《四季隨筆》節(jié)選 - 夏 26

《四季隨筆》是吉辛的散文代表作。其中對隱士賴克羅夫特醉心于書籍、自然景色與回憶過去生活的描述，其實是吉辛的自述，作者以此來抒發(fā)自己的情感，因而本書是一部富有自傳色彩的小品文集。

吉辛窮困的一生，對文學名著的愛好與追求，以及對大自然恬靜生活的向往，在書中均有充分的反映。本書分為春、夏、秋、冬四個部分，文筆優(yōu)美，行文流暢，是英國文學中小品文的珍品之一。

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Of late, I have been wishing for music. An odd chance gratified my desire.

近來，我一直有聽音樂的欲望，一個偶然的機會讓我得償所愿。

I had to go into Exeter yesterday. I got there about sunset, transacted my business, and turned to walk home again through the warm twilight. In Southernhay, as I was passing a house of which the ground-floor windows stood open, there sounded the notes of a piano—chords touched by a skilful hand. I checked my step, hoping, and in a minute or two the musician began to play that nocturne of Chopin which I love best—I don't know how to name it. My heart leapt. There I stood in the thickening dusk, the glorious sounds floating about me; and I trembled with very ecstasy of enjoyment. When silence came, I waited in the hope of another piece, but nothing followed, and so I went my way.

昨天，我有事到?？巳厝?。日落時分到達那里，事情辦完后，我在暖融融的黃昏中步行回家。途經(jīng)薩瑟海的一戶人家，他們一樓的窗子敞開著，里面飄出了鋼琴的旋律—音樂演奏得很嫻熟。我放慢腳步，希望聽到更多，一兩分鐘后，那位樂手開始彈奏我最愛的肖邦的夜曲—我并不知道那首曲子的名字。我心跳加速。我站在那兒漸濃漸深的暮色中，周圍漂浮著優(yōu)美的樂曲；這種享受讓我欣喜若狂并顫抖不已。當音樂停止，我等在那里，希望再聽一曲，然而樂聲再沒有響起，于是我便上路了。

It is well for me that I cannot hear music when I will; assuredly I should not have such intense pleasure as comes to me now and then by haphazard. As I walked on, forgetting all about the distance, and reaching home before I knew I was half way there, I felt gratitude to my unknown benefactor—a state of mind I have often experienced in the days long gone by. It happened at times—not in my barest days, but in those of decent poverty—that some one in the house where I lodged played the piano—and how it rejoiced me when this came to pass! I say "played the piano"—a phrase that covers much. For my own part, I was very tolerant; anything that could by the largest interpretation be called music, I welcomed and was thankful; for even "five-finger exercises" I found, at moments, better than nothing. For it was when I was labouring at my desk that the notes of the instrument were grateful and helpful to me. Some men, I believe, would have been driven frantic under the circumstances; to me, anything like a musical sound always came as a godsend; it tuned my thoughts; it made the words f low. Even the street organs put me in a happy mood; I owe many a page to them—written when I should else have been sunk in bilious gloom.

我并不在意能否隨心所愿地欣賞音樂，這反而讓我能感受偶爾聽到音樂帶來的強烈喜悅。一路上，我心里充滿了對那位不知名樂手的感激，以至忘掉了距離，到家的時候，還以為有一半的路程要趕呢—這種心境我在過去經(jīng)常感受得到。有的時候—不是在我最困窘的日子，而是在還能勉強度日時—我寄住的公寓里會有人彈鋼琴—這種時候我多興奮??！我說“彈鋼琴”—這個詞覆蓋面很廣。我本人是很寬容的，任何在最廣泛的意義上可以稱為音樂的，我都歡迎并心懷感激；即使只是“五指練習”，我有時也覺得比什么都沒有要好。當我在書桌上爬格子的時候，樂器的聲音總讓我充滿感激，下筆如有神助。我相信有些人在這種環(huán)境下會被逼瘋；但對我來說，任何音樂之聲都是天賜之物，它讓我文思通暢，筆翰如流。即使是街頭的管風琴也讓我心情愉快，我曾在琴聲的陪伴下寫過不少文章—而那些時候我原本會陷入暴躁沮喪的情緒之中。

More than once, too, when I was walking London streets by night, penniless and miserable, music from an open window has stayed my step, even as yesterday. Very well can I remember such a moment in Eaton Square, one night when I was going back to Chelsea, tired, hungry, racked by frustrate passions. I had tramped miles and miles, in the hope of wearying myself so that I could sleep and forget. Then came the piano notes—I saw that there was festival in the house—and for an hour or so I revelled as none of the bidden guests could possibly be doing. And when I reached my poor lodgings, I was no longer envious nor mad with desires, but as I fell asleep I thanked the unknown mortal who had played for me, and given me peace.

有好幾次，我夜里走在倫敦街上，身無分文，內(nèi)心凄苦，一陣樂聲從敞開的窗戶飄出來，讓我停下腳步，就像昨天一樣。我還清楚地記得在伊頓廣場有這樣的一刻。那天晚上我正要趕回切爾西,一路上疲憊不堪，饑餓難耐，因為熱情受挫而備受折磨。我不停地走了好幾英里路，希望把自己累癱，一覺醒來忘掉一切。這時，耳邊傳來一陣鋼琴聲—我看到一戶人家正舉行宴會—大約有一個小時，我沉醉在音樂里，房子里可能沒有一個受邀的客人像我這樣享受吧。等回到破舊的寓所，我不再感到嫉妒或因為欲望而憤怒，當我沉入夢鄉(xiāng)時，我感謝那位不知名的為我演奏的人，感謝他的樂聲帶給了我安寧。