第26章 出身重要但教养更重要（3）

　　2.4　主要人物的人生（经验教训）

　　2. 4　Major Characters’ Lives ( Experiences and Lessons )亨利·希金斯：希金斯的形象某种程度上依据的是真实生活中的原型，一个是着名的语音学家亨利·斯威特，在他的领域里，他至今仍被尊为伟大的人物之一。像希金斯一样，斯威特脾气急躁，举止古怪，对工作全心全意。另一个原型是罗伯特·布里奇斯，一个着名诗人和语言学者，对英国诗人约翰·弥尔顿的着作有着特殊的兴趣。希金斯也深深地受到了弥尔顿的影响。

　　Henry Higgins： Higgins’ portrait is based to some extent on real life models. One was the famousphonetics specialist Henry Sweet， a man still revered as one of the great figures in his field. Like Higgins，Sweet was short-tempered， eccentric， and completely devoted to his work. The other model was RobertBridges， a famous poet and student of language with a special interest in the writings of John Milton， theEnglish poet. Higgins too is deeply influenced by Milton.

　　希金斯最引人注目的特点是某种天真，这与他的职业技能和智力成熟形成对照。他给与他有联系的人带来很多麻烦——伊莉莎、皮尔斯太太、希金斯夫人——但他无意伤害任何人。他既不残忍也不卑鄙。他按照自己的标准公平、体面地对待每个人。这样，就打破了特定的礼节只适合特定的人这种观念。他对任何情况的反应都是直接的、即时的，而且通常要大喊大叫。他对别人的情感简直不加太多的考虑。

　　Higgins’ most attractive characteristic is a certain innocence which is in contrast to his professionalskill and intellectual sophistication. He causes much trouble to the people who come into contact with him—Eliza， Mrs. Pearce， Mrs. Higgins—but he has no intention of hurting anybody. He is neither cruel nor mean.

　　He treats everyone fairly and decently according to his own standards， thus destroying the whole notion ofparticular courtesy being due to certain people. His responses to any situation are direct and immediate， andusually loud. He simply does not give much thought to people’s feelings.

　　希金斯喜欢自行其是。当他产生了一个念头时，如第二幕中那样，他便粗暴地对待一切反对。他试图给皮尔斯太太一个女儿，让她收养，以此来安慰她（不问她是否想要女儿，也不问伊莉莎是否想认干妈）。

　　Higgins likes to get his own way. When an idea seizes him， as in ActⅡ， he rides roughshod over allopposition. He tries to placate Mrs. Pearce by offering her a daughter to adopt (not asking her whether shewants one， nor asking Eliza whether she wants to be one).

　　希金斯完全献身于自己的工作。这种投入是使他变成吓人的怪物的诸多原因之一。他的工作非常重要；其他事情与之相比是那么渺小，简直是浪费时间。这样，他就不为举止、社交时的闲聊和文明生活中的其他礼节而费心了。其结果是，他让母亲烦得不得了。反复表现希金斯的粗鲁举止是剧中的喜剧因素之一。

　　Higgins is completely devoted to his work. This devotion is one of the things that help to make him sucha terror. His work is of vital significance； other things are so trivial compared to it that they are a waste of time.

　　Thus he will not bother with manners， social small talk， or the other amenities of civilized living. As a result，he is a trial to his mother. The repeated display of Higgins bad manners is one of the comic elements of theplay.

　　邋遢是希金斯的又一特点。就餐时他用晨衣擦手。他把所有食物一股脑儿装到一个盘子里。伊莉莎本人也在第五幕中指出，如果不是辟克林上校，她永远也不会知道贵妇人和绅士是什么样的。她尤其提到希金斯在餐室脱鞋的毛病。

　　Personal untidiness is another of Higgins characteristics. He uses his dressing gown to wipe his handson at meals. He shoves all his food onto the same plate. Eliza herself points out in Act Ⅴ that， if it were not forColonel Pickering， she would never have known how ladies and gentlemen behave. She mentions particularlyHiggins’ habit of taking off his shoes in the dining-room.

