"Notes on a Travel to America (Excerpt) Dickens"

Chapter 5

Ulster Connecticut River Hadford Newport to New York

We left Boston on February 5th (Friday), sitting Another train went to Uster, a beautiful city in New England; my plan was to stay there until Monday, and stay at the hospitable governor's house.

The towns and cities in New England (many of which could only be considered villages in Old England) make people familiar with them. They have a good impression of rural America and also make people familiar with the people in these places. Yes, it's exactly the same thing that makes a good impression on American country people. The neatly manicured lawns and green pastures that we saw in the UK are nowhere to be seen here. The grass here seems too lush and velvety compared with the small patches of fields and pastures we have in the UK that are designed for beauty. , too desolate; but beautiful Pituo, winding hills, lush forested valleys, and trickling clear streams are everywhere. In the middle of every cluster of neighboring houses, no matter how few people there are, there is a church and a school, half of which is exposed through white roofs and sparse trees. The color of every house is the whitest of white, the color of every shutter is the greenest of green, the color of every clear sky is the bluest of blue. When we got off at Ulster, the sharp, dry wind and light freezing frost had made the road hard, so that the ruts on the road looked like grooves made of granite. Of course, everything has an unusually fresh look. All the houses looked as if they had just been rebuilt and painted that morning, and as if they could be taken down on Monday without any trouble. In the refreshing air of that evening, every line that was already clear became a hundred times clearer than usual. The clear verandah looks like it is made of cardboard, with no indication of distance, like the Chinese bridge painted on a tea cup, and it seems that when it was built, there was no intention of making it suitable for use. On a single-family house, the corners are as sharp as razors. It seemed to have cut off the wind that was whistling on it, and it was all cut and hurt. The pain was sharper than the original scream, and it flew away. Those wooden houses that were built very lightly, illuminated brilliantly by the setting sun, seemed to be crystal clear, and the inside and outside were the same. You could see from one side to the other, so it made people feel that it was difficult to imagine for a moment. , people living in the room can avoid being watched by the public and can carry out secrets that are scary to others. From the houses in the distance, firelight sometimes shines through the uncurtained windows. Even though the source of this firelight is a raging fire, it looks like it has just been lit and there is no heat; this kind of scene, What makes people think of is not the comfortable and elegant secret room of the bridal chamber. There are people who see the light of the fire for the first time, and their rosy faces make the whole room shine. There are curtains hanging everywhere, and the warmth makes the whole room spring. It reminds me of the smell of freshly plastered walls and walls that have not yet dried.

That's at least what I thought that night. The next morning, the sun in the sky was shining brightly, the church bells were ringing loudly, and people with calm demeanor were all wearing their best clothes, some were walking on the sidewalk nearby, and some were far away. Walking on the road as thin as silk thread; at that time, everything had a peaceful atmosphere of Sabbath, which made people feel very comfortable. That kind of atmosphere would be even better if it matched the old church, and even better if it matched the ancient tombs. But under the circumstances, a soothing tranquility enveloped everything, making a person who had just sailed across a stormy ocean or swam through a bustling city feel doubly spiritual. joy.

The next morning, we still took the train and headed forward. We first arrived at Springfield, from where we originally planned to go to our destination, Hadford. The journey from Springfield to Hadford was only twenty-five miles; but in that season the road was so bad that it would take twelve hours by dry road. Fortunately, the winter was particularly warm that year, and the Connecticut River was not "sealed," that is to say, it was not completely frozen. At the same time, there happened to be a small steamboat, and the captain was about to make his first voyage of the season that day (that was also the first time that humans (the first February navigation in my memory), the ship just waited for us to get on board. When we had this opportunity, we did not dare to delay and quickly boarded the boat. As soon as we got on the boat, the captain fulfilled his promise and sailed the boat immediately.

There is indeed a reason why this boat is called a small steamboat. I didn’t ask how much horsepower its machine has, but I think it is only half a pony at most. Such power. The famous dwarf Mr. Pap could probably live happily in his room until his death. This kind of room is equipped with push-down window panes, just like ordinary houses. There are bright red curtains on the windows. A loose rope is pulled on the lower pane and the curtain is hung on it. Therefore, this kind of room looks very much like a hotel in Lilliput. During the period, it floated due to floods or other water disasters, and it was unclear where it was going. But even in this room there is a rocking chair. In the United States, no matter where you go, you can't live without a rocking chair.

