At the Grand Theatre in Paris

Trinity Journal of Literary Translation | 141

At the Grand Theatre in Paris

trans. Aaron Carr

Why is it that she has to push in front to buy the tickets? I’m ashamed. Is this person not looking at me? This bald-headed Russian. And this woman: looking me right in the face. It’s true. And this chap, with the cigar in his mouth: looking at me. They’re all looking at me. Yeah, I know what they’re thinking. They’re looking down on me. No, they’re mocking me. I don’t understand why she has to push in front to get the tickets. Did she not know I’d be offended by it? I’m a man. A gentleman. Has anyone ever seen a man taking a woman – regardless what kind of woman she may be – to see a film, then letting her pay for the tickets? Never. I, myself, certainly never have. I can feel my face getting hot: I’ve probably already gone bright red. Are there no mirrors in here? If not, how can one look at oneself? Christ, this person’s blatantly laughing at me! You dare to humiliate me in this way? Did you not see her suddenly rush to the counter to buy the tickets? I had no way of stopping it. Who expects for such a thing to happen? Ah, I can’t take it. I just want to take myself back outside: stand for a while on the stairs. How has she still not got the tickets yet? It’s packed in here! I don’t get why she would struggle through such a crowd to buy the tickets. Is she really that unwilling to let me take her to the movies?

If so, then why was she willing last night? Why, last night, when I walked her to her door, did she allow for me to take her out today? Did she think that, today, she would return the favour? Preposterous! If she really did have such a thing in mind, I can just see us in the future: you treat me, I treat you, no one paying any mind. How straightforward! Does she think that I took her to see a film because I wanted to be treated in return? Could it be? Or perhaps she feels embarrassed at the prospect of always letting me take her out, and therefore decided that she’d buy the tickets today so as to not lose face? Yes, it’s certainly possible. Women often have these kinds of ideas. They can indeed be very much full of themselves at times. What on earth’s going on? Has she still not bought the tickets? Why don’t I just squeeze to the front and buy the tickets myself? Would that not relieve me of all these peoples’ ridicule? I ought to. She still may not have got the tickets yet. What are the prices like in this place? Downstairs: six Jiao1. And upstairs? This damned head is in the way. I can’t see a thing. It’s probably eight Jiao. What? She’s walking over. She’s already bought the tickets. That’s very odd: how did not see her?

Oh well, never mind. Let’s go in. But, why has she give both thickets to me? Hold

1 The Jiao is a small unit of Chinese currency, currently equivalent to about one pence. Here, the six Jiao referred to is supposedly reflective of average European cinema ticket prices in the 1930s, when this story was written.

142 | Chinese 好，算了，进去罢。但她为什么把两张戏票都交给我？……啊，这是circle 票！为什么她这样闹阔？……我懂了，这是她对于我前两天买楼座票的不满意的 表示。这是更侮辱我了。我决不能忍受！我情愿和她断绝了友谊，但我决不能接 受这戏票了！不，我不再愿意陪她一块儿看电影了。什么都不，逛公园，吃冰， 永远不！

——这个人叫什么名字？

谁？她要问的是谁？她问我影片中的人物吗。她大概是指这个扮副官的。这 是谁？……我可记不起来了，他的名字是常常在嘴边的。怎么一时竟会说不出来 呢。……他是俄国的大明星，我知道。……噢，有了：

——你问这个扮副官的吗？这是伊凡·摩犹金，俄国大明星。

——不错，伊凡·摩犹金，是他，我记得了。影片里常常看见他的，我很喜 欢他。

怎么，很喜欢他？……像摩犹金这样的严冷，难道中国女人竟会得喜欢他的 吗？假的，我不相信，也许是范伦铁诺，那倒是可能的。凡是扮串小生的戏子最 容易获得女人，真的。……但影戏是没有什么危险的，至少也可以说外国影戏是 没有什么大关系的。你喜欢他吗？但他怎么会知道？你看，他和另外一个女人接 吻了，你不觉得妒忌吗？哈哈—Nonsense！

