The Last Leaf

《The Last Leaf》（最後一片葉子）是O.Henry較有代表性的作品，突出反映了他的寫作風格和特點。

作者簡介

O.Henry（1862～1910），是美國20世紀初頗受讀者歡迎的短篇小說家。他原名William Sydney Porter，出生於美國北卡羅來納州。30多歲開始寫短篇小說。一生共創作了約300篇短篇小說，顯示出他非同凡響的藝術才華。

O.Henry擅長編造故事情節。他的故事結構緊湊，語言精練，結局往往出人意表，對現代短篇小說影響較大。在他的小說中，寫得最好的是關於紐約的那些，他把紐約曼哈頓區一帶的街道、小飯館、破舊的公寓的氣氛描寫得既生動又逼真，故有“曼哈頓的桂冠詩人”之稱。

內容簡介

年輕貧窮的畫家Johnsy不幸染上肺炎，女友Sue竭盡全力照料她，但她的病情仍不見好轉。萬念俱灰的Johnsy放棄了生存的欲望，準備在窗外對面牆上常春藤的最後一片葉子凋落墜地時，撒手人寰。另一位一生未畫出重大作品的老畫家Behrman為了救她，連夜冒雨爬上牆頭畫了一片藤葉，他自己因而染上肺炎，兩天后去世。老畫家所畫的最後一片葉子，成了他的畢生傑作。

作品原文

The Last Leaf

O.Henry

1At the top of a three-story brick building, Sue and Johnsy had theirstudio. "Johnsy" was familiarfor Joanna. One was from Maine; the other fromCalifornia.They had met at a cafe onEighth Streetand found their tastes in art, chicorysalad and bishop sleeves so much in tune that the joint studio resulted.

在一幢三層磚樓的頂層，蘇和約翰西辟了個畫室。“約翰西”是喬安娜的暱稱。她們一位來自緬因州，一位來自加利福尼亞。兩人相遇在第八大街的一個咖啡館，發現各自在藝術品味、菊苣色拉，以及燈籠袖等方面趣味相投，於是就有了這個兩人畫室。

2That was in May. In November a cold, unseen stranger, whom the doctorscalled Pneumonia, stalked about the district, touching one here and there withhis icy fingers. Johnsy was among his victims. She lay, scarcely moving on herbed, looking through the small window at the blank side of the next brickhouse.

那是5月里的事。到了11月，一個醫生稱之為肺炎的陰森的隱形客闖入了這一地區，用它冰冷的手指東碰西觸。約翰西也為其所害。她病倒了，躺在床上幾乎一動不動，只能隔著小窗望著隔壁磚房那單調沉悶的側牆。

3 Onemorning the busy doctor invited Sue into the hallway with a bushy, grayeyebrow.

一天上午，忙碌的醫生揚了揚灰白的濃眉，示意蘇來到過道。

4"She has one chance in ten," he said. "And that chance isfor her to want to live. Your little lady has made up her mind that she's notgoing to get well. Has she anything on her mind?

“只有一成希望，”他說。“那還得看她自己是不是想活下去。你這位女朋友已經下決心不想好了。她有什麼心事嗎？”

5"She -- she wanted to paint the Bay ofNaplessome day," said Sue. “她――她想有一天能去畫那不勒斯灣，”蘇說。

6"Paint? -- bosh! Has she anything on her mind worth thinking abouttwice -- a man, for instance?"

“畫畫？――得了。她有沒有別的事值得她留戀的――比如說，一個男人？”

7"A man?" said Sue. "Is a man worth -- but, no, doctor;there is nothing of the kind."

“男人？”蘇說。“難道一個男人就值得――可是，她沒有啊，大夫，沒有這碼子事。”

8"Well," said the doctor. "I will do all that science canaccomplish. But whenever my patient begins to count the carriages in herfuneral procession I subtract 50 per cent from the curative power ofmedicines." After the doctor had gone Sue went into the workroom and cried.Then she marched into Johnsy's room with her drawing board, whistling a merrytune.

“好吧，”大夫說。“我會盡一切努力，只要是科學能做到的。可是，但凡病人開始計算她出殯的行列里有幾輛馬車的時候，我就要把醫藥的療效減去一半。”大夫走後，蘇去工作室哭了一場。隨後她攜著畫板大步走進約翰西的房間，口裡吹著輕快的口哨。

9Johnsy lay, scarcely making a movement under the bedclothes, with herface toward the window. She was looking out and counting -- counting backward.

