双语·《刀锋》 第七章 五

CHAPTER SEVEN 5
第七章 五

I continued to see Suzanne Rouvier from time to time until an unexpected change in her condition caused her to leave Paris and she too went out of my life. One afternoon, roughly two years after the events that I have just related, having spent an hour pleasantly browsing over the books in the galleries of the Odéon and with nothing to do for a while, I thought I would call on Suzanne.I had not seen her for six months.She opened the door, a palette on her thumb and a paintbrush between her teeth, clad in a smock covered with paint.
我仍然时不时去看望看望苏姗娜·鲁维埃。后来，她的境遇发生了意想不到的变化，使她离开巴黎，也从我的生活中消失了。那是一天下午，大致在我叙述的那些事件发生两年之后，我在奥德昂大剧院走廊的书摊前浏览书籍，很惬意地消磨了一个小时，后来觉着闲得无事可做，就想起去看望一下苏姗娜。我已有半年时间没有见她了。她开门时，手端调色板，嘴里衔着一支画笔，穿一件罩衫，上面满是油彩。

“Ah, c'est vous, cher ami. Entrez, je vous en prie.”
“啊，是您，亲爱的朋友。请进，请您进来。”

I was a little surprised at this formal address, for generally we spoke to one another in the second person singular, but I stepped into the small room that served both as living-room and studio. There was a canvas on the easel.
她这样客气使我有点诧异，因为我们之间一般只是以你我相称。我跨进那个既当客厅又做画室的小房间，见画架上放了一幅油画。

“I'm so busy, I don't know which way to turn, but sit down and I will go on with my work. I haven't a moment to waste.You wouldn't believe it, but I'm giving a one-man show at Meyerheim’s, and I have to get thirty canvases ready.”
“我忙得不可开交，简直都晕头转向了。你请坐吧，我得继续工作了，一会儿都耽搁不得。说来你也不信，我要在迈耶海姆画廊办个人画展，必须准备三十幅画参展。”

“At Meyerheim's?That's wonderful. How on earth have you managed that?”
“在迈耶海姆画廊？这真了不起。你是怎样做到的？”

For Meyerheim is not one of those fly-by-night dealers in the Rue de la Seine who have a small shop that is always on the verge of closing for lack of money to pay the rent. Meyerheim has a fine gallery on the moneyed side of the Seine and he has an international reputation.An artist whom he takes up is well on the way to fortune.
迈耶海姆画廊可不是塞纳路上的那些靠不住的小画廊——那些野画廊门面小，一缺钱付不起房租，就会关门大吉。迈耶海姆画廊是一个很体面的画廊，位于塞纳河畔有钱人的地区，享有国际声誉。一个画家一旦被这家画廊看中，就会走上通向成功的康庄大道。

“Monsieur Achille brought him to see my work and he thinks I have a lot of talent.”
“阿吉里先生带迈耶海姆先生来看过我的画，迈耶海姆先生认为我很有才气。”

“à d’autres, ma vieille，”I replied, which I think can best be translated by：“Tell that to the marines, old girl.”
“别吹了，老伙计。”我回了一句。我觉得这句话最好翻译为：“鬼才会相信你的话，老伙计。”

She threw me a glance and giggled.
她瞥了我一眼，随即扑哧笑出了声。

“I'm going to be married.”
“我要嫁人了。”

“To Meyerheim?”
“嫁给迈耶海姆吗？”

“Don't be an idiot.”She put down her brushes and her palette.“I've been working all day and I deserve a rest. Let us have a little glass of porto and I'll tell you all about it.”
“别犯傻！”她放下了画笔和调色板说，“我画画画了一整天，也该休息一下了。咱们不妨来杯波特酒，容我细细道来。”

One of the less agreeable features of French life is that you are apt to be pressed to drink a glass of vinegary port at an unseasonable hour. You must resign yourself to it.Suzanne fetched a bottle and two glasses, filled them, and sat down with a sigh of relief.
法国人的生活中也有令人不爽的一面——他们常常在最不恰当的时候逼你喝下一杯酸不拉叽的波特酒。此时，你必须乖乖地从命。苏姗娜取出一瓶酒和两只杯子，把杯子斟满，坐下来如释重负地叹了一口气。

