Unit5THEMONSTER课文翻译大学英语六

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，同他的身体相比，头却很大 ——他是一个常生病的小个子。他的神经有毛病， 他的皮肤也有病。 要是贴身穿的衣服比丝绸粗糙一点的话， 他就会非常痛苦。而且他还患有狂想症。他是个自负的怪才。他是一刻都没有正眼看过世界和世人。除了和自己和关在他看来，他不仅是世界上最伟大的剧作家之一、 最伟大的思想家之一、 最伟大的作曲家之一。 听他谈话，他就是集莎士比亚、贝多芬、柏拉图于一身。你如果听他谈话并不会有什么困难。他是人世间最健谈的人之一。你如果听他谈话并不会有什么困难。他是人世间最健谈的人之一。如果和他在一起呆上一个晚上，就等于花一个晚上听他一人独讲。他有时讲得很精彩，有时却让人讨厌。不过无论是精彩还是让人讨厌，他的话题只有一个，那就是他自己，他和所想和他所为。他有一种癖号，就是认为自己总是对的。对于来自任何人的一点点不同的意见，在这最不起眼的观点上，很可能使他夸夸其谈几个钟头。用各种方法来证明自己是正确的。和尽力流利的证明最后他的听众目瞪口呆，为了息事宁人，只好同意他的观点。他从来都没有想过，他和他所做的事对于同他有联系的人来说并不是最令人感兴趣的。他对天底下差不多作何事情都有自己的观点。无论是素食主义、戏剧、政治还是音乐。为了证明自已的观点，他写了小册子信，书，和成千上万的字。共数百页。通常是靠别人资助－而且总是坐着把这些东西大声的读。一念就是几个小时，给他的朋友和家人。他写歌剧，一有了故事的概要，他就邀请——说得更准确一点是召唤——他那一帮朋友去他家，听他念故事概要。他请他们来不是听他们批评意见的，而是听他们赞扬的。当歌剧的词全部写完后，他的朋友们还得再来听他读整部戏的歌词。而后你就拿去发表，可有时歌词写好了，数年后其配乐才完成。他弹钢琴象一个作曲家，一样弹得糟糕透顶，而且他还总是坐在钢琴傍，面对有他同时代的最优秀的钢琴家在场的一群人，数小时地为他们演奏；不用说，他演奏的都是自己写的音乐作品。他有作曲家的嗓子。他总是邀请杰出的声乐家到家里，给他们演唱自己写的歌剧，一个人演所有的角色。他的感情就象6岁孩子那样极不稳定。只要感到不舒服，他总是乱骂一通，直跺脚，要么就情绪极其低落，伤心地说要去东方当和尚，度过余生。十分钟后如果有什么事让他高兴的话，他就会冲出门，在花园里跑来跑去，或者在沙发上跳上跳下，或头朝下倒立着。一只爱犬死了他会痛不欲生，可他要是冷酷起来，连罗马皇帝也会发抖的。他简直缺乏任何责任感。他不仅好象没有能力养活自己，而且他也从来没有想到有这么做的责任。他坚信人们该养活自己。由于是这样认为的，他向所有的人——无论是男人还是女人，无论是朋友还是陌生人——谁有能力拿出钱来，他就向谁借。他写信向别人乞讨，一写就是二十封；有时奴颜婢膝，毫无羞耻，有时却非常傲慢地把别人给他的特权赏给他心目中的捐助人，如果领受者拒绝接受， 他就会万分愤怒。 我没有找到他把钱付给或还给没有法律依据的借款人的任何记录。只要弄得到钱，他就象印度王公那样花销。 一旦他的某部歌剧有望演出， 就足以使他欠下的帐单十倍于预计给他的版税。无人会知道——他本人也一定不曾知道——他欠别人多少钱。但我们肯定知道的是，资助他最多