那些无法抗拒的名篇23:Sons and Lovers儿子与情人(节选)

23 儿子与情人

When he was twenty-three years old Paul sent in a landscape to the winter exhibition at Nottingham Castle. Miss Jordan had taken a good deal of interest in him, had invited him to her house, where he met other artists. He was beginning to grow ambitious.

保罗23岁时送了一幅风景画参加诺丁汉城堡举办的冬季画展。乔登小姐对他非常感兴趣，还邀请他去她家里，在那里他见到了其他的艺术家。他逐渐变得雄心勃勃了。

One morning the postman came just as he was washing in the scullery. Suddenly he heard a wild noise from his mother. Rushing into the kitchen，he found her standing on the hearthrug wildly waving a letter and crying "Hurrah!" as if she had gone mad. He was shocked and frightened.

一天早上，他正在水槽旁洗脸，邮差来了。他突然听到母亲大叫了一声，他飞快地冲进厨房，只见她正站在炉前的地毯上，手里拿着一封信使劲挥舞着大喊“好哇!”就像发疯似的。他被吓住了。

"Why, mother!" he exclaimed.

“你怎么了，妈妈?”他喊道。

She flew to him, flung her arms round him for a moment, then waved the letter, crying:

她朝他飞跑过来，猛地抱住他，紧紧地抱了一会儿，然后挥舞着信大声说:

"Hurrah, my boy! I knew we should do it!

“好哇，我的孩子!我就知道我们能成功!”

He was afraid of her一the small, severe woman with greying hair suddenly bursting out in such frenzy. The postman came running back, afraid something had happened. They saw his tipped cap over the short curtains. Mrs. morel rushed to the door.

他心里发怵—这个身材矮小、神态严肃、头发斑白的女人怎么会突然这样疯头疯脑。邮差生怕出什么事，又跑了回来。母子俩从短窗帘上看到了他那顶翘着的帽子。莫尔太太就飞奔了过去。

"His picture's got first prize, Fred," she cried，"and is sold for twenty guineas."

“他的画得了一等奖，弗雷德，”她大声叫着说，“还卖了20几尼。”

"My word, that's something like!”said the young postman, whom they had known all his life.

“我的天，真了不起!”这位年轻的邮差说，他从小就认识他们。

"And Major Moreton has bought it!" she cried.

“莫尔顿少校买下了那幅画。”她大声说道。

"It looks like meanin’something, that does，Mrs. Morel，" said the postman，his blue eyes bright. He was glad to have brought such a lucky letter. Mrs. Morel went indoors and sat down，trembling. Paul was afraid lest she might have misread the letter, and might be disappointed after all. He scrutinized it once, twice. Yes, he became convinced it was true. Then he sat down, his heart beating with joy.

“看样子是件大好事，确实是这样的，莫尔太太。”邮差说道，他那对蓝眼睛也发亮了。他送来了一份喜报，心里可高兴呢。莫尔太太进屋坐下来，激动得身体直哆嗦。保罗生怕她看错信，到头来落得一场空欢喜。他仔细把这封信看了一遍又一遍。没错，他现在也相信了这一切是真的。这时他才坐下，兴奋不已，心怦怦直跳。

"Mother!" he exclaimed.

“妈妈!”他欢呼道。

"Didn’t I say we should do it!”she said, pretending she was not crying.

“我以前不就说过我们会成功的吗!”她说着，不想让他看出自己在流泪。

He took the kettle off the fire and mashed the tea.

他把水壶从炉子上拿下来，泡了杯茶。

"You didn’t think, mother—”he began tentatively.

“你没想到过，妈妈—”他试探着说。

"No, my son一not so much—but I expected a good deal."

“是的，我的儿子—我没想到—不过我对你期望很高。”

"But not so much,"he said.

“可是你没想到，”他说。

"No—no—but I knew we should do it."

