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【读书笔记】王尔德《自深深处》52

2011-08-12 16:00
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1891年,处在写作生涯巅峰期的王尔德遇见了阿尔弗雷德·“波西”·道格拉斯(Alfred "Bosie" Douglas),两人很快成为了同性恋人。四年后,因为这段“不敢说出名字的爱”,王尔德被判“有伤 风化”罪而入狱。在狱中,王尔德开始反思从前的生活,思索痛苦和人生的意义,艺术和爱的真谛,最终将那些痛苦的泪水都化作优 美而深沉的文字,写成了这封名为"de profundis"(从深处)的长信。

作者简介:奥斯卡·王尔德(Oscar Wilde, 1854-1900),英国维多利亚时代著名作家,“唯美主义 运动”的领军人物,倡导“为艺术而艺术”(Art for art's sake)。他的代表作有戏剧《莎乐美》(Salome)《认真的 重要性》(The Importance of Being Earnest),童话《快乐王子》(The Happy Prince) 《夜莺与玫瑰》(The Nightingale and the Rose) ,小说《道连·格雷的画像》(The Picture of Dorian Gray),以及书信《自深深处》(De Profundis)等。

【原著选段】

To each of us different fates have been meted out. Freedom, pleasure, amusements, a life of ease have been your lot, and you are not worthy of it. My lot has been one of public infamy, of long imprisonment, of misery, of Ruin, of disgrace, and I am not worthy of it either—not yet, at any rate. I remember I used to say that I thought I could bear a real tragedy if it came to me with purple pall and a mask of noble sorrow, but that the dreadful thing about modernity was that it put Tragedy into the raiment of Comedy, so that the great realities seemed commonplace or grotesque or lacking in style. It is quite true about modernity. It has probably always been true about actual life. It is said that all martyrdoms seemed mean to the looker-on. The nineteenth century is no exception to the general rule.

【朱纯深译本】

派给每个人的命运是不同的。自由、享福、愉快、安逸的生活是分给你的,而你却不配。分给我的是当众羞辱、长期监禁, 是痛苦、毁灭、耻辱,而我同样也不配——无论如何,还不配。记得过去常说过,要是一个真正的悲剧临到我身上,我想自己也受得了,只要它裹着紫色的罩布、戴着高尚的悲怆面具;但现代性可怕的一点是,它把悲剧裹上了喜剧的外衣,这样一来,伟大的现实似乎成了或陈腐或丑怪或俚俗的东西。现代性还真是这样的呢。大概真实的生活总是这样的吧。据说在旁观者看来,一切殉道的壮举都显得低贱。十九世纪也未能免俗。

【读书笔记】

1、mete out 分配,给予(奖励、惩罚等)
【举例】mete out penalties for bad behaviour 惩罚恶劣行为
He often mete out generous treatment to those he defeated. 对手下败将他通常很宽宏大量。

2、lot n.份额;命运;抽签所得的决定
【举例】He made his will to proved for equal lots for all his children. 他立下遗嘱把财产平分给儿女们。
Her lot is not a happy one. 她命不好。
The lot fell on me to pay the bill. 抽签的结果是我来付账。

3、grotesque a.奇形怪状的;丑陋的;荒唐的;荒诞的
【举例】a wizened and grotesque little old man 干瘪而难看的小老头儿
a grotesque reflection in the mirror 镜中的畸变映像
The idea was simply grotesque. 这个想法简直荒唐。

4、exception n.例外;例外的人/事物
【举例】Almost every general rule has its exceptions. 几乎每条常规都有例外。
exceptions to a rule of grammar 语法规则的例外情况

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