The Moon And Sixpence 57.4

"I thinkStrickland knew it was a masterpiece. He had achieved what he wanted. His lifewas complete. He had made a world and saw that it was good. Then, in pride andcontempt, he destroyed, it. ""But Imust show you my picture, " said Dr. Coutras, moving on."Whathappened to Ata and the child?"They went tothe Marquesas. She had relations there. I have heard that the boy works on oneof Cameron's schooners. They say he is very like his father in appearance."At the doorthat led from the verandah to the doctor's consulting-room, he paused andsmiled."It is afruit-piece. You would think it not a very suitable picture for a doctor'sconsulting-room, but my wife will not have it in the drawing-room. She says itis frankly obscene. ""Afruit-piece!" I exclaimed in surprise.We entered theroom, and my eyes fell at once on the picture. I looked at it for a long time.It was a pileof mangoes, bananas, oranges, and I know not what. and at first sight it was aninnocent picture enough. It would have been passed in an exhibition of thePost- Impressionists by a careless person as an excellent but not veryremarkable example of the school; but perhaps afterwards it would come back tohis recollection, and he would wonder why. I do not think then he could everentirely forget it.“我想思特里克兰德也知道这是一幅杰作。他已经得到了自己所追求的东西。他可以说死而无憾了。他创造了一个世界，也看到自己的创造多么美好。以后，在骄傲和轻蔑的心情中，他又把它毁掉了。”“我还是得让你看看我的画，”库特拉斯医生说，继续往前走。“爱塔同他们的孩子后来怎样了？”“他们搬到马尔奎撒群岛去了。她那里有亲属。我听说他们的孩子在一艘喀麦隆的双桅帆船上当水手。人们都说他长得很象死去的父亲。”走到从阳台通向诊疗室的门口，库特拉斯医生站住，对我笑了笑。“我的画是一幅水果静物画。你也许觉得诊疗室里挂着这样一幅画不很适宜，但是我的妻子却绝对不让它挂在客厅里。她说这张画给人一种猥亵感。”“水果静物会叫人感到猥亵？”我吃惊地喊起来。我们走进屋子，我的眼睛立刻落到这幅画上。很久很久我一直看着它。画的是一堆水果：芒果、香蕉、桔子，还有一些我叫不出名字的东西。第一眼望去，这幅画一点儿也没有什么怪异的地方。如果摆在后期印象派的画展上，一个不经心的人会认为这是张满不错的、但也并非什么杰出的画幅，从风格上讲，同这一学派也没有什么不同。但是看过以后，说不定这幅画就总要回到他的记忆里，甚至连他自己也不知道为什么。据我估计，从此以后他就永远也不能把它忘掉了。