I dare not tell you how short and narrow this boat is: to use words like width and length to measure this boat would be to contradict oneself.

However, I can say that we were all afraid that the ship would suddenly capsize, so we stayed in the middle of the deck; the ship's machinery, through an amazing shrinking program, was operated between the amidships and the keel. Like a 3 foot thick hot sandwich.

It rained all day long; I thought that this kind of rain could not be found anywhere except in the Scottish Highlands, but now I found it here. I saw ice cubes floating everywhere in the river, creaking and beeping under our boat; the large ice cubes forced the water flow to the middle of the river, and our boat had to avoid these ice cubes. The water channels taken were only a few inches deep. Even so, we still moved forward very skillfully; since we were thickly dressed, we stood outside and watched the scenery regardless of the cold weather. The Connecticut River is a majestic stream, and both sides of the river are undoubtedly beautiful in the summer. No matter what, a young female guest in the female guest room told me that it was like that; if a person has an appreciation for which qualities he has, then the female guest must have discernment The ability to be beautiful, because I have never seen a woman as beautiful as her.

After two and a half hours of our bizarre walking (we stopped at the edge of a small town, where a cannon was fired to welcome us, the cannon was bigger than our chimney), we arrived. Deful, we went straight to a particularly comfortable hotel - everything was comfortable there, except for the bedroom, which was not as comfortable as an ordinary hotel; this kind of dormitory is almost everywhere in the places we visited. They are all very helpful in getting people up early.

We stayed in Hadful for 4 days. The city has a beautiful location, sitting on a basin and surrounded by mountains. The land is fertile, the woods are shady, the people are working hard, and the state legislative assembly of Connecticut is located there. The famous "Blue Bill" was formulated there by the legislative sages of this state in the past. These bills made many enlightened provisions, one of which, I believe, was as follows: Any citizen who is proved to have kissed his wife on Sunday shall be punished with the yoke. To this day, much of the Puritan spirit of the past is still preserved. But this spirit does not make people take less advantage when doing business, nor does it make people more fair when dealing with others, since I have never heard of this spirit anywhere else. If it has worked that way, then I can conclude that it will never work that way here. To be honest, with his mouth full of benevolence and morality and his face full of solemnity, I always treat him the same regardless of whether he sells goods from the afterlife or goods from this world. Therefore, whenever I see the goods displayed in the display window, they look too attractive. If people pay attention, then I wonder if it is selling dog meat over someone else's head.

In Hadful grew the famous oak tree in which King Eli's charter was hidden. The tree is now enclosed in a gentleman's garden. The charter now sits in the statehouse. I saw that the courts here were the same as those in Boston; the institutions for the public service were almost as complete. The lunatic asylum was well run, and so was the asylum for the blind and mute.

When I visited the lunatic asylum, I asked myself, who is the waiter and which is the madman? I couldn't tell them apart at first; then I heard the waiters reporting to the doctors about the patients they were taking care of, and I realized they were waiters. What I am saying is, of course, limited to looking at this from the face. Because when a madman opens his mouth, of course he will say crazy things.

There was a tidy and serious little old lady, with a smile on her face and a kind attitude. She came to me sideways from one end of the corridor and bowed to me with an indescribable condescension. , asked me the following puzzling words:

"Is Pontefract still in England and well, sir?"

"Yes, ma'am. "I replied.

"The last time you saw him, sir, he was..."

"He was very strong, ma'am," I said, "very strong. He also called I greet you on his behalf. I have never seen him look so good."

The old lady looked very pleased after hearing what I said. She looked at me sideways for a while, as if to see if my respectful look was sincere. After looking at it, she stepped back a few steps sideways, then took a few steps forward sideways, and suddenly stood alone. She jumped on her feet (her jump scared me so much that I took a step or two back hurriedly), and then said:

"I am a person from before the flood, sir."

