23 內特利的老人

The only one back in the squadron who did see any of Milo's red bananas was Aarfy， who picked up two from an influential fraternity brother of his in the Quartermaster Corps when the bananas ripened and began streaming into Italy through normal black-market channels and who was in the officer's apartment with Yossarian the evening Nately finally found his whore again after so many fruitless weeks of mournful searching and lured her back to the apartment with two girl friends by promising them thirty dollars each.阿費是中隊裏唯一真正見到過米洛的紅香蕉的人。阿費在香蕉成熟的季節，從軍需部的一個頗具影響力的哥們那兒弄到了通過尋常黑市途徑流入意大利的兩隻香蕉。阿費和尤塞瑞恩那天夜裏在軍官公寓裏呆著， 而在好幾個星期徒勞無功，令人泄氣的尋覓之後，內特利終於找到了那個妓女，並以每人三十美元當誘餌，將她和她的那兩個女友騙進了軍官公寓。
'Thirty dollars each？' remarked Aarfy slowly， poking and patting each of the three strapping girls skeptically with the air of a grudging connoisseur. 'Thirty dollars is a lot of money for pieces like these. Besides， I never paid for it in my life.'“每人三十元？”阿費慢不經心地說著，一麵不相信地打量著這三個身材高而勻稱的姑娘，像個吝嗇的行家。“這樣的姑娘出三十塊美金可不少啊。再說，我這一生從沒有為這種人花過錢。”
'I'm not asking you to pay for it，' Nately assured him quickly. 'I'll pay for them all. I just want you guys to take the other two. Won't you help me out？' Aarfy smirked complacently and shook his soft round head. 'Nobody has to pay for it for good old Aarfy. I can get all I want any time I want it. I'm just not in the mood right now.'
'Why don't you just pay all three and send the other two away？' Yossarian suggested.  'Because then mine will be angry with me for making her work for her money，' Nately replied with an anxious look at his girl， who was glowering at him restlessly and starting to mutter. 'She says that if I really like her I'd send her away and go to bed with one of the others.'
'I have a better idea，' boasted Aarfy. 'Why don't we keep the three of them here until after the curfew and then threaten to push them out into the street to be arrested unless they give us all their money？ We can even threaten to push them out the window.'
'Aarfy！' Nately was aghast.
“我不要你付錢，”內特利急忙向他保證，“她們的錢全由我一個人來付。我隻要你們兩個家夥把另外兩個姑娘帶走。你們就不能幫我一下？”
阿費自鳴得意地笑了笑，他那肌肉鬆軟的圓腦袋搖得像貨郎鼓一般。“沒有人需要為好心的老阿費付這種錢。我無論何時想要，我都能弄到。隻不過這會兒我沒有興趣。”
“你幹嗎不付了三個人的錢，讓那兩個走人呢？”尤塞瑞恩建議說。 “那樣的話，我的那位就會以為我讓她為了錢而幹這個，會跟我生氣。”內特利一麵回答，一麵焦急地看著那位姑娘。那姑娘正不耐煩地盯著他，嘴裏咕咕噥噥地開始抱怨起來。“她說如果我真的喜歡她，就該把她送走，而同另外兩個人中間的一個上床。”
“我倒有個更好的主意。”阿費吹噓起來。“我們為什麽不把她們三人留在這兒，一直留到宵禁開始，然後我們威脅說要把她們趕到大街上去被人抓起來，除非她們把她們的錢都給我們。我們甚至可以威脅說要把她們從窗戶裏推下去。
“阿費！”內特利驚呆了。

'I was only trying to help，' said Aarfy sheepishly. Aarfy was always trying to help Nately because Nately's father was rich and prominent and in an excellent position to help Aarfy after the war. 'Gee whiz，' he defended himself querulously. 'Back in school we were always doing things like that. I remember one day we tricked these two dumb high-school girls from town into the fraternity house and made them put out for all the fellows there who wanted them by threatening to call up their parents and say they were putting out for us. We kept them trapped in bed there for more than ten hours. We even smacked their faces a little when they started to complain. Then we took away their nickels and dimes and chewing gum and threw them out. Boy， we used to have fun in that fraternity house，' he recalled peacefully， his corpulent cheeks aglow with the jovial， rubicund warmth of nostalgic recollection. 'We used to ostracize everyone， even each other.'
“我隻是想幫你，”阿費羞怯地說。阿費總是千方百計想幫助內特利，因為內特利的父親又有錢又有名，能在戰後幫助阿費。“哎呀，”他牢騷滿腹地為自己辯護說，“我們以前在學校裏總是那樣做的。我記得有一天我們把兩個這樣笨頭笨腦的女中學生從市區騙到了兄弟會，讓她們跟所有想和她們睡覺的會友上床，我們威脅說要打電話給她們的父母，說她們在和我們睡覺。我們把她倆困在床上足足有十多個小時。當她們開始抱怨時，我們甚至還打她們幾下耳光。後來，我們把她們的五分、一角的硬幣和口香糖拿走後，把她們趕了出去。老兄，我們過去在那個兄弟會裏玩得很痛快。”他平靜地回憶著，他那肥胖的雙頰因懷念起往事而煥發出快樂、紅潤的光澤。“我們過去把任何人都排斥在外，甚至互相排斥。”But Aarfy was no help to Nately now as the girl Nately had fallen so deeply in love with began swearing at him sullenly with rising， menacing resentment. Luckily， Hungry Joe burst in just then， and everything was all right again， except that Dunbar staggered in drunk a minute later and began embracing one of the other giggling girls at once. Now there were four men and three girls， and the seven of them left Aarfy in the apartment and climbed into a horse-drawn cab， which remained at the curb at a dead halt while the girls demanded their money in advance. Nately gave them ninety dollars with a gallant flourish， after borrowing twenty dollars from Yossarian， thirty-five dollars from Dunbar and seventeen dollars from Hungry Joe. The girls grew friendlier then and called an address to the driver， who drove them at a clopping pace halfway across the city into a section they had never visited before and stopped in front of an old， tall building on a dark street. The girls led them up four steep， very long flights of creaking wooden stairs and guided them through a doorway into their own wonderful and resplendent tenement apartment， which burgeoned miraculously with an infinite and proliferating flow of supple young naked girls and contained the evil and debauched ugly old man who irritated Nately constantly with his caustic laughter and the clucking， proper old woman in the ash-gray woolen sweater who disapproved of everything immoral that occurred there and tried her best to tidy up.
此刻阿費對內特利毫無幫助。內特利深深迷戀上的這位姑娘越來越鬱鬱不樂，開始以威脅的口氣辱罵他。幸運的是，就在這時，亨格瑞·久闖了進來。於是，一切問題迎刃而解了。 過了一會兒，鄧巴醉醺醺地、搖搖晃晃進來，一把摟住另一位咯咯笑著的姑娘。現在是四男三女。把阿費留在公寓裏，七個人鑽進了一輛出租馬車。那馬車停路邊上，姑娘們要內特利先付給她們錢。內特利向尤塞瑞恩借了二十元，向鄧巴借了三十五元，向亨格瑞·久借了十六元，然後瀟灑地揮手付給了她們九十元。 姑娘們變得友好起來，大聲對馬車夫說了個地址，車夫便趕著馬，得得地載著他們穿過半個城市，來到一個他們以前從未光顧過的地段，馬車在坐落於一條漆黑的大街上的一幢古樓前停了下來。姑娘們領著他們爬過四段陡長、踩上去嘎嘎作響的木樓梯，穿過一個門廊，進了她們自己的富麗堂皇的公寓套房。這裏神奇般地不斷湧出許多的肢體柔軟、一絲不掛的年輕姑娘。公寓裏有個邪惡、淫蕩的醜老頭兒，他那刻薄的笑聲惹內特利生氣；那裏還有個循規蹈矩的老太婆，整日咯咯叫喚著。她穿著煙灰色羊毛衫，對那裏發生的所有傷風敗俗的事情都看不慣，並竭盡全力把公寓收拾幹淨。

