世界上最动人的书信(常春藤英语书系)(全新中英文对照版)-第10章
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I am determined; if I go broke in the process; not to release any play of the Cycle until I have at least three or four in final form; and more in first draft。 This is essential to me because the emphasis with me is naturally on the work as a whole; not on its separate parts。 It is also essential for the stage production of the work as a whole that the Guild have several plays to plan on as a starter—for they intend to get together a special repertoire pany just to do this Cycle; and when it es to tying up actors and actresses for three or four years; in these days of Talkie temptation; you've got to show them parts in several plays that make it to their advantage to sign up。 You can't do it on one or two plays with a vague promise of good parts in plays not yet written; no matter who the author。 The plan; as I guess I've told you before; is to do two plays a season。
So you see how this Cycle has me involved in a hell of a lot of labor— and costly time—before I can expect any returns of any kind。 You will also appreciate that I have many low days of O'Neill heebiejeebies when I feel very old and tired; and doubt myself and my work; and wonder why in hell something in me drove me on to undertake such a hellish job when I might have coasted along and just written some more plays; as a wellbehaved playwright does。
But enough of that。
I foresaw that you would probably get some tart retorts from the MiddleWest on your article。 MidWesterners are very sensitive people—that is; in one respect。
Love to you and Betty from us—and a sweet kiss from Blemie to Cabot。
Father
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欧内斯特·海明威致母亲(1)
欧内斯特·海明威(1899—1961),美国小说家,生于乡村医生家庭。海明威从小喜欢钓鱼、打猎、音乐和绘画,曾作为红十字会车队司机参加第一次世界大战,以后长期担任驻欧记者,并曾以记者身份参加第二次世界大战和西班牙内战。他晚年患多种疾病,精神十分抑郁,多次医治无效,最终用猎枪自杀。他的早期长篇小说《太阳照样升起》(1927)、《永别了,武器》(1927)成为表现美国“迷惘的一代”的主要代表作。后来,他转向塑造摆脱迷惘、悲观,为人民利益而英勇战斗和无畏牺牲的反法西斯战士形象,代表作有剧本《第五纵队》(1938),长篇小说《丧钟为谁而鸣》(1940)等。他的后期创作继续发扬宁死不屈的主题,塑造了以桑提亚哥为代表的“可以把他消灭,但就是打不败他”的“硬汉性格”(代表作中篇小说《老人与海》,1950)。在艺术上,他那简约有力的文体和多种现代派手法的出色运用,在美国文学中引发了一场“文学革命”,许多欧美作家都明显受到他的影响。1954年,海明威获诺贝尔文学奖。
亲爱的妈妈:
我已经很长时间没有写信给你了,因为我一直精力不济。我的四肢已在渐渐复原,左腿已经痊愈,终于可以将它完全弯过来了。借着拐杖,我现在可以在自己的房间和医院的这层楼上走动,但因为身体仍然非常虚弱,所以每次只能走很短的距离。我右腿上的石膏几天前被拿掉了,可它依然僵硬得像木板一样。在膝关节周围以及脚上所进行的大量的切除工作让我疼痛难忍。但是,那位名叫萨姆雷利的医生——米兰最好的医生,认识纽约一位已故的外科奇才贝克医生——说我的右腿终究会痊愈的。膝关节逐渐康复,很快就能活动了。我随信附了一张躺在病床上的照片,左腿看上去好像是残肢,但事实上并非如此。因为它是弯曲的,所以看起来像是残肢……
妈妈,你可能不相信,我现在可以讲一口流利的意大利语,就像一个天生的维罗纳人那样。因为,在战壕里,我必须讲意大利语,没法讲其他语言,我学到了很多意大利语,当时我就是用意大利语与那些军官们交谈的。我的语法并不好,但词汇量比较丰富。很多次,我充当了医院的翻译。当有人来到医院时,医生不明白他们需要些什么,护士就把他们带到我的床前来,我可以把问题全部解决。这里的护士们都是美国人。
这场战争让我们变得比以前聪明了。比如说,波兰人和意大利人,这两个国家的军官是我所见过的男人中最杰出的。战争胜利之后,我的脑子里已经没有“外国人”这个概念了,因为你的同伴们讲另外一种语言看来对你已没有任何影响。惟一的事情是要学习他们的语言。我的意大利语学得很不错,还学了不少波兰语,法语也有很大长进,这胜过上十年的大学,就算我在大学里学上八年,也不可能达到我目前的法语和意大利语水平。现在,我要你准备战后接待大批客人,因为有很多战友会到芝加哥去看望我。在这场可恶的战争中结交的朋友是我最大的收获。在战争中,死亡时刻伴随着你,同时你也对朋友有了更深的了解。我还不知道自己什么时候能回去,或许会回去过圣诞节,但也可能回不去。我不可能加入陆军或海军,就算我回来了,他们也不会让我参军。原因是我有一只没用的眼睛和两条颤抖的腿。因此,我最好是待在这里,将那该死的烦恼暂时扔在一边。
妈妈,我又一次堕入爱河了。请不要紧张,也不要担心我很快就会结婚,因为我还没有这样打算。我举起右手向你许诺,就像我以前跟你说的那样。不要大惊小怪,也不要给我发电报或者写信——我还没有打算订婚。请大声庆祝吧!不要把“上帝保佑你,我的孩子们”这样的话写在信上,在将要到来的十年中都别这样写。你是个亲爱的、上了年纪的小孩,你也仍然是我最要好的女孩。吻我吧,非常好!再见,上帝保佑你,记得经常写信给我……再见吧,亲爱的老朋友。我爱你。
欧内斯特·海明威致母亲(2)
欧尼
1918年8月29日
Ernest Hemingway
To
August 29; 1918
Dear Mom;
