評論
打印
They pinched and saved so that I should have enough to live on, and when my first picture was exhibited they came to Amsterdam to see it, my father and mother and my sister, and my mother cried when she looked at it. His kind eyes glistened. "And now on every wall of the old house there is one of my pictures in a beautiful gold frame."
他們老兩口省吃儉用，好叫我能夠維持生活。當我的第一幅繪畫參加展出的時候，他們到阿姆斯特丹看來了，我的父親、母親和妹妹都來了。我的母親看見我的圖畫，眼淚都流出來了。”說到這里，施特略夫自己的眼睛也掛上了淚花。“現在老家的屋子四壁都掛著我的一張張畫，鑲在漂亮的金框子里。”
He glowed with happy pride. I thought of those cold scenes of his, with their picturesque peasants and cypresses and olive-trees. They must look queer in their garish frames on the walls of the peasant house.
他的一張臉因為幸福的驕傲而閃閃發亮。我又想起來他畫的那些毫無生氣的景物，穿得花花綠綠的農民啊、絲柏樹啊、橄欖樹啊什么的。這些畫鑲著很講究的金框子，掛在一家村舍的墻上是多么不倫不類呀！
The dear soul thought she was doing a wonderful thing for me when she made me an artist, but perhaps, after all, it would have been better for me if my father's will had prevailed and I were now but an honest carpenter.
“我那可憐的母親認為她把我培養成一個藝術家是干了一件了不起的事，但是說不定要是父親的想法得以實現，我如今只不過是個老老實實的木匠，對我說來倒更好一些。”
Now that you know what art can offer, would you change your life? Would you have missed all the delight it has given you?
“現在你已經了解了藝術會給人們帶來些什么。你還愿意改變你的生活嗎？你肯放棄藝術給與你的所有那些快感嗎？”
Art is the greatest thing in the world, he answered, after a pause.
“藝術是世界上最偉大的東西。”他沉吟了片刻說。
He looked at me for a minute reflectively; he seemed to hesitate; then he said:
他沉思地看了我一會兒，好象對一件什么事拿不定主意。最后，他開口說：
Did you know that I had been to see Strickland?
“你知道我去看思特里克蘭德了嗎？”
You?
“你？”
I was astonished. I should have thought he could not bear to set eyes on him. Stroeve smiled faintly.
我吃了一驚。我本來以為他非常恨他，決不會同他見面的。施特略夫的臉浮起一絲笑容。
You know already that I have no proper pride.
“你已經知道我這人是沒有自尊心的。”
What do you mean by that?
“這話是什么意思？”
He told me a singular story.
他給我說了一個奇異的故事。