The amazing place was a fertile， seething cornucopia of female nipples and navels. At first， there were just their own three girls， in the dimly-lit， drab brown sitting room that stood at the juncture of three murky hallways leading in separate directions to the distant recesses of the strange and marvelous bordello. The girls disrobed at once， pausing in different stages to point proudly to their garish underthings and bantering all the while with the gaunt and dissipated old man with the shabby long white hair and slovenly white unbuttoned shirt who sat cackling lasciviously in a musty blue armchair almost in the exact center of the room and bade Nately and his companions welcome with a mirthful and sardonic formality. Then the old woman trudged out to get a girl for Hungry Joe， dipping her captious head sadly， and returned with two big-bosomed beauties， one already undressed and the other in only a transparent pink half slip that she wiggled out of while sitting down. Three more naked girls sauntered in from a different direction and remained to chat， then two others. Four more girls passed through the room in an indolent group， engrossed in conversation； three were barefoot and one wobbled perilously on a pair of unbuckled silver dancing shoes that did not seem to be her own. One more girl appeared wearing only panties and sat down， bringing the total congregating there in just a few minutes to eleven， all but one of them completely unclothed.
這個地方令人驚愕，是塊肥沃、富饒而沸騰的寶地。女人的乳頭和肚臍到處可見。一開始，那間燈光昏暗，黃褐色的起居室裏隻有那三個姑娘。三條陰暗的走廊的交界處是那間起居室，走廊從不同的方向通往那裏，那個離奇古怪的、不可思議的，妓院深處的幽室。姑娘們開始脫光衣服，不時停下來，得意地炫耀花花綠綠的內衣，並不停地同那個憔悴、放蕩的老頭打情罵俏。那老頭滿頭又長又亂的白發，穿著一件沒扣扣子的白襯衫，一副邋遢相。在房間正中的那張長了黴的藍色扶手椅裏，他坐著，與妓女們嘀嘀咕咕地說著下流話；笑嘻嘻地，帶著嘲諷的神態，禮節性地，歡迎著內特利和他的同伴們。接著，那老太婆傷心地低著她那顆好找茬的腦袋，磕磕絆絆地出去給亨格瑞·久找來了姑娘們，兩個乳房高聳的美人兒。一個已經脫光了衣服，另一位隻穿著件透明的粉紅色短襯衣，邊坐邊扭動著身體，脫掉了這最後一點兒衣服。三位姑娘從另外一個方向飄蕩過來，一絲不掛，她們停下來聊起天來。後來，又來了兩位姑娘。接著又有四位姑娘穿過這間起居室，她們結成一夥，懶洋洋地，不停地談論著什麽，其中三人光著腳，另一人穿著一雙銀色舞鞋，沒係鞋帶，舞鞋好像不是她自己的，走起路來東搖西擺，怪嚇人的。後來，又有一位隻穿著三角褲的姑娘來到這間房裏，坐了下來。這樣，在短短幾分鍾裏，這裏便來了一大群人，共十一人。除一人外，她們都一絲不掛。
There was bare flesh lounging everywhere， most of it plump， and Hungry Joe began to die. He stood stock still in rigid， cataleptic astonishment while the girls ambled in and made themselves comfortable. Then he let out a piercing shriek suddenly and bolted toward the door in a headlong dash back toward the enlisted men's apartment for his camera， only to be halted in his tracks with another frantic shriek by the dreadful， freezing premonition that this whole lovely， lurid， rich and colorful pagan paradise would be snatched away from him irredeemably if he were to let it out of his sight for even an instant. He stopped in the doorway and sputtered， the wiry veins and tendons in his face and neck pulsating violently. The old man watched him with victorious merriment， sitting in his musty blue armchair like some satanic and hedonistic deity on a throne， a stolen U.S. Army blanket wrapped around his spindly legs to ward off a chill. He laughed quietly， his sunken， shrewd eyes sparkling perceptively with a cynical and wanton enjoyment. He had been drinking. Nately reacted on sight with bristling enmity to this wicked， depraved and unpatriotic old man who was old enough to remind him of his father and who made disparaging jokes about America.
到處是閑逛著的裸體，大多數都很豐滿，亨格瑞·久的魂沒了，驚呆地站在那兒，一動不動，任憑姑娘們從容輕鬆地走來，舒舒服服地坐下。後來，他突然尖叫一聲，像脫了弦的箭，衝向門口，想回士兵公寓去取他的照相機，可走到半路上，他一想到這個可愛的、刺激的、豐富多彩的異教徒的天堂，會在他離開的片刻從這兒被掠走，不複再有，他便感到害怕。一陣顫栗，他狂叫一聲，停住了腳步。他在門口停了下來，唾沫飛濺，臉上和脖子上的筋脈劇烈地動著。那老頭坐在發了黴的藍色扶手椅裏，就像坐在寶座上耽於享樂的魔王，兩條細長的腿上裹著一條偷來的美軍軍用毛毯禦寒，望著亨格瑞·久，麵帶著勝利的喜悅。 他不出聲地笑著，兩隻凹陷而機警的眼睛閃爍著因熟知一切而玩世不恭、放蕩不羈的神情。他一直在喝酒。一看見這個邪惡、墮落、沒有愛國心的老頭，內特利就恨得毛發倒豎。那老頭年紀夠大的了，使內特利想到自己的父親。老頭不停地開著詆毀美國的玩笑。
'America，' he said， 'will lose the war. And Italy will win it.'

    'America is the strongest and most prosperous nation on earth，' Nately informed him with lofty fervor and dignity. 'And the American fighting man is second to none.'

