译文欣赏：Beginnings of Good Prose｜《好文章如何开头？》

　　Beginnings of Good Prose （《好文章如何开头？》）
　　Written by Tracy Kidder & Richard Todd (特雷西·基德尔 & 理查德·托德 著）
　　Translated by Huang Hongyu (黄红宇 译)
　　Beginnings are an exercise in limits. You can't make the reader love you in the first sentence or paragraph, but you can lose the reader right away. You don't expect the doctor to cure you at once, but the doctor can surely alienate you at once, with brusqueness or bravado or indifference or confusion. There is a lot to be said for the quiet beginning.
　　开头是极限的练习。你不可能让读者读了第一句或者第一段就对你一见倾心，反倒有可能一下子就失去读者。你不期望医生能立马治好你的病，可如果医生粗鲁无礼、虚张声势、漠不关心或者不知所云，却肯定会马上让你感到疏远。关于平淡的开头，有好多可说的。
　　The most memorable first line in American literature is "Call me Ishmael." Three words, four beats. The sentence is so well known that sometimes, cited out of context, it is understood as a magisterial command, a booming voice from the pulpit. It is more properly heard as an invitation, almost casual, and, given the complexity that follows, it is marvelously simple. If you try it aloud, you will probably find yourself saying it rather softly, conversationally.
　　美国文学里最令人难以忘怀的一句开场白，是“叫我以实玛利”。三个单词，四个节拍。这个句子如此著名，以至于人们有时候会脱离语境加以引用，把它理解为一种威严的命令，一种发自布道坛的洪亮声音。倾听这种声音，把它理解为一种几乎是漫不经心的吸引更为恰当。尽管在文坛激起复杂的反响，这句话却可谓惊人地简单。如果试着高声朗诵，那么你很可能会发现自己相当柔和地、犹如谈话似地把它说出来。
　　（Edited by Zheng Xiaoan）