我觉得她在看着我。不是刚才那样的只是斜着眼看了，现在她索性回过头来 看了。这是什么意思？我要不要也斜过去接触着她的眼光？……不必罢，或许这 会得使她觉得羞窘的。但她显然是在笑了。是的，我觉得她的确在看着我笑。我 有什么好笑的地方？难道她懂得了我那种怪思想吗？……那原是闹着玩的。我何 不就旋转头去和她打个照面呢？我应当很快的旋转去，让她躲避不了，于是我可 以问她为什么看了我笑……

——笑什么？

哦，竟被我捉住了。她不是显得好像很窘了吗？看她怎样回答。

——笑你。

怎么，就只这样的回答吗？笑我，这我已经知道了，何必你自己说。但我要 知道你为什么笑我，我有什么地方会使你发笑呢？我倒再要问问她：

——笑我什么？

on a minute… These are Circle tickets! Why is she doing this! I get it: this is to do with my displeasure over getting only Lower Seat tickets two days ago. This is even more humiliating! I can’t stand it! I would rather break up with her than accept these tickets! No, I’m never taking her to see a film again. Or anywhere, for that matter. The park; to dinner: never.

“What’s this person’s name?”

Who? Who is she talking about? Is she asking about the character in the movie? She’s probably referring to the adjutant. Who is that? I can’t remember. His name is usually on the tip of my tongue. Why can I not remember now? He’s a big Russian star, I know. Ah, got it:

“Are you talking about the adjutant? That’s Ivan Mozzhukhin, a famous Russian film star.”

“Oh yeah, it’s him: Ivan Mozzhukhin. I remember now. I’ve often seen him in films. I really like him.”

What? Like him? How can a Chinese woman actually like someone as cold and stern as Mozzhukhin? As if! I don’t believe it. Maybe if it was Valentino, then possibly. All of the major actors get women easily. It’s true. But there’s no danger in movies, really. At least not like in the foreign films. You like him? Well, how is he supposed to know? Look, he’s kissing another woman: are you jealous? Haha… Nonsense!

I can feel her looking at me. Not like the glance she gave me just then: now, she’s actually turned her head to look at me. What does this mean? Shall I turn to meet her gaze? No, maybe that would make her feel awkward. But she’s clearly laughing at me. It’s true: I can sense her looking at me, and laughing. What about me does she find so amusing? Could it be that she understands my strange way of thinking? Now, that’s a joke! Why don’t I turn my head and confront her? I ought to turn really fast, so that she has no way of avoiding: that way, I can ask why she’s looking at me and laughing. “What are you laughing at?”

Ah, that caught her off guard. Is she not embarrassed now? Let’s see how she responds.

“You.” What? What kind of response is that? Me? I already know that, you don’t need to spell

144 | Chinese ——笑你看电影的样子，开着嘴，好像发呆了。

奇怪！开着嘴，好像发呆了。哪里来的话。我从来不这样的。今天也不曾这 样，我自己一点也不觉得。假话，又是假话！女人们专说假话。真机警。她一定 不是为了这个缘故而笑的。她一定是毫无理由的。我懂得。大概她总不免觉得徒 然看着这影戏也是很无聊的。本来，在我们这种情形里，如果大家真的规规矩矩 地呆看着银幕，那还有什么意味！干脆的，到这里来总不过是利用一些黑暗罢 了。有许多动作和说话的确是需要黑暗的。瞧，她又在将身子顷斜向我这边来 了。这完全露出了破绽。如果说是为了座位太斜对了银幕的缘故，那是应当向右 边侧转去的，她显然是故意的把身子靠上我的肩膀了。让我把身子也凑过去一 些，看她退让不退让。……天，她一动也不动，她可觉得我的动作？难道她竟很 有心着吗？不错，这两天来，她从来没有拒绝我的表示。我为什么还不敢呢。我 太弱了。我爱她，我已经爱她了啊！但是，我怎么能告诉她呢？她会得爱一个已 经结婚了的男子吗？我怕……我怕我如果告诉了她，一些些，只要稍微告诉她一 些些，她就会跑了的。她会永远不再见我，连一点平常的友谊都会消灭了的……

“休息”。已经休息了。半本影戏已经做过了。好快。我一点也没有看。

it out for me. I want to know why you’re laughing at me. What part of me is it that you find so amusing? I’ll ask her again. “What are you laughing at me for?” “I’m laughing at the way you’re watching the film: open-mouthed, gawping, like you’re in a trance.”

