The large room was full of people One of the girls in yellow was playing the piano and beside her stood a tall ,red haired young lady from a famous chorus ,engaged in song .She had drunk a quantity of champagne and during the course of her song she had decided ineptly that everything was very very sad --she was not only singing ,she was weeping too .Whenever there was a pause in the song she filled it with gasping broken sobs and then took up the lyric again in a quavering soprano.The tears coursed down her cheeks --not freely ,however ,for when they came into contact with her heavily beaded eyelashes they assumed an inky color,and pursued the rest of their way in slow black rivulets .A humorous suggestion was made that she sing the notes on her face whereupon she threw up her hands ,sank into a chair and went off into a deep vinous sleep.

大房间里挤满了人。穿黄衣的姑娘有一个在弹钢琴，她身旁站着一个高高的红发少妇，是从一个有名的歌舞团来的，正在那里唱歌。她已经喝了大量的香槟，在她唱歌的过程中她又不合时宜地认定一切都非常非常悲惨--她不仅在唱，而且还在哭。每逢曲中有停顿的地方，她就用抽抽噎噎的哭声填补，然后又用震颤的女高音继续唱下去。眼泪沿着她的面颊往下流--可不是畅通无阻地流，因为眼泪一碰到画得浓浓的睫毛之后就变成了黑墨水，像两条黑色小河似的慢慢地继续往下流。有人开玩笑，建议她唱脸上的那些音符，她听了这话把两手向上一甩，倒在一把椅子上，醉醺醺地呼呼大睡起来。

"She had a fight with a man who says he's her husband ,"explained a girl at my elbow .

她刚才跟一个自称是她丈夫的人打过一架，我身旁一个姑娘解释说。

I looked around .Most of the remaining women were no having fights with men said to be their husbands .Even Jordan's party ,the quartet from East Egg,were rent asunder by dissension .One of the men was talking with curious intensity to a young actress,and his wife after attempting to laugh at the situation in a dignified and indifferent way broke down entirely and resorted to flank attacks --at intervals she appeared suddenly at his side like an angry diamond ,and hissed "You promised !"into his ear .

我向四周看看，剩下的女客现在多半都在跟她们所谓的丈夫吵架。连乔丹的那一伙，从东卵来的那四位，也由于意见不和而四分五裂了。男的当中有一个正在劲头十足地跟一个年轻的女演员交谈，他的妻子起先还保持尊严，装着满不在乎，想一笑置之，到后来完全跨了，就采取侧面攻击--不时突然出现在他身边，像一条衲脊蛇愤怒时口腔里发出嘶嘶声一般，对着他的耳朵从牙缝里挤出一句话：你答应过的！

The reluctance to go home was not confined to wayward men .The hall ws at present occupied by two deplorably sober men and their highly indignant wives .The wives were sympathizing with each other in slightly raised voices .

舍不得回家的并不限于任性男客。穿堂里此刻有两个毫无醉意的男客和他怒气冲天的太太。两位太太略微提高了嗓子在互相表示同情。

"Whenever he sees I'm having a good time he wants to go home ."

每次他一看见我玩得开心他就要回家。

"Never heard anything so selfish in my life ."

我这辈子从来没见过谁像他这么自私。

"We're always the first ones to leave ."

我们总是一第一个走。

"So are we."

我们也是一样。

"Well,we're almost the last tonight said one fo the men sheepishly ."The orchestra left an hour ago ."

不过，今晚我们几乎是最后的了，两个男的中的一个怯生生地说，乐队半个钟头以前就走了。

In spite of the wives' agreement that such malevolence was beyond credibility ,the dispute ended in a short struggle,and both wives were lifted kicking into the night .

尽管两位太太一致认为这种恶毒心肠简直叫人难以置信，这场纠纷终于在一阵短暂的揪斗中结束，两位太太都被抱了起来，两腿乱踢，消失在黑夜里。

As I waited for my hat in the hall the door of the library opened and Jondan Baker and Gatsby came out together .He was saying some last word to her but the eagerness in his manner tightened abruptly into formality as severall people approached him to say goodbye.