“I've been standing for hours and my varicose veins are aching. Well, it's like this.Monsieur Achille's wife died at the beginning of this year.She was a good woman and a good Catholic, but he did not marry her from inclination, he married her because it was good business, and though he esteemed and respected her it would be an exaggeration to say that her death left him inconsolable.His son is suitably married and is doing well in the firm and now a marriage has been arranged between his daughter and a count.Belgian it is true, but authentic, with a very pretty chateau in theneighbourhood of Namur.Monsieur Achille thought his poor wife would not wish the happiness of two young people to be deferred on her account, so the marriage, notwithstanding that they are in mourning, is to take place as soon as the financial arrangements are completed.Evidently Monsieur Achille will be lonely in that large house at Lille, and needs a woman not only to minister to his comfort, but also to run the important establishment necessary to his position.To cut a long story short, he has asked me to take the place of his poor wife, for as he very reasonably said：‘I married for the first time to eliminate competition between two rival firms, and I do not regret it, but there is no reason why I should not marry the second time to please myself.’”
“今天画画，一连站了几个小时，站得我静脉曲张、腿发痛。情况是这样的。阿吉里先生的妻子今年年初去世了。她是个好人，也是个好天主教徒。不过，阿吉里先生娶她并非出于本意，而是出于对生意的考虑。他固然敬重她，但若说她的死令他痛不欲生，那就言过其实了。他儿子的婚姻门当户对，事业也干得风生水起；他女儿的婚事亦安排妥当，要嫁给一位伯爵——那伯爵虽说是比利时人，却是货真价实的贵族，在那慕尔附近有一座非常漂亮的城堡。阿吉里先生认为，他妻子的在天之灵绝不愿因为自己的缘故耽搁了一双儿女的幸福，于是决定不等服满丧期，只要安排停当就举办婚礼。里尔的房子那么大，只剩下了阿吉里先生一个人，孤零零的，显然需要一个女人在身边，照顾他的起居，料理事务——他那么有身份的人，势必有重要的事务需要关照。长话短说，他请求我代替他妻子的位置。他说的话入情入理：‘我第一次结婚是为了消除两家对立公司的竞争，为此我毫不后悔，但第二次婚姻就要合自己的心意，选自己喜欢的人了。’”

“I congratulate you，”said I.
“恭喜，恭喜。”我说。

“Evidently I shall miss my liberty. I have enjoyed it.But one has to think of the future.Between ourselves, I don't mind telling you that I shall never see forty again.Monsieur Achille is at a dangerous age；where should I be if he suddenly took it into his head to run after a girl of twenty?And then there is my daughter to think of.She is now sixteen and promises to be as beautiful as her father.I have given her a good education.But it is no good denying facts that stare you in the face；she has neither the talent to be an actress nor the temperament to be a whore like her poor mother：I ask you then, what has she to look forward to?A secretaryship or a job in the post office.Monsieur Achille has very generously agreed that she should live with us and has promised to give her a handsome dot so that she can make a good marriage.Believe me, my dear friend, people can say what they like, but marriage still remains the most satisfactory profession a woman can adopt.Obviously when my daughter's welfare was concerned I could not hesitate to accept a proposition even at the cost of certain satisfactions which in any case, as the years go by, I should find it more difficult to obtain；for I must tell you that when I am married I propose to be of a ferocious virtue（d'une vertu farouche），for my long experience has convinced me that the only basis of a happy marriage is complete fidelity on both sides.”
“代价是失去自由。我喜欢无拘无束的生活，但前途却是不得不考虑的。不瞒你说，我马上就要步入不惑之年了。阿吉里先生正在危险的年龄段，万一他突发奇想，去追求一个二十岁的大姑娘，那该如何是好？我还得为我的女儿想一想。她今年十六岁，水灵灵的，越长越像她爸爸。我让她接受了良好的教育固然不错，但残酷的现实摆在你面前不容忽视：她既没有当演员的天赋，也没有她可怜母亲的那种气质去当妓女。那我问你，她有什么盼头呢？末了只好给人家当秘书，或者在邮局里谋个差事。阿吉里先生极其慷慨，同意让她和我们住在一起，并且答应给她一笔丰厚的奁资，使她能嫁个好人家。请相信我，亲爱的朋友，不管别人怎么说，婚姻仍是女人最实在的职业。于是，考虑到女儿的幸福，我毫不犹豫地接受了阿吉里先生的求婚，即使牺牲某种满足也在所不惜——再说，一年一年地过去，这种满足愈来愈不容易获得了。有一点我必须告诉你：一旦结婚，我将绝对恪守妇道（dune vertu farouche）。根据多年的经验，我深信夫妻双方必须绝对忠实，才能使幸福的婚姻固若金汤。”