    'Exactly，' agreed the old man pleasantly， with a hint of taunting amusement. 'Italy， on the other hand， is one of the least prosperous nations on earth. And the Italian fighting man is probably second to all. And that's exactly why my country is doing so well in this war while your country is doing so poorly.' Nately guffawed with surprise， then blushed apologetically for his impoliteness. 'I'm sorry I laughed at you，' he said sincerely， and he continued in a tone of respectful condescension. 'But Italy was occupied by the Germans and is now being occupied by us. You don't call that doing very well， do you？'

    'But of course I do，' exclaimed the old man cheerfully. 'The Germans are being driven out， and we are still here. In a few years you will be gone， too， and we will still be here. You see， Italy is really a very poor and weak country， and that's what makes us so strong. Italian soldiers are not dying any more. But American and German soldiers are. I call that doing extremely well. Yes， I am quite certain that Italy will survive this war and still be in existence long after your own country has been destroyed.' Nately could scarcely believe his ears. He had never heard such shocking blasphemies before， and he wondered with instinctive logic why G-men did not appear to lock the traitorous old man up. 'America is not going to be destroyed！' he shouted passionately.

“美國，”他說，“將會被打敗。而意大利將會贏得勝利。”

“美國是世界上最強大、最繁榮的國家，”內特利激情滿懷、莊嚴肅穆地對他說，“而且美國的軍人是無與倫比的。”

“的確如此。”那老頭欣然表示同意，口氣中帶著少許以嘲諷別人為樂趣的意味。“但另一方麵，意大利是世界上最不繁榮的國家。 意大利士兵也許是最差勁的。但正是因為如此，我的國家在這場戰爭中打得如此出色，而你的國家卻打得那麽差勁。”

內特利先是感到意外，捧腹大笑起來，接著臉紅耳赤地為自己的失禮表示歉意。“對不起，我剛才嘲笑了你，”他真誠地說，接著又用尊敬、屈尊俯就的語調繼續說，“但意大利過去被德國人占領，現在又正被我們占領。你不會說這是打得出色吧，是嗎？”

“不過，我當然要這麽說，”那老頭快樂地說，“德國人正在被趕出去，而我們還在這兒。幾年以後你們也會走的，而我們仍然在這兒。你瞧，意大利確實是一個十分貧窮、弱小的國家，然而正是這一點使我們這麽強大。意大利士兵不再死亡了，可美國和德國的士兵正在死亡。我把這叫做打得極其出色。是的，我確信意大利將會在這場戰爭中幸存下來，並將在你自己的國家被摧毀之後永遠存在下去。”

內特利簡直難以相信自己的耳朵。他以前從未聽到過這樣令人吃驚的惡毒的言詞。他的直覺使他感到納悶，為什麽聯邦調查局的人不來把這個背叛祖國的老東西抓起來。“美國是不會被摧毀的！”他慷慨激昂地喊道。
'Never？' prodded the old man softly.

    'Well…' Nately faltered.

    The old man laughed indulgently， holding in check a deeper， more explosive delight. His goading remained gentle. 'Rome was destroyed， Greece was destroyed， Persia was destroyed， Spain was destroyed. All great countries are destroyed. Why not yours？ How much longer do you really think your own country will last？ Forever？ Keep in mind that the earth itself is destined to be destroyed by the sun in twenty-five million years or so.' Nately squirmed uncomfortably. 'Well， forever is a long time， I guess.'

“永遠不會嗎？”那老頭輕聲激了他一句。

“這個……”內特利結結巴巴地說。

那老頭壓抑住一種更深沉、更強烈的喜悅，放聲大笑起來。他溫和地刺激他說：“羅馬被摧毀了，希臘被摧毀了，波斯被摧毀了，西班牙被摧毀了。所有的大國都被摧毀了。為什麽你的國家不會被摧毀，你實實在在地認為自己的國家還會存在多長時間？永遠？請記住地球本身在大約二千五百萬年之後也注定要被太陽毀滅的。”

內特利不安地扭動著身體。“這個，永遠是個很長的時間，我想。”
'A million years？' persisted the jeering old man with keen， sadistic zest. 'A half million？ The frog is almost five hundred million years old. Could you really say with much certainty that America， with all its strength and prosperity， with its fighting man that is second to none， and with its standard of living that is the highest in the world， will last as long as… the frog？' Nately wanted to smash his leering face. He looked about imploringly for help in defending his country's future against the obnoxious calumnies of this sly and sinful assailant. He was disappointed. Yossarian and Dunbar were busy in a far corner pawing orgiastically at four or five frolicsome girls and six bottles of red wine， and Hungry Joe had long since tramped away down one of the mystic hallways， propelling before him like a ravening despot as many of the broadest-hipped young prostitutes as he could contain in his frail wind-milling arms and cram into one double bed.
“一百萬年？”那個喜歡嘲弄人的老頭帶著強烈的虐待狂的熱情堅持說，“五十萬年？青蛙幾乎有五億年的曆史了。你真的十分有把握地說，美國盡管強大而繁榮，擁有無以倫比的士兵，擁有世界上最高的生活標準，會存在得像青蛙那麽久嗎？”

內特利真想揍老人那張嘲弄人的臉。環顧四周，他想找人幫他反駁這個狡猾、邪惡的老頭的那些該受譴責的誹謗，以捍衛國家的未來。他很失望。已經喝了六瓶葡萄酒的尤塞瑞恩和鄧巴在較遠的一個角落裏，忙著同四五個嬉皮笑臉的姑娘尋歡作樂。亨格瑞·久早沿著一條神秘的過道遊蕩走了，他像個貪得無厭的暴君，兩隻瘦弱的膀子不停地舞動著，盡可能多地把臀部最大的年輕妓女擁在身前，和她們一起擠睡在一張雙人床上。
Nately felt himself at an embarrassing loss. His own girl sat sprawled out gracelessly on an overstuffed sofa with an expression of otiose boredom. Nately was unnerved by her torpid indifference to him， by the same sleepy and inert poise that he remembered so vivdly， so sweetly， and so miserably from the first time she had seen him and ignored him at the packed penny-ante blackjack game in the living room of the enlisted men's apartment. Her lax mouth hung open in a perfect O， and God alone knew at what her glazed and smoky eyes were staring in such brute apathy. The old man waited tranquilly， watching him with a discerning smile that was both scornful and sympathetic. A lissome， blond， sinuous girl with lovely legs and honey-colored skin laid herself out contentedly on the arm of the old man's chair and began molesting his angular， pale， dissolute face languidly and coquettishly. Nately stiffened with resentment and hostility at the sight of such lechery in a man so old. He turned away with a sinking heart and wondered why he simply did not take his own girl and go to bed.
內特利感到進退兩難，不知所措。自己的姑娘伸開四肢，樣子難看地，躺在一張又厚又軟的沙發上，一副懶散無聊的表情。內特利感到煩惱不安，因為她對他態度冷淡，無動於衷。她第一次看見他是在士兵公寓的客廳裏。他們許多人在一起玩二十一點，但她沒有理他，自那時起，她對他一直是若即若離，提不起精神，這一點他記得如此清楚，如此甜蜜而又如此傷心。她的嘴張著，成一個完美無缺的0字形，隻有天曉得她那雙呆滯、蒙朧的眼睛在用如此殘忍、冷漠的眼神凝視著什麽。那老頭靜靜地等待著，臉上帶著一種既輕蔑又同情的洞察一切的微笑望著他。一個滿頭金發、身體柔軟成曲線形、肌膚呈蜂蜜色、長著兩條漂亮的腿的姑娘坐在那老頭的椅子扶手上，盡情地炫耀著她的姿色，一麵無精打采地、賣弄風情地撩摸著他那骨瘦如柴、蒼白而放蕩的臉。見到一個這麽老的人還如此淫蕩好色，內特利又氣又恨。他心情沉重地轉過身，心想他為何不帶著自己的姑娘睡覺去。


