評論
打印
"What did you say to Strickland when you saw him?"
“你見到思特里克蘭德的時候，對他說什么了？”
"I asked him to come with me to Holland."
“我邀他同我一起到荷蘭去。”
I was dumbfounded. I could only look at Stroeve in stupid amazement.
我愣在那里，一句話也說不出來，目瞪口呆地直勾勾地望著他。
"We both loved Blanche. There would have been room for him in my mother's house. I think the company of poor, simple people would have done his soul a great good. I think he might have learnt from them something that would be very useful to him."
“我們兩人都愛勃朗什。在我的老家也有地方給他住。我想叫他同貧寒、淳樸的人們在一起，對他的靈魂是有好處的。我想他也許能從這些人身上學到一些對他有用的東西。”
"What did he say?"
“他說什么？”
"He smiled a little. I suppose he thought me very silly. He said he had other fish to fry."
“他笑了笑。我猜想他一定覺得我這個人非常蠢。他說他沒有那么多閑工夫。”
I could have wished that Strickland had used some other phrase to indicate his refusal.
我真希望思特里克蘭德用另一種措詞拒絕施特略夫的邀請。
"He gave me the picture of Blanche."
“他把勃朗什的這幅畫送給我了。”
I wondered why Strickland had done that. But I made no remark, and for some time we kept silence.
我很想知道思特里克蘭德為什么要這樣做，但是我什么也沒有說。好大一會兒，我們兩人都沒有說話。
"What have you done with all your things?" I said at last.
“你那些東西怎么處置了？”最后我問道。
"I got a Jew in, and he gave me a round sum for the lot. I'm taking my pictures home with me. Beside them I own nothing in the world now but a box of clothes and a few books."
“我找了一個收舊貨的猶太人，他把全部東西都買了去，給了我一筆整錢。我的那些畫我準備帶回家去。除了畫以外，我還有一箱子衣服，幾本書，此外，在這個世界上我什么財產也沒有了。”
"I'm glad you're going home," I said.
“我很高興你回老家去。”我說。
I felt that his chance was to put all the past behind him. I hoped that the grief which now seemed intolerable would be softened by the lapse of time, and a merciful forgetfulness would help him to take up once more the burden of life. He was young still, and in a few years he would look back on all his misery with a sadness in which there would be something not unpleasurable. Sooner or later he would marry some honest soul in Holland, and I felt sure he would be happy. I smiled at the thought of the vast number of bad pictures he would paint before he died.
我覺得他還是有希望讓過去的事成為過去的。我希望隨著時間的流逝，現在他覺得無法忍受的悲痛會逐漸減輕，記憶會逐漸淡薄；老天是以慈悲為懷的！他終究會再度挑起生活的擔子來的。他年紀還很輕，幾年以后再回顧這一段慘痛遭遇，在悲痛中或許不無某種愉悅的感覺。或遲或早，他會同一個樸實的荷蘭女人結婚，我相信他會生活得很幸福的。想到他這一輩子還會畫出多少幅蹩腳的圖畫來，我的臉上禁不住浮現出笑容。
Next day I saw him off for Amsterdam.
第二天我就送他啟程回阿姆斯特丹去了。