“是的，我没想—真没想到—但我一直相信我们会成功的。”

And then she recovered her composure，apparently at least. He sat with his shirt turned back, showing his young throat almost like a girl's，and the towel in his hand，his hair sticking up wet.

她终于恢复了平静，至少看上去是这样。他敞开衬衫坐着，露出像女孩一般白哲的脖子，手里拿着毛巾，头发湿淋淋地竖着。

"Twenty guineas, mother! That's just what you wanted to buy Arthur out. Now you needn't borrow any. It'II just do."

"20几尼，妈妈!刚好可以把亚瑟赎出来。现在你不必去借钱了。这钱够了。”

"Indeed, I shan't take it all," she said.

“可是，我不会都拿去的，”她说。

"But why?"

“为什么?”

"Because I shan't."

“因为我不应该用。”

"Well—you have twelve pounds, I"II have nine."

“那好——你拿去12镑，9镑我留着。”

They cavilled about sharing the twenty guineas. She wanted to take only the five pounds she needed. He would not hear of it. So they got over the stress of emotion by quarreling.

为如何分这20几尼，他们争论不休。她只想拿5镑就够了，可他不听。因此，他们争执了起来，刚才的激动情绪也平息了。

Morel came home at night from the pit, saying:

晚上莫尔从矿井下班回来，说:

"They tell me Paul's got first prize for his picture, and sold it to Lord Henry Bentley for fifty pound."

“他们告诉我，保罗的画拿了一等奖，亨利·本特利爵士还用50英镑把它买下了。”

"Oh, what stories people do tell!”she cried.

“哟，瞧人家编的故事多离奇!”她大声说。

"Ha!" he answered. "I said I wor sure it wor a lie. But they said tha' d told Fred hodgkisson."

“哈!”他答道，“我就说他们一定在撒谎。可他们说那是你告诉弗雷德·霍奇金森的。”

"As if I would tell him such stuff!"

“真像我会告诉他这番话似的!”

Ha! assented the miner.

“哈!”这位煤矿工人附和着。

But he was disappointed nevertheless.

不过他还是有点失望。

"It's true he has got the first prize," said Mrs. Morel.

“他得了一等奖没错，”莫尔太太说。

The miner sat heavily in his chair.

莫尔一屁股坐在椅子上。

"Has he, beguy!" he exclaimed.

“是吗?好小子!”他失声惊叫道。

He stared across the room fixedly.

他目不转睛地盯着他对面的墙壁。

"But as for fifty pounds—such nonsense!" she was silent awhile. "Major Moreton bought it for twenty guineas, that's true.”

“但那50英镑—纯属谣言!”她停了一下，“其实是莫尔顿少校用20几尼买了它。”

"Twenty guineas! Tha niver says!”exclaimed Morel.

"20几尼，真有那么多!”莫尔大声叫道。

"Yes, and it was worth it.”

“是的，它值这么多钱。”

"Ay!”he said. "I don't misdoubt it. But twenty guineas for a bit of a paintin’as he knocked off in an hour or two!"

“哎!”他说，“我就是不信，人们竟花了20几尼买他用一两个小时画出的小玩意儿!”

He was silent with conceit of his son. Mrs. Morel sniffed, as if it were nothing.

他为儿子暗暗感到自豪。莫尔太太若无其事地哼了一声。

"And when does he handle th’money?" asked the collier.

“他什么时候能拿到钱?”矿工问。

"That 1 couldn't tell you When the picture is sent home,I suppose."

“那我可说不上。我想，要在画送到以后吧。”

There was silence. Morel stared at the sugar-basin instead of eating his dinner His black arm, with the hand all gnarled with work, lay on the table. His wife pretended not to see him rub the back of his hand across his eyes, nor the smear in the coal-dust on his black face.

大家都沉默着。莫尔没在吃饭，两眼盯着糖罐看。他那黝黑的胳膊搁放在桌子上，那双手因劳动而粗糙不堪。他用手背擦了一下眼睛，在黑黑的脸上留下了一抹煤灰，他妻子假装没看见。

"Yes, an'that other lad'ud' a done as much if they hadna ha'killed’im," he said quietly.