This sordid， vulturous， diabolical old man reminded Nately of his father because the two were nothing at all alike. Nately's father was a courtly white-haired gentleman who dressed impeccably； this old man was an uncouth bum. Nately's father was a sober， philosophical and responsible man； this old man was fickle and licentious. Nately's father was discreet and cultured； this old man was a boor. Nately's father believed in honor and knew the answer to everything； this old man believed in nothing and had only questions. Nately's father had a distinguished white mustache； this old man had no mustache at all. Nately's father-and everyone else's father Nately had ever met-was dignified， wise and venerable； this old man was utterly repellent， and Nately plunged back into debate with him， determined to repudiate his vile logic and insinuations with an ambitious vengeance that would capture the attention of the bored， phlegmatic girl he had fallen so intensely in love with and win her admiration forever.
這個肮髒、貪婪、魔鬼似的老頭之所以使他想到自己的父親，是因為他們兩人毫無相同之處。內特利的父親是個衣著得體、舉止優雅的白發紳士，而這老頭卻是個舉止粗魯的遊手好閑之徒；內特利的父親是個冷靜、善於思考、有責任心的人，而這老頭卻是個用情不專、放浪形骸的老色鬼；內特利的父親言行謹慎、有教養，而這老頭卻是個粗野的鄉巴佬；內特利的父親自尊自愛、學識淵博，而這老頭卻寡廉鮮恥、愚昧無知；內特利的父親蓄著高貴的白胡子，而這老頭卻沒有一根胡子；內特利的父親，和內特利遇到過的所有其他人的父親一樣，都很高貴、聰明、受人尊敬，而這老頭卻著實地令人憎惡。內特利又同他辯論起來，決心痛斥他的無恥邏輯和含沙射影的誹謗，雄心勃勃地要報一箭之仇，以吸引那個討厭他、對他無動於衷，而他卻如此強烈地愛戀著的姑娘的注意，從而永遠贏得她的愛慕。
'Well， frankly， I don't know how long America is going to last，' he proceeded dauntlessly. 'I suppose we can't last forever if the world itself is going to be destroyed someday. But I do know that we're going to survive and triumph for a long， long time.'

    'For how long？' mocked the profane old man with a gleam of malicious elation. 'Not even as long as the frog？'

    'Much longer than you or me，' Nately blurted out lamely.

    'Oh， is that all！ That won't be very much longer then， considering that you're so gullible and brave and that I am already such an old， old man.'

    'How old are you？' Nately asked， growing intrigued and charmed with the old man in spite of himself.

    'A hundred and seven.' The old man chuckled heartily at Nately's look of chagrin. 'I see you don't believe that either.'

    'I don't believe anything you tell me，' Nately replied， with a bashful mitigating smile. 'The only thing I do believe is that America is going to win the war.'

“坦率地說，我不知道美國將存在多久，”他無所畏懼地說，“我想如果世界本身有一天將被毀滅的話，那我們也不可能永遠存在下去。但是，我確知我們會贏得勝利，並活很長、很長時間。”

“多長時間？”那個喜歡誹謗別人的老頭嘲諷地問道，臉上帶著居心叵測的得意神情。“甚至不如青蛙活得久嗎？”

“比你或者我活得長久得多。”內特利笨拙地脫口而出。

“ 喔，原來如此！考慮到你是那麽地有勇無謀，而我已經這麽一大把年紀，那就不會太長久啦。”

“你多大年紀？”內特利問，不禁對這個老頭產生了興趣，被他迷住了。

“一百零六歲。”那老頭看見內特利滿臉懊惱，開心地抿著嘴輕聲笑起來。“我看得出你也不相信這一點。”

“我不相信你跟我說的一切，”內特利回答說，臉上露出羞怯和怒氣平息後的微笑。“我唯一相信的就是美國將會贏得戰爭的勝利。”
'You put so much stock in winning wars，' the grubby iniquitous old man scoffed. 'The real trick lies in losing wars， in knowing which wars can be lost. Italy has been losing wars for centuries， and just see how splendidly we've done nonetheless. France wins wars and is in a continual state of crisis. Germany loses and prospers. Look at our own recent history. Italy won a war in Ethiopia and promptly stumbled into serious trouble. Victory gave us such insane delusions of grandeur that we helped start a world war we hadn't a chance of winning. But now that we are losing again， everything has taken a turn for the better， and we will certainly come out on top again if we succeed in being defeated.'


“你太看重勝利了，”那個肮髒而邪惡的老頭嘲笑說，“真正的訣竅在於輸掉幾場戰爭，在於知道哪幾場戰爭可以輸掉。幾個世紀以來，意大利一直在戰爭中打敗 仗，然而你瞧我們幹得多出色。法國打贏了戰爭，然而卻不斷處於危機之中。德國打輸了但卻繁榮起來。意大利在埃塞俄比亞打了勝仗，但立即陷入嚴重的困境。勝 利給我們製造了許多輝煌的假象，使我們喪失了理智，於是便引發了一場我們沒有機會獲勝的世界大戰。可是既然我們又要輸了，所有的事情就開始向好的方麵轉 化。假如我們成功地被打敗了，我們就一定會成功。”
Nately gaped at him in undisguised befuddlement. 'Now I really don't understand what you're saying. You talk like a madman.'
'But I live like a sane one. I was a fascist when Mussolini was on top， and I am an anti-fascist now that he has been deposed. I was fanatically pro-German when the Germans were here to protect us against the Americans， and now that the Americans are here to protect us against the Germans I am fanatically pro-American. I can assure you， my outraged young friend'-the old man's knowing， disdainful eyes shone even more effervescently as Nately's stuttering dismay increased-'that you and your country will have a no more loyal partisan in Italy than me-but only as long as you remain in Italy.'
內特利目瞪口呆地看著他，臉上露出未加掩飾的迷惑神情。 “現在我真的不明白你在說什麽。你說話像個瘋子。”
“但我像個正常人一樣生活。墨索裏尼執政時，我是個法西斯分子；現在他被趕下了台，我就成了一名反法西斯分子。當德國人在這兒保護我們反對美國人時，我是狂熱的親德派，而現在美國人在這兒保護我們抵抗德國人，我就成了狂熱的親美派。我可以向你保證，我義憤填膺的年輕朋友”-- 看見內特利變得更加驚慌失措、張口結舌，老頭兒那雙機警、輕蔑的眼睛裏閃耀出更加得意的光芒─“你和你的國家在意大利不會有比我更忠實的支持者了-- 但這僅僅是在你們駐守意大利期間。”
'But，' Nately cried out in disbelief， 'you're a turncoat！ A time-server！ A shameful， unscrupulous opportunist！'

