牛津書蟲系列 多里安·格雷的畫像 16

16

16 畫像-“一張沒有心的臉。”

You're going to be good?'said Lord Henry.'Don't tell me that.You're wonderful as you are.Please don't change.'His long， white fingers played with a flower on the table.It was spring in London，and the two friends were having dinner at Lord Henry's house.

“你要做好人?”亨利勛爵說。“別跟我說那話，你一直很好，請別改變。”他又長又白的手指玩弄著桌上的一朵花。時值倫敦的春季，這兩個好友正在亨利勛爵家吃晚飯。

Dorian Gray shook his head.'No，Harry， I've done too many terrible things in my life， and I'm going to change. I began my good life yesterday， in the country.'

多里安·格雷搖搖頭。“不，哈里，我一生中做了太多可怕的事情，我要改變。我昨天開始當好人了，在鄉(xiāng)下。”

'My dear boy，'smiled Lord Henry.'Everybody can be good in the country.There's nothing to do in the country， so it's impossible to do anything bad.But tell me， how did you begin your good life?'

“親愛的孩子，”亨利勛爵微笑著，“每個人在鄉(xiāng)下都會很好。在鄉(xiāng)下沒任何事情做，所以不可能做任何壞事?？墒歉嬖V我，你怎么開始當好人的?”

'There was a girl in a village. A very beautiful girl， an honest，country girl.She loved me， and was ready to come away with me yesterday， but I said no. I refused to destroy her young life，and I've left her as honest as I found her.'

“村里有個姑娘，一個非常漂亮、純真的鄉(xiāng)下姑娘。她愛我，昨天愿意和我走，但是我拒絕了。我不愿意毀了她年輕的生活，于是我離開了她，她還像我剛發(fā)現時一樣地純真。”

Lord Henry laughed.'You've left here with a broken heart， you mean.How can she be happy now with a country boy，after she has known you?'

亨利勛爵笑著。“你離開她，她心已經碎了。她認識你后，現在又怎么能高高興興地和鄉(xiāng)下男孩在一起呢?”

'Don't，Harry!'cried Dorian.'Can you never be serious?I'm sorry that I told you now.Let's talk about other things.What's been happening in London?'

“別說了，哈里!”多里安喊道。“你從不會認真點嗎?我后悔告訴了你。咱們談些別的事，倫敦近來發(fā)生了什么事?”

'Oh，people are still discussing poor Basil and how he disappeared.I don't know why， because there are plenty of other things that they can talk about—my wife has run away with another man， Alan Campbell has killed himself…'

“哦，人們仍在談論可憐的巴茲爾是怎么失蹤的。我不知道為什么還在談論，因為還有許多其它事可以供他們議論——比如我妻子和另外一個男人私奔了，艾倫·坎貝爾自殺了……”

'What do you think has happened to Basil?'asked Dorian slowly.

“你認為巴茲爾發(fā)生了什么事?”多里安慢慢地問。

'I've no idea，'answered Lord Henry.'The English police report that Basil went to Paris on the midnight train on the ninth of November， but the French police say that he never arrived in Paris at all.If Basil wants to hide himself， I really don't care.And if he's dead，I don't want to think about him.Death is the only thing that really frightens me—I hate it.'

“我不知道。”亨利勛爵回答。“英國警方說巴茲爾于11月9日乘午夜的火車去了巴黎，可是法國警方說他根本就沒抵達巴黎。如果巴茲爾想隱藏起來，我真的不在乎。如果他死了，我不想再想他。死是唯一讓我害怕的事情——我恨死亡。”

'Harry，don't people say that… that Basil was murdered?'said Dorian.

“哈里，人們沒說……巴茲爾是被謀殺的嗎?”多里安說。

'Some of the newspapers say so，'replied Lord Henry，'but who would want to murder poor Basil?He wasn't clever enough to have enemies.'

“有些報紙這么說。”亨利勛爵回答。“可是誰想殺害可憐的巴茲爾?他沒聰明到能給自己樹敵。”

'What will you say， Harry， if I tell you that I murdered Basil?'asked Dorian.He watched his friend carefully.

“你會說什么，哈里，如果我告訴你是我殺了巴茲爾?”多里安問，他仔細地觀察他的朋友。

Lord Henry smiled.'No，my dear Dorian， murder wouldn't please you.You like a different kind of pleasure.And you should never do anything that you cannot talk about after dinner.'He lifted his coffee cup.'What happened to the fine portrait that Basil painted of you?I haven't seen it for years. Didn't you tell me that it was stolen?What a pity!'

亨利勛爵一笑。“不，親愛的多里安，殺人不會讓你高興，你喜歡與這不同的快樂，而且你決不會做晚飯后你不能談論的事情。”他端起咖啡：“巴茲爾給你畫的那幅精美畫像怎么樣了?我好多年沒看見它了。你是不是告訴過我畫像被偷了?多可惜啊!”

'Oh，I never really liked it，'said Dorian.'I prefer not to think about it.'

“哦，我從沒真正喜歡過它。”多里安說，“我寧愿不想起它。”

For a while the two men were silent.Then the older man lay back in his chair and looked at Dorian with half-closed eyes.'Tell me how you have kept your youth and your wonderful beauty，Dorian.You must have some secret.I'm only ten years older than you，and I look like an old man.But you haven't changed since the day when I first met you.What a wonderful life you've had!'

有一會兒兩個人都沒說話。過后年長些的那位靠在椅背上，用半睜的眼睛看著多里安。“告訴我你是怎么保持青春和美貌的，多里安。你一定有個秘密。我只比你大10歲，卻看起來像個老人?？蓮奈铱匆娔愕牡谝惶炱?，你一點也沒變，你的生活太妙了!”

'Yes，'said Dorian slowly，'it's been wonderful，Harry，but I'm going to change it now. You don't know everything about me.'

“是的，”多里安緩慢地說，“是太妙了，哈里?？晌乙淖冞@種生活。并不是我的每件事情你都知道。”

His friend smiled.'You cannot change to me， Dorian.You and I will always be friends.'

他的朋友笑了，“對我來說，你變不了，多里安。你和我將永遠是朋友。”

Dorian stood up.'I'm tired tonight， Harry. I must go home.I'll see you at lunch tomorrow.Goodnight.'

多里安站起身，“今晚我累了，哈里，我得回家了。明天午飯時見，晚安。”

At the door he stopped for a moment and looked back， but then he turned and went out without another word.

在門邊他停了片刻，回頭看了看，就轉身出去了，一句話沒說。