Lesson 3 Rope《绳》by Katherine Anne Porter.doc

1、Ropeby Katherine Anne PorterOn the third day after they moved to the country he came walking back from the village carrying a basket of groceries and a twenty-four-yard coil of rope. She came out to meet him, wiping her hands on her green smock. Her hair was tumbled, her nose was scarlet with sunbur

2、n; he told her that already she looked like a born country woman. His gray flannel shirt stuck to him, his heavy shoes were dusty. She assured him he looked like a rural character in a play.他们搬到乡下的第三天，他从村上走回来，提着一篮吃的，还有一卷二十四码长的绳子。她一边在身上的绿罩衣上擦手，一边走出来接他。她的头发乱蓬蓬，鼻子给太阳晒得通红；他跟她说，她看起来已经像个土生土长的乡下女人了。他的灰色法兰绒

3、衬衫紧紧地粘在身上，沉重的皮鞋上尽是尘土。她完全有把握地告诉他，他看上去好像戏剧中的乡巴佬角色。Had he brought the coffee? She had been waiting all day long for coffee. They had forgot it when they ordered at the store the first day.他带咖啡来了吗？她等咖啡已经等了整整一天了。他们第一天向食品铺订货的那会儿，把咖啡忘了。Gosh, no, he hadnt. Lord, now hed have to go back. Yes, he would if it

4、killed him. He thought, though, he had everything else. She reminded him it was only because he didnt drink coffee himself. If he did he would remember it quick enough. Suppose they ran out of cigarettes? Then she saw the rope. What was that for? Well, he thought it might do to hang clothes on, or s

5、omething. Naturally she asked him if he thought they were going to run a laundry? They already had a fifty-foot line hanging right before his eyes? Why, hadnt he noticed it, really? It was a blot on the landscape to her.啊呀，没有，他没带来。主啊，现在他只得回去了。可不是，哪怕是要他的命，他也会回去的。不过，他以为其他的东西他都办来了。她提醒这只因为他自己不喝咖啡。他要是喝咖啡

6、的话，很快就会记起来的。假定说他们的烟卷抽完了，那会怎么样呢？接着她看到了绳。那有什么用？哦，他想，绳可以用来晾衣服，或是用在别的什么上。她顺理成章地问他，他是不是以为他们要开洗衣铺？他们不是已经明明有一条五十英尺长的绳挂在他的眼前了吗？嘿，难道他真的没看到吗？对她来说，这条绳破坏了风景。He thought there were a lot of things a rope might come in handy for. She wanted to know what, for instance. He thought a few seconds, but nothing occurred

7、. They could wait and see, couldnt they? You need all sorts of strange odds and ends around a place in the country. She said, yes, that was so; but she thought just at that time when every penny counted, it seemed funny to buy more rope. That was all. She hadnt meant anything else. She hadnt just se

8、en, not at first, why he felt it was necessary.他以为绳儿可以用来派很多用处。她想要知道，绳有什么用，举个例子吧。他想了一会儿，一个用场也想不出。他们能等着瞧嘛，对不对？你把家安在乡下，需要各种各样稀奇古怪、零零碎碎的东西。她说，是啊，这话不错；可是眼下每个子儿都得掂掇着花，又去买绳儿似乎有点怪。就是这么一回事。她的话并没有别的意思。她只是想不出，一开头就想不出，干吗他觉得需要这么办。Well, thunder, he had bought it because he wanted to, and that was all there was to

9、 it. She thought that was reason enough, and couldnt understand why he hadnt said so, at first. Undoubtedly it would be useful, twenty-four yards of rope, there were hundreds of things, she couldnt think of any at the moment, but it would come in. Of course. As he had said, things always did in the

10、country.得了，少噜苏，他买绳儿，就因为他要买，事情就是这样，没有别的理由。她认为这倒算得上是个理由，可弄不懂他一开头干吗不这么说。不用说，绳总是有用的，二十四码绳嘛，能派几百种用处哪，眼下她一种也想不出，可是将来会用上的。当然喽。他刚才说过，乡下老是有这样那样的事情发生。But she was a little disappointed about the coffee, and oh, look, look, look at the eggs! Oh, my, theyre all running! What had he put on top of them? Hadnt he k

11、nown eggs mustnt be squeezed? Squeezed, who had squeezed them, he wanted to know. What a silly thing to say. He had simply brought them along in the basket with the other things. If they got broke it was the grocers fault. He should know better than to put heavy things on top of eggs.不过，她对喝不上咖啡有一点儿失

