凱特肖邦短篇小說英文原版

Ⅰ 【公版書】凱特·肖邦短篇小說集（節選）

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/160/160-h/160-h.htm

THE AWAKENING AND SELECTED SHORT STORIES

Kate Chopin

凱特·肖邦短篇小說集

翻譯：若離

THE AWAKENING

覺醒

I

A green and yellow parrot, which hung in a cage outside the door, kept repeating over and over:

「Allez vous-en! Allez vous-en! Sapristi! That』s all right!」

一隻黃綠相間的鸚鵡掛在門外的籠子里，一遍又一遍叫喚：「滾吧！滾吧，天哪！那才像話！」

He could speak a little Spanish, and also a language which nobody understood, unless it was the mocking-bird that hung on the other side of the door, whistling his fluty notes out upon the breeze with maddening persistence.

它可能會說一點西班牙語，可能還會一種誰都不懂的語言，不過唯一的知音就是掛在大門另一頭的反舌鳥。微風中傳來它高亢的叫聲，沒完沒了，讓人心煩。

Mr. Pontellier, unable to read his newspaper with any degree of comfort, arose with an expression and an exclamation of disgust.

這讓龐蒂里耶先生感覺惡心。他煩悶地嚷起來，根本沒法舒舒服服地看他的報紙。

He walked down the gallery and across the narrow 「bridges」 which connected the Lebrun cottages one with the other. He had been seated before the door of the main house. The parrot and the mockingbird were the property of Madame Lebrun, and they had the right to make all the noise they wished. Mr. Pontellier had the privilege of quitting their society when they ceased to be entertaining.

他本來坐在堂屋門前，這會兒他沿著長廊走下去，穿過了連接勒布倫家一間間屋子的狹窄「天橋」。那隻鸚鵡和反舌鳥都是勒布倫太太的，它們有權隨心所欲地製造各種噪音。要是覺得它們再也不能帶來什麼樂子，龐蒂耶里也有權不再和它們打交道。

He stopped before the door of his own cottage, which was the fourth one from the main building and next to the last. Seating himself in a wicker rocker which was there, he once more applied himself to the task of reading the newspaper. The day was Sunday; the paper was a day old. The Sunday papers had not yet reached Grand Isle. He was already acquainted with the market reports, and he glanced restlessly over the editorials and bits of news which he had not had time to read before quitting New Orleans the day before.

龐蒂耶里的住處在堂屋邊上第四間，挨著最後一間。走到自家門前，他停住腳步，坐在那裡放著的一張搖椅上。他再一次試著專心讀報紙。今天是星期日，報紙是一天前的。周日的報紙還沒送到格蘭德島上。他已經了解手中這份報的市場報道，又焦躁不安地掃了掃社評和零零碎碎的新聞，那些都是他在離開新奧爾良前一天沒有時間讀的。

Mr. Pontellier wore eye-glasses. He was a man of forty, of medium height and rather slender build; he stooped a little. His hair was brown and straight, parted on one side. His beard was neatly and closely trimmed.

龐蒂耶里已是不惑之年。他身高中等，體型較瘦，背有點駝。他戴著一副眼鏡，棕色的直發偏分，鬍子紋絲不亂，精心修過。

Once in a while he withdrew his glance from the newspaper and looked about him. There was more noise than ever over at the house. The main building was called 「the house,」 to distinguish it from the cottages. The chattering and whistling birds were still at it. Two young girls, the Farival twins, were playing a et from 「Zampa」 upon the piano. Madame Lebrun was bustling in and out, giving orders in a high key to a yard-boy whenever she got inside the house, and directions in an equally high voice to a dining-room servant whenever she got outside. She was a fresh, pretty woman, clad always in white with elbow sleeves. Her starched skirts crinkled as she came and went. Farther down, before one of the cottages, a lady in black was walking demurely up and down, telling her beads. A good many persons of the pension had gone over to the Cheniere Caminada in Beaudelet』s lugger to hear mass. Some young people were out under the wateroaks playing croquet. Mr. Pontellier』s two children were there—sturdy little fellows of four and five. A quadroon nurse followed them about with a faraway, meditative air.

他有一陣沒盯著報紙，而是打量四周。這棟房子比過去聒噪了。為了和旁邊相連的度假屋區分，大家把占據中心位置的宅第稱為「堂屋」。現在，還有些鳥在堂屋唧唧啾啾。法瑞爾加的兩個雙胞胎女兒坐在鋼琴邊，四手聯彈歌劇《贊帕》的旋律。勒布倫太太跑進跑出，只要人在堂屋，就會高聲給雜役發號施令。這位夫人模樣清麗，是個美人。她常穿白衣，袖子只到手肘位置。因為經常進進出出，她身上漿過的硬挺裙子起了皺。再遠一點，堂屋邊上的一間小屋前，有位黑衣女士走來走去，數著手上的念珠，儀態端莊。這片度假屋的很多住戶都乘著包德勒家的小帆船，去了卡米納達島，參加天主教的彌撒儀式。一些年輕人也出了門，在濕地櫟樹下玩槌球。龐蒂耶里的孩子也在其中，他們一個四歲一個五歲，長得很結實。一位混血黑人保姆跟在這兩個小不點後面，有點心不在焉，想著什麼心事。

Mr. Pontellier finally lit a cigar and began to smoke, letting the paper drag idly from his hand. He fixed his gaze upon a white sunshade that was advancing at snail』s pace from the beach. He could see it plainly between the gaunt trunks of the water-oaks and across the stretch of yellow camomile. The gulf looked far away, melting hazily into the blue of the horizon. The sunshade continued to approach slowly. Beneath its pink-lined shelter were his wife, Mrs. Pontellier, and young Robert Lebrun. When they reached the cottage, the two seated themselves with some appearance of fatigue upon the upper step of the porch, facing each other, each leaning against a supporting post.