我在穿堂里等侍者取回我帽子的时候，图书室的门开了，乔丹.贝克和盖茨比一同走了出来。他还在跟她说最后一句话，可是这时有几个人走过来和他告别，他原先热切的态度陡然收敛，变成了拘谨。

Jordan's party were calling impatiently to her from the porch but she lingered for a moment to shake hands .

乔丹那一伙人从阳台上不耐烦地喊她，可是她还逗留了片刻和我握手。

"I've just heard the most amazing thing ,"she whispered ."How long were we in the there?"

我刚才听到一件最惊人的事情，她出神地小声说，我们在那里边待了多久？

Why ,--about an hour .

哦，个把钟头。

"It was -- simply amazing ,"she repeated abstractedly ."But I swore I wouldn't tell it and here I am tantalizing you."She yawned gracefully in my face ."Please come and see me ----Phone book----Under the name of Mrs.Sigourney Howard ---My aunt ----"She was hurrying off as she talked --her brown hand waved a jaunty salute as she melted into her party at the door .

这事…太惊人了，她出神地重复说，可是我发过誓不告诉别人，而我现在已经在逗你了。她对着我的脸轻轻打了个哈欠，有空请过来看我…电话簿…西古奈.霍华德太太名下…我的姑妈…她一边说一边匆匆离去--她活泼地挥了一下那只晒得黑黑的手表示告别，然后就消失在门口她的那一伙人当中了。

Rather ashamed that on my first appearance I had stayed so late ,I joined the last of Gatsby's guests who were clustered around him .I wanted to explain that I'd hunted for him early in the evening and to apologize for not having known him in the garden .

我觉得怪难为情的，第一次就待得这么晚，于是走到拥着盖茨比的最后几位客人那边去。我想要解释一下我一来就到处找过他，同时为刚才在花园里与他面对面却不知道他是何许人向他道歉。

"Don't mention it ,"he enjoined me eagerly ."Don't give it another thought ,old sport ."The familiar expression held no more familiarity than the hand which reassuringly brushed my shoulder ."And don't forget we're going up in the hydroplane tomorrow morning at nine o'clock .

没有关系，他恳切地嘱咐我，别放在心上，老兄。这个亲热的称呼还比不上非常友好地拍拍我肩膀的那只手所表示的亲热。别忘了明天早上九点我们要乘水上飞机上天哩。

Then the butler ,behind his shoulder:

接着男管家来了，站在他背后。

"Philadelphia wants you on the phone ,sir ."

先生，有一上找您的来自费城的长途电话。

"All right ,in a minute .Tell them I'll be right there …good night ."

好，就来，告诉他们我就来，晚安。

Good night .

晚安。

Good night .He smiled -- and suddenly there seemed to be a pleasnt significance in having been among the last to go ,as if he had desired it all the time ,Good night ,old sport …Good night .

晚安，他微微一笑，突然之间，我待到最后才走，这其中好像含有愉快的深意，仿佛他是一直希望如此的。晚安，老兄…晚安。

But as I walked down the steps I saw that the evening was not quite over .Fifty feet from the door a dozen haedlights illuminated a bizarre and tumultuous scene .In the ditch beside the road ,right side up but violently shorn of one wheel ,rested a new coupe which had left Gatsby's drive not two minutes before .The sharp jut of a wall accounted for the detachment of the wheel which was now getting considerable attention from half a dozen curious chauffeurs .However,as they had left their cars blocking the road a harsh discordant din from those in the rear had been audible for some time and added to the already violent confusion of the scene.

可是，当我走下台阶时，我看到晚会还没有完全结束。离大门五十英尺，十几辆汽车的前灯照亮了一个不寻常、闹哄哄的场面。在路旁的小沟里，右边向上，躺着一辆新的小轿车，可是一只轮子撞掉了。这辆车离开盖茨比的车道还不到两分钟。一堵墙的突出部分是造成车轮脱落的原因。现在有五六个好奇的司机在围观，可是，由于他们让自己的车子挡住了路，后面车子上的司机已经按了好久喇叭，传来一片刺耳噪音，更增添了整个场面本来就很严重的混乱。

A man in a long duster had dismounted from the wreck and now stood in the middle of the road ,looking from the car to the tire and from the tire to the observers in a pleasant ,puzzled way .

