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欧·亨利:THE GREATER CONEY
添加时间:2023-12-11 11:13:11 浏览次数: 作者:未知
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  • “Next Sunday,” said Dennis Carnahan, “I’ll be after going down to see the new Coney Island that’s risen like a phoenix1 bird from the ashes of the old resort. I’m going with Norah Flynn, and we’ll fall victims to all the dry goods deceptions2, from the red-flannel eruption3 of Mount Vesuvius to the pink silk ribbons on the race-suicide problems in the incubator kiosk.

    “Was I there before? I was. I was there last Tuesday. Did I see the sights? I did not.

    “Last Monday I amalgamated4 myself with the Bricklayers’ Union, and in accordance with the rules I was ordered to quit work the same day on account of a sympathy strike with the Lady Salmon5 Canners’ Lodge6 No.2, of Tacoma, Washington.

    “’Twas disturbed I was in mind and proclivities7 by losing me job, bein’ already harassed8 in me soul on account of havin’ quarrelled with Norah Flynn a week before by reason of hard words spoken at the Dairymen and Street-Sprinkler Drivers’ semi-annual ball, caused by jealousy9 and prickly heat and that divil, Andy Coghlin.

    “So, I says, it will be Coney for Tuesday; and if the chutes and the short change and the green-corn silk between the teeth don’t create diversions and get me feeling better, then I don’t know at all.

    “Ye will have heard that Coney has received moral reconstruction10. The old Bowery, where they used to take your tintype by force and give ye knockout drops before having your palm read, is now called the Wall Street of the island. The wienerwurst stands are required by law to keep a news ticker in ’em; and the doughnuts are examined every four years by a retired11 steamboat inspector12. The nigger man’s head that was used by the old patrons to throw baseballs at is now illegal; and, by order of the Police Commissioner13 the image of a man drivin’ an automobile14 has been substituted. I hear that the old immoral15 amusements have been suppressed. People who used to go down from New York to sit in the sand and dabble16 in the surf now give up their quarters to squeeze through turnstiles and see imitations of city fires and floods painted on canvas. The reprehensible17 and degradin’ resorts that disgraced old Coney are said to be wiped out. The wipin’-out process consists of raisin18’ the price from 10 cents to 25 cents, and hirin’ a blonde named Maudie to sell tickets instead of Micky, the Bowery Bite. That’s what they say—I don’t know.

    “But to Coney I goes a-Tuesday. I gets off the ‘L’ and starts for the glitterin’ show. ’Twas a fine sight. The Babylonian towers and the Hindoo roof gardens was blazin’ with thousands of electric lights, and the streets was thick with people. ’Tis a true thing they say that Coney levels all rank. I see millionaires eatin’ popcorn19 and trampin’ along with the crowd; and I see eight-dollar-a-week clothin’-store clerks in red automobiles20 fightin’ one another for who’d squeeze the horn when they come to a corner.

    “‘I made a mistake,’ I says to myself. ’Twas not Coney I needed. When a man’s sad ’tis not scenes of hilarity21 he wants. ’Twould be far better for him to meditate22 in a graveyard23 or to attend services at the Paradise Roof Gardens. ’Tis no consolation25 when a man’s lost his sweetheart to order hot corn and have the waiter bring him the powdered sugar cruet instead of salt and then conceal26 himself, or to have Zozookum, the gipsy palmist, tell him that he has three children and to look out for another serious calamity27; price twenty-five cents.

    “I walked far away down on the beach, to the ruins of an old pavilion near one corner of this new private park, Dreamland. A year ago that old pavilion was standin’ up straight and the old-style waiters was slammin’ a week’s supply of clam28 chowder down in front of you for a nickel and callin’ you ‘cully’ friendly, and vice24 was rampant29, and you got back to New York with enough change to take a car at the bridge. Now they tell me that they serve Welsh rabbits on Surf Avenue, and you get the right change back in the movin’-picture joints30.