At that time, I had better follow her thoughts and said that I had guessed from the beginning that she was a person from before the flood, so I told her like that.

"Being a person before the flood is satisfying and joyful." The old lady said.

"I think so, ma'am," I replied.

The old lady kissed her hand, then jumped on one foot, with a very strange look on her face, a silly smile on her face, and walked sideways to the other end of the corridor, followed by She walked slowly and elegantly into her own room.

In another part of the building, there was a madman, lying on the bed, his face red and his body full of fever.

"Well," he said, sitting up and taking off his nightcap, "it's all settled after all. I've made arrangements with Queen Victoria."

< p> "Everything has been arranged?" the doctor asked.

"Look, that's what it is," he said with a tired look, wiping his hand on his forehead, "arranging the siege of New York."

"Oh!" I He said it with a pretense of realization, because he looked me straight in the face and asked me to answer him.

"Yes, the British soldiers will shoot anyone who has no flag in every house. They will never hurt other people, not even one person. Those who hope to avoid disasters, They all have to put up the flag. They don't have to do anything else."

Even as he was talking, I thought, Some people felt that what he said did not match the preface and the follower. As soon as he finished saying these words, he lay down again, snorted something like *** but not like ***, and covered his fevered head with a blanket.

Another madman is a young man who went crazy because of his love and music obsession. After he had finished playing a march of his own composition on the accordion, he asked me to come into his room with great urgency. I went right away.

I wanted to be as alert as possible, and at the same time I wanted to follow his wishes and try my best to please him, so I walked to the window (looking out from the window, the scenery was very beautiful) and used my proud response Zhicai said to him:

"The scenery around the place where you live is so beautiful!"

"Humph," he said, nonchalantly placing his fingers on the keys of the organ. Press, "Not bad for an institution like this!"

I don't remember ever feeling as abrupt as that one in my life.

"I'm here just out of a whim," he said calmly, "and nothing else."

"Oh, nothing else," I said .

"Yes, nothing else. The doctor is very clever. He can fully understand this. I am completely joking. I still like this tone for a while, but I think I I'm leaving here next Tuesday; you don't have to say that to anyone else."

I promised him that I would keep my meeting and conversation with him absolutely confidential, and then I would go to the doctor. There it went. When the doctor and I walked out along the corridor, we saw a neatly dressed woman with a calm attitude and a calm demeanor. She came to us and handed over a note and a pen asking me to give her a handwriting. sign. I signed her autograph and said goodbye to her.

"I think, I remember there were several women asking for my autograph before I entered the door. I hope this woman is not a crazy person, right?"

"She's a madman."

"Why is she so crazy? Is she obsessed with autographs?"

"That's not the case. She keeps hearing people talking in the air."

"Ah," I thought at the time, "in these days of evolution, there are still people who are trying to trick people into making prophecies by saying they heard someone speaking in the air. It would be better to lock up a few of these people. , just try it on one or two Mormons first."

In this place, there is the best prison for awaiting trial inmates in the world, as well as a well-managed state prison, everything. The method was the same as in Boston, except that there was a watchman standing on the wall with a loaded gun in his hand. When I got there, there were about two hundred prisoners in that prison. They pointed out a place in the cell dormitory to me, saying that it was right there. A few years ago, a guard was killed late at night when he was quiet. The person who killed him was a prisoner who escaped from the cell because he was desperate. , desperately wanted to escape from jail, and then did this. They also pointed out to me a female prisoner, saying that she had plotted to murder her husband and had been under house arrest for 16 years without being allowed to leave the house.

"Do you think," I asked the person who showed me around, "that after being imprisoned for so many years, she still thinks about and hopes that there will be a day when she can regain her freedom?"

p>

"Oh, thinking and hoping," he said, "that's right, she was thinking and hoping that way."

"I think, although she was thinking and hoping that way, she didn't What chance?"

"Oh, I don't know," - this statement, I would like to mention, is a popular saying in the United States - "Her friends can't believe her." < /p>

"What does her friend have to do with her case?" It was natural for me to ask.

"They refused to appeal on her behalf."

"But, I think, even if they appealed on her behalf, they still can't get her out, right?"

