這場戲：講海邊那群討麵包的孩子
第 26 章 · 共 27 章 · 3'48"
海邊那頓午飯，鐵絲網外一群孩子像 a flock of plucked birds（一群被拔了毛的鳥），齊聲喊 Pan! Pan!（麵包！麵包！）。塞巴斯蒂安卻說 Beggars are a social disease（乞丐是一種社會病）。後來他頭一回出手制止，凱瑟琳說 I think that that was his fatal error（我想那正是他致命的錯誤）。想學冷冷的回憶敘述，看這段。
❝ 獨白 · 6 句 凱瑟琳談表哥的處世
六句層層遞進，把一個人的順從與麻木說透。
fatal error（致命的錯誤）
heart condition 心臟病fatal error 致命的錯誤fled from 從某處逃走
凱瑟琳繼續講卡貝薩德洛博那個白得刺眼的中午：餐廳和海灘之間隔著一道鐵絲網，網外一群孩子像 a flock of plucked birds（一群被拔了毛的鳥），被海上熱風颳到跟前，齊聲喊 Pan! Pan!（麵包！麵包！），還發出 gobbling noises（咕嚕的吞嚥聲）。塞巴斯蒂安卻說 Beggars are a social disease（乞丐是一種社會病），看一眼就會 get sick of the country（對這個國家生厭）。後來那群孩子用鐵罐和敲扁的金屬當 instruments of percussion（打擊樂器）奏起樂來，他怕得要命，頭一回起身制止，扔下錢逃出餐廳——凱瑟琳說 I think that that was his fatal error（我想那正是他致命的錯誤）。想學用冷靜語氣講出恐怖回憶，這段最典型。
A1–C2 是歐標等級。點一個等級後，比它高的卡片會變淡，播放到那裡不會自動暫停。
“Beggars are a social disease in this country.”
在這個國家，乞丐是一種社會病。
把一種涼薄的社會判斷壓進一句短話，冷靜得讓人後背發涼。
X is a social disease in this country.
議論某種社會現象時可以說；對當事人當面這麼說非常傷人。
Beggary is treated as a social disease here. ／ This country sees poverty as an illness.
中性
social disease 重讀，句尾降調收，別上揚。
Loneliness has become a social disease in big cities. 在大城市，孤獨已經成了一種社會病。
“We were sorry we'd come to the place, but it was too late to go.”
我們後悔來了這個地方，可是想走已經來不及了。
後悔與無力擠在一句裡，前半句軟，後半句把退路堵死。
We were sorry we'd ..., but it was too late to ...
事後回想一個無法挽回的決定時用；正式文書裡會顯得太口語。
We regretted coming, but leaving was no longer possible. ／ We wished we had not come, yet we could not leave.
中性
too late to go 連讀，but 後稍頓一下再收。
We were sorry we'd left so late, but it was too late to turn back. 我們後悔出發太晚，可掉頭已經來不及了。
“I think that that was his fatal error.”
我想，那正是他致命的錯誤。
兩個 that 一疊，把整段回憶釘在一個判斷上，語氣平靜卻沉重。
I think that that was ...
回顧某人某次舉動、下結論時用；口語裡連說兩個 that 反而更強調。
I believe that was the mistake that doomed him. ／ That, I think, was his fatal error.
中性
第一個 that 輕讀，第二個 that 略重，fatal 拉長。
I think that that was the moment we lost the deal. 我想，那就是我們丟掉那筆生意的時刻。
“What manager? God? You don't understand my cousin.”
什麼經理？上帝嗎？你根本不懂我表哥。
用荒誕的反問把對方的問題頂回去，一句話畫出那種超然的傲慢。
What manager? God? You don't understand him.
對方拿世俗規則說事、你想說“他根本不是那套邏輯”時用；對上級說會顯得狂妄。
What boss? God? You don't get my brother at all. ／ Which manager — God? You don't know him.
口語
What manager 上揚，God 重讀，You don't understand 連讀，my cousin 降調。
What boss? God? You don't understand my uncle. 什麼老闆？上帝嗎？你根本不懂我叔叔。
He accepted all as how things are... ...and thought nobody had any right to complain or interfere whatsoever. Even though he knew what was awful was awful... ...that what was wrong was wrong. He thought it unfitting to ever take any action about anything whatsoever... ...except to go on doing as something in him directed.
他把一切都當作事情本來的樣子接受下來…… ……覺得誰都沒有權利抱怨或者插手。 哪怕他心裡清楚，糟的就是糟的…… ……錯的就是錯的。 他覺得，對任何事採取任何行動都不體面…… ……除了照著內心某個東西的指引，一直做下去。
下一章 · 27find a way out找到出路這場戲：講出山頂那聲尖叫「致命的錯誤」，指造成嚴重後果、無法挽回的錯。劇裡說 I think that that was his fatal error，就是「我想那正是他致命的錯誤」，用得很重。
a flock of，專門用於鳥、羊這類成群動物。比如 a flock of birds（一群鳥）。人群一般用 a crowd of 或 a band of。
get sick of，比如 If you look at them, you get sick of the country.（你要是看他們一眼，就會對這個國家生厭）。也可以說 be sick of，意思相近。
這裡是「勉強辨認出、看清」。劇裡說 As far as I could make out in the white blaze，就是「在白得刺眼的光裡我勉強看清」。make out 還有「理解」的意思。
「打擊樂器」，靠敲打發聲的樂器，比如鼓、鈸。劇裡那群孩子用鐵皮罐和敲扁的金屬當樂器，所以說屬於 percussion。
不完全是。字面是「一種社會病」，指某種被當成社會頑疾的現象。塞巴斯蒂安用它說乞丐，語氣冷漠又高高在上，正是他性格的寫照。
