UnitTHE LIBRARY CARD课文翻译大学英语六.docx

UnitTHE LIBRARY CARD课文翻译大学英语六.docx

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UnitTHELIBRARYCARD课文翻译大学英语六

Unit3THELIBRARYCARD

OnemorningIarrivedearlyatworkandwentintothebanklobbywheretheNegroporterwasmopping.IstoodatacounterandpickeduptheMemphisCommercialAppealandbeganmyfreereadingofthepress.IcamefinallytotheeditorialpageandsawanarticledealingwithoneH.L.Mencken.IknewbyhearsaythathewastheeditoroftheAmericanMercury,butasidefromthatIknewnothingabouthim.ThearticlewasafuriousdenunciationofMencken,concludingwithone,hot,shortsentence:

Menckenisafool.

IwonderedwhatonearththisMenckenhaddonetocalldownuponhimthescornoftheSouth.TheonlypeopleIhadeverheardenouncedintheSouthwereNegroes,andthismanwasnotaNegro.ThenwhatideasdidMenckenholdthatmadeanewspaperliketheCommercialAppealcastigatehimpublicly?

UndoubtedlyhemustbeadvocatingideasthattheSouthdidnotlike.

Now,howcouldIfindoutaboutthisMencken?

Therewasahugelibraryneartheriverfront,butIknewthatNegroeswerenotallowedtopatronizeitsshelvesanymorethantheyweretheparksandplaygroundsofthecity.Ihadgoneintothelibraryseveraltimestogetbooksforthewhitemenonthejob.Whichofthemwouldnowhelpmetogetbooks?

Iweighedthepersonalitiesofthemenonthejob.TherewasDon,aJew;butIdistrustedhim.HispositionwasnotmuchbetterthanmineandIknewthathewasuneasyandinsecure;hehadalwaystreatedmeinanoffhand,banteringwaythatbarelyconcealedhiscontempt.Iwasafraidtoaskhimtohelpmetogetbooks;hisfranticdesiretodemonstratearacialsolidaritywiththewhitesagainstNegroesmightmakehimbetrayme.

Thenhowabouttheboss?

No,hewasaBaptistandIhadthesuspicionthathewouldnotbequiteabletocomprehendwhyablackboywouldwanttoreadMencken.TherewereotherwhitemenonthejobwhoseattitudesshowedclearlythattheywereKluxersorsympathizers,andtheywereoutofthequestion.

Thereremainedonlyonemanwhoseattitudedidnotfitintoananti-Negrocategory,forIhadheardthewhitemenrefertohimas"Popelover".HewasanIrishCatholicandwashatedbythewhiteSoutherners.Iknewthathereadbooks,becauseIhadgothimvolumesfromthelibraryseveraltimes.Sincehe,too,wasanobjectofhatred,Ifeltthathemightrefusemebutwouldhardlybetrayme.Ihesitated,weighingandbalancingtheimponderablerealities.

OnemorningIpausedbeforetheCatholicfellow'sdesk.

"Iwanttoaskyouafavor,"Iwhisperedtohim.

"Whatisit?

"

"Iwanttoread.Ican'tgetbooksfromthelibrary.Iwonderifyou'dletmeuseyourcard?

"

Helookedatmesuspiciously.

"Mycardisfullmostofthetime,"hesaid.

"Isee,"Isaidandwaited,posingmyquestionsilently.

"You'renottryingtogetmeintotrouble,areyou,boy?

"heasked,staringatme.

"Oh,no,sir."

"Whatbookdoyouwant?

"

"AbookbyH.L.Mencken."

"Whichone?

"

"Idon'tknow.Hashewrittenmorethanone?

"

"Hehaswrittenseveral."

"Ididn'tknowthat."

"WhatmakesyouwanttoreadMencken?

"

"Oh,Ijustsawhisnameinthenewspaper,"Isaid.

"It'sgoodofyoutowanttoread,"hesaid."Butyououghttoreadtherightthings."

Isaidnothing.Wouldhewanttosupervisemyreading?

"Letmethink,"hesaid."I'llfigureoutsomething."

Iturnedfromhimandhecalledmeback.Hestaredatmequizzically.

"Richard,don'tmentionhistotheotherwhitemen,"hesaid.

"Iunderstand,"Isaid."Iwon'tsayaword."

Afewdayslaterhecalledmetohim.

"I'vegotacardinmywife'sname,"hesaid."Here'smine."

"Thankyou,sir."

"Doyouthinkyoucanmanageit?

"

"I'llmanagefine,"Isaid.

"Iftheysuspectyou,you'llgetintrouble,"hesaid.

"I'llwritethesamekindofnotestothelibrarythatyouwrotewhenyousentmeforbooks,"Itoldhim."I'llsignyourname."

Helaughed.

"Goahead.Letmeseewhatyouget,"hesaid.

ThatafternoonIaddressedmyselftoforginganote.Now,whatwerethenameofbookswrittenbyH.L.Mencken?

Ididnotknowanyofthem.IfinallywrotewhatIthoughtwouldbeafoolproofnote:

DearMadam:

Willyoupleaseletthisniggerboy--Iusedtheword"nigger"tomakethelibrarianfeelthatIcouldnotpossiblybetheauthorofthenote--havesomebooksbyH.L.Mecken?

Iforgedthewhiteman'sname.

IenteredthelibraryasIhadalwaysdonewhenonerrandsforwhites,butIfeltthatIwouldsomehowslipupandbetraymyself.Idoffedmyhat,stoodarespectfuldistancefromthedesk,lookedasunbookishaspossible,andwaitedforthewhitepatronstobetakencareof.Whenthedeskwasclearofpeople,Istillwaited.

Thewhitelibrarianlookedatme.

"Whatdoyouwant,boy?

