Passionate Proposing 激情求爱

西奥多·德莱塞(Theodore Dreiser)

She dropped her head down as though doubting, and fearing familiarities ; he slipped to one knee to see her eyes. Then, looking up, he caught her about the waist. “Will you?” he asked.

She looked at his soft hair, dark and thick, his smooth pale brow, his black eyes and even chin. She wanted to yield dramatically and this was dramatic enough. She put her hands to his head, bent over and looked into his eyes; her hair fell forward about her face. “Will you be good to me?” she asked, yearning into his eyes.

“Yes, yes，”he declared. “You know that. Oh, I love you so.”

She put his head far back and laid her lips to his. There was fire, agony in it. She held him so and then he stood up heaping kisses upon her cheeks, her lips, her eyes, her neck.

“Good God!” he exclaimed, “How wonderful you are!”

The expression shocked her.

“You mustn't，” she said.

“I can't help it. You are so beautiful!”

She forgave him for the compliment .

There were burning moments after this, moments in which they clung to each other desperately, moments in which he took her in his arms, moments in which he whispered his dreams of the future. He took the ring he had bought and put it on her finger. He was going to be a great artist, she was going to be an artist's bride; he was going to paint her lovely face, her hair, her form. If he wanted love scenes he would paint these which they were now living together. They talked until one in the morning and then she begged him to go, but he would not. At two he left, only to come early the next morning to take her to church.

- familiarity [fəmɪlɪˈærətɪ] n. 亲近，随便

- dramatically [drəˈmætɪklɪ] ad. 戏剧性地，鲜明地

- compliment [ˈkɒmplɪmənt] n. 溢美之词

她垂下了头，似乎是在疑虑，也似乎对这样的亲昵有点忧虑；他单膝着地，看着她的眼睛。然后，他抬起头来，搂住了她的腰。“你愿意吗？”他问。

她看着他柔软的头发，浓密而黝黑，他的光滑浅淡的眉毛，他的黑眼睛和平滑的下巴。她非常想大喊大叫，不过这就够戏剧性的了。她把手搁在他的头上，弯下身子，仔细打量他的眼睛；她的头发垂下来遮住了脸。“你会对我好吗？”她问道，渴求地打量着他的眼神。

“会，会，”他宣布，“你知道的，哦，我这么爱你。”

她把他的头往后扳，把自己的嘴唇放在他的嘴唇上。一阵狂喜，激情似火。她这样用手托着他，接着他站起身，狂吻着她的面颊、嘴唇、眼睛和脖颈。

“天哪，天哪，”他高兴得大叫起来。“你多么奇妙啊！”

他的话使她吃惊。

“你不该，”她说。

“我按捺不住。你多美呀！”

她原谅了他的恭维话。

随后就有了一阵阵如干柴烈火般的亲密时刻，他们俩狂热搂抱的时刻，他把她抱在怀中的时刻，他低声细语把未来之梦告诉她的时刻。他拿出自己买的戒指，戴在她的手指上。他要当一名大画家，她将成为画家的新娘；他要画她可爱的脸庞，她的秀发，她的胴体。如果他需要爱的场景，他会画他们现在生活在一起的一切。他们谈到凌晨一点钟，然后她请求他离去，但是他不肯。凌晨两点钟他离开了，只是第二天早上又早早地来了，带她上了教堂。

西奥多·德莱塞(1871—1945)，美国小说家，生于印第安纳州。家庭贫困，靠一位中学教师资助，只读过一年大学，少年时代起就打零工、干粗活。当过《每周》杂志编辑。第一部小说《嘉莉妹妹》(Sister Carrie ，1900)，因为撕破资产阶级道德的面皮，一度遭封禁，后来出版了《珍妮姑娘》(Jennie Gerhardt ，1911)，《欲望三部曲》(Trilogy of Desire ，1912，1914，1947)，《美国悲剧》(An American Tragedy ，1925)。作品还有剧本、诗歌、散文集、自传性作品和短篇小说集。在语言、技巧方面常遭受攻击，但惊人的观察力和丰富的想象力使他能成功地写出波澜壮阔的历史画面。