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天津图书馆外国文学撷珍(Classics Reading)第40期:《警察与赞美诗》
发布时间:2024-01-09

夜来天地洁,惟是月华明。漫漫冬夜,烹雪煎茶,翻开氤氲墨香的书卷,发现书中的温暖和美好。本期为大家推荐的作品是美国作家欧·亨利创作的短篇小说《警察与赞美诗》。当爱饱含力量,温暖汇聚星光,照亮每一个夜晚。我们相信,在平凡的生活中,无论境遇如何,只要向阳而生,我们总能找到想要成为的自己,因为美好从不缺席。

作品简介

《警察与赞美诗》是美国作家欧·亨利创作的短篇小说,讲述了一个穷困潦倒、无家可归的流浪汉苏皮,因为想去监狱熬过寒冬,所以故意犯罪,但未能如愿,最终,当他被赞美诗所感动,想要改邪归正、重新开始之时,却被警察送进了监狱。小说运用黑色幽默的写作语言,展现了当时美国下层人民无以为生的悲惨命运,对美国不公正的畸形社会进行了谴责。

 

作者简介

欧·亨利(O. Henry,1862-1910),原名威廉·西德尼·波特,美国短篇小说家、美国现代短篇小说创始人。生于美国北卡罗来纳州格林斯伯勒,曾当过银行职员、药剂师等,1899年开始以“欧·亨利”为笔名发表作品,1902年移居纽约,成为职业作家。其主要作品有《麦琪的礼物》《警察与赞美诗》《最后一片叶子》《二十年后》等。

美国短篇小说家欧·亨利(图片源自网络,如有侵权,请联系删除)

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《警察与赞美诗》(节选)中文版
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《警察与赞美诗》(节选)英文版
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苏皮躺在麦迪逊广场的长椅上辗转难安。当引吭高歌的大雁划破夜空,当还没有貂皮大衣的女人开始讨好自己的丈夫,当苏皮在公园里的长椅上辗转难安,你便知道寒冬将至。

一片枯叶落在苏皮的腿上——那是寒霜先生的名片。对于常驻麦迪逊广场的流民而言,寒霜先生向来是很友好的,在进行年度来访之前总会先打声招呼。在十字街头,寒霜先生把自己的名片交给“露天大厦”的门房北风先生,好让大厦里的住户提前做好准备。

苏皮已经意识到,为了应对即将到来的严寒,是时候成立一个单人过冬委员会了——这也是他在长椅上辗转难安的原因所在。

对于如何过冬这一问题,苏皮并没有太高的奢望。在冬天的时候,有的人会去地中海上泛舟,在维苏威海湾里划船,看看那片令人昏昏欲睡的南欧蓝天。而对于苏皮来说,只要能在布莱克韦尔岛上待三个月就心满意足了。三个月吃住不愁,免受北风之神和警察的滋扰,还有意气相投的同伴——如果苏皮能得到这一切,他便别无所求了。

近几年来,岛上那座好客的布莱克韦尔监狱一直是苏皮的越冬胜地……而为了逃往那个岛上过冬,让自己的“年度之旅”得以成行,苏皮也要采取一些简单的措施。是时候采取行动了。前一天晚上,苏皮过夜的床位是一张露天长椅,位于古老的麦迪逊广场上,就在喷泉旁边。他把三份厚厚的周日版报纸塞在自己的外套里,分别裹在脚踝和膝盖上,可这些报纸竟然有辱使命,无法为苏皮抵挡严寒。而那座岛上监狱适时地浮现在苏皮眼前,渐渐膨胀……

 

On his bench in Madison Square Soapy moved uneasily. When wild goose honk high of nights, and when women without sealskin coats grow kind to their husbands, and when Soapy moves uneasily on his bench in the park, you may know that winter is near at hand.

A dead leaf fell in Soapy’s lap. That was Jack Frost’s card. Jack is kind to the regular denizens of Madison Square, and gives fair warning of his annual call. At the corners of four streets he hands his pasteboard to the North Wind, footman of the mansion of All Outdoors, so that the inhabitants thereof may make ready.

Soapy’s mind became cognizant of the fact that the time had come for him to resolve himself into a singular Committee of Ways and Means to provide against the coming rigour. And therefore he moved uneasily on his bench.

The hibernatorial ambitions of Soapy were not of the highest. In them were no considerations of Mediterranean cruises, of soporific Southern skies or drifting in the Vesuvian Bay. Three months on the Island was what his soul craved. Three months of assured board and bed and congenial company, safe from Boreas and bluecoats, seemed to Soapy the essence of things desirable.

For years the hospitable Blackwell’s had been his winter quarters... so Soapy had made his humble arrangements for his annual hegira to the Island. And now the time was come. On the previous night three Sabbath newspapers, distributed beneath his coat, about his ankles and over his lap, had failed to repulse the cold as he slept on his bench near the spurting fountain in the ancient square. So the Island loomed large and timely in Soapy’s mind...

——英文原文节选自“The Cop and the Anthem”(100 Selected Stories, Ware : Wordsworth, 1995.),索书号:I712.44/H523on

☆词汇
bench  n. 长凳,条凳;(工作)台,座
annual  adj. 每年的,年度的
             n. 年刊;年鉴
resolve  v. 决心,决定;分解,溶解;决议;解决
             n. 解决,解答;决心;决议
Mediterranean  n. 地中海地区;地中海沿岸国家居民
                   adj. 地中海的,地中海沿岸的;地中海沿岸国家居民的
assure  vt. 使确信,使放心;保证,担保
hospitable  adj. 好客的,热情友好的;环境适宜的;乐于接受的

(单词注释来自有道词典)

 

文案策划:图书借阅部 李圣昭 王熙

中文音频:图书借阅部 王熙

英文音频:图书借阅部 李圣昭

编辑:宣传小组 张鑫