小说翻译者的职责——译TheRealThing有感.pdf

The Real Thing原文及译文译文标题（原文）The Real Thing（译文）不可临摹的真物原文译文Chapter IWhen the porters wife(she used to answer the house-bell),announced“A gentleman with a lady,sir,“I had,as I often had in those days,for the wish was father to the thought,an immediate vision of sitters.Sitters my visitors in this case proved to be;but not in the sense I should have preferred.However,there was nothing at first to indicate that they might not have come for a portrait.The gentleman,a man of fifty,very high and very straight,with a moustache slightly grizzled and a dark grey walking-coat admirably fitted，both of which I noted professionally-I dont mean as a barber or yet as a tailor would have struck me as a celebrity if celebrities often were striking.It was a truth of which I had for some time been conscious that a figure with a good deal of frontage was,as one might say,almost never a public institution.A glance at the lady helped to remind me of this paradoxical law:she also looked too distinguished to be a“personality.”Moreover one would scarcely come across two variations together.Neither of the pair spoke immediately they only prolonged the preliminary gaze which suggested that each wished to give the other a chance.They were visibly shy;they stood there letting me take them in 一 which,as I afterwards perceived,was the most practical第一章门房的妻子（通常都是她去应门）（开 门后）大声说：“一位先生和一位女 士。”这时我已经在脑海中勾画了下，料想来客是来画像的，那时我经常这 么做，但总是和想的不太一样。这次 来客的确是来画像的，但并不是我所 希望的那样。然而单是第一眼并未看 出这点。男的五十多岁，非常高大挺 拔，留着一撮灰白色的小胡子，穿着 件深灰色风衣，非常合身，对于胡子 和衣服我非常专业的注意到了一 不是指理发师或裁缝的那种专业一 他们象社会名流那样令我大吃一 惊，如果名流们经常令人大吃一惊的 话。我意识到一条真理，一位外表特 别光鲜的人绝不会是什么社会名流。望了一眼那位女士便使我意识到那 条似是而非的规律。她看起来由于过 度惊讶而不那么象位名流。而且，要 在同一时间遇到两位这样的名流儿 乎不可能。两人都没有急于开口。持续着初次见 面时的凝视，都等着对方先开口。他 们看起来很害羞，他们站在那里，让 我引领他们进来，据我后来观察，这 是他们最驾轻就熟的事。他们的尴尬ithing they could have done.In this way their embarrassment served their cause.I had seen people painfully reluctant to mention that they desired anything so gross as to be represented on canvas;but the scruples of my new friends appeared almost insurmountable.Yet the gentleman might have said“I should like a portrait of my wife,“and the lady might have said“I should like a portrait of my husband.Perhaps they were not husband and wife this naturally would make the matter more delicate.Perhaps they wished to be done together in which case they ought to have brought a third person to break the news.“We come from Mr.Rivet/the lady said at last,with a dim smile which had the effect of a moist sponge passed over a“sunk piece of painting,as well as of a vague allusion to vanished beauty.She was as tall and straight,in her degree,as her companion,and with ten years less to carry.She looked as sad as a woman could look whose face was not charged with expression;that is her tinted oval mask showed friction as an exposed surface shows it.The hand of time had played over her freely,but only to simplify.She was slim and stiff,and so well-dressed,in dark blue cloth,with lappets and pockets and buttons,that it was clear she employed the same tailor as her husband.The couple had an indefinable air of prosperous thrift they evidently got a good deal of luxury for their money.If I was to be one of their luxuries it would behove me to consider my terms.