(雙語(yǔ))月亮和六便士 第21章(2)

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I received the impression of a life which was a bitter struggle against every sort of difficulty; but I realised that much which would have seemed horrible to most people did not in the least affect him. Strickland was distinguished from most Englishmen by his perfect indifference to comfort; it did not irk him to live always in one shabby room; he had no need to be surrounded by beautiful things. I do not suppose he had ever noticed how dingy was the paper on the wall of the room in which on my first visit I found him. He did not want arm-chairs to sit in; he really felt more at his ease on a kitchen chair. He ate with appetite, but was indifferent to what he ate; to him it was only food that he devoured to still the pangs of hunger; and when no food was to be had he seemed capable of doing without. I learned that for six months he had lived on a loaf of bread and a bottle of milk a day. He was a sensual man, and yet was indifferent to sensual things. He looked upon privation as no hardship. There was something impressive in the manner in which he lived a life wholly of the spirit.

我的總印象是，這個(gè)人一直在同各式各樣的困難艱苦斗爭(zhēng)；但是我發(fā)現(xiàn)對(duì)于大多數(shù)人說(shuō)來(lái)似乎是根本無(wú)法忍受的事，他卻絲毫不以為苦。思特里克蘭德與多數(shù)英國(guó)人不同的地方在于他完全不關(guān)心生活上的安樂舒適。叫他一輩子住在一間破破爛爛的屋子里他也不會(huì)感到不舒服，他不需要身邊有什么漂亮的陳設(shè)。我猜想他從來(lái)沒有注意到我第一次拜訪他時(shí)屋子的糊墻紙是多么骯臟。他不需要有一張安樂椅，坐在硬靠背椅上他倒覺得更舒服自在。他的胃口很好，但對(duì)于究竟吃什么卻漠不關(guān)心。對(duì)他說(shuō)來(lái)他吞咽下去的只是為了解饑果腹的食物，有的時(shí)候斷了頓兒，他好象還有挨餓的本領(lǐng)。從他的談話中我知道他有六個(gè)月之久每天只靠一頓面包、一瓶牛奶過活。他是一個(gè)耽于飲食聲色的人，但對(duì)這些事物又毫不在意。他不把忍饑受凍當(dāng)作什么苦難。他這樣完完全全地過著一種精神生活，不由你不被感動(dòng)。

When the small sum of money which he brought with him from London came to an end he suffered from no dismay. He sold no pictures; I think he made little attempt to sell any; he set about finding some way to make a bit of money. He told me with grim humour of the time he had spent acting as guide to Cockneys who wanted to see the night side of life in Paris; it was an occupation that appealed to his sardonic temper and somehow or other he had acquired a wide acquaintance with the more disreputable quarters of the city. He told me of the long hours he spent walking about the Boulevard de la Madeleine on the look-out for Englishmen, preferably the worse for liquor, who desired to see things which the law forbade. When in luck he was able to make a tidy sum; but the shabbiness of his clothes at last frightened the sight-seers, and he could not find people adventurous enough to trust themselves to him. Then he happened on a job to translate the advertisements of patent medicines which were sent broadcast to the medical profession in England. During a strike he had been employed as a house-painter.

當(dāng)他把從倫敦帶來(lái)的一點(diǎn)錢花完以后，他也沒有沮喪氣餒。他沒有出賣自己的畫作，我想他在這方面并沒有怎么努力。他開始尋找一些掙錢的門徑。他用自我解嘲的語(yǔ)氣告訴我，有一段日子他曾經(jīng)給那些想領(lǐng)略巴黎夜生活的倫敦人當(dāng)向?qū)?。由于他慣愛嘲諷挖苦，這倒是一個(gè)投合他脾氣的職業(yè)。他對(duì)這座城市的那些不體面的地區(qū)逐漸都熟悉起來(lái)。他告訴我他如何在馬德蓮大馬路走來(lái)走去，希望遇到個(gè)想看看法律所不允許的事物的英國(guó)老鄉(xiāng)，最好是個(gè)帶有幾分醉意的人。如果運(yùn)氣好他就能賺一筆錢。但是后來(lái)他那身破爛衣服把想觀光的人都嚇跑了，他找不到敢于把自己交到他手里的冒險(xiǎn)家了。這時(shí)由于偶然的機(jī)會(huì)他找到了一個(gè)翻譯專賣藥廣告的工作，這些藥要在英國(guó)醫(yī)藥界推銷，需要英語(yǔ)說(shuō)明。有一次趕上罷工，他甚至還當(dāng)過粉刷房屋的油漆匠。