双语阅读 | 欧·亨利《欧亨利短篇小说精选》3

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01作家简介

欧·亨利（O.Henry，1862年9月11日—1910年6月5日），又译奥·亨利，原名威廉·西德尼·波特（William Sydney Porter），生于北卡罗莱纳州，美国短篇小说家、美国现代短篇小说创始人，其主要作品有《麦琪的礼物》《警察与赞美诗》《最后一片叶子》《二十年后》等。

02创作特点

欧·亨利的小说通俗易懂，其中无论发生了什么，发生在何处，也无论主人公是何等人物，他的故事写的都是世态人情，并且易有浓郁的美国风味。一般说来，驱使人们行动的欲望和动机是相当复杂的，但是欧·亨利人物的思想相对来说却都比较简单，动机也比较单一，矛盾冲突的中心似乎都是贫与富。这一方面大概因为美国是个平民社会，不存在天生高人一等的贵族阶级，既然金钱面前人人平等，贫富就成了社会的主要矛盾。另一方面，此时正值美国内战后的“镀金时代”，拜金主义盛行，坑蒙拐骗样样齐全，贪污泛滥成灾，似乎只要人能赚到钱便是成功，并不问问钱的来历是否清白合法，金钱的占有程度便成了人们关注的中心，欧·亨利笔下的芸芸众生就是生活在这样一个金钱主宰的世界中，他们的处境动机，他们的喜怒哀乐，大都与金钱的占有有关，所以欧·亨利描绘的世态人情，无论是善是恶，都有某种美国式的单纯。

原文&译文

《女孩》In gilt letters on the ground glass of the door of room No.962 were the words: "Robbins & Hartley, Brokers." The clerks had gone. It was past five, and with the solid tramp of a drove of prize Percherons, scrub-women were invading the cloud-capped twenty-story office building. A puff of red-hot air flavoured with lemon peelings, softcoal smoke and train oil came in through the half-open windows.962号房间门上的毛玻璃上有几个描金字：经纪人罗宾斯、哈特利。办事员已经走了。这时已过五点，女清扫工进了这座云雾缭绕的二十层办公楼。她们走起路来步子沉重，抵得过一群法国珀什的良种马。一股热风扑面吹进半开的窗里，夹带着柠檬皮味，煤烟味，还有火车机油味。
Robbins, fifty, something of an overweight beau, and addicted to first nights and hotel palm-rooms, pretended to be envious of his partner's commuter's joys.罗宾斯年已五十，体重有些超重，穿得俏。他爱看首演，住宾馆要有棕榈的高档房间。他的伙伴住郊外，他倒装出羡慕郊外人的模样，说：
"Going to be something doing in the humidity line to-night," he said. "You out-of-town chaps will be the people, with your katydids and moonlight and long drinks and things out on the front porch."“今天晚上的温度表有变化。还是你们在城外的人好，可以坐在门厅里，听虫叫，看月光，慢慢喝酒，欣赏大自然。”
Hartley, twenty-nine, serious, thin, good-looking, nervous, sighed and frowned a little.哈特利二十九岁，不苟言笑，消瘦，长相好，精力饱满。他一叹气，一皱眉，说：
"Yes," said he, "we always have cool nights in Floralhurst, especially in the winter."“可是我们住弗洛勒尔赫斯特的人夜晚冷飕飕，尤其在冬天。”
A man with an air of mystery came in the door and went up to Hartley.这时一个神态诡秘的人打开门直走到哈特利身边。
"I've found where she lives," he announced in the portentous half whisper that makes the detective at work a marked being to his fellow men.“我打听到她的住址啦。”这位侦探轻声而得意洋洋地说，惹得在场的人都很注意。
Hartley scowled him into a state of dramatic silence and quietude. But by that time Robbins had got his cane and set his tie pin to his liking, and with a debonair nod went out to his metropolitan amusements.哈特利把脸一沉，侦探马上闭上了嘴没出声。但这时罗宾斯已拿起了手杖，把领带别针别到了理想位置。他彬彬有礼地一点头，出门享受他的大城市的乐趣去了。
"Here is the address," said the detective in a natural tone, being deprived of an audience to foil.“她的住址在这儿。”侦探见没有人听他炫耀了，声音变自然了。
Hartley took the leaf torn out of the sleuth's dingy memorandum book. On it were pencilled the words "Vivienne Arlington, No.341 East — th Street, care of Mrs. McComus."哈特利从侦探的脏记事本上撕下一页，上面用铅笔写着：“维维恩，东第xx大街341号，麦科默斯太太转。”
"Moved there a week ago," said the detective. "Now, if you want any shadowing done, Mr. Hartley, I can do you as fine a job in that line as anybody in the city. It will be only $7 a day and expenses. Can send in a daily typewritten report, covering — "“上星期搬去的，”侦探说，“哈特利先生，如果你需要跟踪，我会干得漂漂亮亮，跟全市吃这行饭的人谁都能比。价钱每天只七元，其他开销除外。天天有打字机打的书面报告，包括……”
"You needn't go on," interrupted the broker. "It isn't a case of that kind. I merely wanted the address. How much shall I pay you?"经纪人打断他的话：“你不用再说了。不是那种事。我仅仅需要个地址。多少钱？”
"One day's work," said the sleuth. "A tenner will cover it."“一天工夫，”侦探说，“十元够了。”


（张经浩 译）

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