Illusions of Pastoral peace
寧?kù)o田園生活的遐想
The quiet life of the country ahs never appealed to me. City born and city bred. I have always regarded the country as something you look at through a train window, or something you occasional visit during the weekend. Most of my friends live in the city, yet they always go into raptures at the mere mention of the country. Though they extol the virtues of the peaceful life, only one of hem has ever gone to live in the country and he was back in town within six months. Even he still lives under the illusion that country life is somehow superior to town life. He is forever talking about the friendly people, the clean atmosphere, the closeness to nature and the gentle pace of living. Nothing can be compared, he maintains, with the first cockcrow, the twittering of birds at dawn, the sight of the rising sun glinting on the trees and pastures. This idyllic pastoral scene is only part of the picture. My friend fails to mention the long and friendless winter evenings in front of the TV -- virtually the only form of entertainment. He says nothing about the poor selection of goods in the shops, or about those unfortunate people who have to travel from the country to the city every day to get to work. Why people are prepared to tolerate a four-hour journey each day for the dubious privilege of living in the country is beyond me. They could be saved so much misery and expense if they chose to live in the city where they rightly belong.
If you can do without the few pastoral pleasures of the country, you will find the city can provide you with the best that life can offer. You never have to travel miles to see your friends. They invariably lie nearby and are always available for an informal chat or an evening's entertainment. Some of my acquaintances in the country come up to town once or twice a year to visit the theatre as a special treat. For them this is a major operation which involves considerable planning. As the play draws to its close, they wonder whether they will ever catch that last train home. The cit dweller never experiences anxieties of this sort. The latest exhibitions, films, or plays are only a short bus ride away. Shopping, too, is always a pleasure. The latest exhibitions, films, or plays are only a short bus ride away. Shopping, too, is always a pleasure. There is so much variety that you never have to make do with second best. Country people run wild when they go shopping in the city and stagger home loaded with as many of the exotic items as they can carry. Nor is the city without its moments of beauty. There is something comforting about the warm glow shed by advertisements on cold wet winter nights. Few things could be more impressive than the peace that descends on deserted city streets at weekends when the thousands that travel to work every day are tucked away in their homes in the country. It has always been a mystery to me who city dwellers, who appreciate all these things, obstinately pretend that they would prefer to live in the country.
寧?kù)o的鄉(xiāng)村生活從來(lái)沒(méi)有吸引過(guò)我。我生在城市，長(zhǎng)在城市，總認(rèn)為鄉(xiāng)村是透過(guò)火車車窗看到的那個(gè)樣了，或偶爾周末去游玩一下景象。我的許多朋友都住在城市，但他們只要一提起鄉(xiāng)村，馬上就會(huì)變得欣喜若狂。盡管他們都交口稱贊寧?kù)o的鄉(xiāng)村生活的種種優(yōu)點(diǎn)，但其中只有一個(gè)人真去農(nóng)村住過(guò)，而且不足6個(gè)月就回來(lái)了。即使他也仍存有幻覺(jué)，好像鄉(xiāng)村生活就是比城市生活優(yōu)越。他滔滔不絕地大談?dòng)押玫霓r(nóng)民，潔凈的空氣，貼近大自然的環(huán)境和悠閑的生活節(jié)奏。他堅(jiān)持認(rèn)為，凌晨雄雞第一聲啼叫，黎明時(shí)分小鳥吱喳歡叫，冉冉升起的朝陽(yáng)染紅樹木、牧場(chǎng)，此番美景無(wú)與倫比。但這種田園詩(shī)般的鄉(xiāng)村風(fēng)光僅僅是一個(gè)側(cè)面。我的朋友沒(méi)有提到在電視機(jī)前度過(guò)的漫長(zhǎng)寂寞的冬夜——電視是唯一的娛樂(lè)形式。他也不說(shuō)商店貨物品種單調(diào)，以及那些每天不得不從鄉(xiāng)下趕到城里工作的不幸的人們。人們?yōu)槭裁辞樵该刻煸诼飞媳疾?個(gè)小時(shí)去換取值得懷疑的鄉(xiāng)間的優(yōu)點(diǎn)，我是無(wú)法理解的。要是他們?cè)敢庾≡诒緛?lái)屬于他們的城市，則可以讓他們省去諸多不便與節(jié)約大量開支。
如果你愿舍棄鄉(xiāng)下生活那一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)樂(lè)趣的話，那么你會(huì)發(fā)出城市可以為你提供生活最美好的東西。你去看朋友根本不用跋涉好幾英里，因?yàn)樗麄兌甲≡诟浇�，你隨時(shí)可以同他們聊天或在晚上一起娛樂(lè)。我在鄉(xiāng)村有一些熟人，他們每年進(jìn)城來(lái)看一回或幾回戲，并把此看作一種特殊的享受。看戲在他們是件大事，需要精心計(jì)劃。當(dāng)戲快演完時(shí)，他們又為是否能趕上末班火車回家而犯愁。這種焦慮，城里人是從未體驗(yàn)過(guò)的。坐公共汽車幾站路，就可看到最新的展覽、電影、戲劇。買東西也是一種樂(lè)趣。物品種繁多，從來(lái)不必用二等品來(lái)湊合。鄉(xiāng)里人進(jìn)城采購(gòu)欣喜若狂，每次回家時(shí)都買足了外來(lái)商品，直到拿不動(dòng)方才罷休，連走路都搖搖晃晃的。城市也并非沒(méi)有良辰美景。寒冷潮濕的冬夜里，廣告燈箱發(fā)出的暖光，會(huì)給人某種安慰。周末，當(dāng)成千上萬(wàn)進(jìn)城上班的人回到他們的鄉(xiāng)間寓所之后，空曠的街市籠罩著一種寧?kù)o氣氛，沒(méi)有什么能比此時(shí)的寧?kù)o更令人難忘了。城里人對(duì)這一切心里很明白，卻偏要執(zhí)拗地裝出他們喜歡住在鄉(xiāng)村的樣子，這對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)一直是個(gè)謎。
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