《了不起的盖茨比·Chapter I》第11节
I looked back at my cousin, who began to ask me questions in her low, thrilling voice. It was the kind of voice that the ear follows up and down, as if each speech is an arrangement of notes that will never be played again. Her face was sad and lovely with bright things in it, bright eyes and a bright passionate mouth, but there was an excitement in her voice that men who had cared for her found difficult to forget: a singing compulsion, a whispered “Listen,” a promise that she had done gay, exciting things just a while since and that there were gay, exciting things hovering in the next hour. I told her how I had stopped off in Chicago for a day on my way East, and how a dozen people had sent their love through me. “Do they miss me?” she cried ecstatically. “The whole town is desolate. All the cars have the left rear wheel painted black as a mourning wreath, and there’s a persistent wail all night along the north shore.” “How gorgeous! Let’s go back, Tom. Tomorrow!” Then she added irrelevantly: “You ought to see the baby.” “I’d like to.” “She’s asleep. She’s three years old. Haven’t you ever seen her?”
注释摘要
尼克的目光转回他的表妹黛西身上。这一转，带出了全书对黛西最核心、也最矛盾的一幅声音肖像。黛西的声音在这里被赋予了几乎独立的生命——“低低的、令人激动的声音”，这还不够，尼克进一步解释：那是一种耳朵会不由自主追随它起起落落的声音，仿佛每一次开口都是一组永远不会被重复演奏的音符。这个比喻本身就在暗示一种奢侈的、转瞬即逝的美，音符一旦奏出即刻消散，给予听者的是一…