12、望，啊呀，瞧，瞧，瞧那些鸡蛋！啊呀，天啊，蛋都碎啦！他把什么摆在鸡蛋上面来着？难道他不知道鸡蛋是压不得的吗？压，谁压它们来着，他倒想要知道。说这种话的人真蠢。他只是把鸡蛋跟别的东西一起放在篮子里提回来。蛋要是压碎了的话，那是食品商的过错。他应该懂得不要把重东西压在鸡蛋上面。She believed it was the rope. That was the heaviest thing in the pack, she saw him plainly when he came in from the road, the rope was a big package on top of ever

13、ything. He desired the whole wide world to witness that this was not a fact. He had carried the rope in one hand and the basket in the other, and what was the use of her having eyes if that was the best they could do for her?她认为是绳。绳是提篮里最重的东西；他从大路上走过来的那会儿，她清楚地看到他，那一大卷绳压在一切东西的顶上。他巴不得全世界的人都来作见证，证明这不是事实

14、。他是一只手拿绳，另一只手提篮的；要是她的眼睛对她最好的效劳只能是这样的话，那她长着眼睛有什么用呢？Well, anyhow, she could see one thing plain: no eggs for breakfast. Theyd have to scramble them now, for supper. It was too damned bad. She had planned to have steak for supper. No ice, meat wouldnt keep. He wanted to know why she couldnt finish brea

15、king the eggs in a bowl and set them in a cool place.得了，不管怎么样，有一件事情她知道得挺清楚：早饭没有鸡蛋吃了。他们现在就得把蛋炒好，当晚饭吃。糟透了。她原来晚饭打算吃牛排。没有冰，肉摆不久、他倒想要知道她干吗不能把蛋一股脑儿打在一个碗里，放在阴凉的地方。Cool place! if he could find one for her, shed be glad to set them there. Well, then, it seemed to him they might very well cook the meat at the

16、 same time they cooked the eggs and then warm up the meat for tomorrow. The idea simply choked her. Warmed-over meat, when they might as well have had it fresh. Second best and scraps and makeshifts, even to the meat! He rubbed her shoulder a little. It doesnt really matter so much, does it, darling

17、? Sometimes when they were playful, he would rub her shoulder and she would arch and purr. This time she hissed and almost clawed. He was getting ready to say that they could surely manage somehow when she turned on him and said, if he told her they could manage somehow she would certainly slap his

18、face.阴凉的地方！他要是能给她找到一个阴凉的地方的话，她哪会不高兴把蛋放在那儿。唉，那么，在他看来，他们满可以既烤牛肉又煮鸡蛋嘛，然后明天热上一热再吃。这主意简直要她的命。他们完全可以吃新鲜的，可偏偏要把肉热上一热。不做最好的打算，鸡零狗碎的，凑合应付，哪怕煮块肉也是这样！他轻轻地蹭蹭她的肩膀。这实在算不上什么大事情，对不对，亲爱的？有时候，他们开玩笑，他会蹭蹭她的肩膀；她呢，会弓起身子，像猫似的高兴得喵呜喵呜叫。这一回，她却咬牙切齿地发出嘘嘘的声音，差一点没用手抓。他正准备说，他们当然能够想办法对付过去喽；这时候，她恶狠狠地冲着他说，他要是告诉她，他们能够想办法对付过去的话，她肯定掴他耳

19、刮子。He swallowed the words red hot, his face burned. He picked up the rope and started to put it on the top shelf. She would not have it on the top shelf, the jars and tins belonged there; positively she would not have the top shelf cluttered up with a lot of rope. She had borne all the clutter she m

20、eant to bear in the flat in town, there was space here at least and she meant to keep things in order.他把这些火一样的话硬吞下去，脸臊得通红。他提起绳，把它往架子的顶层上放去。她不许把绳摆在顶层上，那上面得摆坛坛罐罐和铁皮听；她说什么也不会让架子的顶层乱糟糟地塞上许多绳、她在城里的那套公寓房间里只得忍受到处乱塞东西，那她是有思想准备的嘛，这儿至少有的是地方，她打算把东西摆的整整齐齐。Well, in that case, he wanted to know what the hammer an

21、d nails were doing up there? And why had she put them there when she knew very well he needed that hammer and those nails upstairs to fix the window sashes? She simply slowed down everything and made double work on the place with her insane habit of changing things around and hiding them.好吧，既然这样，他倒想

