2013年翻译考试综合资料2

　　Winesburg, Ohio (by Sherwood Anderson)

　　Critique:

　　Winesburg, Ohio has the stature of a modern classic. It is at once beautiful and tragic, realistic and poetic. Without being a novel in the usual sense of the word, the connected stories have the full range and emotional impact of a novel. In simple, though highly skillful and powerful language, Sherwood Anderson has told the story of a small town and the lonely, frustrated people who live there. Though regional in its setting and characters, the book is also intensely American. No one since Anderson has succeeded in interpreting the inner compulsions and loneliness of the national psyche with the same degree of accuracy and emotional impact

　　The Story:

　　Young George Willard was the only child of Elizabeth and Tom Willard. His father, a dull, conventional, insensitive man, owned the local hotel. His mother had once been a popular young bell. She had never loved Tom Willard, but the young married women of the town seemed to her so happy, so satisfied, that she had married him in the hope that marriage would somehow change her own life for the better. Before long she realized that she was caught in the dull life of Winesburg, her dreams turned to drab realities by her life with Tom Willard.

　　The only person who ever understood her was Dr. Reefy. Only in his small, untidy office did she feel free; only there did she achieve some measure of self-expression. Their relationship, doomed from the start, was nevertheless beautiful, a meeting of two lonely and sensitive people. For Dr. Reefy, too, had his sorrow. Once, years ago, a young girl, pregnant and unmarried, had come to his office, and shortly afterward he had married her. The following spring she had died, and from then on Dr. Reefy went around making little paper pills and stuffing his pockets with them. On the pieces of paper he had scribbled his thoughts about the beauty and strangeness of life.

　　Through her son George, Elizabeth Willard hoped to express herself, for she saw in him the fulfillment of her own hopes and desires. More than anything, she feared that George would settle down in Winesburg. When she learned that he wanted to be writer, she was glad. Unknown to he husband, she had put away money enough to give her son a start. But before she could realize her ambition, Elizabeth Willard died. Lying on her bed, she did not seem dead to either George or Dr. Reefy. To both she was extremely beautiful. To George, she did not seem like his mother at all. To Dr. Reefy, she was the woman he had loved, now the symbol of another lost illusion.

　　Many people of the town sought out George Willard; they told him of their lives, of their compulsions, of their failure. Old Wing Biddlebaum, the berry picker, years before had been a schoolteacher. He had loved the boys in his charge, and he had been, in fact, one of those few teachers who understand young people. But one of his pupils, having conceived a strong affection for his teacher, had accused him of homosexuality. Wing Biddlebaum, though innocent, was driven out of town. In Winesburg, he became the best berry pecker in the region. But always the same hands that earned his livelihood were a source of wonder and fear to him. When George Willard encountered him in the berry field Wing’s hands went forward as if to caress the youth. But a wave of horror swept over him, and he hurriedly thrust them into his pockets. To George, also, Wing’s hands seemed odd, mysterious.

　　Kate Swift, once George’s teacher, saw in him a future writer. She tried to tell him what writing was, what it meant. George did not understand exactly, but he understood that Kate was speaking, not as his teacher, but as a woman. One night, in her house, she embraced him, for George was now a young man with whom she had fallen in love. On another night, when all of Winesburg seemed asleep, she went to his room. But just as she was on the point of yielding to him, she struck him and ran away, leaving George lonely and frustrated.

　　Kate lived across the street from the Presbyterian church. The pastor, Reverend Curtis Hartman, accidentally had learned that he could see into Kate’s room from his study in the bell tower of the church. Night after night he looked through the window at Kate in her bed. He wanted at first to prove his faith, but his flesh was weak. One night, the same night Kate had fled from George Willard, he saw her come into her room. He watched her. Naked, she threw herself on the bed and furiously pounded the pillow. Then she arose, knelt, and began to pray. With a cry, the minister got up from his chair, swept the Bible to the floor, smashed the glass in the window, and dashed out into the darkness. Running to the newspaper office, he burst in upon George. Wild-eyed, his fist dripping blood, he told the astonished young man that God had appeared to him in the person of a naked woman, that Kate Swift was the instrument of the Almighty, and that he was saved.

　　Besides Kate Swift, there were other women in George’s life. There was Helen White, the banker’s daughter. One night George and Helen went out together. At first they laughed and kissed, but then a strange new maturity overcame them and kept them apart. Louis Trunnion, a farm girl, wrote to George, saying that she was his if he wanted her. After dark he went out to the farm and they went for a walk. There, in a berry field, George Willard enjoyed the love that Helen White had refused hi.