    “I sat down at one side of the old pavilion and looked at the surf spreadin’ itself on the beach, and thought about the time me and Norah Flynn sat on that spot last summer. ’Twas before reform struck the island; and we was happy. We had tintypes and chowder in the ribald dives, and the Egyptian Sorceress of the Nile told Norah out of her hand, while I was waitin’ in the door, that ’twould be the luck of her to marry a red-headed gossoon with two crooked31 legs, and I was overrunnin’ with joy on account of the allusion32. And ’twas there that Norah Flynn put her two hands in mine a year before and we talked of flats and the things she could cook and the love business that goes with such episodes. And that was Coney as we loved it, and as the hand of Satan was upon it, friendly and noisy and your money’s worth, with no fence around the ocean and not too many electric lights to show the sleeve of a black serge coat against a white shirtwaist.

    “I sat with my back to the parks where they had the moon and the dreams and the steeples corralled, and longed for the old Coney. There wasn’t many people on the beach. Lots of them was feedin’ pennies into the slot machines to see the ‘Interrupted Courtship’ in the movin’ pictures; and a good many was takin’ the sea air in the Canals of Venice and some was breathin’ the smoke of the sea battle by actual warships33 in a tank filled with real water. A few was down on the sands enjoyin’ the moonlight and the water. And the heart of me was heavy for the new morals of the old island, while the bands behind me played and the sea pounded on the bass34 drum in front.

    “And directly I got up and walked along the old pavilion, and there on the other side of, half in the dark, was a slip of a girl sittin’ on the tumble-down timbers, and unless I’m a liar35 she was cryin’ by herself there, all alone.

    “‘Is it trouble you are in, now, Miss,’ says I; ‘and what’s to be done about it?’

    “‘’Tis none of your business at all, Denny Carnahan,’ says she, sittin’ up straight. And it was the voice of no other than Norah Flynn.

    “‘Then it’s not,’ says I, ‘and we’re after having a pleasant evening, Miss Flynn. Have ye seen the sights of this new Coney Island, then? I presume ye have come here for that purpose,’ says I.

    “‘I have,’ says she. ‘Me mother and Uncle Tim they are waiting beyond. ’Tis an elegant evening I’ve had. I’ve seen all the attractions that be.’

    “‘Right ye are,’ says I to Norah; and I don’t know when I’ve been that amused. After disportin’ me-self among the most laughable moral improvements of the revised shell games I took meself to the shore for the benefit of the cool air. ‘And did ye observe the Durbar, Miss Flynn?’

    “‘I did,’ says she, reflectin’; ‘but ’tis not safe, I’m thinkin’, to ride down them slantin’ things into the water.’

    “‘How did ye fancy the shoot the chutes?’ I asks.

    “‘True, then, I’m afraid of guns,’ says Norah. ‘They make such noise in my ears. But Uncle Tim, he shot them, he did, and won cigars. ’Tis a fine time we had this day, Mr. Carnahan.’

    “‘I’m glad you’ve enjoyed yerself,’ I says. ‘I suppose you’ve had a roarin’ fine time seein’ the sights. And how did the incubators and the helter-skelter and the midgets suit the taste of ye?’

    “‘I—I wasn’t hungry,’ says Norah, faint. ‘But mother ate a quantity of all of ’em. I’m that pleased with the fine things in the new Coney Island,’ says she, ‘that it’s the happiest day I’ve seen in a long time, at all.’

    “‘Did you see Venice?’ says I.

    “‘We did,’ says she. ‘She was a beauty. She was all dressed in red, she was, with—’

    “I listened no more to Norah Flynn. I stepped up and I gathered her in my arms.

    “‘’Tis a story-teller ye are, Norah Flynn’, says I. ‘Ye’ve seen no more of the greater Coney Island than I have meself. Come, now, tell the truth—ye came to sit by the old pavilion by the waves where you sat last summer and made Dennis Carnahan a happy man. Speak up, and tell the truth.’

