receive the sets. Back at the chrysanthemum bed she pulled out the little crisp shoots, trimmed off the leaves of each one with her scissors and laid it on a small orderly pile.
繼而，她聽到丈夫在穀倉那兒叫斯哥迪。又過了一會兒，她看見他們兩個騎着馬，走上灰黃的山坡找菜牛。花園裏有一塊四四方方的沙地，是用來種菊花幼苗的。她用泥鏟把土翻了又翻，又弄平，再拍結實。然後又挖了十道平行的小溝，好栽種菊苗。她從菊花園裏拔了些脆嫩的幼苗，用剪刀剪掉葉子，然後整齊地放在一起。
A squeak of wheels and plod of hoofs came from the road. Elisa looked up. The country road ran along the dense bank of willows and cottonwoods that bordered the river, and up this road came a curious vehicle, curiously drawn. It was an old spring-wagon, with a round canvas top on it like the cover of a prairie schooner. It was drawn by an old bay horse and a little grey-and-white burro. A big stubble-bearded man sat between the cover flaps and drove the crawling team. Underneath the wagon, between the hind wheels, a lean and rangy mongrel dog walked sedately. Words were painted on the canvas, in clumsy, crooked letters. "Pots, pans, knives, scissors, lawn mowers. Fixed." Two rows of articles, and the triumphantly definitive "Fixed" below. The black paint had run down in little sharp points beneath each letter.
路邊這時傳來了車輪的吱嘎聲和馬蹄的聲響。伊利莎擡起了頭。河邊上密密麻麻的柳樹和楊樹旁是條鄉間小路，沿着這條路來了一輛奇怪的車，走的樣子很怪。那是一輛老式的帶彈簧的四輪馬車，上面的帆布圓頂子象是拓荒者用的大篷車的頂篷。拉着它的是匹栗色的馬和一頭灰白的小毛驢。在車頂蓋的下面坐着個鬍子拉碴的人，趕着這輛車往前爬行。在馬車後輪之間，一條瘦骨嶙峋的長腿雜種狗不聲不響地跟着。車蓬的上面歪歪扭扭地寫着“修理鍋、罐、刀、剪子、割草機”。修理的器皿寫了兩行，“修理”兩個字在下面，顯得很自信。寫字用的黑色顏料在每個字母下面都流成了一個 個小尖頭。
Elisa, squatting on the ground, watched to see the crazy, loose-jointed wagon pass by. But it didn't pass. It turned into the farm road in front of her house, crooked old wheels skirling and squeaking. The rangy dog darted from between the wheels and ran ahead. Instantly the two ranch shepherds flew out at him. Then all three stopped, and with stiff and quivering tails, with taut straight legs, with ambassadorial dignity, they slowly circled, sniffing daintily. The caravan pulled up to Elisa's wire fence and stopped. Now the newcomer dog, feeling out-numbered, lowered his tail and retired under the wagon with raised hackles and bared teeth.
伊利莎蹲在地上，看着這輛怪模怪樣、鬆鬆垮垮的馬車駛過去。但它並沒有從她的眼前過去，而是彎上了經過她家門前的農場小路，破舊的車輪吱嘎吱嘎尖厲地響着。車下面輪子間的那條瘦骨嶙峋的長腿狗衝到了馬車的前面，馬上，兩條牧羊犬朝着它衝了上去。於是，三條狗都站住了，尾巴直豎着、顫抖着，繃緊了腿，帶着外交官般的莊重神情。它們互相圍着打轉，挑剔地嗅着對方。大篷車在伊利莎家的鐵絲柵欄邊上停了下來。那條初來乍到的狗這時感覺到數量上的衆寡懸殊，垂下尾巴，退回到車下，脖子上的毛豎着，牙齒露在外面。
The man on the wagon seat called out, "That's a bad dog in a fight when he gets started." Elisa laughed. "I see he is. How soon does he generally get started?" The man caught up her laughter and echoed it heartily. "Sometimes not for weeks and weeks,” he said. He climbed stiffly down, over the wheel. The horse and the donkey drooped like unwatered flowers. Elisa saw that he was a very big man. Although his hair and beard were greying, he did not look old. His worn black suit was wrinkled and spotted with grease. The laughter had disappeared from his face and eyes the moment his laughing voice ceased. His eyes were dark, and they were full of the brooding that gets in the eyes of teamsters and of sailors. The calloused hands he rested on the wire fence were cracked, and every crack was a black line. He took off his battered hat.
