A Service of Love 爱的牺牲.doc

A Service of Love爱的牺牲作者介绍欧亨利 (O.Henry)18621910，原名威廉西德尼波特（William Sydney Porter），美国著名小说家，与法国的莫泊桑、俄国的契诃夫并称为世界三大短篇小说巨匠。他的短篇小说构思巧妙，手法独特，以幽默的语言和出人意料的结局而闻名于世，大多表现美国中下层人民的生活，被誉为“美国生活的百科全书”。著名作品有：最后一片藤叶(The Last Leaf)、警察与赞美诗(The Cop and the Anthem)、麦琪的礼物(The Gift of the Magi)等。作品介绍爱的牺牲讲述了一对怀有艺术梦想的夫妇，在爱与信仰的精神支撑下共同为生活奋斗的故事。乔拉雷毕有绘画天赋，而他的妻子迪莉娅拉雷毕热爱音乐。为了维持生计和实现彼此的梦想，他们放下高雅的艺术追求，一个去街头卖风景画，另一个去教富家小姐音乐课，而现实中的身不由己，却让两人演绎了一出阴差阳错的人间喜剧。如同欧亨利大多数以爱情为主题的作品相似，该故事也选取了社会中最普通的大众作为主角，从他们普通而琐碎日常生活中将“为爱牺牲”这个永恒而温馨的主题娓娓道来。A Service of LoveDuring all of the next week the Larrabees had an early breakfast. Joe was enthusiastic enthusiastic adj. 热心的;热情的;热烈的;狂热的 about some morning-effect sketches he was doing in Central Park, and Delia packed him off breakfasted, coddled coddle vt.悉心照料，娇惯, praised and kissed at 7 oclock. Art is an engaging mistress. It was most times 7 oclock when he returned in the evening.At the end of the week Delia, sweetly proud but languid languid adj.疲倦的;没精打采的，呆滞的;萧条的;慢吞吞, triumphantly triumphantly dv.耀武扬威地，得意扬扬地 tossed three five-dollar bills on the 8x10 (inches) centre table of the 8x10 (feet) flat parlour.Sometimes, she said, a little wearily, Clementina tries me. Im afraid she doesnt practice enough, and I have to tell her the same things so often. And then she always dresses entirely in white, and that does get monotonous monotonous adj.枯燥无味的;（声音，话语）单调的，无抑扬顿挫的. But Gen. Pinkney is the dearest old man! I wish you could know him, Joe. He comes in sometimes when I am with Clementina at the piano-he is a widower widower n.鳏夫, you know-and stands there pulling his white goatee. And how are the semiquavers and the demisemiquavers progressing? he always asks.”I wish you could see the wainscoting in that drawing-room, Joe! And those Astrakhan rug portieres. And Clementina has such a funny little cough. I hope she is stronger than she looks. Oh, I really am getting attached to her, she is so gentle and high bred. Gen. Pinkneys brother was once Minister to Bolivia.And then Joe, with the air of a Monte Cristo, drew forth a ten, a five, a two and a one-all legal tender notes-and laid them beside Delias earnings.Sold that watercolor of the obelisk obelisk n.方尖碑 to a man from Peoria, he announced overwhelmingly overwhelmingly adv.压倒地，无法抵抗地.Dont joke with me, said Delia, not from Peoria!All the way. I wish you could see him, Dele. Fat man with a woollen muffler and a quill toothpick. He saw the sketch in Tinkles window and thought it was a windmill at first, he was game game adj. 对有兴趣的;, though, and bought it anyhow. He ordered another-an oil sketch of the Lackawanna freight freight n.