    'I am a hundred and seven years old，' the old man reminded him suavely.

    'Don't you have any principles？'

    'Of course not.'

    'No morality？'

    'Oh， I am a very moral man，' the villainous old man assured him with satiric seriousness， stroking the bare hip of a buxom black-haired girl with pretty dimples who had stretched herself out seductively on the other arm of his chair. He grinned at Nately sarcastically as he sat between both naked girls in smug and threadbare splendor， with a sovereign hand on each.

    'I can't believe it，' Nately remarked grudgingly， trying stubbornly not to watch him in relationship to the girls. 'I simply can't believe it.'

“但是，”內特利不相信地大聲喊道，“你是個叛徒！是個趨炎附勢的小人！是個不知廉恥、肆無忌憚的機會主義者！”

“我已經一百零七歲了，”那老頭溫和地提醒他說。 “你難道沒有任何信條？”

“當然沒有。” “沒有道德標準？”

“哦，我是個很有道德的人。”那個惡棍似的老頭半是諷刺半是認真地向他保證說，一邊說一邊摸著一個豐滿的、臉上長著兩個漂亮酒窩的黑發妓女的光屁股。那妓女勾魂攝魄地在他椅子的另一邊扶手上舒展開了身體。他沾沾自喜地坐在兩個裸體女郎中間，像個乞丐王似的一手摟著一個，挖苦地咧著嘴向內特利笑著。

“我難以相信，”內特利怨恨地說，硬著頭皮竭力不去看他與那兩個姑娘摟摟抱抱的樣子。“我隻是難以相信。”
'But it's perfectly true. When the Germans marched into the city， I danced in the streets like a youthful ballerina and shouted， "Heil Hitler！" until my lungs were hoarse. I even waved a small Nazi flag that I snatched away from a beautiful little girl while her mother was looking the other way. When the Germans left the city， I rushed out to welcome the Americans with a bottle of excellent brandy and a basket of flowers. The brandy was for myself， of course， and the flowers were to sprinkle upon our liberators. There was a very stiff and stuffy old major riding in the first car， and I hit him squarely in the eye with a red rose. A marvelous shot！ You should have seen him wince.' Nately gasped and was on his feet with amazement， the blood draining from his cheeks. 'Major-de Coverley！' he cried.
“但這一切全是真的。德國人進城的時候，我像個朝氣蓬勃的女芭蕾舞演員在大街上翩翩起舞，一邊喊著：‘嗨，希特勒！’我把嗓子都喊啞了。我甚至還揮舞著一麵納粹小旗，那是我趁她母親不注意，從一個漂亮的小姑娘手裏搶來的。當德國人離開城市時，我拿著一瓶上等白蘭地，提著一筐鮮花跑出去歡迎美國人。當然，白蘭地是我自己喝的，花是用來撒向我們的解放者的。在第一輛車子上直挺挺地坐著一個自命不凡的老少校，我用一朵紅玫瑰不偏不倚地砸在他的眼睛上。多麽美妙的一擊！你要是看見他往後躲的樣子就好啦。” 內特利吃驚地站了起來，直喘粗氣，臉色發白。“是德·科弗利少校！”他叫喊起來。
'Do you know him？' inquired the old man with delight. 'What a charming coincidence！' Nately was too astounded even to hear him. 'So you're the one who wounded Major - de Coverley！' he exclaimed in horrified indignation. 'How could you do such a thing？' The fiendish old man was unperturbed. 'How could I resist， you mean. You should have seen the arrogant old bore， sitting there so sternly in that car like the Almighty Himself， with his big， rigid head and his foolish， solemn face. What a tempting target he made！ I got him in the eye with an American Beauty rose. I thought that was most appropriate. Don't you？'

    'That was a terrible thing to do！' Nately shouted at him reproachfully. 'A vicious and criminal thing！ Major-de Coverley is our squadron executive officer！'

    'Is he？' teased the unregenerate old man， pinching his pointy jaw gravely in a parody of repentance. 'In that case， you must give me credit for being impartial. When the Germans rode in， I almost stabbed a robust young Oberleutnant to death with a sprig of edelweiss.' Nately was appalled and bewildered by the abominable old man's inability to perceive the enormity of his offence. 'Don't you realize what you've done？' he scolded vehemently. 'Major-de Coverley is a noble and wonderful person， and everyone admires him.'

“你認識他？”那老頭樂滋滋地問道，“真是太巧了！”

內特利吃驚不小，沒有聽見他的話。“那麽你就是那個打傷德·科弗利少校的人！”他又氣又怕地喊道，“你怎麽能做這樣的事情？”

那個魔鬼似的老頭泰然自若。“你的意思是說，我怎麽能忍住不砸他？你真該看到那個傲慢、討厭的老家夥，他那麽嚴厲地坐在車子裏，大腦袋挺得筆直，愚蠢的臉上一本正經的樣子，就像上帝親臨似的。他是個多麽誘人的靶子啊！我用一枝美國紅玫瑰打中了他的眼睛。我認為這是最合適不過的。你說呢？”

“那件事做得糟透了！”內特利大聲指責他說，“那是一件惡意的犯罪事件！德·科弗利少校是我們中隊的主任參謀！”

“是嗎？”那個頑固不化的老頭戲弄他說，一邊神態嚴肅地捏著他那個尖下巴，裝出一副懊悔的樣子。“如果是那樣的話，你必須為我的公正而稱讚我。當德國人開進來的時候，我用一小枝火絨草差點把一個強壯的年輕中尉紮死。”

這個可惡的老頭竟不能明白自己犯下了多大的罪過，這使得內特利驚愕不已，手足無措。“你難道不知道自己幹了些什麽？”他言詞激烈地叱責他。“德·科弗利少校是個品德高尚的大好人，大家都欽佩他。”
'He's a silly old fool who really has no right acting like a silly young fool. Where is he today？ Dead？' Nately answered softly with somber awe. 'Nobody knows. He seems to have disappeared.'

