傲慢与偏见

精读《傲慢与偏见》51：诗是爱情的食粮？她反手就让它饿死

达西说"诗是爱情的食粮"，伊丽莎白立刻反手：诗只喂得饱本就强壮的爱；若只是单薄的一点好感，一首好十四行诗反而会把它彻底饿死。

这一段来自《傲慢与偏见》第九章。今天最值得看的，是伊丽莎白不去反驳这个比喻，而是接过它、再反过来用——她赢得机智，恰恰赢在达西自己抛出的那句浪漫套话上。

English Text: Poetry, the Food of Love?

“She seems a very pleasant young woman,” said Bingley.

“Oh dear, yes; but you must own she is very plain. Lady Lucas herself has often said so, and envied me Jane’s beauty. I do not like to boast of my own child; but to be sure, Jane--one does not often see anybody better looking. It is what everybody says. I do not trust my own partiality. When she was only fifteen there was a gentleman at my brother Gardiner’s in town so much in love with her, that my sister-in-law was sure he would make her an offer before we came away. But, however, he did not. Perhaps he thought her too young. However, he wrote some verses on her, and very pretty they were.”

“And so ended his affection,” said Elizabeth, impatiently. “There has been many a one, I fancy, overcome in the same way. I wonder who first discovered the efficacy of poetry in driving away love!”

“I have been used to consider poetry as the food of love,” said Darcy.

“Of a fine, stout, healthy love it may. Everything nourishes what is strong already. But if it be only a slight, thin sort of inclination, I am convinced that one good sonnet will starve it entirely away.”

中文翻译：诗是爱情的食粮吗？

"她看起来是个很讨人喜欢的年轻女子，"宾利说。

"噢，天哪，是的；不过你得承认她相貌平平。卢卡斯夫人自己也常这么说，还羡慕我有简这样漂亮的女儿。我不爱自夸孩子；可说实在的，简——很难见到比她更好看的人了。大家都这么说。这可不是我自己偏心。她才十五岁那年，在我弟弟加德纳先生城里的家中，有位绅士爱她爱得神魂颠倒，我弟媳都确信，我们离开之前他准会向她求婚。可结果，他到底没有。也许是嫌她太年轻了吧。不过，他确实给她写了几首诗，而且写得很美。"

"于是他的爱慕就这样结束了，"伊丽莎白不耐烦地说，"我想，有许多恋情都是这样告吹的。我真想知道，是谁最先发现诗歌竟有驱散爱情的功效！"

"我一向以为诗是爱情的食粮，"达西说。

"对于一段美好、坚实、健康的爱情，或许如此。凡是本身强壮的东西，什么都能拿来当养料。可如果那只是一点又轻又薄的好感，我敢说，一首好十四行诗就足以把它彻底饿死。"

阅读提示：她不反驳比喻，而是把比喻反过来用

这一段的转折藏在一段炫耀里。贝内特太太正夸简十五岁就有绅士为她写诗，把这当成女儿美貌的证据；伊丽莎白却把同一件事听成了反面例子——"于是他的爱慕就这样结束了"。同一个细节，母亲读成美貌，女儿读成"诗写完，爱也没了"。她随手就把一桩家务事升成了一条通则。

真正的锋芒在后半段。达西抛出一句现成的浪漫话："诗是爱情的食粮。"伊丽莎白的聪明，不在于反驳这个比喻，而在于接住它、再往下推：食物只能滋养本就强壮的东西；若只是一点单薄的好感，一首好十四行诗反而会把它活活饿死。她没有换战场，而是就在达西给出的比喻里把他将了一军。

读这一段时，可以盯住一组对照：stout, healthy love（结实、健康的爱）与 slight, thin sort of inclination（又轻又薄的好感）。奥斯汀让伊丽莎白用"进食—挨饿"这一个比喻，就把"真爱"和"一时心动"划清了界限。这也是达西第一次真正领教她的机智——她的反驳不只是俏皮，还悄悄立了一把量爱情的尺子。

重点词汇

partiality /ˌpɑːrʃiˈæləti/ noun — 偏心；偏爱
原文例句：I do not trust my own partiality.
贝内特太太前脚说"不爱自夸孩子"，后脚又强调"这可不是我偏心"——partiality 这个词恰好把她正在偏心这件事戳破了。

efficacy /ˈefɪkəsi/ noun — 功效；效力
原文例句：I wonder who first discovered the efficacy of poetry in driving away love!
efficacy 通常用来说药效、疗效。伊丽莎白偏用它来讲"诗驱散爱情的功效"，一本正经的措辞里全是反讽。

stout /staʊt/ adjective — 结实的；强健的
原文例句：Of a fine, stout, healthy love it may.
stout 常形容身体壮实、结实。伊丽莎白拿它形容"健壮的爱"，等于把爱情说成一个有体格、要进食的活物，"食粮"这个比喻也就立住了。

inclination /ˌɪnklɪˈneɪʃn/ noun — 意向；（此处指）微薄的好感
原文例句：But if it be only a slight, thin sort of inclination...
和 stout, healthy love 正相反，inclination 配上 slight, thin，指一段又轻又薄、还没长结实的好感——正是会被一首诗饿死的那种。

长难句解析

1. But if it be only a slight, thin sort of inclination, I am convinced that one good sonnet will starve it entirely away.

说明：if it be 用的是较古旧的虚拟语气（今天通常说 if it is / if it were），表示假设、未定的情形，语气比 if it is 更含推测。主句 I am convinced 后面跟 that 引导的宾语从句；starve...away 把 inclination 当成会被饿死的活物，意思是"让它挨饿、直到彻底消失"。

结构：条件从句(But if it be only ... inclination) + 主句(I am convinced) + that 宾语从句(that one good sonnet will starve it entirely away)

2. There was a gentleman at my brother Gardiner’s in town so much in love with her, that my sister-in-law was sure he would make her an offer before we came away.

说明：这是一个 so ... that ... "如此……以至于……"的结果状语从句：so much in love（爱得如此之深）引出结果 that my sister-in-law was sure（弟媳因此确信……）。make her an offer 意为"向她求婚"。

结构：There be 句型(There was a gentleman) + 后置定语(at my brother Gardiner’s in town) + 程度状语(so much in love with her) + 结果从句(that my sister-in-law was sure ...)

今日测验

Q1. What is Elizabeth's view on poetry's relationship with love?

A. It always strengthens love.
B. It is the food of love, as Darcy suggests.
C. It can destroy a weak or superficial attraction.
D. It is the only way to express true feelings.