    “Norah stuck her nose against me vest.

    “‘I despise it, Denny,’ she says, half cryin’. ‘Mother and Uncle Tim went to see the shows, but I came down here to think of you. I couldn’t bear the lights and the crowd. Are you forgivin’ me, Denny, for the words we had?’

    “‘’Twas me fault,’ says I. ‘I came here for the same reason meself. Look at the lights, Norah,’ I says, turning my back to the sea—‘ain’t they pretty?’

    “‘They are,’ says Norah, with her eyes shinin’; ‘and do ye hear the bands playin’? Oh, Denny, I think I’d like to see it all.’

    “‘The old Coney is gone, darlin’,’ I says to her. ‘Everything moves. When a man’s glad it’s not scenes of sadness he wants. ’Tis a greater Coney we have here, but we couldn’t see it till we got in the humour for it. Next Sunday, Norah darlin’, we’ll see the new place from end to end.”

     11级    欧·亨利 


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    1 phoenix [ˈfi:nɪks] 7Njxf   第10级
    n.凤凰,长生(不死)鸟;引申为重生
    参考例句:
    • The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes. 这家航空公司又起死回生了。
    • The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration. 中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。
    2 deceptions [dɪˈsepʃənz] 6e9692ef1feea456d129b9e2ca030441   第9级
    欺骗( deception的名词复数 ); 骗术,诡计
    参考例句:
    • Nobody saw through Mary's deceptions. 无人看透玛丽的诡计。
    • There was for him only one trustworthy road through deceptions and mirages. 对他来说只有一条可靠的路能避开幻想和错觉。
    3 eruption [ɪ'rʌpʃn] UomxV   第8级
    n.火山爆发;(战争等)爆发;(疾病等)发作
    参考例句:
    • The temple was destroyed in the violent eruption of 1470 BC. 庙宇在公元前1470年猛烈的火山爆发中摧毁了。
    • The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous. 火山的爆发是自发的。
    4 amalgamated [əˈmælgəˌmeɪtid] ed85e8e23651662e5e12b2453a8d0f6f   第10级
    v.(使)(金属)汞齐化( amalgamate的过去式和过去分词 );(使)合并;联合;结合
    参考例句:
    • The company has now amalgamated with another local firm. 这家公司现在已与当地一家公司合并了。
    • Those two organizations have been amalgamated into single one. 那两个组织已合并为一个组织。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
    5 salmon [ˈsæmən] pClzB   第7级
    n.鲑,大马哈鱼,橙红色的
    参考例句:
    • We saw a salmon jumping in the waterfall there. 我们看见一条大马哈鱼在那边瀑布中跳跃。
    • Do you have any fresh salmon in at the moment? 现在有新鲜大马哈鱼卖吗?
    6 lodge [lɒdʒ] q8nzj   第7级
    vt.临时住宿,寄宿,寄存,容纳;vi. 寄宿;临时住宿n.传达室,小旅馆
    参考例句:
    • Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight? 村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗?
    • I shall lodge at the inn for two nights. 我要在这家小店住两个晚上。
    7 proclivities [prəʊˈklɪvɪti:z] 05d92b16923747e76f92d1926271569d   第11级
    n.倾向,癖性( proclivity的名词复数 )
    参考例句:
    • Raised by adoptive parents,Hill received early encouragement in her musical proclivities. 希尔由养父母带大,从小,她的音乐爱好就受到了鼓励。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • Whatever his political connections and proclivities, he did not care to neglect so powerful a man. 无论他的政治关系和脾气如何,他并不愿怠慢这样有势力的人。 来自辞典例句
    8 harassed [ˈhærəst] 50b529f688471b862d0991a96b6a1e55   第9级
    adj. 疲倦的,厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词
    参考例句:
    • He has complained of being harassed by the police. 他投诉受到警方侵扰。
    • harassed mothers with their children 带着孩子的疲惫不堪的母亲们
    9 jealousy [ˈdʒeləsi] WaRz6   第7级
    n.妒忌,嫉妒,猜忌
