They Were There, Lafayette: Paris Was Their Goal
法國巴黎——人們心中的圣殿：巴黎是他們的目標
Sargent’s love of Paris revealed in this painting of the Luxembourg Gardens
在這幅《盧森堡花園》中，薩金特對巴黎的喜愛一覽無余
“When good Americans die, they go to Paris,” observed Thomas Gold Appleton, a Boston wit of the 19th century. Appleton is just one of the characters in David McCullough’s excellent reminder that Americans’ love of Paris began a good century before the arrival in the “City of Light” of men such as Ernest Hemingway or James Baldwin. From James Fenimore Cooper, author of “The Last of the Mohicans”, to Samuel Morse, a painter better known now as the inventor of the telegraph, American visitors were seduced by Paris: “Never in their lives had the Americans seen such parks and palaces, or such beautiful bridges or so many bridges.”
“善良的美國人去世后，他們的靈魂就升入巴黎�！�19世紀的波士頓智者托馬斯·金·阿普爾頓曾這樣說。在大衛(wèi)·麥卡洛的新作中，美國人對巴黎的熱愛一覽無余。這種熱愛甚至在歐內(nèi)斯特·海明威和詹姆斯·鮑德溫來到這座“燈光之城”之前就已經(jīng)開始了，而阿普爾頓只是這眾多熱愛法國的美國人中的一個。無論是《最后一個莫西干人》的作者詹姆斯·費尼莫爾·庫珀，還是薩繆爾·莫爾斯，這位以發(fā)明電碼而聞名于世的畫家，美國的游學者都被巴黎深深吸引著：“窮極一生，美國人也不曾見過如此美輪美奐的公園殿宇，如此雋永眾多的橋梁�！�
Paris was so much more advanced – in the arts, the sciences and medicine – than Boston, New York or Washington, DC. Morse, already a successful artist in America when he was commissioned at 28 to produce a portrait of President Monroe, declared that he had to go to Paris: “My education as a painter is incomplete without it.” This desire for improvement was “the greater journey” of Mr. McCullough’s title, following the often dangerous journey across the Atlantic, first by sailing ship and only later under steam.
在藝術，科學和醫(yī)藥方面，巴黎都遠比波士頓、紐約和華盛頓特區(qū)要先進得多。28歲的時候，莫爾斯被指派為門羅總統(tǒng)畫一幅肖像。但當時已蜚聲美國畫壇的莫爾斯卻要求要去巴黎學習，聲稱：“沒有去過巴黎，我的繪畫事業(yè)就不完整�！睂τ诟纳铺岣叩目释�，就是麥卡洛先生的書名——遠大旅程的由來。而這一旅程，往往伴隨著橫渡大西洋的艱難險阻——最早是由帆船航行，而后才變?yōu)槠?/P>
Mr. McCullough, twice a winner of the Pulitzer prize, tells his story well. One chapter describes the medical schools and hospitals of Paris, well ahead of their counterparts in America. A particular boon for the visiting American students was the “ample opportunity to examine female patients as well as men. This was not the case in America, where most women would have preferred to die than have a physician – a man – examine their bodies.”
作為兩次普利策獎得主，麥卡洛先生的故事引人入勝。書中有一章使對巴黎的醫(yī)科學校和醫(yī)院的描述。從中可以看出，巴黎的醫(yī)科學校和醫(yī)院遠比美國的要先進。此外，訪法的美國學生可以有充足的機會像檢查男性病人那樣檢查女性病人，這真可謂一項意外收獲。因為在美國，許多女人寧愿等死，也不愿意一位男性大夫為自己檢查身體。
Another chapter describes the infinite care with which Augustus Saint-Gaudens (an American despite his name) created in his Paris studio the giant statue to Admiral David Farragut that now stands in New York. Mr. McCullough brings a similar, impressive understanding to the paintings of John Singer Sargent and other artists who came to Paris to perfect their craft.
書中的另一章對矗立在紐約的大衛(wèi)·法拉格上將的巨大雕像給予了極大關注。這座雕像是由雕塑家奧古都斯·圣·高登(但他卻是美國人)在他法國的工作室里完成的。對于像約翰·辛格·薩金特和其他到巴黎來精進自己技藝的藝術家來說，麥卡洛先生都對其作品給予了獨到的見解，就像理解奧古都斯·圣·高登一樣，令人印象深刻。
But Mr. McCullough is more historian than art critic – which is just as well given that his book goes from 1820 to the end of the century, a period in France’s turbulent history that embraced both monarchy and revolution. His description of the 1870-71 siege of Paris and the subsequent nightmare of the Paris Commune is masterly.
但相對于文藝評論家的頭銜，麥卡洛先生也許更像一個歷史學家。這從他1820年到19世紀末的著作中可略窺一斑。而這段時間，正是法國君主制與大革命沖突不斷的動蕩期。麥卡洛先生對于1870—1871年普法戰(zhàn)爭中巴黎被圍困以及之后巴黎公社運動的描寫，真可謂是神來之筆。
Perhaps this is why the real hero of this account is neither artist nor writer but Elihu Washburne, a former Republican member of Congress who served as America’s minister (ambassador) to France from 1869 to 1877. Unencumbered by any training as a diplomat, Washburne proved to be an indefatigable protector of America’s interests, arranging passports for Americans to escape the siege and acting with bravery during the two months of the Paris Commune. Mr. McCullough was fortunate enough to discover Washburne’s own diary of the period, basing two of his best chapters on its vivid entries.
也許，這就可以解釋為什么這里描寫的英雄既不是藝術家，也不是作家，而是Elihu Washburne——一位于1869—1877年間出任美國駐法部長(外交官)的前國會共和黨成員。雖然未接受過任何外交官培訓，但事實證明Washburne是美國利益的忠實維護者。在此期間，是他美國民眾逃出被圍攻的巴黎，也是他在巴黎公社運動的兩個月中表現(xiàn)出極大的堅毅勇敢。麥卡洛先生很幸運地發(fā)現(xiàn)了Washburne于此時記下的日記。本書中最為精彩的兩個章節(jié)均是來自日子中栩栩如生的描述。
Mr. McCullough stops his story at the start of the 20th century, even though the American fascination for Paris continues. But do Americans living in Paris thereby become real Parisians? It seems unlikely. As Saint-Gaudens wrote: “coming here has been a wonderful experience, surprising in many respects, one of them being to find how much of an American I am.”
麥卡洛先生讓他的故事停在了20世紀初，即使美國人依舊為巴黎的魅力所傾倒。但是，住在巴黎的美國人就真正成為了巴黎人么?似乎并不是這樣。就像圣·高登曾經(jīng)寫到的那樣：“來到此地真是一次美妙的經(jīng)歷，常常會有驚喜。而其中之一就是發(fā)現(xiàn)了我是個多么純粹的美國人�！�
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