xiao

American Buskin (美 国 悲 剧)

〔美〕西·德莱塞



When Clyde Griffiths was still a child, his religious-minded parents took him and his brothers and sisters around the streets of various cities, where they prayed and sang in public. The family was always very poor, but the fundamentalist faith of the Griffiths was their hope and mainstay throughout the storms and troubles of life.

  在克莱德·格里菲思还是个孩子的时候，笃信宗教的双亲带着他和他的兄弟姐妹到各城市的大街上当众祈祷、演唱。格里菲思家总是很穷，但是，原教旨主义的信仰却一直是这一家人在生活的风风雨雨、坎坎坷坷中的希望和支柱。

Young Clyde was never religious, however, and he always felt ashamed of the existence his parents were living. As soon as he was old enough to make decisions for himself, he decided to go his own way. At sixteen he got a job as a bellboy in a Kansas City hotel. There the salary and the tips he received astonished him. For the first time in his life he had money in his pocket, and he could dress well and enjoy himself. Then a tragedy overwhelmed the family. Clyde's sister ran away, supposedly to be married. Her elopement was a great blow to the parents, but Clyde himself did not brood over the matter. Life was too pleasant for him; more and more he enjoyed the luxuries which his job provided. He made friends with the other bellhops and joined them in parties that centered around liquor and women. Clyde soon became familiar with drink and brothels.

  小克莱德可从来不那么虔诚，他总是为他父母的生活方式感到羞耻。他刚刚到能给自己做主的年龄，就决定走自己的路。十六岁那年，他在堪萨斯城一家旅馆找了个服务员的差事。拿到的工钱和小费之多让他吃了一惊。他生平第一次口袋里有了钱，可以穿着入时，快快活活地过日子了。就在这时，一件不幸的事情使家里人悲痛不堪：克莱德的姐姐私奔了，据推测是和人结了婚。她的出走给双亲很大的打击，可克莱德却没把这件事放在心上。生活对他来说是太舒适了；工作里提供的种种奢侈、享乐，使他越来越感到快意。他和别的服务员交上了朋友，参加他们以酒色为主的聚会。不久，克莱德开始贪杯并经常出入妓院。

One day he discovered that his sister was back in town. The man with whom she had run away had deserted her, and she was penniless and pregnant. Knowing his sister needed money, Clyde gave his mother a few dollars for her. He promised to give her more; instead he bought an expensive coat for a girl in the hope that she would yield herself to him. One night he and his friends went on a party in a car that did not belong to them. Coming back from their outing, hey ran over a little girl. In their attempt to escape, they wrecked the car. Clyde fled to Chicago.

  一天，他发现姐姐回到了堪萨斯。原来，带她私奔的那人抛弃了她。如今她身无分文，怀孕在身。克莱德知道他姐姐等钱用，便给了他妈妈几块钱转交给姐姐。他答应再给一些钱，可是却为一个姑娘买了件昂贵的大衣，希望这姑娘能委身于他。一天晚上，他和朋友们开着别人的车去作乐。回来时，他们撞倒了一个小女孩。他们企图逃避罪责，慌乱中撞毁了车子。于是，克莱德逃到了芝加哥。

In Chicago he got work at the Union League Club, where he eventually met his wealthy uncle, Samuel Griffiths. The uncle, who owned a factory in Lycurgus, New York, took a fancy to Clyde and offered him work in the factory. Clyde went to Lycurgus. There his cousin, Gilbert, resented this cousin from the Middle West. The whole family, with the exception of his uncle, considered Clyde beneath them socially, and would not accept him into their circle. Clyde was given a job at the very bottom of the business, but his uncle soon made him a supervisor.

  在芝加哥，克莱德在联邦协会俱乐部找到了工作。这时，他遇上了他富有的叔叔塞缪尔·格里菲思。他的这个叔叔在纽约莱克基斯拥有一个工厂，克莱德希望能到这个工厂工作，于是来到了莱克基斯。但他的堂弟基尔伯特却憎恨这个来自中西部的堂兄。而且除了叔叔之外，叔叔家的每一个成员都认为他属于低等社会的人，拒绝接受他成为他们中间的一员。克莱德被安排做商行的最低等职员，但他叔叔很快便提拔他做了管理者。

In the meantime Sondra Finchley, who disliked Gilbert, began to invite Clyde to parties she and her friends often gave. Her main purpose was to annoy Gilbert. Clyde's growing popularity forced the Griffiths to receive him socially, much to Gilbert's disgust.