“Ah,Claude Rivet recommended me?”I inquired;and I added that it was very kind of him,though I could reflect that,as he only painted landscape,this was not a sacrifice.说明了问题。我曾见到过有人脸色苍 白地难以启齿地提及来到画室是他 们考虑不周。但这两位新朋友似乎有 着难以逾越的顾虑。这男人本可以说“我想给我妻子画幅画像。”女人本 可以说“我想给我丈夫画幅画像。”也许他们并不是伴侣一一这自然会 令事情变得复杂。也许他们想要画在 一起，这样的话，他们需要第三个人 来开这个口。最后，女人开口了：“是里维特先生 介绍我们来的。”女人脸上流露出一 丝淡淡的微笑，就象用一块湿海绵轻 轻抹下一幅干巴巴的画，又象是模糊 地显现出已消失的美。作为一个女 人，她算是长得高挑的，看上去比男 的年轻十岁。带着女性特有的忧郁气 质，没有太多丰富的表情，她那鹅蛋 脸上显露出的这种神情与她的外表 很不协调。岁月并未在她脸上留下痕 迹，反将她雕琢得越发精致。苗条，轮廓分明，穿着上等的有垂片、口袋、和钮扣的深蓝色衣服。很明显，她和 丈夫用的是同一个裁缝。这对人儿节 俭到什么程度啊一一很显然他们花 了很多钱购置奢侈品。如果我是他们 的某件奢侈品的话，我理所当然地会 考虑下我的地位排名。“哈，克劳德里维特推荐我的？”我边问边客气地称赞了克劳德儿句，尽管我想起来克劳德他只是画风景 画，他把客人推荐到我这儿来对他并 没有什么损失。2The lady looked very hard at the gentleman,and the gentleman looked round the room.Then staring at the floor a moment and stroking his moustache,he rested his pleasant eyes on me with the remark:“He said you were the right one.”“I try to be,when people want to sit.”“Yes,we should like to,“said the lady anxiously.“Do you mean together?My visitors exchanged a glance.If you could do anything with ME,I suppose it would be double/the gentleman stammered.“Oh yes,there?s naturally a higher charge for two figures than for one.”“We should like to make it pay,“the husband confessed.Thats very good of you,I returned,appreciating so unwonted a sympathy for I supposed he meant pay the artist.A sense of strangeness seemed to dawn on the lady.“We mean for the illustrations 一 Mr Rivet said you might put one in.“Put one in an illustration?I was equally confused.“Sketch her off,you know,“said the gentleman,colouring.It was only then that I understood the service Claude Rivet had rendered me;he had told them that I worked in black and white,for magazines,for story-books,for sketches of contemporary life,and consequently had frequent employment for models.These things were true,but it was not less true(I may confess it now 一 whether because the aspiration was to lead to everything or to nothing I leave the reader to guess),that I couldnt get the honours,to say nothing of the emoluments,of a 女人面露难色地看着男人，男人则四 下打量着房间，盯着地板看了会儿，男人按了按他的小胡子，把视线转向 我停在我身上说道：“他说我们找你 就对了。”“人们想要画像的时候，我会尽我所 能去满足。”“是的，我们希望是这样。”女人紧 张地说。“你是说你们一起吗？”我的客人们互换了下眼神，随后男人 结结巴巴地说：“如果你能为我做什 么的话，我建议是两个人。”“哦，是的，两个人的费用自然比一 个人的高些。”“希望如此。”丈夫肯定的回答。“你们真太好了。”我很欣赏这种少 有的同情心，我以为他指的是为他的 画像付钱。女人似乎觉得有些许蹊跷：“我们说 的是插画，里维特先生说也许您正需 要一幅。”“插画？”我同样很迷惑。“就是给她画素描男人补充解释 道。直到这会儿，我才知道里维特先生给 我介绍了什么美差。他一定已经告诉 他们我在为杂志、故事书画铅笔画，为当代生活画素描，因此常常需要模 特的事。这些都确有其事，却又不尽 然（我现在可以坦承不论抱有很 大希望或是丝毫不抱希望，我留给读 者去猜）。我无法抛弃作为一名杰出 画家的荣誉感，这完全与报酬无关。