Unit5THEMONSTER課文翻譯大學(xué)英語六

Unit5THEMONSTERHewasanundersizedlittleman,withaheadtoobigforhisbody--asicklylittleman.Hisnerveswerehad.Hehadskintrouble.Itwasagonyforhimtowearanythingnexttohisskincoarserthansilk.Andhehadseclusionsofgrandeur.Hewasamonsterofconceit.Neverforoneminutedidhelookattheworldoratpeople,exceptinrelationtohimself.Hewasnotonlythemostimportantpersonintheworld,tohimself;inhisowneyeshewastheonlypersonwhoexisted.Hebelievedhimselftobeoneofthegreatestdramatistsintheworld,oneofthegreatestthinkers,andoneofthegreatestcomposers.Tohearhimtalk,hewasShakespeare,andBeethoven,andPlato,rolledintoone.Andyouwouldhavehadnodifficultyinhearinghimtalk.Hewasoneofthemostexhaustingconversationaliststhateverlived.Aneveningwithhimwasaneveningspentinlisteningtoamonologue.Sometimeshewasbrilliant;sometimeshewasmaddeninglytiresome.Butwhetherhewasbeingbrilliantordull,hehadonesoletopicofconversation:himself.Whathethoughtandwhathedid.Hehadamaniaforbeingintheright.Theslightesthintofdisagreement,fromanyone,onthemosttrivialpoint,wasenoughtosethimoffonaharanguethatmightlastforhouse,inwhichheprovedhimselfrightinsomanyways,andwithsuchexhaustingvolubility,thatintheendhishearer,stunnedanddeafened,wouldagreewithhim,forthesakeofpeace.Itneveroccurredtohimthatheandhisdoingwerenotofthemostintenseandfascinatinginteresttoanyonewithwhomhecameincontact.Hehadtheoriesaboutalmostanysubjectunderthesun,includingvegetarianism,thedrama,politics,andmusic;andinsupportofthesetheorieshewrotepamphlets,letters,books?thousandsuponthousandsofwords,hundredsandhundredsofpages.Henotonlywrotethesethings,andpublishedthem--usuallyatsomebodyelse'sexpense--buthewouldsitandreadthemaloud,forhours,tohisfriendsandhisfamily.Hewroteoperas,andnosoonerdidhehavethesynopsisofastory,buthewouldinvite--orrathersummon--acrowedofhisfriendstohishouse,andreaditaloudtothem.Notforcriticism.Forapplause.Whenthecompletepoemwaswritten,thefriendshadtocomeagain,andhearthatreadaloud.Thenhewouldpublishthepoem,sometimesyearsbeforethemusicthatwentwithitwaswritten.Heplayedthepianolikeacomposer,intheworstsenseofwhatthatimplies,andhewouldsitdownatthepianobeforepartiesthatincludedsomeofthefinestpianistsofhistime,andplayforthem,bythehour,hisownmusic,needlesstosay.Hehadacomposer'svoice.Andhewouldinviteeminentvocaliststohishouseandsingthemhisoperas,takingalltheparts.Hehadtheemotionalstabilityofasix-year-oldchild.Whenhefeltoutofsorts,hewouldraveandstamp,orsinkintosuicidalgloomandtalkdarklyofgoingtotheEasttoendhisdaysasaBuddhistwonk.Tenminuteslater,whensomethingpleasedhim,hewouldrushoutofdoorsandrunaroundthegarden,orjumpupanddownonthesofa,orstandonhishead.Hecouldbegrief-strickenoverthedeathofapetdog,andhecouldbecallousandheartlesstoadegreethatwouldhavemadeaRomanemperorshudder.Hewasalmostinnocentofanysenseofresponsibility.Notonlydidheseemincapableofsupportinghimself,butitneveroccurredtohimthathewasunderayobligationtodoso.Hewasconvincedthattheworldowedhimaliving.Insupportofthisbelief,heborrowedmoneyfromeverybodywhowasgoodforaloan--men,women,friends,orstrangers.Hewrotebegginglettersbythescore,sometimesgrovelingwithoutshame,atotherloftilyofferinghisintendedbenefactortheprivilegeofcontributingtohissupport,andbeingmortallyoffendediftherecipientdeclinedthehonor.Ihavefoundnorecordofhiseverpayingorrepayingmoneytoanyonewhodidnothavealegalclaimuponit.WhatmoneyhecouldlayhishandsonhespentlikeanIndianrajah.Themereprospectofaperformanceofoneofhisoperaswasenoughtosethimtorunningupbillsamountingtotentimestheamountofhisprospectiveroyalties.Noonewilleverknow--certainlyheneverknew--howmuchmoneyheowed.Wedoknowthathisgreatestbenefactorgavehim$6,000topaythemostpressingofhisdebtsinonecity,andayearlaterhadtogivehim$16,000toenablehimtoliveinanothercitywithoutbeingthrownintojailfordebt.Hewasequallyunscrupulousinotherways.Anendlessprocessionofwomenmarchedthroughhislife.Hisfirstwifespenttwentyyearsenduringandforgivinghisinfidelities.Hissecondwifehadbeenthewifeofhismostdevotedfriendandadmirer,fromwhomhestoleher.Andevenwhilehewastryingtopersuadehertoleaveherfirsthusbandhewaswritingtoafriendtoinquirewhetherhecouldsuggestsomewealthywoman--anywealthywoman--whomhecouldmarryforhermoney.Hewascompletelyselfishinhisotherpersonalrelationships.Hislikingforhisfriendswasmeasuredsolelybythecompletenessoftheirdevotiontohim,orbytheirusefulnesstohim,whetherfinancialorartistic.Theminutetheyfailedhim--evenbysomuchasrefusingdinnerinvitation--orbegantolesseninusefulness,hecastthemoffwithoutasecondthought.Attheendofhislifehehadexactlyonefriendleftwhomhehadknowneveninmiddleage.ThenameofthismonsterwasRichardWagner.EverythingthatIhavesaidabouthimyoucanfindonrecord--innewspapers,inpolicereports,inthetestimonyofpeoplewhoknewhim,inhisownletters,betweenthelinesofhisautobiography.Andthecuriousthingaboutthisrecordisthatitdoesn'tmatterintheleast.Becausethisundersized,sickly,disagreeable,fascinatinglittlemanwasrightallthetime.Thejokewasonus.Hewasoneoftheworld'sgreatestdramatists;hewasagreatthinker;hewasoneofthemoststupendousmusicalgeniusesthat,uptonow,theworldhaseverseen.Theworlddidowehimaliving.Whenyouconsiderwhathewrote--thirteenoperasandmusicdramas,elevenofthemstillholdingthestage,eightofthemunquestionablyworthrankingamongtheworld'sgreatmusico-dramaticmasterpieces--whenyoulistentowhathewrote,thedebtsandheartachesthatpeoplehadtoendurefromhimdon'tseemmuchofaprice.Thinkoftheluxurywithwhichforatime,atleast,faterewardedNapoleon,themanwhoruinedFranceandlootedEurope;andthenperhapsyouwillagreethatafewthousanddollars'worthofdebtswerenottooheavyapricetopayfortheRingtrilogy.Whatifhewasfaithlesstohisfriendsandtohiswives?Hehadonemistresstowhomhewasfaithfultothedayofhisdeath:Music.Notforasinglemomentdidheevercompromisewithwhathebelieved,withwhatbedreamed.Thereisnotalineofhismusicthatcouldhavebeenconceivedbyalittlemind.Evenwhenheisdull,ordownrightbad,heisdullinthegrandmanner.Thereisgreatnessabouthisworstmistakes.Listeningtohismusic,onedoesnotforgivehimforwhathemayormaynothavebeen.Itisnotamatterofforgiveness.Itisamatterofbeingdumbwithwonderthathispoorbrainandbodydidn'tburstunderthetormentofthedemonofcreativeenergythatlivedinsidehim,struggling,clawing,scratchingtobereleased;tearing,shriekingathimtowritethemusicthatwasinhim.Themiracleisthatwhathedidinthelittlespaceofseventyyearscouldhavebeendoneatall,evenbyagreatgenius.Isitanywonderthathehadnotimetobeaman?怪才他身材矮小，同他的身體相比，頭卻很大 ——他是一個常生病的小個子。他的神經(jīng)有毛病， 他的皮膚也有病。 要是貼身穿的衣服比絲綢粗糙一點(diǎn)的話， 他就會非常痛苦。而且他還患有狂想癥。他是個自負(fù)的怪才。他是一刻都沒有正眼看過世界和世人。除了和自己和關(guān)在他看來，他不僅是世界上最偉大的劇作家之一、 最偉大的思想家之一、 最偉大的作曲家之一。 聽他談話，他就是集莎士比亞、貝多芬、柏拉圖于一身。你如果聽他談話并不會有什么困難。他是人世間最健談的人之一。你如果聽他談話并不會有什么困難。他是人世間最健談的人之一。如果和他在一起呆上一個晚上，就等于花一個晚上聽他一人獨(dú)講。他有時講得很精彩，有時卻讓人討厭。不過無論是精彩還是讓人討厭，他的話題只有一個，那就是他自己，他和所想和他所為。他有一種癖號，就是認(rèn)為自己總是對的。對于來自任何人的一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)不同的意見，在這最不起眼的觀點(diǎn)上，很可能使他夸夸其談幾個鐘頭。用各種方法來證明自己是正確的。和盡力流利的證明最后他的聽眾目瞪口呆，為了息事寧人，只好同意他的觀點(diǎn)。他從來都沒有想過，他和他所做的事對于同他有聯(lián)系的人來說并不是最令人感興趣的。他對天底下差不多作何事情都有自己的觀點(diǎn)。無論是素食主義、戲劇、政治還是音樂。為了證明自已的觀點(diǎn)，他寫了小冊子信，書，和成千上萬的字。共數(shù)百頁。通常是靠別人資助－而且總是坐著把這些東西大聲的讀。一念就是幾個小時，給他的朋友和家人。他寫歌劇，一有了故事的概要，他就邀請——說得更準(zhǔn)確一點(diǎn)是召喚——他那一幫朋友去他家，聽他念故事概要。他請他們來不是聽他們批評意見的，而是聽他們贊揚(yáng)的。當(dāng)歌劇的詞全部寫完后，他的朋友們還得再來聽他讀整部戲的歌詞。而后你就拿去發(fā)表，可有時歌詞寫好了，數(shù)年后其配樂才完成。他彈鋼琴象一個作曲家，一樣彈得糟糕透頂，而且他還總是坐在鋼琴傍，面對有他同時代的最優(yōu)秀的鋼琴家在場的一群人，數(shù)小時地為他們演奏；不用說，他演奏的都是自己寫的音樂作品。他有作曲家的嗓子。他總是邀請杰出的聲樂家到家里，給他們演唱自己寫的歌劇，一個人演所有的角色。他的感情就象6歲孩子那樣極不穩(wěn)定。只要感到不舒服，他總是亂罵一通，直跺腳，要么就情緒極其低落，傷心地說要去東方當(dāng)和尚，度過余生。十分鐘后如果有什么事讓他高興的話，他就會沖出門，在花園里跑來跑去，或者在沙發(fā)上跳上跳下，或頭朝下倒立著。一只愛犬死了他會痛不欲生，可他要是冷酷起來，連羅馬皇帝也會發(fā)抖的。他簡直缺乏任何責(zé)任感。他不僅好象沒有能力養(yǎng)活自己，而且他也從來沒有想到有這么做的責(zé)任。他堅信人們該養(yǎng)活自己。由于是這樣認(rèn)為的，他向所有的人——無論是男人還是女人，無論是朋友還是陌生人——誰有能力拿出錢來，他就向誰借。他寫信向別人乞討，一寫就是二十封；有時奴顏婢膝，毫無羞恥，有時卻非常傲慢地把別人給他的特權(quán)賞給他心目中的捐助人，如果領(lǐng)受者拒絕接受， 他就會萬分憤怒。 我沒有找到他把錢付給或還給沒有法律依據(jù)的借款人的任何記錄。只要弄得到錢，他就象印度王公那樣花銷。 一旦他的某部歌劇有望演出， 就足以使他欠下的帳單十倍于預(yù)計給他的版稅。無人會知道——他本人也一定不曾知道——他欠別人多少錢。但我們肯定知道的是，資助他最多