一个穿着长风衣的男人已经撞坏的车子里出来，此刻站在大路中间，看看车子，又看看轮胎，再看看旁观的人，脸上带着愉快而迷惑不解的表情。

"See!"he explained ."It went in the ditch ."

请看，他解释道，车子开到沟里去了。

The fact was infinitely astonishing to him -- and I recognized first the unusual quality of wonder and then the man --it was the late patron of Gatsby's library .

这个事实使他感到不胜惊奇，我先听出了那不平常的惊奇的口吻，然后认出了这个人--就是早先光顾盖茨比图书室的那一位。

"How'd it happen ?"

怎么搞的？

He shrugged his shoulders .

他耸了耸肩膀。

"I know nothing whatever about mechanice ,"he said decisively .

我对机械一窍不通。他肯定地说。

"But how did it happen ?Did you run into the wall ?"

到底怎么搞的？你撞到墙上去了吗？

"Don't ask me ,"said Owl Eyes ,washing his hands of the whole matter ."I know very little about driving --next to nothing .It happened ,and that's all I know ."

别问我，猫头鹰眼说，把事情推脱得一干二净，我不大懂开车--几乎一无所知。事情发生了，我就知道这一点。

"Well ,if you're a poor driver you oughtn't to try driving at night ."

即然你车子开得不好，那么你晚上就不应当试着开车嘛。

"But I wasn't even trying,"he explained indignantly ,"I wasn't even trying ."

可是我连试也没试，他气愤地解释，我连试也不试啊。

An awed hush fell upon the bystanders .

旁观的人听了都惊愕得说不出话来。

"Do you want to commit suicide?"

你想自杀吗？

"You're lucky it was just a wheel ! A bad driver and not even trying !"

幸亏只是一只轮子！开车开得不好，还连试都不试！"

"You don't understand ,"explained the criminal ."I wasn't driving .There's another man in the car ."

你们不明白，罪人解释说，我没有开车，车子里还有一个人。

The shock that followed this declaration found voice in a sustained "Ah-h-h!"as the door of the coupe swung slowly open .The crowd --it was now a crowd --stepped back involuntarily and when the door had opened wide there was a ghostly pause .Then ,very gradually,part by part ,a pale dangling individual stepped out of the wreck ,pawing tentatively at the ground with a large uncertain dancing shoe .

这句声明所引起的震惊表现为一连声的噢…啊…啊！同时那辆小轿车的门也慢慢开了。人群--此刻已经是一大群了--不由得向后一退，等到车敞开以后，又有片刻阴森要可怕的停顿。然后，逐渐逐渐地，一部分一部分地，一个脸色煞白、摇来晃去的人从撞坏了的汽车里跨了出来，先伸出一只舞鞋在地面上试探了几下。

Blinded by the glare of the headlights and confused by the incessant groaning of the horns the apparition stood swaying for a moment before he perceived the man in the duster .

这位幽灵被汽车前灯的亮光照得睁不开眼，又被一片汽车喇叭声吵得糊里糊涂，站在那里摇晃了一会儿才认出那个穿风衣的人。

"Wha's matter?"he inquired calmly ."Did we run outa gas ?"

怎么啦？他镇静地问道，咱们没汽油了吗？

"Look!"

你瞧！

Half a dozen fingers pointed at the amputated wheel --he stared at it for a moment and then looked upward as though he suspected that it had dropped from the sky .

五六个人用手指指向那脱落下来的车轮--他朝它瞪了一眼，然后抬头向上看，仿佛他怀疑轮子是从天上掉下来的。

"It came off ,"some one explained .

轮子掉下来了。有一个人解释说。

He nodded .

他点点头。

"At first I din't notice we'd stopped ."