約翰西躺在被子下幾乎一動不動，臉朝著窗。她望著窗外，數著數――倒數著數！

10"Twelve," she said, and a little later "eleven"; andthen "ten," and "nine"; and then "eight" and"seven," almost together.

“12，”她數道，過了一會兒“11”，接著數“10”和“9”；再數“8”和“7”，幾乎一口同時數下來。

11Sue looked out of the window. What was there to count? There was only abare, dreary yard to be seen, and the blank side of the brick house twenty feetaway. An old, old ivy vine climbed half way up the brick wall. The cold breathof autumn had blown away its leaves, leaving it almost bare.

蘇朝窗外望去。外面有什麼好數的呢？外面只看到一個空蕩蕩的沉悶的院子，還有20英尺開外那磚房的側牆，上面什麼也沒有。一棵古老的常青藤爬到半牆高。蕭瑟秋風吹落了枝葉，藤上幾乎光禿禿的。

12"Six," said Johnsy, in almost a whisper. "They're fallingfaster now. Three days ago there were almost a hundred. It made my head ache tocount them. But now it's easy. There goes another one. There are only five leftnow."

“6”，約翰西數著，聲音幾乎聽不出來。“現在葉子掉落得快多了。三天前差不多還有100片。數得我頭都疼。可現在容易了。又掉了一片。這下子只剩5片了。”

13"Five what, dear? "

“5片什麼，親愛的？”

14"Leaves. On the ivy vine. When the last one falls I must go, too.I've known that for three days. Didn't the doctor tell you?"

“葉子。常青藤上的葉子。等最後一片葉子掉了，我也就得走了。三天前我就知道會這樣。大夫沒跟你說嗎？”

15"Oh, I never heard of such nonsense. What have old ivy leaves to dowith your getting well? Don't be so silly. Why, the doctor told me this morningthat your chances for getting well real soon were ten to one! Try to take somesoup now, and let Sudie go and buy port wine for her sick child."

“噢，我從沒聽說過這種胡說八道。常青藤葉子跟你病好不好有什麼關係？別這么傻。對了，大夫上午跟我說，你的病十有八九就快好了。快喝些湯，讓蘇迪給她生病的孩子去買些波爾圖葡萄酒來。”

16"You needn't get any more wine," said Johnsy, keeping her eyesfixed out the window. "There goes another. No, I don't want any soup. Thatleaves just four. I want to see the last one fall before it gets dark. ThenI'll go, too. I'm tired of waiting. I'm tired of thinking. I want to turn loosemy hold on everything, and go sailing down, down, just like one of those poor,tired leaves."

“你不用再去買酒了，”約翰西說道，兩眼一直盯著窗外。“又掉了一片。不，我不想喝湯。這一下只剩下4片了。我要在天黑前看到最後一片葉子掉落。那時我也就跟著走了。我都等膩了。也想膩了。我只想撇開一切, 飄然而去，就像那邊一片可憐的疲倦的葉子。”

17"Try to sleep," said Sue. "I must call Behrman up to bemy model for the old miner. I'll not be gone a minute."

“快睡吧，”蘇說。“我得叫貝爾曼上樓來給我當老礦工模特兒。我去去就來。”

18Old Behrman was a painter who lived on the ground floor beneath them. Hewas past sixty and had a long white beard curling down over his chest. Despitelooking the part, Behrman was a failure in art. For forty years he had beenalways about to paint a masterpiece, but had never yet begun it. He earned alittle by serving as a model to those young artists who could not pay the priceof a professional. He drank gin to excess, and still talked of his comingmasterpiece. For the rest he was a fierce little old man, who mocked terriblyat softness in any one, and who regarded himself as guard dog to the two youngartists in the studio above.