坐在車上的男人喊道，“這條狗打架受驚時不是條好狗。”伊利莎笑道，“我看是的，它一般要多久就會受驚?”那人被伊利莎的笑聲感染，也大聲地笑了起來。“ 有時好幾周也不會，”他說。說着，他生硬地從車輪上爬下車。那匹馬和那頭毛驢耷拉着腦袋，象缺了水的花。伊利莎看得出他是個大塊頭，雖然頭髮鬍子都白了，卻並不顯老。襤褸的黑色西裝皺皺巴巴的，還有星星點點的油漬。笑聲一停，他眼角眉梢的笑容也頓時沒了。他雙眼烏黑，充滿憂鬱，這種眼神通常只出現在卡車司機或水手的眼裏。他放在鐵絲柵欄上的手打滿了老繭，裂着一條條黑乎乎的口子。他脫下了那頂破爛的帽子。
"I'm off my general road, ma'am," he said. "Does this dirt road cut over across the river to the Los Angeles highway?" Elisa stood up and shoved the thick scissors in her apron pocket. "Well, yes, it does, but it winds around and then fords the river. I don't think your team could pull through the sand." He replied with some asperity, "It might surprise you what them beasts can pull through." "When they get started?" she asked. He smiled for a second. "Yes. When they get started." "Well," said Elisa, "I think you'll save time if you go back to the Salinas road and pick up the highway there." He drew a big finger down the chicken wire and made it sing. "I ain't in any hurry, ma'am. I go from Seattle to San Diego and back every year. Takes all my time. About six months each way. I aim to follow nice weather."
“夫人，我走岔路了，”他說，“沿這條土路過河上得了去洛山磯的公路嗎?”伊利莎站了起來，把那把大剪子放到圍裙口袋裏。“啊，上得了。不過，這條路要繞很遠，然後還要從水中蹚過河，我想你很難走過那片沙灘。”他粗暴地回答，“要是你知道這些傢伙都走過什麼樣的地方，或許會吃驚的。”“一旦它們受驚嗎?” 她問。他笑了一笑。“是的，一旦它們受驚。”“嗯，”伊利莎說，“我想，要是你拐回去到薩利納斯的路，再從那兒上公路，會省些時間。”他用一個大手指彈了一下柵欄，它響了起來。“我一點兒都不着急，夫人。我每年從西雅圖走到聖地亞哥，再回來，總是不慌不忙。一趟大概半年光景，哪兒的天氣好我就往哪兒走。”
Elisa took off her gloves and stuffed them in the apron pocket with the scissors. She touched the under edge of her man's hat, searching for fugitive hairs. "That sounds like a nice kind of a way to live," she said. He leaned confidentially over the fence. "Maybe you noticed the writing on my wagon. I mend pots and sharpen knives and scissors. You got any of them things to do?" "Oh, no," she said quickly. "Nothing like that." Her eyes hardened with resistance. "Scissors is the worst thing," he explained. "Most people just ruin scissors trying to sharpen ‘em, but I know how. I got a special tool. It's a little bobbit kind of thing, and patented. But it sure does the trick." "No. My scissors are all sharp." "All right, then. Take a pot," he continued earnestly, "a bent pot, or a pot with a hole. I can make it like new so you don't have to buy no new ones. That's a saving for you." "No," she said shortly. "I tell you I have nothing like that for you to do."
