To Room NineteenDORIS LESSIN十九号房英文原文.docx
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To Room NineteenDORIS LESSIN十九号房英文原文.docx
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ToRoomNineteenDORISLESSIN十九号房英文原文
DORISLESSING
Lessing1/les/,Doris(May)(b.1919),Britishnovelistandshort-storywriter,broughtupinRhodesia.AnactiveCommunistinheryouth,shefrequentlydealswithsocialandpoliticalconflictsinherfiction,especiallyastheyaffectwomen;TheGoldenNotebook(1962)washailedasalandmarkbythewomen'smovement.OtherworksincludeTheGrassisSinging(1950)aboutinterracialrelationshipsinAfrica,andaquintetofscience-fictionnovelscollectivelyentitledCanopusinArgus:
Archives(1979-83).ShewonNobelPrizeforLiteraturein2007.
ToRoomNineteen
Thisisastory,Isuppose,aboutafailureinintelligence:
theRawlings’marriagewasgroundedinintelligence.
Theywereolderwhentheymarriedthanmostoftheirmarriedfriends:
intheirwell-seasonedlatetwenties.Bothhadhadanumberofaffairs,sweetratherthanbitter;andwhentheyfellinlove—fortheydidfallinlove—hadknowneachotherforsometime.Theyjokedthattheyhadsavedeachother“fortherealthing.”Thattheyhadwaitedsolong(butnottoolong)forthisrealthingwastothemaproofoftheirsensiblediscrimination.Agoodmanyoftheirfriendshadmarriedyoung,andnow(theyfelt)probablyregrettedlostopportunities;whileothers,stillunmarried,seemedtothemarid,self-doubting,andlikelytomakedesperateorromanticmarriages.
Notonlythey,butothers,felttheywerewellmatched:
theirfriends’delightwasanadditionalproofoftheirhappiness.Theyhadplayedthesameroles,maleandfemale,inthisgrouporset,ifsuchawide,looselyconnected,constantlychangingconstellationofpeoplecouldbecalledaset.Theyhadbothbecome,byvirtueoftheirmoderation,theirhumour,andtheirabstinencefrompainfulexperiencepeopletowhomotherscameforadvice.Theycouldbe,andwere,reliedon.Itwasoneofthosecasesofamanandawomanlinkingthemselveswhomnooneelsehadeverthoughtoflinking,probablybecauseoftheirsimilarities.Buttheneveryoneexclaimed:
Ofcourse!
Howright!
Howwasitweneverthoughtofitbefore!
Andsotheymarriedamidgeneralrejoicing,andbecauseoftheirforesightandtheirsenseforwhatwasprobable,nothingwasasurprisetothem.
Bothhadwell-paidjobs.MatthewwasasubeditoronalargeLondonnewspaper,andSusanworkedinanadvertisingfirm.Hewasnotthestuffofwhicheditorsorpublicisedjournalistsaremade,buthewasmuchmorethan“asubeditor,”beingoneoftheessentialbackgroundpeoplewhoinfactsteady,inspireandmakepossiblethepeopleinthelimelight.Hewascontentwiththisposition.Susanhadatalentforcommercialdrawing.Shewashumorousabouttheadvertisementsshewasresponsiblefor,butshedidnotfeelstronglyaboutthemonewayortheother.
Both,beforetheymarried,hadhadpleasantflats,buttheyfeltitunwisetobaseamarriageoneitherflat,becauseitmightseemlikeasubmissionofpersonalityonthepartoftheonewhoseflatitwasnot.TheymovedintoanewflatinSouthKensingtonontheclearunderstandingthatwhentheirmarriagehadsettleddown(aprocesstheyknewwouldnottakelong,andwasinfactmoreahumorousconcessiontopopularwisdomthanwhatwasduetothemselves)theywouldbuyahouseandstartafamily.
Andthisiswhathappened.Theylivedintheircharmingflatfortwoyears,givingpartiesandgoingtothem,beingapopularyoungmarriedcouple,andthenSusanbecamepregnant,shegaveupherjob,andtheyboughtahouseinRichmond.Itwastypicalofthiscouplethattheyhadasonfirst,thenadaughter,thentwins,sonanddaughter.Everythingright,appropriate,andwhateveryonewouldwishfor,iftheycouldchoose.Butpeopledidfeelthesetwohadchosen;thisbalancedandsensiblefamilywasnomorethanwhatwasduetothembecauseoftheirinfalliblesenseforchoosingright.
AndsotheylivedwiththeirfourchildrenintheirgardenedhouseinRichmondandWerehappy.Theyhadeverythingtheyhadwantedandhadplanned
for.
Andyet...
Well,eventhiswasexpected,thattheremustbeacertainflatness....
Yes,yes,ofcourse,itwasnaturaltheysometimesfeltlikethis.Likewhat?
Theirlifeseemedtobelikeasnakebitingitstail.Matthew’sjobforthesakeofSusan,children,house,andgarden—whichcaravanseraineededawell-paidjobtomaintainit.AndSusan’spracticalintelligenceforthesakeofMatthew,thechildren,thehouseandthegarden—whichunitwouldhavecollapsedinaweekwithouther.
Buttherewasnopointaboutwhicheithercouldsay:
“Forthesakeofthisisalltherest.”Children?
Butchildrencan’tbeacentreoflifeandareasonforbeing.Theycanbeathousandthingsthataredelightful,interesting,satisfying,buttheycan’tbeawellspringtolivefrom.Ortheyshouldn’tbe.SusanandMatthewknewthatwellenough.