老貝爾曼是住在兩人樓下底層的一個畫家。他已年過六旬，銀白色蜷曲的長髯披掛胸前。貝爾曼看上去挺像藝術家，但在藝術上卻沒有什麼成就。40年來他一直想創作一幅傳世之作，卻始終沒能動手。他給那些請不起職業模特的青年畫家當模特掙點小錢。他沒節制地喝酒，談論著他那即將問世的不朽之作。要說其他方面，他是個好鬥的小老頭，要是誰表現出一點軟弱，他便大肆嘲笑，並把自己看成是樓上畫室里兩位年輕藝術家的看護人。

19Sue found Behrman smelling strongly of gin in his dimly lighted studiobelow. In one corner was a blank canvas on an easel that had been waiting therefor twenty-five years to receive the first line of the masterpiece. She toldhim of Johnsy's fancy, and how she feared she would, indeed, light and fragileas a leaf herself, float away, when her slight hold upon the world grew weaker.Old Behrman, with his red eyes plainly streaming, shouted his contempt for suchfoolish imaginings.

蘇在樓下光線暗淡的畫室里找到了貝爾曼，他滿身酒味刺鼻。屋子一角的畫架上支著一張從未落過筆的畫布，在那兒擱了25年，等著一幅傑作的起筆。蘇把約翰西的怪念頭跟他說了，並說約翰西本身就像一片葉子又瘦又弱，她害怕要是她那本已脆弱的生存意志再軟下去的話，真的會凋零飄落。老貝爾曼雙眼通紅，顯然是淚漣漣的，他大聲叫嚷著說他蔑視這種傻念頭。

20"What!" he cried. "Are there people in the world foolishenough to die because leafs drop off from a vine? I have never heard of such athing. Why do you allow such silly ideas to come into that head of hers? God!This is not a place in which one so good as Miss Johnsy should lie sick. Someday I will paint a masterpiece, and we shall all go away. Yes."

“什麼！”他嚷道。“世界上竟然有這么愚蠢的人，因為樹葉從藤上掉落就要去死？我聽都沒聽說過這等事。你怎么讓這種傻念頭鑽到她那個怪腦袋裡？天哪！這不是一個像約翰西小姐這樣的好姑娘躺倒生病的地方。有朝一日我要畫一幅巨作，那時候我們就離開這裡。真的。”

21Johnsy was sleeping when they went upstairs. Sue pulled the shade down,and motioned Behrman into the other room. In there they peered out the windowfearfully at the ivy vine. Then they looked at each other for a moment withoutspeaking. A persistent, cold rain was falling, mingled with snow. Behrman, inhis old blue shirt, took his seat as the miner on an upturned kettle for arock.

兩人上了樓，約翰西已經睡著了。蘇放下窗簾，示意貝爾曼去另一個房間。在那兒兩人惶惶不安地凝視著窗外的常青藤。接著兩人面面相覷，啞然無語。外面冷雨夾雪，淅淅瀝瀝。貝爾曼穿著破舊的藍色襯衣, 坐在充當礦石的倒置的水壺上，擺出礦工的架勢。

22When Sue awoke from an hour's sleep the next morning she found Johnsywith dull, wide-open eyes staring at the drawn green shade.

第二天早上，只睡了一個小時的甦醒來看到約翰西睜大著無神的雙眼，凝望著拉下的綠色窗簾。

23"Pull it up; I want to see," she ordered, in a whisper.

“把窗簾拉起來；我要看，”她低聲命令道。

24Wearily Sue obeyed.

蘇帶著疲倦，遵命拉起窗簾。

25But, Lo! after the beating rain and fierce wind that had endured throughthe night, there yet stood out against the brick wall one ivy leaf. It was thelast on the vine. Still dark green near its stem, but with its edges coloredyellow, it hung bravely from a branch some twenty feet above the ground.

可是，瞧！經過一整夜的急風驟雨，竟然還存留一片常青藤葉，背靠磚牆，格外顯目。這是常青藤上的最後一片葉子。近梗部位仍呈暗綠色，但邊緣已經泛黃了，它無所畏懼地掛在離地20多英尺高的枝幹上。

26"It is the last one," said Johnsy. "I thought it wouldsurely fall during the night. I heard the wind. It will fall today, and I shalldie at the same time."

“這是最後一片葉子，”約翰西說。“我以為夜裡它肯定會掉落的。我晚上聽到大風呼嘯。今天它會掉落的，葉子掉的時候，也是我死的時候。”

27The day wore away, and even through the twilight they could see the loneivy leaf clinging to its stem against the wall. And then, with the coming ofthe night the north wind was again loosed.

白天慢慢過去了，即便在暮色黃昏之中，他們仍能看到那片孤零零的常青藤葉子，背靠磚牆，緊緊抱住梗莖。爾後，隨著夜幕的降臨，又是北風大作。

28When it was light enough Johnsy, the merciless, commanded that the shadebe raised.

