【書摘】蓋爾芒特家那邊—蓋爾芒特夫人與親王夫人 (Duchesse de Guermantes V.S. Princess de Guermantes) 4-1 - Notes of a Proustian

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【書摘】蓋爾芒特家那邊—蓋爾芒特夫人與親王夫人 (Duchesse de Guermantes V.S. Princess de Guermantes) 4-1

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【書摘】蓋爾芒特家那邊—蓋爾芒特夫人與親王夫人 (Duchesse de Guermantes V.S. Princess de Guermantes) 4-1
Mme de Cambremer était étonnée de voir la duchesse ce soir. Elle savait que celle-ci restait très tard à Guermantes et supposait qu’elle y était encore. Mais on lui avait raconté que parfois, quand il y avait à Paris un spectacle qu’elle jugeait intéressant, Mme de Guermantes faisait atteler une de ses voitures aussitôt qu’elle avait pris le thé avec les chasseurs et, au soleil couchant, partait au grand trot, à travers la forêt crépusculaire, puis par la route, prendre le train à Combray pour être à Paris le soir. « Peut-être vient-elle de Guermantes exprès pour entendre la Berma », pensait avec admiration Mme de Cambremer. Et elle se rappelait avoir entendu dire à Swann, dans ce jargon ambigu qu’il avait en commun avec M. de Charlus : « La duchesse est un des êtres les plus nobles de Paris, de l’élite la plus raffinée, la plus choisie. » Pour moi qui faisais dériver du nom de Guermantes, du nom de Bavière et du nom de Condé la vie, la pensée des deux cousines (je ne le pouvais plus pour leurs visages puisque je les avais vus), j’aurais mieux aimé connaître leur jugement sur Phèdre que celui du plus grand critique du monde. Car dans le sien je n’aurais trouvé que de l’intelligence, de l’intelligence supérieure à la mienne, mais de même nature.
(l’édition Gallimard, Paris, 1946-47)

德‧康布林梅夫人沒想到今晚上能看見公爵夫人，因而不勝驚訝。她知道今天很晚的時候公爵夫人還在蓋爾芒特城堡，推測她不會離開那裡。不過，她聽人說過，有時候，巴黎上演的某一齣戲使德‧蓋爾芒特夫人感到興趣，她和到蓋爾芒特森林狩獵的人一起用完茶，就會叫人給她備車，黃昏啟程，飛速穿過薄暮籠罩的森林，登上大路，在貢布雷換乘火車，晚上趕回巴黎。「可能她是專程從蓋爾芒特趕來聽貝瑪唱戲的。」德‧康布林梅夫人尋思著，對她不勝崇敬。她記得曾聽斯萬含糊其詞地說過 (他和德‧夏呂斯先生在一起時盡用這種隱語)：「公爵夫人是巴黎最高貴的人，是千裡挑一，萬裡挑一的菁華。」然而，我是通過蓋爾芒特、巴伐利亞和孔代這些名字，想像出這對堂妯娌的生活和思想的 (她們的面貌我不可能再去想像了，因為我見過她們)，因此我更願瞭解她們對《菲德爾》的評價，這比世界上最大評論家的評論對我更有吸引力。因為在批評家的評論中只有智慧，儘管比我高明，但本質是一樣的。
(p.56 追憶似水年華 III蓋爾芒特家那邊聯經版 1992)

Mme. de Cambremer was surprised to see her there that evening. She knew that the Duchess was staying on very late at Guermantes, and had supposed her to be there still. But she had been told, also, that sometimes, when there was some special function in Paris which she considered it worth her while to attend, Mme. de Guermantes would order one of her carriages to be brought round as soon as she had taken tea with the guns, and, as the sun was setting, start out at a spanking pace through the gathering darkness of the forest, then over the high road, to join the train at Combray and so be in Paris the same evening. “Perhaps she has come up from Guermantes on purpose to hear Berma,” thought Mme. de Cambremer, and marvelled at the thought. And she remembered having heard Swann say in that ambiguous jargon which he used in common with M. de Charlus:“The Duchess is one of the noblest souls in Paris, the cream of the most refined, the choicest society.” For myself, who derived from the names Guermantes, Bavaria and Condé what I imagined to be the life, the thoughts of the two cousins (I could no longer so ascribe their faces, having seen them), I would rather have had their opinion of Phèdre than that of the greatest critic in the world. For in his I should have found merely intellect, an intellect superior to my own but similar in kind.
(Translated by C. K. Scott Moncrieff)

Mme de Cambremer was surprised to see her there that evening. She knew that the Duchesse stayed on very late at Guermantes and had supposed that she was still there. But she had been told that sometimes, when there was some entertainment in Paris that caught her interest, Mme de Guermantes would order one of her carriages to be waiting for her as soon as she had taken tea with the hunt party and, as the sun was going down, set off at full trot through the half-light of the forest, then along the road, to catch the train at Combray to be in Paris the same evening. “Perhaps she has come from Guermantes specially to see La Berma,” thought Mme de Cambremer admiringly. And she remembered Swann saying, in the ambiguous jargon he shared with M. de Charlus, “The Duchesse is one of the noblest creatures in Paris, the cream of the choicest, most refined society.” And I, who derived from the names Guermantes, Bavière, and Condé my notions of the life and thoughts of the two cousins (something I could no longer do from their faces, now that I had seen them), would rather have had their opinion of Phèdre than that of the greatest critic in the world. For in the critic’s opinion I would have found merely intelligence, intelligence superior to my own but of the same kind.
(Translated by Mark Treharne)

( 知識學習｜隨堂筆記 )