欧美人文风情第21篇:美国女诗人Katie Makkai

 When I was just a little girl, I asked my mother,  当我还只是个小女孩，我问过我母亲：

"What will I be? Will I be pretty? Will I be pretty? Will I be pretty?" “我会变得怎样？我会变漂亮吗？我会变美吗？我会变漂亮吗？”

What comes next? Oh right, "Will I be rich?" Which is almost pretty depending on where you shop. 下一句是什么？喔对了：“我会变富有吗？”那也几乎是漂亮的问题，取决于你在哪里购物的。

And the pretty question infects from conception, passing blood and breath into cells. 那个漂亮的问题从观念开始感染，传遍血液和呼吸并带进细胞里。

The word hangs from our mothers' hearts in a shrill¹ fluorescent² floodlight of worry. 在忧心忡忡的刺眼荧光灯下，那个字挂在我们母亲的内心。

"Will I be wanted? Worthy³? Pretty?" “我会被渴望吗？会有价值吗？会漂亮吗？”

But puberty left me this funhouse mirror dryad:  但青春期留给我这个哈哈镜精灵：

teeth set at science fiction angles, crooked⁴ nose, face donkey-long 依照科幻小说角度排列的牙齿、歪鼻子、脸有如驴子般长、

and pox-marked where the hormones⁵ went finger-painting. 还布满荷尔蒙大玩指印画时留下的浓疱疤痕。

My poor mother. How could this happen? 我可怜的母亲。这怎么会发生呢？

"You'll have porcelain⁶ skin as soon as we can see a dermatologist⁷. You sucked your thumb. “当我们可以去看皮肤科医生时，你就会有陶瓷般的肌肤。你吸吮大拇指。

That's why your teeth look like that! You were hit in the face with a Frisbee⁸ when you were six. 那就是为什么你的牙齿看起来像那副德性!你在六岁时被飞盘打中脸。

Otherwise your nose would have been just fine! Don't worry. We'll get it all fixed⁹!" 不然你的鼻子会就好好的!别担心。我们会让它全部修整好。”

She would say, grasping my face, twisting it this way then that, as though it were a cabbage she might buy. 她会这么说，抓着我的脸，扭向这边然后那边，好似那是一颗她会购买的高丽菜。

But this is not about her. Not her fault. 但这不关她的事。不是她的错。

She, too, was raised to believe the greatest asset she could bestow¹⁰ upon her awkward little girl was a marketable facade¹¹. 她同样也是被养大去相信她可以送给她笨拙小女儿的最大资产是一面可以贩售的表象。

By 16, I was pickled with ointments¹², medications, peroxides. Teeth corralled into steel prongs. 在十六岁时，我被软膏、药物、过氧化氢所醃渍。牙齿被钢刺围起。

Laying in a hospital bed, face packed with gauze, cushioning the brand new nose the surgeon had carved. 躺在病床上，脸上包满纱布，盖住那外科医生雕刻出来的全新鼻子。

Belly¹³ gorged¹⁴ on two pints¹⁵ of my own blood I had swallowed under anesthesia, 肚子塞满两品脱我在麻醉时吞下的自己的血，

and every convulsive twist of my gut¹⁶ like my body screaming at me from the inside out, " 还有我内脏每次的抽筋扭痛都像我的身体从里头向外对我大叫：

What did you let them do to you?" “你让他们对你做了什么事？”

All the while this never-ending chorus droning on and on, like the IV needle dripping liquid beauty into my blood. 这段永远不会结束的合唱曲一直不断地嗡嗡响起，就像静脉点滴将美丽之液滴进我的血。

"Will I be pretty? Will I be pretty?" “我会美丽吗？我会美丽吗？”

Like my mother, unwinding the gift wrap to reveal the bouquet¹⁷ of daughter her 10,000 dollars bought her. 就像我的母亲，拆开礼物包装，露出她一万美金买来的女儿花束。

Pretty? Pretty. 美丽吗？美丽。

And now, I have not seen my own face in 10 years. I have not seen my own face in 10 years, but this is not about me. 现在，我已经十年没看过我自己的脸了。我已经十年没看过我自己的脸了，但这不关我的事。

This is about the self-mutilating circus we have painted ourselves clowns in. 这是关于我们将自己绘上小丑妆去参加的这个自残马戏团。

About women who will prowl 30 stores in 6 malls to find the right cocktail¹⁸ dress, 关于会在六间商场中的三十家商店里四处找寻合适小礼服的女人，

but who haven't a clue where to find fulfillment or how to wear joy, 但不晓得要去哪儿找到成就感、或如何带着欢乐，

wandering through life shackled¹⁹ to a shopping bag, beneath the tyranny of those two pretty syllables²⁰. 漫步于遭购物袋束缚的人生中的女人，就在那两个美丽音节的暴政之下。

About men wallowing on bar stools, drearily²¹ practicing attraction and everyone who will drift home tonight, 关于打滚在酒吧高脚椅间，沉闷地练习勾引他人，而所有今晚会游荡回家的人，

crestfallen²² because not enough strangers found you suitably fuckable. 都意志消沉，因为没有足够的陌生人觉得你适合带去开房间。

This, this is about my own someday daughter. 这个，这是关于我自己未来有朝一日的女儿。

When you approach me, already stung-stayed with insecurity, begging, "Mom, will I be pretty? Will I be pretty?" 当你走近我，已经让不安全感扎满全身，乞求着：“妈，我会漂亮吗？我会漂亮吗？”

