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雙語·返老還童:菲茨杰拉德短篇小說選 五一節(jié) 六

所屬教程:譯林版·返老還童:菲茨杰拉德短篇小說選

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2022年05月27日

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MAY DAY VI

At one o'clock a special orchestra, special even in a day of special orchestras, arrived at Delmonico's, and its members, seating themselves arrogantly around the piano, took up the burden of providing music for the Gamma Psi Fraternity. They were headed by a famous flute-player, distinguished throughout New York for his feat of standing on his head and shimmying with his shoulders while he played the latest jazz on his flute. During his performance the lights were extinguished except for the spotlight on the flute-player and another roving beam that threw flickering shadows and changing kaleidoscopic colors over the massed dancers.

Edith had danced herself into that tired, dreamy state habitual only with débutantes, a state equivalent to the glow of a noble soul after several long highballs. Her mind floated vaguely on the bosom of her music; her partners changed with the unreality of phantoms under the colorful shifting dusk, and to her present coma it seemed as if days had passed since the dance began. She had talked on many fragmentary subjects with many men. She had been kissed once and made love to six times. Earlier in the evening different under-graduates had danced with her, but now, like all the more popular girls there, she had her own entourage—that is, half a dozen gallants had singled her out or were alternating her charms with those of some other chosen beauty; they cut in on her in regular, inevitable succession.

Several times she had seen Gordon—he had been sitting a long time on the stairway with his palm to his head, his dull eyes fixed at an infinite spark on the floor before him, very depressed, he looked, and quite drunk—but Edith each time had averted her glance hurriedly. All that seemed long ago; her mind was passive now, her senses were lulled to trance-like sleep; only her feet danced and her voice talked on in hazy sentimental banter.

But Edith was not nearly so tired as to be incapable of moral indignation when Peter Himmel cut in on her, sublimely and happily drunk. She gasped and looked up at him.

“Why, Peter!”

“I'm a li'l' stewed, Edith.”

“Why, Peter, you're a peach, you are! Don't you think it's a bum way of doing—when you're with me?”

Then she smiled unwillingly, for he was looking at her with owlish sentimentality varied with a silly spasmodic smile.

“Darlin' Edith,” he began earnestly, “you know I love you, don't you?”

“You tell it well.”

“I love you—and I merely wanted you to kiss me,” he added sadly.

His embarrassment, his shame, were both gone. She was a mos' beautiful girl in whole worl'. Mos' beautiful eyes, like stars above. He wanted to ‘pologize—firs’, for presuming try to kiss her; second, for drinking—but he'd been so discouraged 'cause he had thought she was mad at him—

The red-fat man cut in, and looking up at Edith smiled radiantly.

“Did you bring any one?” she asked.

No. The red-fat man was a stag.

“Well, would you mind—would it be an awful bother for you to—to take me home to-night?” (This extreme diffidence was a charming affectation on Edith's part—she knew that the red-fat man would immediately dissolve into a paroxysm of delight).

“Bother? Why, good Lord, I'd be darn glad to! You know I'd be darn glad to.”

“Thanks loads! You're awfully sweet.”

She glanced at her wrist watch. It was half-past one. And, as she said“half-past one”to herself, it floated vaguely into her mind that her brother had told her at luncheon that he worked in the office of his newspaper until after one-thirty every evening.

Edith turned suddenly to her current partner.

“What street is Delmonico's on, anyway?”

“Street? Oh, why Fifth Avenue, of course.”

“I mean, what cross street?”

“Why—let's see—it's on Forty-fourth Street.”

This verified what she had thought. Henry's office must be across the street and just around the corner, and it occurred to her immediately that she might slip over for a moment and surprise him, float in on him, a shimmering marvel in her new crimson opera cloak and“cheer him up.” It was exactly the sort of thing Edith revelled in doing—an unconventional, jaunty thing. The idea reached out and gripped at her imagination—after an instant's hesitation she had decided.

“My hair is just about to tumble entirely down,” she said pleasantly to her partner; “would you mind if I go and fix it?”

“Not at all.”

“You're a peach.”

A few minutes later, wrapped in her crimson opera cloak, she flitted down a side-stairs, her cheeks glowing with excitement at her little adventure. She ran by a couple who stood at the door—a weak-chinned waiter and an over-rouged young lady, in hot dispute—and opening the outer door stepped into the warm May night.

五一節(jié) 六

一點(diǎn)鐘,一個(gè)特別的樂隊(duì)來到戴爾莫尼科酒店,盡管這一天請(qǐng)來了很多特別的樂隊(duì),它也依然很特別。樂手們驕傲地圍著鋼琴坐著,承擔(dān)起為伽馬普賽兄弟會(huì)奏樂的責(zé)任。他們由一位赫赫有名的長(zhǎng)笛演奏家?guī)ш?duì)。這位長(zhǎng)笛演奏家有一手絕活:他吹長(zhǎng)笛的時(shí)候,用頭倒立著,一邊用肩膀表演希米舞,一邊吹出最近流行的爵士樂。他的表演因此在紐約同行中出類拔萃。他表演的時(shí)候,其他燈全部關(guān)掉,只有一盞聚光燈照著這位長(zhǎng)笛演奏家,還有一束搖曳的燈光打著閃爍跳動(dòng)的光影,變換著萬花筒般豐富的色彩,照著跳舞的人們。