货运，货物;运费;船运货物;货运列车 depot-to take back with him. Music lessons! Oh, I guess Art is still in it.Im so glad youve kept on, said Delia, heartily. Youre bound to win, dear. Thirty-three dollars! We never had so much to spend before. Well have oysters to-night.And filet mignon with champignons, said Joe. Where is the olive fork?On the next Saturday evening Joe reached home first. He spread his $18 on the parlour table and washed what seemed to be a great deal of dark paint from his hands.Half an hour later Delia arrived, her right hand tied up in a shapeless bundle of wraps and bandages.How is this? asked Joe after the usual greetings. Delia laughed, but not very joyously.Clementina, she explained, insisted upon a Welsh rabbit after her lesson. She is such a queer queer adj.古怪的;可疑的;不适的 girl. Welsh rabbits at 5 in the afternoon. The General was there. You should have seen him run for the chafing dish, Joe, just as if there wasnt a servant in the house. I know Clementina isnt in good health; she is so nervous. In serving the rabbit she spilled a great lot of it, boiling hot, over my hand and wrist. It hurt awfully, Joe. And the dear girl was so sorry! But Gen. Pinkney!-Joe, that old man nearly went distracted distracted adj.思想不集中的;心烦意乱的. He rushed downstairs and sent somebody-they said the furnace man or somebody in the basement-out to a drug store for some oil and things to bind it up with. It doesnt hurt so much now.Whats this? asked Joe, taking the hand tenderly and pulling at some white strands beneath the bandages.Its something soft, said Delia, that had oil on it. Oh, Joe, did you sell another sketch? She had seen the money on the table.Did I? said Joe; just ask the man from Peoria. He got his depot to-day, and he isnt sure but he thinks he wants another parkscape and a view on the Hudson. What time this afternoon did you burn your hand, Dele?Five oclock, I think, said Dele, plaintively plaintively adv.悲哀地，哀怨地. The iron-I mean the rabbit came off the fire about that time. You ought to have seen Gen. Pinkney, Joe, when-Sit down here a moment, Dele, said Joe. He drew her to the couch, sat beside her and put his arm across her shoulders.What have you been doing for the last two weeks, Dele? he asked.She braved it for a moment or two with an eye full of love and stubbornness stubbornness n.倔强，顽强;牛性;牛脾气;犟劲, and murmured a phrase or two vaguely of Gen. Pinkney; but at length down went her head and out came the truth and tears.I couldnt get any pupils, she confessed confess vt.& vi.