19-7-8【英语美文】名作赏析：迷惘之梦的幻灭，海明威经典短篇《白象似的群山》

Hills like white elephants

ByErnest Hemingway  - edited version

1.       The hills across the valley were long and white. Close tothe station there was a bar. The American and the girl with him sat at a tablein the shade, outside the bar. It was very hot and the express from Barcelonawould come in forty minutes. It stopped at this junction for two minutes and went on to Madrid.

2.       "What should wedrink?" the girl asked. "It's pretty hot," the man said."Let's drink beer." "Doscervezas," the man said to the woman behind the bar. "Bigones?" the woman asked.  "Yes.Two big ones." The woman brought two glasses and looked at the man and thegirl. The girl was looking at the lineof hills. They were white in the sun and the country was brown and dry.

3.       "They look like whiteelephants," she said. "I've never seen one," the man drank hisbeer. "No, you wouldn't have." "I might have," the mansaid. "Just because you say I wouldn't have doesn't prove anything."The girl looked at the curtain of the bar’s window. "They've paintedsomething on it," she said. "What does it say?" "Anis delToro. It's a drink." "Could we try it?"

4.       "We want two Anis delToro." "With water?" "Do you want it with water?""I don't know," the girl said. "Is it good with water?""It's all right." "You want them with water?" asked thewoman. "Yes, with water." "It tastes like liquorice," the girl said and put the glass down. "That'sthe way with everything." "Yes," said the girl. "Everythingtastes of liquorice. Especially all the things you've waited so long for, like absinthe."

5.       "Oh, cut it out." "You started it," the girl said."I was being amused. I washaving a fine time." "Well, let's try and have a fine time.""All right. I was trying. I said the mountains looked like whiteelephants. Wasn't that bright?""That was bright." "I wanted to try this new drink. That's allwe do, isn't it—look at things and try new drinks?"" I guessso." The girl looked across at the hills.

6.       "It's really an awfullysimple operation, Jig," the mansaid. "It's not really an operation at all."

The girl looked at theground. "It's really not anything. I'll go with you and I'll stay with youall the time. It's all perfectly natural.""Then what will we do afterward?" "We'll be fine afterward. Justlike we were before." "What makes you think so?" "It's theonly thing that bothers us. It's the only thing that's made us unhappy. Youdon't have to be afraid. I've known lots of people that have done it", hesaid.

7.       "So have I," said thegirl. "And afterward they were all so happy." "Well," theman said, "if you don't want to you don't have to."  "If I do it you'll be happy and thingswill be like they were and you'll love me?" "I love you now. You knowI love you." "I know. But if I do it, then it will be nice again if Isay things are like white elephants, and you'll like it?" "I'll loveit. I love it now but I just can't think about it. You know how I get when Iworry."

8.       "Then I'll do it. BecauseI don't care about me." "What do you mean?" " I don't careabout me." "Well, I care about you." "Oh, yes. But I don'tcare about me. And I'll do it and then everything will be fine." " Idon't want you to do it if you feel that way." The girl stood up andwalked to the end of the station. Far away, beyond the river, were mountains.The shadow of a cloud moved across the field of grain and she saw the river through the trees. "And we couldhave all this," she said.

9.       "What did you say?""I said we could have everything." "We can haveeverything." "No, we can't." "We can have the wholeworld." "No, we can't." "We can go everywhere.""No, we can't. We'll wait and see." "Come on back in the shade," he said. "You mustn'tfeel that way." "I don't feel any way," the girl said. "Ijust know things." " I don't want you to do anything that you don'twant to do—""I know. Could we have another beer?"

10.   "All right. But you've gotto realize—" "Irealize," the girl said. "Can't we maybe stop talking?" They satdown at the table and the girl looked across at the hills on the dry side ofthe valley and the man looked at her and at the table. "You've got torealize," he said, "that I don't want you to do it if you don't wantto." "Would you do something for me now?" "I'd do anythingfor you." "Would you please please please please please please pleasestop talking?"

11.   He did not say anything butlooked at the bags against the wall of the station. There were labels on them from all the hotelswhere they had spent nights. "But…." "I'll scream," thegirl said. The woman came out through the curtains with two glasses of beer. "The train comes in five minutes," shesaid, in Spanish.  "What did shesay?" asked the girl. "That the train is coming in five minutes. I'dbetter take the bags over to the other side of the station," the man said.She smiled at him. "All right. Then come back and we'll finish the beer." He picked up thetwo heavy bags and carried them around the station to the other tracks. He looked up the tracks but could not see the train.

12.   Coming back, he walked throughthe bar, where people waiting for the train were drinking. They were allwaiting. He went out. She was sitting at the table and smiled at him. "Doyou feel better?"  he asked. "Ifeel fine," she said. "There's nothing wrong with me. I feelfine."