伊利莎脫下手套，把它們放在裝着剪子的圍裙口袋裏。她碰了碰自己那頂男式帽子的底沿，看有沒有頭髮從裏面跑出來。“聽起來很不錯的活法，”她說。他把身子彎向柵欄裏面，顯出很親密的樣子，說，“或許你看到了我馬車上的那些字，我修理鍋，磨剪子磨菜刀。你有什麼東西要修嗎?”“哦，沒有，”她忙說。“沒什麼要修的。”她的眼神堅定起來，透出拒絕的神情。“剪子是最難對付的東西，”他解釋說。“大部分人只知道拼命磨它，結果卻糟蹋了它，可我知道怎麼能把剪子磨快又不糟蹋它。我有專門的工具，是一件小玩意兒，還取得了專利，好用得很。”“不過，我的剪子都很快。”“那好吧。”他繼續勸說着，“拿口鍋修修吧，不管是癟了的還是有洞的，我都能修得象新的一樣，這樣你就不用買新鍋了。這你不是省錢了嗎?”“不用，”她簡短地答道。“我告訴過你我沒什麼要修的東西。”
His face fell to an exaggerated sadness. His voice took on a whining undertone. "I ain't had a thing to do today. Maybe I won't have no supper tonight. You see I'm off my regular road. I know folks on the highway clear from Seattle to San Diego. They save their things for me to sharpen up because they know I do it so good and save them money." "I'm sorry," Elisa said irritably. "I haven't anything for you to do." His eyes left her face and fell to searching the ground. They roamed about until they came to the chrysanthemum bed where she had been working. "What's them plants, ma'am?" The irritation and resistance melted from Elisa's face. "Oh, those are chrysanthemums, giant whites and yellows. I raise them every year, bigger than anybody around here." "Kind of a long-stemmed flower? Looks like a quick puff of colored smoke?" he asked. "That's it. What a nice way to describe them." "They smell kind of nasty till you get used to them," he said. "It's a good bitter smell," she retorted, "not nasty at all." He changed his tone quickly. "I like the smell myself." "I had ten-inch blooms this year," she said.
他的臉頓時變得一種誇張的痛苦，就連聲音也變得嗚咽了。“我今天一件活兒都沒幹成，或許今晚飯都吃不上。你看我走錯了路，我認識從西雅圖到聖地亞歌沿途所有的人，他們都把那些壞的傢伙放起來等我來修，因爲他們知道我活兒幹得好，給他們省錢。”“對不起，”伊利莎有些着惱。“我沒什麼東西好讓你修。”他的目光離開了她的臉，落到了地上，四處瞥了瞥，最後停到伊利莎忙碌着的那片菊花地上。“夫人，那些是什麼呀?”聽到這話，伊利莎臉上的惱怒和拒絕緩和了。“ 啊，那是菊花，巨白菊和黃菊。我每年都種，開起來比方圓左近的人種的都大。”“是一種長莖花嗎?看起來象是一朵彩色煙霧?”他問。“正是，你這樣比喻太恰當了。”“要是不習慣它的香味，聞起來有點兒難受，”他說。“那是一種好聞的苦香，”她反駁道，“一點兒也不難受。”他馬上改了口。“我就很喜歡那種香味。”“我今年有直徑十英寸那麼大的花，”她說。
The man leaned farther over the fence. "Look. I know a lady down the road a piece, has got the nicest garden you ever seen. Got nearly every kind of flower but no chrysanthemums. Last time I was mending a copper-bottom washtub for her (that's a hard job but I do it good), she said to me, 'If you ever run across some nice chrysanthemums I wish you'd try to get me a few seeds.' That's what she told me.”Elisa's eyes grew alert and eager. "She couldn't have known much about chrysanthemums. You can raise them from seed, but it's much easier to root the little sprouts you see there." "Oh," he said. "I s'pose I can't take none to her, then." "Why yes you can," Elisa cried. "I can put some in damp sand, and you can carry them right along with you. They'll take root in the pot if you keep them damp. And then she can transplant them." "She'd sure like to have some, ma'am. You say they're nice ones?" "Beautiful," she said. "Oh, beautiful." Her eyes shone. She tore off the battered hat and shook out her dark pretty hair. "I'll put them in a flower pot, and you can take them right with you. Come into the yard."