    'You see？ Imagine a man his age risking what little life he has left for something so absurd as a country.' Nately was instantly up in arms again. 'There is nothing so absurd about risking your life for your country！' he declared.

    'Isn't there？' asked the old man. 'What is a country？ A country is a piece of land surrounded on all sides by boundaries， usually unnatural. Englishmen are dying for England， Americans are dying for America， Germans are dying for Germany， Russians are dying for Russia. There are now fifty or sixty countries fighting in this war. Surely so many countries can't all be worth dying for.'

    'Anything worth living for，' said Nately， 'is worth dying for.'

    'And anything worth dying for，' answered the sacrilegious old man， 'is certainly worth living for. You know， you're such a pure and naive young man that I almost feel sorry for you. How old are you？ Twenty-five？ Twenty-six？'

    'Nineteen，' said Nately. 'I'll be twenty in January.'

“他是個老傻瓜，他實在沒有權力做得像個年輕的傻瓜似的。 他現在在哪兒？死了？”

內特利帶著憂鬱、敬畏的神情輕聲回答說：“沒人知道。他好像失蹤了。”

“你明白了吧？想一想吧，一個像他這樣年齡的人，為了什麽國家之類的荒唐事情，竟拿自己所剩不多的生命去冒險。”

內特利馬上竭力反對。“為自己的國家用生命去冒險沒什麽荒唐的！”他鄭重地說。

“是嗎？”那老頭問，“國家是什麽？國家是四周用界線圍著的一塊土地。通常是非自然的。英國人為英國而死，美國人為美國而死，德國人為德國而死，俄國人為俄國而死。現在有五六十個國家在打這場戰爭。當然，這麽多國家不可能都值得人們為了它們去死。”

“任何值得人為它而生的東西，”內特利說，“都值得人為它而死。”

“而任何值得人為它去死的東西，”那個褻瀆神靈的老頭回答說，“肯定值得人為它而生。你知道，你是個如此單純、天真的年輕人，我簡直為你感到惋惜。你多大啦，二十五？二十六？”

“十九，”內特利說，“到一月份我就二十歲了。”
'If you live.' The old man shook his head， wearing， for a moment， the same touchy， meditating frown of the fretful and disapproving old woman. 'They are going to kill you if you don't watch out， and I can see now that you are not going to watch out. Why don't you use some sense and try to be more like me？ You might live to be a hundred and seven， too.'

    'Because it's better to die on one's feet than live on one's knees，' Nately retorted with triumphant and lofty conviction. 'I guess you've heard that saying before.'

    'Yes， I certainly have，' mused the treacherous old man， smiling again. 'But I'm afraid you have it backward. It is better to live on one's feet than die on one's knees. That is the way the saying goes.'

    'Are you sure？' Nately asked with sober confusion. 'It seems to make more sense my way.'

“但願你活下去。”那老頭搖了搖頭，有那麽一會兒，他像那個滿腹牢騷、事事看不慣的老太婆一樣眉頭緊鎖，像是生氣又像是沉思。“如果你不提防著點，他們會殺了你。我現在能看得出來你不打算提防。你為什麽不理智些，努力做得更像我這樣、你也可能活到一百零七歲呢。”

“因為我寧願站著死，不願跪著生，”內特利帶著崇高的信念得意洋洋地反駁說，“我想你以前聽說過這句俗話吧。”

“是的，我當然聽說過，”那個陰險的老頭沉思地說，臉上又堆起了微笑。“然而恐怕你把這句俗話說顛倒了，寧願站著生，不願跪著死。那句俗話是這麽說的。”

“你肯定嗎？”內特利有點糊塗地問，“好像我那樣說更講得通。”
'No， it makes more sense my way. Ask your friends.' Nately turned to ask his friends and discovered they had gone. Yossarian and Dunbar had both disappeared. The old man roared with contemptuous merriment at Nately's look of embarrassed surprise. Nately's face darkened with shame. He vacillated helplessly for a few seconds and then spun himself around and fled inside the nearest of the hallways in search of Yossarian and Dunbar， hoping to catch them in time and bring them back to the rescue with news of the remarkable clash between the old man and Major-de Coverley. All the doors in the hallways were shut. There was light under none. It was already very late. Nately gave up his search forlornly. There was nothing left for him to do， he realized finally， but get the girl he was in love with and lie down with her somewhere to make tender， courteous love to her and plan their future together； but she had gone off to bed， too， by the time he returned to the sitting room for her， and there was nothing left for him to do then but resume his abortive discussion with the loathsome old man， who rose from his armchair with jesting civility and excused himself for the night， abandoning Nately there with two bleary-eyed girls who could not tell him into which room his own whore had gone and who padded off to bed several seconds later after trying in vain to interest him in themselves， leaving him to sleep alone in the sitting room on the small， lumpy sofa.
“不，我這麽說更講得通。去問你朋友。”
內特利轉過身去問他的朋友，卻發現他們都走了。尤塞瑞恩和鄧巴都不見了。那老頭看著內特利尷尬又吃驚的樣子，發出輕蔑而快樂的狂笑。內特利羞愧地沉下了臉。他孤力無援地猶豫了片刻，接著快速轉過身，匆匆逃進最近的那條走廊去尋找尤塞瑞恩和鄧巴，希望及時找到他們，把那老頭同德·科弗利少校之間發生的那場出人意料的衝突告訴他們，把他們帶回來為自己解圍。所有的走廊裏的門都關上了。也沒有哪道門下有燈光。夜已經很深了。內特利絕望了，便不再尋找了。最後他意識到，除了去找他愛戀著的姑娘，和她在什麽地方躺下來，跟她親熱，向她獻殷勤，與她共同安排他們的未來，他沒有什麽事情可做了；但是當地回到起居室來找她的時候，她已上床睡覺去了。他無事可做，隻好去同那個討厭的老頭繼續談剛才未談完的話題。可那老頭卻從扶手椅裏站起身來、用開玩笑似的客套說夜已深，他得告辭了，讓內特利和兩個睡眼蒙朧的姑娘呆在那裏。那兩個姑娘也說不出內特利的妓女進了哪個房間，她倆百般挑逗他，想讓他對她倆感興趣，但卻是白費力氣，於是她們過了一會兒也上床睡覺去了，留下他一人在起居室裏的那張凹凸不平的小沙發上睡著了。
Nately was a sensitive， rich， good-looking boy with dark hair， trusting eyes， and a pain in his neck when he awoke on the sofa early the next morning and wondered dully where he was. His nature was invariably gentle and polite. He had lived for almost twenty years without trauma， tension， hate， or neurosis， which was proof to Yossarian of just how crazy he really was. His childhood had been a pleasant， though disciplined， one. He got on well with his brothers and sisters， and he did not hate his mother and father， even though they had both been very good to him.