I haven't written before for quite a while because I ain't got no pep。 The old limbs are ing along fine。 My left leg is all healed up and I can bend it finally and I now get around my room and this floor of the hospital on crutches but I can go only a little bit at a time because I'm awfully weak yet。 My right leg was taken out of the cast a couple of days ago and it's still as stiff as a board and awfully sore from so much carving around the knee joint and foot。 But the surgeon whose name is Sammarelli—he is the best in Milan and knows Beck of New York; now dead; and one of the Mayos— says that eventually it will be all right。 The joint gets better every day and I'll be moving it soon。 I'm enclosing a picture of me in bed。 It looks like my left leg is a stump; but it really isn't。 Just bent so it looks that way…
Now Mom you may not believe it but I can speak Italian like a born Veronese。 You see up in the trenches I had to talk it; there being nothing else spoken; so I learned an awful lot and talked with the officers by the hour in Italian。 I suppose I'm shy on grammar but I'm long on vocabulary。 Lots of times I've acted as interpreter for the hospital。 Somebody es in and they can't understand what they want and the nurse brings them to my bed and I straighten it all out。 All the nurses are Americans。
This war makes us a bit less fools than we were。 For instance; Poles and Italians。 I think the officers of these two nations are the finest men I've ever known; There isn't going to be any such thing as “foreigners” for me after the war is won。 Just because your pals speak another language shouldn't make any difference。 The thing is to learn that language。 I've gotten Italian pretty well。 And I've picked up quite a lot of Polish and my French is improving a lot。 It's better than 10 years of college。 I know more French and Italian now than if I had studied 8 years in college and you want to be prepared for a lot of visitors after the war now because I've got a lot of pals ing to see me in Chicago。 That's the best thing about this awfulness; the friends that you make; and when you are looking at death all the time you get to know your friends too。 I don't know when I'll be back。 Maybe for Christmas。 Probably not。 I can't get in the army or navy and they won't take me in the draft if I go home。 One bum lamp and two shaky legs。 So I might as well stay over here and play around the old conflict for a while。
Also Ma; I'm in love again。 Now don't get the wind up and start worrying about me getting married for I'm not。 As I told you once before; raise My fight hand and promise; so don't get up in the air and cable and write me。 I'm not even going to get engaged。 Loud Cheers。 So don't write any “God Bless U; My Children”: Not for about 10 years。 You're a dear old kid; and you're still my best girl。 Kiss me。 Very good。 Now goodbye and God bless you and write me often… So long old dear。 I love you。
Ernie
托马斯·格雷致母亲
托马斯·格雷(1716—1771),英国著名诗人;曾在剑桥大学就读,但未获文凭,随后两年漫游欧洲,遍访法国、瑞士、意大利。格雷早期受感伤主义和浪漫派诗歌的影响,他的诗歌以普通人为主人公,反映了死亡的悲哀和痛苦。1750年,格雷发表长诗《墓畔哀歌》,受到文学史家和批评家的一致赞扬。《墓畔哀歌》让格雷声名鹊起,也把“墓园派”诗歌推向了顶峰。后来创作的《诗的历程》和《吟游诗人》为格雷赢得了“桂冠诗人”的荣誉。
我们抵达这里,欣赏了世界上最美丽国家的最迷人的风景。在已逝的三千年里,它的每一个景点都举世闻名。这个季节至今都像春天般温暖,令人心旷神怡,不像传闻说的那样空气污浊、热浪滚滚。人们都说今年四季延迟,因此对庄稼、酒和石油的生产很不利;但我们却没有这些忧虑,所以感到很愉快。我们途经维勒特里、西斯特那、泰拉奇纳、卡普阿、阿韦尔萨,然后来到那不勒斯。离开教皇圣地没多久,地貌便从空旷荒芜的平原变成郁郁葱葱的树林和精耕细作的玉米地。里面穿插着几排榆树,一排排枝叶交错像悬挂在树间的花彩。高大的老无花果树,枝繁叶茂的橘子树和篱笆丛中的桃金娘交相辉映,构筑了一道你所能想像到的最赏心悦目的风景。另外,道路宽阔通畅,行人络绎不绝,我很久没有见过这样的景象了。城中景象更令人惊叹:这个城里的人比巴黎和伦敦多多了;邻街的街道相连,形成了一个大市场。摩肩接踵的人流让车马都难以行走,普通市民异常活跃,比一般意大利人要勤劳得多。他们能披星戴月地工作,然后操起鲁特琴或吉他(他们都善于奏乐),或漫步在城中,或徜徉于海滩,并且陶醉在画壁画的快乐中,还看见他们的小孩有着棕色的皮肤,赤裸着上身,稍大点的孩子则击板起舞,由别人为他们击钹伴奏。你手上的地图会标出那不勒斯的位置,它位于世界上最可爱的