【導(dǎo)讀】約翰·柯里爾(1901~1980)生于倫敦，家境非常貧寒，讀完小學(xué)后，因?yàn)闊o(wú)力負(fù)擔(dān)中學(xué)學(xué)費(fèi)，只能回到家里接受教育。他很早就開(kāi)始閱讀安徒生童話，受其影響，他終生都對(duì)神話和傳奇充滿興趣。另外一位對(duì)柯里爾產(chǎn)生極大影響的作家是喬納森·斯威夫特(Jonathan Swift)，柯里爾作品中對(duì)人性復(fù)雜程度的洞察和懷疑態(tài)度據(jù)說(shuō)來(lái)自這位諷刺文學(xué)大師。
《追愛(ài)人》原文不足1100字，情節(jié)非常簡(jiǎn)單：一個(gè)名叫艾倫·奧斯丁(Alan Austen)的小伙子為了博得心上人戴安娜(Diana)的青睞費(fèi)盡心思，打探到有種神秘的懷春水可幫助他達(dá)到目的。于是，艾倫在一處破舊的房子里找到一位神秘老人，希望能買(mǎi)到這種藥水，但老人避而不談他想要的藥水，反而推薦起另一種無(wú)色無(wú)味的昂貴藥水。老人將這種藥水稱(chēng)為富裕中年人的“生活清潔劑”，并暗示它有殺人不見(jiàn)血的功效。接著，在艾倫的強(qiáng)烈要求下，老人詳細(xì)描述了他想買(mǎi)的那種懷春水的藥效：這種藥水能讓艾倫徹底征服他正在追求的女孩，讓她在身體上和精神上都毫無(wú)保留地歸屬于他，聽(tīng)命于他。當(dāng)艾倫得知這種神奇的藥水只需1元錢(qián)時(shí)，他興奮異常。小說(shuō)以艾倫和老人互相道別而結(jié)束。
【正文】
Alan Austen, as nervous as a kitten, went up certain dark and creaky stairs in the neighborhood of Pell Street, and peered about for a long time on the dime landing before he found the name he wanted written obscurely on one of the doors.
艾倫·奧斯丁緊張得像只小貓，瑟瑟索索地走進(jìn)裴爾街附近一個(gè)黑黢黢的樓梯間，拾級(jí)而上，樓梯吱呀作響。他在昏暗的樓梯口瞇著眼費(fèi)力辨認(rèn)了半天，才找到那扇門(mén)，門(mén)上寫(xiě)著他要找的名字，字跡模糊不清。
[2] He pushed open this door, as he had been told to do, and found himself in a tiny room, which contained no furniture but a plain kitchen table, a rocking-chair, and an ordinary chair. On one of the dirty buff-colored walls were a couple of shelves, containing in all perhaps a dozen bottles and jars. An old man sat in the rocking-chair, reading a newspaper. Alan, without a word, handed him the card he had been given.
[2] 他按之前的吩咐，直接推開(kāi)門(mén)。房間很小，幾乎沒(méi)什么家具，只有一張不起眼的餐桌、一把搖椅和一把普普通通的椅子。暗黃色的墻壁臟兮兮的，其中一面墻上釘了兩三個(gè)隔板，上面放著約摸十多個(gè)瓶瓶罐罐。一位老人坐在搖椅上，正讀著報(bào)紙。艾倫一聲不響地把自己之前收到的那張卡片遞給了老人。
[3] "Sit down, Mr. Austen," said the old man very politely. "I am glad to make your acquaintance."
"Is it true," asked Alan, "that you have a certain mixture that has…er…quite extraordinary effects?"
[3]“請(qǐng)坐，奧斯丁先生，”老人很有禮貌地說(shuō)，“非常高興結(jié)識(shí)您。”
“是真的嗎?”艾倫問(wèn)，“您真有那種……呃……效果非同尋常的藥水嗎?”
[4] "My dear sir," replied the old man, "my stock in trade is not very large—I don't deal in laxatives and teething mixtures—but such as it is, it is varied. I think nothing I sell has effects which could be precisely described as ordinary."