那人又朝柵欄裏邊靠了靠。“喂，我認識下面離這兒不遠的一位太太，從沒見過那麼好的花園，裏面幾乎什麼花兒都有，就是沒有菊花。我上次給她修了一個銅底洗衣盆。那可是件棘手的活兒，不過我乾得很好。她跟我說，‘如果你能碰上什麼好的菊花，希望你能給我帶點兒種子來。’她這麼跟我說。”伊利莎眼睛一亮，變得熱切起來。"她不可能知道很多關於菊花的知識。你可以下種，但插幼苗的方法更容易，就是你在那邊看到的那些。”“啊，”他叫道。“這樣的話，我估計一棵也給她帶不去了。” “爲什麼不能?你可以，”伊利莎大聲說，“我可以把幼苗種在溼的沙土裏，你就可以隨身帶着了。只要保持沙土不幹，這些幼苗就會在花盆裏生根，然後她就可以移栽它們了。”“她肯定很高興有這些菊花，夫人。它們是很漂亮的菊花，對吧?”“漂亮，”她說，“啊，非常漂亮。”她的雙眼這會兒炯炯有神。她一把拉下了那頂破舊的帽子，烏黑漂亮的頭髮散了開來。“我把它們栽到一個花盆裏，你再帶走。到院裏來吧。”
While the man came through the picket gate Elisa ran excitedly along the geranium-bordered path to the back of the house. And she returned carrying a big red flower pot. The gloves were forgotten now. she kneeled on the ground by the starting bed and dug up the sandy soil with her fingers and scooped it into the bright new flower pot. Then she picked up the little pile of shoots she had prepared. With her strong fingers she pressed them into the sand and tamped around them with her knuckles. The man stood over her. "I'll tell you what to do," she said. "You remember so you can tell the lady." "Yes, I'll try to remember." "Well, look. These will take root in about a month. Then she must set them out, about a foot apart in good rich earth like this, see?" She lifted a handful of dark soil for him to look at. "They'll grow fast and tall. Now remember this: In July tell her to cut them down, about eight inches from the ground." "Before they bloom?" he asked. "Yes, before they bloom." Her face was tight with eagerness. "They'll grow right up again. About the last of September the buds will start."
那男人進了尖木樁做的大門，而伊利莎興奮地沿着兩邊都是天竺葵的小路跑到房子後面，回來的時候抱着一個大個兒的紅花盆。手套已經不知道扔哪兒去了。她跪在苗牀旁的地上，用手指挖些沙土，然後捧到那個新的紅花盆裏。接着她撿起準備好的一小捆苗，用自己有力的手指將它們插到沙子裏，然後再用指節在周圍拍了拍。男人低頭看着她。“我會告訴你怎麼做的，”她說。“你得記着，好告訴那位太太。”“好的，我盡力記住。”“那好，記着，這些幼苗會在一個月左右紮根。然後她就得把它們移栽出來，移到象這樣肥沃的土壤裏，每隔一英尺種一棵，你明白嗎?”她抓起一滿把黑色的土壤讓他看。“它們會長得很快很高。你記着：告訴她七月的時候把它們剪短，剪到距地面大概八英寸高。”“在它們開花前嗎?”他問。“是的，在開花前。”她的臉因爲興奮繃得緊緊的。“它們很快就會長起來;九月末就開始打花骨朵了。”
She stopped and seemed perplexed. "It's the budding that takes the most care," she said hesitantly. "I don't know how to tell you." She looked deep into his eyes, searchingly. Her mouth opened a little, and she seemed to be listening. "I'll try to tell you,” she said. “Did you ever hear of planting hands?" "Can't say I have, ma'am." "Well, I can only tell you what it feels like. It's when you're picking off the buds you don't want. Everything goes right down into your fingertips. You watch your fingers work. They do it themselves. You can feel how it is. They pick and pick the buds. They never make a mistake. They're with the plant. Do you see? Your fingers and the plant. You can feel that, right up your arm. They know. They never make a mistake. You can feel it. When you're like that you can't do anything wrong. Do you see that? Can you understand that?" She was kneeling on the ground looking up at him. Her breast swelled passionately. The man's eyes narrowed. He looked away self-consciously. "Maybe I know," he said. "Sometimes in the night in the wagon there -"
