In the ward at the field hospital they told me a visitor was coming to see me in the afternoon. It was a hot day and there were many flies in the room. My orderly had cut paper into strips and tied the strips to a stick to make a brush that swished the flies away. I watched them settle on the ceiling.
When he stopped swishing and fell asleep they came down and I blew them away and finally covered my face with my hands and slept too. It was very hot and when I woke my legs itched. I waked the orderly and he poured mineral water on the dressings. That made the bed damp and cool. Those of us that were awake talked across the ward. The afternoon was a quiet time.
In the morning they came to each bed in turn, three men nurses and a doctor and picked you up out of bed and carried you into the dressing room so that the beds could be made while we were having our wounds dressed. It was not a pleasant trip to the dressing room and I did not know until later that beds could be made with men in them.
My orderly had finished pouring water and the bed felt cool and lovely and I was telling him where to scratch on the soles of my feet against the itching when one of the doctors brought in Rinaldi. He came in very fast and bent down over the bed and kissed me. I saw he wore gloves.
"How are you, baby? How do you feel? I bring you this--" It was a bottle of cognac. The orderly brought a chair and he sat down, "and good news. You will be decorated. They want to get you the medaglia d’argento but perhaps they can get only the bronze."
"Because you are gravely wounded. They say if you can prove you did any heroic act you can get the silver. Otherwise it will be the bronze. Tell me exactly what happened. Did you do any heroic act?"
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8
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“没有,”我说。“我被炸的时候,我们正在吃干酪。”
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8
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"No," I said. "I was blown up while we were eating cheese."
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9
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“别开玩笑。受伤的前后,你一定做过什么英勇的事。你仔细想想看。”
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9
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"Be serious. You must have done something heroic either before or after. Remember carefully."
"Didn’t you carry anybody on your back? Gordini says you carried several people on your back but the medical major at the first post declares it is impossible. He had to sign the proposition for the citation."
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12
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“我没有背过什么人。我动都动不了啊。”
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12
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"I didn’t carry anybody. I couldn’t move."
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13
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“这没有关系,”雷那蒂说。
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13
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"That doesn’t matter," said Rinaldi.
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14
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他脱下手套。
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14
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He took off his gloves.
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15
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“我想我们能替你弄到银质勋章的。你岂不是拒绝比人家先受治疗吗?”
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15
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"I think we can get you the silver. Didn’t you refuse to be medically aided before the others?"
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16
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“拒绝得并不十分坚决。”
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16
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"Not very firmly."
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17
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“这没有关系。只要看你这样受了重伤。只要看你平日真勇敢,老是请求上第一线。况且这次进攻又很顺利。”
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17
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"That doesn’t matter. Look how you are wounded. Look at your valorous conduct in asking to go always to the first line. Besides, the operation was successful."
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18
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“他们顺利渡了河没有?”
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18
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"Did they cross the river all right?"
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19
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“太顺利了。俘获的战俘差不多有一千名。公报上登载过。你没见过吗?”
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19
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"Enormously. They take nearly a thousand prisoners. It’s in the bulletin. Didn’t you see it?"
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20
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“没有。”
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20
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"No."
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21
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“我捎一份来给你。这是一次顺利的奇袭。”
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21
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"I’ll bring it to you. It is a successful coup de main."
"Splendid. We are all splendid. Everybody is proud of you. Tell me just exactly how it happened. I am positive you will get the silver. Go on tell me. Tell me all about it." He paused and thought. "Maybe you will get an English medal too. There was an English there.
I’ll go and see him and ask if he will recommend you. He ought to be able to do something. Do you suffer much? Have a drink. Orderly, go get a corkscrew. Oh you should see what I did in the removal of three metres of small intestine and better now than ever. It is one for The Lancet.
You do me a translation and I will send it to The Lancet. Every day I am better. Poor dear baby, how do you feel? Where is that damn corkscrew? You are so brave and quiet I forget you are suffering." He slapped his gloves on the edge of the bed.
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26
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“开塞钻拿来了,中尉长官,”护理员说。
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26
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"Here is the corkscrew, Signor Tenente," the orderly said.
"Open the bottle. Bring a glass. Drink that, baby. How is your poor head? I looked at your papers. You haven’t any fracture. That major at the first post was a hog-butcher. I would take you and never hurt you. I never hurt anybody. I learn how to do it.
Every day I learn to do things smoother and better. You must forgive me for talking so much, baby. I am very moved to see you badly wounded. There, drink that. It’s good. It cost fifteen lire. It ought to be good. Five stars. After I leave here I’ll go see that English and he’ll get you an English medal."
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29
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“人家可不会这么随便给的。”
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29
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"They don’t give them like that."
