1891年，處在寫作生涯巔峰期的王爾德遇見了阿爾弗雷德·“波西”·道格拉斯(Alfred "Bosie" Douglas)，兩人很快成為了同性戀人。四年后，因?yàn)檫@段“不敢說出名字的愛”，王爾德 被判“有傷風(fēng)化”罪而入獄。在獄中，王爾德開始反思從前的生活，思索痛苦和人生的意義，藝術(shù)和愛的真諦 ，最終將那些痛苦的淚水都化作優(yōu)美而深沉的文字，寫成了這封名為"de profundis"(從深處)的長信。

作者簡介：奧斯卡·王爾德(Oscar Wilde, 1854-1900)，英國維多利亞時(shí)代著名作家， “唯美主義運(yùn)動(dòng)”的領(lǐng)軍人物，倡導(dǎo)“為藝術(shù)而藝術(shù)”(Art for art's sake)。他的代表作有 戲劇《莎樂美》(Salome)《認(rèn)真的重要性》(The Importance of Being Earnest)，童話《快樂王子》(The Happy Prince) 《夜鶯與玫瑰》(The Nightingale and the Rose)，小說《道連·格雷的畫像》(The Picture of Dorian Gray)， 以及書信《自深深處》(De Profundis)等。

【原著選段】

You thought that in attacking your own?father with dreadful letters, abusive telegrams, and?insulting postcards you were really fighting your?mother’s battles, coming forward as her champion,?and avenging the no doubt terrible wrongs and?sufferings of her married life. It was quite an illusion?on your part; one of your worst indeed. The way for?you to have avenged your mother’s wrongs on your?father, if you considered it part of a son’s duty to do?so, was by being a better son to your mother than?you had been: by not making her afraid to speak?to you on serious things: by not signing bills the?payment of which devolved on her: by being gentler?to her, and not bringing sorrow into her days. Your?brother Francis made great amends to her for what?she had suffered, by his sweetness and goodness to?her through the brief years of his flower-like life.?You should have taken him as your model.

【朱純深譯本】

你還以為，寫信拍電報(bào)寄明信片去咒罵侮辱自己的父親，你這是在替你母親出頭，為她打抱不平，為她在婚后所受的無疑是可怕的屈辱和痛苦報(bào)仇。這真是你的一大幻想，真是你最糟糕的一個(gè)幻想。要為你母親所受的苦找你父親報(bào)仇，假如你認(rèn)為這是做兒子的部分責(zé)任，那就得改弦更張，做個(gè)好兒子；就不要弄得她不敢同你談重大的事情；就不要簽些賬單到頭來都算到她頭上；就要更好地待她，別讓她的日子雪上加霜。你的兄長弗蘭西斯，在他短短的如花般的生命中，就以他的溫良隨和大大減輕了你母親的痛苦。你應(yīng)該以他為楷模才是。

【讀書筆記】

1、champion?除了常見的“冠軍，第一名”的意思外，champion還有“斗爭者，捍衛(wèi)者，聲援者”的意思。另外它還可以作動(dòng)詞，表示“捍衛(wèi)，擁護(hù)，支持”。
【舉例】a champion for the liberation of the slaves?為解放奴隸而奮斗的戰(zhàn)士
a champion of reforms?提倡改革者
champion a just cause?捍衛(wèi)正義事業(yè)

2、devolve??v.(工作、職責(zé)等)移交，轉(zhuǎn)移
【舉例】The work devolved on/upon him when his superior was ill.?他的上司生病時(shí)，工作就落在他身上。

3、amends?n.賠償，補(bǔ)償。注意：amend看起來是復(fù)數(shù)形式，但是用作單數(shù)。
【舉例】make amends to sb.?賠償某人/向某人賠禮道歉
【相關(guān)詞匯】
amend v.修改；改進(jìn)；改正 amend one's way 改過自新

4、model 模范，典型；模型；樣品；模特兒
【舉例】take sb. as one's model 把某人作為自己的榜樣

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