3great painter of portraits out of my head.My“illustrations”were my pot-boilers;I looked to a different branch of art(far and away the most interesting it had always seemed to me),to perpetuate my fame.There was no shame in looking to it also to make my fortune;but that fortune was by so much further from being made from the moment my visitors wished to be“done for nothing.I was disappointed;for in the pictorial sense I had immediately SEEN them.I had seized their type I had already settled what I would do with it.Something that wouldnt absolutely have pleased them,I afterwards reflected.“Ah,youre youre a?”I began,as soon as I had mastered my surprise.I couldnt bring out the dingy word“models；it seemed to fit the case so little.“We havent had much practice,“said the lady.Weve got to DO something,and weve thought that an artist in your line might perhaps make something of us,“her husband threw off.He further mentioned that they didnt know many artists and that they had gone first,on the off-chance(he painted views of course,but sometimes put in figures-perhaps I remembered),to Mr.Rivet,whom they had met a few years before at a place in Norfolk where he was sketching.“We used to sketch a little ourselves/the lady hinted.Its very awkward,but we absolutely MUST do something,her husband went on.“Of course,were not so VERY young,“she admitted,with a wan smile.With the remark that I might as well know something more about them,the husband had handed me a card extracted from a neat new pocket-book(their appurtenances were all of the freshest)and inscribed 插画是我赖以糊口的营生。我转向艺 术的一个不同分枝来让人们永远记 住我（这一艺术分枝远得使我对它总 有最大的兴趣。）在关注这一艺术的 同时赚点钱，这一点也没什么好害羞 的；但从知道他们不是来付钱画像的 我就知道又赚不到什么钱了。凭直觉 他们不适合画插画。我认真地看了看 他们已经想好了要怎么做。有些 东西完全不会令他们满意，我随后意 识到到这点。“啊，你是，是位？”我立刻掩 饰住我的惊讶，我无法说出“模特”这个寒酸的字眼，似乎与这一点都不 沾边。“我们没什么经验。”女人说。“我们很乐意做些什么，象您这样水 准的画家也许能为我们做些什么。”女人的丈夫立马接着说道，随后又提 到他们认识的画家不多，抱着侥幸的 想法去见了里维特，几年前他们在诺 福克，遇到了当时正在写生的里维 特。（我记得不差的话，里维特当然 画风景画，有时也画人物画。）“我们自己过去经常画些素描”女人 示意道。“是挺尴尬的，但我们必须做些什 么。”丈夫继续说到。“当然，我们不是很年轻。”女人承 认，带着一丝苍白的微笑。谈话间，我对他们有了进一步的了 解。丈夫从一本漂亮的袖珍书里费劲 地抽出一张卡片递给我（他们的随身 物品总是最上好的）。卡片上印有“蒙4with the words“Major Monarch.Impressive as these words were they didnt carry my knowledge much further;but my visitor presently added:Tve left the army,and weve had the misfortune to lose our money.In fact our means are dreadfully small.5,Its an awful bore,“said Mrs.Monarch.They evidently wished to be discreet to take care not to swagger because they were gentlefolks.I perceived they would have been willing to recognise this as something of a drawback,at the same time that I guessed at an underlying sense their consolation in adversity that they HAD their points.They certainly had;but these advantages struck me as preponderantly social;such for instance as would help to make a drawing-room look well.However,a drawing-room was always,or ought to be,a picture.In consequence of his wifes allusion to their age Major Monarch observed:Naturally,its more for the figure that we thought of going in.We can still hold ourselves up.”On the instant I saw that the figure was indeed their strong point.His“naturally didnt sound vain,but it lighted up the question.SHE has got the best,he continued,nodding at his wife,with a