《心是孤独的猎手》

此岸

慢读《心是孤独的猎手》


小说概况发在“用心灵捕获孤独”帖子里了。本来还有一些小说结构、人物和细节的琢磨，比如“六、十五、四”章节配置的音乐动机，五个主角之外的portia、willie兄妹和其外祖父，以及威尔森母女、米克一家、安胖子和哈里，还有小镇人物关心的一些时尚话题等等，都挺有意思。后来发现网上中英文类似东西无数，就没心思继续弄了，还是好好读小说吧。因为没有理想的译文，只好啃原文，顺便贴在下面，连同自己的感想。六星发帖环境比较宽松，也多有识之士，应该能够接受这样的自娱自乐。呵呵。

在二十五个小节中，以米克视角叙事的占了七节（辛格、比夫各四节，杰克、考普各五节），包括那些篇幅最长的小节。所以米克被认为是第一主角也顺理成章，起码是第一女角无疑。在一些北美学校曾经指定稍小年龄学生的课外阅读中，就有这本麦卡勒斯，估计有我们熟悉的“教育”目的在。而那些一定要当“畸恋”小说读的成年人们，似乎是想多了，而不是“读”过了。

下面贴几六、七年级学生的“人物素描”练习，做慢读的引子。

此岸

Mick Kelly -  The fourth child in a family of six. Fourteen years old, Mick is tall for her age and very thin, with short blond hair and blue eyes. She is often absorbed in private thoughts and dreams, such as learning to play the piano and traveling in foreign countries. Mick's family is poor and takes on boarders as a way to make money.

【此岸补】一出场的米克，是一个十三岁的瘦高女孩，放学后推着婴儿车带上小学生巴伯和刚会坐的拉夫两个弟弟街上遛弯儿。在一幢尚未完工的别墅前，姐姐把小弟交给大弟看，自己跨过“请勿入内”的牌子爬进去，在墙壁上涂上几个鼎鼎大名：EDISON、DICK TRACY、MUSSOLINI、MOZART，当然，还有“娘希匹”之类的脏话，以及自己的红色签名：M. K.


Spiros Antonapoulos -  A deaf-mute who is Singer's best friend. Antonapoulos and Singer live together for more than ten years until Antonapoulos is sent to an insane asylum at the beginning of the story. He is fat, greasy, and lazy, never signing anything with his hands unless he is talking about eating, drinking, or sleeping.

【此岸补】安胖子是书中一个“象征性”人物。作者对他的一切描述都非常客观冷静写实，包括他在疯人院的表现，而所有情智判断仅来自辛格与其表哥，因此其行为举止具有很大的想象空间。这是中文版的最大的败笔之一，生怕读者看不懂似的，弄些主观意味很强的暗示和褒贬性词汇，取代原文那些丰富的、常用的、客观的修饰语，很像这些小孩子的理解。当然，安胖子喜欢吃、喝、睡三样，谁都不会误解。

除此之外，都有别解。

此岸

Dr. Benedict Mady Copeland -  An aging black doctor who works tirelessly virtually all the time. Dr. Copeland, traveled to the North for an education and then returned to the South out of a feeling of duty to help blacks. He often feels uncontrollable anger about the injustices black people suffer in the South. Dr. Copeland is smart, very fastidious and precise in his manner of speaking and word choice, and somewhat estranged from his family.

【此岸补】考普是最后出场的主角，加上他的女儿，差不多是作者着墨最多的人物，而且还把自己母系祖先的一些线索加给了考普的老丈人。考普大夫的使命感和固执己见，令此岸感到非常亲切，也十分穿越——不是我穿越到美利坚的三十年代，而是这家伙灵魂附体来到了自己身边。这也是前些年重读德莱塞等百年前美国文学的新感觉，当时自然还没有“穿越”概念，是一种“重现”感，非常强烈。但是很奇怪，读相近时代的欧洲文学就木有这种感觉，包括欧洲人写美国的故事，比如《刀锋》。



Jake Blount -  A heavy-drinking, ranting man who comes into town and frequents Mr. Brannon's café. Jake is a bizarre looking man: short, but with long arms, large hands, and a moustache that appears oddly detached from his somewhat distorted face. He drinks constantly and often goes on long, frustrated rants about socialism. Jake's behavior is extremely volatile and occasionally violent.

