乡村的宁静生活从来没有对我产生过吸引力。
The quiet life of the country has never appealed to me.
我生于城市、长于城市，一向把乡村看作是从火车窗口眺望的风景，或者偶尔周末去逛逛的地方。
City born and city bred, I have always regarded the country as something you look at through a train window, or something you occasionally visit during the weekend.
我的大多数朋友都住在城里，但一提到乡村，他们总是欣喜若狂。
Most of my friends live in the city, yet they always go into raptures at the mere mention of the country.
尽管他们极力称颂宁静生活的种种美德，但其中只有一个人真正去乡下住过，而且六个月之内就回城了。
Though they extol the virtues of the peaceful life, only one of them has ever gone to live in the country and he was back in town within six months.
就连他，至今仍然抱有乡村生活不知为何就是比城市生活优越的幻觉。
Even he still lives under the illusion that country life is somehow superior to town life.
他老是在谈论那儿热情的人们、清新的空气、与大自然的亲近，以及悠然的生活节奏。
He is forever talking about the friendly people, the clean atmosphere, the closeness to nature and the gentle pace of living.
没有任何东西能与——他坚持认为——清晨第一声鸡鸣、黎明时鸟儿的啁啾、朝阳在树梢和牧场上闪烁的景象相比。
Nothing can be compared, he maintains, with the first cockcrow, the twittering of birds at dawn, the sight of the rising sun glinting on the trees and pastures.
这幅田园牧歌式的美好图景，只不过是真实情况的一部分。
This idyllic pastoral scene is only part of the picture.
我的朋友没有提到那漫长而寂寞的冬夜，只能坐在电视机前——那几乎是唯一的娱乐方式。
My friend fails to mention the long and friendless winter evenings in front of the TV--virtually the only form of entertainment.
他对店里商品品种不丰富只字不提，也不提那些不幸的人——他们每天不得不从乡下跋涉到城里去上班。
He says nothing about the poor selection of goods in the shops, or about those unfortunate people who have to travel from the country to the city every day to get to work.
人们为何甘愿每天忍受四小时的通勤，就为了拥有住在乡下这一可疑特权，这让我完全无法理解。
Why people are prepared to tolerate a four-hour journey each day for the dubious privilege of living in the country is beyond me.
如果他们选择住在城里——那才是他们真正应该待的地方——就能省去许多痛苦和开销。
They could be saved so much misery and expense if they chose to live in the city where they rightly belong.
如果你能舍弃乡村那少数几种田园乐趣，你会发现城市能为你提供生活所能给予的最好的东西。
If you can do without the few pastoral pleasures of the country, you will find the city can provide you with the best that life can offer.
你永远不必跋山涉水好几英里去看望朋友。
You never have to travel miles to see your friends.
他们（城市里的朋友）总是住在附近，随时都可以来一场随意的聊天，或共度一个娱乐之夜。
They invariably live nearby and are always available for an informal chat or an evening's entertainment.
我在乡下的一些相识，每年来城里一两次，将看剧院演出视作一种特别的享受。
Some of my acquaintances in the country come up to town once or twice a year to visit the theatre as a special treat.
对他们来说，这是一次重大的"行动"，需要相当周全的筹划。
For them this is a major operation which involves considerable planning.
随着剧情接近尾声，他们便开始担心是否能赶上那班回家的末班车。
As the play draws to its close, they wonder whether they will ever catch that last train home.
城市居民从来不会有这种焦虑。
The city dweller never experiences anxieties of this sort.
最新的展览、电影或戏剧，乘坐短途公共汽车便可到达。
The latest exhibitions, films, or plays are only a short bus ride away.
购物，同样也总是一种享受。
Shopping, too, is always a pleasure.
商品品种如此丰富，你永远不必凑合次等货。
There is so much variety that you never have to make do with second best.
乡下人进城购物时便像脱了缰的野马，踉跄着回家，背负着他们能带走的尽可能多的稀罕货。
Country people run wild when they go shopping in the city and stagger home loaded with as many of the exotic items as they can carry.
城市也并非没有它自己美丽的时刻。
Nor is the city without its moments of beauty.
在寒冷湿润的冬夜，广告灯散发出的温暖光芒令人感到宽慰。
There is something comforting about the warm glow shed by advertisements on cold wet winter nights.
没有什么比周末降临在空旷城市街道上的那份宁静更令人印象深刻的了——那时，每天涌入城市上班的千万人都藏在乡下的家里。
Few things could be more impressive than the peace that descends on deserted city streets at weekends when the thousands that travel to work every day are tucked away in their homes in the country.
城市居民明明欣赏这一切，却固执地假装自己宁可住在乡下，这对我来说始终是个谜。
It has always been a mystery to me why city dwellers, who appreciate all these things, obstinately pretend that they would prefer to live in the country.