佚名/Anonymous
It is the close of a busy and vexatious day—say half past five or six o’clock of a winter afternoon. I have had a cocktail or two, and am stretched out on a divan in front of a fire, smoking. At the edge of the divan, close enough for me to reach her with my hands, sits a woman not too young, but still good-looking and well-dressed—above all, a woman with a soft, low-pitched, agreeable voice. As I snooze she talks—of anything, everything, all the things that women talk of: books, music, dress, men, other women. No politics. No business. No theology. No metaphysics. Nothing challenging and vexatious—but remember, she is intelligent; what she says is clearly expressed, and often picturesquely. I observe the fine sheen of her hair, the pretty cut of her frock, the glint of her white teeth, the arch of her eyebrow, the graceful curve of her arm. I listen to the exquisite murmur of her voice. Gradually I fall asleep—but only for an instant. At once, observing it, she raises her voice ever so little, and I am awake. Then to sleep again—slowly and charmingly down that slippery hill of dreams. And then awake again, and then asleep again, and so on.
I ask you seriously: could anything be more unutterably beautiful? The sensation of falling asleep is to me the most delightful in the world. I relish it so much that I even look forward to death itself with a sneaking wonder and desire. Well, here is sleep poetized and made doubly sweet. Here is sleep set to the finest music in the world. I match this situation against any that you call think of. It is only enchanting; it is also, in a very true sense, ennobling. In the end, when the lady grows prettily miffed and throws me out, I return to my sorrows somehow purged and glorified. I am a better man in my own sight. I have gazed upon the fields of asphodel. I have been genuinely, completely and unregrettably happy.
那是在繁忙、勞神的一天要結束的時候，大約是冬日下午的五點半或六點鍾光景。我喝了一兩杯雞尾酒，抽著煙躺在壁爐前的長沙發上。在沙發的邊緣，坐著一位不是很年輕的女人，離我很近，近得都能碰到我的手。她依然漂亮大方，穿著得體，最主要的是，她有娓娓動人的聲音。我昏昏欲睡時，她在談論著——所有女人喜愛談論的一切事情：書籍、音樂、衣服、男人、別的女人。不過，沒有政治、商業、神學、玄學，都是些沒有挑戰和玄機的東西。但請記住，她聰慧，她表達清晰，而且觀點很獨特。我觀察了她：一頭秀發健康亮澤，一襲長裙做工考究，潔白的牙齒，彎彎的眉毛，纖細的手臂。我傾聽她高雅而輕柔的聲音。漸漸地，我睡著了，但隻是一會兒，她稍稍提高了聲音，我就會立即醒來，繼續觀察。然後，慢慢地、甜蜜地進入夢境。然後再次醒來，再次睡去；反反複複。