　　Like Louis Trunnion, Louise Bentley also wanted love. Before going to live in Winesburg, Louise had lived on a farm, forgotten and unloved by a greedy, fanatical father who had desired a boy instead of a daughter. In Winesburg she live with the Hardy family while she went to school. She was a good student, praised by her teachers, but she was resented by the two Hardy girls, who believed that Louise was always showing off. More than ever, she wanted someone to love. One day she sent young John Hardy a note, and a few weeks later she gave herself to him. When it became clear that she was pregnant, Louise and John were married. John reproached her for cruelty toward her son David. She would not nurse her child and for long periods of time she would ignore him. Since she had never really loved her husband, nor he her, the marriage was not a happy one. At last she and John separated, and shortly afterward her father took young David to live with him on the farm.

　　Old Jesse Bentley was convinced that God had manifested himself in his grandchild, that the young David, like the Biblical hero, would be a saviour, the conqueror of the Philistines who owned the land Jesse Bentley wanted for himself. One day the old man took the boy into the fields with him. Young David had brought along a little land, and the grandfather prepared to offer the animal as a sacrifice to the Almighty. The youngster, terrified, stuck his grandfather and ran away, never to return to Winesburg.

　　The time came when George Willard had to choose between staying in Winesburg and starting out on his career as a writer. Shortly after his mother’s death, George got up early one morning and walked to the railroad station. There, with the postmistress’ expression of good luck in his ears, he boarded the train and left Winesburg behind him.

　　《俄亥俄，温斯堡》汉语译文

　　评介：《俄亥俄，温斯堡》是一部现代经典小说集，既优美又悲壮，既现实又超脱。作品虽然并非一般意义上的“长篇小说”，但其中故事篇篇相关，不乏长篇小说所具有的广阔视野和感人魅力。简而言之，谢伍德·安德森用娴熟、动人的语言讲述了一个小城的故事，一个住在那里的人们在孤独、失意中生活的故事。尽管故事背景和其中的人物都生活在这小城里，但这部作品本身却具有浓烈的美国风味。自安德森以后，还没有一个人能够把美国民族心灵深处的欲念冲动和孤独感解释得如此深透，如此感人。

　　故事: 年轻的乔治·维拉德是伊丽莎白和汤姆·维拉德的独子，父亲是本地旅店的老板，生性死板，墨守成规，又迟钝又麻木;母亲早年是谁见谁爱的美人，她对汤姆·维拉德并非真有爱意，只是看见别的姑娘们结婚后个个显得更加欢快，似乎无人不满，于是就嫁给了他，希望从此时来运转，生活真的好起来。可是婚后不久她就感到自己在温斯堡的生活十分乏味，过去的美梦在与维拉德的夫妻生活中变成了毫无意义的生活琐事，没有一点色彩。

　　只有一个人真正理解伊丽莎白，这就是里非医生，伊丽莎白只有在他那狭小、杂乱的诊室里的时候才感到自由自在，才能真正找到发泄感情的机会。他们的关系从一开始就注定要结出苦果，但这种关系却异常甜美，是两个孤独、敏感的人难得的相会。里非医生自己也有一番苦涩的经历：多年前的一天，一个未婚先孕的姑娘来到他的诊室，不久后他就娶了她。第二年春天，姑娘死了，里非医生从此四处奔走，制做纸袋药丸，把口袋塞得满满的。在那一片片小纸上，他胡写乱画，记下了自己对生活中奇妙之处的感受。

　　伊丽莎白希望通过儿子乔治来显示自己，而且已经看到自己的希望和追求在儿子身上变成了现实。她最害怕的就是儿子会一直在温斯堡呆下来，所以听说他想当作家就感到高兴。她已经背着丈夫给儿子攒了一笔钱，至少可以为他的以后先开个头。可是，她壮志未酬就离开了人世。当她安详地躺在床上的时候，在乔治和里非医生两人眼中她似乎并没有死，倒是显得格外美丽动人。对乔治来说，她似乎一点也不象个母亲;对里非医生来说，她是他所爱恋过的女人，现在就是幻灭的象征。

