Introduction：“Babylon Revisited”is a vivid representation of the boom and decline of the crazy Jazz Age。Charlie’s contradictory attitude towards“the past”reflects the author’s bewildering attitude towards the Jazz Age：though he repents for the dissipated past，he can by no means negate or abandon it，and thus is a reforming sinner wavering between the nightmare past and the dreaming future。Charlie Wales is the protagonist of“Babylon Revisited”and serves as the lensthrough which readers see the events of the story。
Ⅰ
1 “And where’s Mr。Campbell？”Charlie asked。
2 “Gone to Switzerland。Mr。Campbell’s a pretty sick man，Mr。Wales。”
3 “I’m sorry to hear that。And George Hardt？”Charlie inquired。
4 “Back in America，gone to work。”
5 “And where is the Snow Bird？”
6 “He was in here last week。Anyway，his friend，Mr。Schaeffer，is inParis。”
7 Two familiar names from the long list of a year and a half ago。Charlie scribbled an address in his notebook and tore out the page。
8 “If you see Mr。Schaeffer，give him this，”he said。“It’s my brother-in-law’s address。I haven’t settled on a hotel yet。”
9 He was not really disappointed to find Paris was so empty。But the stillness in the Ritz bar was strange and portentous。It was not an American bar any more—he felt polite in it，and not as if he owned it。It had gone back into France。He felt the stillness from the moment he got out of the taxi and saw the doorman，usually in a frenzy of activity at this hour，gossiping with achasseur by theservants’entrance。
10 Passing through the corridor，he heard only a single，bored voice in the once-clamorous women’s room。When he turned into the bar he traveled the twenty feet of green carpet with his eyes fixed straight ahead by old habitand then，with his foot firmly on the rail，he turned and surveyed the room，encountering only a single pair of eyes that fluttered up from a newspaper in the corner。Charlie asked for the head barman，Paul，who in the latter days of thebull-market hadcome to work in his own custom-built car—disembarking，however，with due nicety at the nearest corner。But Paul was at his country house today and Alix giving him information。
inquire：v。詢問，問明
scribble：v。潦草地寫，亂寫，濫寫
settle on：決定
portentous：adj。預示性的，不詳的
frenzy：n。狂暴，狂怒
chasseur：n。侍者
flutter：vi。悸動，煩擾
barman：n。酒吧間招待員
bull-market：n。（股市中的）牛市
custom-built：adj。定製的，定做的
nicety：n。準確，精密11“No，no more，”Charlie said，“I’m going slow these days。”
12 Alix congratulated him：“You were going pretty strong a couple of yearsago。”
評注：隨著故事的展開，查理以前的生活經曆、目前的生活狀況和對未來的憧憬如同一幅幅被定格的畫麵，逐次清晰而完整地映入讀者的眼簾。個人悲劇與時代背景、情感與現實、期待與無奈在不斷交織。
13 “I’ll stick to it all right，”Charlie assured him。“I’ve stuck to it over a year and a half now。”
14 “How do you find conditions in America？”
15 “I haven’t been to America for months。I’m in business in Prague，representing a couple of concerns there。They don’t know about me down there。”
16 Alix smiled。
17 “Remember the night of George Hardt’s bachelor dinner here？”said Charlie。“By the way，what’s become of Claude Fessenden？”
18 Alix lowered his voice confidentially：“He’s in Paris，but he doesn’t come here any more。Paul doesn’t allow it。He ran up a bill of thirtythousand francs，charging all his drinks and his lunches，and usually his dinner，for more than a year。And when Paul finally told him he had to pay，he gave him a bad check。”
19 “I don’t understand it，such a dandy fellow。Now he’s all bloated up—”He made a plump apple of his hands。
20 Charlie watched a group of strident queens installing themselves in a corner。
21 “Nothing affects them，”he thought。“Stocks rise and fall，people loaf or work，but they go on forever。”The place oppressed him。He called for the dice and shook with Alix for the drink。
22 “Here for long，Mr。Wales？”
concern：n。企業
bachelor dinner：為慶祝結婚，西方新郎在婚禮前夜會邀請男性友人聚會狂歡
become of：發生，變成，結局是
confidentially：adv。作為心腹話地
