現(xiàn)代英文選評：A Special Occasion 兩小

A Special Occasion 兩小

Joyce Cary (1888—1957)

本文作者喬伊斯·卡里生于愛爾蘭，祖先原為英人，牛津大學(xué)出身，第一次大戰(zhàn)時曾在非洲從軍作戰(zhàn)。他寫作興趣發(fā)生甚早，苦練不輟，然難有愜意之作，其第一本書易稿多次，于1930年始出版。迄今成書十余種，以Mister Johnson（1939）及三部曲Herself Surprised（1941），To Be a Pilgrim（1942），The Horse's Mouth（1944）為最著名?？ɡ镌诮袢找驯慌e世公認為英國大小說家。

卡里觀察深刻，對人生有強烈的愛好，故最善描寫人物。其文字洗煉有力，要言不煩，奇思妙想，絡(luò)繹而來，生動活潑，逸趣橫生，然而不夸張，不以辭害意，層次井然，語語恰到好處。茍非曾經(jīng)苦功鍛煉，實不克臻此。

本文原刊《哈柏雜志》（Harper's Magazine, Oct. 1951），現(xiàn)從《哈柏雜志佳作選》（Harper's Magazine Reader，1953年美國小斗雞叢書版）錄出。全文故事甚簡單，且可說并無深意，然而其摹狀人物，生動有致，若文學(xué)本為人生寫照，則作者亦可謂善盡其使命矣。

The nursery doors opened and Nurse's voice said in the sugary tone which she used to little girl guests, "Here you are, darling, and Tommy will show you all his toys." A little brown-haired girl in a silk party frock, sticking out all around her legs like a lampshade, came in at the door, stopped, and stared at her host. Tom, a dark little boy, aged five, also in a party suit, blue linen knickers, and a silk shirt, stared back at the girl. Nurse had gone into the night nursery, next door, on her private affairs.

● 故事的開頭是一個小女孩去拜訪一個小男孩子；但作者筆下多描寫，少說明，他的目的不僅是講故事，而且更要使讀者“如見其人，如聞其聲”。

● Nurse是那男孩子的保姆。nursery：育兒室，供小孩與保姆應(yīng)用的房間。本段末句另有night nursery兩字，可見那家人家有兩間育兒室，一間供兒童游戲之用，一間是兒童的臥室。

● 第一句“育兒室的門打開了”，誰打開的呢？該是保姆開了門，把那小女孩子送進來的。保姆對小女客們說話，總是用（used）一種甜蜜的音調(diào)（sugary tone）。party frock：赴宴出客時所穿的外衣。外衣下幅是裙子，想必漿得很挺，向四外伸張（sticking out），如同燈罩一般。把裙子比作燈罩，是作者巧思，亦是文章情趣所在。

● suit：成套的西裝。linen：麻布。knickers（或作knicker-bockers）：一種小腳管的肥大短褲，短燈籠褲。

● on her private affairs：料理自己的私事去了。

Tom, having stared at the girl for a long time as one would study a curiosity, rare and valuable, but extremely surprising, put his feet together, made three jumps forward and said, "Hullo."

The little girl turned her head over one shoulder and slowly revolved on one heel, as if trying to examine the back of her own frock. She then stooped suddenly, brushed the hem with her hand, and said, "Hullo."

● study：端詳，仔細地看。前有would，表示虛擬語氣（好像是一個人看一件寶貝似的）。curiosity在這里是普通名詞不是抽象名詞，解作“奇珍異寶”。后隨三個形容詞：rare, valuable和surprising。普通學(xué)生作文總把形容詞放在名詞之前，然有時形容詞放在名詞之后，句法更易開展。請參閱前篇The Duck一文末句中“…that life, mysterious, fruitful, beautiful…”形容詞的位置。

● Tom是主語，它的動詞是put（把雙腳并起），made，said三字。

● 雙方瞪目而視者良久，小男孩跳了三步，上前迎候，小女孩羞答答地回禮。作者不用bashful這一類的字，而女孩嬌羞之狀可掬。她頭向后轉(zhuǎn)，以一只腳跟為支點，全身慢慢地轉(zhuǎn)（revolved），好像要轉(zhuǎn)身過去，仔細看看她身后的衣服似的。然后她突然俯下身去，手擦著衣服的邊（hem），說聲：哈羅。

Tom made another jump, turned round, pointed out of the window, and said in a loud voice something like "twanky tweedle." Both knew that neither the gesture nor the phrase was meant to convey a meaning. They simply expressed the fact that for Tom this was an important and exciting, a very special occasion.

● twanky tweedle兩字沒有意義，是小孩嘴里隨便發(fā)出的聲音。gesture：姿勢；即指手指窗外這一姿勢。convey：表達。他做出這種姿勢，說出這兩個字來，其用意（was meant）并不要表達什么意義。

● They=the gesture and the phrase。

● occasion：時機，場合，事件。小客人來拜會，是一樁重要的、動人的、很特殊的事件（點明題意）。前面說句法如求便于開展，可將形容詞放在名詞之后；這里為求結(jié)束穩(wěn)當(dāng)，收煞有力，還是把名詞放在形容詞之后。

The little girl took a step forward, caught her frock in both hands as if about to make a curtsy, rose upon her toes, and said in a prim voice, "I beg your pardon."

