Illusions of pastoral peace
田园和平的幻想
What particular anxiety spoils the country dweller's visit to the theatre?
什么特别的焦虑破坏了乡村居民对剧院的访问？
The quiet life of the country has never appealed to me.
这个国家的平静生活从来没有吸引过我。
City born and city bred,
城市出生和城市孕育,
I have always regarded the country as something you look at through a train window or something you occasionally visit during the weekend.
我一直把这个国家看作是你通过火车窗口看到的东西，或者你在周末偶尔访问的东西。
Most of my friends live in the city, yet they always go into raptures at the mere mention of the country.
我的大多数朋友都住在这个城市，但一提到这个国家，他们总是兴高采烈。
Though they extol the virtues of the peaceful life,
虽然他们颂扬和平生活的美德,
only one of them has ever gone to live in the country and he was back in town within six months.
他们中只有一个去过乡下，他在六个月内就回到了城里。
Even he still lives under the illusion that country life is somehow superior to town life.
即使他仍然生活在乡村生活在某种程度上优于城镇生活的幻想之下。
He is forever talking about the friendly people, the clean atmosphere, the closeness to nature and the gentle pace of living.
他永远在谈论友好的人民，干净的气氛，亲近自然和温和的生活节奏。
Nothing can be compared, he maintains, with the first cockcrow, the twittering of birds at dawn,
没有什么能比得上，他坚持说，第一只公鸡，黎明时鸟儿的鸣叫,
the sight of the rising sun glinting on the trees and pastures.
冉冉升起的太阳在树木和牧场上闪闪发光。
This idyllic pastoral scene is only part of the picture.
这田园诗般的田园风光只是画面的一部分。
My friend fails to mention the long and friendless winter evenings in front of the TV--virtually the only form of entertainment.
我的朋友没有提到电视前漫长而没有朋友的冬夜-几乎是唯一的娱乐形式。
He says nothing about the poor selection of goods in the shops,
他对商店里挑选的商品很差一言不发,
or about those unfortunate people who have to travel from the country to the city every day to get to work.
或者关于那些每天不得不从乡下到城市去上班的不幸的人。
Why people are prepared to tolerate a four hour journey each day for the dubious privilege of living in the country is beyond me.
为什么人们准备忍受每天四个小时的旅程，因为生活在这个国家的可疑特权是我无法理解的。
They could be saved so much misery and expense if they chose to live in the city where they rightly belong.
如果他们选择住在他们应该属于的城市，他们就可以节省这么多的痛苦和费用。
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.
如果你能没有这个国家的一些田园乐趣，你会发现这个城市可以为你提供生活所能提供的最好的东西。
You never have to travel miles to see your friends.
你永远不必长途跋涉去看你的朋友。
They invariably live nearby
他们总是住在附近
and are always available for an informal chat or an evening's entertainment.
并且总是可以进行非正式的聊天或晚上的娱乐.
Some of my acquaintances in the country come up to town once or twice a year to visit the theatre as a special treat.
我在乡下的一些熟人每年到城里来一两次，作为一种特殊的享受去看戏。
For them this is a major operation which involves considerable planning.
对他们来说，这是一项涉及大量规划的重大行动。
As the play draws to its close, they wonder whether they will ever catch that last train home.
当这出戏接近尾声时，他们想知道他们是否会赶上最后一班火车回家。
The city dweller never experiences anxieties of this sort.
城市居民从来没有经历过这种焦虑。
The latest exhibitions, films, or plays are only a short bus ride away.
距离最新的展览、电影或戏剧只有很短的车程。
Shopping, too, is always a pleasure.
购物也是一种乐趣。
There is so much variety that you never have to make do with second best.
有这么多的品种，你永远不必凑合第二好。
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.
乡下的人在城市里购物时就会狂奔，错开家装着尽可能多的异国物品。
Nor is the city without its moments of beauty.
这座城市也没有美丽的时刻。
There is something comforting about the warm glow shed by advertisements on cold wet winter nights.
在寒冷潮湿的冬夜,广告所发出的温暖的光芒让人感到安慰.
Few things could be more impressive than the peace that descends on deserted city streets at weekends
没有什么比周末在荒芜的城市街道上降临的和平更令人印象深刻的了
when the thousands that travel to work every day are tucked away in their homes in the country.
当每天出差的数千人被藏在乡下的家中时。
It has always been a mystery to me why city dwellers, who appreciate all these things,
它一直是一个谜，我为什么城市居民，谁欣赏所有这些东西,
obstinately pretend that they would prefer to live in the country.
顽固地假装他们宁愿住在乡下。