run up：積欠（債款）
dandy：adj。服裝華麗的，講究穿著的
queen：n。男妓
dice：n。骰子23“I’m here for four or five days to see my little girl。”
24 “Oh-h！You have a little girl？”
25 Outside，the fire-red，gas-blue，ghost-green signs shone smokily through the tranquil rain。It was late afternoon and the streets were in movementthe bistros gleamed。At the corner of the Boulevard des Capucines hetook a taxi。The Place de la Concorde moved by in pink majestythey crossed the logical Seine，and Charlie felt the sudden provincial quality of the Left Bank。
26 Charlie directed his taxi to the Avenue de l’Opera，which was out of his way。But he wanted to see the blue hour spread over the magnificent faade，and imagine that the cab horns，playing endlessly the first few bars of Le Plus que Lent，were the trumpets of the Second Empire。They were closing the iron grill infront of Brentano’s Book-store，and people were already at dinner behind the trim little bourgeois hedge of Duval’s。He had never eaten at a really cheap restaurant in Paris。Five-course dinner，four francs fifty，eighteen cents，wine included。For some odd reason he wished that he had。
27 As they rolled on to the Left Bank and he felt its sudden provincialism，hethought，“I spoiled this city for myself。I didn’t realize it，but the days came along one after another，and then two years were gone，and everything was gone，and I was gone。”
28 He was thirty-five，and good to look at。The Irish mobility of his facewas sobered by a deep wrinkle between his eyes。As he rang his brother-in-law’sbell in the Rue Palatine，the wrinkle deepened till it pulled down his browshe felt a cramping sensation in his belly。From behind the maid who opened the door darted a lovely little girl of nine who shrieked“Daddy！”and flew up，struggling like a fish，into his arms。She pulled his head around by one ear and set her cheek against his。
29 “My old pie，”he said。
30 “Oh，daddy，daddy，daddy，daddy，dads，dads，dads！”
31 She drew him into the salon，where the family waited，a boy and girl his daughter’s age，his sister-in-law and her husband。He greeted Marion with his voice pitched carefully to avoid either feigned enthusiasm or dislike，but her response was more frankly tepid，though she minimized her expressionof unalterable distrust by directing her regard toward his child。The two men clasped hands in a friendly way and Lincoln Peters rested his for a moment on Charlie’s shoulder。
32 The room was warm and comfortably American。The three children moved intimately about，playing through the yellow oblongs that led to other roomsthe cheer of six o’clock spoke in the eager smacks of the fire and the sounds of Frenchactivity in the kitchen。But Charlie did not relaxhis heart sat up rigidly inhis body and he drew confidence from his daughter，who from time to time came close to him，holding in her arms the doll he had brought。
bistro：n。<俗>小酒館
faade：n。建築物的正麵
Le Plus que Lent：法語，減慢曲調
provincialism：n。小城氣息
sober：v。鎮定
cramp：vt。使抽筋
feigned：adj。虛假的
tepid：adj。冷淡的，不熱情的
unalterable：adj。不能變更的
oblong：n。橢圓形33“Really extremely well，”he declared in answer to Lincoln’s question。“There’s a lot of business there that isn’t moving at all，but we’re doing even better than ever。In fact，damn well。I’m bringing my sister over from America nextmonth to keep house for me。My income last year was bigger than it was when I had money。You see，the Czechs—”
評注：這個短篇小說最初發表於1931年，當時正值世界性的經濟大蕭條，股票崩盤，企業倒閉，工人失業。查理的言談中無不反映出當時的時代危機。
34 His boasting was for a specific purposebut after a moment，seeing a faint restiveness in Lincoln’s eye，he changed the subject：
35 “Those are fine children of yours，well brought up，good manners。”
36 “We think Honoria’s a great little girl too。”
