評(píng)論
打印
Lions and Tigers and Bears
獅子、老虎和熊
Bill Buford
比爾·比福德
So I thought I'd spend the night in Central Park, and, having stuffed my small rucksack with a sleeping bag, a big bottle of mineral water, a map, and a toothbrush, I arrived one heavy, muggy Friday evening in July to do just that: to walk around until I got so tired that I'd curl up under a tree and drop off to a peaceful, outdoorsy sleep. Of course, anybody who knows anything about New York knows the city's essential platitude—that you don't wander around Central Park at night—and in that, needless to say, was the appeal: it was the thing you don't do. And, from what I can tell, it has always been the thing you don't do, ever since the Park's founding commissioners, nearly a hundred and fifty years ago, decided that the place should be closed at night. Ogden Nash observed in 1961:
就這樣，我打算在中央公園過(guò)夜，于是便往背包里塞了一個(gè)睡袋、一大瓶礦泉水、一張地圖和一支牙刷，在七月份一個(gè)極其悶熱潮濕的周五傍晚趕到了這里。我打算四處游蕩，走累了就在樹(shù)下蜷作一團(tuán)，在野外睡個(gè)安穩(wěn)覺(jué)。當(dāng)然，凡是了解紐約的人都知道有關(guān)這座城市的一句老話——你夜晚不能在中央公園閑逛——不用說(shuō)，往往不能做的事情反而更誘人。據(jù)我所知，早在近150年前，這座公園創(chuàng)建時(shí)期的主管人員就做出決定，公園在夜里應(yīng)該關(guān)閉，從那時(shí)起，這就成了你不能做的事情。奧格登·納什在1961年評(píng)論到：
If you should happen after dark
天黑離公園，
To find yourself in Central Park,
切莫再流連；
Ignore the paths that beckon you
幽徑雖迷人，到處有陷阱。
And hurry, hurry to the zoo,
快去動(dòng)物園，
And creep into the tiger's lair.
鉆進(jìn)老虎洞，
Frankly, you'll be safer there.
諸君聽(tīng)我勸，此處最安全。
