1891年,处在写作生涯巅峰期的王尔德遇见了阿尔弗雷德·“波西”·道格拉斯(Alfred "Bosie" Douglas),两人很快成为了同性恋人。四年后,因为这段“不敢说出名字的爱”,王尔德被判“有伤 风化”罪而入狱。在狱中,王尔德开始反思从前的生活,思索痛苦和人生的意义,艺术和爱的真谛,最终将那些痛苦的泪水都化作优 美而深沉的文字,写成了这封名为"de profundis"(从深处)的长信。

作者简介:奥斯卡·王尔德(Oscar Wilde, 1854-1900),英国维多利亚时代著名作家,“唯美主义 运动”的领军人物,倡导“为艺术而艺术”(Art for art's sake)。他的代表作有戏剧《莎乐美》(Salome)《认真的 重要性》(The Importance of Being Earnest),童话《快乐王子》(The Happy Prince) 《夜莺与玫瑰》(The Nightingale and the Rose) ,小说《道连·格雷的画像》(The Picture of Dorian Gray),以及书信《自深深处》(De Profundis)等。

【原著选段】

If you had any imagination in you, you would know that there is not a single person who has been kind to me in my prison-life, down to the warder who may give me a goodmorning or a good-night that is not one of his prescribed duties—down to the common policemen who in their homely rough way strove to comfort me on my journeys to and fro from the Bankruptcy Court under conditions of terrible mental distress—down to the poor thief who, recognising me as we tramped round the yard at Wandsworth, whispered to me in the hoarse prison-voice men get from long and compulsory silence: “I am sorry for you; it is harder for the likes of you than it is for the likes of us”—not one of them all, I say, the very mire from whose shoes you should not be proud to be allowed to kneel down and clean.

【朱纯深译本】

假如你还有一丁点想象力的话,你会懂得,在我囚禁生活中对我好的每一个人,下至在例行公务之外向我道一声“早安”或“晚安”的狱吏——下至普普通通的警察,在我心烦意乱被带着来回奔忙于破产法庭的途中,他们以那种朴实的、粗线条的方式尽力想安慰我——下至那个可怜的盗贼,当我们在瓦兹华斯院子里走步放风时,他认出我来,便用狱中人那长期被迫沉默而落下的沙哑嗓音,轻声对我说:“我替你难过,这日子对你们这种人比对我们要更难熬啊。”——我说,这些人一个个,要是允许你跪下来给他们擦去鞋上的污泥,你都该觉得脸上有光才是。

【读书笔记】

1、这段选文的结构比较复杂,其基本结构只有一个长句,即:

If you had any imagination in you, you would know that there is not a single person who has been kind to me in my prison-life, the very mire from whose shoes you should not be proud to be allowed to kneel down and clean.
假如你还有一丁点想象力的话,你会懂得,在我囚禁生活中对我好的每一个人,要是允许你跪下来给他们擦去鞋上的污泥,你都该觉得脸上有光才是。

而中间三个“down to”所引出的句子,都是在具体说明“person who has been kind to me in my prison-life”。

2、prescribe v.规定;指定;开处方
【举例】a prescribed amount of work 规定的工作量
The doctor prescribed some pills for my cold. 为了治感冒,医生给我开了一些药片。

3、strive v.努力;奋斗;反抗
【举例】strive towards a goal 朝着目标奋斗
strive to suppress one's tears 强忍着眼泪
strive against oppression 反抗压迫

4、compulsory a.被迫的;强制的;义务的
【举例】compulsory legislation 强制性立法
compulsory education 义务教育
a compulsory subject 必修科目

《自深深处》读书笔记系列>>

点击进入沪江下载库下载《自深深处》双语版 >>

品味更多好书,欢迎关注“英语文学馆”>>