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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Unit Six
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This essay on a famous man, whose name is not revealed until almost the end of the piece, is a study of monstrous1 conceit2. Filled with biographical details that keep the reader guessing to the last moment, the essay concludes with a challenging view on the nature of genius: If a genius was so prolific3, "is it any wonder that he had no time to be a man?"
THE MONSTER
Deems Taylor
He was an undersized little man, with a head too big for his body -- a sickly little man. His nerves were had. He had skin trouble. It was agony for him to wear anything next to his skin coarser than silk. And he had seclusions4 of grandeur5.
He was a monster of conceit. Never for one minute did he look at the world or at people, except in relation to himself. He was not only the most important person in the world, to himself; in his own eyes he was the only person who existed. He believed himself to be one of the greatest dramatists in the world, one of the greatest thinkers, and one of the greatest composers. To hear him talk, he was Shakespeare, and Beethoven, and Plato, rolled into one. And you would have had no difficulty in hearing him talk. He was one of the most exhausting conversationalists that ever lived. An evening with him was an evening spent in listening to a monologue6. Sometimes he was brilliant; sometimes he was maddeningly tiresome7. But whether he was being brilliant or dull, he had one sole topic of conversation: himself. What he thought and what he did.
He had a mania8 for being in the right. The slightest hint of disagreement, from anyone, on the most trivial point, was enough to set him off on a harangue9 that might last for house, in which he proved himself right in so many ways, and with such exhausting volubility, that in the end his hearer, stunned11 and deafened12, would agree with him, for the sake of peace.
It never occurred to him that he and his doing were not of the most intense and fascinating interest to anyone with whom he came in contact. He had theories about almost any subject under the sun, including vegetarianism13, the drama, politics, and music; and in support of these theories he wrote pamphlets, letters, books … thousands upon thousands of words, hundreds and hundreds of pages. He not only wrote these things, and published them -- usually at somebody else's expense -- but he would sit and read them aloud, for hours, to his friends and his family.
He wrote operas, and no sooner did he have the synopsis14 of a story, but he would invite -- or rather summon -- a crowed of his friends to his house, and read it aloud to them. Not for criticism. For applause. When the complete poem was written, the friends had to come again, and hear that read aloud. Then he would publish the poem, sometimes years before the music that went with it was written. He played the piano like a composer, in the worst sense of what that implies, and he would sit down at the piano before parties that included some of the finest pianists of his time, and play for them, by the hour, his own music, needless to say. He had a composer's voice. And he would invite eminent15 vocalists to his house and sing them his operas, taking all the parts.
He had the emotional stability of a six-year-old child. When he felt out of sorts, he would rave16 and stamp, or sink into suicidal gloom and talk darkly of going to the East to end his days as a Buddhist17 wonk. Ten minutes later, when something pleased him, he would rush out of doors and run around the garden, or jump up and down on the sofa, or stand on his head. He could be grief-stricken over the death of a pet dog, and he could be callous18 and heartless to a degree that would have made a Roman emperor shudder19.
He was almost innocent of any sense of responsibility. Not only did he seem incapable20 of supporting himself, but it never occurred to him that he was under ay obligation to do so. He was convinced that the world owed him a living. In support of this belief, he borrowed money from everybody who was good for a loan -- men, women, friends, or strangers. He wrote begging letters by the score, sometimes groveling without shame, at other loftily offering his intended benefactor21 the privilege of contributing to his support, and being mortally offended if the recipient22 declined the honor. I have found no record of his ever paying or repaying money to anyone who did not have a legal claim upon it.
What money he could lay his hands on he spent like an Indian rajah. The mere23 prospect24 of a performance of one of his operas was enough to set him to running up bills amounting to ten times the amount of his prospective25 royalties26. No one will ever know -- certainly he never knew -- how much money he owed. We do know that his greatest benefactor gave him $6,000 to pay the most pressing of his debts in one city, and a year later had to give him $16,000 to enable him to live in another city without being thrown into jail for debt.
He was equally unscrupulous in other ways. An endless procession of women marched through his life. His first wife spent twenty years enduring and forgiving his infidelities. His second wife had been the wife of his most devoted27 friend and admirer, from whom he stole her. And even while he was trying to persuade her to leave her first husband he was writing to a friend to inquire whether he could suggest some wealthy woman -- any wealthy woman -- whom he could marry for her money.
He was completely selfish in his other personal relationships. His liking28 for his friends was measured solely29 by the completeness of their devotion to him, or by their usefulness to him, whether financial or artistic30. The minute they failed him -- even by so much as refusing dinner invitation -- or began to lessen31 in usefulness, he cast them off without a second thought. At the end of his life he had exactly one friend left whom he had known even in middle age.