起先我还没发现咱们停下来了。

A pause .Then ,taking a long breath and straightening his shoulders he remarked in a datermined voice :

过了一会儿，他深深吸了一口气，又挺起胸膛，用坚决的声音说：

"Wonder'ff tell me where there's a gas'line station ?

不知可不可发告诉我哪儿有加油站？

At least a dozen men ,some of them little better off than he was ,explained to him that wheel and car were no longer joined by any physical bond .

至少有五六个人，其中有的比他稍微清醒一点，解释给他听，轮子和车子之间已经没有任何实质性的联系了。

"Back out ,"he suggested after a moment ."Put her in reverse ."

倒车，过了一会儿他又出点子，用倒车挡。

"But the wheel's off!"

可是轮子掉啦！

He hesitated .

他迟疑了一会儿。

"No harm in trying ,"he said .

试试也无妨嘛，他说。

The caterwauling horns had reached a crescendo and I turned away and cut across the lawn toward home .I glanced back once .A wafer of a moon was shining over Gatsby's house ,making the night fine as before and surviving the laughter and the sound of his still glowing garden .A sudden emptiness seemed to flow now from the windows and the great doors ,endowing with complete isolation the figure of the host who stood on the porch ,his hand up in a formal gesture of farewell .

汽车喇叭的尖声怪叫达到了高潮，于是我掉转身，穿过草地回家。我回头望了一眼。一轮明月正照在盖茨比别墅的上面，夜色跟先前一样美好，明月依旧，而欢声笑语已经从仍然光辉灿烂的花园里消失了。一股突然的空虚此刻好像从那些窗户和巨大的门里流出来，使主人的形象处于完全的孤独之中，他这时站在阳台上，举起一只手做出正式的告别姿势。

Reading over what I have written so far I see I have given the impression that the event of three nights several weeks apart were all that absorbed me .On the contrary they were merely casual events in a crowded summer and ,until much later ,they absorbed me infinitely less than my personal affairs .

重读一遍以上所写的，我觉得我已经给人一种印象，好像相隔好几个星期的三个晚上所发生的事情就是我所关注的一切。恰恰相反，它们只不过是一个繁忙的夏天当中一些小事，而且直到很久以后，我对它们还远远不如对待我自己的私事那样关心。

Most of the time I worked .In the early morning the sun threw my shadow westward as I hurried down the white chasms of lower New York to the Probity Trust .I knew the other clerks and young bond-salesmen by their first names and lunched with them in dark crowded restaurants on little pig sausages and mashed potatoes and coffee .I even had a short affair with a girl who lived in Jersey City and worked in the accounting department ,but her brother began throwing mean looks in my direction so when she went on her vacation in July I let it blow quietly away .

大部分时间我都在工作。每天清早太阳把我的影子投向西边时，我沿着纽约南部摩天大楼之间的白色裂口匆匆走向正诚信托公司。我跟其他的办事员和年轻的债券推销员混得很熟，和他们一起在阴暗拥挤的饭馆里吃午饭，吃点小猪肉香肠加土豆泥，喝杯咖啡。我甚至和一个姑娘发生过短期的关系，她住在泽西城，在会计处工作。可是她哥哥开始给我眼色看，因此她七月出去度假的时候，我就让这事悄悄地吹了。

I took dinner usually at the Yale Club --for some reason it was the gloomiest event of my day --and then I went upstairs to the library and studied investments and securities for a conscientious hour .There were generally a few rioters around but they never came into the library so it was a good place to work .After that ,if the night was mellow I strolled down Madison Avenue past the old Murray Hill Hotel and over Thirty-third Street to the pennsylvania Station .