【此岸补】杰克显然对现实不满，但没有考普激进（言论上）或拘谨（行动上），可能是酒精害了他，也可能是主义害了他，或者仅仅是因为他遇到了辛格以及又失去了辛格，他对书中几位主角都很客气，包括镇上那些陌生人。他不停地对人们讲一些大家应该“知道”的东西，而不是教诲人们应该如何去做。这是一个此岸很不了解的人物，和辛格、比夫与米克一样，我们身边很少存在这样的人。

此岸

Biff Brannon -  The proprietor of the New York Café, a central eating spot in town. Mr. Brannon is a quiet, thoughtful man who enjoys pondering life and wants children of his own. His hair is so dark and thick that he needs to shave twice a day. He has a habit of pressing his nose down with his thumb when he thinks about things.

【此岸补】呵呵，孩子们对比夫显然很熟悉和喜欢，因为他给小朋友打折。比如五分钱的可乐只收三分，一毛钱的汉堡经常半价。比夫还喜欢免费给流浪汉和残疾人吃喝，心中许诺永远收辛格半价酒钱，不过辛格一般只喝一杯啤酒。比夫话不多，包括也不对辛格诉说，而是喜欢在夜里客人不多的时候，一个人走到咖啡馆外面，对着天空发呆。他的小店是镇上主街唯一的二十四小时营业咖啡馆。



John Singer -  A deaf-mute who makes a living engraves silver pieces in a jewelry shop. Mr. Singer is tall and thin, with intelligent gray eyes. He almost always keeps his hands thrust deep into his pockets. A diligent worker and a kind person, he is also a good and attentive listener, which makes him very appealing to others.

【此岸补】辛格也瘦高，眼睛很精神。不做事也不“说话”的时候，喜欢两手深深地插在裤兜里，一个干干净净，安安静静的男人。米克喜欢模仿辛格，或者远远地观察他，后来遇事也向辛格讨主意。杰克一来到镇上就对着安静友好的辛格打开了话匣子，并迅速引为“知己”（呵呵，其实就是觉得他能听懂自己的话），在几天后得知辛格是聋哑人之后，那种“知己”感反而更强烈了。当然，这一切变化，都有比夫或是米克在场。至于考普对辛格的好感，恐怕主要出于自己的错觉，因为他连杰克第一时间诚恳的歉意都不肯接受。

辛格的职业背景有作者父亲的影子。

此岸

Portia -  Dr. Copeland's daughter, who works as a servant in the Kelly household. Portia is very loving and faithful, and she values her relationships with her family members very highly. She always tries to include her father in these gatherings, even though he is estranged from much of the family. Portia has light honey- colored skin like her mother.

【此岸补】珀霞是考普的小女，上面有三个哥哥。这是一个宗教意味很浓的人物，兼具布道者、苦行僧和先知的意味，当然作者是从言行而不是标签上定位人物的。对于丝毫没有宗教细胞遗传的人来说，这是一些完全陌生的人类。但我们似乎可以初略地认为，珀霞是一个非常“正能量”的女人。对最后这个形容词，似乎很多人觉得是理解的。

Bubber Kelly -  Mick Kelly's younger brother and her favorite in the family. Bubber, whose real name is George, is an intelligent boy who is small for his age. He is a pleasant child until his accident with a BB gun, at which point he undergoes a drastic personality change and becomes much more of a loner than he used to be.

【此岸补】巴伯应该也是一个主角，不论是帮姐姐看弟弟，还是和姐姐争东西，以及后来误伤比夫的外甥女，还有自己的后来表现，都可圈可点。而那次事故的其他寓意也是成人读书和孩子们不同的好案例。

此岸

Hazel Kelly -  The eldest child in the Kelly family. Hazel is a plump but attractive young woman who is somewhat lazy. Late in the novel she tells Mick about a job opening at the local Woolworth's store.

Bill Kelly -  Mick's older brother, in his late teens. At the beginning of the novel, Bill is the sibling Mick looks up to the most. Later, however, she realizes that she and Bill are drifting apart, so she becomes much closer to Bubber.

Etta Kelly -  Mick's older sister. Etta, who is obsessed with becoming a movie actress, spends lots of time fussing over her hair, nails, clothing, and accessories. She falls ill toward the end of the novel and has to give up her job.