龐蒂耶里終於點上一根煙，開始抽起來，報紙隨意拖在手上。他盯住一把白色的陽傘，那東西正從海灘上慢慢挪過來。透過乾瘦的濕地櫟樹樹乾和黃色的洋甘菊花叢，他還能清楚地看到那把傘。遠處的海灣正在融入藍色的天際。陽傘還在慢慢靠近。傘邊是粉色的，傘下是他妻子龐蒂耶里太太和年輕的羅伯特·勒布倫。他們走到屋前，一屁股坐在走廊的上一級台階上，兩人面對面，各自背靠一根柱子撐起身子，一臉倦色。

「What folly! to bathe at such an hour in such heat!」 exclaimed Mr. Pontellier. He himself had taken a plunge at daylight. That was why the morning seemed long to him.

「真傻！這種時候，這么熱的天跑去曬太陽！」龐蒂耶里嚷起來。之前自己也在太陽底下待過，所以他覺得這個上午實在漫長。

「You are burnt beyond recognition,」 he added, looking at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage. She held up her hands, strong, shapely hands, and surveyed them critically, drawing up her fawn sleeves above the wrists. Looking at them reminded her of her rings, which she had given to her husband before leaving for the beach. She silently reached out to him, and he, understanding, took the rings from his vest pocket and dropped them into her open palm. She slipped them upon her fingers; then clasping her knees, she looked across at Robert and began to laugh. The rings sparkled upon her fingers. He sent back an answering smile.

「看把你曬的，都認不出來了。」 他又來了一句。說這話時，他打量著妻子，像在端詳一件有些損壞的貴重私人物品。妻子抬起手，手看著有勁，但樣子很好看。她帶著挑剔的眼光檢查雙手，然後拉下淺黃褐色的袖子，胳膊只露出手腕。查看手的時候，她想起去海邊以前交給丈夫的戒指，於是默默地把手伸到丈夫面前。他看出什麼意思，從背心口袋裡取出戒指，把它們放在妻子攤開的手掌上。她把戒指一溜戴到手指上，接著抱起膝蓋，看向對面的羅伯特，開始放聲大笑。戒指在手指上亮閃閃的。羅伯特回她一個微笑。

「What is it?」 asked Pontellier, looking lazily and amused from one to the other. It was some utter nonsense; some adventure out there in the water, and they both tried to relate it at once. It did not seem half so amusing when told. They realized this, and so did Mr. Pontellier. He yawned and stretched himself. Then he got up, saying he had half a mind to go over to Klein』s hotel and play a game of billiards.

「這是什麼情況？」龐蒂耶里問道。他漫不經心地看著這一幕，給這兩個人先後的反應逗樂了。也沒什麼大不了的事，兩人都想一股腦倒出來他們在水裡的一些經歷。可嘴上說著似乎一點也沒有真正經歷的那麼有趣。兩人意識到了這點，龐蒂耶里也是。他打了個哈欠，伸伸懶腰，隨後站起身，說他考慮要不要去克萊恩的旅館打檯球。

「Come go along, Lebrun,」 he proposed to Robert. But Robert admitted quite frankly that he preferred to stay where he was and talk to Mrs. Pontellier.

「一起去吧，勒布倫。」他向羅伯特提議。但羅伯特直截了當地說，他更想留在這兒和龐蒂耶里太太聊天。

「Well, send him about his business when he bores you, Edna,」 instructed her husband as he prepared to leave.

「好吧，愛德娜，你要是覺得他煩了，就打發他去干自己的事。」龐蒂耶里准備離開，這樣吩咐妻子。

「Here, take the umbrella,」 she exclaimed, holding it out to him. He accepted the sunshade, and lifting it over his head descended the steps and walked away.

「拿去，帶上傘。」妻子叫住他，把傘遞過去。他接過陽傘，舉著它擋住頭，下了台階，就要走遠。

「Coming back to dinner?」 his wife called after him. He halted a moment and shrugged his shoulders. He felt in his vest pocket; there was a ten-dollar bill there. He did not know; perhaps he would return for the early dinner and perhaps he would not. It all depended upon the company which he found over at Klein』s and the size of 「the game.」 He did not say this, but she understood it, and laughed, nodding good-by to him.

「回來吃晚飯嗎？」妻子在身後問道。他頓了一會兒，聳聳肩。他摸摸背心口袋，裡面又十美元鈔票。他不知道，也許會趕早回來吃午飯，也許回不來。這要看他在克萊恩那邊找到什麼玩伴，還有那所謂「游戲」玩得多大。這話他沒說出口，可妻子聽出來了。她笑著點頭，和他道別。

Both children wanted to follow their father when they saw him starting out. He kissed them and promised to bring them back bonbons and peanuts.

孩子們看到爸爸要走了，都想跟去。他親了親兩個寶貝，答應回家的時候給他們帶些夾心糖和花生。

Ⅱ 凱特·蕭邦的介紹

凱特·蕭邦，又名凱特肖邦，美國女作家，本名凱薩琳·歐福拉赫蒂（Katherine O'Flaherty）。自1889年至1902年間，她撰寫供成人和孩童閱讀的短篇小說，刊載於《大西洋月刊》、《時髦》、《世紀》和《哈伯青年手冊》等雜志。主要作品為《河口人們》（1894年）和《阿卡迪亞之夜》（1897年）兩部短篇小說集。重要的短篇小說包含《黛澤蕾的嬰孩》，其內容為南北戰爭前路州境內異族通婚的故事。另有《一小時的故事》和《暴風》。