“是的，要是他们没把老大整死，他也能赚这么多，”他嘀咕着。

The thought of William went through Mrs. Morel like a cold blade. It left her feeling she was tired, and wanted rest.

一想到威廉，莫尔太太心如刀割。这下她才觉得自己累了，要歇歇了。

Paul was invited to dinner at Mr Jordan's. Afterwards he said:

保罗应邀到乔登家吃晚饭。于是保罗说:

"Mother, I want an evening suit."

“妈妈，我想要一套晚礼服。”

"Yes，I was afraid you would，”she said. She was glad. There was a moment or two of silence "There's that one of William’s," she continued, "that I know cost four pounds ten and which he' d only worn three times.”

“好，我想你也该有一套了，”她说着，心里很高兴。他们俩沉默了一会儿。“威廉有一件，”她继续说，“我记得他花了四磅十先令买的，就穿过三次。”

"Should you like me to wear it, mother?" he asked.

“你想让我穿那件衣服，妈妈?”他问。

“Yes, I think it would fit you—at least the coat The trousers would want shortening"

“是的，我想你穿着它会合身的—至少上衣肯定合身。裤子还需要改短一点。”

He went upstairs and put on the coat and vest Coming down，he looked strange in a flannel collar and a flannel shirt- front, with an evening coat and vest It was rather large.

他上楼去穿上晚礼服的上衣和背心。下楼来时，只见他那晚礼服上衣和背心露出法兰绒衬衫的前襟和衣领，样子看起来很怪。衣服太肥了。

"The tailor can make it right,"she said, smoothing her hand over his shoulder "It's beautiful stuff. I never could find in my heart to let your father wear the trousers, and very glad I am now."

“裁缝改一下就好了，”她用手捊捊他肩膀，说“料子很不错。我不舍得让你爸爸穿这裤子，可现在我很高兴你能穿它了。”

And as she smoothed her hand over the silk collar she thought of her eldest son. But this son was living enough inside the clothes. She passed her hand down his back to feel him. He was alive and hers. The other was dead.

她又整了整衣领，想起了她的大儿子。而现在，他的衣服却穿在了这个生龙活虎的儿子身上。她抚摸着她，他还活着，而且是属于她的。而另一个儿子却已经死了。

He went out to dinner several times in his evening suit that had been William's. Each time his mother's heart was firm with pride and joy. He was started now. The studs she and the children had bought for William were in his shirt-front; he wore one of William's dress shirts. But he had an elegant figure. His face was rough，but warm—looking and rather pleasing. He did not look particularly a gentleman，but she thought he looked quite a man.

好几次，保罗晚上出去吃饭都穿着威廉的衣服。每次他妈妈都会很高兴，倍感骄傲。他现在有了新的开始。他衬衫的前襟钉着她和孩子们给威廉买的饰物。衬衫是威廉的。他的体态优雅，他的脸部线条粗犷，但他看上去很热情，挺讨人喜欢的。看上去虽不见得特别像绅士，但她觉得他很有男子汉的气概。

He told her everything that took place，everything that was said. It was as if she had been there. And he was dying to introduce her to these new friends who had dinner at seven— thirty in the evening.

他把所见所闻统统都讲给她听。好像她也在场似的。他非常想在七点半吃晚饭的时候把她介绍给他的新朋友。

"Go along with you!" she said. "What do they want to know me for?"

“去你的吧!”她说，“他们为什么想认识我?”

"They do!”he cried indignantly. "If they want to know me—and they say they do—then they want to know you, because you are quite as clever as I am."

“他们想认识你!”他愤愤不平地说，“如果他们想认识我的话—而且他们说过他们想认识你—他们就会想认识你，因为你和我一样聪明能千。”

"Go along with you, child!" she laughed.