The name of this monster was Richard Wagner. Everything that I have said about him you can find on record -- in newspapers, in police reports, in the testimony32 of people who knew him, in his own letters, between the lines of his autobiography33. And the curious thing about this record is that it doesn't matter in the least.
Because this undersized, sickly, disagreeable, fascinating little man was right all the time. The joke was on us. He was one of the world's greatest dramatists; he was a great thinker; he was one of the most stupendous musical geniuses that, up to now, the world has ever seen. The world did owe him a living.
When you consider what he wrote -- thirteen operas and music dramas, eleven of them still holding the stage, eight of them unquestionably worth ranking among the world's great musico-dramatic masterpieces -- when you listen to what he wrote, the debts and heartaches that people had to endure from him don't seem much of a price. Think of the luxury with which for a time, at least, fate rewarded Napoleon, the man who ruined France and looted Europe; and then perhaps you will agree that a few thousand dollars' worth of debts were not too heavy a price to pay for the Ring trilogy.
What if he was faithless to his friends and to his wives? He had one mistress to whom he was faithful to the day of his death: Music. Not for a single moment did he ever compromise with what he believed, with what be dreamed. There is not a line of his music that could have been conceived by a little mind. Even when he is dull, or downright bad, he is dull in the grand manner. There is greatness about his worst mistakes. Listening to his music, one does not forgive him for what he may or may not have been. It is not a matter of forgiveness. It is a matter of being dumb with wonder that his poor brain and body didn't burst under the torment34 of the demon35 of creative energy that lived inside him, struggling, clawing, scratching to be released; tearing, shrieking36 at him to write the music that was in him. The miracle is that what he did in the little space of seventy years could have been done at all, even by a great genius. Is it any wonder that he had no time to be a man?
New Words
monster
n. a person too wicked to be considered human; an animal or plant that is very unlike those usually found in nature
undersized
a. smaller than usual; too small
sickly
a. weak, unhealthy and often ill
agony
n. very great pain or suffering of mind or body
coarse
a. not fine or smooth; rough
grandeur
n. greatness, nobility
delusion of grandeur
夸大妄想
dramatist
n. a writer of plays, esp. serious ones; playwright38
composer
n. one who writes musical works
compose vt.
conversationalist
n. a person who enjoys and is skilled at conversation
monologue
n. a long speech by one person; a spoken part in a play or film for a single person 独白
maddeningly
ad. annoyingly
tiresome
a. irritating or boring
mania
n. a desire so strong than it seems mad; an unusual or unreasonable39 fondness 狂热；癖好
hint
n. a statement or action that gives a small or indirect suggestion
trivial
a. of little or no importance
harangue
n. a long, loud speech, esp. one which blames those listening to it
volubility
n. fondness for talking; talkativeness
deafen
vt. make deaf, esp. for a short time; stun10 with noise
vegetarianism
n. the practice or principle of eating only vegetable foods and refraining from eating meat, fish or other animal products
pamphlet
n. a small book with paper covers which deals usu. with some matter of public interest; booklet 小册子
expense
n. cost in money, time, or effort
opera
n. a musical play
summon
vt. order(sb.) to come
applause
n. loud praise for a performer or performance, esp. by striking the hands together
needless
a. unnecessary
eminent
a. (of people) famous and admired
vocalist
n. singer
vocal
a. of the voice
rave
vi. talk wildly
suicidal
a. wishing to kill oneself, which leads or will lead to death or destruction
suicide
n.
gloom
n. a feeling of unhappiness or despair
gloomy
a.
darkly
ad. with a dark, gloomy, or menacing look or manner
Buddhist
a., n. having to do with Buddhism40; a believer in Buddhism 佛教的；佛教徒
monk
n. a member of an all-male religious group who has made solemn promises, esp. not to marry and not to have any possessions, living in a monastery41 僧侣
Buddhist monk
僧，和尚
grief
n. a feeling of extreme sadness
grief-stricken
a. filled with great sorrow
grieve
v.
pet
n. an animal kept in the home as a companion
callous
a. without feeling for the suffering of other people; unkind
emperor
n. the ruler of an empire
shudder
vi. shake uncontrollably for a moment, esp. from fear, cold, or strong dislike; tremble
incapable
a. not having the power or ability to do sth. or show a quality
grovel
vi. be shamefully42 bumble or eager to please; ask or beg with too great humility43 卑躬屈膝，奴颜婢膝
loftily
ad. proudly; haughtily44
lofty
a. very high; towering; noble
benefactor
n. a person who gives friendly help, often in the form of money
mortally
ad. bitterly, extremely
mortal
a. causing death; certain to die someday
offend
vt. hurt the feeling of; upset
offensive
a.