　　希金斯对伊莉莎既霸道又无耐心。他对她全神贯注是因为她是一件用作语音学实验的物件。他感觉到自己已经听任事态发展，到了要建立真正深刻人类关系的边缘。为自己保持有伊莉莎为伴的快乐与方便，他拼命挣扎着，但不再对伊莉莎有进一步的付出。他不想改变自己的为人之道，只想自己属于自己。

　　Toward Eliza， Higgins is domineering and impatient. He becomes absorbed in her as an object involvedin a phonetics experiment. He senses that he has allowed himself to come to the brink of a truly profoundhuman relationship. He fights hard to retain for himself the pleasure and convenience of Eliza’s presencewithout making any further gift of himself to her. He does not want to change his ways or belong to anybodybut himself.

　　伊莉莎·杜利特尔：我们一开始见到伊莉莎时，她是伦敦街头的一个孩子，肮脏、衣着破旧、无知，习惯于自己维护自己的权利，因为别人是不会为她维护的。她确有她的行为标准。她不饮酒。她坚持说自己是个“好女孩儿”，而且也能使人相信。我们对这个女孩子满怀敬意，她被父亲和继母赶出家门，只是因为她大了，可以自己照顾自己，而她能在极度贫困中，设法保持清醒与自尊。

　　Eliza Doolittle： When we first see Eliza， she is a child of London streets， dirty， shabby， ignorant， andaccustomed to standing up for her own rights， since there is nobody else to do it for her. She does havestandards of behavior. She does not drink. She is“a good girl”， she insists， and she is convincing. We feeladmiration for the young girl who was turned out by her father and stepmother because she was big enough tolook after herself， and who has managed to stay sober and self respecting in the midst of extreme poverty.

　　她的无知有其滑稽的一面。她从没见过浴缸。真见到了，她又拒绝使用，因为她觉得脱光了衣服弄湿身子是既危险又不体面的。洗澡显出了她的美丽动人。几件好衣服显示出她可以变得时髦，变得出类拔萃。希金斯的努力工作显示，她的耳朵对声音与语言非常敏感。

　　很快，她就能讲一口比大多数人更好的母语。但揭示伊莉莎智慧的潜力要难得多。在希金斯夫人的客厅，伊莉莎仍然表现出了一个在醉酒与暴力的悲惨世界中长大的女孩子的头脑。一方面是她优雅的服饰与措辞，另一方面是她的糟糕的谈话内容，这种对比使该场景高度喜剧化。可悲的是，它表现出伊莉莎远远没有摆脱她的背景的影响。最后，它告诉我们，她内在的发展非常必要。

　　Her ignorance has its comic side. She has never seen a bathtub. When she does， she refuses to useit because she feels it is both dangerous and indecent to take off all one’s clothes and get wet all over. Abath reveals that Eliza is attractive. A few good clothes show that she is also capable of being stylish anddistinguished. Some hard work by Higgins shows that she has a sharp ear for sound and speech. Soon shecan pronounce her native tongue better than most people. But to uncover the possibilities of Eliza’s mind isa much harder thing. In Mrs. Higgins’ drawing room， Eliza still displays the mind of a girl brought up in asqualid world of drunkenness and violence. This contrast between her refined dress and diction on the onehand， and the content of her conversation on the other is what makes the high comedy of the scene. It is alsopitiful as it reveals that Eliza’s background is still very much with her. Finally， it shows that much innerdevelopment will be necessary.