她停了下來，好像有點兒不知所措。“打苞的時候最需要好好照看，”她欲言又止地說。“我不知道該怎麼對你說。”她凝視着他的眼睛，好像在尋找什麼。她的嘴微微張着，象是傾聽什麼回答。“我給你講講看，”她說。“你聽說過莊稼裏手嗎?”“我想沒有，夫人。”“那麼，我只能給你說說那是什麼感覺。那是在你摘掉那些多餘花蕾的時候。一切都聚集到你的手指裏，你看着自己手指的活計。它們在自己幹着活兒，你能感覺到那是怎麼一回事兒。它們在不停地摘着，摘着，不出一點兒差錯。它們與莊稼是天生的搭檔，你明白嗎?莊稼和手指間。你可以感覺到，一直到你的手臂。它們知道該怎麼做，從不出錯。你可以感覺到。只要這樣，你就不會出什麼錯。你明白嗎?你聽懂了嗎?”她跪在那裏，朝上看着他，胸脯激動得漲了來。那個男人眯起了眼。好像自己意識到什麼，朝遠處看了看。“或許我理解，”他說。“有時候，晚上，在馬車裏……”
Elisa's voice grew husky. She broke in on him, "I've never lived as you do, but I know what you mean. When the night is dark - why, the stars are sharp-pointed, and there's quiet. Why, you rise up and up! Every pointed star gets driven into your body. It's like that. Hot and sharp and - lovely." Kneeling there, her hand went out toward his legs in the greasy black trousers. Her hesitant fingers almost touched the cloth. Then her hand dropped to the ground. She crouched low like a fawning dog. He said, "it's nice, just like you say. Only when you don't have no dinner, it ain't." She stood up then, very straight, and her face was ashamed. She held the flower pot out to him and placed it gently in his arms. "Here. Put it in your wagon, on the seat, where you can watch it. Maybe I can find something for you to do." At the back of the house she dug in the can pile and found two old and battered aluminum saucepans. She carried them back and gave them to him. "Here, maybe you can fix these."
伊利莎的聲音變得有些沙啞，她打斷他說，“我從沒象你那樣生活過，但我知道你的意思。天黑的時候——啊，羣星亮閃閃的，周遭一片寂靜。你覺得自己愈來愈高，每一顆亮閃閃的星星都融入自己身體裏。就是那樣。熱熱的，亮亮的——美極了。”她跪在那兒，她的手朝他穿着髒兮兮的黑褲子的腿伸了去。她遲疑不決的手指幾乎碰到了他的褲子。接着她的手垂了下去。她蜷縮在地上,象只搖尾乞憐的狗。他說，“對，就象你說的，那很美。只要不是沒有晚飯吃。”聽到這些她站了起來。腰挺得很直，臉上有些羞愧。她將花盆抱出來，輕輕地放在他的懷裏。“好，放在你的車上，放到座位上，這樣你就可以看着它。或許我能找些東西來你修一下。”她在屋後的罐子堆裏很找了一通，找到了兩個破舊的鋁燉鍋。她拿着它們回來交給他。“喂，或許你可以把這些東西修一下。”
She stopped and seemed perplexed. "It's the budding that takes the most care," she said hesitantly. "I don't know how to tell you." She looked deep into his eyes, searchingly. Her mouth opened a little, and she seemed to be listening. "I'll try to tell you,” she said. “Did you ever hear of planting hands?" "Can't say I have, ma'am." "Well, I can only tell you what it feels like. It's when you're picking off the buds you don't want. Everything goes right down into your fingertips. You watch your fingers work. They do it themselves. You can feel how it is. They pick and pick the buds. They never make a mistake. They're with the plant. Do you see? Your fingers and the plant. You can feel that, right up your arm. They know. They never make a mistake. You can feel it. When you're like that you can't do anything wrong. Do you see that? Can you understand that?" She was kneeling on the ground looking up at him. Her breast swelled passionately. The man's eyes narrowed. He looked away self-consciously. "Maybe I know," he said. "Sometimes in the night in the wagon there -"
她停了下來，好像有點兒不知所措。“打苞的時候最需要好好照看，”她欲言又止地說。“我不知道該怎麼對你說。”她凝視着他的眼睛，好像在尋找什麼。她的嘴微微張着，象是傾聽什麼回答。“我給你講講看，”她說。“你聽說過莊稼裏手嗎?”“我想沒有，夫人。”“那麼，我只能給你說說那是什麼感覺。那是在你摘掉那些多餘花蕾的時候。一切都聚集到你的手指裏，你看着自己手指的活計。它們在自己幹着活兒，你能感覺到那是怎麼一回事兒。它們在不停地摘着，摘着，不出一點兒差錯。它們與莊稼是天生的搭檔，你明白嗎?莊稼和手指間。你可以感覺到，一直到你的手臂。它們知道該怎麼做，從不出錯。你可以感覺到。只要這樣，你就不會出什麼錯。你明白嗎?你聽懂了嗎?”她跪在那裏，朝上看着他，胸脯激動得漲了來。那個男人眯起了眼。好像自己意識到什麼，朝遠處看了看。“或許我理解，”他說。“有時候，晚上，在馬車裏……”