我一般在耶鲁俱乐部吃晚饭--不知为了什么缘故这是我一天中最凄凉的事情--饭后我上楼到图书室，花一个钟头认真学习各种投资和证券知识。同学会里往往有几个爱玩爱闹的人光临，但他们从来不进图书室，所以那里倒是个工作的好地方。从那以后，如果天气宜人，我就沿着麦迪逊路溜达，经过那座在古老的默里山饭店，再穿过三十三号街走到宾夕法尼亚车站。

I began to like New York ,the racy ,adventurous feel of it at night and the satisfaction that the constant flicker of men and women and machines gives to the restless eye.I liked to walk up Fifth Avenue and pick out romantic that in a few minutes I was going go enter into their lives ,and no one would ever know or disapprove .Sometimes ,in my mind ,I followed them to their apartments on the corners of hidden streets ,and they turned and smiled back at me before they faded through a door into warm darkness .At the enchanted metropolitan twilight I felt a haunting loneliness sometimes ,and felt it in others -- poor young clerks who loitered in front of windows waiting untill it was time for a solitray restaurant dinner --young clerks in the dusk ,wasting the most poignant moments of night and life .

我开始喜欢纽约了，喜欢夜晚那种奔放冒险的情调，喜欢那川流不息的男男女女和往来车辆给应接不暇的眼睛带来的满足。我喜欢在五号路上溜达，从人群中挑出风流的女人，幻想几分钟之内我就要进入她们的生活，而永远也不会有人知道或者非难这件事。有时，在我脑海里，我跟着她们走到神秘的街道拐角上她们所住在公寓，到了门口她们回眸一笑，然后走进一扇门，消失在温暖的黑暗之中。在大都市迷人的黄昏时刻，我有时感到一种难以排遣的寂寞，同时也觉得别人有同感--那些在橱窗面前踯躅的穷困的青年小职员，等到了时候独个儿上小饭馆去吃一顿晚饭--黄昏中的青年小职员，虚度着夜晚和生活中最令人陶醉的时光。

Again at eight o'clock ,when the dark lanes of the Forties were five deep with throbbing taxi cabs ,bound for the theatre distric ,I felt a sinking in my heart .Forms leaned together in the taxis as they waited ,and voices sang ,and there was laughter from unheard jokes ,and lighted cigarettes outlined unintelligible gestures inside .Imagining that I ,too ,was hurrying toward gayety and sharing their intimate excitement ,I wished them well .

有时晚上八点钟，四十几号街那一带阴暗的街巷挤满了出租汽车，五辆一排，热闹非凡，都是前往戏院区的，这时我心中就感到一种无名的怅惘。出租汽车在路口暂停的时候，车里的人身子偎在一起，说话的声音传了出来，听不见的笑话引起了欢笑，点燃的香烟在车里升起一个个模糊的烟圈。我幻想着自己也在匆匆赶去寻欢作乐，分享他们内心的激动，于是我暗自为他们祝福。

For a while I lost sight of Jordan Baker ,and then in midsummer I found her again .At first I was flattered to go places with her becausr she was a golf champion and every one knew her name .Then it was something more .I wasn't actually in love ,but I felt a sort of tender curiosity .The bored haughty face that she turned to the world concealed something --most affectations conceal something eventually ,even though they don't in the beginning --and one day I found what it was .When we were on a house-party together up in Warwick,she left a borrowed car out in the rain with the top down ,and then lied about it -- and suddenly I remembered the story about her that had eluded me that night at Daisy's .At her first big golf tournament there was a row that nearly reached the newspapers --a suggestion that she had moved her ball from a bad lie in the semi-final round .The thing approached the proportions of a scandal --then died away .A caddy retracted his statement and the only other witness admitted that he might have been mistaken .The incident and the name had remained together in my mind .

有好久我没有见过乔丹.贝克，后来在仲夏时节我又找到了她。起初我对陪她到各处去感到很荣幸，因为她是个高尔夫球冠军，所有的人都知道她的大名。后来却有了另一种感情。我并没有真的爱上她，但我产生了一种温柔的好奇心。她对世人摆出的那副厌烦而高傲的面孔掩盖了点什么--大多数装模作样的言行到后来总是在掩盖点什么，虽然起初并不如此--有一天我发现了那是什么。当时我们两人一同到沃维克参加一次别墅聚会。她把一辆借来的车子不拉上车篷就停在雨里，然后扯了个谎--突然之间我记起了那开晚上我在黛西家里想不起来的那件关于她的事。在她参加的第一个生重要高尔夫锦标赛上，发生了一场风波，差一点闹到登报--有人说在半决赛那一局她把球人一个不利的位置上移动过。事情几乎在要成为一桩丑闻--后来平息了下去。一个球童收回了他的话，仅剩的另一个见证人也承认他可能搞错了。这个事件和她的名字却留在我脑子里。