[4]“親愛(ài)的先生，”老人答道，“我賣(mài)的藥不是特別多——我可不賣(mài)瀉藥或者長(zhǎng)牙藥。話雖如此，我的藥品種也不少。而且我覺(jué)得，我賣(mài)的這些藥的效果，準(zhǔn)確地說(shuō)，哪一種都不是‘尋常’二字能描述得了的?！?/p>
[5] "Well, the fact is. . ." began Alan.
"Here, for example," interrupted the old man, reaching for a bottle from the shelf.
"Here is a liquid as colorless as water, almost tasteless, quite imperceptible in coffee, wine, or any other beverage. It is also quite imperceptible to any known method of autopsy."
"Do you mean it is a poison?" cried Alan, very much horrified.
"Call it a glove-cleaner if you like," said the old man indifferently. "Maybe it will clean gloves. I have never tried. One might call it a life-cleaner. Lives need cleaning sometimes."
[5]“哦，是這么回事……”艾倫打算切入正題。
“比如這個(gè)。”老人打斷他的話頭，手伸向架子上的一個(gè)瓶子。
“這種藥和水一樣沒(méi)有顏色，幾乎沒(méi)有任何味道，摻進(jìn)咖啡、葡萄酒和任何其他飲料都無(wú)法覺(jué)察，目前所有的驗(yàn)尸方法也都驗(yàn)不出來(lái)?！?/p>
“您的意思，那是毒藥?”艾倫驚恐萬(wàn)分地叫了出來(lái)。
“你可以叫它手套清洗劑，”老人面無(wú)表情地說(shuō)，“也許它能清潔手套，但我從沒(méi)試過(guò)。也可以叫它生活清潔劑。有時(shí)候，生活也需要清洗清洗?！?/p>
[6] "I want nothing of that sort," said Alan.
"Probably it is just as well," said the old man. "Do you know the price of this? For one teaspoonful, which is sufficient, I ask five thousand dollars. Never less. Not a penny less."
"I hope all your mixtures are not as expensive," said Alan apprehensively.
[6]“我可不想買(mǎi)那種東西?！卑瑐惐硎?。
“也許不想買(mǎi)最好?！崩先苏f(shuō)，“你知道這藥的價(jià)格嗎?一茶匙的量就夠用，這一茶匙藥我收5000元，絕對(duì)不能少，一分也不能少?！?/p>
“希望您的藥水不是都這么貴?！卑瑐愓f(shuō)，臉色憂慮。
[7] "Oh dear, no," said the old man. "It would be no good charging that sort of price for a love potion, for example. Young people who need a love potion very seldom have five thousand dollars. Otherwise they would not need a love potion."
"I am glad to hear that," said Alan.
"I look at it like this," said the old man. "Please a customer with one article, and he will come back when he needs another. Even if it is more costly. He will save up for it, if necessary."
[7]“噢，當(dāng)然不是，”老人說(shuō)，“比如懷春水，要那種價(jià)就不合適了。需要懷春水的年輕人極少有5000元，不然他們也不需要懷春水了?！?/p>
“聽(tīng)您這么說(shuō)，我真高興。”艾倫說(shuō)。
“我是這么看的，”老人說(shuō)，“用一種貨讓顧客開(kāi)心，這樣，他們需要另一種貨時(shí)就會(huì)回來(lái)。即使這第二種貨貴很多，只要是必需，他們省吃?xún)€用也會(huì)買(mǎi)?！?/p>
[8] "So," said Alan, "you really do sell love potions?"
"If I did not sell love potions," said the old man, reaching for another bottle, "I should not have mentioned the other matter to you. It is only when one is in a position to oblige that one can afford to be so confidential."
[8]“那么，”艾倫說(shuō)，“您這里真賣(mài)懷春水嘍?”
“要是我不賣(mài)懷春水，”老人手伸向另一個(gè)瓶子，“我也不會(huì)跟你提剛才那種藥。能效系鈴之勞，方敢承解鈴之密嘛?！?/p>
(轉(zhuǎn)第二頁(yè))
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