　　她唯一的情感避难所就是她与希金斯和辟克林建立起来的生活。但当她听到两人谈论实验对希金斯多么无聊时，这个避难所也慢慢消失了。她相信希金斯不再需要她了，要急不可耐地甩掉她。实际上，这一点她错了。但她勇敢地照自己对事情的理解行事，她离去了。离开温波街的房子引起的思想震动，以及再一次的自谋生路，改变了她的看法。她见到希金斯时，竟能以自己的尊严和倨傲的态度面对他。剧终时，伊莉莎里外都换了一个人。她能分析自己的处境。她可以优美地穿行在花园宴会与招待会的世界里，但她不属于那个世界。她能分析构成她生活诸因素的几个男人。她在考虑希金斯杰出但又恼人的品行和痴恋她的佛莱第那平庸但又给人安慰的性格。她将永远无法与那难于应付的男人周旋，但她再也不是无可奈何地由他来掌控的了。

　　The only emotional haven she has is the life she has built with Higgins and Pickering. But as shehears the discussion of how boring the experiment has been to Higgins， that refuge fades away. She is surethat Higgins does not want her and cannot wait to be rid of her. In this， as it happens， she is wrong. But shecourageously acts on her understanding of what is going on； she leaves. The shock of leaving the WimpoleStreet house and going off on her own again changes her perspective. She is able to call upon her own dignityand self-sufficiency as she meets with Higgins. By the end of the play， Eliza has become a different personinside as well as outside. She is able to analyze her own situation. She can move beautifully through the worldof garden parties and receptions， but she does not really belong in that world. She is able to analyze the menwho are the factors in her life. She is considering the splendid and exasperating qualities of Higgins， and theunremarkable but comforting qualities of the adoring Freddy. She will never be able to cope with that difficultman completely， but she is not helpless at his hands any longer.

　　辟克林上校：辟克林几乎在每一方面都与希金斯相反。两个人主要在语音学上兴趣相投。辟克林彬彬有礼，而希金斯则仪表不佳。他有耐心而希金斯很轻率。他心平气和，希金斯则性格火爆，一点就着。辟克林冲动之时也待人和蔼，而希金斯则有时搞恶作剧，而且经常是不为他人着想。辟克林是剧中理智与常规行为的化身。这一点更突出了希金斯的古怪。

　　Colonel Pickering： Pickering is the opposite of Higgins in almost every way. The two men are alikemainly in their interest in phonetics. Pickering is courteous， while Higgins is ill-mannered. He is patientwhile Higgins is brusque. He is even-tempered， but Higgins has an explosive disposition. Pickering is kindlyin his impulses， while Higgins is sometimes mischievous and often thoughtless. Pickering personifies sanityand conventional behavior in the play. This points up Higgins’ eccentricity.

　　伊莉莎对辟克林深怀谢意，而且她也理应如此。他提供了慷慨的经济援助。但更重要的是，他是一位“绅士”，他是有着良好的社会背景，进过英国最好的公立学校的人。他的谦恭有礼，虑事周全，使伊莉莎学到了怎样做一名贵妇人。伊莉莎的观念在辟克林称她为“杜利特尔小姐”并给她搬椅子的那一刻就改变了。正如她后来精辟的说明那样：“贵妇人和卖花女之间的区别不在于她如何行事，而在于人们如何对待她。”

　　Eliza feels much gratitude toward Pickering， and properly so. He gives generous financial help. But，more important， he is a“gentleman”， that is， a person of excellent social background who has been to thebest public schools. He gives that courteous consideration by which Eliza learns about being a lady. Eliza’soutlook changes from the moment that Picking calls her“Miss Doolittle”and offers her a seat. As sheintelligently explains it later on：“The difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves， buthow she is treated.”

　　辟克林也表现出某种短视。当希金斯的母亲督促他们为伊莉莎的未来做打算时，他与希金斯一样很明显地不耐烦。他太为伊莉莎的进步高兴，以致对这一重要问题未加考虑。

　　Pickering is also capable of showing a certain short-sightedness. Along with Higgins， he is distinctlyimpatient as Higgins’ mother urges them to take some thought for Eliza’s future. He is too amused by Eliza’sprogress to think about this important subject.

