《美食祈禱和戀愛》Chapter 1 (2):無盡的花癡中大綱
But, no.
但是，不行。
No and no.
不行，不行。
I chopped the fantasy off in mid-word. This was not my moment to be seeking romance and (as day follows night) to further complicate my already knotty life. This was my moment to look for the kind of healing and peace that can only come from solitude.
我截斷自己的幻想。這可不是我追求浪漫的時刻，讓已然紛亂不堪的生活更加複雜（會像白日跟着黑夜而來一般）。此刻我要尋找的治療與平靜，只來自於孤獨。
Anyway, by now, by the middle of November, the shy, studious Giovanni and I have become dear buddies. As for Dario—the more razzle-dazzle swinger brother of the two—I have introduced him to my adorable little Swedish friend Sofie, and how they've been sharing their evenings in Rome is another kind of Tandem Exchange altogether. But Giovanni and I, we only talk. Well, we eat and we talk. We have been eating and talking for many pleasant weeks now, sharing pizzas and gentle grammatical corrections, and tonight has been no exception. A lovely evening of new idioms and fresh mozzarella.
反正，11 月中旬的此時，害羞又用功的喬凡尼已和我成爲好友。至於達里奧——在兩兄弟中較爲狂野新潮——已被我介紹給我那迷人的瑞典女友蘇菲，他們倆如何共享他們的羅馬之夜，可完全是另一種“串連交流”。但喬凡尼和我 ，我們僅止於說話而已。好吧，我們除了說話，還吃東西 。我們吃吃說說，已度過好幾個愉快的星期 ，共同分享比薩餅以及友善的文法糾正，而今天也不例外 。一個由新成語和新鮮起司所構成的愉快夜晚。
Now it is midnight and foggy, and Giovanni is walking me home to my apartment through these back streets of Rome, which meander organically around the ancient buildings like bayou streams snaking around shadowy clumps of cypress groves. Now we are at my door. We face each other. He gives me a warm hug. This is an improvement; for the first few weeks, he would only shake my hand. I think if I were to stay in Italy for another three years, he might actually get up the juice to kiss me. On the other hand, he might just kiss me right now, tonight, right here by my door . . . there’s still a chance . . . I mean we're pressed up against each other's bodies beneath this moonlight . . . and of course it would be a terrible mistake . . . but it’s still such a wonderful possibility that he might actually do it right now . . . that he might just bend down . . . and . . . and . . .
午夜此時 ，霧氣瀰漫，喬凡尼陪我走回我住的公寓；我們穿過羅馬的僻靜街巷，這些小巷迂迴繞過古老的建築 ，猶如小溪流蜿蜒繞過幽暗的柏樹叢。此刻我們來到我的住處門口。我們面對面，他溫暖地擁抱我一下。這有改進；頭幾個禮拜，他只跟我握手 。我想我如果在意大利再多待三年，他可能真有吻我的動力。另一方面，他大可現在吻我，今晚，就在門口這兒？還有機會？我是說 ，我們在這般的月光下貼近彼此的身體？當然，那會是個可怕的錯誤？但他現在仍大有可能這麼做？他也許會低下頭來？然後？接着？ Nope. 啥也沒發生。
He separates himself from the embrace.
他從擁抱中分開來。
"Good night, my dear Liz," he says.
“晚安，親愛的小莉。”他說。
"Buona notte, caro mio," I reply.
“晚安，親愛的。”我回道。
I walk up the stairs to my fourth-floor apartment, all alone. I let myself into my tiny little studio, all alone. I shut the door behind me. Another solitary bedtime in Rome. Another long night’s sleep ahead of me, with nobody and nothing in my bed except a pile of Italian phrasebooks and dictionaries.
我獨自走上四樓公寓。我獨自走進我的小斗室。關上身後的門。又一個孤零零的就寢時間 ，又一個羅馬的漫漫長夜，牀上除了一疊意大利成語手冊和辭典之外，沒有別人，也沒有別的東西。
I am alone, I am all alone, I am completely alone.
我獨自一人，孤孤單單，孤獨無偶。
Grasping this reality, I let go of my bag, drop to my knees and press my forehead against the floor. There, I offer up to the universe a fervent prayer of thanks.
領會到此一事實的我，放下提包，跪下來，額頭磕在地板上。我熱忱地對上蒼獻上感謝的禱告。
First in English.
先念英語禱告。
Then in Italian.
再念意大利語。
And then—just to get the point across—in Sanskrit. Eat, Pray, Love
接着——爲使人信服起見 ——念梵語。
