1891年,處在寫作生涯巔峰期的王爾德遇見了阿爾弗雷德·“波西”·道格拉斯(Alfred "Bosie" Douglas),兩人很快成為了同性戀人。四年后,因?yàn)檫@段“不敢說出名字的愛”,王爾德被判“有傷 風(fēng)化”罪而入獄。在獄中,王爾德開始反思從前的生活,思索痛苦和人生的意義,藝術(shù)和愛的真諦,最終將那些痛苦的淚水都化作優(yōu) 美而深沉的文字,寫成了這封名為"de profundis"(從深處)的長信。

作者簡介:奧斯卡·王爾德(Oscar Wilde, 1854-1900),英國維多利亞時代著名作家,“唯美主義 運(yùn)動”的領(lǐng)軍人物,倡導(dǎo)“為藝術(shù)而藝術(shù)”(Art for art's sake)。他的代表作有戲劇《莎樂美》(Salome)《認(rèn)真的 重要性》(The Importance of Being Earnest),童話《快樂王子》(The Happy Prince) 《夜鶯與玫瑰》(The Nightingale and the Rose) ,小說《道連·格雷的畫像》(The Picture of Dorian Gray),以及書信《自深深處》(De Profundis)等。

【原著選段】

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.

【朱純深譯本】

派給每個人的命運(yùn)是不同的。自由、享福、愉快、安逸的生活是分給你的,而你卻不配。分給我的是當(dāng)眾羞辱、長期監(jiān)禁, 是痛苦、毀滅、恥辱,而我同樣也不配——無論如何,還不配。記得過去常說過,要是一個真正的悲劇臨到我身上,我想自己也受得了,只要它裹著紫色的罩布、戴著高尚的悲愴面具;但現(xiàn)代性可怕的一點(diǎn)是,它把悲劇裹上了喜劇的外衣,這樣一來,偉大的現(xiàn)實(shí)似乎成了或陳腐或丑怪或俚俗的東西。現(xiàn)代性還真是這樣的呢。大概真實(shí)的生活總是這樣的吧。據(jù)說在旁觀者看來,一切殉道的壯舉都顯得低賤。十九世紀(jì)也未能免俗。

【讀書筆記】

1、mete out?分配,給予(獎勵、懲罰等)
【舉例】mete out penalties for bad behaviour 懲罰惡劣行為
He often mete out generous treatment to those he defeated.?對手下敗將他通常很寬宏大量。

2、lot n.份額;命運(yùn);抽簽所得的決定
【舉例】He made his will to proved for equal lots for all his children.?他立下遺囑把財(cái)產(chǎn)平分給兒女們。
Her lot is not a happy one.?她命不好。
The lot fell on me to pay the bill.?抽簽的結(jié)果是我來付賬。

3、grotesque?a.奇形怪狀的;丑陋的;荒唐的;荒誕的
【舉例】a wizened and grotesque little old man?干癟而難看的小老頭兒
a grotesque reflection in the mirror?鏡中的畸變映像
The idea was simply grotesque.?這個想法簡直荒唐。

4、exception?n.例外;例外的人/事物
【舉例】Almost every general rule has its exceptions. 幾乎每條常規(guī)都有例外。
exceptions to a rule of grammar 語法規(guī)則的例外情況

《自深深處》讀書筆記系列>>

點(diǎn)擊進(jìn)入滬江下載庫下載《自深深處》雙語版 >>

品味更多好書,歡迎關(guān)注“英語文學(xué)館”>>