“去你的吧，傻孩子!”她笑着说道。

But she began to spare her hands. They, too, were work-

gnarled now. The skin was shiny with so much hot water, the knuckles rather swollen. But she began to be careful to keep them out of soda. She regretted what they had been—so small and exquisite. And when Annie insisted on her having more stylish blouses to suit her age, she submitted. She even went so far as to allow a black velvet bow to be placed on her hair. Then she sniffed in her sarcastic manner, and was sure she looked a sight. But she looked a lady, Paul declared, as much as Mrs.Major Moreton，and far, far nicer. The family was coming on. Only Morel remained unchanged, or rather, lapsed slowly.

不过，她倒爱惜起自己的一双手来了。这双手干了太多家务活，如今也粗糙了。手上的皮肤用热水浸过后就闪闪发亮，关节也肿胀起来。她开始注意不让手浸到苏打水里。从前她的手是那么纤小而细嫩，一想起来就十分惋惜。当安妮坚持让她添一些适合她年龄穿的时髦点的衬衫时，她顺从了。她甚至同意给她在头上扎一个绸制的黑色蝴蝶结。她觉得自己的行为很滑稽，觉得自己看上去怪模怪样的。但保罗却总说她看上去像个贵妇人，可以和莫尔顿少校夫人相媲美，而且是有过之而无不及。全家境况日见好转。只有莫尔和原来一样没有变化，或者更确切地说，在慢慢退步。

Paul and his mother now had long discussions about life Religion was fading into the background. He had shoveled away all the beliefs that would hamper him，had cleared the ground, and come more or less to the bedrock of belief that one should feel inside oneself for right and wrong，and should have the patience to gradually realize one's God. Now life interested him more.

保罗和他的母亲近来经常会长时间地谈论人生。宗教渐渐退居次要地位。所有牵制他的思想也被他铲除出去，他清扫场地，多少奠定了这样的信仰基础:人应该用自己的内心来判断是非曲直，应该耐心地逐渐认识自己心中的上帝。现在他对生活更感兴趣了。

"You know," he said to his mother, "I don't want to belong to the well-to-do middle class. I like my common people best. I belong to the common people."

“你要知道，”他对他母亲说，“我不想成为生活富足的中产阶级。我还是情愿做普通老百姓。我属于老百姓。”

"But if anyone else said so, my son, wouldn't you be in a tear. You know you consider yourself equal to any gentleman."

“可是，如果是别人这样对你说，我的孩子，你听了不会难过吗?你要知道你向来认为自己和绅士没有什么差别。”

"In myself," he answered," not in my class or my education or my manners. But in myself I am.

“从我本身来说是这样的，”他回答，“但这和我的阶级、我的教育和我的行为举止无关，就我的本身来说，确是平等的。”

"Very well, then. Then why talk about the common people?"

“说得不错，可你干吗又要说什么老百姓呢?”

"Because—the difference between people isn't in their class, but in themselves. Only from the middle classes one gets ideas, and from the common people—life itself, warmth. You feel their hates and loves."

“因为—人的差别不在于阶级，而在于本身。你能从中产阶级那里得到的只是思想，而从普通老百姓那里—获得的是生活本身，还有他们强烈的情感。你感受到他们的爱和恨。”

"It's all very well, my boy. But, then, why don't you go and talk to your father's pals?"

“对倒是对，我的孩子。可是，那你为什么不去和你父亲的哥们聊聊呢?”

"But they're rather different."

“可他们有些不同。”

Not at all. They're the common people. After all, whom do you mix with now—among the common people? Those that exchange ideas, like the middle classes. The rest don’t interest you."

“你错了。他们就是普通老百姓。最重要的是，你现在和谁混在一起—是和普通的老百姓?和那些爱交流思想的人才对，比如那些中产阶级。其他的人你是不会感兴趣的。”

"But—there's the life—”

“可是—还有生活—”

"I don't believe there's a lot more life from Miriam than you could get from any educated girl—say Miss Moreton? It is you who are snobbish about class."

