這場戲：送詩集又遞死亡證明
第 18 章 · 共 27 章 · 3'11"
維奧萊特遞上一本兒子寫的《夏日之詩》，說他一夏一首，寫詩像懷孕一樣要九個月。可說到去年夏天，她只說 That was his last summer's poem（那就是他最後那個夏天的詩）。醫生追問死因，她只肯拿出 There was no letter, only a death certificate（沒有信，只有一張死亡證明）。想學不動聲色的迴避，看這段。
❝ 獨白 · 6 句 母親解釋詩集的週期
把創作說成一整套儀式，越平靜越能聽出她把自己放得多重。
There was no letter, only a death certificate（沒有信，只有一張死亡證明）
how exactly 到底是怎麼……a heart attack 心臟病發作death certificate 死亡證明（正式文書）I must say 我得說（坦言前先墊一句）
❝ 獨白 · 6 句 taken a vow（立下過誓言）：他守得像立過誓
personal life 私生活、個人生活taken a vow 立下過誓言、發過誓Time after time 一次又一次、反覆地
《夏日痴魂》這段在維奧萊特家中：她把一本兒子寫的詩集《夏日之詩》遞給庫克羅維茨醫生，說 One for each summer that we traveled together（每一年夏天我們一起旅行，就寫一首），又用 The length of a pregnancy, yes（正好是一次懷孕的時長）來解釋寫詩的九個月。可提到去年夏天，她只能承認 That was his last summer's poem（那就是他最後那個夏天的詩）。醫生問 how exactly did your son die（你兒子到底是怎麼死的），她說是心臟病，可要證明時又改口 There was no letter, only a death certificate（根本沒有信，只有一張死亡證明）。她答應明天交證明、批手術，還說 Sebastian 從不籤任何東西，字裡行間都在守著一個秘密。
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。
“That was his last summer's poem.”
那就是他最後那個夏天的詩。
把一條命也算進詩集，溫柔的語氣裡藏著最冷的自欺。
That was his last ...
回顧一個人最後一次做某事時用；在喪親的人面前別說。
That was his final season. ／ That summer turned out to be his last.
literary
last 重讀，summer's 輕連，句尾降調。
That was his last trip before everything changed. 那就是一切改變之前，他最後一次遠行。
“There was no letter, only a death certificate.”
根本沒有什麼信，只有一張死亡證明。
把對方以為存在的一封信抹掉，只剩一張冷冰冰的紙。
There was no X, only a Y
糾正別人的誤會、把話挑明時用；對剛失去親人的人別說。
There was no note, just a form. ／ No letter arrived, only the certificate.
中性
no letter 稍慢，only a 連讀，certificate 平穩落。
There was no apology, only a bill. 沒有一句道歉，只有一張賬單。
“You don't believe me, do you?”
你不信我，對吧？
自己把對方沒說出口的懷疑點破，比被質問更顯底氣。
You don't ..., do you?
察覺對方將信將疑時反問用；正式彙報裡別這樣帶情緒。
You're not convinced, are you? ／ You don't buy it, do you?
口語
believe 重讀，do you 輕快上揚。
You don't trust me, do you? 你不相信我，對吧？
“Surely you've kept the lawyer waiting before.”
你以前肯定也讓律師等過吧。
一句輕鬆的舊賬把對方的推脫戳破，既是調侃也是施壓。
Surely you've ___ before.
對方拿藉口推脫、你想輕巧拆穿時用；對上級用會顯得僭越，要看關係。
I'm sure you've made people wait before. ／ You've kept people waiting before, haven't you?
口語
Surely 重音，you've kept 連讀，the lawyer waiting before 放慢收尾。
Surely you've been late before; it's not new. 你以前也不是沒遲到過，又不是頭一回。
That volume contains only one poem, as do the others I have. Each with the title Poem of Summer and the date of the summer. If you like that one, I'll bring the others. He wrote one poem a year? One for each summer that we traveled together. The other nine months of the year were really only a preparation.
這一冊只收了一首詩，我手裡其他幾冊也一樣。 每一冊都叫《夏日之詩》，標著那一年的夏天。 如果你喜歡這一冊，我把其他的也帶來。 他一年寫一首詩？ 每一年夏天我們一起旅行，就寫一首。 一年裡剩下的九個月，其實都只是準備。
As strictly as if he'd taken a vow. This sounds like vanity, doctor... ...but I was actually the only one in his life... ...that satisfied the demands he made of people. Time after time, he'd let people go, dismiss them... ...because their attitude toward him was not as... - As pure? - As pure as my son demanded.
守得就像立過誓一樣。這話聽起來像虛榮，醫生…… ……可實際上，我是他生命裡唯一一個…… ……滿足了他對人的所有要求的人。 一次又一次，他會把人放走、打發掉…… ……因為那些人對待他的態度不夠…… ——不夠純粹？——不夠我兒子要求的那種純粹。
下一章 · 19objects for your pleasure供你們取樂的東西這場戲：當面揭穿又開出價碼字面是「難產、很難交出來」，這裡醫生拿生孩子打比方，說這首詩寫得艱難。日常也能用它形容任務、作品難產。
death certificate，正式文書。臺詞 There was no letter, only a death certificate 就是「根本沒有信，只有一張死亡證明」，一句話點出真相被壓住。
意思是「立過誓、發過誓」，這裡說塞巴斯蒂安守身如玉，嚴得像立過誓。想形容一個人嚴格自律，這句很地道。
意思是「我得說」，在說出稍顯直接或不太客氣的話之前先墊一句，語氣就沒那麼衝。臺詞 I must say, you have been observing 就是「我得說，你觀察得可真仔細」。
就是「私生活、個人生活」。醫生問 What sort of personal life did he have? 即「他的私生活是什麼樣的？」，用這個詞問得委婉不冒犯。