22、知道铁锤和钉子干什么摆在那上面？既然她知道地挺清楚，他要用铁锤和那些钉子修楼上的窗框，那她干嘛要把它们摆在那儿呢？只因为她有把东西挪来挪去和藏起来的怪毛病，她才把样样事情都拖慢了，叫人在一件事情上费两番手脚。She was sure she begged his pardon, and if she had had any reason to believe he was going to fix the sashes this summer she would have left the hammer and nails right where he put them; in the mid

23、dle of the bedroom floor where they could step on them in the dark. And now if he didnt clear the whole mess out of there she would throw them down the well.她真心诚意地请他耐着性子听听她的想法，要是她有任何理由相信今年夏天他会修窗框的话，她原会让铁锤和钉子留在他摆的老地方的；卧房的地板中央，天一黑，他们就可能踩在那上面。现在，要是他不把所有的乱七八糟的东西都从那儿搬掉的话，她就会把它们撂到井里去。Oh, all right, all ri

24、ght - could he put them in the closet? Naturally not, there were brooms and mops and dustpans in the closet, and why couldnt he find a place for his rope outside her kitchen? Had he stopped to consider there were seven God-forsaken rooms in the house, and only one kitchen?啊，好吧，好吧他能把那些东西放到壁橱里去吗？当然不行，

25、壁橱里摆着扫帚、拖把和畚箕，再说他干吗不能在她的厨房外给他的绳找个地方呢？难道他竟然想不到这所房子里有七间倒霉的房间，可只有一间厨房吗？He wanted to know what of it? And did she realize she was making a complete fool of herself? And what did she take him for, a three-year-old idiot? The whole trouble with her was she needed something weaker than she was to heckle an

26、d tyrannize over. He wished to God now they had a couple of children she could take it out on. Maybe hed get some rest. 他想要知道，她到底怎么啦？她认识到自己在扮演一个彻头彻尾的大傻瓜吗？再说，她把他当成什么，一个三岁的白痴吗？跟她在一起生活，麻烦就麻烦在她需要一个比她软弱的男人，能听凭她数落和作威作福。老天在上，他真希望他们有两个孩子，她可以拿他们出气。他也许能耳根清净些。Her face changed at this, she reminded him he had f

27、orgot the coffee and had bought a worthless piece of rope. And when she thought of all the things they actually needed to make the place even decently fit to live in, well, she could cry, that was all. She looked so forlorn, so lost and despairing he couldnt believe it was only a piece of rope that

28、was causing all the racket. What was the matter, for Gods sake? 一听到这话，她的脸顿时变色；她提醒他，是他忘了买咖啡，还带回来一条毫无用处的绳。只要一想到，为了要像样地住在这地方，他们确实需要那么许多东西，唉，她就恨不得哭，就是怎么回事。她看上去可怜巴巴、这么失魂落魄、这么绝望，他简直没法相信，只因为一条绳竟然引起这场争吵。看在老天份上，到底是怎么回事？Oh, would he please hush and go away, and stay away, if he could, for five minutes? By all

29、 means, yes, he would. Hed stay away indefinitely if she wished. Lord, yes, there was nothing hed like better than to clear out and never come back. She couldnt for the life of her see what was holding him, then. It was a swell time. Here she was, stuck, miles from a railroad, with a half-empty hous

30、e on her hands, and not a penny in her pocket, and everything on earth to do; it seemed the God-sent moment for him to get out from under. She was surprised he hadnt stayed in town as it was until she had come out and done the work and got things straightened out. It was his usual trick.啊，请你闭上嘴，走开，要

31、是他办得到的话，离开五分钟，好不？当然行，完全可以，他一定照办。只有她愿意，他就离开，要多久就多久。主啊，可不是，他没有比离家出走、永不回来更喜欢的事情了。她这辈子也闹不清是什么拴着他。这是个大好机会。她在这儿，离开铁路几英里，有一所半空着的房子要拾掇，兜里一个子儿也没有，事情多得干不完；对他来说，这是个天赐良机，正好开溜嘛。事实上他没有一直待在城里，等到她出来干活，把事情都拾掇好，他就赶来，这倒叫她感到惊奇。他老是耍这样的花招。It appeared to him that this was going a little far. Just a touch out of bounds, if

32、 she didnt mind his saying so. Why the hell had he stayed in town the summer before? To do a half-dozen extra jobs to get the money he had sent her. That was it. She knew perfectly well they couldnt have done it otherwise. She had agreed with him at the time. And that was the only time so help him h