I will wipe that question from your mouth like cheap lipstick²³ and answer, 我会将那问题如廉价口红般从你嘴上抹去，并回答：

"No! The word pretty is unworthy of everything you will be, and no child of mine will be contained in five letters. “不!漂亮这个字不值得形容你将会成为的一切，我的孩子不会被限制在五个字里。

You will be pretty intelligent, pretty creative, pretty amazing. But you, will never be merely 'pretty.' " 你会变得很聪明、很有创意、很迷人。但你，绝不会只是单单的‘漂亮’。”

 

1 shrill   

adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫

参考例句：

• Whistles began to shrill outside the barn.哨声开始在谷仓外面尖叫。
• The shrill ringing of a bell broke up the card game on the cutter.刺耳的铃声打散了小汽艇的牌局。

2 fluorescent   

adj.荧光的，发出荧光的

参考例句：

• They observed the deflections of the particles by allowing them to fall on a fluorescent screen.他们让粒子落在荧光屏上以观察他们的偏移。
• This fluorescent lighting certainly gives the food a peculiar color.这萤光灯当然增添了食物特别的色彩。

3 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

4 crooked   

adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him.他弯了弯手指，示意我们到他那儿去。
• You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。

5 hormones   

n. 荷尔蒙，激素 名词hormone的复数形式

参考例句：

• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body. 这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。
• The adrenals produce a large per cent of a man's sex hormones. 肾上腺分泌人体的大部分性激素。

6 porcelain   

n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的

参考例句：

• These porcelain plates have rather original designs on them.这些瓷盘的花纹很别致。
• The porcelain vase is enveloped in cotton.瓷花瓶用棉花裹着。

7 dermatologist   

n.皮肤科医师

参考例句：

• I think you should see a dermatologist first.我想你应当先看皮肤科大夫。
• The general practitioner referred her patient to a dermatologist.家庭医生把她的病人交给了皮肤科医生。

8 frisbee   

n.飞盘(塑料玩具)

参考例句：

• We always go to the park on weekends and play Frisbee.我们每个周末都会到公园玩飞盘。
• The frisbee is a light plastic disc,shaped like a plate.飞盘是一种碟形塑料盘。

9 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

10 bestow   

v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费

参考例句：

• He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero.他希望将那些伟大的荣誉授予这位英雄。
• What great inspiration wiII you bestow on me?你有什么伟大的灵感能馈赠给我？

11 facade   

n.(建筑物的)正面，临街正面；外表

参考例句：

• The entrance facade consists of a large full height glass door.入口正面有一大型全高度玻璃门。
• If you look carefully,you can see through Bob's facade.如果你仔细观察，你就能看穿鲍勃的外表。

12 ointments   

n.软膏( ointment的名词复数 )；扫兴的人；煞风景的事物；药膏

参考例句：

• The firm has been dispensing ointments. 本公司配制药膏。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Antibiotic ointments are useful for concurrent bacterial infections. 抗菌素软膏对伴发的细菌感染是有用的。 来自辞典例句

13 belly   

n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛

参考例句：

• The boss has a large belly.老板大腹便便。
• His eyes are bigger than his belly.他眼馋肚饱。

14 gorged   

v.（用食物把自己）塞饱，填饱( gorge的过去式和过去分词 )；作呕

参考例句：

• He gorged himself at the party. 在宴会上他狼吞虎咽地把自己塞饱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The men, gorged with food, had unbuttoned their vests. 那些男人，吃得直打饱嗝，解开了背心的钮扣。 来自辞典例句

15 pints   

n.品脱( pint的名词复数 )；一品脱啤酒

参考例句：

• I drew off three pints of beer from the barrel. 我从酒桶里抽出三品脱啤酒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Two pints today, please. 今天请来两品脱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 gut   

n.[pl.]胆量；内脏；adj.本能的；vt.取出内脏

参考例句：

• It is not always necessary to gut the fish prior to freezing.冷冻鱼之前并不总是需要先把内脏掏空。
• My immediate gut feeling was to refuse.我本能的直接反应是拒绝。

17 bouquet   

n.花束，酒香

参考例句：

• This wine has a rich bouquet.这种葡萄酒有浓郁的香气。
• Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。

18 cocktail   

n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物

参考例句：

• We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。
• At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。

19 shackled   

给（某人）带上手铐或脚镣( shackle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The hostage had been shackled to a radiator. 当时人质被铐在暖气片上。
• He was shackled and in darkness of torment. 他被困在黑暗中备受煎熬。

20 syllables   

n.音节( syllable的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a word with two syllables 双音节单词
• 'No. But I'll swear it was a name of two syllables.' “想不起。不过我可以发誓，它有两个音节。” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

21 drearily   

沉寂地，厌倦地，可怕地

参考例句：

• "Oh, God," thought Scarlett drearily, "that's just the trouble. "啊，上帝！" 思嘉沮丧地想，"难就难在这里呀。
• His voice was utterly and drearily expressionless. 他的声调，阴沉沉的，干巴巴的，完全没有感情。

22 crestfallen   

adj. 挫败的，失望的，沮丧的

参考例句：

• He gathered himself up and sneaked off,crushed and crestfallen.他爬起来，偷偷地溜了，一副垂头丧气、被斗败的样子。
• The youth looked exceedingly crestfallen.那青年看上去垂头丧气极了。

23 lipstick   

n.口红，唇膏

参考例句：

• Taking out her lipstick,she began to paint her lips.她拿出口红，开始往嘴唇上抹。
• Lipstick and hair conditioner are cosmetics.口红和护发素都是化妆品。