Sons and Lovers - Chapter 10
儿子与情人 - 第十章
As Paul grew older, his relationship with his mother became more complicated. Gertrude had given all her love to her sons, and she expected their love and attention in return.
当保罗长大,他和母亲的关系变得更复杂。格特鲁德把所有爱给儿子,她期望他们的爱和注意回报。
With William gone, Paul became the focus of all her hopes and dreams. She watched his every move, commented on everything he did, and seemed unable to let him make his own decisions.
威廉走了,保罗成为她所有希望和梦想的焦点。她观察他的每一步,评论他做的每件事,似乎不能让他做自己的决定。
"You should not spend so much time with Clara," she would say. "She is a married woman. It is not proper."
"你不应该花那么多时间和克拉拉,"她会说,"她是个已婚女性。这不合适。"
Or, "Miriam is too serious for you. She will make your life sad."
或者,"米里亚姆对你太严肃。她会让你生活悲伤。"
Paul felt trapped. He loved his mother, but her constant interference was suffocating.
保罗感觉被困。他爱母亲,但她持续干涉窒息。
"Mother, I must live my own life," he said to her one day, trying to be gentle.
"母亲,我必须过我自己的生活,"有一天他对她说,试图温柔。
Gertrude looked at him, hurt in her eyes. "I only want what is best for you, Paul. I only want you to be happy."
格特鲁德看他,眼睛受伤。"我只想要对你最好的,保罗。我只想让你快乐。"
But Paul wondered if she really knew what was best for him. She wanted him to be a gentleman, an artist, a successful man. She didn't know that he was struggling with his identity, with his desires, with the person he was becoming.
但保罗想知道她是否真的知道对他什么是最好。她想让他成为绅士、艺术家、成功男人。她不知道他正在身份、欲望、成为的人斗争。
Walter, watching all this from the background, said little. He had learned long ago that it was no use to argue with Gertrude. She was a force that could not be stopped.
沃尔特,从背景看这一切,说很少。他很久前学到和格特鲁德争论没有用。她是不能停止的力量。
But he felt sympathy for his son. He saw the way Paul was pulled in different directions, the confusion in the young man's eyes.
但他对儿子感到同情。他看到保罗被拉向不同方向的方式,年轻人眼睛中的困惑。
"Let the boy be," Walter thought to himself. "Let him make his own mistakes."
"让男孩做,"沃尔特对自己想,"让他犯自己的错误。"
The tension in the house grew. Gertrude's love for her son had become a burden, a heavy weight that Paul carried with him everywhere.
家里的紧张增长。格特鲁德对儿子的爱成为负担,保罗到处携带的重重重量。
He started spending more time away from home, looking for excuses to be elsewhere—working late, going for long walks, anything to escape the pressure of his mother's expectations.
他开始花更多时间离家,找借口在别处——工作晚,走长路,任何逃避母亲期望压力的事。