33、e had ever left her to do anything by herself.Oh, he could tell that to his great-grandmother. She had her notion of what had kept him in town. Considerably more than a notion, if he wanted to know. So, she was going to bring all that up again, was she? Well, she could just think what she pleased. H

34、e was tired of explaining. It may have looked funny but he had simply got hooked in, and what could he do? It was impossible to believe that she was going to take it seriously. Yes, yes, she knew how it was with a man: if he was left by himself a minute, some woman was certain to kidnap him. And nat

35、urally he couldnt hurt her feelings by refusing!Well, what was she raving about? Did she forget she had told him those two weeks alone in the country were the happiest she had known for four years? And how long had they been married when she said that? All right, shut up! If she thought that hadnt s

36、tuck in his craw.She hadnt meant she was happy because she was away from him. She meant she was happy getting the devilish house nice and ready for him. That was what she had meant, and now look! Bringing up something she had said a year ago simply to justify himself for forgetting her coffee and br

37、eaking the eggs and buying a wretched piece of rope they couldnt afford. She really thought it was time to drop the subject, and now she wanted only two things in the world. She wanted him to get that rope from underfoot, and go back to the village and get her coffee, and if he could remember it, he

38、 might bring a metal mitt for the skillets, and two more curtain rods, and if there were any rubber gloves in the village, her hands were simply raw, and a bottle of milk of magnesia from the drugstore.He looked out at the dark blue afternoon sweltering on the slopes, and mopped his forehead and sig

39、hed heavily and said, if only she could wait a minute for anything, he was going back. He had said so, hadnt he, the very instant they found he had overlooked it?Oh, yes, well . . . run along. She was going to wash windows. The country was so beautiful! She doubted theyd have a moment to enjoy it. H

40、e meant to go, but he could not until he had said that if she wasnt such a hopeless melancholiac she might see that this was only for a few days. Couldnt she remember anything pleasant about the other summers? Hadnt they ever had any fun? She hadnt time to talk about it, and now would he please not

41、leave that rope lying around for her to trip on? He picked it up, somehow it had toppled off the table, and walked out with it under his arm.Was he going this minute? He certainly was. She thought so. Sometimes it seemed to her he had second sight about the precisely perfect moment to leave her ditc

42、hed. She had meant to put the mattresses out to sun, if they put them out this minute they would get at least three hours, he must have heard her say that morning she meant to put them out. So of course he would walk off and leave her to it. She supposed he thought the exercise would do her good.Wel

43、l, he was merely going to get her coffee. A four-mile walk for two pounds of coffee was ridiculous, but he was perfectly willing to do it. The habit was making a wreck of her, but if she wanted to wreck herself there was nothing he could do about it. If he thought it was coffee that was making a wre

44、ck of her, she congratulated him: he must have a damned easy conscience.Conscience or no conscience, he didnt see why the mattresses couldnt very well wait until tomorrow. And anyhow, for Gods sake, were they living in the house, or were they going to let the house ride them to death? She paled at t

45、his, her face grew livid about the mouth, she looked quite dangerous, and reminded him that housekeeping was no more her work than it was his: she had other work to do as well, and when did he think she was going to find time to do it at this rate?Was she going to start on that again? She knew as we

46、ll as he did that his work brought in the regular money, hers was only occasional, if they depended on what she made - and she might as well get straight on this question once for all!That was positively not the point. The question was, when both of them were working on their own time, was there goi

47、ng to be a division of the housework, or wasnt there? She merely wanted to know, she had to make her plans. Why, he thought that was all arranged. It was understood that he was to help. Hadnt he always, in summers?Hadnt he, though? Oh, just hadnt he? And when, and where, and doing what? Lord, what a

48、n uproarious joke!It was such a very uproarious joke that her face turned slightly purple, and she screamed with laughter. She laughed so hard she had to sit down, and finally a rush of tears spurted from her eyes and poured down into the lifted corners of her mouth. He dashed towards her and dragge

49、d her up to her feet and tried to pour water on her head. The dipper hung by a string on a nail and he broke it loose. Then he tried to pump water with one hand while she struggled in the other. So he gave it up and shook her instead.She wrenched away, crying out for him to take his rope and go to hell, she had simply given him up: and ran. He heard her high-heeled bedroom slippers clattering and stumbling on the stairs.He went out a