37 Marion Peters came back from the kitchen。She was a tall woman with worried eyes，who had once possessed a fresh American loveliness。Charlie had never been sensitive to it and was always surprised when people spoke of how pretty she had been。From the first there had been an instinctive antipathybetween them。
38 “Well，how do you find Honoria？”she asked。
39 “Wonderful。I was astonished how much she’s grown in ten months。All the children are looking well。”
40 “We haven’t had a doctor for a year。How do you like being back in Paris？”
41 “It seems very funny to see so few Americans around。”
42 “I’m delighted，”Marion said vehemently。“Now at leastyou can go into a store without their assuming you’re a millionaire。We’ve suffered like everybody，but on the whole it’s a good deal pleasanter。”
43 “But it was nice while it lasted，”Charlie said。“We were a sort of royalty，almost infallible，with a sort of magic around us。In the barthis afternoon”—he stumbled，seeing his mistake—“there wasn’t a man I knew。”
44 She looked at him keenly。“I should think you’d have had enough of bars。”
評注：酗酒看來是查理染上的一個頑疾，這其實也是菲茲傑拉德本人在真實生活中的寫照。本文諸多細節與作者生平是很相似的。
45 “I only stayed a minute。I take one drink every afternoon，and no more。”
46 “Don’t you want a cocktail before dinner？”Lincoln asked。
47 “I take only one drink every afternoon，and I’ve had that。”
48 “I hope you keep to it，”said Marion。
49 Her dislike was evident in the coldness with which she spoke，but Charlie only smiledhe had larger plans。Her very aggressiveness gave him an advantage，and he knew enough to wait。He wanted them to initiate the discussion of what they knew had brought him to Paris。
50 At dinner he couldn’t decide whether Honoria was most like him or her mother。Fortunate if she didn’t combine the traits of both that hadbrought them todisaster。A great wave of protectiveness went over him。He thought he knew what to do for her。He believed in characteragain as the eternally valuable element。Everything wore out。
Czech：n。捷克人
restiveness：n。不安，慌亂
antipathy：n。憎惡，反感
vehemently：adv。激烈地，暴烈地
infallible：adj。沒有錯誤的，確實可靠的
stumble：v。結結巴巴地說話
aggressiveness：n。咄咄逼人
trait：n。性格
wear out：消退51He left soon after dinner，but not to go home。He was curious to see Parisby night with clearer and more judicious eyes than those of other days。He bought a strapontin for the Casino and watched Josephine Baker go through her chocolate arabesques。
52 After an hour he left and strolled toward Montmartre，up the Rue Pigalle into the Place Blanche。The rain had stopped and there were a few people in evening clothes disembarking from taxis in front of cabarets，and cocottes prowling singly or in pairs，and many Negroes。He passed a lighted door from which issued music，and stopped with the sense of familiarityit was Bricktop’s，where he had parted with so many hours and so much money。A few doors farther on he found another ancient rendezvous and incautiously put his head inside。Immediately an eager orchestra burst into sound，a pair of professional dancers leaped to their feet and matre d’htel swooped toward him，crying，“Crowd just arriving，sir！”But he withdrew quickly。
strapontin：n。折疊式加座
Josephine Baker：約瑟芬·貝克，是當時享譽巴黎的美國黑人女爵士樂舞演員
arabesque：n。蔓藤花紋，指阿拉伯風格的
cabaret：“卡巴萊”餐館，是有歌舞表演的餐館或酒吧間
cocotte：n。妓女
prowl：v。巡遊
rendezvous：n。約會地點
swoop：vi。飛撲53“You have to be damn drunk，”he thought。
54 Zelli’s was closed，the bleak and sinister cheap hotels surrounding it were darkup in the Rue Blanche there was more light and a local，colloquial French crowd。The Poet’s Cave had disappeared，but the two great mouths of the Caféof Heaven and the Café of Hell still yawned—even devoured，as he watched，the meager contents of a tourist bus—a German，a Japanese，and an American couplewho glanced at him with frightened eyes。