“我就不相信，米里亚姆的生活会比那些受过教育的小姐—比如莫尔顿小姐的生活要丰富得多。对阶级抱势利观点的人是你。”

She frankly wanted him to climb into the middle class, a thing not very difficult, she knew. And she wanted him in the end to marry a lady.

坦白地说，她很想让他跻身于中产阶级，她知道，这并不是很难。她希望他最终能娶个名门淑女。

Now she began to combat him in his restless fretting. He still kept up his connexion with Miriam, could neither break free nor go the whole length of engagement. And this indecision seemed to bleed him of his energy. Moreover, his mother suspected him of an unrecognized leaning towards Clara，and, since the latter was a married woman，she wished he would fall in love with one of the girls in a better station of life. But he was stupid, and would refuse to love or even to admire a girl much, just because she was his social superior.

现在她开始跟满心烦恼的他进行斗争。他仍然跟米里亚姆藕断丝连。既不能彻底断掉，也没发展到订婚这一步。这种优柔寡断把他折磨得精疲力竭。而且他母亲怀疑他可能对有夫之妇克莱拉暗中倾心，她希望他能和一位生活条件优越一点的女子谈恋爱。他太傻，竟然因为女孩子社会地位比他高就不愿去爱慕她们，甚至不愿去对她们表达爱慕之情。

"My boy,"said his mother to him，"All your cleverness，your breaking away from old things, and taking life in your own hands, doesn't seem to bring you much happiness."

“我的孩子，”母亲对他说，“你聪明，你不受旧事物羁绊，而且能掌握自己的未来，这一切看来并没有带给你很多幸福。”

"What is happiness!”he cried. "It's nothing to me! How am I to be happy?"

“幸福是什么东西!”他叫道，“它对我来说什么东西都不是!我怎么做才能幸福?”

The plump question disturbed her.

这句鲁莽的话把她问得心烦意乱。

"That's for you to judge, my lad. But if you could meet some good woman who would make you happy—and you began to think of settling your life—when you have the means—so that you could work without all this fretting—it would be much better for you."

“这要由你来判断了，我的孩子。但如果你遇到某个好姑娘，她能令你幸福—你开始想安定下来—你有了收入后—那你就会安安心心地工作，没那么多烦恼—你就会比现在好多了。”

He frowned. His mother caught him on the raw of his wound of Miriam. He pushed the tumbled hair off his forehead, his eyes full of pain and fire.

他皱了皱眉头。母亲触到他和米里亚姆关系的痛处。他把额前乱蓬蓬的头发拨开，两眼冒火，十分痛苦。

"you mean easy, mother," he cried. "That's a woman's whole doctrine for life—ease of soul and physical comfort. And I do despise it."

“你说得容易，妈妈，”他喊道，“那只是女人的全部的生活教条—精神上的安宁和肉体上的舒适。我看不起这些东西。”

"Oh，do you!" replied his mother. "And do you call yours a divine discontent?"

“噢，你这么想!”他母亲回答，“你把你的生活教条叫做一种神圣的缺憾?”

"Yes. I don't care about its divinity. But damn your happiness! So long as life’s full, it doesn’t matter whether it's happy or not. I'm afraid your happiness would bore me. "

“是的，我不关心它是否神圣。让你的幸福见鬼去吧!只要生活充实，幸福不幸福又有什么关系。反而你的幸福会让我厌烦。”

"You never give it a chance,"she said. Then suddenly all her passion of grief over him broke out. "But it does matter!" she cried. "And you ought to be happy, you ought to try to be happy, to live to be happy. How could I bear to think your life wouldn't be a happy one!

“你从来没去尝试过，”她说。一下子，她对他的悲痛之情全部都爆发出来。“幸福很重要!”她喊道，“而且你应该得到幸福，你应该努力使自己幸福，幸福地去生活。我怎么忍心眼看你过得不幸福!”

