雙語·《刀鋒》 第七章 六

CHAPTER SEVEN 6
第七章 六

This is the end of my story. I have heard nothing of Larry, nor indeed did I expect to.Since he generally did what he proposed, I think it likely that on his return to America he got a job in a garage and then drove a truck till he had acquired the knowledge he wanted of the country from which he had for so many years absented himself.When he had done that he may very well have carried out his fantastic suggestion of becoming a taxi driver：true, it was only arandom idea thrown across a café table in jest, but I shouldn’t be altogether surprised if he had put it into effect；and I have never since taken a taxi in New York without glancing at the driver on the chance that I might meet Larry’s gravely smiling, deep-set eyes.I never have.War broke out.He would have been too old to fly, but he may be once more driving a truck, at home or abroad；or he may be working in a factory.I should like to think that in his leisure hours he is writing a book in which he is trying to set forth whatever life has taught him and the message he has to deliver to his fellow-men；but if he is, it may be long before it is finished.He has plenty of time, for the years have left no mark on him and to all intents and purposes he is still a young man.
我講的故事到這里就結(jié)束了。拉里那邊音訊全無，其實(shí)我也沒指望能聽到他的消息。他歷來我行我素，由著自己的性子干事。想必他回到闊別多年的美國，先是在汽車修理廠找了份工作干，后來便當(dāng)了個(gè)卡車司機(jī)四處跑，直至把這個(gè)國家了解個(gè)透。這一目標(biāo)實(shí)現(xiàn)之后，他很可能會把他那奇怪的想法付諸實(shí)施——開出租車。那原本是在和我喝咖啡時(shí)開玩笑的一句話，但他如果當(dāng)真做起來，我一點(diǎn)都不會感到稀奇。那以后我每次在紐約搭乘出租車，都要把司機(jī)掃一眼，想著說不定會看見拉里的那雙深陷的莊重而含笑的眼睛，卻始終沒有看見過。后來第二次世界大戰(zhàn)爆發(fā)，他年齡太大，當(dāng)不成飛行員，但他很可能又去開卡車了，在國內(nèi)或海外運(yùn)輸物資，要不然就是進(jìn)工廠做工，盡自己的一份力量。有了閑暇時(shí)間，他很可能會著書立傳，講述自己的人生經(jīng)驗(yàn)，向自己的同胞傳經(jīng)送寶。不過，對他而言，要完成一部書稿得花很長的時(shí)間。反正他有的是時(shí)間——?dú)q月在他的身上沒有留下印痕，不管從哪一方面說，他都仍然是個(gè)青年。

He is without ambition and he has no desire for fame；to become anything of a public figure would be deeply distasteful to him；and so it may be that he is satisfied to lead his chosen life and be no more than just himself. He is too modest to set himself up as an example to others；but it may be he thinks that a few uncertain souls, drawn to him like moths to a candle, will be brought in time to share his own glowing belief that ultimate satisfaction can only be found in the life of the spirit, and that by himself following with selflessness and renunciation the path of perfection he will serve as well as if he wrote books or addressed multitudes.
他沒有野心，無意追名逐利。要他蠅營狗茍以成為社會名流，只會叫他大倒胃口。他按自己選擇的道路生活，心安理得、隨遇而安。他是個(gè)謙謙君子，不圖為人之榜樣。但他覺得可能有一些人會受到他的感召，和他具有同樣熾熱的激情和信仰——人生最大的滿足感只能在精神生活中獲取。他無私無欲、嚴(yán)于律己，走的是一條不斷完善自我的道路，對旁人產(chǎn)生的影響無異于著書立傳或傳經(jīng)布道。

But this is conjecture. I am of the earth, earthy；I can only admire the radiance of such a rare creature, I cannot step into his shoes and enter into his innermost heart as I sometimes think I can do with persons more nearly allied to the common run of men.Larry has been absorbed, as he wished, into that tumultuous conglomeration of humanity, distracted by so many conflicting interests, so lost in the world's confusion, so wishful of good, so cocksure on the outside, so diffident within, so kind, so hard, so trustful, and so cagey, so mean and so generous, which is the people of the United States.That is all I can tell of him：I know it is very unsatisfactory；I can't help it.But as I was finishing this book, uneasily conscious that I must leave my reader in the air and seeing no way to avoid it, I looked back with my mind's eye on my long narrative to see if there was any way in which I could devise a more satisfactory ending；and to my intense surprise it dawned upon me that without in the least intending to I had written nothing more or less than a success story.For all the persons with whom I have been concerned got what they wanted：Elliott social eminence；Isabel an assured position backed by a substantial fortune in an active and cultured community；Gray a steady and lucrative job, with an office to go to from nine till six every day；Suzanne Rouvier security；Sophie death；and Larry happiness.And however superciliously the highbrows carp, we the public in our heart of hearts all like a success story；so perhaps my ending is not so unsatisfactory after all.
我畢竟是個(gè)凡夫俗子，對于他的胸懷只能揣度一二。對于普通的飲食男女，我還是比較了解的。但對于拉里這樣光彩奪目的人之翹楚，我只有敬仰的份兒，他之情懷及內(nèi)心世界卻不甚了了。拉里如其所愿，融入了喧囂激蕩的人海中——這茫茫的人海為錯(cuò)綜復(fù)雜的利益和矛盾所糾纏，迷失于風(fēng)雨飄搖的大世界，人們渴望美好的生活，外表篤定而內(nèi)心彷徨，有善者也有惡者，有守財(cái)奴也有仗義疏財(cái)者。這，就是美利堅(jiān)合眾國的人民！關(guān)于拉里的故事，我只能講這許多了，深知不足，卻也只好如此了。完稿后，我覺得讀者閱讀此書，可能會迷茫，對故事的主旨有些摸不著頭腦，于是便將這部長篇小說重溫一遍，看能不能設(shè)計(jì)一個(gè)令人滿意一點(diǎn)的結(jié)局。這一重溫不當(dāng)緊，我突然有所感悟，萬分驚訝地發(fā)現(xiàn)，我雖無寫“成功”之意，但此書卻的確是一部關(guān)于“成功”的小說。書中跟我有關(guān)的主人公無不如愿以償——艾略特成為社交界名流；伊莎貝爾有雄厚的經(jīng)濟(jì)基礎(chǔ)，在一個(gè)生機(jī)勃勃、文化氣氛濃郁的社區(qū)占有穩(wěn)固的一席之地；格雷找到一個(gè)穩(wěn)定而賺錢的職業(yè)，早晨九點(diǎn)上班，下午六點(diǎn)下班；蘇姍娜·魯維埃過上了衣食無憂的日子；索菲以死亡解脫；拉里尋覓到了幸福的歸宿。那些自命不凡的人也許會吹毛求疵，但普通大眾打心眼里還是喜歡“成功”小說的。就這一點(diǎn)而論，本故事的結(jié)局還算令人稱心吧。