“A highly moral sentiment, my pretty，'I said.“And will Monsieur Achille continue to make his fortnightly visits to Paris on business?”
“这是多么崇高的情操啊，我的美人儿！”我说，“阿吉里先生还会和从前一样每两个星期来一趟巴黎洽谈生意吗？”

“Oh, la la, for whom do you take me, my little one?The first thing I said to Monsieur Achille when he asked for my hand was：‘Now listen, my dear, when you come to Paris for your board meetings it is understood that I come too. I am not going to trust you here by yourself.'‘You cannot imagine that I am capable of committing follies at my age，'he answered.‘Monsieur Achille，'I said to him，‘you are a man in the prime of life and no one knows better than I that you have a passionate temperament.You have a fine presence and a distinguished air.You have everything to please a woman；in short I think it better that you should not be exposed to temptation.'In the end he agreed to give up his place on the board to his son, who will come to Paris instead of his father.Monsieur Achille pretended to think me unreasonable, but he was in point of fact enormously flattered.”Suzanne gave a sigh of satisfaction.“Life would be even harder for us poor women than it is if it were not for the unbelievable vanity of men.”
“哎呀呀，你把我当成傻瓜了不成，我的小宝贝？阿吉里先生向我求婚，我提的第一个条件就是：‘亲爱的，请听我说，你来巴黎开董事会，我也跟着来。让你一个人来，我是不放心的。’他回答说：‘请放心，我都这把岁数了，不会做出蠢事来的。’我则说：‘阿吉里先生，你正当生命力旺盛的年龄，我比谁都清楚你充满了激情，而且相貌堂堂、气宇轩昂，举手投足都让女人动心。总而言之，我怕你经不起诱惑。’最后，他答应把董事会的位置让给儿子，由儿子代替他来巴黎开会。阿吉里先生假装不快，好像我不通情理似的，其实心里像灌了蜜一样甜。”说到此处，苏姗娜满足地长出了一口气，“对我们可怜的女人来说，假如男人没有这种难以捉摸的虚荣心，日子就如雪上加霜。”

“All that is very fine, but what has it got to do with your having a one-man show at Meyerheim's?”
“这样的结局非常好。但这和你在迈耶海姆画廊办个人画展有什么联系呢？”