伊迪絲跳舞時(shí)有個(gè)習(xí)慣,她會(huì)一直跳到精疲力竭,進(jìn)入如夢(mèng)似幻的境界,這個(gè)境界只有初涉社交界的名媛們才能達(dá)到,就好比一個(gè)尊貴的人喝完幾杯威士忌后臉上泛起紅光的那種狀態(tài)。她的思緒隨著心中的音樂幽幽地流淌;在色彩變換、搖曳不定的幽暗中,她的舞伴仿佛幻影般不斷變換。她恍恍惚惚地覺得,從舞會(huì)開始到現(xiàn)在,仿佛已經(jīng)過去好幾天了。她和很多人談了很多無關(guān)緊要的話題。有一個(gè)人吻她,有六個(gè)人向她求愛。這天晚上早些時(shí)候,不同的大學(xué)在校生和她跳過舞,但是現(xiàn)在,她和舞會(huì)上所有比較受歡迎的女孩一樣,擁有自己的追隨者——也就是說,有五六個(gè)風(fēng)流倜儻的青年才俊選中她,或者,在她和其他被選中的美人之間周旋。他們每隔一會(huì)兒就必然會(huì)插進(jìn)來和她跳舞,形成無限的循環(huán)。

有幾次她看到了戈登——他久久地坐在樓梯上,用手捂著頭,兩眼呆滯地盯著前面地面上無數(shù)個(gè)小黑點(diǎn),看上去非常消沉,而且醉醺醺的——然而,伊迪絲每次都急忙移開目光。一切都似乎是很久以前的事了;現(xiàn)在,她的大腦已經(jīng)不會(huì)思考,感覺已經(jīng)被催眠,恍然如夢(mèng);只有她的腳在跳著,她的聲音在半夢(mèng)半醒中說著煽情的玩笑話。

然而,當(dāng)彼得·希梅爾一搖一晃、快快活活、醉態(tài)十足地插進(jìn)來和伊迪絲跳舞時(shí),她還不至于疲倦到無法表達(dá)理所當(dāng)然的憤怒。她倒抽一口氣,抬頭看著他。

“喂,彼得!”

“我有點(diǎn)醉了,伊迪絲?!?/p>

“喂,彼得,你是個(gè)好人,你可真的是個(gè)好人!你不覺得這個(gè)時(shí)候來和我跳舞——是很不愉快的嗎?”

接著她勉強(qiáng)地笑了笑,因?yàn)樗荒槀?,?yán)肅地看著她,接著又痙攣般地傻笑起來。

“親愛的伊迪絲,”他熱情地說,“我愛你,你知道的,是嗎?”

“你說得很清楚?!?/p>

“我愛你——而且,我只想讓你吻我一下?!彼麄牡匮a(bǔ)充道。

他的尷尬和羞恥心都消失了。她是世界上最漂亮的女孩,她長(zhǎng)著最漂亮的眼睛,像天上的星星。他想道歉——第一,是因?yàn)樗撬?;第二,是因?yàn)樗茸砹恕贿^,他之前還那么沮喪,因?yàn)樗詾樗龝?huì)對(duì)他大發(fā)雷霆——

一個(gè)紅頭發(fā)的胖男人插進(jìn)來,他抬頭看著伊迪絲,滿面紅光地微笑著。

“你帶舞伴了嗎?”她問道。

沒有。這個(gè)紅頭發(fā)的胖男人沒帶舞伴。

“哦,你是否介意——如果今晚麻煩您送我回去——是不是很不方便?”(這種極度的羞怯實(shí)際上是伊迪絲故意釋放出的甜蜜信號(hào)——她知道,這個(gè)紅頭發(fā)的胖男人會(huì)立刻融化在這突如其來的幸福中。)

“不方便?哦,我的上帝,我非常非常樂意效勞!您知道的,我非常非常樂意效勞?!?/p>

“萬分感謝!您真是太貼心了!”

她看看手表,一點(diǎn)半了。而且,當(dāng)她自言自語地說著“一點(diǎn)半了”的時(shí)候,模模糊糊地想起,吃午飯時(shí)哥哥曾經(jīng)對(duì)她說過,他每天晚上都在報(bào)社的辦公室里工作到一點(diǎn)半以后。

伊迪絲突然將目光轉(zhuǎn)向面前的舞伴。

“戴爾莫尼科酒店到底在哪條大街上?”

“大街?哦,哦,當(dāng)然是在,第五大街?!?/p>

“我的意思是,它在哪個(gè)十字街口?”

“哦——讓我想想——是第五大街和第五十四大街的交叉口。”

這證實(shí)了她的想法。亨利的辦公室一定在第五十四大街的對(duì)面,而且就在街角。她突然覺得,她可以溜出去一會(huì)兒,給他來個(gè)驚喜。一個(gè)光彩熠熠的仙女身披嶄新的紅色晚禮服斗篷,翩然而至,他一定會(huì)“喜出望外”。這正是伊迪絲樂此不疲的事情——不合傳統(tǒng)卻快樂無比的事情。這個(gè)想法跑出來,抓住她的想象——她猶豫片刻,便下定了決心。

“我的頭發(fā)幾乎全部要散下來了,”她愉快地對(duì)舞伴說,“我去整理一下,你不介意吧?”

“一點(diǎn)也不介意?!?/p>

“您真好!”

幾分鐘后,她披著紅色的晚禮服斗篷從側(cè)門的樓梯上輕快地飛奔下來,她的雙頰因?yàn)檫@小小的冒險(xiǎn)而閃著興奮的光芒。她從站在門口的兩個(gè)人身邊跑過去——一個(gè)沒有下巴的侍者和一個(gè)濃妝艷抹的年輕女子,他們?cè)诩ち业貭?zhēng)吵——她打開外面的大門,步入五一節(jié)溫暖的夜色里。

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