recipient
n. a person who receives sth.
legal
a. of or using the law
rajah
n. an Indian ruler
prospective
a. expected or intended; likely to be or become
royalty
n. a part of the price of a book, paid to the writer on each copy sold; a payment made to the writer of a play or piece of music when it is performed 版税
pressing
a. urgent
jail
n. prison
unscrupulous
a. not caring about honesty and fairness in getting what one wants; completely without principles
endless
a. having or seeming to have no end; never finishing
infidelity
n. an act of disloyalty; lack of faithfulness, esp. to husband or wife
admirer
n. a person who admires, esp. a man who is attracted to a particular woman
wealthy
a. rich, abundant
selfish
a. concerned about oneself without thinking of others
lessen
v. make or become less
autobiography
n. the story of a person's life written by himself/herself
disagreeable
a. bad-tempered46 and unfriendly; unpleasant
stupendous
a. amazing, marvelous 巨大的，惊人的
musical
a. of or for music
genius
n. a person who has very great natural ability to think and create
unquestionably
ad. beyond dispute or doubt; certainly
rank
v. have or regard as having a certain rank or relative position
musico-dramatic
a. of or concerning both music and the drama
masterpiece
n. an outstanding work 杰作
headache
n. a pain in the head; a difficult or worrying problem
trilogy
n. a group of three related books, plays, etc. connected by common subject matter, but each complete in itself （小说、戏剧等的）三部曲
faithless
a. not deserving trust; disloyal
compromise
vi. surrender one's principles, etc. dishonorably; reach an agreement by having each side give up certain demands 背弃；妥协
downright
ad. thoroughly48; completely
forgive
v. stop being angry (at)
forgiveness
n. the act of forgiving or the willingness to forgive; pardon
scratch
v. dig, scrape, or injure with sth. sharp, such as fingernails, claws or a tool
shriek
vi. make a loud, shrill50 cry
miracle
n. sth. that is amazing and unusual 奇迹
Phrases & Expressions
in relation to
in connection with; with regard to; about
in one's eyes
in one's opinion
in support of
supporting
at sb.'s expense
with sb. paying the cost
needless to say
of course; as was to be expected
out of sorts
in an angry or unhappy mood; in a bad temper
under obligation (to do)
having the duty (to do)
good for
able to pay or contribute; useful or suitable for
lay one's hands on
find; gain possession of
run up
allow (sth. such as debt) to increase
on record
written down in a record
收听单词发音 |
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monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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conceit
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| n.自负，自高自大 | |
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prolific
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| adj.丰富的，大量的；多产的，富有创造力的 | |
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seclusions
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| n.隔绝，隔离，隐居( seclusion的名词复数 ) | |
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grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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monologue
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| n.长篇大论，（戏剧等中的）独白 | |
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tiresome
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| adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的 | |
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mania
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| n.疯狂；躁狂症，狂热，癖好 | |
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harangue
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| n.慷慨冗长的训话，言辞激烈的讲话 | |
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stun
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| vt.打昏，使昏迷，使震惊，使惊叹 | |
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stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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deafened
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| 使聋( deafen的过去式和过去分词 )； 使隔音 | |
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vegetarianism
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| n.素食，素食主义 | |
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synopsis
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| n.提要，梗概 | |
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eminent
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| adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的 | |
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rave
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| vi.胡言乱语；热衷谈论；n.热情赞扬 | |
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Buddhist
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| adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒 | |
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callous
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| adj.无情的，冷淡的，硬结的，起老茧的 | |
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shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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benefactor
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| n. 恩人，行善的人，捐助人 | |
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recipient
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| a.接受的,感受性强的 n.接受者,感受者,容器 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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prospective
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| adj.预期的，未来的，前瞻性的 | |
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royalties
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| 特许权使用费 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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lessen
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| vt.减少，减轻；缩小 | |
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testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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autobiography
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| n.自传 | |
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torment
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| n.折磨；令人痛苦的东西(人)；vt.折磨；纠缠 | |
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demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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delusion
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| n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑 | |
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playwright
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| n.剧作家，编写剧本的人 | |
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unreasonable
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| adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的 | |
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Buddhism
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| n.佛教（教义） | |
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monastery
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| n.修道院，僧院，寺院 | |
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shamefully
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| 可耻地； 丢脸地； 不体面地； 羞耻地 | |
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humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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haughtily
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| adv. 傲慢地, 高傲地 | |
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loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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bad-tempered
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| adj.脾气坏的 | |
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plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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