《美食祈祷和恋爱》Chapter 1 (2):无尽的花痴中

But, no.

但是，不行。

No and no.

不行，不行。

I chopped the fantasy off in mid-word. This was not my moment to be seeking romance and (as day follows night) to further complicate my already knotty life. This was my moment to look for the kind of healing and peace that can only come from solitude.

我截断自己的幻想。这可不是我追求浪漫的时刻，让已然纷乱不堪的生活更加复杂（会像白日跟着黑夜而来一般）。此刻我要寻找的治疗与平静，只来自于孤独。

Anyway, by now, by the middle of November, the shy, studious Giovanni and I have become dear buddies. As for Dario—the more razzle-dazzle swinger brother of the two—I have introduced him to my adorable little Swedish friend Sofie, and how they've been sharing their evenings in Rome is another kind of Tandem Exchange altogether. But Giovanni and I, we only talk. Well, we eat and we talk. We have been eating and talking for many pleasant weeks now, sharing pizzas and gentle grammatical corrections, and tonight has been no exception. A lovely evening of new idioms and fresh mozzarella.

反正，11 月中旬的此时，害羞又用功的乔凡尼已和我成为好友。至于达里奥——在两兄弟中较为狂野新潮——已被我介绍给我那迷人的瑞典女友苏菲，他们俩如何共享他们的罗马之夜，可完全是另一种“串连交流”。但乔凡尼和我 ，我们仅止于说话而已。好吧，我们除了说话，还吃东西 。我们吃吃说说，已度过好几个愉快的星期 ，共同分享比萨饼以及友善的文法纠正，而今天也不例外 。一个由新成语和新鲜起司所构成的愉快夜晚。

Now it is midnight and foggy, and Giovanni is walking me home to my apartment through these back streets of Rome, which meander organically around the ancient buildings like bayou streams snaking around shadowy clumps of cypress groves. Now we are at my door. We face each other. He gives me a warm hug. This is an improvement; for the first few weeks, he would only shake my hand. I think if I were to stay in Italy for another three years, he might actually get up the juice to kiss me. On the other hand, he might just kiss me right now, tonight, right here by my door . . . there’s still a chance . . . I mean we're pressed up against each other's bodies beneath this moonlight . . . and of course it would be a terrible mistake . . . but it’s still such a wonderful possibility that he might actually do it right now . . . that he might just bend down . . . and . . . and . . .

午夜此时 ，雾气弥漫，乔凡尼陪我走回我住的公寓；我们穿过罗马的僻静街巷，这些小巷迂回绕过古老的建筑 ，犹如小溪流蜿蜒绕过幽暗的柏树丛。此刻我们来到我的住处门口。我们面对面，他温暖地拥抱我一下。这有改进；头几个礼拜，他只跟我握手 。我想我如果在意大利再多待三年，他可能真有吻我的动力。另一方面，他大可现在吻我，今晚，就在门口这儿？还有机会？我是说 ，我们在这般的月光下贴近彼此的身体？当然，那会是个可怕的错误？但他现在仍大有可能这么做？他也许会低下头来？然后？接着？ Nope. 啥也没发生。

He separates himself from the embrace.

他从拥抱中分开来。

"Good night, my dear Liz," he says.

“晚安，亲爱的小莉。”他说。

"Buona notte, caro mio," I reply.

“晚安，亲爱的。”我回道。

I walk up the stairs to my fourth-floor apartment, all alone. I let myself into my tiny little studio, all alone. I shut the door behind me. Another solitary bedtime in Rome. Another long night’s sleep ahead of me, with nobody and nothing in my bed except a pile of Italian phrasebooks and dictionaries.

我独自走上四楼公寓。我独自走进我的小斗室。关上身后的门。又一个孤零零的就寝时间 ，又一个罗马的漫漫长夜，床上除了一叠意大利成语手册和辞典之外，没有别人，也没有别的东西。

I am alone, I am all alone, I am completely alone.

我独自一人，孤孤单单，孤独无偶。

Grasping this reality, I let go of my bag, drop to my knees and press my forehead against the floor. There, I offer up to the universe a fervent prayer of thanks.

领会到此一事实的我，放下提包，跪下来，额头磕在地板上。我热忱地对上苍献上感谢的祷告。

First in English.

先念英语祷告。

Then in Italian.

再念意大利语。

And then—just to get the point across—in Sanskrit. Eat, Pray, Love

接着——为使人信服起见 ——念梵语。