等天色亮起，冷酷無情的約翰西命令將窗簾拉起。

29The ivy leaf was still there.

常青藤葉依然挺在。

30Johnsy lay for a long time looking at it. And then she called to Sue,who was stirring her chicken soup over the gas stove.

約翰西躺在那兒，望著它許久許久。接著她大聲呼喚正在煤氣灶上攪雞湯的蘇。

31"I've been a bad girl, Sudie," said Johnsy. "Somethinghas made that last leaf stay there to show me how wicked I was. It is a sin towant to die. You may bring me a little soup now, and some milk with a littleport in it and -- no; bring me a hand-mirror first, and then pack some pillowsabout me, and I will sit up and watch you cook."

“我一直像個不乖的孩子，蘇迪，”約翰西說。“有一種力量讓那最後一片葉子不掉，好讓我看到自己有多壞。想死是一種罪過。你給我喝點湯吧，再來點牛奶，稍放一點波爾圖葡萄酒――不，先給我拿面小鏡子來，弄幾個枕頭墊在我身邊，我要坐起來看你做菜。”

32An hour later she said:

一個小時之後，她說：

33"Sudie, some day I hope to paint theBayofNaples."

“蘇迪，我真想有一天去畫那不勒斯海灣。”

34The doctor came in the afternoon, and Sue had an excuse to go into thehallway as he left.

下午大夫來了，他走時蘇找了個藉口跟進了過道。

35"Even chances," said the doctor, taking Sue's thin, shakinghand in his.

“現在是勢均力敵，”大夫說著，握了握蘇纖細顫抖的手。

36"With good nursing you'll win. And now I must see another case Ihave downstairs. Behrman, his name is -- some kind of an artist, I believe.Pneumonia, too. He is an old, weak man, and the attack is acute. There is nohope for him; but he goes to the hospital today to be made morecomfortable."

“只要精心照料，你就贏了。現在我得去樓下看另外一個病人了。貝爾曼，是他的名字――記得是個什麼畫家。也是肺炎。他年老體弱，病來勢又猛。他是沒救了。不過今天他去了醫院，照料得會好一點。”

37The next day the doctor said to Sue: "She's out of danger. You'vewon. The right food and care now -- that's all."

第二天，大夫對蘇說：“她脫離危險了。你贏了。注意飲食，好好照顧，就行了。”

38And that afternoon Sue came to the bed where Johnsy lay and put one armaround her.

當日下午，蘇來到約翰西的床頭，用一隻手臂摟住她。

39"I have something to tell you, white mouse," she said."Mr. Behrman died of pneumonia today in the hospital. He was ill only twodays. He was found on the morning of the first day in his room downstairshelpless with pain. His shoes and clothing were wet through and icy cold. Theycouldn't imagine where he had been on such a terrible night. And then theyfound a lantern, still lighted, and a ladder that had been dragged from itsplace, and some scattered brushes, and a palette with green and yellow colorsmixed on it, and -- look out the window, dear, at the last ivy leaf on thewall. Didn't you wonder why it never fluttered or moved when the wind blew? Ah,darling, it's Behrman's masterpiece -- he painted it there the night that thelast leaf fell."

“我跟你說件事，小白鼠，”她說。“貝爾曼先生今天在醫院裡得肺炎去世了。他得病才兩天。發病那天上午人家在樓下他的房間裡發現他疼得利害。他的鞋子衣服都濕透了，冰冷冰冷的。他們想不出那么糟糕的天氣他夜裡會去哪兒。後來他們發現了一個燈籠，還亮著，還有一個梯子被拖了出來，另外還有些散落的畫筆，一個調色板，和著黃綠兩種顏色，――看看窗外，寶貝兒，看看牆上那最後一片常青藤葉子。它在颳風的時候一動也不動，你沒有覺得奇怪嗎？啊，親愛的，那是貝爾曼的傑作――最後一片葉子掉落的那天夜裡他畫上了這片葉子。”

He did not trust the woman to trust him. And he did not trust the womannot to trust him. And he did not want to be mistrusted now.

他不敢相信這個女人居然會信任自己。他也不認為這個女人就不信任自己。不過，現在他不想失去別人對自己的信任。