On Getting off to Sleep 论入睡

J. B. 普里斯特利(J. B. Priestley)

What a bundle of contradictions is a man! Surely, humour is the saving grace of us, for without it we should die of vexation . With me, nothing illustrates the contrariness of things better than the matter of sleep. If, for example, my intention is to write an essay, and I have before me ink and pens and several sheets of virgin paper, you may depend upon it that before I have gone very far I feel an overpowering desire for sleep, no matter what time of the day it is. I stare at the reproachfully blank paper until sights and sounds become dim and confused, and it is only by an effort of will that I can continue at all. Even then, I proceed half-heartedly, in a kind of dream. But let me be between the sheets at a late hour, and I can do anything but sleep . Between chime and chime of the clock I can write essays by the score. Fascinating subjects and noble ideas come pell-mell , each with its appropriate imagery and expression. Nothing stands between me and half-a-dozen imperishable masterpieces but pens, ink, and paper.

- vexation [ˌvekˈseɪʃən] n. 苦恼；恼怒

- contrariness [ˈkɒntrərɪnɪs] n. 矛盾性

- reproachfully [rɪˈprəʊtʃfəlɪ] ad. 责备地

can do anything but sleep 就是睡不着

- pell-mell [ˈpelˈmel] ad. 混乱地

- imperishable [ɪmˈperɪʃəbl] a. 不朽的，不灭的

人是多大的一堆矛盾组合体呀！当然，幽默是挽回面子的良好风度，没有它，我们将困死于烦恼。对于“我”来说，能够说明情况的，再也没有比入睡更好的了。比方说，我打算写一篇文章，笔墨和空白纸就摆在面前，我敢说，还没写多少我就感到无可抗拒的睡意，无论在一天的什么时刻都会有可能如此。我眼睁睁盯着似乎在责备我的空白纸，直到所见所闻都变得模糊不清、混乱一片，只有凭着意志下功夫，我才能勉强继续。即使如此，我还是半心半意，似梦非梦地继续写。但让我夜里很晚钻进被窝的时候，我就说什么也睡不着了。在时钟一次一次地报时的间歇，我能写出大批量的文章。引人入胜的话题和高尚的思想，纷至沓来，每种都有着恰当的想象力和表达方式。除了笔墨纸张，没有任何东西能阻止我完成半打不朽杰作。

J. B. 普里斯特利(1894—1984)，英国小说家、戏剧家、评论家。他是多产作家，写作形式多种多样，例如小说《罪恶之家》(An Inspector Calls， 1946)，幽默喜剧《金链花丛》(Laburnum Grove， 1933)，自传体小说《而不是树》(Instead of the Trees， 1977)。其作品尝试表现主义手法，使读者产生记忆错觉。