　　小城里很多人都来找乔治，对他讲述他们自己的故事，讲述他们心里难以遏止的欲望和冲动, 讲述他们想做而又未能做成的事情。奥而德·温·比德保是个采果工，多年前曾当过教师，他爱自己班上的男孩子们，而且确实比谁都更能理解这些年轻人。可是，班上有个男孩对他迷恋不已，指责他搞同性恋，温·比德保虽然清白无辜，却被人们赶出了城。在温斯堡，他成了当地最能干的采果工，但他那双能够谋生的手却始终让自己感到诧异和恐惧。当乔治在浆果地里碰到他时，温的手自然地伸了出去，似乎要抚摸这个小伙子。可是一股恐惧感突然笼罩过来，他赶快又把双手插进了口袋。对乔治来说，温的手也确实有些奇怪，难以理解。

　　凯特·斯威夫特当过乔治的老师，她发现乔治有潜力，将来可能成为一名作家，于是尽量教给他有关写作的知识，说明写作的意义。乔治并不能完全听懂，但他懂得，凯特并没有以她的教师身份对他讲话，而是以一个女人的身份在对他讲话。一天晚上，凯特在她自己的房间里拥抱了乔治，因为乔治已经成人，是她钟爱的对象。另一天晚上，当小城温斯堡已经沉浸在睡梦之中的时候，她又来到了乔治的房间，可是就在她不由自主地想为乔治献身的时候，却打了他一记耳光，径直跑了出去，弄得乔治一个人呆在那里懊恼万分。

　　凯特住在基督教长老会教堂的街道对面。教堂里的神父，可敬的柯蒂斯·哈特曼偶然发现，从自己钟楼顶的书房里可以看到凯特的卧室。他一夜接一夜地从窗口看躺在床上的凯特，开始时是想证实自己的信念。但他情欲难熬，就在这一天晚上，当凯特从乔治那里跑回来以后，他一直看着她。只见她一丝不挂地猛然倒在床上，疯狂地捶着自己的枕头。后来，又从床上爬起来，跪在地上祈祷。哈特曼神父失声一叫，把圣经拨到地上，举手打碎了窗户上的玻璃，然后冲出教堂跑进那漆黑的街道。他在报纸发售处撞上了乔治，眼睛睁得圆圆的，手上滴着血对惊愕不已乔治说，上帝以一个裸体女人的形象在他面前显灵了，说凯特就是全能的上帝派来的，说他自己的灵魂已经得救了。

　　除了凯特以外，乔治的生活中也曾有过别的女人。其中有银行家的女儿海伦·怀特。有一天晚上他们在外面约会，开始时大笑，互相接吻，可是后来一种莫名其妙的你新的成熟感有控制了他们，把他们分开了。农家女儿路易斯·特鲁宁给乔治些了一封信，信中说只要他需要，自己就是算是他的人了。天黑以后，乔治就到农场找她，和她一起去散步。就在他们散步走到浆果地的时候，乔治享受了海伦·怀特拒绝给他的那种爱河的快乐。

　　和路易斯·特鲁宁一样，路易斯·本特丽也需要爱。在来到温斯堡以前，她住在一个农场，她那贪婪、迷信的父亲对她一点也不疼爱，心里简直就没有她，因为父亲本来只想要男孩，不想要女孩。路易斯·本特丽来到温斯堡以后，就和哈代一家住在一起，平时到学校去上学。她学习好，常受老师表扬，可是却因此受到了哈代家两个女儿的妒嫉，她们觉得她总是在显示自己。这样一来，本特丽就更想有人爱她了。有一天，她给约翰·哈代送了一张纸条，几个星期以后就委身于他了。当路易显然已经怀孕后，两个人就结了婚。约翰责怪路易对自己的小孩大卫太无情，不给小孩喂奶，有时很长时间连他管也不管。路易从来就没有爱过自己的丈夫，丈夫也没有爱过她，这种婚姻确实不美满。最后，两个人分手了。不久后路易的父亲接走了小小的大卫，把他带到农场上和自己一起住。

　　奥尔德·杰西·本特利确信上帝的存在已经通过自己的孙子表现了出来，认为小大卫就象是圣经中所说的上帝，必将成为救世主，征服那些市侩，那些市侩拥有他自己也想要的土地。一天，老杰西把把大卫带到田里，让大卫牵着一只羊，准备作为供奉上帝的牺牲品。小大卫吓得不知如何是好，打了爷爷一拳后逃之夭夭，再也没有回温斯堡。

　　光阴如水，转眼间乔治到了必须做出最后抉择的时候—-是继续在温斯堡呆下去你呢?还是离家出走开始自己的写作生涯?在母亲死后不久的一天，他一大早就起身向火车站走去。在火车站，女邮政局长祝他一切如愿，他毅然蹬上火车离温斯堡而去。