Elisa's voice grew husky. She broke in on him, "I've never lived as you do, but I know what you mean. When the night is dark - why, the stars are sharp-pointed, and there's quiet. Why, you rise up and up! Every pointed star gets driven into your body. It's like that. Hot and sharp and - lovely." Kneeling there, her hand went out toward his legs in the greasy black trousers. Her hesitant fingers almost touched the cloth. Then her hand dropped to the ground. She crouched low like a fawning dog. He said, "it's nice, just like you say. Only when you don't have no dinner, it ain't." She stood up then, very straight, and her face was ashamed. She held the flower pot out to him and placed it gently in his arms. "Here. Put it in your wagon, on the seat, where you can watch it. Maybe I can find something for you to do." At the back of the house she dug in the can pile and found two old and battered aluminum saucepans. She carried them back and gave them to him. "Here, maybe you can fix these."
伊利莎的聲音變得有些沙啞，她打斷他說，“我從沒象你那樣生活過，但我知道你的意思。天黑的時候——啊，羣星亮閃閃的，周遭一片寂靜。你覺得自己愈來愈高，每一顆亮閃閃的星星都融入自己身體裏。就是那樣。熱熱的，亮亮的——美極了。”她跪在那兒，她的手朝他穿着髒兮兮的黑褲子的腿伸了去。她遲疑不決的手指幾乎碰到了他的褲子。接着她的手垂了下去。她蜷縮在地上,象只搖尾乞憐的狗。他說，“對，就象你說的，那很美。只要不是沒有晚飯吃。”聽到這些她站了起來。腰挺得很直，臉上有些羞愧。她將花盆抱出來，輕輕地放在他的懷裏。“好，放在你的車上，放到座位上，這樣你就可以看着它。或許我能找些東西來你修一下。”她在屋後的罐子堆裏很找了一通，找到了兩個破舊的鋁燉鍋。她拿着它們回來交給他。“喂，或許你可以把這些東西修一下。”
After a while she began to dress, slowly. She put on her newest underclothing and her nicest stockings and the dress which was the symbol of her prettiness. She worked carefully on her hair, penciled her eyebrows and rouged her lips. Before she was finished she heard the little thunder of hoofs and the shouts of Henry and his helper as they drove the red steers into the corral. She heard the gate bang shut and set herself for Henry's arrival. His step sounded on the porch. He entered the house calling, "Elisa, where are you?" "In my room, dressing. I'm not ready. There's hot water for your bath. Hurry up. It's getting late."
過了一會兒她開始穿衣服，穿得很慢。她穿上自己的新內衣，最精緻的長襪，還有那件象徵她的美麗的裙子。她仔細地梳理着頭髮，描眉，塗口紅。還沒等她收拾好，外面傳來了馬蹄的得得聲。亨利同他的夥計吆喝着往牲口圈裏趕牛。聽到大門砰的一聲關上，她準備好，等着亨利過來。走廊上傳來亨利的腳步聲，他走到屋裏喊道，“伊利莎，你在哪兒?”“在我屋裏穿衣服呢，還沒好呢。你洗澡的熱水好了，快點兒洗，沒有時間了。”
When she heard him splashing in the tub, Elisa laid his dark suit on the bed, and shirt and socks and tie beside it. She stood his polished shoes on the floor beside the bed. Then she went to the porch and sat primly and stiffly down. She looked toward the river road where the willow-line was still yellow with frosted leaves so that under the high grey fog they seemed a thin band of sunshine. This was the only color in the grey afternoon. She sat unmoving for a long time. Her eyes blinked rarely. Henry came banging out of the door, shoving his tie inside his vest as he came. Elisa stiffened and her face grew tight. Henry stopped short and looked at her. "Why - why, Elisa. You look so nice!" "Nice? You think I look nice? What do you mean by 'nice'?"
