死的却是一只狗（The dog it was that died

      今天看完了《面纱》。

      不少评论家说，毛姆是20世纪最会讲故事的作家之一。不错，就之前看到几部小说来讲，毛姆讲起故事都不慢不紧，时而温吞时而锋利，一点也不刻意。大多数时候，我是在听故事时认识一个个或可爱或可恨的人，但在《面纱》里，我认识了凯蒂，然后才跟着她开始经历。

      我觉得《面纱》的重点不在故事，而在一个人，或者说是一种人——那些凯蒂们。他们虚伪轻浮，只知享乐；头脑简单，却自以为聪慧；任性自私，却自以为通情达理。他们活在世上只有一具光鲜体面的外壳，里头连点棉絮都没有；有时候他们会自以为得到了升华，可惜很容易被打回原形。空虚大概是他们体内的原生细胞，免疫力低下时，营养成分能够轻而易举地入侵，但一旦有机会让根深蒂固的思想修复机体能力，这些异物就能被迅速排出体外；不过代谢过程可能会伴随剧烈的排斥反应，比如凯蒂回港后在唐生屋里那激烈的内心挣扎与自我否定。因此在我看来，充满希望的结局更像是一个隐蔽的嘲讽吧。

      全书最记得两句话：一句是“付出爱才是重要的，被爱是不重要的”，另一句就是瓦尔特最后说的“死的却是一只狗（The dog it was that died）”，所以最后摘抄一下这首挽歌。

      2018年3月7日

      读 毛姆《面纱》

  An Elegy on the Death of a Mad Dog

                                    by Oliver Goldsmith

  Good people of all, of every sort,

  Give ear unto my song;

  And if you find it wondrous short,

  It cannot hold you long.

  In Islington there was a man,

  Of whom the world might say

  That still a godly race he run,

  Whene’er he went to pray.

  A kind and gentle heart he had,

  To comfort friends and foes;

  The naked every day he clad,

  When he put on his clothes.

  And in that town a dog was found,

  As many dogs there be,

  Both mongrel, puppy, whelp and hound,

  And curs of low degree.

  This dog and man at first were friends;

  But when a pique began,

  The dog, to gain some private ends,

  Went mad and bit the man.

  Around from all the neighbouring streets

  The wondering neighbours ran,

  And swore the dog had lost his wits,

  To bite so good a man.

  The wound it seemed both sore and sad

  To every Christian eye;

  And while they swore the dog was mad,

  They swore the man would die.

  But soon a wonder came to light,

  That showed the rogues they lied;

  That man recovered of the bite,

  The dog it was that died.