I am as hungry for them as for food; I am thirsty for them; and my thirst is overwhelming。 Your words are my food; your breath my wine。 You are everything to me。
Your Sarah
卡尔·马克思致燕妮·马克思(1)
卡尔·马克思(1818—1883),德国著名的思想家、社会活动家、马克思主义的创始人、第一国际的组织者和领导者、全世界无产阶级和劳动人民的伟大导师;著有《资本论》等巨著。1843年5月,在莱茵省的小镇克罗茨纳赫,他与童年时代的女友燕妮·冯·威斯特华伦结婚。从此,她成了马克思志同道合、患难与共的亲密伴侣和战友。
我最亲爱的:
我再一次写信给你,因为我感到孤独,感到难过——我总是在心里和你交谈,但你对此一无所知,既听不到又不能给我回答。你的照片虽然照得不是太好,但对我却极为有用。现在,我才明白为什么“阴郁的圣母”,最丑陋的圣母像却拥有狂热的崇拜者,甚至比一些优美的画像拥有更多的崇拜者。无论如何,这些阴郁的圣母像被吻的次数都没有像你这张照片那么多,也没有像你的照片这样被如此深情地注视,并受到如此的崇拜;你这张照片即使说不上忧郁,至少也是郁闷的,它并不能反映你那可爱、甜蜜、诱人的温柔脸庞。但是,我把被阳光晒坏的地方修好了,并且发现我的眼睛虽然被灯光和烟草的烟雾损坏了,但仍能描绘你的形象——不管是在睡梦之中,还是在清醒时分。你好像真的就在我面前站着,我拥抱着你,从头至脚地吻你,跪倒在你的面前,情不自禁地呻吟着:“我爱您,夫人!”我真的爱你,我对你的爱情远胜过威尼斯摩尔人的爱情。事实上,虚伪和空虚的世界对人的看法也是虚伪而表面化的。那些诽谤我、侮蔑我的敌人中,有哪位曾骂过我适合在某个二流剧院扮演一流情人的角色呢!但事实上,我正是如此。要是那些坏蛋稍稍聪明一点的话,他们会在一边画上“生产关系和交换关系”的图画,另一边画上我匍匐在你脚前的形象。请看看这幅画,再看看那幅画——他们会在下面写上这么一句。但那些坏蛋都是蠢货,而且将永远那么愚蠢。
短暂的别离对人们是有好处的,因为经常接触会让人乏味,从而使事物间的差别消失。经常性的接近甚至会让宝塔变得矮小,日常生活中的琐事,如果接触多了便会变得过分庞杂。小小的恶习通常会引起身体上的愤怒或精神上的反感,但只要对象在视野中消失,它也就不复存在。巨大的热情通过与它的对象的亲近会表现为日常的习惯,但在别离的魔术般的影响下会壮大起来,并重新拥有它自身的魔力。我的爱情就是这样。一旦我们被空间隔离,甚至只在梦中,我就会马上明白,时间之于我的爱情正如阳光雨露之于植物,能让其茁壮成长。只要你离开我,我对你的爱就会显出它本来的面目,如同巨人一般的面目。爱情集中了我的一切精力和全部感情。我再一次觉得自己是一个真正的人,因为我感受到一种强烈的热情。现代的教养和教育带给我们的复杂性,以及使我们对一切主客观印象都不相信的怀疑主义,只能使我们变得渺小、虚弱和畏缩。然而爱情,不是对费尔巴哈式的“人”的爱,不是对“物质交换”的爱,不是对无产阶级的爱,而是对亲爱的人,尤其是对你的爱,才使一个人成为真正意义上的人。
你将会微笑,我亲爱的甜心,你将会问,为什么我突然间变得如此花言巧语?不过,如果我能把你那温柔而纯洁的心紧紧地贴在自己的心上,我就会默默无言。我不能用唇吻你,只能求助于文字,用文字来传达我的亲吻……
不可否认,世间有许多女人,而且有些非常美丽,但是哪里能找到一副面容,它的每一根线条,甚至每一处皱纹,都能够唤起我生命中最强烈、最美好的回忆呢?甚至我那无限的悲痛,无可挽回的损失,都可以从你可爱的容颜中看出来,而当我遍吻你那可爱的面庞的时候,我就能忘掉这些悲痛。“在她的怀抱中埋葬,再在她的亲吻下复活”,正是因为拥有了你的拥抱和你的亲吻,我既不需要婆罗门和毕达哥拉斯的转世学说,也不需要基督教的复活学说……
卡尔·马克思致燕妮·马克思(2)
再见,我亲爱的甜心,千万次地亲吻你和孩子们。
你的卡尔
1856年6月21日,曼彻斯特
Karl Marx
To
Manchester;
June 21; 1856
My heart's beloved;
I am writing you again; because I am alone and because it troubles me always to have a dialogue with you in my head; without your knowing anything about it or hearing it or being able to answer。 Poor as your photograph is; it does perform a service for me; and I now understand how even the “Black Madonna”; the most disgraceful portrait of the Mother of God; could find indestructible admirers; indeed even more admirers than the good portraits。 In any case; those Black Madonna pictures have never been more kissed; looked at; and adored than your photograph; which; although not black; is morose; and absolutely does not reflect your darling; sweet; kissable dolce face。 But I improve upon the sun's rays; which have painted falsely; and find that my eyes; so spoiled by lamplight and tobacco; can still paint; not only in dream but also while awake。 I have you vivaciously before me; and I carry you on my hands; and I kiss you from head to foot; and I fall on my knees before you; and I groan;“Madame; I love you。” And I truly love you; more than the Moor of Venice ever loved。 The false and worthless world views virtually all terary characters falsely and worthlessly。 Who of my many slanderers and snaketongued enemies had ever reproached me that I am destined to play the role of chief lover in a secondclass theater? And yet it is true。 If the scoundrels had had wit; they would have painted “the production and direction” on one side; and me lying at your feet on the other。 Look to this picture and to that in English— they would have written underneath。 But dumb scoundrels they are and dumb they will remain; in all eternity。
