Truman Capote - Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Excerpt 1) 汉译

That Monday in October, 1943. A beautiful day with the buoyancy of a bird. To start, we had Manhattans at Joe Bell’s. Later, we wandered toward Fifth Avenue, where there was a parade. We ate lunch at the cafeteria in the park. Afterwards, avoiding the zoo (Holly said she couldn’t bear to see anything in a cage), we giggled, ran, sang along the paths toward the old wooden boathouse, now gone. Leaves floated on the lake; on the shore, a park-man was fanning a bonfire of them……

Passing a Woolworth’s, she gripped my arm: “Let’s steal something,” she said, pulling me into the store, where at once there seemed a pressure of eyes, as though we were already under suspicion. “Come on. Don’t be chicken.” She scouted a counter piled with paper pumpkins and Halloween masks. The saleslady was occupied with a group of nuns who were trying on masks. Holly picked up a mask and slipped it over her face; she chose another and put it on mine; then she took my hand and we walked away. It was as simple as that. Outside, we ran a few blocks, I think to make it more dramatic; but also because, as I’d discovered, successful theft exhilarates. I wondered if she’d often stolen. “I used to,” she said. “I mean I had to. If I wanted anything. But I still do it every now and then, sort of to keep my hand in.”

一九四三年十月的那个礼拜一，是小鸟飞舞，风光明媚的一天。一开头我们就在乔·白尔的酒吧里，喝了曼哈顿鸡尾酒。随后，我们在第五街一带闲荡着，那儿正有人在列队游行。我们走到中央公园里的自助餐厅去吃了一顿午餐。后来，为避免动物园（哈利说她不能忍受看到任何东西被关在笼子里），我们格格地笑，又跑又唱，沿着小路，走向那现已不存在的古老的木造船库去。落叶漂满一湖；在湖畔有一个园丁正在焚烧落叶……

走过一家伍尔渥斯的百货商店，她紧抓住我的手臂：“我们去偷点什么吧。”她说着，就把我拉进那商店去了。一走进去我马上就感觉到总目睽睽好像都在监视着我们，俨然我们已经受到嫌疑了。“来呀。不要这样胆怯。”她侦察了一个堆满了纸做的南瓜和万圣节前夕用的假面具的柜台。那女店员正在忙于招待一群在试戴着假面具的尼姑顾主。哈利选了一个面具戴在面上；她又另外选了一个给我戴上；于是她牵了我的手，我们便走出来那商店来了。那就是这样简单的呀。出了店门一走上街，我们一气跑了几条街，我认为这样可以使之更带戏剧性呢。可是，如我后来所发现的，也是为着盗窃的成功而特别高兴吧。我问她是不是常偷东西。她回答说：“我以前是常偷的，是迫不得已，非偷不可呀。当我想要点什么时候。但是，现在我还是时常要这样来一下，为保持熟练起见。”