“You are a little stupid today, my poor friend. Have I not told you for years that Monsieur Achille is a highly intelligent man?He has his position to think of and the people of Lille are censorious.Monsieur Achille wishes me to take the place in society which as the wife of a man of his importance it will be my right to occupy.You know what these provincials are, they love to poke their long noses in other people's affairs, and the first thing they will ask is：who is Suzanne Rouvier?Well, they will have their answer.She is the distinguished painter whose recent show at the Meyerheim Gallery had a remarkable and well-deserved success.‘Madame Suzanne Rouvier, the widow of an officer in the colonial infantry, has with the courage characteristic of our Frenchwomen for some years supported herself and a charming daughter deprived too soon of a father's care by means of her talent, and we are happy to know that the general public will soon have the opportunity to appreciate the delicacy of her touch and the soundness of her technique at the galleries of the ever perspicacious Monsieur Meyerheim.'”
“我可怜的朋友，今天你可真是有点不开窍了。多少年来我不是告诉你，说阿吉里先生是一个聪明绝顶的人吗？他得考虑自己的社会地位，得考虑里尔的人喜欢评头论足。他是个重要人物，而我作为他法定的妻子，按他的愿望应该在社会上占有一席之地。你也知道外省人的那种德行，他们喜欢管别人的闲事。他们势必会问，苏姗娜·鲁维埃是何许人？他们将得到这样的回答：‘苏姗娜·鲁维埃是一位出类拔萃的画家，最近在迈耶海姆画廊的个人画展取得了巨大成功，真是实至名归。’‘苏姗娜·鲁维埃是殖民步兵团一位军官的遗孀，多年靠卖画为生，含辛茹苦抚养一个早早便丧失父爱的娇女，表现出了一个法国妇女的刚毅性格。令人快慰的是，善于发现人才的迈耶海姆画廊将为她举办个人画展，公众不久便可大饱眼福，欣赏到她细腻的笔触和娴熟的技法。’”

“What gibberish is that?”I said, pricking up my ears.
“这是胡扯些什么呀？”我竖着耳朵听后，启口问道。

“That, my dear, is the advance publicity that Monsieur Achille is putting out. It will appear in every paper inFrance of any consequence.He has been magnificent.Meyerheim's terms were onerous, but Monsieur Achille accepted them as if they were a bagatelle.There will be a champagne d'honneur at the private view and the Minister of Fine Arts, who is under an obligation to Monsieur Achille, will open the exhibition with an eloquent speech in which he will dwell upon my virtues as a woman and my talent as a painter and which he will end with the declaration that the state, whose duty and privilege it is to reward merit, has bought one of my pictures for the national collections.All Paris will be there and Meyerheim is looking after the critics himself.He has guaranteed that their notices will be not only favourable but lengthy.Poor devils, they earn so little, it is a charity to give them an opportunity of making something on the side.”
“亲爱的，这是阿吉里先生设计的广告语，将会在法国的各大报纸登出。他做事滴水不漏。迈耶海姆提的条件非常苛刻，但阿吉里先生却认为是小事一桩，予以全盘接受。画展的开幕式上，将会喝香槟酒表示庆祝，美术部长（此人欠阿吉里先生的人情）将要发表精彩的致辞，将会盛赞我作为女人的情操以及作为艺术家的天赋，最后宣布国家有责任、有义务奖励人才，已经买下我的一幅画由国家收藏。巴黎各界人士都将到场。迈耶海姆将亲自关照那些评论家，确保他们的评论文章不仅要大加赞誉，而且篇幅要长。评论家们是很可怜的，挣的钱实在太少了。给他们一个捞外快的机会，也算是积德行善了。”

“You've deserved it all, my dear. You've always been a good sort.”
“这都是你应该得到的，亲爱的，”我说道，“好人有好报嘛。”

“Et ta soeur，”she replied, which is untranslatable.“But that's not all. Monsieur Achille has bought in my name a villa on the coast at St.Rafael, so I shall take my place in Lille society not only as a distinguished artist, but as a woman of property.In two or three years he is going to retire and we shall live on the Riviera like gentlefolks（comme des gens bien）.He can paddle in the sea and catch shrimps while I devote myself to my art.Now I will show you my pictures.”
“Et ta soeur，”她答道，这句话很难翻译，“还不止这些呢。阿吉里先生又用我的名字在圣拉斐尔海边买了一幢别墅，这样，我在里尔的社交界便有了自己的位置，一是因为我是个杰出的艺术家，二是由于我还是个有产业的女人。再过两三年他就要退休了，那时，我们将像上流人士（comme des gens bien）那样在里维埃拉住下去。他可以在海上划船、捕捞海虾，我则专心于艺术创作。我先让你看看我的画再说吧。”