pleasant after-dinner absence of circumlocution.I could only reply,as if we were in fact sitting over our wine,that this didnt prevent his own from being very good;which led him in turn to rejoin:uWe thought that if you ever have to do people like us,we might be something like it.SHE,particularly-for a lady in a book,you know.”I was so amused by them that,to get more of it,I did my best to take their point of view;and though it was an embarrassment to find myself appraising physically,as那克少校”字样。我对这几个字并没 有太多印象，但我的访客补充说道：“我离开了军队，很不幸又没了钱。事实上我们能赖以谋生的途径相当 少。”“相当糟。”蒙那克夫人说。很显然，他们试图谨慎，注意不因其 高贵的出身而流露出自鸣得意的样 子。我察觉到他们很乐意承认那是种 缺点，与此同时，我潜意识里猜测一 一他们在逆境中的安慰-他们有他们自己的想法。他们当然有；但这 些作为占优势的社会优势使我吃惊 不小。例如帮忙把画室弄得美观些，一个画室总是或者说应该就是一幅 画。由于妻子间接提到他们的年纪，蒙那 克解释道：“自然，一旦开始工作，我们可以为了画像做更多，我们可以 始终保持姿势。”我立刻明白画像确 实就是他们的长处。“自然”这句话 不是无的放矢的，它引出了下面这个 问题。“她有着最棒的身材。”丈夫对 妻子点点头继续说，令人愉快地直接 了当，毫无饭后闲聊的那种累赘。我 只能应着,就好象我们是在慢悠悠地 品着葡萄酒，这并不妨碍他自己成为 一个出色的人。丈夫接着我的话又 说，“如果你从来没有为我们这样的 人画过插画，我们一定会让自己做的 象插画那样，你知道的，尤其是她，这样的女人用来做书里的插画。”他们令我很高兴，我尽量采纳他们的 观点使气氛更愉快。当我发现自己从 身体上来评价他们，似乎他们是租来5if they were animals on hire or useful blacks,a pair whom I should have expected to meet only in one of the relations in which criticism is tacit,I looked at Mrs.Monarch judicially enough to be able to exclaim,after a moment,with conviction:Oh yes,a lady in a book!She was singularly like a bad illustration.Well stand up,if you like,said the Major;and he raised himself before me with a really grand air.I could take his measure at a glance he was six feet two and a perfect gentleman.It would have paid any club in process of formation and in want of a stamp to engage him at a salary to stand in the principal window.What struck me immediately was that in coming to me they had rather missed their vocation;they could surely have been turned to better account for advertising purposes.I couldnt of course see the thing in detail,but I could see them make someones fortune I don,t mean their own.There was something in them for a waistcoat-maker,an hotel-keeper or a soap-vendor.I could imagine“We always use it“pinned on their bosoms with the greatest effect;I had a vision of the promptitude with which they would launch a table dhote.Mrs.Monarch sat still,not from pride but from shyness,and presently her husband said to her:Get up my dear and show how smart you are.She obeyed,but she had no need to get up to show it.She walked to the end of the studio,and then she came back blushing,with her fluttered eyes on her husband.I was reminded of an incident I had accidentally had a glimpse of in Paris being with a friend there,a dramatist about to produce a play when an actress came to him to ask to be intrusted with a part.She went through her paces before him,walked up and down as Mrs.Monarch was doing.的动物或是被使用的黑人时，我感到 很尴尬。我希望只在一种情境下遇到 他们，那就是批评指责是缄默的。我 注视着蒙那克夫人，用非常公正的眼 光审视她，过了会很坚定地宣布：“是 的，一位插画女郎。”显然她象幅糟 糕的插图。“你喜欢的话，我们可以站着。”丈 夫说着在我面前很愉快地站了起来。我看了他一眼，大致估量出他有6英 尺2高，是个美男子。任何一家俱乐 部都会排着队，眼巴巴等着有荣幸出 薪聘请他站在主窗口。我突然觉得他 们更象是错过了他们的假期，这突如 其来的想法吓了我一跳；他们当然可 以出于广告宣传的目的转而要更高 的价。