    参考例句:
    • Some women have a disposition to jealousy. 有些女人生性爱妒忌。
    • I can't support your jealousy any longer. 我再也无法忍受你的嫉妒了。
    10 reconstruction [ˌri:kənˈstrʌkʃn] 3U6xb   第9级
    n.重建,再现,复原
    参考例句:
    • The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war. 战后,该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
    • In the period of reconstruction, technique decides everything. 在重建时期,技术决定一切。
    11 retired [rɪˈtaɪəd] Njhzyv   第8级
    adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的
    参考例句:
    • The old man retired to the country for rest. 这位老人下乡休息去了。
    • Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby. 许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
    12 inspector [ɪnˈspektə(r)] q6kxH   第7级
    n.检查员,监察员,视察员
    参考例句:
    • The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school. 视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
    • The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets. 查票员打着手电筒查看车票。
    13 commissioner [kəˈmɪʃənə(r)] gq3zX   第8级
    n.(政府厅、局、处等部门)专员,长官,委员
    参考例句:
    • The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest. 专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
    • He was tapped for police commissioner. 他被任命为警务处长。
    14 automobile [ˈɔ:təməbi:l] rP1yv   第7级
    n.汽车,机动车
    参考例句:
    • He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile. 他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
    • The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road. 汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。
    15 immoral [ɪˈmɒrəl] waCx8   第8级
    adj.不道德的,淫荡的,荒淫的,有伤风化的
    参考例句:
    • She was questioned about his immoral conduct toward her. 她被询问过有关他对她的不道德行为的情况。
    • It is my belief that nuclear weapons are immoral. 我相信使核武器是不邪恶的。
    16 dabble [ˈdæbl] dabble   第8级
    vt. 溅湿;浸入水中 vi. 涉猎;涉足;玩水
    参考例句:
    • They dabble in the stock market. 他们少量投资于股市。
    • Never dabble with things of which you have no knowledge. 绝不要插手你不了解的事物。
    17 reprehensible [ˌreprɪˈhensəbl] 7VpxT   第12级
    adj.该受责备的
    参考例句:
    • Lying is not seen as being morally reprehensible in any strong way. 人们并不把撒谎当作一件应该大加谴责的事儿。
    • It was reprehensible of him to be so disloyal. 他如此不忠,应受谴责。
    18 raisin [ˈreɪzn] EC8y7   第8级
    n.葡萄干
    参考例句:
    • They baked us raisin bread. 他们给我们烤葡萄干面包。
    • You can also make raisin scones. 你也可以做葡萄干烤饼。
    19 popcorn [ˈpɒpkɔ:n] 8lUzJI   第7级
    n.爆米花
    参考例句:
    • I like to eat popcorn when I am watching TV play at home. 当我在家观看电视剧时,喜欢吃爆米花。
    • He still stood behind his cash register stuffing his mouth with popcorn. 他仍站在收银机后,里塞满了爆米花。
    20 automobiles ['ɔ:təməbi:lz] 760a1b7b6ea4a07c12e5f64cc766962b   第7级
    n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )
    参考例句:
    • When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后,就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上,汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
    21 hilarity [hɪˈlærəti] 3dlxT   第10级
    n.欢乐;热闹
    参考例句:
    • The announcement was greeted with much hilarity and mirth. 这一项宣布引起了热烈的欢呼声。
    • Wine gives not light hilarity, but noisy merriment. 酒不给人以轻松的欢乐,而给人以嚣嚷的狂欢。
    22 meditate [ˈmedɪteɪt] 4jOys   第8级
    vt. 考虑;计划;企图 vi. 冥想;沉思
    参考例句:
    • It is important to meditate on the meaning of life. 思考人生的意义很重要。
