经济学人183:村上春树的梦中梦

 　　In a suburban¹ Japanese flat an out-of-work loser, Toru Okada (James Yaegashi), is folding laundry while he contemplates² the disappearance³ of first his cat and then his wife, who hasn’t been home for days. The doorbell rings. Visions of bubbling water and mist on stage signal the start of Okada’s voyage of discovery. Various seemingly disconnected strangers come to visit, each one teaching Okada something new about himself. One leads him into the inky darkness of a well, where many of the novel’s more philosophical⁴ soliloquies are set. “Sometimes the best way to think about reality is to get as far away from it as possible,” he says.

　　在日本郊区的一套公寓里，一个无业的失败者冈田亨（詹姆斯?八重樫饰）一边叠着自己的衣服一边陷入沉思。他先想到他的那只猫的消失，然后又想到他几天没有回过家的妻子。门铃响了。舞台上水泡烟雾的影像暗示着冈田亨探索旅程的开始。各种各样看上去毫无关系的陌生人前来拜访，每个人都让冈田亨了解到关于自身的一些新的认识。其中一人带领他走进了一口暗如墨色的深井中，小说中的许多更具哲学性的独白就被设定在那里。“有时候，思考现实的最佳方式就是尽可能地远离它，”他如是说。

　　Nothing is straightforward⁵. As Okada, Mr Yaegashi is both fearful and open. His wife, Kumiko (Ai Kiyono), may have run off or she may have been kidnapped. Her beastly brother, performed by James Saito, epitomises Japan’s right-wing romantics, who long for the days when warfare⁶, chivalry⁷ and honour were prized above all else. An old soldier from Hiroshima visits Okada to tell him a terrifying story of a man who was skinned alive by enemy forces before the second world war. “Telling you my memories has given me so much relief,” he says as he bids adieu.

　　没有什么是直截了当的。关于冈田亨，八重樫先生的表演即可怕又开放。冈田亨的妻子久美子（清野爱饰）可能已经离开了他，或者她也可能被绑架。而由詹姆斯?斋藤饰演的她那野蛮的哥哥就是日本右翼空想家们的缩影，他们渴望那些将战争、骑士精神与荣耀视作高于其他一切事物的旧时光。一个来自广岛的老士兵拜访冈田亨并向他讲述了关于二战前一个人被敌军活活剥皮的可怕故事。“对你讲述我的记忆让我深感慰藉，”他在临走告别前这样说道。

　　If Mr Murakami’s book was hard to follow, Mr Earnhart’s version does little to clarify. Better to give yourself up to the theatrical⁸ experience of Okada’s passage into the unknown. In a land of dreams, it is never the destination but the journey that counts most of all.

　　如果说村上春树的书非常难以捉摸，那么爱恩哈特的戏剧版本并没能做到多少阐明。不如就让自己臣服于冈田亨探索未知旅途的戏剧体验吧。在梦境的原野上，最重要的从来都不是目的地，而是过程。

　　In a suburban Japanese flat an out-of-work loser, Toru Okada (James Yaegashi), is folding laundry while he contemplates the disappearance of first his cat and then his wife, who hasn’t been home for days. The doorbell rings. Visions of bubbling water and mist on stage signal the start of Okada’s voyage of discovery. Various seemingly disconnected strangers come to visit, each one teaching Okada something new about himself. One leads him into the inky darkness of a well, where many of the novel’s more philosophical soliloquies are set. “Sometimes the best way to think about reality is to get as far away from it as possible,” he says.

　　在日本郊区的一套公寓里，一个无业的失败者冈田亨（詹姆斯?八重樫饰）一边叠着自己的衣服一边陷入沉思。他先想到他的那只猫的消失，然后又想到他几天没有回过家的妻子。门铃响了。舞台上水泡烟雾的影像暗示着冈田亨探索旅程的开始。各种各样看上去毫无关系的陌生人前来拜访，每个人都让冈田亨了解到关于自身的一些新的认识。其中一人带领他走进了一口暗如墨色的深井中，小说中的许多更具哲学性的独白就被设定在那里。“有时候，思考现实的最佳方式就是尽可能地远离它，”他如是说。

　　Nothing is straightforward. As Okada, Mr Yaegashi is both fearful and open. His wife, Kumiko (Ai Kiyono), may have run off or she may have been kidnapped. Her beastly brother, performed by James Saito, epitomises Japan’s right-wing romantics, who long for the days when warfare, chivalry and honour were prized above all else. An old soldier from Hiroshima visits Okada to tell him a terrifying story of a man who was skinned alive by enemy forces before the second world war. “Telling you my memories has given me so much relief,” he says as he bids adieu.

　　没有什么是直截了当的。关于冈田亨，八重樫先生的表演即可怕又开放。冈田亨的妻子久美子（清野爱饰）可能已经离开了他，或者她也可能被绑架。而由詹姆斯?斋藤饰演的她那野蛮的哥哥就是日本右翼空想家们的缩影，他们渴望那些将战争、骑士精神与荣耀视作高于其他一切事物的旧时光。一个来自广岛的老士兵拜访冈田亨并向他讲述了关于二战前一个人被敌军活活剥皮的可怕故事。“对你讲述我的记忆让我深感慰藉，”他在临走告别前这样说道。

　　If Mr Murakami’s book was hard to follow, Mr Earnhart’s version does little to clarify. Better to give yourself up to the theatrical experience of Okada’s passage into the unknown. In a land of dreams, it is never the destination but the journey that counts most of all.

　　如果说村上春树的书非常难以捉摸，那么爱恩哈特的戏剧版本并没能做到多少阐明。不如就让自己臣服于冈田亨探索未知旅途的戏剧体验吧。在梦境的原野上，最重要的从来都不是目的地，而是过程。

1 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

2 contemplates   

深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的第三人称单数 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想

参考例句：

• She contemplates leaving for the sake of the kids. 她考虑为了孩子而离开。
• Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them. 事物的美存在于细心观察它的人的头脑中。

3 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

4 philosophical   

adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的

参考例句：

• The teacher couldn't answer the philosophical problem.老师不能解答这个哲学问题。
• She is very philosophical about her bad luck.她对自己的不幸看得很开。

5 straightforward   

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

• A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
• I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

6 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

7 chivalry   

n.骑士气概，侠义；（男人）对女人彬彬有礼，献殷勤

参考例句：

• The Middle Ages were also the great age of chivalry.中世纪也是骑士制度盛行的时代。
• He looked up at them with great chivalry.他非常有礼貌地抬头瞧她们。

8 theatrical   

adj.剧场的，演戏的；做戏似的，做作的

参考例句：

• The final scene was dismayingly lacking in theatrical effect.最后一场缺乏戏剧效果，叫人失望。
• She always makes some theatrical gesture.她老在做些夸张的手势。