第十七章（第5/13页）

别墅里的宴会跟普通的家庭聚会没什么两样，令人兴致索然。但这并不会给姐妹俩造成困扰。她俩整天不着家。父亲带她们去欣赏展览，绵延数英里的画作沉闷乏味。他还会带她们去卢切塞别墅探望旧友，共赴广场的热闹晚会，在弗洛里安咖啡馆（注：坐落于威尼斯圣马尔科广场的著名咖啡馆，始建于1720年）小坐，或者是去剧院欣赏哥尔多尼（注：1707-1793，意大利剧作家，现代喜剧的创始人）的戏剧。此外，还有灯火通明的水上游乐会以及舞会。这里堪称度假胜地中的度假胜地。而利多岛的海滩上，则充斥着无数慕名而来的游客，那些镀上古铜色的或者身着肥大衣裤的肉体，活像来此交配的海豹。太多的游客在广场上徜徉，太多的肉体拥挤于利多海滩，太多的凤尾船，太多的汽艇，太多的轮船，太多的鸽子，太多的冷饮，太多的鸡尾酒，太多的侍从渴求小费，太多的语言叽里呱啦，太多，太多的阳光，太多的威尼斯气息，太多的草莓充斥着船舱，太多的丝绸围巾，太多的西瓜切得好像生牛肉片摆在水果摊上：太多的娱乐，无穷无尽的消遣！

Connie and Hilda went around in their sunny frocks. There were dozens of people they knew, dozens of people knew them. Michaelis turned up like a bad penny. "Hullo! Where you staying? Come and have an ice-cream or something! Come with me somewhere in my gondola.” Even Michaelis almost sun-burned: though sun-cooked is more appropriate to the look of the mass of human flesh.

康妮和希尔达穿着轻薄的连衣裙，四处游逛。她们认识的人不少，认识她们的人也挺多。米凯利斯像个讨厌鬼似的出现了。“嘿！你们在哪儿落脚？来吃点冰激凌或者别的怎样？乘我的凤尾船出去哪里玩吧。”就连白皙的米凯利斯都快被晒黑了，但鉴于着上如此肤色的人为数众多，似乎说是被太阳烤熟了更为贴切。

It was pleasant in a way. It was ALMOST enjoyment. But anyhow, with all the cocktails, all the lying in warmish water and sunbathing on hot sand in hot sun, jazzing with your stomach up against some fellow in the warm nights, cooling off with ices, it was a complete narcotic. And that was what they all wanted, a drug: the slow water, a drug; the sun, a drug; jazz, a drug; cigarettes, cocktails, ices, vermouth. To be drugged! Enjoyment! Enjoyment!

相对而言，这样的生活确实算得上舒适。几乎可以说是享受。但无论如何，痛饮美酒，尽情畅泳，沐浴阳光，纵情歌舞，饱尝冷饮，一切都是完美的麻醉剂。男男女女们渴望的都是麻醉自己的精神，海水，阳光，爵士舞，香烟，鸡尾酒，冷饮，苦艾酒，林林总总，效果相同。麻醉自我！纵情享乐！尽情欢愉！

Hilda half liked being drugged. She liked looking at all the women, speculating about them. The women were absorbingly interested in the women. How does she look! What man has she captured? What fun is she getting out of it?— The men were like great dogs in white flannel trousers, waiting to be patted, waiting to wallow, waiting to plaster some woman's stomach against their own, in jazz.

希尔达对麻醉半推半就。她热衷于审视所有的女子，揣度着她们。女人总是对女人充满好奇。她长得怎样？她搭上怎样的情郎？她如何取乐？——男人们身着法兰绒长裤，好像渴望被爱抚的大狗，渴望就地打滚，渴望跟女人肚皮贴肚皮，大跳爵士舞。

Hilda liked jazz, because she could plaster her stomach against the stomach of some so-called man, and let him control her movement from the visceral centre, here and there across the floor, and then she could break loose and ignore 'the creature'. He had been merely made use of. Poor Connie was rather unhappy. She wouldn't jazz, because she simply couldn't plaster her stomach against some 'creature's' stomach. She hated the conglomerate mass of nearly nude flesh on the Lido: there was hardly enough water to wet them all. She disliked Sir Alexander and Lady Cooper. She did not want Michaelis or anybody else trailing her.

希尔达热爱爵士舞，因为她乐得跟那些色厉内荏的男人们纠缠，在舞池内紧紧相拥，任他掌控着脚步的移动，四处打转，数曲跳罢，她便可以将那些可怜的家伙丢到一旁。他不过是被利用的对象。可怜的康妮却郁闷不已。她不愿跟臭男人们紧紧相拥，拒绝步入爵士舞场。她更讨厌利多海滩上无穷无尽的半裸肉体，就算深不见底的海水也无法将他们浸湿。她讨厌亚历山大爵士夫妇。她更不愿搭理米凯利斯和其他狂蜂浪蝶。

The happiest times were when she got Hilda to go with her away across the lagoon, far across to some lonely shingle-bank, where they could bathe quite alone, the gondola remaining on the inner side of the reef.

最愉快的时光，莫过于她说服希尔达，横渡泻湖，来到人迹罕至的砂石海滩。在那儿，她俩可以不受任何人打扰，自在地享受海水浴，而将凤尾船停泊在礁石后面。

Then Giovanni got another gondolier to help him, because it was a long way and he sweated terrifically in the sun. Giovanni was very nice: affectionate, as the Italians are, and quite passionless. The Italians are not passionate: passion has deep reserves. They are easily moved, and often affectionate, but they rarely have any abiding passion of any sort.

乔瓦尼找来另一名船夫帮忙，航程过长，炽热的阳光总让他挥汗如雨。乔瓦尼人很随和，总是深情款款，跟其他意大利人一样，但追求的只是短暂的激情。意大利人并非感性的民族，因为情感需要日积月累的沉淀。他们容易动情，总是含情脉脉，但他们的感情总是来去匆匆。

So Giovanni was already devoted to his ladies, as he had been devoted to cargoes of ladies in the past. He was perfectly ready to prostitute himself to them, if they wanted hint: he secretly hoped they would want him. They would give him a handsome present, and it would come in very handy, as he was just going to be married. He told them about his marriage, and they were suitably interested.

因此，乔瓦尼早已对两位夫人心有所属，正如他过去曾经恋上过无数太太小姐一样。只要她俩有所暗示，他随时做好献身的准备，这家伙早已暗自希冀着姐妹俩能提出此类要求。这样一来，他就能得到可观的馈赠，这可能派上大用场，因为他正打算结婚。他跟她俩谈及自己的婚事，康妮姐妹倒也颇感兴趣。

He thought this trip to some lonely bank across the lagoon probably meant business: business being l'amore, love. So he got a mate to help him, for it was a long way; and after all, they were two ladies. Two ladies, two mackerels! Good arithmetic! Beautiful ladies, too! He was justly proud of them. And though it was the Signora who paid him and gave him orders, he rather hoped it would be the young milady who would select hint for L'AMORE. She would give more money too.