Ridiculous! Gawping, like I’m in a trance? Where did that come from? I’m never like that. Certainly not today, I’m sure of it. Rubbish, absolute nonsense. Women always talk nonsense. Very clever: that’s definitely not the reason she was laughing. She’s got no excuse whatsoever. I know. It’s probably just that she can’t sit through the movie without getting bored. It goes without saying that, in these circumstances, if everyone is behaving as they should and watching the movie properly, then where’s the fun in that! It’s simple. People come here to take advantage of the dark.

There are many things that can be done or said only in darkness. Look, she’s leaning her body towards me. This completely reveals what’s going on. If she says the reason is that her seat is slanted too much towards the screen, then she should simply turn to the right. It’s obvious that she’s intentionally trying to lean on me. Let’s lean in closer too: see if she’ll give in. My God! She didn’t move a bit! Does she not sense what I’m doing? Could it be that all of this is deliberate? Saying that, though, these last two days, she’s not once rejected my affections. Why do I still dare not try? I’m so weak. I love her. I love her already! But, how do I tell her that? Will she be able to accept the love of a married man? I’m afraid. I’m afraid that if I tell her – even if I just hint at it little by little – she’ll run. She’ll never want to see me again, not even as mere friends.

“Interval.”

It’s the interval already. Half the movie’s already gone. That was quick. I didn’t manage to catch any of it.

146 | Bulgarian

Време разделно

Антон Дончев1

И когато видях зазиданата пещера и разбрах, че хората вътре са мъртви, минах отново през пожарището и главата ми се завъртя, както се въртяха стъблата на гората от пушеци. И светът се виеше пред очите ми. още повече, като го гледах през сълзи.

Отидох при хората от Превала.

А после научихме как турците намерили пещерата, която се нарича сега Челевещница. Една жена, като обезумяла от глад, тръгнала с двегодишното си дете да дири гъби и турците я хванали, биели я да каже къде е пещерата, а тя само плачела. Тогава съблекли детето й голо. Като допрели до него два голи ножа. А тя не тръгвала, само съвсем загубила разум и викала за помощ. И хората от Челевещница, като чули гласа й, та го и познали, помислили, че е срещнала звяр, и излезли на помощ. Турците видели къде е пещерата, обградили я и викнали на хората да се предадат. А тримата ранени овчари имали още шепа барут, та гръмнали отвътре и убили първия турчин. И турците натрупали елови клони и ги запалили, и димът теглел навътре, ала се чували само писъци и никой не излизал. Тогава зазидали пещерата и хората чували как тракат камъните и плачели, и никой не излязъл. А турците наклали огромен огън пред пещерата и безумната майка с двегодишното дете се хвърлила в него, като искала да влезе вътре при другите. И вече не се чували писъци, защото огънят се вдигнал до небето. Дали турците побеснели от пламъците, та турили огън на гората, за да изгорят

1 Anton Donchev This chapter has been taken from Anton Donchev’s novel Vreme Razdelno (Time of Secession), which has often been wrongly translated as Time of Violence, just as its cinematographic alter ego from 1988. The novel was written in forty-one days (according to Donchev) and published in 1964. Time of Secession offers a dark and oppressive view of the forceful Islamisation of the Rodopean locality Elindenya, carried out by the Turkish local administration in 1688. The region has been selected by the Ottoman rulers as an example of Christian conversion, when the initially pacific tactics fail, violence, revolt and the massacre ensue upon the locals. The novel is constructed through the subtle chiaroscuro of the voices of two narrators: father Aligorko, an Orthodox monk who reflects the Bulgarian perspective of the conflict often questioning their determination to face death over their loyalty to Christianity. The second narrator is a French court poet known as “The Venetian” captured by the Ottoman authorities and a new convert Islam who gives a glimpse of the Turkish perspective as he himself is a survivor of the religious purge through conversion.