《了不起的盖茨比·Chapter I》第10节
The younger of the two was a stranger to me. She was extended full length at her end of the divan, completely motionless, and with her chin raised a little, as if she were balancing something on it which was quite likely to fall. If she saw me out of the corner of her eyes she gave no hint of it—indeed, I was almost surprised into murmuring an apology for having disturbed her by coming in. The other girl, Daisy, made an attempt to rise—she leaned slightly forward with a conscientious expression—then she laughed, an absurd, charming little laugh, and I laughed too and came forward into the room. “I’m p-paralysed with happiness.” She laughed again, as if she said something very witty, and held my hand for a moment, looking up into my face, promising that there was no one in the world she so much wanted to see. That was a way she had. She hinted in a murmur that the surname of the balancing girl was Baker. (I’ve heard it said that Daisy’s murmur was only to make people lean toward her; an irrelevant criticism that made it no less charming.) At any rate, Miss Baker’s lips fluttered, she nodded at me almost imperceptibly, and then quickly tipped her head back again—the object she was balancing had obviously tottered a little and given her something of a fright. Again a sort of apology arose to my lips. Almost any exhibition of complete self-sufficiency draws a stunned tribute from me.
注释摘要
这段文字是尼克进入布坎南家客厅后发生的第二幕——在经历了风吹窗帘、房间几乎在飘浮的超现实瞬间之后，小说突然转入一种刻意摆置的静态画面。两个年轻女人都穿着白色衣裙，但她们呈现的姿态完全不同，这种对比几乎是舞台化的。 先看乔丹·贝克。尼克用了一个很特别的动词：extended full length，她是被“延展”在长沙发的一端的，整个人完全静止，下巴微微抬起…