　　阿尔弗雷德·杜利特尔：伊莉莎的父亲杜利特尔是个无赖。他在两方面不同于别的无赖。首先，他对此非常坦诚。他从不伪装自己品德高尚。他愉快地承认，自己没有道德可言，道德他承受不起。他说得希金斯为伊莉莎付了五英镑。他觉得如果伊莉莎卖掉她自己，过一种丢脸的生活，他应该从其收入中得到一小部分。希金斯和辟克林对这一行为感到震惊，但看到杜利特尔和蔼可亲，雄辩滔滔，他们非常欣赏，便给他十英镑而不是五英镑。其次，杜利特尔是个有哲学头脑的无赖。他对世界及自己在其中的位置进行了思考。因此，他所过的生活是他深思熟虑的结果。他解释说，他是个不值得帮助的穷人。值得帮助的穷人有时还得些捐助，不值得帮助的穷人从来也得不到。这是极为强词夺理的，因为他的花销要比那些值得帮助的穷人高。比如，他要花很多钱买老酒。然而，他因为喜好这样成了不值得帮助的穷人中的一员，而且，他计划要一直这样生活下去。

　　Alfred Doolittle： Eliza’s father Doolittle is a scoundrel. He is an exceptional scoundrel in two ways.

　　First he is genuinely honest about it. He makes no pretence of virtue whatever. He has no morals， he admitscheerfully. He can’t afford them. He talks Higgins out of five pounds in payment for Eliza. He feels that ifEliza has sold herself into a life of dishonor， he ought to get a small percentage of the proceeds. Higgins andPickering are scandalized at this conduct， but they are so delighted with Doolittle’s amiable eloquence thatthey end up offering him ten pounds instead of five. Second. Doolittle is a philosophical rogue. He has givensome thought to the world and his own place in it. Thus， the life he leads is the result of careful consideration.

　　He is， he explains， one of the Undeserving Poor. The Deserving Poor sometimes receive charity， but theUndeserving Poor never do. This is most unreasonable， for his expenses are higher than those of the DeservingPoor. He has to spend a lot on liquor， for instance. However， he has become one of the Undeserving Poorbecause he likes it， and he plans to remain one.

　　杜利特尔用丰富、悦耳的言语表达了自己的观点。希金斯把他的好口才归因于他母亲是威尔士人这一事实。杜利特尔还常常利用反语，思路总是出人意料地发生变化。地位越高，杜利特尔便越不开心。因为有个美国百万富翁给他留下了每年4000英镑，他变得痛苦不堪。体面被强加在他的身上。他成了中产阶级道德的囚犯。他这种幸运最糟糕之处是，他没有勇气拒绝它。尽管被那些急于得到丰厚报酬的律师、医生和仆人们所包围，尽管他成了穷亲戚们的捕猎对象，杜利特尔还是无法面对抛弃这一切所带来的后果。因为那样的话，他唯一的选择便是老了进孤老院，而这正在很快逼近他。我们最后一次看见他，他正离开去参加自己的婚礼，那时，他很痛苦。

　　Doolittle expresses his views in rich， musical speech. Higgins ascribes his eloquence to the factthat his mother was Welsh. He also makes constant use of paradox and unexpected turns of thought. Thehigher Doolittle rises in the world， the unhappier he becomes. He is embittered because he has been leftfour thousand pounds a year by an American millionaire. Respectability has been thrust upon him. He is aprisoner of middle class morality. The worst of his prosperity is that he does not have the courage to refuseit. Though surrounded by lawyers， doctors， and servants eager to provide their services for a fat fee， thoughpreyed on by impecunious relatives. Doolittle cannot quite face the prospect of giving it all up， because thealternative for him is inevitably the workhouse (poorhouse) in his old age， which is fast approaching. The lasttime we see him， as he departs for his own wedding， he is a miserable man.

