人生的枷锁（节选）

威廉·萨默赛特·毛姆

And then he felt the misery of his life. It seemed to his childish mind that this unhappiness must go on for ever. For no particular reason he remembered that cold morning when Emma had taken him out of bed and put him beside his mother. He had not thought of it once since it happened， but now he seemed to feel the warmth of his mothers body against his and her arms around him. Suddenly it seemed to him that his life was a dream， his mothers death， and the life at the vicarage， and these two wretched days at school， and he would awake in the morning and be back again at home. His tears dried as he thought of it. He was too unhappy， it must be nothing but a dream， and his mother was alive， and Emma would come up presently and go to bed. He fell asleep.

But when he awoke next morning it was to the clanging of a bell， and the first thing his eyes saw was the green curtain of his cubicle.

此时，他感受到了生活道路上的凄风苦雨。在他这个人生才刚开始的小孩看来，今后准是苦海无边的了。不知怎么地，他忽然想起那个寒冷的早晨，埃玛怎样将他从床上抱到妈妈身边。打那以后，他再未回想过那番情景；但是此刻，他似乎又感受到偎依在母亲怀里的那股暖意。他顿时觉得，自己所经历的一切，他母親的溘然辞世，牧师公馆里的生活，还有这两天在学校的不幸遭遇，恍若一场幻梦；而明天一早醒来，自己又在家里了。菲利普想着想着，眼泪渐渐干了。他委实太不幸了，这一切想必是场幻梦；他母亲还活着，埃玛一会儿就会上楼来睡觉的。他睡着了。

然而第二天早晨，他依旧在叮叮当当的铃声中愕然醒来，最先跃入眼帘的还是他小卧室里的那幅绿色门帘。

【作品简介】

《人生的枷锁》是毛姆的代表作之一。小说主人公菲利普·凯里自幼父母双亡，不幸又先天残疾，在冷漠而陌生的环境中度过了童年，性格因此孤僻而敏感。在寄宿学校度过的岁月让他饱受不合理的学校制度的摧残，而当他走入社会后，又在爱情上历经了伤痛。在坎坷的人生道路上，他每跨一步，都要付出艰辛，但思想和个性都独立不羁的凯里，一直努力挣脱宗教和小市民意识的桎梏，力图在混沌纷扰的生活漩流中，寻求人生的真谛。

Word Study

misery /m?z?r?/ n. 痛苦；悲惨

Fame brought him nothing but misery.

wretched /ret??d/ adj. 恶劣的；不愉快的

She had a wretched time of it at school.endprint