我当然不可能看清事情的细枝 末节，但我可以看到他们为某人带来 的财富我并不是指他们自己。就 他们作为马甲裁缝，酒店管理者或是 卖肥皂的小贩而言，他们有点不同。我能想象他们胸前别着最昂贵的别 针，还说：“我们经常别。”我有迅速 的错觉，他们在大饭店用餐。蒙那克夫人静静地坐在那，不是出于 骄傲，而是出于害羞。不一会儿，丈 夫对她说：“起来，亲爱的，展示下 你的魅力。”她遵从了，尽管她不用 起身坐在那就已经很美了。她走到画 室一角，脸绯红地转过身来，不安地 看着她的丈夫。我想起我在巴黎偶然 瞟到的一个小插曲-位将要编写剧本的编剧和他的一个朋友在那 这时一位女演员跑过去请求给 她演个角色。她在编剧面前走来走6Mrs.Monarch did it quite as well,but I abstained from applauding.It was very odd to see such people apply for such poor pay.She looked as if she had ten thousand a year.Her husband had used the word that described her:she was,in the London current jargon,essentially and typically“smart.Her figure was,in the same order of ideas,conspicuously and irreproachably good.For a woman of her age her waist was surprisingly small;her elbow moreover had the orthodox crook.She held her head at the conventional angle;but why did she come to ME?She ought to have tried on jackets at a big shop.I feared my visitors were not only destitute,but“artistic”which would be a great complication.When she sat down again I thanked her,observing that what a draughtsman most valued in his model was the faculty of keeping quiet.“Oh,SHE can keep quiet,“said Major Monarch.Then he added,jocosely:Tve always kept her quiet.Tm not a nasty fidget,am I?”Mrs.Monarch appealed to her husband.He addressed his answer to me.Perhaps it isnt out of place to mention because we ought to be quite business-like,oughtn,t we?that when I married her she was known as the Beautiful Statue.“Oh dear!”said Mrs.Monarch,ruefully.“Of course I should want a certain amount of expression,5,1 rejoined.“Of COURSE!s,they both exclaimed.“And then I suppose you know that youll get awfully tired.”“Oh,we NEVER get tired!,5 they eagerly cried.去，就象蒙那克夫人做的那样。蒙那 克夫人做得很好，但我没有鼓掌。这 样的人儿只要求如此可怜的报酬着 实令人感到奇怪。她看上去似乎每年 有一万的收入。她丈夫曾用这样的话 来形容她：用现在伦敦时髦的话来 讲，那就是根本的典型的“漂亮时 髦”。同理可证，她的画像也是无可 比拟和无可挑剔的好。就她这个年纪 的女人而言，她的腰出奇的细，此外，她的肘形成标准的弯钩形。她的头上 仰至标准的角度。她为什么会来我 这？她应该在大商店试穿外套。我担 心我的访客们不但穷还“艺术”-那将会是个大难题。等她再次坐下 时，我向她道了谢，并说，模特最令 画家欣赏的才能是保持沉默。“哦，她可以保持安静。”蒙那克说，并且开玩笑地补充道：“我总是令她 保持安静。”“我不是一个令人讨厌的坐立不安 的人吧，是吗？蒙那克夫人向她丈 夫求助。丈夫对我说：“也许那不值一提一一 因为我们应该商业化些，是吧我 娶她时，她被称为漂亮的雕像。”“哦，亲爱的。”蒙那克夫人悲伤地 说。“当然，我需要丰富的表情。”我接 话说。“当然”他们俩同时叫起来。“还有就是我想你们知道你们将会 非常地累。”“哦，我们从不会觉得累的！”他们7激动的哭了。“Have you had any kind of practice?They hesitated they looked at each other.Weve been photographed,IMMENSELY,said Mrs.Monarch.“有任何经验吗？”他们犹豫了下，看了对方一眼，“我 们常常画像”蒙那克夫人说。“She means the fellows have asked us,“added the“她是说常常有人问我们能否为我Major.“I see-because youre so good-looking.I dont know what they thought,but they were always after us.”们画像。”丈夫补充道。“了解你们都很漂亮。”“我不清楚他们想什么，但他们总是 跟在我们后面。”“We always got our photographs for nothing/smiledMrs.Monarch.“总是有人免费为我们画像送给我 们。”蒙那克夫人微笑着说。“We might have brought some,my dear,“her husband remarked.“亲爱的，我们也许带了些画像过 来。”丈夫接着说到。Tm not sure we have any left.Weve given quantities away,“she explained to me.“With our autographs and that sort of thing,“said the Major.“Are they to be got in the shops?”I inquired,as a harmless pleasantry.“Oh,yes;hers they used to be.”“我不知道还有没有，我们送掉