讀點好英文:Madame Bovary 包法利夫人

Madame Bovary 包法利夫人

[法]居斯塔夫·福樓拜（Gustave Flaubert）

平庸的醫(yī)學(xué)學(xué)生查理·包法利，在他那年長而衰弱的太太去世后和心愛的愛瑪結(jié)婚。浪漫的愛瑪對這個不懂生活情趣的丈夫日漸厭倦，查理為了妻子能高興，搬到了勇維爾·拉貝。在這里愛瑪接連遭到拋棄。絕望的愛瑪委身于讀書歸來的賴昂，陷入了墮落的快樂中。為了維持與這些男人的關(guān)系，愛瑪一再舉債，直至破產(chǎn)。在絕望之余，她服砷自殺了。

We were in class when the head-master came in, followed by a“new fellow,”not wearing the school uniform, and a school servant carrying a large desk. Those who had been asleep woke up, and every one rose as if just surprised at his work.

The headmaster made a sign to us to sit down. Then, turning to the classmaster, he said to him in a low voice—

“Monsieur Roger, here is a pupil whom I recommend to your care;he'll be in the second. If his work and conduct are satisfactory, he will go into one of the upper classes, as becomes his age.”

The“new fellow,”standing in the corner behind the door so that he could hardly be seen, was a country lad of about fifteen, and taller than any of us. His hair was cut square on his forehead like a village chorister's;he looked reliable, but very ill at ease.Although he was not broad-shouldered, his short school jacket of green cloth with black buttons must have been tight about the arm-holes, and showed at the opening of the cuffs red wrists accustomed to being bare.His legs, in blue stockings, looked out from beneath yellow trousers, drawn tight by braces, He wore stout, ill-cleaned, hob-nailed boots.

We began repeating the lesson. He listened with all his ears, as attentive as if at a sermon, not daring even to cross his legs or lean on his elbow;and when at two o'clock the bell rang, the master was obliged to tell him to fall into line with the rest of us.

When we came back to work, we were in the habit of throwing our caps on the ground so as to have our hands more free;we used from the door to toss them under the form, so that they hit against the wall and made a lot of dust:it was the thing.

But, whether he had not noticed the trick, or did not dare to attempt it, the“new fellow”，was still holding his cap on his knees even after prayers were over. It was one of those head-gears of composite order, in which we can find traces of the bearskin, shako, billycock hat, sealskin cap, and cotton night-cap;one of those poor things, in fine, whose dumb ugliness has depths of expression, like an imbecile's face.Oval, stiffened with whalebone, it began with three round knobs;then came in succession lozenges of velvet and rabbit-skin separated by a red band;after that a sort of bag that ended in a cardboard polygon covered with complicated braiding, from which hung, at the end of a long thin cord, small twisted gold threads in the manner of a tassel.The cap was new;its peak shone.

“Rise,”said the master.

He stood up;his cap fell. The whole class began to laugh.He stooped to pick it up.A neighbor knocked it down again with his elbow;he picked it up once more.

“Get rid of your helmet,”said the master, who was a bit of a wag.

There was a burst of laughter from the boys, which so thoroughly put the poor lad out of countenance that he did not know whether to keep his cap in his hand, leave it on the ground, or put it on his head. He sat down again and placed it on his knee.

“Rise,”repeated the master,“and tell me your name.”

The new boy articulated in a stammering voice an unintelligible name.

“Agai n!”

The same sputtering of syllables was heard, drowned by the tittering of the class.

“Loude r!”cried the master,“l(fā)oude r!”

The“new fellow”then took a supreme resolution, opened an inordinately large mouth, and shouted at the top of his voice as if calling someone in the word“Charbovari.”

A hubbub broke out, rose in crescendo with bursts of shrill voices（they yelled, barked, stamped, repeated“Charbovar i!Charbovari”），then died away into single notes, growing quieter only with great difficulty, and now and again suddenly recommencing along the line of a form whence rose here and there, like a damp cracker going off, a stifled laugh.

However, amid a rain of impositions, order was gradually re-established in the class;and the master having succeeded in catching the name of“Charles Bovary,”having had it dictated to him, spelt out, and re-read, at once ordered the poor devil to go and sit down on the punishment form at the foot of the master's desk. He got up, but before going hesitated.

我們正在上自習(xí)，校長進(jìn)來了，后面跟著一個沒有穿學(xué)生裝的“新生”，還有一個小校工，扛著一張大書桌。正在打瞌睡的學(xué)生也醒過來了，個個站了起來，仿佛功課受到了打擾似的。

校長朝我們揮揮手，讓我們坐下，然后轉(zhuǎn)過身去，低聲對班主任說：

“羅杰先生，我把這個學(xué)生交給你了，讓他上五年級的課吧。如果他的學(xué)習(xí)和品德都不錯，再讓他進(jìn)高年級，按他的歲數(shù)應(yīng)該上高年級才是。”

這個“新生”坐在門背后的角落里，門一開，誰也看不見他，他是一個小鄉(xiāng)巴佬，大約有15歲，個子比我們都高。他的頭發(fā)順著前額剪齊，像鄉(xiāng)下教堂里的歌童，看樣子老實聽話，連手腳都不知往哪兒擱。他的肩并不寬，可那件黑紐扣綠呢子上裝卻仿佛被他的肩繃得緊緊的，活動不便，袖飾開衩處露出了經(jīng)常受風(fēng)吹日曬的手腕，紅紅的。兩根背帶把他那條淺黃色的褲子吊得很高，露出穿著藍(lán)襪子的雙腳。腳上穿了一雙不常擦油的釘鞋。