承认;聆听（某人的）忏悔（或告罪、告解）. And I couldnt bear to have you give up your lessons; and I got a place ironing shirts in that big Twenty-fourth street laundry. And I think I did very well to make up both General Pinkney and Clementina, dont you, Joe? And when a girl in the laundry set down a hot iron on my hand this afternoon I was all the way home making up that story about the Welsh rabbit. Youre not angry, are you, Joe? And if I hadnt got the work you mightnt have sold your sketches to that man from Peoria.He wasnt from Peoria, said Joe, slowly.Well, it doesnt matter where he was from. How clever you are, Joe -and-kiss me, Joe-and what made you ever suspect that I wasnt giving music lessons to Clementina?I didnt, said Joe, until to-night. And I wouldnt have then, only I sent up this cotton waste and oil from the engine-room this afternoon for a girl upstairs who had her hand burned with a smoothing-iron. Ive been firing the engine in that laundry for the last two weeks.And then you didnt-My purchaser from Peoria, said Joe, and Gen. Pinkney are both creations of the same art-but you wouldnt call it either painting or music.And then they both laughed, and Joe began: When one loves ones Art no service seems-But Delia stopped him with her hand on his lips. No, she said- just When one loves.爱的牺牲接下来的一周，拉雷毕夫妇每天一大早就吃饭。乔兴致勃勃地到中央公园去画几张晨光下的速写。七点钟吃完了早饭，迪莉娅与他拥抱、赞美、接吻之后，把他送出了家门。艺术是一位迷人的情妇他每晚回家时，多半已经晚上七点钟了。 周末，迪莉娅觉得愉快而自豪，但却有些疲惫。她得意洋洋地掏出三张五块钱的钞票，扔在8英尺宽、10英尺长的客厅中间的那张8英寸宽、10英寸长的桌子上。“有时候，”她有些疲倦地说，“克蕾门蒂娜真让我劳神。我想她大概练习得不够，我只能反反复复地教她。而且她总是穿着一身白，越看越觉得单调。不过平克尼将军倒是一个挺可爱的老人家！乔，你认识他的话该多好。我教克蕾门蒂娜练钢琴的时候，他有时会走进来，站在那儿捋他的白胡子他的老伴已经过世了。“十六分音符和三十二分音符学得怎么样啦？”他老是这样问。 “你真该看看他们客厅里的护墙板，乔！还有那些阿斯特拉罕的门帘。克蕾门蒂娜总是有点咳嗽。我希望她能比她看起来结实些。真的，我越来越喜欢她了，她又温柔，又那么有教养。平克尼将军的兄弟还曾经做过驻波利维亚的大使呢。” 接着，乔带着一副基度山伯爵般的神气，掏出一张十元、一张五元、一张两元和一张一元的钞票，把它们摊在了迪莉娅挣来的钱旁边全都是合法的纸币。“那幅方尖碑水彩画卖给了一个从皮奥利亚来的人。”他郑重其事地说。 “别跟我开玩笑啦，”迪莉娅说，“不会真是从皮奥利亚来的吧！” “确实是。你真该亲眼见见他，迪莉，一个围着羊毛围巾的胖子。他刚从橱窗里看到那幅画的时候，还以为是座风车呢。他倒很大方，不由分说就把画买下了。他还另外预定了一幅拉克万纳货运车站的油画，打算带回去。音乐课！呵，我想这里面还是有艺术成分的。” “看你能坚持下去，我真的很高兴，”迪莉娅热切地说。“你一定会成功的，亲爱的。三十三块钱！我们从来没有这么多钱可以花。今晚我们买牡蛎吃吧。” “加上菲力牛排和香菌，”乔说，“橄榄叉在哪儿？” 下一个星期六的晚上，乔先回到家。他把他的十八块钱一张张摊开放在客厅的桌子上，然后把手上一大块看起来是黑色颜料的东西清洗干净。 半个钟头以后，迪莉娅回来了，右手缠着一圈乱七八糟的绷带。 “这是怎么回事？”乔像往常一样打了招呼后问道。迪莉娅笑了，但并不是十分开心。“克蕾门蒂娜，”她解释说，“下了课后一定要吃奶酪面包。她真是个古怪姑娘，下午五点钟还要吃什么奶酪面包。将军也在场，你真该看看他跑过去拿烘锅的样子，乔，好像他们家里没有佣人似的。我知道克蕾门蒂娜身体不好，她总是神经紧张。她端吃的过来的时候泼了许多出来，滚烫的奶酪洒在我手腕上，痛得要命，乔。那可爱的姑娘内疚极了！还有平克尼将军！乔，那老头儿几乎要发狂了。他冲下楼去叫人，他们说是烧炉子的或是地下室里的什么人，帮忙到药房里去买一些油和一些用来包扎的东西。现在倒没那么痛了。” “这是什么？”乔轻轻地握住那只手，扯了扯绷带下面的几根白线，问道。“那是涂了油的软纱。”迪莉娅说，“呀，乔，你又卖掉了一幅素描吗？”她看到了桌子上的钱。“可不是吗？”乔说，“去问问那个从皮奥利亚来的人就知道了。他今天取走了那幅货运站的画，他还没确定，可能还要一幅公园风景图和一幅哈得逊河风景画。你今天下午是什么时候烫到手的，迪莉？” “五点钟吧，”迪莉可怜地说。“熨斗，我是说奶酪，大概就是在那个时候烧好的。乔，你真该看到平克尼将军，他” “先坐一会儿吧，迪莉，”乔说，他把她拉到沙发上，在她身边坐下，用胳臂搂住了她的肩膀。 “这两个星期你到底在做什么，迪莉？”他问道。她坚持了有那么一阵，眼里带着对乔的爱和坚定的神情，支支吾吾地说着平克尼将军。但过了一会儿，她终于垂下了头，一边哭一边说出了实情。“我根本招不来学生，”她坦白