Matthew’sjob?
Ridiculous.Itwasaninterestingjob,butscarcelyareasonforliving.Matthewtookprideindoingitwell;buthecouldhardlybeexpectedtobeproudofthenewspaper:
thenewspaperheread,hisnewspaper,wasnottheoneheworkedfor.
Theirloveforeachother?
Well,thatwasnearestit.Ifthiswasn’tacentre,whatwas?
Yes,itwasaroundthispoint,theirlove,thatthewholeextraordinarystructurerevolved.Forextraordinaryitcertainlywas.BothSusanandMatthewhadmomentsofthinkingso,oflookinginsecretdisbeliefatthisthingtheyhadcreated:
marriage,fourchildren,bighouse,garden,charwomen,friends,cars...andthisthing,thisentity,allofithadcomeintoexistence,beenblownintobeingoutofnowhere,becauseSusanlovedMatthewandMatthewlovedSusan.Extraordinary.Sothatwasthecentralpoint,thewellspring.
Andifonefeltthatitsimplywasnotstrongenough,importantenough,tosupportitall,wellwhosefaultwasthat?
CertainlyneitherSusan’snorMatthew’s.Itwasinthenatureofthings.Andtheysensiblyblamedneitherthemselvesnoreachother.
Onthecontrary,theyusedtheirintelligencetopreservewhattheyhadcreatedfromapainfulandexplosiveworld:
theylookedaroundthem,andtooklessons.Allaroundthem,marriagescollapsing,orbreaking,orrubbingalong(evenworse,theyfelt).Theymustnotmakethesamemistakes,theymustnot.
Theyhadavoidedthepitfallsomanyoftheirfriendshadfalleninto—ofbuyingahouseinthecountryforthesakeofthechildren,sothatthehusbandbecameaweekendhusband,aweekendfather,andthewifealwayscarefulnottoaskwhatwentoninthetownflatwhichtheycalled(injoke)abachelorflat.No,Matthewwasafull-timehusband,afull-timefather,andatnights,inthebigmarriedbedinthebigmarriedbedroom(whichhadanattractiveviewoftheriver),theylaybesideeachothertalkingandhetoldherabouthisday,andwhathehaddone,andwhomhehadmeet;andshetoldhimaboutherday(notasinteresting,butthatwasnotherfault),forbothknewofthehiddenresentmentsanddeprivationsofthewomanwhohaslivedherownlife—andaboveall,hasearnedherownliving—andisnowdependentonahusbandforoutsideinterestsandmoney.
NordidSusanmakethemistakeoftakingajobforthesakeofherindependence,whichshemightverywellhavedone,sinceheroldfirm,missingherqualitiesofhumour,balance,andsense,invitedheroftentogoback.Childrenneededtheirmothertoacertainage,thatbothparentsknewandagreedon;andwhenthesefourhealthywiselybrought-upchildrenwereoftherightage,Susanwouldworkagain,becausesheknew,andsodidhe,whathappenedtowomenoffiftyattheheightoftheirenergyandability,withgrown-upchildrenwhonolongerneededtheirfulldevotion.
Soherewasthiscouple,testingtheirmarriage,lookingafterit,treatingitlikeasmallboatfullofhelplesspeopleinaverystormysea.Well,ofcourse,soitwas....Thestormsoftheworldwerebad,butnottooclose—whichisnottosaytheywereselfishlyfelt:
SusanandMatthewwerebothwell-informedandresponsiblepeople.Andtheinnerstormsandquicksandswereunderstoodandcharted.Soeverythingwasallright.Everythingwasinorder.Yes,thingswereundercontrol.
Sowhatdiditmatteriftheyfeltdry,flat?
Peoplelikethemselves,fedonahundredbooks(psychological,anthropological,sociological)couldscarcelybeunpreparedforthedry,controlledwistfulnesswhichisthedistinguishingmarkoftheintelligentmarriage.Twopeople,endowedwitheducation,withdiscrimination,withjudgement,linkedtogethervoluntarilyfromtheirwilltobehappytogetherandtobeofusetoothers—oneseesthemeverywhere,oneknowsthem,oneevenisthatthingoneself:
sadnessbecausesomuchisafterallsolittle.Thesetwo,unsurprised,turnedtowardseachotherwithevenmorecourtesyandgentlelove:
thiswaslife,thattwopeople,nomatterhowcarefullychosen,couldnotbeeverythingtoeachother.Infact,eventosayso,tothinkinsuchaway,wasbanal,theywereashamedtodoit.
Itwasbanal,too,whenonenightMatthewcamehomelateandconfessedhehadbeentoaparty,takenagirlhomeandsleptwithher.Susanforgavehim,ofcourse.Exceptthatforgivenessishardlytheword.Understanding,yes.Butifyouunderstandsomething,youdon’tforgiveit,youarethethingitself:
forgivenessisforwhatyoudon’tunderstand.Norhadheconfessed—whatsortofwordisthat?
Thewholethingwasnotimportant.Afterall,yearsagotheyhadjoked:
OfcourseI’mnotgoingtobefaithfultoyou,noonecanbefaithfultooneotherpersonforawholelifetime.(Andtherewastheword“faithful”—stupid,allthesewords,stupid,belongingtoasavageoldworld.)Buttheincidentleftbothofthemirritable.Strange,buttheywerebothbad-tempered,annoyed.Therewassomethingunassimilablea
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