我們開始背誦課文。他豎起耳朵聽著，全神貫注，就像在教堂里聽傳道，連腿也不敢蹺，胳膊也不敢放在書桌上。兩點鐘下課鈴響的時候，要不是班主任提醒他，他也不知道和我們一起排隊。

我們平時有個習(xí)慣，一進(jìn)教室，就把帽子扔在地上，以免拿在手里礙事。因此，一跨過門檻，就得把帽子扔到長凳底下，掀起一片塵土，拍打在墻壁上；這已習(xí)以為常了。

不知道這個新生是沒有注意到我們這一套，還是不敢跟大家一樣做，課前的禱告做完之后，他還把鴨舌帽放在膝蓋上。他的帽子像是一盤大雜燴，看不出到底是皮帽、軍帽、圓頂帽、尖嘴帽還是睡帽，反正是便宜貨，說不出的難看，好像啞巴吃了黃連后的苦臉。帽子是雞蛋形的，里面用鐵絲支撐著，帽口有三道滾邊；往上是交錯的菱形絲絨和兔皮，中間有條紅線隔開；再往上是口袋似的帽筒；帽頂是多邊的硬殼紙，紙上蒙著復(fù)雜的彩繡，還有一根細(xì)長的飾帶，末端吊著一個金線結(jié)成的小十字架作為墜子。帽子是新的，帽檐還閃光呢。

“站起來?！崩蠋熣f。

他一起立，鴨舌帽就掉了。全班同學(xué)都笑了起來。他彎腰去撿帽子。旁邊一個學(xué)生用胳膊捅了他一下，帽子又掉了，他又撿了一回。

“不必?fù)?dān)心，你的王冠不會摔壞?！崩蠋熀茱L(fēng)趣地說。

同學(xué)們都哈哈大笑起來，可憐的新生更加手足無措了，不知道帽子應(yīng)該拿在手里，還是讓它掉在地上，還是把它戴在頭上。他坐下，仍然把帽子擱在并攏的雙膝上。

“站起來，”老師又說了一遍，“告訴我，你叫什么名字?！?/p>

新生嘟嘟囔囔地說了個名字，根本聽不清楚他說的是什么。

“再說一遍！”

還是嘟嘟囔囔含混不清的聲音，全班笑得更厲害了。

“聲音高點！”老師喊道，“聲音高點！”

于是“新生”狠下決心，張開血盆大口，像在呼救似的，使出了吃奶的力氣說道：“夏包華里！”

這下好了，笑聲叫聲直線上升，越鬧越兇，有的聲音尖得刺耳，有的像狼嚎，有的像狗叫，有人跺腳，有人學(xué)舌：“下坡花力！下坡花力！”好不容易平息下來，但是一排板凳好像一串爆竹，說不準(zhǔn)什么時候還會爆發(fā)出一兩聲壓制不住的笑聲，猶如死灰復(fù)燃的爆竹一樣。

然而，在暴雨般的作業(yè)重罰下，課堂秩序漸漸恢復(fù)，老師讓新生一個字母一個字母地反復(fù)拼讀，由他寫在黑板上，這才弄清楚新生的名字叫夏爾·包法利，他當(dāng)即命這個可憐蟲坐到講臺前懶學(xué)生的凳子上去。他站了起來，但在去之前猶豫了。

實戰(zhàn)提升

作者介紹

居斯塔夫·福樓拜（1821—1880），19世紀(jì)中葉法國現(xiàn)實主義作家。生于法國諾曼底盧昂醫(yī)生世家。福樓拜在中學(xué)時開始創(chuàng)作文學(xué)習(xí)作。早期習(xí)作有濃厚的浪漫主義色彩。1856年，福樓拜出版了轟動文壇的長篇小說《包法利夫人》。但此作品受到當(dāng)局指控，罪名是敗壞道德，毀謗宗教。此后，他一度轉(zhuǎn)入古代題材創(chuàng)作，于1867年寫出長篇小說《薩朗波》。他的作品語言精練、準(zhǔn)確、鏗鏘有力，是法國文學(xué)史上的“模范散文”之作。

單詞注解

uniform[5ju:nifC:m]adj.相同的，一致的；n.制服；v.使統(tǒng)一

satisfactory[7sAtis5fAktEri]adj.令人滿意的；符合要求的

reliable[ri5laiEbl]adj.可信賴的；可靠的；確實的

attempt[E5temp]v.試圖；企圖；試圖做；n.進(jìn)攻

complicated[5kCmplikeitid]adj.復(fù)雜的；難懂的；結(jié)構(gòu)復(fù)雜的

countenance[5kauntinEns]n.面容；臉色；表情

punishment[5pQniFmEnt]n.處罰，懲罰；刑罰

名句大搜索

正在打瞌睡的學(xué)生也醒過來了，個個站了起來，仿佛功課受到了打擾似的。

“不必?fù)?dān)心，你的王冠不會摔壞?！崩蠋熀茱L(fēng)趣地說。

新生嘟嘟囔囔地說了個名字，根本聽不清楚他說的是什么。