  苏达·芬斯尼，却不喜欢基尔伯特，她反尔邀请克莱德参加她和她的那帮朋友经常举行的舞会。她的目的是让基尔伯特痛苦。尽管基尔伯特非常不愿意，但克莱德越来越讨女孩子们的喜欢，并被接受成了他这个社会的成员。

In the course of his work at the factory Clyde met Roberta Alden, with whom he soon fell in love. Since it was forbidden for a supervisor to mix socially with an employee, they had to meet secretly. Clyde attempted to persuade Roberta to give herself to him, but the girl refused. At last, rather than lose him, she consented and became his mistress.

  在工厂工作期间，克莱德遇到了罗巴塔·安顿，并立即爱上了她。由于禁止管理者和雇佣者这两个不同阶层的人交往，他们只好秘密约会。克莱德试图劝说罗巴塔献身于他，遭到拒绝。但最后，由于担心失去他， 女孩还是答应了他并成了他的情妇。

As the same time Clyde was becoming fascinated by Sondra. He came to love her and hoped to marry her, and thus acquire the wealth and social position for which he yearned. Gradually he began breaking dates with Roberta in order to be with Sondra every moment that she could spare him. Roberta began to be suspicious and eventually found out the truth.

  此时，苏达深深地迷恋上了克莱德。他也喜欢她而且希望能与之结婚，以获得他一直渴望的财富和社会地位。慢慢地，他不再与罗巴塔约会，而与苏达分享每一个早晨。罗巴塔起了疑心并终究发现了事实。

By that time she was pregnant. Clyde went to drug stores for medicine that did not work. He attempted to find a doctor of questionable reputation. Roberta went to see one physician who refused to perform an operation. Clyde and Roberta were both becoming desperate, and Clyde saw his possible marriage to the girl as a dismal ending to all his hopes for a bright future. He told himself that he did not love Roberta, that it was Sondra whom he wished to marry. Roberta asked him to marry her for the sake of her child, saying she would go away afterward, if he wished, so that he could be free of her. Clyde would not agree to her proposal and grew more irritable and worried.

  这期间她怀孕了，克莱德去药店买堕胎药，但药店关了门。他想找一个非法行医者作手术，也未成。罗巴塔找到的医师也拒绝做手术。克莱德与罗巴塔两人都陷入了绝望。克莱德知道只要他与罗巴塔结婚，他所有的光明前途都会失去。他认为自已并不爱罗巴塔，他的结婚对象是苏达。罗巴塔求他为了孩子与她结婚，如果他需要，结婚后她会离开他给他自由。克莱德不同意这个要求，他变得越来越烦躁。

One day he read in the newspaper an item about the accidental drowning of a couple who had gone boating. Slowly a plan began to form in his mind. He told Roberta he would marry her and persuaded her to accompany him to an isolated lake resort. There, as though accidentally, he lunged toward her. She was hit by his camera and fell into the water. Clyde escaped, confident that her drowning would look like an accident, even though he had planned it all carefully.

  一天,他看到报纸上报道说一对夫妻沉船事故溺死在湖中，于是他产生了一个计划。他告诉罗巴塔他同意与她结婚，并说服她陪他一起到常去的一个岛上玩。在湖中，好像很意外地他倒向了她,照相机击中了她,她掉进了水中.其实克莱德早已计划好了这一切。

But he had been clumsy. Letters that he and Roberta had written were found, and when her condition became known he was arrested. His uncle obtained an attorney for him. At his trial, the defense built up an elaborate case in his favor. But in spite of his lawyer's efforts, he was found guilty and sentenced to be electrocuted. His mother came to see him and urged him to save his soul. A clergyman finally succeeded in getting Clyde to write a statement—a declaration that he repented of his sins. It is doubtful whether he did. He died in the electric chair, a young man tempted by his desire for luxury and wealth.

  但他还是失着了，他给罗巴塔的信被发现了。当她要求与他结婚的意图被披露后，克莱德被逮捕了。他的叔叔给他请了一个律师。但在审判期间，法院做了一系列细致的侦察工作。尽管律师一再努力，他仍然被判定有罪并判处死刑。他的母亲来看他，请求他振救他的灵魂。一个牧师成功地说服他写下了忏悔书。一个试图达到荣华宝贵的年轻人死在了电椅上。