AN EXPERIMENT IN MISERY
苦難實驗
Stephen Crane 史蒂芬·克蘭
It was late at night,and a fine rain was swirling softly down,causing the pavements to glisten with hue of steel and blue and yellow in the rays of the innumerable lights.A youth was trudging slowly,without enthusiasm,with his hands buried deep in his trousers' pockets,toward the downtown places where beds can be hired for coppers.He was clothed in an aged and tattered suit,and his derby was a marvel of dust-covered crown and torn rim.He was going forth to eat as the wanderer may eat,and sleep as the homeless sleep.By the time he had reached City Hall Park he was so completely plastered with yells of "bum" and "hobo," and with various unholy epithets that small boys had applied to him at intervals,that he was in a state of the most profound dejection.The sifting rain saturated the old velvet collar of his overcoat,and as the wet cloth pressed against his neck,he felt that there no longer could be pleasure in life.He looked about him searching for an outcast of highest degree that they too might share miseries,but the lights threw a quivering glare over rows and circles of deserted benches that glistened damply,showing patches of wet sod behind them.It seemed that their usual freights had fled on this night to better things.There were only squads of well-dressed Brooklyn people who swarmed towards the bridge.
深夜,毛毛細(xì)雨飄然地下個不停,被雨淋濕的人行道在無數(shù)燈光的映照下閃爍著鐵銹似的斑駁陸離的色彩.一個年輕人雙手深深地插入褲兜,朝著市中心那個花幾個銅板就能租到一張床的地方?jīng)]精打彩地蹣跚緩行.他衣著破舊,衣衫襤褸,頭上的圓頂禮貌塵跡斑斑,帽沿殘損.他正去往流浪者和無家可歸者可以吃飯睡覺的地方.當(dāng)他來到市政廳公園時,他被小孩子們沖他喊出的“滾”、“野鬼”的叫罵聲和無數(shù)的其它污言穢語徹底地裹挾著,使得他陷入極度的沮喪.紛紛飄落的細(xì)雨將他外套的天鵝絨領(lǐng)子浸透,當(dāng)濕漉漉的領(lǐng)子貼緊脖子的時候,他感覺到活著不可能再有任何快樂.他環(huán)顧四周,企望尋找到最受排擠的同病相憐之輩,但燈光射來一道刺眼而顫栗的光芒,投到一排排一圈圈的被丟棄的板凳之上.這些板凳閃著潮濕的光,在它們后面,有小塊小塊的潮濕的草地.仿佛他們平日的負(fù)累今夜已一走而光,取而代之的盡是好事.只有一幫衣著時髦的布魯克林人簇?fù)碇虼髽蜃呷?