Momentary absence is good; for in constant presence things seem too much alike to be differentiated。 Proximity dwarfs even towers; while the petty and the monplace; at close view; grow too big。 Small habits; which may physically irritate and take on emotional form; disappear when the immediate object is removed from the eye。 Great passions; which through proximity assume the form of petty routine; grow and again take on their natural dimension on account of the magic of distance。 So it is with my love。 You have only to be snatched away from me even in a mere dream; and I know immediately that the time has only served; as do sun and rain for plants; for growth。 The moment you are absent; my love for you shows itself to be what it is; a giant; in which are crowded together all the energy of my spirit and all the character of my heart。 It makes me feel like a man again; because I feel a great passion; and the multifariousness; in which study and modern education entangle us; and the skepticism which necessarily makes us find fault with all subjective and objective impressions; all of these are entirely designed to make us all small and weak and whining。 But love—not love for the Feuerbachtype of man; not for the metabolism; not for the proletariat—but the love for the beloved and particularly for you; makes a man again a man。
You will smile; my sweet heart; and ask how did I e to all this rhetoric? If I could press your sweet; white heart to my heart; I would keep silent and not say a word。 Since I cannot kiss with my lips; I must kiss with language and make words…
There are actually many females in the world; and some among them are beautiful。 But where could I find again a face; whose every feature; even every wrinkle; is a reminder of the greatest and sweetest memories of my life? Even my endless pains; my irreplaceable losses; I read in your sweet countenance; and I kiss away the pain when I kiss your sweet face。 “Buried in her arms; awakened by her kisses” —namely; in your arms and by your kisses; and I grant the Brahmins and Pythagoras their doctrine of regeneration and Christianity its doctrine of resurrection…
Goodbye; my sweet heart。 I kiss you and the children many thousand times。
Yours;
Karl
。。
詹姆斯·乔伊斯致妻子娜拉
詹姆斯·乔伊斯(1882—1941),二十世纪西方最富有独创性且影响巨大的作家。他出生于爱尔兰首都都柏林,早年为了成为神父,受到严格的古典文化教育。二十一岁时,由于人生观发生剧变,他同宗教信仰痛苦地决裂,这一激烈的思想矛盾在他中年时所写的自传体小说《青年艺术家的肖像》中有所反映。后来,他离开故乡,在欧洲各地漂泊。尽管如此,在他的大部分作品中,题材与人物都集中在都柏林,作者描绘那里的风土人情,表达对故乡苦恼的回忆。他的代表作有《青年艺术家的肖像》、《尤利西斯》。在世界文坛上,詹姆斯·乔伊斯被认为是“意识流小说之父”,是一个“不属于一个时代,而属于所有世纪”的享誉千古的文学巨匠。他的《尤利西斯》被认为是一部“登峰造极”的小说,甚至被称为“天书”。
亲爱的:
你没有写信给我,我感到非常沮丧。你生病了吗?
我和一位老朋友拜恩谈起了这件事,他完全站在你的一边,认为那一切都是“该受到诅咒的谎言”。
我是个多么不称职的家伙啊!但是,亲爱的,在这件事之后我要更值得你去爱。
今天,我寄给你三大包