評論
打印
The Man With The Twisted Lip
歪唇男人
I saw Hiyney, brother of the late Elias Whitney, D. D., Principal of the Theological College of St. George's, was much addicted to opium.
艾薩·惠特尼是圣喬治大學神學院已故院長伊萊亞斯·惠特尼的兄弟，他沉溺于鴉片煙，癮癖很大。
The habit grew upon him, as I understand, from some foolish freak when he was at college;
據我所知，他染上這一惡習是由于在大學讀書時產生的一種愚蠢的怪念頭造成的。
for having read De Quincey's description of his dreams and sensations,
當時他因為讀了德·昆西對夢幻和激情的描繪，
he had drenched his tobacco with laudanum in an attempt to produce the same effects.
就將煙草在鴉片酊里浸泡過后來吸，以期獲得夢幻和激情的效果。
He found, as so many more have done, that the practice is easier to attain than to get rid of,
他像許多人一樣，后來才發覺這樣做上癮容易戒除難，
and for many years he continued to be a slave to the drug, an object of mingled horror and pity to his friends and relatives.
所以他多年來便吸毒成癖不能自拔，他的親屬和朋友們對他既深為厭惡，同時又不無憐惜之感。
I can see him now, with yellow, pasty face, drooping lids, and pin-point pupils,
他的那副神態我至今還記憶猶新：面色青黃憔悴，眼皮耷拉，兩瞳無神，
all huddled in a chair, the wreck and ruin of a noble man.
身體縮成一團蜷曲在一把椅子里，活現出一副落迫王孫的倒霉相。
One night–it was in June, '89–there came a ring to my bell,
一八八九年六月的一個夜晚，有人在門外撳鈴，
about the hour when a man gives his first yawn and glances at the clock.
那正是一般人開始打呵欠、抬眼望鐘的時刻。
I sat up in my chair, and my wife laid her needle-work down in her lap and made a little face of disappointment.
我當即從椅子里坐起身來，我的妻子把她的針線活放在膝蓋上，臉上露出一副不樂意的樣子。
"A patient!" said she. "You'll have to go out."
"有病人，"她說，"你又得出診了。"
I groaned, for I was newly come back from a weary day.
我嘆了口氣，因為我忙了一整天，疲憊不堪，剛從外面回來。