< p> "You may not be able to complain once, and you won't be able to complain twice. But if you keep complaining for several years and make her tired of making trouble, you may be able to get her out."

" Has this happened before? ”

“Oh, yes, sometimes, that method can also be effective in getting people out.

Or complaining, or having friends in politics can often get people out. ”

Hadful will always be in my mind, which will always make me very happy and miss me very much. It is a lovely place, and I made many friends there, and they all made me happy. We couldn't just ignore it. We left there on the night of the 11th (Friday), feeling very sad. That night, we took the train to Xingang. On the way, the coachman and I introduced each other formally (in this case). We always introduced each other formally) and talked a lot. We walked for about three hours and arrived at Xingang at 8 o'clock.

Xingang is also called Yu. The city is a very beautiful town. There are rows of old and tall elm trees on both sides of the streets. This is as you can imagine from its nickname. Yale University has the same natural decoration. Surrounded by Yale University, it has a great reputation and high status. The various departments of that university are located in places like parks or public grasslands, and the school buildings appear faintly among the trees. The overall impression is very much like the courtyard of an old English cathedral. When the trees are sparse and the green leaves are shady, this place must be very picturesque. Even in winter, the clumps of tall trees with branches are like this. Living together in groups amidst the noisy streets and bustling cities all looks quaint and elegant, making it seem as if the city and the countryside have been harmonized by them - as if the two met halfway on the road, shook hands and talked with each other. This situation was both fresh and pleasant.

We rested for the night, got up early the next day, and calmly rushed to the pier and boarded the boat. I boarded the mail ship "New York" and headed for New York. This ship was one of the larger American steamships I had seen, and according to an Englishman, it did not look like a steamboat at all. A huge bathtub floats on the water. I always feel that the bathhouse not far from Westminster Bridge was still a baby when I left it, but after I left it, it suddenly grew to an enormous size. Running away from England, going to a foreign country, and starting a steamboat business - it is almost impossible for me not to think so in the United States, especially since it is a place where British vagrants particularly like to go. seems very likely.

From the appearance, the biggest difference between the American mail ship and the British mail ship is: the part of the American mail ship exposed on the water is particularly large. On that part, the main deck. It is blocked on all sides, and contains barrels of wine and other cargo, just like the cargo hold with items piled on one or two floors; above the main deck, there is another deck called the upper deck. Or the walking deck; on this, part of the machine is always installed; only there, the connecting rod connecting the piston and the crankshaft is installed in a strong shell high above, with constant movement, and the upper hand of the two-man saw. They are the same as humans (but they are made of iron); there are no masts or other equipment on the ship, and except for two tall chimneys, there is nothing else on the upper part of the ship. The helmsman sits in a small room at the front of the ship (the rudder is connected with an iron chain, which extends to the whole body of the ship). Passengers gather below decks except when the weather is particularly nice. As soon as the ship left the dock, the noisy people, chaotic footsteps, and hurried traffic on the mail ship suddenly stopped. You have to be bored for a long time, not knowing how the boat is moving forward, because no one seems to care about it; when you encounter other equally slow steamboats coming in the waves, you will feel very angry with it, because it He is a big monster with a depressed temper, clumsy manners, and no grace. He does not look like a big boat. At that time, you forget that the boat you are sitting on is the same thing as it.

The accounting room on the ship is always located on the lower deck, where you pay your fare; there is also a ladies' room, a storage room, a luggage room, and a machine room; In short, there was so much dazzling stuff there that it made finding the men's room a difficult task. The men's quarters often occupied both sides of the ship (as is the case with this ship now), with three or four tiers of berths on each side. When I first entered the men's stateroom of the New York, to my eyes, which were not accustomed to seeing such places, it seemed as long as the Bollinger Hall.

From Newport to New York, you must pass through the strait. Navigating this strait is not always safe, nor is it always pleasant; there have been several unfortunate accidents there. . That morning it was rainy, wet, and foggy, so that after a while we lost sight of the land; but it was calm, and toward noon the weather cleared. After I (with the help of a friend) finished everything in the kitchen cupboard and the old beer, I lay down and went to sleep, because I was very tired after a long day yesterday. Fortunately, my nap did not last long, and I still had time to run to the upper deck and see the "Gate of Hell", the "Boar's Back", the "Frying Pan" and other notorious places, because these places are all It is of interest to those who read the famous book "The Biography of Dietrich Knickerback". We are walking along a narrow river channel with sloping banks on both sides. There are elegant villas dotted here and there, as well as grass and trees that make people feel refreshed.