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30
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“你在谦虚了。我找那位联络官去。由他去对付那个英国人。”
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30
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"You are so modest. I will send the liaison officer. He can handle the English."
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31
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“你见过巴克莱小姐没有?”
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31
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"Have you seen Miss Barkley?"
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32
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“我给你带来。我现在就去带她来。”
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32
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"I will bring her here. I will go now and bring her here."
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33
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“别急,”我说。“先讲一些关于哥里察的情形。姐儿们怎么样?”
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33
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"Don’t go," I said. "Tell me about Gorizia. How are the girls?"
"There are no girls. For two weeks now they haven’t changed them. I don’t go there any more. It is disgraceful. They aren’t girls; they are old war comrades."
I drank the cognac and felt it warm all the way down. Rinaldi poured another glass. He was quieter now. He held up the glass. "To your valorous wounds. To the silver medal. Tell me, baby, when you lie here all the time in the hot weather don’t you get excited?"
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43
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“有时会的。”
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43
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"Sometimes."
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44
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“这样躺法,我简直不能想象。要我早就发疯了。”
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44
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"I can’t imagine lying like that. I would go crazy."
"I wish you were back. No one to come in at night from adventures. No one to make fun of. No one to lend me money. No blood brother and roommate. Why do you get yourself wounded?"
"That priest. It isn’t me that makes fun of him. It is the captain. I like him. If you must have a priest have that priest. He’s coming to see you. He makes big preparations."
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49
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“我喜欢他。”
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49
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"I like him."
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50
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“哦,我早就知道的。有时我想你们俩有点那个,好比阿内奥纳旅第一团的番号,紧紧挤在一起。①”
① 也许暗指同性恋。
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50
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"Oh, I knew it. Sometimes I think you and he are a little that way. You know.""A little that way like the number of the first regiment of the Brigata Ancona."
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51
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“哼,活见鬼。”
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51
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"Oh, go to hell."
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52
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他站起身,戴上手套。
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52
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He stood up and put on his gloves.
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53
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“哦,我真喜欢取笑你,乖乖。你尽管有什么教士,什么英国姑娘,骨子里你我还不是一式一样。”
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53
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"Oh I love to tease you, baby. With your priest and your English girl, and really you are just like me underneath."
"Yes, we are. You are really an Italian. All fire and smoke and nothing inside. You only pretend to be American. We are brothers and we love each other."
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56
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“我不在的时候你可要规矩点,”我说。
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56
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"Be good while I’m gone," I said.
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57
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“我设法把巴克莱小姐弄来吧。你还是跟她在一起,不要有我在一起的好。你比较纯洁一点,甜蜜一点。”
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57
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"I will send Miss Barkley. You are better with her without me. You are purer and sweeter."
"I will send her. Your lovely cool goddess. English goddess. My God what would a man do with a woman like that except worship her? What else is an Englishwoman good for?"
"Truly? I tell you something about your good women. Your goddesses. There is only one difference between taking a girl who has always been good and a woman. With a girl it is painful. That’s all I know." He slapped the bed with his glove. "And you never know if the girl will really like it."
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66
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“别上火。”
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66
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"Don’t get angry."
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67
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“我并没有上火。我说这些话,乖乖,无非是为你着想。可以免掉你许多麻烦。”
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67
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"I’m not angry. I just tell you, baby, for your own good. To save you trouble."
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68
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“唯一不同点就在这儿?”
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68
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"That’s the only difference?"
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69
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“是的。不过许许多多你这样的傻瓜还不晓得哩。”
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69
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"Yes. But millions of fools like you don’t know it."
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70
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“谢谢你开导我。”
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70
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"You were sweet to tell me."
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71
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“别拌嘴吧,乖乖。我太爱你了。但是你可别当傻瓜。”
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71
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"We won’t quarrel, baby. I love you too much. But don’t be a fool."
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72
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“好吧。我一定学你的鬼聪明。”
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72
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"No. I’ll be wise like you."
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73
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“别上火,乖乖。笑一笑。喝一杯。我果真得走了。”
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73
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"Don’t be angry, baby. Laugh. Take a drink. I must go, really."
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74
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“你是个知心的老朋友。”
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74
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"You’re a good old boy."
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75
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“现在你明白了。你我骨子里岂不就是一式一样的。我们是战友。接吻作别吧。”
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75
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"Now you see. Underneath we are the same. We are war brothers. Kiss me good-by."
I felt his breath come toward me. "Good-by. I come to see you again soon." His breath went away. "I won’t kiss you if you don’t want. I’ll send your English girl. Good-by, baby. The cognac is under the bed. Get well soon."