Ralph Kelly -  The youngest child in the Kelly family. Ralph is only a baby, and we are told almost nothing about him beyond the fact that Mick often pulls him and Bubber around in a wagon.


这是米克的其他兄弟姐妹，都挺有意思，包括小不点拉夫。

此岸

Willie -  Dr. Copeland's son and Portia's brother, who works in the kitchen at Mr. Brannon's cafe. Willie always carries his trademark harmonica and plays it wherever he goes. He is a sweet young man, but not very bright, and he gets into trouble primarily by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

珀霞的小哥哥，在比夫店里打工，为了一个很不值的妓女（珀霞语，该妓女名叫LOVE）打架进了局子，又莫名其妙地被截肢，很悲催的样子。


Highboy -  Portia's husband. Highboy is a relatively minor character; we are told little about him save that he is good-natured and wears very loud outfits.

珀霞的丈夫，似乎没有一句台词。二人很恩爱，一度和威利三人形影不离。


Hamilton Copeland and Karl Marx "Buddy" Copeland -  Dr. Copeland's two eldest sons. Hamilton and Buddy are estranged from their father, who is disappointed that they have not become the distinguished, well- educated men he had hoped they would.

珀霞的长兄和二哥，没什么戏份，但经常被珀霞和考普提及。瞧，考普医生给俩儿子起的名字，很帅的！

此岸

Mr. Kelly -  Mick's father. Mr. Kelly is a kind man who feels largely useless to his family because an injury prevents him from working as a carpenter any longer. He now runs a small watch-repair business out of the house, but hardly has any customers. Mr. Kelly, who often feels the family ignores him, frequently calls Mick over for trivial reasons just to talk to her.

Mrs. Kelly -  Mick's mother. Mrs. Kelly is a very minor character, and we are told very little about her.

【此岸补】米克的爸爸是镇上有名的大个子，油漆匠兼钟表修理工，妈妈主要做家务，给一家人和房客们做饭。米克个子比同龄孩子高是随的爸爸，但性格刚强，夏天走夜路也不怕。用小丫头自己的话说就是，遇到谁谁谁那样的大块头就赶紧蹽，遇到其他男人，直接撂倒。凯利先生刚刚因工伤赋闲，家里收入捉襟见肘，觉得自己很无能，也不好意思和孩子们沟通。这个状况被米克无意中发现了，很同情爸爸，却不知道如何安慰他。所以后来帮爸爸制作广告牌特别卖力气。

此岸

Harry Minowitz -  A boy, several years older than Mick, who lives next door to the Kellys. Harry and Mick become friends after Mick's party, though they later have a sexual encounter that largely ruins their relationship. Harry is Jewish and frequently worries about the Nazi regime in Germany; aside from Biff, Harry is one of the only characters who pays close attention to world events.

哈里言行中有很多“正能量”，住在米克家隔壁，大米克两岁，有点青梅竹马的苗头，却被彼此间一次不经意的亲密接触给弄得有些狼狈，后毅然决然独自去北方大城市闯荡。

Alice Brannon -  Biff Brannon's wife, who passes away at the beginning of Part Two. Alice seems to be generally unpleasant, and Biff does not miss very much after she dies. However, they were in love for a long time at the beginning of their marriage.

比夫的老婆挺有意思，两口子斗嘴也好玩。可惜早早死了。

此岸

Lucile Wilson -  Biff Brannon's sister-in-law. Mrs. Wilson has huge ambitions for her daughter, Baby, to be famous; she makes Baby take dance classes and elocution classes and dresses her in little matching outfits. Mrs. Wilson is raising Baby alone, for her former husband, Leroy, used to beat her.

Baby Wilson -  Lucile's daughter. Baby is an obedient and pleasant, although somewhat prissy little girl with blonde curls and blue eyes. She becomes petulant and rude to her mother after her accident in the second half of the novel.

这对母女好像就在我们身边晃悠，随时都有。穿越感很强。

Leroy Wilson -  Lucile's ex-husband. Leroy frequently abused Lucile and then bragged about it to other men, prompting Biff to beat him up on one occasion.

呵呵，这哥们也挺常见的。

瞧这一家子。

此岸

Simms -  A religious fanatic who writes quotes from the Bible on brick walls around town. Simms starts coming to the carnival where Jake Blount works so that he may preach from a soapbox. Jake often makes fun of Simms.