伊利莎聽到亨利在浴盆裏嘩啦嘩啦的洗澡聲，把他的黑西服放在牀上，邊上是他的襯衫、襪子和領帶。她把擦亮的鞋子擺放在牀邊的地板上，然後來到走廊上，一本正經地坐在那兒，顯得有些呆滯。她朝河邊的路上看去，那兒的柳葉上掛着霜，依然泛着黃色，因而在半空的灰白色霧氣籠罩下，這一帶柳樹好象是道薄薄的陽光。這是整個灰色下午唯一的色彩。她一動不動地坐了很久，很少眨眼睛。亨利出來時砰的一聲關門，邊走邊往馬甲裏塞領帶。伊利莎直起身子，臉也繃緊了。亨利驀地停下來盯着她。“嘿，伊利莎，你看起來真棒!”“棒?你覺得我很棒?‘很棒’是什麼意思?”
Henry blundered on. "I don't know. I mean you look different, strong and happy."
"I am strong? Yes, strong. What do you mean 'strong'?" He looked bewildered. "You're playing some kind of a game," he said helplessly."It's a kind of a play. You look strong enough to break a calf over your knee, happy enough to eat it like a watermelon." For a second she lost her rigidity. "Henry! Don't talk like that. You didn't know what you said." She grew complete again. "I'm strong," she boasted. "I never knew before how strong." Henry looked down toward the tractor shed, and when he brought his eyes back to her, they were his own again. "I'll get out the car. You can put on your coat while I'm starting." Elisa went into the house. She heard him drive to the gate and idle down his motor, and then she took a long time to put on her hat. She pulled it here and pressed it there. When Henry turned the motor off she slipped into her coat and went out.
“我不知道。我是說你看起來有些不一樣，強壯、快活。”亨利結結巴巴地說。“強壯?是的，我很強壯。這又是什麼意思?”他顯得有些迷惑不解。“你在玩兒什麼遊戲，”他無可奈何地說。“你在玩遊戲。你顯得很強壯，可以在你的膝蓋上劈死一頭小牛;又很高興，能象吃個大西瓜那樣把它吃掉。”一時間她僵硬的神情沒了。“亨利!別那樣說。你不知道你在說什麼。”她又恢復了原來的樣子。“我很強壯，”她誇耀地說。“我以前從不知道自己有多麼結實。”亨利朝下看了看拖拉機棚。當他收回目光再看她時，那眼神又變成他以前的那種了。“我去把車開出來，趁這當兒，你把大衣穿好。”伊利莎走進了屋。她聽到亨利把車開到了門口，馬達空轉着。她磨磨蹭蹭地戴上帽子，按按這兒扯扯那兒。這時亨利熄了馬達，她很快穿上大衣，走了出去。
The little roadster bounced along on the dirt road by the river, raising the birds and driving the rabbits into the brush. Two cranes flapped heavily over the willow-line and dropped into the river-bed. Far ahead on the road Elisa saw a dark speck. She knew. She tried not to look as they passed it, but her eyes would not obey. She whispered to herself sadly, "He might have thrown them off the road. That wouldn't have been much trouble, not very much. But he kept the pot," she explained. "He had to keep the pot. That's why he couldn't get them off the road." The roadster turned a bend and she saw the caravan ahead. She swung full around toward her husband so she could not see the little covered wagon and the mismatched team as the car passed them. In a moment it was over. The thing was done. She did not look back. She said loudly, to be heard above the motor, "It will be good, tonight, a good dinner."