　　希金斯夫人：她为儿子倾注了很多心血。她是个端庄、文雅的女人，过着很有规律的生活。显而易见，她对艺术有兴趣。她的家装饰得极有情趣，反映了她年轻时的最好的、最先进的艺术观念。她那古怪的儿子，总是一来就破坏希金斯夫人有条不紊的愉快生活。

　　他搞乱她的房子，撞坏她的家具，污辱她的朋友。他出人意料的来访肯定使她烦恼。她对儿子没有表现出抑制和占有的态度。她显然喜欢他，但她也很高兴两人的生活沿各自的道路发展。

　　Mrs. Higgins： She inspires great devotion in her son. She is a handsome， elegant woman who lives a wellregulated life. She obviously has artistic interests. Her home is furnished in splendid taste. It reflects the bestand most advanced artistic thought of her own youth. The arrival of her eccentric son almost always meansa disruption in Mrs. Higgins’ orderly， pleasant existence. He upsets her house， breaks her furniture， andinsults her friends. She is consequently distressed if he arrives unexpectedly. She does not show a possessive，smothering attitude towards her son. She is clearly fond of him， but she is also pleased that their lives move onseparate path.

　　希金斯夫人是个有洞察力的人。她立即就明白用伊莉莎做实验对儿子产生的魅力。她认识到了事情的危险。然而，她无法把这一点给儿子或辟克林讲清楚。当希金斯带伊莉莎来访时，她尽一切可能让伊莉莎觉得自己很受欢迎。

　　Mrs. Higgins is a perceptive person. She understands immediately the fascination her son feels for hisexperiment with Eliza. She recognizes the danger of the situation. However， she cannot make this clear to herson or to Pickering. She does all she can to make Eliza feel welcome when Higgins brings her to visit.

　　皮尔斯太太：她来自中产阶级家庭。她对是与非有着明确但又有点狭隘的观点。她正派但有些刻板。如她不愿重复bloody（他妈的），正表明了她那拘谨的中产阶级行为标准。

　　Mrs. Pearce： She is from a middle class family. She has definite and somewhat narrow ideas of whatis right and wrong. She is rigidly respectable. Her unwillingness to repeat the word“bloody”is just anindication of her rigidly decent middle class standards.

　　皮尔斯太太性格坚强。她对希金斯连哄带骗的行为方式习以为常。她发现原则受到威胁时从不屈服迁就。她待她的雇主就像保育员或教师对待难管的小男孩一样。谈起希金斯的粗鲁举止和恶劣言语，以及必须改进这二者来给伊莉莎做榜样时，她总是那么有礼貌而坚定。

　　希金斯的毫无节制与皮尔斯太太的正经、拘束形成了有趣的对比。我们可以像辟克林那样从他们的谈话中得到快乐。

　　Mrs. Pearce has a strong character. She is used to Higgins coaxing ways when he wants something. Sheis unyielding when she feels that a principle is at stake. She behaves toward her employer almost as thoughshe was a governess or teacher and he was a difficult little boy. She is unfailingly courteous but quite firmas she discusses Higgins bad manners and bad language and the necessity of improving both as an exampleto Eliza. Higgins’ extravagance and Mrs. Pearce’s primness make an amusing contrast. We can sharePickering’s enjoyment of their discussion.

　　皮尔斯太太没有温柔可言，但她也不乏善良。她理解伊莉莎对希金斯狂野的谈话感到的惊恐；她解释了他的话，并努力让她放心。和希金斯夫人一样，她真正关心伊莉莎的未来。

　　There is no softness about Mrs. Pearce， but she does not lack kindness either. She understands Eliza’sterror over Higgins’ wild conversation； she interprets his talk and tries to reassure her. Like Mrs. Higgins， shehas genuine concern for Eliza’s future.

　　因斯福德-希尔太太：她是个天性善良又相当保守的妇女，她被教养成长大要过一种贵族的闲散生活。不幸的是她没有贵族的收入。她靠着一点可怜的钱挣扎度日，一直为金钱问题烦心，为自己两个子女的前途操心。

　　Mrs. Eynsford-Hill： She is a rather conservative lady of kindly instincts who has been brought up tolead a life of aristocratic idleness. Unfortunately， she does not possess an aristocratic income.She strugglesalong on a pitiful amount of money， constantly worried over finances and concerned over the future of her twochildren.

