先讀課文﹕
Of Human Bondage
by Somerset Maugham
Chapter I
The day broke gray and dull. The clouds hung heavily, and there was a rawness
in the air that suggested snow. A woman servant came into a room in which
a child was sleeping and drew the curtains. She glanced mechanically at
the house opposite, a stucco house with a portico, and went to the child's
bed.
"Wake up, Philip," she said. She pulled down the bed-clothes, took him in
her arms, and carried him downstairs. He was only half awake.
"Your mother wants you," she said. She opened the door of a room on the
floor below and took the child over to a bed in which a woman was lying.
It was his mother. She stretched out her arms, and the child nestled by
her side. He did not ask why he had been awakened. The woman kissed his
eyes, and with thin, small hands felt the warm body through his white flannel
nightgown. She pressed him closer to herself.
"Are you sleepy, darling?" she said. Her voice was so weak that it seemed
to come already from a great distance. The child did not answer, but smiled
comfortably. He was very happy in the large, warm bed, with those soft arms
about him. He tried to make himself smaller still as he cuddled up against
his mother, and he kissed her sleepily. In a moment he closed his eyes and
was fast asleep. The doctor came forwards and stood by the bed-side.
"Oh, don't take him away yet," she moaned. The doctor, without answering,
looked at her gravely. Knowing she would not be allowed to keep the child
much longer, the woman kissed him again; and she passed her hand down his
body till she came to his feet; she held the right foot in her hand and
felt the five small toes; and then slowly passed her hand over the left one.
She gave a sob.
"What"s the matter?" said the doctor. "You're tired." She shook her head,
unable to speak, and the tears rolled down her cheeks. The doctor bent down.
"Let me take him." She was too weak to resist his wish, and she gave the
child up. The doctor handed him back to his nurse.
"You'd better put him back in his own bed."
"Very well, sir." The little boy, still sleeping, was taken away. His mother
sobbed now broken-heartedly. "What will happen to him, poor child?" The
monthly nurse tried to quiet her, and presently, from exhaustion, the crying
ceased. The doctor walked to a table on the other side of the room, upon
which, under a towel, lay the body of a still-born child. He lifted the towel
and looked. He was hidden from the bed by a screen, but the woman guessed
what he was doing.
"Was it a girl or a boy?" she whispered to the nurse.
"Another boy."
The woman did not answer. In a moment the child's nurse came back. She approached
the bed.
"Master Philip never woke up," she said. There was a pause. Then the doctor
felt his patient's pulse once more.
"I don't think there's anything I can do just now," he said. "I'll call
again after breakfast."
"I'll show you out, sir," said the child's nurse. They walked downstairs
in silence. In the hall the
doctor stopped.
"You've sent for Mrs. Carey's brother-in-law, haven't you?"
"Yes, sir."
"D'you know at what time he'll be here?"
"No, sir, I'm expecting a telegram."
"What about the little boy? I should think he'd be better out of the way."
"Miss Watkin said she'd take him, sir."
"Who's she?"
"She's his godmother, sir. D'you think Mrs. Carey will get over it, sir?"
The doctor shook his head.
1) 生詞自查。
2) 作者介紹﹕William Somerset Maugham (25 January 1874 -- 16 December 1965)
was an English playwright, novelist and short story writer. He was among
the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highest paid author
during the 1930s.
3) 該書介紹﹕Of Human Bondage (1915) is a novel by W. Somerset Maugham.
It is generally agreed to be his masterpiece and to be strongly autobiographical
in nature, although Maugham stated, "This is a novel, not an autobiography,
though much in it is autobiographical, more is pure invention." Maugham,
who had originally planned to call his novel Beauty from Ashes, finally
settled on a title taken from a section of Spinoza's Ethics. In 1998, the
Modern Library ranked Of Human Bondage #66 on its list of the 100 best English-
language novels of the 20th century.
4) 情節簡介﹕The book begins with the death of the mother of the nine-year-old
protagonist, Philip Carey. Philip's father had already died a few months
before, and the orphan Philip is sent to live with his aunt and uncle. His
uncle is vicar of Blackstable, a small village in Kent. Philip inherits
a small fortune but the money is held in custody by his uncle until he is
twenty-one, giving his uncle a great deal of power over him until he reaches
his maturity.
Early chapters relate Philip's experience at the vicarage. His aunt tries
to be a mother to Philip, but she is herself childish and unsure of how
to behave, whereas his uncle takes a cold disposition towards him. Philip's
uncle has an eclectic collection of books, and in reading Philip finds a
way to escape his mundane existence and experience fascinating worlds of
fiction.
Less than a year later, Philip is sent to a boarding school. His uncle and
aunt wish for him to eventually go to Oxford to study to become a clergyman.
Philip's shyness and his club foot make it difficult for him to fit in with
the boys at the school, and he does not make many friends. Philip goes through
an episode of deep religious belief, and believes that through true faith
he can petition God to heal his club foot; but when this does not happen,
his belief falters. He becomes close friends with one boy; but the friendship
breaks up, and he becomes miserable. Philip shows considerable academic
talent and is informed by the school's headmaster that he could have earned
a scholarship for Oxford, but instead he becomes determined to leave the
school and go to Germany. 欲知後事如何﹐請上網閱讀全文。
5) Somerset Maugham是20世紀上半頁的英國偉大作家之一。他的文筆簡潔明快。他
的這本代表作品Of Human Bondage可作英文專業學生的精讀本。本人在國內時曾有
意把它譯成中文﹐當時擬定書名為“人間桎梏”﹐後因事冗未果。不知現在已有中
文譯本嗎﹖本壇有興趣者亦可翻譯出來。
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