雙語 | 那些文學作品的經典開頭

07-09

雙語 | 那些文學作品的經典開頭

優秀的文學作品往往有一個讓人過目不忘的開頭，向別人提及時仍然津津樂道。

比如加西亞·馬爾克斯《百年孤獨》的開頭：

多年以後，奧雷連諾上校站在行刑隊面前，準會想起父親帶他參觀冰塊的那個遙遠的下午。
那時的馬孔多是一個二十戶人家的村落，籬笆和蘆葦蓋成的屋子，沿河岸排開，湍急的河水清澈見底，河岸里暖石潔白光滑宛如史前巨蛋。
世界新生伊始，許多事物還沒有名字，提到的時候尚需用手指指點點。

在書的開頭，敘事上的時間錯位。這個錯位一般常見的寫法是倒敘，一般會說「多年以前」，但是《百年孤獨》卻是在敘事開始時把要講述的事件放到「多年以後」。告訴讀者，現在會講多年以前的事，但開篇暫且從多年以後開始。

寥寥幾句，魔力無限。我們甚至至今還能在很多當代知名作家的成名作里，看到《百年孤獨》的影子，尤其是對開頭的模仿。

今天我們一起來看看那些文學作品的經典開頭，你最喜歡哪一部呢？

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

凡是有錢的單身漢，總想娶位太太，這已經成了一條舉世公認的真理。

——簡·奧斯汀《傲慢與偏見》 ?

I confess that when first I made acquaintance with Charles Strickland I never for a moment discerned that there was in him anything out of the ordinary. Yet now few will be found to deny his greatness. I do not speak of that greatness which is achieved by the fortunate politician or the successful soldier; that is a quality which belongs to the place he occupies rather than to the man; and a change of circumstances reduces it to very discreet proportions.

坦白說，最早認識查爾斯?斯特里克蘭的時候，我根本不覺得他有什麼出類拔萃的地方，然而現在很少有人會否認他的偉大。我說的偉大並不是那種官運亨通的政客或者戰功赫赫的軍人所能得到的，那些人的光環來自他們的職位，而非自身的本事；等到時過境遷，他們將會變得微不足道。

The Prime Minister out of office is seen, too often, to have been but a pompous rhetorician, and the General without an army is but the tame hero of a market town. The greatness of Charles Strickland was authentic. It may be that you do not like his art, but at all events you can hardly refuse it the tribute of your interest.

人們常常發現，離任的總理原來只是個能言善辯的口舌之士，卸職的將軍也無非是個軟弱可欺的市井之徒。查爾斯?斯特里克蘭才是真正的偉大。你也許不喜歡他的藝術，但無論如何很難不對它產生興趣。

——毛姆《月亮與六便士》 ?

In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that Ive been turning over in my mind ever since.

"Whenever you feel like criticizing any one," he told me, "just remember that all the people in this world havent had the advantages that youve had.」

在我年紀還輕，閱歷尚淺的時候，父親教導過我一句話，我至今念念不忘。

「每逢你想要批評任何人的時候，」他對我說，「你就記住，這個世界上所有的人，

並不是個個都有過你擁有的那些優越條件。」

—— F?司各特?菲茨傑拉德《了不起的蓋茨比》

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness. It was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity. It was the season of light, it was the season of darkness. It was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair. We had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way.

這是最美好的時代，這是最糟糕的時代；這是智慧的年頭，這是愚昧的年頭；這是信仰的時期，這是懷疑的時期；這是光明的季節，這是黑暗的季節；這是希望之春，這是失望之冬。我們的前途擁有一切，我們的前途一無所有；我們正走向天堂，我們也正直下地獄。

——查爾斯·狄更斯《雙城記》

All happy families are happy alike, all unhappy families are unhappy in their own way.

幸福的家庭總是相似的，而不幸的家庭則各有各的不幸。

——列夫·托爾斯泰《安娜·卡列尼娜》

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.

四月間，天氣寒冷晴朗，鐘敲了十三下。

——喬治?奧威爾《一九八四》

Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-Lee-Ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate of tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta.

洛麗塔，我的生命之光，我的慾念之火。我的罪惡，我的靈魂，洛-麗-塔：舌尖向上，分三步，從上顎往下輕輕落在牙齒上。洛。麗。塔。

——弗拉基米爾?納博科夫《洛麗塔》

Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself.

達洛維夫人說自己要去買花。

——弗吉尼亞·伍爾夫《達洛維夫人》

MANY YEARS LATER as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.

多年以後，奧雷連諾上校站在行刑隊面前，準會想起父親帶他參觀冰塊的那個遙遠的下午。

——加西亞·馬爾克斯《百年孤獨》

As GregorSamsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himselftransformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.

一天早晨，格里高爾?薩姆沙從不安的睡夢中醒來，發現自己躺在床上變成了一隻巨大的甲蟲。

——弗蘭茲?卡夫卡《變形記》

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