湖北省潛江市江漢油田東方紅學(xué)校 謝飛編譯

1.In a little district west of Washington Square，Sue and Johnsy had their studio at the top of a squatty,threestory brick.在華盛頓廣場(chǎng)西邊的一個(gè)小區(qū)里，蘇和瓊西的畫室設(shè)在一所又寬又矮的三層樓磚房的頂樓上。

2.“Johnsy”was familiar for Joanna.One was from Maine;the other from California.They had met at a Café in the street in May and found they had a lot in common,so they rented the joint studio.“瓊西”是瓊娜的愛(ài)稱。她倆一個(gè)來(lái)自緬因州，一個(gè)來(lái)自加利福尼亞州。她們五月在街上的咖啡廳相遇，發(fā)現(xiàn)彼此有很多相同之處，便合租了那間畫室。

3.In November,Pneumonia spread in the district，many people were contracted,and Johnsy was one of the victims.She lay on her bed,scarcely moving,looking through the small Dutch window-panes at the blank side of the next brick house.到了11月，肺炎在這個(gè)區(qū)蔓延，很多人都感染了，瓊西也是患上了可怕的肺炎。她躺在床上，一動(dòng)也不動(dòng)，凝望著小小的荷蘭式玻璃窗外對(duì)面磚房的空墻。

4.One morning,the doctor invited Sue into the hallway and said,“Her only chance is the wish to live.She has made up her mind that she’s not going to get well.Has she anything on her mind?”一天早晨，醫(yī)生把蘇叫到外邊的走廊上,說(shuō)道：“她唯一的希望就是她想要活下去的念頭。她斷定自己好不了了。她還有什么牽掛嗎？”

5.“She—she wanted to paint the Bay of Naples some day.”said Sue. “Paint?Has she anything on her mind worth thinking twice—a man for instance?”Sue shook her head.“她，她希望有一天能夠去畫那不勒斯的海灣?！碧K說(shuō)?！爱嫯?？她腦子里有沒(méi)有什么值得她想了又想的事……比如說(shuō)，一個(gè)男人？”蘇搖了搖頭否認(rèn)了。

6.Sue cried.She went into Johnsy’s room with her drawing board,whistling.Johnsy lay,scarcely moving,with her face toward the window.Sue stopped whistling,thinking she was asleep.蘇哭了。她拿著畫板走進(jìn)瓊西的屋子，吹著口哨。瓊西躺著，臉朝著窗口，一動(dòng)不動(dòng)。蘇以為她睡著了，趕忙停止吹口哨。

7.Johnsy’s eyes were open wide.She was looking out of the window and counting—counting backward.“Twelve,”she said,and little later “eleven”;and then“ten,”and“nine”;and then“eight”and“seven”,almost together. 瓊西的眼睛睜得很大。她望著窗外，數(shù)著……倒過(guò)來(lái)數(shù)?！?2，”她數(shù)道，歇了一會(huì)又說(shuō)，“11”，然后是“10”，和“9”，接著幾乎同時(shí)數(shù)著“8”和“7”。

8.“What is it,dear?”asked Sue.“Six,”said Johnsy in a whisper.“They’re falling faster now.Three days ago there were almost a hundred.There goes another one.There are only five left now.”“什么呀，親愛(ài)的？”蘇問(wèn)道。“6，”瓊西低聲說(shuō)道，“它們現(xiàn)在越落越快了。三天前還有差不多一百片。又掉了一片。只剩下五片了?！?/p>

9.“Five what,dear?”“Leaves.On the ivy vine.When the last one falls,I must go,too.”Sue complained with magnificent scorn.“What have old ivy leaves to do with your getting well?”“五片什么呀，親愛(ài)的。”“葉子。長(zhǎng)春藤上的。等到最后一片葉子掉下來(lái)，我也就該去了?！碧K十分不以為然地說(shuō)，“那些破長(zhǎng)春藤葉子和你的病好不好有什么關(guān)系？”

