A Clean, Well-Lighted Place

by 欧内斯特·海明威

Ernest Hemingway

▌阅读时长：8 分钟

▌内容简介

Hemingway’s writing can be minimalistic, a quality that lends itself well to short stories. In fact, Washington Post's books editor, Ron Charles, has said that Hemingway’s short stories are better than his novels.

海明威的写作手法一向颇为简洁，这一特点尤其适合于短篇小说。事实上，《华盛顿邮报》的图书编辑罗恩·查尔斯就曾评价说，海明威的短篇小说比他的长篇小说更优秀。

You’ve probably read, or at least heard about, “Hills Like White Elephants,” a cryptic conversation between a man and a woman. “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” is another classic, in which two waiters prepare for the end of the evening.

你可能读过或者至少听说过《白象似的群山》，那是发生在一男一女之间的一段晦涩对白。而《一个干净明亮的地方》则是另一个经典，讲述了两个男服务生准备结束一个夜晚的故事。

▌精彩选段

The two waiters inside the café knew that the old man was a little drunk, and while he was a good client they knew that if he became too drunk he would leave without paying, so they kept watch on him.

呆在餐馆里的两个侍者知道这老人有点儿醉了，他虽然是个好主顾，可是，他们知道，如果他喝得太醉了，他会不付账就走，所以他们一直在留神他。

"Last week he tried to commit suicide," one waiter said.

"上个星期他想自杀，"一个侍者说。

"Why?"

"为什么？"

"He was in despair."

"他绝望啦。"

"What about?"

"为啥绝望？"

"Nothing."

"不为什么。"

"How do you know it was nothing?"

"你怎么知道是不为什么？"

"He has plenty of money."

"他有很多钱。"