"

AsthoughIdidnotpossessthepowerofspeech,Isteppedforwardandsimplyhandedhertheforgednote,notpartingmylips.

"WhatbooksbyMenckendoeshewant?

"Sheasked.

"Idon'tknow,ma'am,"Isaid,avoidinghereyes.

"Whogaveyouthiscard?

"

"Mr.Falk,"Isaid.

"Whereishe?

"

"He'satwork,atM--OpticalCompany,"Isaid."I'vebeeninhereforhimbefore."

"Iremember,"thewomansaid."Butheneverwrotenoteslikethis."

Oh,God,she'ssuspicious.Perhapsshewouldnotletmehavethebooks?

Ifshehadturnedherbackatthatmoment,Iwouldhaveduckedoutthedoorandnevergoneback.ThenIthoughtofaboldidea.

"Youcancallhimup,ma'am,"Isaid,myheartpounding.

"You'renotusingthesebooks,areyou?

"sheaskedpointedly.

"Oh,no,ma'am.Ican'tread."

"Idon'tknowwhathewantsbyMencken,"shesaidunderherbreath.

IknewnowthatIhadnon;shewasthinkingofotherthingsandtheracequestionhadgoneoutofhermind.Shewenttotheshelves.Onceortwiceshelookedoverhershoulderatme,asthoughshewasstilldoubtful.Finallyshecameforwardwithtwobooksinherhand.

"I'msendinghimtwobooks,"shesaid."ButtellMr.Falktocomeinnexttime,orsendmethenamesofthebookshewants.Idon'tknowwhathewantstoread."

Isaidnothing.Shestampedthecardandhandedmethebooks.Notdaringtoglanceatthem.Iwentoutofthelibrary,fearingthatthewomanwouldcallmebackforfurtherquestioning.AblockawayfromthelibraryIopenedoneofthebooksandreadatitle:

ABookofPrefaces.IwasnearingmynineteenthbirthdayandIdidnotknowhowtopronouncetheword"preface".Ithumbedthepagesandsawstrangewordsandstrangenames.Ishookmyhead,disappointed.Ilookedattheotherbook;itwascalledPrejudices,Iknewwhatthatwordmeant;Ihadhearditallmylife.AndrightoffIwasonguardagainstMencken'sbooks.WhywouldamanwanttocallabookPrejudices?

ThewordwassostainedwithallmymemoriesofracialhatethatIcoldnotconceiveofanybodyusingitforatitle.PerhapsIhadmadeamistakeaboutMencken?

Amanwhohadprejudicesmustbewrong.

WhenIshowedthebookstoMr.Falk,helookedatmeandfrowned.

"Thatlibrarianmighttelephoneyou,"Iwarnedhim.

"That'sallright,"hesaid."Butwhenyou'rethroughreadingthosebooks,Iwantyoutotellmewhatyougetoutofthem."

Thatnightinmyrentedroom,whilelettingthehotwaterrunovermycanofporkandbeansinthesink,IopenedABookofPrefaceandbegantoread.Iwasjarredandshockedbythestyle,theclear,clean,sweepingsentences.Whydidhewritelikethat?

Andhowdidonewritelikethat?

Ipicturedthemanasaragingdemon,slashingwithhispen,consumedwithhate,denouncingeverythingAmerican,extollingeverythingEuropeanorGerman,laughingattheweaknessesofpeople,mockingGod,authority.Whatwasthis?

Istoodup,tryingtorealizewhatrealitylaybehindthemeaningofthewords…Yes,thismanwasfighting,fightingwithwords.Hewasusingwordsasaweapon,usingthemasonewoulduseaclub.Couldwordsbeweapons?

Well,yes,fortheretheywere.Then,maybe,perhaps,Icouldusethemasaweapon?

No.Itfrightenedme.Ireadonandwhatamazedmewasnotwhathesaid,buthowonearthanybodyhadthecouragetosayit.

IranacrossmanywordswhosemeaningsIdidnotknow,andeitherlookedthemupinadictionaryor,beforeIhadachancetodothat,encounteredthewordinacontextthatmadeitsmeaningclear.Butwhatstrangeworldwasthis?

IconcludedthebookwiththeconvictionthatIhadsomehowoverlookedsomethingterriblyimportantinlife.Ihadoncetriedtowrite,hadoncereveledinfeeling,hadletmycrudeimaginationroam,buttheimpulsetodreamhadbeenslowlybeatenoutofmebyexperience.NowitsurgedupagainandIhungeredforbooks,newwaysoflookingandseeing.ItwasnotamatterofbelievingordisbelievingwhatIread,butoffeelingsomethingnew,ofbeingaffectedbysomethingthatmadethelookoftheworlddifferent.

Iforgetmorenotesandmytripstothelibrarybecamefrequent.Readinggrewintoapassion.MyfirstseriousnovelwasSinclairLewis'sMainStreet.Itmademeseemyboss,Mr.Gerald,andidentifyhimasanAmericantype.IwouldsmilewhenIsawhimlugginghisgolfbagsintotheoffice.Ihadalwaysfeltavastdistanceseparatingmefromtheboss,andnowIfeltclosertohim,thoughstilldistant.IfeltnowthatIknewhim,thatIcouldfeeltheverylimitsofhisnarrowlife.AndthishadhappenedbecauseIhadreadanovelaboutamythicalmancalledGeorgeF.Babbitt.

IreadDreiser'sJennieGerhardtandSisterCarrieandtheyrevivedinmeavividsenseofmymother'ssuffering;Iwasoverwhelmed.Igrewsilent,wonderingaboutthelifearoundme.ItwouldhavebeenimpossibleformetohavetoldanyonewhatIderivedfromthesenovels,foritwasnothinglessthanasenseoflifeitself.Allmylifehadshapedmefortherealism,thenatural