Then, like arrows from a bow, we placed a lighthouse, a lunatic asylum (the lunatics were so excited at the sight of the steamboat and the rushing tide that they threw their hats and shouted), a prison, and other buildings, In a short time, they were all left behind one by one; then they sailed into a vast bay, with light shining under the cloudless sky, like a big eye of nature, looking up at the sky. Same.

Following the rows of houses, clusters spread out on our right. Occasionally, there will be a spire or high pavilion on one of them, overlooking the ordinary buildings below; In the place, a hazy smoke will appear: In the close-up of this scene, there is a forest of masts, with sails joyfully spread out to catch the wind, and flags fluttering in the wind. Passing through this forest of lintels and heading to the opposite shore, there are motor ferries, carrying people, horses, carriages, caravans, baskets and boxes; at the same time, there are other ferries passing by it again and again. Everyone is coming and going, there is no idle moment. Among these small boats, which are constantly coming and going like insects, there are two or three majestic large boats, walking solemnly and leisurely, like strutting big shots, full of contempt for the short journey of those small boats, heading for the vast ocean. Go inside. The mountains with brilliant sunlight appear further out, and the golden river echoes around the island, forming a distant view that is so clear and blue that it is almost as good as the sky that seems to be connected to it. The buzzing of the market, the rattling of the winch, the barking of dogs, the clanging of bells, and the sound of wheels all pierce your attentive ears. All these activities floated across the turbulent sea from the bustling shore opposite. At that time, they received new life and aroused new interest from the free intercourse of the sea water. At the same time, Because they share the same spirit with the light and flexible spirit of the sea, they are like games, shining on the water, surrounding the steamer, splashing the sea water next to the ship, and carrying the steamer majestically to the dock and back again. He came to greet other incoming ships, and then he ran in front of the ship and led the ship into the bustling seaport.

(Translated by Zhang Guruo)

Notes:

Uster: The county town of Uster County, Massachusetts, with areas of steel, machinery, woolen fabrics, and manufacturing industries. Shoe and other industries.

Springfield: The county seat of Hamton County, Massachusetts. Alongside the Connecticut River, there are various industries. Hadful: The state and county seat of Connecticut and Hadful County. It is an industrial city for publishing and arms manufacturing.

Papu: A Dutch dwarf, 2 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 27 pounds. Exhibited in London in 1815.

Dickens traveled to Scotland in 1841 and wrote to his friend: It rains all the time here, with such force that I have never seen it anywhere except here. He also said: The sky here is like a water spray pipe, and it never stops spraying water. Scotland is divided into two parts, lowlands in the southeast and highlands in the northwest. The highlands have more mountains, are higher, more desolate and rugged, so they are popular among tourists.

"Blue Bill": The United States was still a British colonial law, especially the laws in New England, which made many regulations on private life, such as prohibiting playing games on the Sabbath and forcing people to attend church services. wait.

The shackle: a kind of British and American torture device that shackles a person's feet.

Puritan spirit: Refers to the Puritans being so strict in morality that they cannot tolerate people or things. The first colonists in New England were Puritans.

According to legend, at the end of the 17th century, the British King wanted to cancel the charter of the American colonies. Andrews, the administrator sent by the British, wanted to seize the charter in 1688, and the colonists hid it here. In the hollow of an oak tree. This oak tree, called the Charter Oak, was blown down by a storm in 1856.

According to the Bible, people before the flood lived extremely long lives.

Mormons: An American religious sect. Followers of this sect believe in the Mormon Classics, believe that the leader has divine power, believe that the dead can truly be resurrected, and so on.

Newport: The county seat of Newport County, Connecticut.

When pulling a two-person saw, dig a saw pit in the ground and lay the wood across the edge of the pit. One person is in the pit and the other is on top of the wood, just like this.