They both gazed at each other for some minutes with sparkling eyes. Neither smiled, but it seemed that both were about to smile.

● curtsy：婦人欠身屈膝之禮。rose upon her toes：踮了腳身體伸直起來。prim：矜持，拘謹(jǐn)。I beg your pardon：對不起。（這句普通客套話，“你說什么，我沒有聽懂”。）

● gaze亦是“凝視”。stare只是“瞠目”或“瞪目”而視，表情比較呆板；gaze則顯得更用心，或更有意，更露出欣羨贊賞之情。對人stare容易引起人家見怪，gaze則不致引起禮貌問題。sparkling eyes：光亮的眼睛。

Tom then gave another incomprehensible shout, ran round the table, sat down on the floor and began to play with a clockwork engine on a circular track. The little girl climbed on a tricycle and pedaled round the floor. "I can ride your bike," she said.

Tom paid no attention. He was trying how fast the engine could go without falling off the track.

● incomprehensible：大家聽不懂的，不可思議的。shout：亂嚷。another和前面的“twanky tweedle”相呼應(yīng)。

● clockwork：發(fā)條（用發(fā)條開動的）。engine：火車頭。circular track：環(huán)形軌道。

● tricycle：三輪腳踏車。pedaled：腳踏，蹬。bike原是bicycle的俗稱，就本文看來，tricycle因為形狀像bicycle，亦可簡稱作bike的。

● 女孩子踩腳踏車玩兒，男孩子不去理她，只顧玩他的小火車。（這種不理睬人獨行其是的態(tài)度，自是男孩兒的本色。）他在試驗：火車頭能快到什么程度，同時不至于跌出軌道外面去。

The little girl took a picture book, sat down under the table with her back to Tom, and slowly, carefully, examined each page. "It's got a crooked wheel," Tom said, "that's what." The little girl made no answer. She was staring at the book with round eyes and a small pursed mouth—the expression of a nervous child at the zoo when the lions are just going to roar. Slowly and carefully she turned the next page. As it opened, her eyes became larger, her mouth more tightly pursed, as if she expected some creature to jump out at her.

● 女孩子拿起圖畫書來看，男孩子還在玩他的小火車。crooked wheel：輪子扭曲了，所以車子老是跌出來。

● pursed mouth：小嘴收縮起來。expression：表情；同位語，用以說明前面的round eyes and a small pursed mouth。這種瞪眼撅嘴的樣子就像是一個膽怯的（nervous）小孩子，在動物園（zoo）里，看見獅子快要張口吼叫的時候，那種既興奮又恐懼的表情。

● As it opened：翻到次一頁的時候。tightly：緊。

Tom. Nurse, having completed her private business, came bustling in. "Tom, you naughty boy, is this the way you entertain your guests? Poor little Jenny, all by herself under the table." The nurse was plump and middle-aged, an old-fashioned nanny.

She's not by herself, Tom said.

● bustling：匆匆忙忙的。entertain：招待?！澳闶沁@樣子招待客人的嗎？”you entertain your guests是定語從句，其連接詞（該是in which兩字）通常都是省略的。

● all by herself：獨自一個，沒人陪伴。

● plump：肥胖。nanny=nurse。

● 故事進入此段，另開一局面。若無保姆的一句話，不會惹起下面的一場風(fēng)波。又請注意：女孩子名叫Jenny，到此段始點出。

Oh, Tom, that really is naughty of you. Where are all your nice manners? Get up, my dear, and play with her like a good boy.

I am playing with her, Tom said, in a surly tone, and he gave Nurse a sidelong glance of anger.

● that is really naughty of you：你真太淘氣了。注意“形容詞（naughty）+ of +人（you）”這一類的用法。

● manners：禮貌。good boy：乖孩子。

● surly：恚恨粗魯之狀。a sidelong glance：斜視一下。

Now Tom, get up when I ask you. She stooped, took Tom by the arm, and lifted him up. "Come now, you must be polite, after you've asked her yourself and pestered for her all the week."

At this public disclosure, Tom instantly lost his temper and yelled, "I didn't—I didn't—I won't—I won't."

● took Tom by the arm：攙他的胳膊。注意介詞by的用法。

● pestered for her：無理取鬧地要她來。pester普通字典認為是及物動詞，但這里用作不及物動詞。

● public disclosure：當(dāng)眾揭發(fā)。他鬧了一個星期要那小女孩子來玩，這件事情給保姆揭發(fā)（disclose）了，使得他大失面子。女孩子為什么來的，這里補敘說明。

● I didn't=I didn't ask her。

● I won't.=I won't get up.或I won't ask her.

Then I'll have to take poor little Jenny downstairs again to her mummy.

No—no—no.

Will you play with her then?

No. I hate her—I never wanted her.

At this the little girl rose and said, in precise indignant tones, "He is naughty, isn't he?"

