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The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Chapter 6 Part 2

Chapter 6 Part 2

They arrived at twilight, and, as we strolled out among the sparkling hundreds, Daisy's voice was playing murmurous tricks in her throat.

“These things excite me so,” she whispered. “If you want to kiss me any time during the evening, Nick, just let me know and I'll be glad to arrange it for you. Just mention my name. Or present a green card. I'm giving out green—”

“Look around,” suggested Gatsby.

“I'm looking around. I'm having a marvellous—”

“You must see the faces of many people you've heard about.”

Tom's arrogant eyes roamed the crowd.

“We don't go around very much,” he said; “in fact, I was just thinking I don't know a soul here.”

“Perhaps you know that lady.” Gatsby indicated a gorgeous, scarcely human orchid of a woman who sat in state under a white-plum tree. Tom and Daisy stared, with that peculiarly unreal feeling that accompanies the recognition of a hitherto ghostly celebrity of the movies.

“She's lovely,” said Daisy.

“The man bending over her is her director.”

He took them ceremoniously from group to group:

“Mrs. Buchanan… and Mr. Buchanan—” After an instant's hesitation he added: “the polo player.”

“Oh no,” objected Tom quickly, “not me.”

But evidently the sound of it pleased Gatsby for Tom remained “the polo player” for the rest of the evening.

“I've never met so many celebrities,” Daisy exclaimed. “I liked that man—what was his name?—with the sort of blue nose.”

Gatsby identified him, adding that he was a small producer.

“Well, I liked him anyhow.”

“I'd a little rather not be the polo player,” said Tom pleasantly, “I'd rather look at all these famous people in—in oblivion.”

Daisy and Gatsby danced. I remember being surprised by his graceful, conservative foxtrot—I had never seen him dance before. Then they sauntered over to my house and sat on the steps for half an hour, while at her request I remained watchfully in the garden. “In case there's a fire or a flood,” she explained, “or any act of God.”

Tom appeared from his oblivion as we were sitting down to supper together. “Do you mind if I eat with some people over here?” he said. “A fellow's getting off some funny stuff.”

“Go ahead,” answered Daisy genially, “and if you want to take down any addresses here's my little gold pencil.”… She looked around after a moment and told me the girl was “common but pretty,” and I knew that except for the half-hour she'd been alone with Gatsby she wasn't having a good time.

We were at a particularly tipsy table. That was my fault—Gatsby had been called to the phone, and I'd enjoyed these same people only two weeks before. But what had amused me then turned septic on the air now.

“How do you feel, Miss Baedeker?”

The girl addressed was trying, unsuccessfully, to slump against my shoulder. At this inquiry she sat up and opened her eyes.

“Wha'?”

A massive and lethargic woman, who had been urging Daisy to play golf with her at the local club tomorrow, spoke in Miss Baedeker's defence:

“Oh, she's all right now. When she's had five or six cocktails she always starts screaming like that. I tell her she ought to leave it alone.”

“I do leave it alone,” affirmed the accused hollowly.

“We heard you yelling, so I said to Doc Civet here: ‘There's somebody that needs your help, Doc.' ”

“She's much obliged, I'm sure,” said another friend, without gratitude, “but you got her dress all wet when you stuck her head in the pool.”

“Anything I hate is to get my head stuck in a pool,” mumbled Miss Baedeker. “They almost drowned me once over in New Jersey.”

“Then you ought to leave it alone,” countered Doctor Civet.

“Speak for yourself!” cried Miss Baedeker violently. “Your hand shakes. I wouldn't let you operate on me!”

It was like that. Almost the last thing I remember was standing with Daisy and watching the moving-picture director and his Star. They were still under the white-plum tree and their faces were touching except for a pale, thin ray of moonlight between. It occurred to me that he had been very slowly bending toward her all evening to attain this proximity, and even while I watched I saw him stoop one ultimate degree and kiss at her cheek.

“I like her,” said Daisy, “I think she's lovely.”

But the rest offended her—and inarguably because it wasn't a gesture but an emotion. She was appalled by West Egg, this unprecedented “place” that Broadway had begotten upon a Long Island fishing village—appalled by its raw vigour that chafed under the old euphemisms and by the too obtrusive fate that herded its inhabitants along a shortcut from nothing to nothing. She saw something awful in the very simplicity she failed to understand.

I sat on the front steps with them while they waited for their car. It was dark here in front; only the bright door sent ten square feet of light volleying out into the soft black morning. Sometimes a shadow moved against a dressing-room blind above, gave way to another shadow, an indefinite procession of shadows, who rouged and powdered in an invisible glass.

“Who is this Gatsby anyhow?” demanded Tom suddenly. “Some big bootlegger?”

