評論
打印
Envy.
嫉妒
Wednesday, 25th.
星期三，25日。
The boy who wrote the best composition of all on our country was Derossi, as usual. And Votini, who thought himself sure of the first medal--I like Votini well enough, although he is rather vain and does polish himself up a trifle too much,--but it makes me scorn him, now that I am his neighbor on the bench, to see how envious he is of Derossi. He would like to vie with him; he studies hard, but he cannot do it by any possibility, for the other is ten times as strong as he is on every point; and Votini rails at him. Carlo Nobis envies him also; but he has so much pride in his body that, purely from pride, he does not allow it to be perceived. Votini, on the other hand, betrays himself: he complains of his difficulties at home, and says that the master is unjust to him; and when Derossi replies so promptly and so well to questions, as he always does, his face clouds over, he hangs his head, pretends not to hear, or tries to laugh, but he laughs awkwardly. And thus every one knows about it, so that when the master praises Derossi they all turn to look at Votini, who chews his venom, and the little mason makes a hare's face at him. Today, for instance, he was put to the torture. The headmaster entered the school and announced the result of the examination,--"Derossi ten tenths and the first medal."
以愛國為題的作文，第一仍是代洛西。華梯尼自信必得一等獎——華梯尼雖有虛榮心，喜闊綽，我卻歡喜他，但一見到他嫉妒代洛西，就覺可厭。他想和代洛西對抗，拼命地用功，可是究竟敵不過代洛西，無論哪一件，代洛西都要勝他十倍。華梯尼不服，總嘲弄代洛西。卡羅·諾昆斯也嫉妒代洛西，卻藏在心里，華梯尼則竟表現在臉上。聽說他在家里曾說先生不公平。每次代洛西很快地把先生的問話做出圓滿的回答的時候，他總板著臉，垂著頭，裝著不聽見，還故意笑。他笑的樣子很不好，所以大家都知道。只要先生一稱贊代洛西，大家就對華梯尼看，華梯尼必定在那里苦笑。“小石匠”常在這種時候裝兔臉給他看。今天，華梯尼很難為情。校長先生到教室里來報告成績：“代洛西一百分，一等獎。”
Votini gave a huge sneeze. The master looked at him: it was not hard to understand the matter. "Votini," he said, "do not let the serpent of envy enter your body; it is a serpent which gnaws at the brain and corrupts the heart."
正說時，華梯尼打了一個噴嚏。校長先生見了他那神情就猜到了：“華梯尼！不要飼著嫉妒的蛇！這蛇是要吃你的頭腦，壞你的心胸的。”
