这场戏：求医生给疯侄女动刀
第 5 章 · 共 27 章 · 4'28"
维奥莱特给医生讲侄女的病，先夸 Such a pretty name for a disease（一个病叫这么好听的名字），再说她 She lacerates herself with memory（用回忆把自己割得遍体鳞伤）。诊所电报说她 out of her mind（疯了），她只能求人：If you can't, I'm at my wits' end（要是你也不行，我真没辙了）。想学把疯病讲得又美又可怕，看这段。
❝ 独白 · 9 句 out of her mind（神志不清），一场疯病的来龙去脉
out of her mind 疯了、神志不清cope with 应付、对付fits of violence 一阵阵的暴怒taking the form of 以……的形式出现
❝ 独白 · 6 句 平静与鸟群的独白
从「福气」滑到吞噬的鸟群，温柔的语气泄露了她自己的噩梦。
《夏日痴魂》这段在维奥莱特的宅邸：她向库克罗维茨医生描述侄女凯瑟琳的病，先讽刺地夸 Such a pretty name for a disease（一个病叫这么好听的名字），再提到 She lacerates herself with memory（她用回忆把自己割得遍体鳞伤）。诊所的电报说她 Your niece is out of her mind（您侄女疯了），维奥莱特已经 at her wits' end（束手无策），还被告知医院这周后就留不住她。她请医生做实验性手术，说它能 pacify（让人平静），甚至用「满是凶残吞噬之鸟的天空」比喻病人的噩梦。想学优雅又危险的病人自述，这段最阴。
A1–C2 是欧标等级。点一个等级后，比它高的卡片会变淡，播放到那里不会自动暂停。
“If she isn't unapproachable and hopeless, I don't know who is.”
要是她还不算没法治、没指望，我就不知道谁算了。
把夫人刚立的门槛原样递回去，一句话堵得她说不出话。
If X isn't Y, I don't know who is.
反将一军、说某人不配时用；对平辈熟人用，对长辈会显顶撞。
If he isn't a genius, nobody is. ／ If that's not love, I don't know what is.
中性
isn't 与 unapproachable 连读，who is 收尾上扬。
If this isn't the worst traffic, I don't know what is. 要是这还不算最堵，我就不知道什么算了。
“But what a blessing to them, doctor, to be just peaceful.”
可对他们来说，能平静下来就是天大的福气，医生。
把残酷的结果说成恩典，温柔的字面底下全是狠。
what a blessing to be ...
感慨某种解脱时用；把别人受损说成福气会被听出凉薄。
What a relief it would be to forget. ／ What a gift just to feel calm.
正式
what a blessing 轻快带过，just peaceful 放慢。
What a blessing it would be to sleep through the night. 能一觉睡到天亮，那才是福气。
“You said a sky filled with savage, devouring birds?”
您是说，满是凶残吞噬的鸟群的天空？
一问把夫人压着的恐惧勾出来，她瞬间失了神。
a sky filled with X
追问对方说过的意象时用；别在对方情绪不稳时逼问。
A sky black with birds? ／ A sky full of wings?
literary
savage 与 devouring 之间略顿，birds 尾音压低。
A room filled with strangers and silence? 一间挤满陌生人、鸦雀无声的屋子？
“And help her. If you can't, I'm at my wits' end.”
帮帮她。如果你也不行，那我真是束手无策了。
用“智力到头”的习语把无助说到顶，是求助时最生动的一句。
I'm at my wits' end.
对信任的人求助、说自己真的没辙时用；正式报告里别用，偏口语。
I'm completely out of ideas. ／ I don't know which way to turn anymore.
口语
And help her 一顿，If you can't 连读，at my wits' end 降调收尾。
I've tried everything — I'm at my wits' end. 我什么都试过了，真是没辙了。
It all started last summer. The first I knew, there was a cable from this clinic in Paris... ...saying, "Your niece is out of her mind. What shall we do?" I was almost out of my mind last summer. Sebastian had just died, I was ill, but I did everything I could. I said, "Send her straight home with a nurse." So they put her on the Berengaria... ...locked in her stateroom like a wild animal. She was taken straight to St. Mary's.
一切从去年夏天开始。 我最早知道的，是巴黎那家诊所发来一封电报…… ……上面写着：「您侄女疯了。我们该怎么办？」 去年夏天，我自己也差点疯了。 塞巴斯蒂安刚死，我又病着，可我还是尽力做了我能做的。 我说：「派个护士直接送她回家。」 于是他们把她送上了「贝伦加利亚号」…… ……锁在客舱里，像头野兽。 她直接被送进了圣玛丽。
But what a blessing to them, doctor, to be just peaceful. To be just suddenly peaceful. After all that horror... ...after those nightmares... ...just to be able to lift up their eyes to a sky... ...not black with savage, devouring birds.
可对他们来说，能平静下来就是天大的福气，医生。 能一下子平静下来。 受了那么多惊吓之后…… ……做过那么多噩梦之后…… ……只要能抬起眼睛，看看天空…… ……不是被凶残的、吞噬一切的鸟群遮黑的那种天空。
下一章 · 06in the image of依照……的样子这场戏：讲海龟和食肉鸟的惨剧意思是「束手无策、没辙了」。wits 是「头脑、机智」，一个人连机智都用到头了，就是彻底没主意了。台词 If you can't, I'm at my wits' end 就是「要是你也不行，我真没辙了」。
out of one's mind。比如 Your niece is out of her mind 就是「您侄女疯了」。它也可以夸张地表示「被逼疯、受不了」，视语气而定。
意思是「应付、对付」，后面接难题、压力或局面。台词 they can't cope with her fits of violence 就是「他们应付不了她一阵阵的暴怒」。
意思是「使平静、安抚」，偏书面。它既可以指让情绪失控的人安静下来，也可以指用手段「平息」局面，医疗语境里常指让人镇定。
是反讽。字面说病名好听，其实在挖苦：dementia praecox 听着像花名，现实却很可怕。这句把残忍和优雅并排放在一起，正是维奥莱特的说话方式。