“Where'd you hear that?” I inquired.

“I didn't hear it. I imagined it. A lot of these newly rich people are just big bootleggers, you know.”

“Not Gatsby,” I said shortly.

He was silent for a moment. The pebbles of the drive crunched under his feet.

“Well, he certainly must have strained himself to get this menagerie together.”

A breeze stirred the grey haze of Daisy's fur collar.

“At least they are more interesting than the people we know,” she said with an effort.

“You didn't look so interested.”

“Well, I was.”

Tom laughed and turned to me.

“Did you notice Daisy's face when that girl asked her to put her under a cold shower?”

Daisy began to sing with the music in a husky, rhythmic whisper, bringing out a meaning in each word that it had never had before and would never have again. When the melody rose her voice broke up sweetly, following it, in a way contralto voices have, and each change tipped out a little of her warm human magic upon the air.

“Lots of people come who haven't been invited,” she said suddenly. “That girl hadn't been invited. They simply force their way in and he's too polite to object.”

“I'd like to know who he is and what he does,” insisted Tom. “And I think I'll make a point of finding out.”

“I can tell you right now,” she answered. “He owned some drugstores, a lot of drugstores. He built them up himself.”

The dilatory limousine came rolling up the drive.

“Good night, Nick,” said Daisy.

Her glance left me and sought the lighted top of the steps, where “Three O'Clock in the Morning,” a neat, sad little waltz of that year, was drifting out the open door. After all, in the very casualness of Gatsby's party there were romantic possibilities totally absent from her world. What was it up there in the song that seemed to be calling her back inside? What would happen now in the dim, incalculable hours? Perhaps some unbelievable guest would arrive, a person infinitely rare and to be marvelled at, some authentically radiant young girl who with one fresh glance at Gatsby, one moment of magical encounter, would blot out those five years of unwavering devotion.

I stayed late that night. Gatsby asked me to wait until he was free, and I lingered in the garden until the inevitable swimming party had run up, chilled and exalted, from the black beach, until the lights were extinguished in the guestrooms overhead. When he came down the steps at last the tanned skin was drawn unusually tight on his face, and his eyes were bright and tired.

“She didn't like it,” he said immediately.

“Of course she did.”

“She didn't like it,” he insisted. “She didn't have a good time.”

He was silent, and I guessed at his unutterable depression.

“I feel far away from her,” he said. “It's hard to make her understand.”

“You mean about the dance?”

“The dance?” He dismissed all the dances he had given with a snap of his fingers. “Old sport, the dance is unimportant.”

He wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: “I never loved you.” After she had obliterated four years with that sentence they could decide upon the more practical measures to be taken. One of them was that, after she was free, they were to go back to Louisville and be married from her house—just as if it were five years ago.

“And she doesn't understand,” he said. “She used to be able to understand. We'd sit for hours—”

He broke off and began to walk up and down a desolate path of fruit rinds and discarded favours and crushed flowers.

“I wouldn't ask too much of her,” I ventured. “You can't repeat the past.”

“Can't repeat the past?” he cried incredulously. “Why of course you can!”

He looked around him wildly, as if the past were lurking here in the shadow of his house, just out of reach of his hand.

“I'm going to fix everything just the way it was before,” he said, nodding determinedly. “She'll see.”

He talked a lot about the past, and I gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy. His life had been confused and disordered since then, but if he could once return to a certain starting place and go over it all slowly, he could find out what that thing was…

… One autumn night, five years before, they had been walking down the street when the leaves were falling, and they came to a place where there were no trees and the sidewalk was white with moonlight. They stopped here and turned toward each other. Now it was a cool night with that mysterious excitement in it which comes at the two changes of the year. The quiet lights in the houses were humming out into the darkness and there was a stir and bustle among the stars. Out of the corner of his eye Gatsby saw that the blocks of the sidewalks really formed a ladder and mounted to a secret place above the trees—he could climb to it, if he climbed alone, and once there he could suck on the pap of life, gulp down the incomparable milk of wonder.

His heart beat faster as Daisy's white face came up to his own. He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God. So he waited, listening for a moment longer to the tuning-fork that had been struck upon a star. Then he kissed her. At his lips' touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete.

Through all he said, even through his appalling sentimentality, I was reminded of something—an elusive rhythm, a fragment of lost words, that I had heard somewhere a long time ago. For a moment a phrase tried to take shape in my mouth and my lips parted like a dumb man's, as though there was more struggling upon them than a wisp of startled air. But they made no sound, and what I had almost remembered was uncommunicable forever.

