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2007/10/20 04:26:16瀏覽535|回應6|推薦8 | |
終于可以貼上美國的老牌作家,克蘭思戴的作品。 中文部分是取自三十年前,由純文學出版的純美家庭文庫——妙爸爸,譯者為張心漪女士。 父親出門去了,爲了一家離海岸較遠的鐵路公司改組的事。回家後他仍然抱著執行者的心情,動手整頓家庭。雖然我學唱完全失敗,他仍然堅持要我們學音樂。他叫我們到他面前,通知我們說,我們必須立刻學一種樂器。也許我們現在不會感到它的益處,他說,但以後就會欣賞的。「你,克蘭思,學小提琴。喬治,你學鋼琴。裘林——唔,裘林還太小了,但是你們兩個大孩子必須要學。」 這個命令使我非常驚惶。在十歲時,再失去一部分自由,實是不幸的事。白天已經太短,放學後遊戲的時間嫌不夠,如今,一星期有三天,遊戲的時間要減去一截。後來我們才發現每天都要減去一截,因爲我們還要練習。 喬治坐在客廳裏的琴邊,忠實地彈著他的練指法。他的運氣真好。他並非得靈感的演奏者,但至少他的耳朵還近音樂。他還有一件佔便宜的事:他彈的樂器是良好健壯的,他不必小心翼翼的怕它掉在地上,也不怕它破碎。再説,他也不必替它調音。鋼琴很有些優點。 可是我就要經過比較悲慘可怕的經驗。由大街上陽光中走入我家黑暗的小地下室——我學提琴的地方,已經夠糟的了。但這僅是以後奮鬥中初步的掃興。 The Noblest Instrument Father had been away, reorganizing some old upstate railroad. He returned in an executive mood and proceeded to shake up our home. In spite of my failure as a singer, he was still bound to have us taught music. We boys were summoned before him and informed that we must at once learn to play on something. We might not appreciate it now, he said, but we should later on. “You, Clarence, will learn the violin. George, you the piano. Julian-well, Julian is too young yet. But you older boys must have lessons.” I was appalled at this order. At the age of ten it seemed a disaster to lose any more of my freedom. The days were already too short for our games after school; and now here was a chunk to come out of playtime three days every week. A chunk every day, we found afterward because we had to practice. George sat at the piano in the parlor, and faithfully learned to pound out his exercises. He had all the luck. He was not an inspired player, but at least he had some ear for music. He also had the advantage of playing on a good robust instrument, which he didn’t have to be careful not to drop, and was in no danger of breaking. Furthermore, he did not have to tune it. A piano had some good points. But I had to go through a blacker and more gruesome experience. It was bad enough to have to come in from the street and the sunlight and go down into our dark little basement where I took my lessons. But that was only the opening chill of the struggle that followed. |
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