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世界经典文学精选. 95
作者：O. Henry 欧·亨利
选自欧·亨利《The Gift of the Magi》《麦琪的礼物》
首次发表于1905年12月10日
刊登于报刊《The New York Sunday World》。
英文原文
One dollar and eighty-seven cents.
That was all.
And sixty cents of it was in pennies.
Pennies saved one and two at a time
by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher
until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony
that such close dealing implied.
Three times Della counted it.
One dollar and eighty-seven cents.
And the next day would be Christmas.
There was clearly nothing to do
but flop down on the shabby little couch and weep.
So Della did it.
Which instigates the moral reflection
that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles,
with sniffles predominating.
While the mistress of the home
is gradually subsiding from the first stage to the second,
take a look at the home.
A furnished flat at $8 per week.
It did not exactly beggar description,
but it certainly had that word on the lookout for the mendicancy squad.
In the vestibule below was a letter-box into which no letter would go,
and an electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring.
Della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag.
She stood by the window and looked out dully at a gray cat
walking a gray fence in a gray backyard.
Tomorrow would be Christmas Day,
and she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a present.
She had been saving every penny she could for months,
with this result.
Twenty dollars a week doesn’t go far.
Expenses had been greater than she had calculated.
They always are.
Suddenly she whirled from the window and stood before the glass.
Her eyes were shining brilliantly,
but her face had lost its color within twenty seconds.
Rapidly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length.
Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs
in which they both took a mighty pride.
One was Jim’s gold watch that had been his father’s and his grandfather’s.
The other was Della’s hair.
Della cut off her long beautiful hair and sold it.
She used the money to buy a platinum fob chain simple and chaste in design,
worthy of the Watch.
When Jim came home,
he stared at Della’s short hair with a strange expression.
Soon they learned the truth.
Jim had sold his precious gold watch to buy a set of combs for Della’s long hair.
The two gifts became useless,
yet their love for each other shone brighter than any expensive treasure.
译文
一块八角七分钱。
仅此而已。
其中六角钱，全是一分一分的铜板。
这些零钱，是一分两分攒下来的。
德拉跟杂货商、菜贩、屠夫讨价还价，
每一次锱铢必较，都要承受旁人无声的指责，
仿佛自己吝啬小气，脸颊因此发烫。
德拉数了三遍。
一块八角七分钱。
而明天，就是圣诞节。
除了扑倒在破旧的小沙发上哭泣，别无他法。
德拉就这样哭了。
这不由得引人深思：
人生是由啜泣、抽噎和微笑组成的，
而抽噎占了绝大部分。
趁着女主人渐渐平复情绪，
我们来看看这间屋子。
一套每周租金八美元的带家具公寓。
算不上难以形容的破败，
但也确实寒酸得快要引来救济巡查人员。
楼下门厅有个信箱，从来收不到信件，
还有一个电铃按钮，任凭谁按，都发不出半点声响。
德拉哭完，拿粉扑擦了擦脸颊。
她站在窗边，无神地望着灰蒙蒙的后院，
一只灰猫沿着灰色围栏慢慢走过。
明天便是圣诞节，
她只有一块八角七分钱，用来给吉姆买礼物。
她省吃俭用攒了好几个月，
到头来只有这么一点钱。
每周二十美元的收入实在捉襟见肘。
开销总是超出她的预估。
生活向来如此。
忽然，她猛地转身，站到镜子前面。
她的双眼瞬间明亮起来，
可不到二十秒，她脸上血色尽失。
她飞快散开长发，让发丝完全垂落。
詹姆斯·迪林厄姆·杨夫妇有两样东西，
是两人最引以为傲的珍宝。
一件是吉姆祖传的金表，从他父亲、祖父一路传下来。
另一件，就是德拉的长发。
德拉剪下自己美丽的长发卖掉。
她用这笔钱买下一条朴素雅致的白金表链，
配得上那块金表。
吉姆回家之后，
看着德拉的短发，神情古怪。
很快二人知晓了全部真相。
吉姆卖掉了珍贵的祖传金表，
为德拉买了一套她梦寐以求的发梳。
两份礼物就此失去使用价值，
但他们彼此之间真挚的爱意，
胜过世间一切昂贵珍宝。
🔍长难句赏析与拆解
原句：
Pennies saved one and two at a time
by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher
until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony
that such close dealing implied.
句式解读：
saved为过去分词后置修饰Pennies；
until引导时间状语从句，描述讨价还价带来的心理感受；
that引导定语从句，修饰先行词imputation；
句子无主句，独立承接上文，细节刻画攒钱过程，铺垫贫寒处境。
句子主干：
She saved pennies little by little by bargaining hard with shopkeepers,
until she felt ashamed of the silent blame of meanness
that such careful bargaining brought.
文学赏析：
这一段不直接写贫穷，而是写贫穷背后难堪的日常。
德拉不是吝啬，是被逼着一分一毫地争取。
欧亨利用脸颊发烫这种细微心理感受，写出底层小人物的自尊与窘迫。
平淡细碎的日常，为后面为爱牺牲的选择埋下情感伏笔。
写作迁移点拨：
适用于底层普通人的生活困境、
平凡人的自尊、微小坚持与深情类议论文段落。
仿写：
Coins collected little by little
by bargaining with vendors and market sellers
until one’s heart stung with the quiet judgment of poverty
that such careful purchase implied.
