月亮和六便士 第五十七章(6)

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They were sombre blues¹, opaque² like a delicately carved bowl in lapis lazuli, and yet with a quivering lustre³ that suggested the palpitation of mysterious life; 浓浊的蓝色是不透明的，有如刻工精细的青金石雕盘，但又颤动着闪闪光泽，令人想到生活的神秘悸动；

there were purples, horrible like raw and putrid⁴ flesh, and yet with a glowing, sensual passion that called up vague memories of the Roman Empire of Heliogabalus; 紫色象腐肉似的叫人感到嫌恶，但与此同时又勾起一种炽热的欲望，令人模糊想到亥里俄嘉巴鲁斯（一名埃拉嘉巴鲁斯（205？—222），罗马帝国皇帝）统治下的罗马帝国；

there were reds, shrill⁵ like the berries of holly— 红色鲜艳刺目，有如冬青灌木结的小红果——

one thought of Christmas in England, and the snow, the good cheer, and the pleasure of children— 一个人会联想英国的圣诞节，白雪皑皑，欢乐的气氛和儿童的笑语喧哗——，

and yet by some magic softened⁶ till they had the swooning tenderness of a dove's breast; 但画家又运用自己的魔笔，使这种光泽柔和下来，让它呈现出有如乳鸽胸脯一样的柔嫩，叫人神怡心驰；

there were deep yellows that died with an unnatural⁷ passion into a green as fragrant⁸ as the spring and as pure as the sparkling water of a mountain brook⁹. 深黄色有些突兀地转成绿色，给人带来春天的芳香和溅着泡沫的山泉的明净。

Who can tell what anguished¹⁰ fancy made these fruits? 谁能知道，是什么痛苦的幻想创造出这些果实的呢？

They belonged to a Polynesian garden of the Hesperides. 该不是看管金苹果园的赫斯珀里得斯三姐妹（根据希腊神话，赫斯珀里得斯姐妹负责看管赫拉女神的金苹果树，并有巨龙拉冬帮助守卫）在波利尼西亚果园中培植出来的吧！

There was something strangely alive in them, 奇怪的是，这些果实都象活的一样，

as though they were created in a stage of the earth's dark history when things were not irrevocably fixed¹¹ to their forms. 仿佛是在混沌初开时创造出来的，当时任何事物还都没有固定的形体，

They were extravagantly¹² luxurious¹³. 丰实肥硕，

They were heavy with tropical odours. 散发着浓郁的热带气息，

They seemed to possess a sombre passion of their own. 好象具有一种独特的忧郁的感情。

It was enchanted¹⁴ fruit, to taste which might open the gateway¹⁵ to God knows what secrets of the soul and to mysterious palaces of the imagination. 它们是被施展了魔法的果子，任何人尝了就能打开通向不知道哪些灵魂秘密的门扉，就可以走进幻境的神秘宫殿。

They were sullen¹⁶ with unawaited dangers, and to eat them might turn a man to beast or god. 它们孕育着无法预知的危险，咬一口就可能把一个人变成野兽，但也说不定变成神灵。

All that was healthy and natural, all that clung to happy relationships and the simple joys of simple men, shrunk from them in dismay; 一切健康的、正常的东西，淳朴人们所有的一切美好的情谊、朴素的欢乐都远远地避开了它们；

and yet a fearful attraction was in them, and, like the fruit on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil they were terrible with the possibilities of the Unknown. 但它们又具有莫大的诱惑力，就象伊甸园中能分辨善恶的智慧果一样，能把人带进未知的境界。

At last I turned away. I felt that Strickland had kept his secret to the grave. 最后，我离开了这幅画。我觉得思特里克兰德一直把他的秘密带进了坟墓。

"Voyons, Rene, mon ami," came the loud, cheerful voice of Madame Coutras, “喂，雷耐，亲爱的，”外面传来了库特拉斯太太的兴高采烈的响亮的声音，

"what are you doing all this time? “这么半天，你在干什么啊？

Here are the aperitifs¹⁷. 开胃酒已经准备好了。

Ask Monsieur if he will not drink a little glass of Quinquina Dubonnet." 问问那位先生愿意不愿意喝一小杯规那皮杜邦内酒。”

"Volontiers, Madame," I said, going out on to the verandah. “当然愿意，夫人，”我一边说一边走到阳台上去。

The spell was broken. 图画的魅力被打破了。

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