"Your owns been bad enough, mater, but it hasn't left you so much worse off than the folk who've been happier. I reckon you've done well. And I am the same. Aren't I well enough off?"

“你自己的生活很不幸，妈妈，但你并没有比那些生活得比你幸福的人更糟。我认为你做得很好。我和你一样。我不是也很好吗?”

"You' re not, my son. Battle—battle—and suffer. It's about all you do, as far as I can see."

“不好，我的儿子。搏斗—搏斗—然后受苦。这就是我所看到的你生活的全部。”

"But why not, my dear? I tell you it's the best—”

“为什么不，亲爱的妈妈?我要告诉你这样最好—”

"It isn't. And one ought to be happy, one ought.

“不是的。每个人都应该生活幸福，每一个人都应该这样。”

By this time Mrs. Morel was trembling violently. Struggles of this kind often took place between her and her son, when she seemed to fight for his very life against his own will to die. He took her in his arms. She was ill and pitiful.

此刻，莫尔太太浑身剧烈地颤抖。她常常和她儿子为这样的问题争论不休，就好像是在力图保全他这条命而竭力打消他只求一死的念头似的。他抱着她。她气色不好，怪可怜的。

"Never mind, Little," he murmured. "So long as you don't feel life's paltry and a miserable business, the rest doesn’t matter,happiness or unhappiness."

“没事的，好妈妈，”他喃喃地说，“只要生活对你来说不是毫无价值，不是贫乏得不值得一提的话，幸福也罢不幸福也罢，都无关紧要。”

She pressed him to her.

她紧紧地抱住他。

"But I want you to be happy," she said pathetically.

“可是我希望你能幸福，”她可怜巴巴地说。

Eh, my dear—say rather you want me to live.

“嗯，亲爱的妈妈—你还不如说你希望我能活着。”

Mrs. Morel felt as if her heart would break for him. At this rate she knew he would not live. He had that poignant careless ness about himself, his own suffering, his own life, which is a form of slow suicide. It almost broke her heart. With all the passion of her strong nature she hated Miriam for having in this subtle way undermined his joy. It did not matter to her that Miriam could not help it. Miriam did it, and she hated her.

莫尔太太感到自己的一颗心为他操碎了。再这样下去，她知道他可能都不愿再活下去。他已经对他自己，他所遭受的痛苦，他的生命漠不关心，这简直就是一种慢性自杀。这让她的心都碎了。性情刚强的她用她所有情感来痛恨米里亚姆，恨她在一步一步悄无声息地摧残着他的快乐。她不管米里亚姆是不是有意这样做。米里亚姆摧残了他的快乐，因此她痛恨她。

作者介绍:

戴维·赫伯特·劳伦斯(1885-1930)，英国著名小说家、散文家，当过会计，小学教师，曾游历意大利、南美、美国、澳洲等地，并在国外居住多年。著名小说有《虹》、《恋爱中的女人》、《查泰莱夫人的情人》、《袋鼠》、《雨蛇》等，著名散文有《意大利的黄昏》、《大海与萨丁岛》、《启示录》等。其散文语言优美流畅、气势宏大、富含智慧和洞察力，堪称世界一流。戴维·赫伯特·劳伦斯是二十世纪杰出的小说家，被称为“英国文学史上最伟大的人物之一”。

《儿子与情人》是一部带有自传性质的长篇小说。莫尔太太把儿子当作自己理想中的爱人，她照顾他，抚养他，她做的一切，都超出了一位母亲所能做的。她对儿子的这种爱，不是单纯的亲情之爱，更大程度上来说是一种爱情的体现。而保罗，也在心目中把自己的母亲当作了自己的爱人，以至于他觉得，只要他母亲在，他在此生就不可能找到自己的爱人。因为这个爱人就在他身边，那就是他的母亲。