Chapter 6 Part 2 Kapitel 6 Teil 2 Capítulo 6 Parte 2 Capitolo 6 Parte 2 第6章 その2 Rozdział 6 Część 2 Capítulo 6 Parte 2 Глава 6 Часть 2 Bölüm 6 Kısım 2 第 6 章 第 2 部分

They arrived at twilight, and, as we strolled out among the sparkling hundreds, Daisy's voice was playing murmurous tricks in her throat. Sie kamen in der Abenddämmerung an, und während wir unter den funkelnden Hunderten spazieren gingen, spielte Daisys Stimme murmurse Tricks in ihrem Hals. Arrivarono al crepuscolo e, mentre passeggiavamo tra le centinaia di persone che scintillavano, la voce di Daisy giocava a fare i suoi scherzi mormorando nella sua gola.

“These things excite me __so__,” she whispered. „Diese Dinge regen mich so an“, flüsterte sie. "Queste cose mi eccitano molto", sussurrò. “If you want to kiss me any time during the evening, Nick, just let me know and I'll be glad to arrange it for you. „Wenn du mich irgendwann während des Abends küssen möchtest, Nick, lass es mich einfach wissen und ich werde es gerne für dich arrangieren. "Se vuoi baciarmi in qualsiasi momento della serata, Nick, fammelo sapere e sarò felice di organizzarlo per te. Just mention my name. Nennen Sie einfach meinen Namen. Or present a green card. Oder zeigen Sie eine grüne Karte vor. I'm giving out green—” Ich verteile grüne -" Sto distribuendo verde...".

“Look around,” suggested Gatsby.

“I'm looking around. I'm having a marvellous—” Ich habe ein wunderbares - "

“You must see the faces of many people you've heard about.” "Du musst die Gesichter vieler Leute sehen, über die du gehört hast."

Tom's arrogant eyes roamed the crowd. Toms arrogante Augen durchstreiften die Menge. Gli occhi arroganti di Tom scrutarono la folla.

“We don't go around very much,” he said; “in fact, I was just thinking I don't know a soul here.” „Wir gehen nicht sehr oft herum“, sagte er; „tatsächlich dachte ich gerade, ich kenne hier niemanden.“ "Non andiamo molto in giro", ha detto; "infatti, stavo pensando che non conosco nessuno qui".

“Perhaps you know that lady.” Gatsby indicated a gorgeous, scarcely human orchid of a woman who sat in state under a white-plum tree. „Vielleicht kennen Sie diese Dame.“ Gatsby deutete auf eine wunderschöne, kaum menschliche Orchidee von einer Frau, die unter einem weißen Pflaumenbaum thronte. "Forse conoscete quella signora". Gatsby indicò una splendida orchidea, quasi umana, di una donna che sedeva in stato di grazia sotto un albero di prugne bianche. Tom and Daisy stared, with that peculiarly unreal feeling that accompanies the recognition of a hitherto ghostly celebrity of the movies. Tom und Daisy starrten, mit dem besonders unwirklichen Gefühl, das mit der Erkennung eines zuvor geisterhaften Stars aus dem Film einhergeht. Tom e Daisy si guardarono, con quella particolare sensazione di irrealtà che accompagna il riconoscimento di una celebrità fino ad allora fantasma del cinema.

“She's lovely,” said Daisy.

“The man bending over her is her director.” "L'uomo che si china su di lei è il suo direttore".

He took them ceremoniously from group to group: Er führte sie feierlich von Gruppe zu Gruppe: Li portò cerimoniosamente da un gruppo all'altro:

“Mrs. Buchanan… and Mr. Buchanan—” After an instant's hesitation he added: “the polo player.” Buchanan... und Mr. Buchanan-" Nach einem Moment des Zögerns fügte er hinzu: "der Polo-Spieler."

“Oh no,” objected Tom quickly, “not me.” „Oh nein“, widersprach Tom schnell, „nicht ich.“ "Oh no", obiettò prontamente Tom, "non io".

But evidently the sound of it pleased Gatsby for Tom remained “the polo player” for the rest of the evening. Aber offensichtlich gefiel Gatsby der Klang davon, denn Tom blieb für den Rest des Abends „der Polospieler“. Ma evidentemente il suono piacque a Gatsby, perché Tom rimase "il giocatore di polo" per il resto della serata.

“I've never met so many celebrities,” Daisy exclaimed. „Ich habe noch nie so viele Prominente getroffen“, rief Daisy aus. “I liked that man—what was his name?—with the sort of blue nose.” "Mi piaceva quell'uomo - come si chiamava? - con quella specie di naso blu".

Gatsby identified him, adding that he was a small producer. Gatsby lo identificò, aggiungendo che si trattava di un piccolo produttore.

“Well, I liked him anyhow.” "Beh, mi piaceva comunque".

