月亮和六便士 第四十二章(1)

 Chapter 42 第四十二章

I did not know why Strickland had suddenly offered to show them to me. I welcomed the opportunity. 我不知道为什么思特里克兰德突然主动提出来要让我看他的画，但是对这样一个机会我是非常欢迎的。

A man's work reveals him. 作品最能泄露一个人的真实思想和感情。

In social intercourse¹ he gives you the surface that he wishes the world to accept,   在交际应酬中，一个人只让你看到他希望别人接受他的一些表面现象，

and you can only gain a true knowledge of him by inferences from little actions, of which he is unconscious, 你只能借助他无意中作出的一些小动作，

and from fleeting² expressions, which cross his face unknown to him. 借助不知不觉中掠过他脸上的一些表情对他作出正确的了解。

Sometimes people carry to such perfection the mask they have assumed that in due course they actually become the person they seem. 有些时候，人们把一副假面装得逼真，时间久了，他们真会变成他们装扮的这样一个人了。

But in his book or his picture the real man delivers himself defenceless. 但是在他写的书、画的画里面，他却毫无防范地把自己显露出来。

His pretentiousness³ will only expose his vacuity⁴. 如果他作势唬人，那只能暴露出他的空虚。

The lathe⁵ painted to look like iron is seen to be but a lathe. 他那些涂了油漆冒充铁板的木条还会看出来只不过是木条。

No affectation of peculiarity⁶ can conceal⁷ a commonplace mind. 假充具有独特的个性无法掩盖平凡庸俗的性格。

To the acute observer no one can produce the most casual work without disclosing the innermost secrets of his soul. 对于一个目光敏锐的观察者，即使一个人信笔一挥的作品也完全可以泄露他灵魂深处的隐秘。

As I walked up the endless stairs of the house in which Strickland lived, I confess that I was a little excited. 我必须承认，当我走上思特里克兰德住处的无穷无尽的楼梯时，我感到有一些兴奋。

It seemed to me that I was on the threshold of a surprising adventure. 我似乎马上就要步入一场奇异的冒险。

I looked about the room with curiosity. 我好奇地环顾了一下他的小屋子。

It was even smaller and more bare than I remembered it. 这间屋子好象比我记忆中的更小、家具什物也更少了。

I wondered what those friends of mine would say who demanded vast studios, and vowed⁸ they could not work unless all the conditions were to their liking⁹. 我有些朋友总需要宽大的画室，坚持要条件必备才能作画，我倒想知道他们对这间画室作何感想。

"You'd better stand there," he said, “你最好站在这儿，”他指着一块地方说，

pointing to a spot from which, presumably, he fancied I could see to best advantage what he had to show me. 他可能认为在他把画拿给我看的时候，这是一个最适合观赏的角度。

"You don't want me to talk, I suppose," I said. “我想你不愿意我说话吧，”我说。

"No, blast you; I want you to hold your tongue." “这还用问，他妈的。我要你闭住你的嘴巴。”

He placed a picture on the easel, and let me look at it for a minute or two; then took it down and put another in its place. 他把一幅画放在画架上，叫我看一两分钟，然后取下来再放上另一张。

I think he showed me about thirty canvases. 我估计他一共给我看了三十来张。

It was the result of the six years during which he had been painting. 这是他作画以来六年的成绩。

He had never sold a picture. 他一张也没有出售。

The canvases were of different sizes. 这些画大小不一

The smaller were pictures of still-life and the largest were landscapes. 画幅小一些的是静物，最大的是风景。

There were about half a dozen portraits. 有半打左右是人物、肖像。

"That is the lot," he said at last. “就是这些，”最后他说。

1 intercourse   

n.性交；交流，交往，交际

参考例句：

• The magazine becomes a cultural medium of intercourse between the two peoples.该杂志成为两民族间文化交流的媒介。
• There was close intercourse between them.他们过往很密。

2 fleeting   

adj.短暂的，飞逝的

参考例句：

• The girls caught only a fleeting glimpse of the driver.女孩们只匆匆瞥了一眼司机。
• Knowing the life fleeting,she set herself to enjoy if as best as she could.她知道这种日子转瞬即逝，于是让自已尽情地享受。

3 pretentiousness   

n.矫饰；炫耀；自负；狂妄

参考例句：

• Such pretentiousness cannot reflect truth but is an obstacle to truth. 这种装腔作势的东西，不能反映真理，而是妨害真理的。 来自互联网
• This is not your exclusive unrivalled skill. What do you base your pretentiousness on? 这又不是你的独家绝活儿，你凭什么拿糖呀？ 来自互联网

4 vacuity   

n.(想象力等)贫乏，无聊，空白

参考例句：

• Bertha thought it disconcerted him by rendering evident even to himself the vacuity of his mind. 伯莎认为这对他不利，这种情况甚至清楚地向他自己证明了他心灵的空虚。
• Temperature and vacuity rising can enhance osmotic flux visibly. 升高温度和降低膜下游压力可明显提高膜的渗透通量。

5 lathe   

n.车床，陶器，镟床

参考例句：

• Gradually she learned to operate a lathe.她慢慢地学会了开车床。
• That lathe went out of order at times.那台车床有时发生故障。

6 peculiarity   

n.独特性，特色；特殊的东西；怪癖

参考例句：

• Each country has its own peculiarity.每个国家都有自己的独特之处。
• The peculiarity of this shop is its day and nigth service.这家商店的特点是昼夜服务。

7 conceal   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽

参考例句：

• He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。
• He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。

8 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

9 liking   

n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢

参考例句：

• The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
• I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。