    • I was meditating, and reached a higher state of consciousness. 我在冥想,并进入了一个更高的意识境界。
    23 graveyard [ˈgreɪvjɑ:d] 9rFztV   第10级
    n.坟场
    参考例句:
    • All the town was drifting toward the graveyard. 全镇的人都象流水似地向那坟场涌过去。
    • Living next to a graveyard would give me the creeps. 居住在墓地旁边会使我毛骨悚然。
    24 vice [vaɪs] NU0zQ   第7级
    n.坏事;恶习;[pl.]台钳,老虎钳;adj.副的
    参考例句:
    • He guarded himself against vice. 他避免染上坏习惯。
    • They are sunk in the depth of vice. 他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。
    25 consolation [ˌkɒnsəˈleɪʃn] WpbzC   第10级
    n.安慰,慰问
    参考例句:
    • The children were a great consolation to me at that time. 那时孩子们成了我的莫大安慰。
    • This news was of little consolation to us. 这个消息对我们来说没有什么安慰。
    26 conceal [kənˈsi:l] DpYzt   第7级
    vt.隐藏,隐瞒,隐蔽
    参考例句:
    • He had to conceal his identity to escape the police. 为了躲避警方,他只好隐瞒身份。
    • He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure. 他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。
    27 calamity [kəˈlæməti] nsizM   第7级
    n.灾害,祸患,不幸事件
    参考例句:
    • Even a greater natural calamity cannot daunt us. 再大的自然灾害也压不垮我们。
    • The attack on Pearl Harbor was a crushing calamity. 偷袭珍珠港(对美军来说)是一场毁灭性的灾难。
    28 clam [klæm] Fq3zk   第9级
    n.蛤,蛤肉
    参考例句:
    • Yup! I also like clam soup and sea cucumbers. 对呀! 我还喜欢蛤仔汤和海参。
    • The barnacle and the clam are two examples of filter feeders. 藤壶和蛤类是滤过觅食者的两种例子。
    29 rampant [ˈræmpənt] LAuzm   第9级
    adj.(植物)蔓生的;狂暴的,无约束的
    参考例句:
    • Sickness was rampant in the area. 该地区疾病蔓延。
    • You cannot allow children to be rampant through the museum. 你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。
    30 joints [dʒɔints] d97dcffd67eca7255ca514e4084b746e   第7级
    接头( joint的名词复数 ); 关节; 公共场所(尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所) (非正式); 一块烤肉 (英式英语)
    参考例句:
    • Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
    • Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。
    31 crooked [ˈkrʊkɪd] xvazAv   第7级
    adj.弯曲的;不诚实的,狡猾的,不正当的;v.弯成钩形(crook的过去式和过去分词)
    参考例句:
    • He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him. 他弯了弯手指,示意我们到他那儿去。
    • You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads. 在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。
    32 allusion [əˈlu:ʒn] CfnyW   第9级
    n.暗示,间接提示
    参考例句:
    • He made an allusion to a secret plan in his speech. 在讲话中他暗示有一项秘密计划。
    • She made no allusion to the incident. 她没有提及那个事件。
    33 warships ['wɔ:ʃɪps] 9d82ffe40b694c1e8a0fdc6d39c11ad8   第8级
    军舰,战舰( warship的名词复数 ); 舰只
    参考例句:
    • The enemy warships were disengaged from the battle after suffering heavy casualties. 在遭受惨重伤亡后,敌舰退出了海战。
    • The government fitted out warships and sailors for them. 政府给他们配备了战舰和水手。
    34 bass [beɪs] APUyY   第10级
    n.男低音(歌手);低音乐器;低音大提琴
    参考例句:
    • He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass. 他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
    • The bass was to give a concert in the park. 那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。
    35 liar [ˈlaɪə(r)] V1ixD   第7级
    n.说谎的人
    参考例句:
    • I know you for a thief and a liar! 我算认识你了,一个又偷又骗的家伙!
    • She was wrongly labelled a liar. 她被错误地扣上说谎者的帽子。

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