Suzanne had been painting for several years and she had worked through the manner of her various lovers to arrive at a style of her own. She still could not draw, but she had acquired a pretty sense of colour.She showed me landscapes that she had painted while staying with her mother in the province of Anjou, bits of the gardens at Versailles and the forest at Fontainebleau, street scenes that had taken her fancy in the suburbs of Paris.Her painting was vaporous and unsubstantial, but it had a flowerlike grace and even a certain careless elegance.There was one picture that took my fancy and because I thought she would be pleased I offered to buy it. I cannot remember whether it was called A Glade in the Forest or The White Scarf and subsequent examination has left me uncertain to this day.I asked the price, which was reasonable, and said I would take it.
苏姗娜画画已有多年。深受诸多画家情人的影响，她广采众长，最后形成了自己独特的风格。她的线条仍画不好，但色彩感相当强。她让我看了几幅风景画，有一幅是她随母亲在昂儒省居住时画的，一幅画的是凡尔赛宫花园的小景，一幅画的是枫丹白露森林，还有一幅画的是巴黎近郊她所喜欢的街景。她的画朦朦胧胧，似海市蜃楼，却有一种鲜花般的美和一种非刻意雕琢的雅致。我对其中的一幅画产生了兴趣，同时为了取悦她，便提出想花钱买下。记不清那幅画是叫《林间空地》还是叫《白围巾》，时至今日也弄不清名称。我问了价钱，要价也很合理，于是决定购买。

“You're an angel，”she cried.“My first sale. Of course you can't have it till after the show, but I'll see that it gets into the papers that you've bought it.After all, a little publicity can do you no harm.I'm glad you’ve chosen that one, I think it’s one of my best.”She took a hand mirror and looked at the picture in it.“It has charm，”she said, screwing up her eyes.“No one can deny that.Those greens-how rich they are and yet how delicate！And that white note in the middle, that is a real find；it ties the picture together, it has distinction.There’s talent there, there can be no doubt of it, there’s real talent.”
“你真是个天使！”她乐得叫出了声，“这是我的第一笔交易。当然，画展结束后你才能拿到手。我要让此事上报纸，说你买下了这幅画。反正造造声势对你也没有害处嘛。很高兴你选中了这一幅——它恐怕是我最得意的作品了。”她拿起一面镜子，从镜子里端详这幅画。“很有情调，”她一边眯起眼睛欣赏一边说道，“这是谁都否认不了的。这几块绿色青翠欲滴，多么精致呀！中间点一笔白色，起到了画龙点睛的作用，将全部画面连接为一个整体。这不是才气是什么？！毫无疑问，这是地地道道的才气。”

I saw that she was already a long way on the road to being a professional painter.
看得出来，她朝着专业画家目标已走出了很远。

“And now, my little one, we've gossiped long enough, I must get back to work.”
“哎呀，我的小宝贝，咱们聊得太久了，我得赶快干活去了。”

“And I must be going，”I said.
“我也得走了。”我说。

“à propos, is that poor Larry still among the Redskins?”
“顺带问一句，那个可怜的拉里是不是仍然和那些红皮肤的人在一起？”

For that was the disrespectful way in which she was accustomed to refer to the inhabitants of God's Own Country.
每次提到神的国度里的居民，她总是喜欢用这种鄙薄的口气。

“So far as I know.”
“据我所知，情况的确如此。”

“It must be hard for someone like him who is so sweet and gentle. If one can believe the movies life is terrible over there with all those gangsters and cowboys and Mexicans.Not that those cowboys haven't physical attraction which says something to you.Oh, la la！But it appears that it is excessively dangerous to go out into the streets of New York without a revolver in your pocket.”
“拉里和蔼可亲、温文尔雅，他那种人和野蛮人在一起处境一定很艰难。如果电影里的情节可信的话，那些土匪、牛仔和墨西哥人可不是好惹的。倒不是说牛仔缺乏让你动心的吸引力。哎呀呀，可是，你上纽约的大街上去，口袋里不藏把枪，好像是极其危险的。”

She came to the door to see me out and kissed me on both cheeks.
她把我送到门口，在我的两颊上吻了吻。

“We've had some good times together. Keep a good recollection of me.”
“你我相处，开开心心的。日后多想着我点。”