55 So much for the effort and ingenuity of Montmartre。All the catering tovice and waste was on an utterly childish scale，and he suddenly realized the meaning of the word“dissipate”—to dissipate into thin airto make nothing out of something。In the little hours of the night every move from place to place was an enormous human jump，an increase of paying for the privilege of slower and slower motion。
56 He remembered thousand-franc notes given to an orchestra for playing a single number，hundred-franc notes tossed to a doorman for calling a cab。
57 But it hadn’t been given for nothing。
58 It had been given，even the most wildly squandered sum，asan offering to destiny that he might not remember the things most worth remembering，the thingsthat now he would always remember—his child taken from his control，his wifeescaped to a grave in Vermont。
評注：或許並非巧合的是，菲茲傑拉德和他的妻子作為爵士時代的金童玉女，也是巴黎各種聲色犬馬場所的常客。作家靠著自己暢銷的小說賺錢，過著揮金如土的生活。他們也的確育有一女，正如查理一樣。
59 In the glare of a brasserie a woman spoke to him。He bought her some eggs and coffee，and then，eluding her encouraging stare，gave her a twenty-franc note and took a taxi to his hotel。
ingenuity：n。獨創性，精巧
Montmartre：n。蒙馬特爾：法國巴黎北部的一個區，位於右岸地區，以其夜生活和與梵高等藝術家有關聯而著名
dissipate：v。浪費（金錢），放蕩
squander：v。浪費
brasserie：n。以售啤酒為主的小餐館
Ⅱ
60 He woke upon a fine fall day—football weather。The depression of yesterday was gone and he liked the people on the streets。At noon he sat opposite Honoria at Le Grand Vatel，the only restaurant he could think of not reminiscent of champagne dinners and long luncheons that began at two and ended in a blurred andvague twilight。
61 “Now，how about vegetables？Oughtn’t you to have some vegetables？”
62 “Well，yes。”
63 “Here’s épinards and chou-fleur and carrots and haricots。”
64 “I’d like chou-fleur。”
65 “Wouldn’t you like to have two vegetables？”
66 “I usually only have one at lunch。”
67 The waiter was pretending to be inordinately fond of children。“Qu’elleest mignonne la petite？Elle parle exactement comme une Fransaise。”
評注：“Qu’elle est mignonne la petite？Elle parle exactementcomme une Fransaise。”這句法語翻譯過來是：“真可愛，這個小姑娘！法語說得跟法國人一樣漂亮。”
68 “How about dessert？Shall we wait and see？”
69 The waiter disappeared。Honoria looked at her father expectantly。
70 “What are we going to do？”
71 “First，we’re going to that toy store in the Rue Saint-Honoré and buy you anything you like。And then we’re going to the vaudeville at the Empire。”
72 She hesitated。“I like it about the vaudeville，but not the toy store。”
73 “Why not？”
74 “Well，you brought me this doll。”She had it with her。“And I’ve got lots of things。And we’re not rich any more，are we？”
75 “We never were。But today you are to have anything you want。”
76 “All right，”she agreed resignedly。
77 When there had been her mother and a French nurse he had been inclined to be strictnow he extended himself，reached out for a new tolerancehe must be both parents to her and not shut any of her out of communication。
78 “I want to get to know you，”he said gravely。“First let me introduce myself。My name is Charles J。Wales，of Prague。”
79 “Oh，daddy！”her voice cracked with laughter。
80 “And who are you，please？”he persisted，and she accepted a role immediately：“Honoria Wales，Rue Palatine，Paris。”
81 “Married or single？”
82 “No，not married。Single。”
83 He indicated the doll。“But I see you have a child，madame。”
84 Unwilling to disinherit it，she took it to her heart and thought quickly：“Yes，I’ve been married，but I’m not married now。My husband is dead。”
luncheon：n。午宴
épinard：n。[法語]菠菜
chou-fleur：n。[法語]花菜
inordinately：adv。無度地，非常地
vaudeville：n。歌舞雜耍
resignedly：adv。聽從地，服從地
disinherit：v。剝奪繼承權85He went on quickly，“And the child’s name？”
86 “Simone。That’s after my best friend at school。”
87 “I’m very pleased that you’re doing so well at school。”
88 “I’m third this month，”she boasted。“Elsie”—that was her cousin—“isonly about eighteenth，and Richard is about at the bottom。”
89 “You like Richard and Elsie，don’t you？”
90 “Oh，yes。I like Richard quite well and I like her all right。”