仿写运用思路：
沿用过去分词后置 + until时间状语从句 +
that定语从句嵌套结构，适合细节叙事描写。
原句：
Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs
in which they both took a mighty pride.
One was Jim’s gold watch that had been his father’s and his grandfather’s.
句式解读：
in which引导定语从句，先行词possessions；
that引导定语从句修饰gold watch；
there be句型引出故事两件核心信物，
交代两人心中最珍贵之物，为后文交换牺牲铺垫。
句子主干：
The young couple had two belongings
that they were both extremely proud of.
One was Jim’s gold watch handed down from his ancestors.
文学赏析：
这两句是全文核心伏笔。
两块珍宝，不是金银财富，是承载记忆与美好的私藏。
正因为这两样东西无比珍贵，当他们自愿舍弃，牺牲才更有重量。
欧亨利用客观平静的陈述，悄悄积蓄故事的情感力量。
写作迁移点拨：适用于真正的财富、
精神珍宝、为爱舍弃、平凡人珍贵拥有物类议论文。
仿写：
Now, there were two treasures of the young couple
in which they both took great delight.
One was the old necklace that had been her mother’s and her grandmother’s.
仿写运用思路：
保留in which介词型定语从句+that定语从句，适合介绍事物、铺垫情节段落。
📝全篇句式特点
本文属于欧亨利经典短篇小说，句式灵活自然，
叙事口吻温和亲切，带着淡淡的幽默感。
大量使用分词后置定语、时间状语从句、
介词+which定语从句、there be句型。
文字朴实生活化，穿插一点温和调侃，不刻意渲染悲情；
语言节奏舒缓，细致铺陈环境、
人物心理，在平淡日常里积蓄情感，
最后迎来意料之外却情理之中的反转结局。
故事以第三人称叙事，
像讲故事一样娓娓道来，于烟火人间写纯粹爱意。
行文逻辑
本篇创作于19世纪末的美国。当时城市工商业快速发展，
大量普通人在城市谋生，收入微薄，生活拮据。
欧·亨利常年观察底层小人物，他不愿写宏大悲壮故事，
偏爱挖掘普通人藏在窘迫生活里的温柔。
创作此文时，欧亨利想要探讨：真正珍贵的礼物，
不在于价格高低，而在于发自内心的奉献。
文章开篇交代德拉攒下仅有的一点钱，临近圣诞节，满心苦恼；
描写简陋的出租小屋，烘托夫妻二人清贫的生活状态；
德拉看着窗外，发愁买不起礼物，忽然萌生卖掉长发的想法；
介绍夫妻二人引以为傲的两件宝贝，为牺牲情节做好铺垫；
叙述德拉卖掉长发，精心挑选表链等待丈夫归来；
结尾揭晓双向牺牲的反转，
礼物失去功用，但二人的爱意得到印证。
核心词汇
1. parsimony
/ˈpɑːsɪməni/
吝啬，节俭
名词(n.)
2. predominate
/prɪˈdɒmɪneɪt/
占主导地位
动词(v.)
3. mendicancy
/ˈmendɪkənsi/
乞讨，贫穷
名词(n.)
4. vestibule
/ˈvestɪbjuːl/
门厅，前厅
名词(n.)
5. platinum
/ˈplætɪnəm/
白金，铂
名词(n.)
6. chaste
/tʃeɪst/
朴素简洁的
形容词(adj.)
7. fob chain
/fɒb tʃeɪn/
表链
名词短语
8. possession
/pəˈzeʃn/
财产，拥有物
名词(n.)
💡主旨品读
故事没有轰轰烈烈的情节冲突，
只用一对贫穷夫妻圣诞节互赠礼物的日常小事，
以欧亨利标志性的结尾反转打破读者预期。
二人舍弃各自最珍视之物，
换来的礼物双双失效，物质层面一无所获，
但这份心甘情愿的成全，
恰恰诠释了麦琪式礼物的真谛：
爱本身，才是世间最无价的馈赠。
行文逻辑
本篇创作于19世纪末的美国。当时城市工商业快速发展，
大量普通人在城市谋生，收入微薄，生活拮据。
欧·亨利常年观察底层小人物，他不愿写宏大悲壮故事，
偏爱挖掘普通人藏在窘迫生活里的温柔。
创作此文时，欧亨利想要探讨：真正珍贵的礼物，
不在于价格高低，而在于发自内心的奉献。
文章开篇交代德拉攒下仅有的一点钱，临近圣诞节，满心苦恼；
描写简陋的出租小屋，烘托夫妻二人清贫的生活状态；
德拉看着窗外，发愁买不起礼物，忽然萌生卖掉长发的想法；
介绍夫妻二人引以为傲的两件宝贝，为牺牲情节做好铺垫；
叙述德拉卖掉长发，精心挑选表链等待丈夫归来；
结尾揭晓双向牺牲的反转，
礼物失去功用，但二人的爱意得到印证。
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