    Nately had been brought up to detest people like Aarfy， whom his mother characterized as climbers， and people like Milo， whom his father characterized as pushers， but he had never learned how， since he had never been permitted near them. As far as he could recall， his homes in Philadelphia， New York， Maine， Palm Beach， Southampton， London， Deauville， Paris and the south of France had always been crowded only with ladies and gentlemen who were not climbers or pushers. Nately's mother， a descendant of the New England Thorntons， was a Daughter of the American Revolution. His father was a Son of a Bitch.

    'Always remember，' his mother had reminded him frequently， 'that you are a Nately. You are not a Vanderbilt， whose fortune was made by a vulgar tugboat captain， or a Rockefeller， whose wealth was amassed through unscrupulous speculations in crude petroleum； or a Reynolds or Duke， whose income was derived from the sale to the unsuspecting public of products containing cancer-causing resins and tars； and you are certainly not an Astor， whose family， I believe， still lets rooms. You are a Nately， and the Natelys have never done anything for their money.'

內特利是個敏感、富有、漂亮的小夥子，生著一頭烏黑的頭發，兩隻眼睛流露出信任他人的眼神。他第二天一大早在沙發上醒來時，感到脖子酸疼，昏昏沉沉，不知身在何處。內特利性格溫和、文質彬彬。他快二十歲了，不知道心靈創傷、緊張、仇恨或神經機能病是怎麽回事，在尤塞瑞恩看來，這恰恰證明他瘋得有多嚴重。他在童年雖常受到責罵，但卻是愉快的。他與他的兄弟姐妹們相處得很好，他不恨自己的父母，因為他們待他很好。

內特利從小受的家教是要憎惡像阿費和米洛那樣的人。他母親把像阿費那樣的人描繪成拚命往上爬的野心家，他父親把像米洛那樣的人說成是投機倒把犯，但他們從不讓他接近那些人，因此他從來也沒有學會怎樣去恨。就他所能記得的，他的家曾在費城、紐約、緬因、棕櫚灘、南安普敦、倫敦、多維爾、巴黎和法國南部呆過，無論在哪兒，家裏總是高朋滿座，客人都是紳士淑女，沒有一個拚命向上爬的野心家或投機倒把犯。內特利的母親出身新英格蘭地區的桑頓家族，是美國革命的後代。他的父親卻是個私生子。

“永遠記住，”他母親過去常常提醒他說，“你是內特利家的人。 你不是範德比爾特家的人，他家是靠當一個地位卑微的拖船船長發財的，也不是洛克菲勒家的人，他家的財富是通過肆無忌憚地進行原油投機積累起來的；你也不是雷諾茲或杜克家族的人，他們的收入是靠欺騙公眾、推銷致癌的樹脂和柏油製品獲得的；你當然也不是阿斯托家的人，我相信，他家還在出租房屋。你是內特利家的一員，而內特利家從來沒有為了錢而什麽事都幹。”
'What your mother means， son，' interjected his father affably one time with that flair for graceful and economical expression Nately admired so much， 'is that old money is better than new money and that the newly rich are never to be esteemed as highly as the newly poor. Isn't that correct， my dear？

    Nately's father brimmed continually with sage and sophisticated counsel of that kind. He was as ebullient and ruddy as mulled claret， and Nately liked him a great deal， although he did not like mulled claret. When war broke out， Nately's family decided that he would enlist in the armed forces， since he was too young to be placed in the diplomatic service， and since his father had it on excellent authority that Russia was going to collapse in a matter of weeks or months and that Hitler， Churchill， Roosevelt， Mussolini， Gandhi， Franco， Peron and the Emperor of Japan would then all sign a peace treaty and live together happily ever after. It was Nately's father's idea that he join the Air Corps， where he could train safely as a pilot while the Russians capitulated and the details of the armistice were worked out， and where， as an officer， he would associate only with gentlemen.

“媽媽的意思是，孩子，”有一次他父親和藹可親地插話說，他的措辭優雅、簡潔。讓內特利佩服得五體投地，“舊時的富翁要比新富翁好，新興的暴發戶永遠不會像新近的破落戶那樣受人尊敬。這麽說對嗎，親愛的？”