● I'll have to：我將不得不這么做。mummy=mama。又按:此處用downstairs一字，足見育兒室是在樓上。

● precise：咬音準(zhǔn)確，口齒清楚的。indignant：憤慨的。

● 客人總應(yīng)該比主人多守一點規(guī)矩，女孩子自然也比男孩子生得文雅些，所以那個小女孩的言語舉止處處故作老成，和男孩子的粗野不文正成一對比。

Tom flew at her, and seized her by the hair; the little girl at once uttered a loud scream, kicked him on the leg, and bit his arms. She was carried screaming to the door by Nurse, who, from there, issued sentence on Tom, "I'm going straight to your father, as soon as he comes in." Then she went out, banging the door.

● flew（fly的過去式）：猛撲（后隨介詞at或upon）。seized her by the hair：抓住她的頭發(fā)。注意介詞by的用法。

● uttered：發(fā)出（聲音）。scream：尖聲喊叫。kicked him on the leg：踢他的腿。介詞又改用on了。bit（bite的過去式）：咬。

● issued：發(fā)表。sentence：（法庭之）判決。banging：砰的一聲關(guān)上。

Tom ran at the door and kicked it, rushed at the engine, picked it up and flung it against the wall. Then he howled at the top of his voice for five minutes. He intended to howl all day. He was suffering from a large and complicated grievance.

● flung（fling的過去式）：猛擲。howled：號哭怪叫。at the top of his voice：聲音盡量地大。intended：打算；意欲。grievance：不平之事，委屈。complicated：復(fù)雜的，不單純的。

All at once the door opened and the little girl walked in. She had an air of immense satisfaction as if she had just done something very clever. She said in a tone demanding congratulation, "I've come back."

● immense：極大的。satisfaction：快慰，得意。

● tone demanding congratulation：她的音調(diào)在要求別人向她道賀。她并沒有要求別人來向她道賀，只是她的得意之色，溢于言表，好像誰聽了她這種音調(diào)，就該向她道賀似的。她得意些什么事呢？因為她又回來了！兩個小孩子一下吵架，一下又和好如初，全篇故事就在這“離”“合”之間進展。文章開頭時，小女客來訪，應(yīng)該是兩人玩在一起了，但事實上兩人各人玩各人的，終至哭哭鬧鬧打架而散。但是分開了沒有多久，兩人又聚在一起了。故事乃又開一新局面。

Tom gazed at her through his tears and gave a loud sob. Then he picked up the engine, sat down by the track. But the engine fell off at the first push. He gave another sob, looked at the wheels, and bent one of them straight.

The little girl lifted her party frock behind in order not to crush it, sat down under the table, and drew the book onto her knee.

● 上面沒有講男孩子流淚，現(xiàn)在卻已是淚眼婆娑，隔了眼淚向來人凝視（神情如畫），心中氣憤難平，再高聲抽泣了一下。

● sat down by the track：靠了軌道旁坐下。

● fell off at the first push=fell off the track at the first push：一推就跌出來了。bent…straight：用手扳直。

● 他們兩人還是各人玩各人的。女孩子怕把衣服坐壞（壓皺：crush it），先把衣服后面撩了起來，又坐到桌子下面去看書。onto=to a position on。

Tom tried the engine at high speed. His face was still set in the form of anger and bitterness, but he forgot to sob. He exclaimed with surprise and pleased excitement, "It's the lines too—where I trod on'em."

● at high speed：高速度（行駛）。

● His face was still set：滿臉怒容，怨憤（bitterness）之色，依然未改。set有“固定不動”之意。

● exclaimed：喊著說。pleased excitement：心中帶著喜悅的興奮。他把火車跌翻的病源找出來了，原來軌道（lines）也出了毛病，就是在他腳踩（trod是tread的過去式）過的地方。’em即them，代表lines。男孩子的問題已經(jīng)解決，小說已近尾聲，再看那女孩子吧。

The little girl did not reply. Slowly, carefully, she opened the book in the middle and gazed at an elephant. Her eyes became immense, her lips minute. But suddenly, and as it were, accidentally, she gave an enormous sigh of relief, a very special happiness.

● 女孩子還是只顧自己看書。slowly，carefully兩字前面講到她看書時已用過兩次，此次三度出現(xiàn)，更顯出前后照應(yīng)。女孩子翻書用這兩個字來形容，很為恰當(dāng)，和男孩子的莽撞，正成對比。

● 女孩子的表情，還是同以前一樣，只是眼睛睜得更大了，嘴縮得更小了。作者只抓住眼和嘴兩部分來描寫，筆墨經(jīng)濟之至，可是效果非常生動。女孩子聽見男孩子的“問題”解決了，嘴里不說什么，臉上表情依舊；可是突然的，好像又是（as it were）偶然的（“好像是”偶然的，那就并不真是偶然的了），她大大地（enormous）松了一口氣，似乎心上的石頭也放下了。（relief：憂慮消失后的輕松）。她這聲長嘆正是表示一種很特殊的快樂。happiness是同位語；special和“A Special Occasion”又前后照應(yīng)。男孩子的問題已經(jīng)解決，大約不致再辜負今天這個special occasion了吧？