　　佛莱第·因斯福德-希尔：他比他妹妹克拉拉更令人愉快。然而他几乎没有表现出有能力或有头脑的迹象。实际上，他和蔼可亲，但身无长技，让读者想起P. G. 伍德豪斯在他众多的喜剧小说中写的那些颇有特色的呆笨的年轻人。

　　Freddy Eynsford-Hill： He is more agreeable than his sister Clara. However， he shows little evidence ofability or brains. In fact， he is so amiably ineffectual that he may remind the reader of those idiotic young menwho later became a specialty of P. G. Wodehouse in his numerous comic novels.

　　伊莉莎被他的英俊容貌、绅士风度和善良天性所吸引。最主要的是，她为他对她全心全意的爱所感动。这一切能否与希金斯教授更为丰富多彩的引人之处相抗衡，这一问题在剧中悬而未决。最后的短文宣布，佛莱第和伊莉莎结婚了。

　　Eliza is attracted to his good looks， gentlemanly behavior， and good nature. Most of all， she is touchedbecause of his complete devotion to her. Whether all this is enough to counterbalance the more colorfulattractiveness of Professor Higgins is left unsettled in the play. The final essay states that Freddy and Elizamarry.

　　2.5　复习讨论题

　　2.5　Questions for Revision and Discussion

　　（1）如何欣赏作者萧伯纳的人生？他出生于什么家庭？他怎样变成了举世闻名的作家？从作者的人生中你能学到些什么？（或：论乔治·萧伯纳的人生）

　　（1）How would you appreciate the writer Shaw’s life？ What family was he born of？ How didhe become a well known writer all over the world？ What will you learn from the writer’s life？ (Or： OnGeorge Bernard Shaw’s Life)

　　（2）伊莉莎出生于什么家庭？她是如何最终变成了一个真正独立的人？如何欣赏她的人生？

　　（2）What family is Eliza born of ？How can she finally become a really independent lady？ Howdo you appreciate her life？

　　（3）分析萧伯纳描写希金斯的方法。尽管他有很多弱点，萧伯纳如何使他引人注目？如何欣赏他的人生？他向我们提供了些什么值得注意的经验教训？

　　（3）Analyze Shaw’s method of portraying Higgins. How does he make him attractive in spite ofhis weaknesses？ How do you appreciate his life？ What experiences and lessons has he afforded us worthyof our attention？

　　（4）辟克林上校在剧情发展中起着什么作用？你对他的人生有何感悟？你向他学些什么？

　　（4）What roles does Colonel Pickering play in the development of the play？ What do you thinkof his life？ What will you learn from him？

　　（5）你如何看待阿尔弗雷德·杜利特尔这个人？你喜欢他吗？为什么？如果你父亲像他，你怎么办？

　　（5）How do you think of Alfred Doolittle？ Do you like him？ Why？ What will you do if yourfather were like him？

　　（6）为什么希金斯夫人不和她儿子生活在一起？难道她不爱她儿子吗？你喜欢你母亲像希金斯夫人吗？为什么？

　　（6）Why doesn’t Mrs. Higgins live together with her son？ Doesn’t she love her son？ Do you likeyour mother like Mrs. Higgins？ Why？

　　（7）你认为佛莱第·因斯福德-希尔如何？他向我们提供了些什么值得注意的经验教训？

　　（7）How do you think of Freddy Eynsford-Hill？ What experiences and lessons has he affordedus worthy of our attention？

　　（8）讨论戏剧的结尾。伊莉莎要嫁给谁？为什么？

　　（8）Discuss the ending of the play. Whom will Eliza marry ？ Why？

　　（9）学会如何做人——关于《匹克梅梁》的思考

　　（9）To Learn How to Be a Man—Some Thoughts on Pygmalion.