挚友（2024）

我想象过无数次
I've imagined it so many times,
在那么多问题里
how among all the other questions
你一定会问的是
certain to have come to you was,
那只狗后来怎么样了
"What will happen to the dog?"
它就在山坡顶上
He's there at the top of the hill
在两座桥之间
between the two bridges,
剪影映在清澈的天空下
silhouetted against the limpid sky.
这是你编的吧
You're making this up.
我绝对没编
I'm certainly not making it up.
清澈 是你常用的词
"Limpid" is one of your words.
好吧 清澈是我编的
Well, "limpid's" made up, sure,
但这词可不是我造的 可能另有其人
but I didn't make it up. Some other guy may have...
清澈 这是真的 等一下
"Limpid..." This really happened. Hang on.
瞧 就像是魔法将它召唤出来
Voila! It was like he was magicked there.
像安徒生故事里的大狗
Like one of Andersen's giant dogs.
没有项圈 -没有
And no collar. - No.
没有名牌 -没有
No tag. - Nothing.
等等 安徒生
Wait. Hans Christian...
你听过那故事
You know the story.
有个士兵偷了个打火匣
A soldier steals a tinderbox.
他打开打火匣
He opens it up.
便召唤出三条大狗
Three giant dogs appear
可以满足他任何愿望
to grant any wish that he desires.
沃尔特 那故事就是个白日梦
Walter, that story is a rape fantasy.
不 别这么说
No, no, no. Come on.
那个猥琐的士兵迷上了国王的女儿
The pervy soldier is obsessed with the king's daughter,
于是他让那些狗去绑♥架♥她
So he had the dogs kidnap her.
那算是复仇 是在讽刺丹麦社会
As revenge. It's Danish social commentary.
这样他就可以趁她睡着的时候
So he can have sex with her
占有她
while she's sleeping!
丹麦童话都这样啊
Well, that's Danish.
好吧 你说的可能有道理
Okay. You, you, you could have a point.
但事实是 -谢谢
But the fact is... - Thank you.
那只狗就那么神奇地出现了
The dog magically appeared.
那芭芭拉对这只突然出现的魔法狗
So how's Barbara feeling about this magical dog
是什么态度
suddenly appearing out of nowhere?
她对我那突然冒出来的成年女儿
Barbara was a much better sport about my grown daughter
态度倒是好得多
magically appearing out of nowhere.
你女儿怎么样了
How is your daughter?
她好得很
She's spectacular.
她现在和艾瑞斯一起忙着弄《信件集》
She's working with Iris now on "The Letters."
进行得如何
How's it going?
有个搭档真好
It's good to have a partner. Yeah.
家里又出了个作家
Another writer in the family?
谢谢
Thank you.
认得出这个声音吗
Do you recognize this voice?
认不出
I don't.
我是沃尔特
It's Walter.
你在哪
Where are you?
我找到了那台老电脑
I found that old computer,
但我没法开机
but I can't boot it
既不能踹它 也不会像你那样操作
or kick it, or whatever you do to it.
信息技术部那个小混♥蛋♥完全帮不上忙
And that little prick in IT is completely useless.
请给我打电♥话♥
Please call me.
认得出这个声音吗
Do you recognize this voice?
认不出
I don't.
我是沃尔特
It's Walter.
你在哪 我找到了那台
Where are you? I found that...
你以前总爱对学生说
You loved to tell your students,
提防那些看似无法避免的细节
"Beware the inevitable detail."
警惕预设观念
"Guard against anticipation."
拥抱混乱无序
"Embrace disorder."
但我在写作课上读到的很多故事
Yet many of the stories I read in writing workshops
总是以某人早晨起床作为开头
begin, inevitably, with someone getting up in the morning.
而以某人上♥床♥睡觉开头的故事
Much less often does a story begin
却少得多
with someone going to bed.
当然 现实生活中的人
Of course, real people seldom behave
行为远没有小说人物那样可预测
as predictably as characters in stories.
这是你教我写作时最先讲的要点
That's one of the first things you taught me as a writer.
奇怪的是
And strangely,
这也是你还活着时
one of the last things we talked about
我们最后聊起的一件事
while you were still alive.
这弯曲的镰刀挥下
"And over this sickle bending,
我屏息静听 一动不动
I listened, motionless and still,
缓缓爬上山岗
as I mounted up the hill."
我心中的乐曲依旧回响
"The music in my heart I bore,
即使耳边早已听不见旋律
long after it was heard no more."
我现在一团糟 抱歉
I'm a mess, sorry.
我想读一段沃尔特写的文字
I thought I would read a few of Walter's words.
是他在2010年写的
He wrote this in 2010.
我即将出版的新书也把这部分选作开头
It's also the passage I chose to begin my upcoming book
讲述我们共同度过的时光
about our time together.
你好 你好
Hello? Hello?
下午好
Good afternoon.
我丈夫的学生和同事
My husband's students and colleagues
对他来说和写作一样重要
meant as much to him as his writing.
几乎一样重要
Well, almost as much.
你们是他的朋友
You were the community of friends,
作者和读者 有时还充当批评者
writers and readers, and sometimes even critics,
你们以各种方式
who prodded and pushed him
鞭策他 督促他 爱着他
and loved him in so many different ways.
失陪一下
Excuse me.
我真没想到你会来
I had no idea you were coming.
我本来也没打算来的
I wasn't going to.
但后来想了想 觉得也许该做个了断
But then I thought, you know, closure.
天啊 艾瑞斯 已经快20年了
God, Iris, almost 20 years.
怎么时间过得这么快
How did that happen?
我总是想象自己会回来
I always imagined coming back.
真的很高兴见到你
It's really good to see you.
这第二任妻子挺厉害的 对吧
Wife number two is a piece of work, huh?
你还没见识到她一半的本事呢
Oh, you don't know the half of it.
她现在可是在拼命扮演悲伤寡妇
And she's really milking the bereaved widow thing.
作为第二任 她表现得太到位了
I mean, for a number two.
谷歌♥都说我们这些离过婚的才是幸存者
Google says we're surviving divorced wives.
寡妇只能有一个
There can only be one widow.
觉得被抢风头了
Feeling cheated?
我觉得松了口气
Relieved.
不好意思
Excuse me.
谢谢你 -谢谢
Thank you. - Thank you.
敬 他
To... him.
敬他
Him.
天啊 他真是个混♥蛋♥
God, what an asshole.
那你最近怎么样
But what about you?
最近写作进展如何
How's your writing going?
我读了你那本《数数》 真是惊艳
I-I read "The Counting." Stunning.
真的吗 -真的
Really? - Really.
你现在在写什么 -其实都没写了
What are you working on now? - I'm not.
之前在写
Well, I was.
几年前开始写一部小说 但是
I started a novel a couple of years ago, but... yeah.
遇到了人生中最严重的写作瓶颈期
The worst writer's block of my life.
可能是因为我将其命名为《东方集团》
Maybe because I called it "Eastern Bloc."
哎呀 -嘿
Ouch. - Hey.
我刚进来的时候就在找你
Hey. I was looking for you when I came in.
我来晚了
Yeah. I was late.
我感觉自己像是不请自来的
I feel like a party-crasher.
或者说 总觉得要出什么事
Or like something bad's about to happen.
坏事已经发生了 不是吗
Hasn't something bad already happened?
抱歉 我是埃莱娜
I'm sorry. I'm... I'm Elaine.
第一任妻子 -埃 埃莱娜 对
Wife number one. - El-Elaine. Right. Yes.
我听艾瑞斯提起过你 你好
Iris has told me so much about you. Hi.