內特利的父親不斷提出那種賢明而通曉世事的忠告。他熱情奔放，臉色紅潤得像加過熱的香甜的紅葡萄酒一樣。雖然內特利不喜歡香甜的紅葡萄酒，但他卻很喜歡父親。戰爭爆發後，內特利一家決定他應該參軍，因為他太年輕了，不能從事外交工作，同時還因為他父親根據權威人士的消息說，俄國將會在幾個星期或幾個月內垮台，而希特勒、邱吉爾、羅斯福、墨索裏尼、甘地、佛朗哥、庇隆和日本天皇將簽署一個和平協議，他們從此將幸福地生活在一起。內特利參加陸軍航空隊是他父親的主意，在那兒他可以作為飛行員安全地接受訓練，而在此期間俄國人有條件地投降了，停戰的具體條款也製定好了。此外，在航空隊裏當一名軍官，他接觸到的隻會是有教養的紳士。
Instead， he found himself with Yossarian， Dunbar and Hungry Joe in a whore house in Rome， poignantly in love with an indifferent girl there with whom he finally did lie down the morning after the night he slept alone in the sitting room， only to be interrupted almost immediately by her incorrigible kid sister， who came bursting in without warning and hurled herself onto the bed jealously so that Nately could embrace her， too. Nately's whore sprang up snarling to whack her angrily and jerked her to her feet by her hair. The twelve-year-old girl looked to Nately like a plucked chicken or like a twig with the bark peeled off her sapling body embarrassed everyone in her precocious attempts to imitate her elders， and she was always being chased away to put clothes on and ordered out into the street to play in the fresh air with the other children. The two sisters swore and spat at each other now savagely， raising a fluent， deafening commotion that brought a whole crowd of hilarious spectators swarming into the room. Nately gave up in exasperation. He asked his girl to get dressed and took her downstairs for breakfast. The kid sister tagged along， and Nately felt like the proud head of a family as the three of them ate respectably in a nearby open-air café；。 But Nately's whore was already bored by the time they started back， and she decided to go streetwalking with two other girls rather than spend more time with him. Nately and the kid sister followed meekly a block behind， the ambitious youngster to pick up valuable pointers， Nately to eat his liver in mooning frustration， and both were saddened when the girls were stopped by soldiers in a staff car and driven away.
事與願違，他卻發覺自己和尤塞瑞恩，鄧巴和亨格瑞·久等人在羅馬一家妓院裏鬼混，而且深深地愛上了妓院裏的一個對他態度冷漠的姑娘。他獨自一人在起居室裏睡了一夜後，第二天早上，終於和她同床共枕了，但幾乎立刻就被她那任性的小妹妹打斷了好事。那小姑娘沒敲門便闖了進來，妒忌地撲到床上，這樣內特利也可以摟著她。內特利的妓女吼叫著跳了起來，怒氣衝衝地使勁揍她，抓著她的頭發把她拎了起來。這個十二歲的小姑娘眼巴巴地望著內特利，像隻拔了毛的小雞，或者說像根剝了皮的嫩樹枝。她那稚嫩的身體早熟地模仿著那些比她年齡大的女人的樣子，使所有人感到難堪，因此她總是被趕走，穿上衣服，到外麵大街上去和其他孩子在新鮮的空氣裏玩。這姐妹倆此刻正粗野地對罵，互相吐唾沫，發出一陣震耳欲聾的喧鬧聲，引來一大群喜歡熱鬧的旁觀者擠進這間房間。內特利氣惱地放棄了做愛的念頭。他叫他的妓女穿上衣服，帶著她下樓去吃早飯。那個小妹妹跟在後麵。當他們三人在附近一家露天咖啡館裏體麵地吃早餐時，內特利覺得自己就像是個神氣的一家之主。但是等到他們開始往回走的時候，內特利的妓女已經感到厭煩了，於是她決定和其他兩個姑娘上街去賣淫，不想再同他在一起了。內特利和那個小妹妹溫順地遠遠跟在後麵，那個野心勃勃的小姑娘想學幾手拉客的技巧，內特利則是情場失意而出來散散心。當那幾個姑娘被一輛軍用汽車裏的士兵攔住並帶走後，他倆都變得垂頭喪氣。
Nately went back to the café； and bought the kid sister chocolate ice cream until her spirits improved and then returned with her to the apartment， where Yossarian and Dunbar were flopped out in the sitting room with an exhausted Hungry Joe， who was still wearing on his battered face the blissful， numb， triumphant smile with which he had limped into view from his massive harem that morning like a person with numerous broken bones. The lecherous and depraved old man was delighted with Hungry Joe's split lips and black-and-blue eyes. He greeted Nately warmly， still wearing the same rumpled clothes of the evening before. Nately was profoundly upset by his seedy and disreputable appearance， and whenever he came to the apartment he wished that the corrupt， immoral old man would put on a clean Brooks Brothers shirt， shave， comb his hair， wear a tweed jacket， and grow a dapper white mustache so that Nately would not have to suffer such confusing shame each time he looked at him and was reminded of his father.
內特利回到咖啡館，給那個小妹妹買了一份巧克力冰淇淋，等她情緒好了些之後，帶著她回到公寓裏。尤塞瑞恩和鄧巴已在起居室裏，還有精疲力竭的亨格瑞 ·久，他那憔悴的臉上還帶著快樂、麻木、得意洋洋的微笑。那天早晨他就這樣笑著，從妻妾成群的後宮裏跌跌撞撞地走出來，全身骨頭像散了架似的，那個淫蕩、墮落的老頭看到亨格瑞 ·久破裂的嘴唇和青一塊紫一塊的眼睛，心裏樂滋滋的。他熱情地跟內特利打招呼。他仍然穿著前一天晚上那件皺巴巴的衣服。他那種衣衫襤褸、麵容猥瑣的模樣使內特利心煩意亂。無論何時他來公寓，他總希望那個荒淫無恥的老頭能穿上一件幹淨的布魯克斯兄弟公司做的襯衫，刮過臉，梳過頭，穿著一件花呢夾克衫，蓄兩撇幹淨利落的白八字胡，這樣，內特利每次看到他並想到自己父親時，就不會有那種說不清的羞愧感了。

   

第二十三章 Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23: NATELY'S OLD MAN

Summary

The setting is Rome. At Natelyós request, Dunbar, Yossarian, and Joe accompany him and three prostitutes. In the house, there sits an old man who cackles lasciviously while the room fills up with eleven undressed girls. While Joe, Yossarian, and Aarfy busy themselves with the prostitutes, Nately strikes up a conversation with the old man. The man asserts that America will lose the war to Italy. Nately tries to counter him by saying that America is the most powerful nation on earth. The man agrees, but adds that America will one day be destroyed. At this moment, Nately tries to capture the interest of his whore who is bored and indifferent. Nately does not succeed and resumes his conversation with the old man. The old man believes that victory causes the victor to suffer from "insane delusions of grandeur." The old man tells Nately that he has changed with the changing times. When the Germans were in Italy, he was pro-German, and now that the Americans are in Rome, he is pro-American. Nately dubs the old man "a turncoat." The old man reveals that it is he who has wounded Major de Coverley in the eye with a red rose during the victory parade in Rome.

The old man believes that risking oneós life for oneós country is a silly thing to do, since a country is a piece of land surrounded by unnatural boundaries. The old man asserts that it is better to live than to die for oneós country. Nately cannot counter the old manós argument and searches in vain for Dunbar and Yossarian to help.

Nately is a sensitive, rich boy who has had a pleasant childhood. He believes in the American tradition. His parents decided that Nately would join the Air Corps when war broke out, be an officer, and mix with gentlemen. Instead, Nately finds himself in a brothel in Rome. He spends the night alone in the room, and the next morning when he tries to make love, he is interrupted by the prostituteós kid sister. He buys the two sisters breakfast, and then follows the elder one on her streetwalking rounds, before she is picked up by some soldiers.

Notes

The city of Rome is once again as a place of corruption. In order to spend the evening with his beloved, Nately must also bring his fellow soldiers. Nately is busy squandering his parentsó wealth. If the old man is lecherous, the American soldiers are no better. Joe is driven crazy by the sight of so many breasts and butts. It is evident that Nately is different. He does not delight merely in carnal pleasure; he is truly in love, albeit with the wrong girl. It seems as though Nately suffers from a need to destroy himself. He wastes his money and is pathetic and lonely. The doom that the old man predicts for America is actually predestined by Natelyós own predicament.

Nately is too much of an idealist and the old man strives to bring him down to earth. Their conversation seems out of place in a brothel. The old man raises many questions that Nately is unable to answer. He is a modern day Socrates surrounded by a bevy of naked girls. He is able to make Nately see the reality of the war. Like Yossarian, he asserts that nothing is worth dying for. Patriotism is non-existent; only survival is important.

At the chapterós end, we see how pathetic Natelyós condition really is. A man of his fine character and up-bringing is reduced to following a whore through the streets of Rome until she is picked up. It is the American dream turned sour. There is one instant when he feels like the proud head of a family: he walks with the whore and her sister to a cafe.