小敞篷車沿着河在土路上顛簸前行，驚起一羣鳥，野兔也被驚得鑽進了樹叢。兩隻鶴重重地拍打着翅膀，越過路邊的柳樹，然後落到河岸上。遠遠的，伊利莎看到路上有個黑點。她知道那是什麼。當他們經過那個黑點時，她儘量不去看它，可眼睛不聽她的話。她傷心地小聲對自己說，“他可以把它們扔到路下邊的。那不會給他增加什麼麻煩的，一點兒也不會。不過他留着花盆呢，”她自己解釋說。“他肯定得留着花盆，所以沒能把它們扔到路下邊。”他們的小敞篷車轉了個彎，她看到了前面的大篷車。她急忙轉向自己的丈夫，以免汽車超過時看見那輛小小的篷車，那怪模怪樣的隊伍。事情一會兒就過去了，一切都結束了。她沒有往後看。她大聲說，甚至蓋過了馬達的聲音，“今晚會很好，一頓美餐。”
"Now you're changed again," Henry complained. He took one hand from the wheel and patted her knee. "I ought to take you in to dinner oftener. It would be good for both of us. We get so heavy out on the ranch." "Henry," she asked, "could we have wine at dinner?" "Sure we could. Say! That will be fine." She was silent for a while; then she said, "Henry, at those prize fights, do the men hurt each other very much?" "Sometimes a little, not often. Why?" "Well, I've read how they break noses, and blood runs down their chests. I've read how the fighting gloves get heavy and soggy with blood." He looked around at her. "What's the matter, Elisa? I didn't know you read things like that." He brought the car to a stop, then turned to the right over the Salinas River bridge. "Do any women ever go to the fights?" she asked. "Oh, sure, some. What's the matter, Elisa? Do you want to go? I don't think you'd like it, but I'll take you if you really want to go." She relaxed limply in the seat. "Oh, no. No. I don't want to go. I'm sure I don't." Her face was turned away from him. "It will be enough if we can have wine. It will be plenty." She turned up her coat collar so he could not see that she was crying weakly - like an old woman.
“你又變了，”亨利抱怨說。他一隻手離開了方向盤，拍了拍她的膝蓋。“我應該經常帶你到城裏去吃飯。這對我們都有好處，農場上的生活太沉悶了。“亨利，” 她問，“我們吃飯時可以喝一杯嗎?”“當然可以。啊，真是太好了!” 她沉默了一會兒，又說，“亨利，拳擊賽時雙方會不會傷得很厲害?”“有時有一點，不過不常。怎麼了?”“嗯，我從書上看到，他們有的把鼻子都打斷了，鮮血順着胸往下流。拳擊手套浸滿了血，溼漉漉地很沉。” 他回過頭來看着她。“伊利莎，你怎麼了?我不知道你還看這些東西。” 他把車停了下來，然後向右轉，開上薩利納斯橋。“看拳擊的有女人嗎?” 她問。“啊，當然了，有一些。怎麼了，伊利莎?你也想看嗎?我覺得你不會喜歡的。不過，要是你真想去看我會帶你去的。”她無精打采地坐在座位上。“哦，不，不，我不想，真不想。” 她把臉轉向了另一面。“只要有酒，就夠了。就很高興了。” 她把大衣的領子豎了起來，以免他看到自己在輕輕啜泣——象是一位老太太。
威廉. S. 毛姆經典散文閱讀：一種錯覺
It is an illusion that youth is happy, an illusion of those who have lost it; but the young know they are wretched, for they are full of the truthless ideals which have been instilled into them, and each time they come in contact with the real they are bruised and wounded. It looks as if they were victims of a conspiracy; for the books they read, ideal by the necessity of selection, and the conversation of their elders, who look back upon the past through a rosy haze of forgetfulness, prepare them for an unreal life.
They must discover for themselves that all they have read and all they have been told are lies, lies, lies; and each discovery is another nail drivens into the body on the cross of life. The strange thing is that each one who has gone through that bitter disillusionment add to it in his turn,, unconsciously, by the power within him which is stronger than himself.
認爲青春是快樂的，這是一種錯覺，是那些失去了青春的人的一種錯覺。年輕人知道，自己是不幸的，他們腦子裏充斥了被灌輸的不切實際的想法，每次與現實接觸時，都會碰的頭破血流。似乎，他們是某種陰謀的犧牲者：那些他們所讀過的精挑細選的書，那些長輩們談起的因遺忘而蒙上玫瑰色薄霧的往事，都爲年輕人提供了一種不真實的生活。
他們必須自己發現，所有他們讀到的、聽到的東西，都是謊言、謊言、謊言。每一次的這樣的發現，都像是另一根釘子釘入他們的身體，那被束縛在生活的十字架上的身體。可是奇怪的是，每個曾經被這種錯覺折磨過的人，輪到他們時，有一種不可控制的力量，讓他們不自覺地爲別人增添這種錯覺。