10.Johnsy said,keeping her eyes fixed out the window.“There goes another.That leaves just four.The last one will fall before it gets dark.Then I’ll go,too.”瓊西的眼睛盯著窗外說(shuō)道，“又落了一片。只剩四片了。我想在天黑以前那最后一片葉子也會(huì)掉的。然后我也要去了。”

11.“Johnsy,dear,”said Sue,“Please promise me to keep your eyes closed,and try to sleep.I must call Behrman up to be my model for the old miner.Don’t try to move till I come back.”“瓊西，親愛(ài)的，”蘇對(duì)她說(shuō)，“答應(yīng)我閉上眼睛睡一會(huì)吧。我得下樓把貝爾曼叫上來(lái)，給我當(dāng)老礦工的模特兒。不要?jiǎng)?，等我回?lái)?！?/p>

12.Old Behrman was a painter who lived on the ground floor beneath.He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo’s Moses beard.Behrman was a failure in art.He had been always about to paint a masterpiece,but had never yet begun it.老貝爾曼是住在她們這座樓底層的一個(gè)畫家。他年過(guò)60，有一把像米開(kāi)朗琪羅的摩西雕像那樣的大胡子。貝爾曼是個(gè)失敗的畫家。他總說(shuō)馬上開(kāi)始畫他的那幅杰作了，可是到現(xiàn)在還沒(méi)動(dòng)筆。

13.Sue found Behrman smelling strongly in his dimly lighted den below.She told him of Johnsy’s fancy,and how she feared she would indeed pass away soon.蘇在樓下他那間光線黯淡的斗室里找到了滿嘴酒氣的貝爾曼。蘇把瓊西的胡思亂想告訴了他，還說(shuō)她害怕瓊西恐怕真會(huì)離世走了。

14.Johnsy was sleeping when they went upstairs.Sue drew the shade and motioned Behrman into the other room.In there they peered out the window fearfully at the ivy vine without speaking.他們上樓發(fā)現(xiàn)瓊西在睡覺(jué)。蘇把窗簾拉下，做手勢(shì)叫貝爾曼到隔壁屋子里去。他們?cè)谀抢锾嵝牡跄懙爻蛑巴饽强瞄L(zhǎng)春藤，一言不發(fā)。

15.When Sue awoke the next morning,she found Johnsy staring at the drawn green shade.“Pull it up;I want to see,”she ordered,in a whisper.Sue obeyed.After the beating rain and fierce gusts of wind,one ivy leaf stood there.第二天早晨，蘇醒來(lái)時(shí)，看見(jiàn)瓊西注視著綠窗簾?！鞍汛昂熇饋?lái)，我要看看?！彼吐暤孛畹馈ＬK照辦了。經(jīng)過(guò)了漫長(zhǎng)一夜的風(fēng)吹雨打，在磚墻上還掛著一片藤葉。

16.The doctor came in the afternoon,and he told Sue:“Even chances,with good nursing you’ll win.And now I must see another case downstairs.Behrman,he is some kind of an artist,I believe.Pneumonia，too.There is no hope for him.”下午醫(yī)生來(lái)了，他告訴蘇說(shuō)：“有五成希望。好好護(hù)理你會(huì)成功的?，F(xiàn)在我得去看樓下另一個(gè)病人。他的名字叫貝爾曼，聽(tīng)說(shuō)也是個(gè)畫家。也是肺炎。他治不好了。”

17.The next day Johnnsy was out of danger.And later they knew that Behrman drew the leaf on such a dreadful night.Behrman’s masterpiece—he painted it there the night that the last leaf fell.第二天，瓊西脫離危險(xiǎn)了。后來(lái)他們得知是貝爾曼在如此寒冷的冬夜畫了那片葉子。這片葉子就是貝爾曼的杰作。就在最后一片葉子掉下來(lái)的那個(gè)晚上，他把它畫下了。

后記：最后一片常春藤葉依然留在古老的窗外；瓊西也綻放出了往日的笑容，變得開(kāi)朗樂(lè)觀；偉大的畫家貝爾曼永遠(yuǎn)留在人們的心中。