Bollington Promenade: a covered passageway with shops on both sides, next to Piccadilly Street in London.

Strait: The original sound means strait. This strait should be Long Island Sound, the narrow channel behind it should be the East River, and the broad bay should be New York Bay. The East River is actually a narrow strait.

"The Biography of Dietrich Knickerback": Irving's work that satirizes the history books of the time. "Hell Gate" and other place names can be found near the end of Chapter 4 of the book.

Appreciation

"Notes on a Journey to America" ??was written by Dickens after visiting the United States in 1842. It recorded what he saw and heard in the United States in the form of close-ups and essays, satirizing and Criticize the dark phenomena in American society, such as fake democracy, the gap between rich and poor, corruption in government agencies, and the barbaric slavery system. The excerpts of this article are his experiences from Uster, the Connecticut River, Newport Hadford to New York.

When Dickens came to the United States for the first time, the first thing he noticed was the natural scenery of the United States, so he spent a lot of space describing the landscape and landscape of the United States that were different from those of the United Kingdom, showing Dickens's meticulous and keen observation of nature. force. As in Ulster, Dickens contrasts American and English meadows. “The neatly manicured lawns and green pastures that we see in the UK cannot be seen here. The grass here seems too lush and obscure compared with the small fields and pastures that we have in the UK that are designed for beauty. It's too desolate, but beautiful Pituo, winding hills, shady valleys with lush forests, and trickling clear streams are everywhere." Dickens was good at using rich and accurate language to describe beautiful scenery. , which brings endless reverie. He used vivid strokes to show the scenery seen on the ship from Newport to New York: "In the close range of this scenery, there is a forest of masts... Passing through this forest of masts and heading to the opposite shore, there are steam engine ferries, The boat carried people, horses, carriages, caravans, baskets and boxes... The mountains with brilliant sunlight appeared further out, and the golden river lingered around the island, creating a distant view, so clear and blue, It is almost the same as the sky that seems to be connected. "From near to far, a three-dimensional landscape painting with boats, people, mountains and water slowly appears in front of the reader. However, Dickens was not satisfied with this. In order to make readers feel immersed in the scene, sounds are also added to the text: "The buzzing of the market, the sound of the winch, the barking of dogs, the clanging bells, the rattling wheels. The sound is directed into your attentive ears." This gives readers a full range of visual and auditory experiences. Dickens was once hailed as the "master of linguistic landscape painting" by British literary historians, which is evident from these landscape descriptions.

The purpose of Dickens's visit to the United States was not only to tour the mountains and rivers, but also to investigate the American social system. Every time he goes to a city, he almost always visits the administrative, legislative, judicial institutions, various public facilities, charities, and learns about the lives of ordinary people. The United States in the 19th century was a new type of country to Europeans, especially the British. Insightful people at that time were enthusiastic and longing for this "new type of free and equal country without a monarch, feudalism, or a state religion", as was Dickens. However, the American society he saw was not entirely as beautiful as he imagined. Therefore, in "Notes on a Travel to America", Dickens's record of American society can be described as both positive and negative, true and objective. In the excerpted chapter, Dickens mainly wrote about the lunatic asylum and the prison, two public institutions in the United States. Dickens gave a thumbs-up to Hadford's Bedlam. He also wrote in detail about his encounters with some of these madmen. He gave full play to his talents as a journalist in his early years, and accurately and vividly described their living conditions and psychological state from aspects of dialogue, expressions, movements, etc. When visiting the prison, he not only gave an objective description of the conditions in the prison, but also learned the "inside story" from the people who led him around. It turns out that "friends in politics" can often get prisoners out. Dickens exposed the chaos and corruption of the American government and judicial institutions through such a small incident.

Whether it is describing the scenery or recording the social system, local customs and customs, Dickens strives to be accurate, objective and vivid. Because what he wants to show to readers is not people's ideal America, but a real America. He wrote in the concluding remarks of "Notes on Traveling to America": "When I first started, I regarded the following sentence as my only goal: that is, wherever I go, I will take the readers honestly. place; this goal can be said to be achieved.

”

(Zhang Li)