Jordan Baker instinctively avoded clever ,shrewd men ,and now I saw that this was because she felt safer on a plane where any divergence from a code would be thought impossible .She was incurably dishonest.She was incurably dishonest .She wasn't able to endure being at a disadvantage ,and given this unwillingness ,I suppose she had begun dealing in subterfuges when she was very young in order to keep that cool ,insolent smile turned to the world and yet satisfy the demands of her hard jaunty body .

乔丹.贝克本能地回避聪明机警的男人，现在我明白了这是因为她认为，在对越轨的行动不以为然的社会圈子里活动比较保险。她不诚实到了不可救药的地步。她不能忍受处于不利的地位，既然这样不甘心，因此我想她从很年轻的时候就开始耍各种花招，为了对世人保持那副傲慢的冷笑，而同时又能满足她那结实的、矫健的身体的要求。

It made no difference to me .Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame deeply -- I was casually sorry ,and then I forgot .It was on that same house party that we had a curious conversation about driving a car .It started because she passed so close to some workmen that our fender flicked a button on one man's coat .

这对我完全无所谓，女人不诚实，这是人们司空见惯的事--我微微感到遗憾，过后就忘了。也是参加那次别墅聚会的时候，我们俩有过一次关于开车的有趣的谈话。因为她从几个工人身旁开过去，挨得太近，结果挡泥板擦着一个工人上衣的纽扣。

"You're a rotten driver ," I protested ."Either you ought to be more careful or you oughtn't to drive at all ."

你是个粗心的驾驶员，我提出了抗议，你该再小心点儿，要不就干脆别开车。

"I am careful."

我很小心。

"No ,you're not.

不对，你不小心。

"Well ,other people are ,"she said lightly .

不要紧，反正别人很小心，她轻巧地说。

"What's that got go do with it ?"

这跟你开车有什么关系？

"They'll keep out of my way ,"she insisted ."It takes two to make an accident ."

他们会躲开我的，她固执地说，要双方不小心才能造成一次车祸嘛。

"Suppose you met somebody just as careless as yourself ."

假定你碰到一个像你一样不小心的人呢？

"I hope I never will ,"she answered ."I hate careless people .That's why I like you ."

我希望永远不会碰到，她答道，我顶讨厌不小心的人。这也是我喜欢你的原因。

Her grey ,sun-strained eyes stared straight ahead ,but she had deliberately shifted our relations ,and for a moment I thought I loved her .But I am slow-thinking and full of interior rules that act as brakes on my desires ,and I knew that first I had to get myself definitely out of that tangle back home .I'd been writing letters once a week and signing them :"Love ,Nick ,"and all I could think of was how ,when that certain girl played tennis , a faint mustache of perspiration appeared on her lip .Nevertheless there was a vague understanding that had to be tactfully broken off before I was free .

她那双灰色的、被太阳照得眯紧的眼睛笔直地盯着前方，但她故意地改变了我们的关系，因而有片刻工夫我以为我爱上了她。但是我思想迟钝，而且满脑袋清规戒律，这都对我的情欲起着刹车的作用，同时我也知道首先我得完全摆脱家乡的那段纠葛。我一直每星期写一封信回去，并且签上“爱你，尼克”，而我能想到的只是每次那位小姐一打网球，她的上唇上边总出现像小胡子一样的一溜汗珠。不过我们之间确实有过一种没有言明的默契，这必须先巧妙地解除，然后我才可以自由。

Every one suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues ,and this is mine:I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known.

每个人都以为他自己至少有一项基本的美德，而这就是我的：我所认识的诚实的人并不多，而我自己恰好就是其中的一个。