神神叨叨的一老头儿，大仙范儿。


Grandpapa -  Dr. Copeland's father-in-law. Grandpapa loves to ask Dr. Copeland about remedies for his various aches and pains. He believes that on Judgment Day, God will finally have mercy on black people by making their skin white—an idea that Dr. Copeland finds revolting and humiliating.

考普的老丈人，珀霞的外祖父，心有大爱的老人。


Daisy Copeland -  Dr. Copeland's former wife, who is now deceased. Daisy was a beautiful, gentle woman with honey-colored skin. Though Dr. Copeland tried to get his wife to share his radical political views, she never did, which was often a source of frustration to the doctor.

有其父必有其女！考普的老婆。好女人一枚。

这几个黑人着墨不多，却都很有特点。

此岸

Marshall Nicolls -  A black pharmacist friend of Dr. Copeland. Mr. Nicolls urges Jake Blount not to become involved when Willie Copeland gets in trouble.

John Roberts -  A black postman friend of Dr. Copeland. Mr. Roberts also urges Jake not to try to defend Willie, as he says it will only lead to trouble.

这二位比他们的医生朋友理智。

Lancy Davis -  A young black student to whom Dr. Copeland awards an annual five-dollar prize for a rather militant essay he writes. Lancy is killed in a brawl near the end of the novel.

可怜的孩子。医生应该为其暴毙内疚吧。

这几位黑人朋友给人印象不深。


  

此岸

Love Jones -  The stripper over whom Willie gets in the knife fight that lands him in prison. Love, according to Portia, is an ugly, tasteless woman.

瞧人家对这个字儿就不必那么郑重其事。

Louis -  A black boy who takes over Willie's position in the New York Café after Willie goes to prison.

这孩子很幸运！

Charles Parker -  A fruit vendor who is the cousin and employer of Antonapoulos. At the beginning of the novel, Mr. Parker coldly sends Antonapoulos away to the insane asylum without consulting Singer about the decision first.

安胖子的表哥，最早退场的有名有姓者。

Miss Brown -  A boarder in the Kelly house. Miss Brown often listens to the music of Mozart on her radio, which Mick often tries to overhear.

米克的莫扎特是在自家楼上出租房里启的蒙。后来才跑到富人区听更多的音乐。不过最后这孩子终于有了一台属于自己的收音机。

Spareribs -  A neighborhood boy who owns the BB gun with which Bubber Kelly accidentally shoots Baby Wilson. Spareribs and Bubber often play together before the accident.

一个邻家小毛孩儿。

Patterson -  Jake Blount's employer and the owner of the carnival. Patterson, a very minor character, has red hair and spends most of his time smoking marijuana.

这哥们给杰克工钱挺爽快。


这些人都是典型的配角，其中布朗小姐连面都没露。但对故事的发展，都有某种提示作用。

此岸

B. F. Mason -  A con artist who passes through town and preys on the black population by selling them false "govern ment pensions." Mason is caught by the police, but not until after he has spent or hidden all his money.

这个哥们太亲切了，一定得单独占一楼。七十年后，那个节目经常上电视。
govern ment =政@府，不能连笔。

此岸

好了，小学生作文贴完了，下面开始读点正文。

此岸

IN the town there were two mutes, and they were always together. Early every morning they would come out from the house where they lived and walk arm in arm down the street to work. The two friends were very different. The one who always steered the way was an obese and dreamy Greek. In the summer he would come out wearing a yellow or green polo shirt stuffed sloppily into his trousers in front and hanging loose behind. When it was colder he wore over this a shapeless gray sweater. His face was round and oily, with half-closed eyelids and lips that curved in a gentle, stupid smile. The other mute was tall. His eyes had a quick, intelligent expression. He was always immaculate and very soberly dressed.

——这是小说的开始，第一部分，第一节，第一自然段。

这段文字几乎交代了辛格和安胖子的所有外部特征和行为习惯（除了其交流方式），没有任何抽象的、笼统的、主观的、褒贬的、标签之类的描述。每天早上很早的时候，镇上一角，有些邋遢的胖哑巴，牵着整洁高瘦一些的哑巴，一起去上班。