“I'd a little rather not be the polo player,” said Tom pleasantly, “I'd rather look at all these famous people in—in oblivion.” „Ich wäre lieber nicht der Polo-Spieler“, sagte Tom angenehm, „ich sehe mir lieber all diese berühmten Leute in-- in der Vergessenheit an.“ "Preferirei non essere il giocatore di polo", disse Tom piacevolmente, "preferirei guardare tutte queste persone famose nell'oblio".

Daisy and Gatsby danced. Daisy und Gatsby tanzten. I remember being surprised by his graceful, conservative foxtrot—I had never seen him dance before. Ich erinnere mich, von seinem eleganten, konservativen Foxtrott überrascht gewesen zu sein - ich hatte ihn noch nie tanzen sehen. Then they sauntered over to my house and sat on the steps for half an hour, while at her request I remained watchfully in the garden. Dann schlenderten sie zu meinem Haus und setzten sich eine halbe Stunde lang auf die Stufen, während ich auf ihren Wunsch hin wachsam im Garten blieb. Poi andarono a casa mia e si sedettero sui gradini per mezz'ora, mentre io, su richiesta di lei, rimasi a vegliare in giardino. “In case there's a fire or a flood,” she explained, “or any act of God.” „Für den Fall eines Brandes oder einer Überschwemmung“, erklärte sie, „oder irgendeines aktes Gottes.“ "Nel caso di un incendio o di un'alluvione", ha spiegato, "o di un qualsiasi atto di Dio".

Tom appeared from his oblivion as we were sitting down to supper together. Tom erschien aus seiner Unachtsamkeit, als wir gemeinsam zum Abendessen saßen. Tom è apparso dal suo oblio mentre eravamo seduti a cena insieme. “Do you mind if I eat with some people over here?” he said. „Haben Sie etwas dagegen, wenn ich mit einigen Leuten hier drüben esse?“, sagte er. "Le dispiace se mangio con alcune persone qui?", disse. “A fellow's getting off some funny stuff.” „Ein Kerl erzählt hier drüben etwas Lustiges.“ "Un tizio se la sta cavando in modo strano".

“Go ahead,” answered Daisy genially, “and if you want to take down any addresses here's my little gold pencil.”… She looked around after a moment and told me the girl was “common but pretty,” and I knew that except for the half-hour she'd been alone with Gatsby she wasn't having a good time. „Bitte schön“, antwortete Daisy freundlich, „und wenn Sie Adressen notieren möchten, hier ist mein kleiner goldener Bleistift.“... Sie sah sich nach einem Moment um und sagte mir, dass das Mädchen „gewöhnlich, aber hübsch“ sei, und ich wusste, dass sie bis auf die halbe Stunde, die sie alleine mit Gatsby verbracht hatte, keine gute Zeit hatte. "Faccia pure", rispose Daisy con gentilezza, "e se vuole annotare qualche indirizzo, ecco la mia piccola matita d'oro"... Dopo un attimo si guardò intorno e mi disse che la ragazza era "comune ma carina", e capii che, a parte la mezz'ora in cui era rimasta sola con Gatsby, non si stava divertendo.

We were at a particularly tipsy table. Wir saßen an einem besonders beschwipsten Tisch. We were at a particularly tipsy table. Eravamo a un tavolo particolarmente alticcio. That was my fault—Gatsby had been called to the phone, and I'd enjoyed these same people only two weeks before. Das war meine Schuld - Gatsby war ans Telefon gerufen worden, und ich hatte diese Leute nur zwei Wochen zuvor genossen. Era colpa mia: Gatsby era stato chiamato al telefono e io mi ero divertito con queste stesse persone solo due settimane prima. But what had amused me then turned septic on the air now. Aber was mich damals amüsiert hatte, wurde jetzt zu vergifteter Luft. Ma ciò che mi aveva divertito allora, ora è diventato settico nell'aria.

“How do you feel, Miss Baedeker?”

The girl addressed was trying, unsuccessfully, to slump against my shoulder. Das Mädchen, an das sich gewandt wurde, versuchte erfolglos, sich an meine Schulter zu lehnen. La ragazza indirizzata cercava, senza successo, di accasciarsi contro la mia spalla. At this inquiry she sat up and opened her eyes. Bei dieser Frage richtete sie sich auf und öffnete ihre Augen. A questa richiesta si alzò a sedere e aprì gli occhi.

“Wha'?” "Was?"

A massive and lethargic woman, who had been urging Daisy to play golf with her at the local club tomorrow, spoke in Miss Baedeker's defence: Eine massive und lethargische Frau, die Daisy gedrängt hatte, morgen mit ihr im örtlichen Club Golf zu spielen, sprach zur Verteidigung von Miss Baedeker: Una donna massiccia e letargica, che aveva esortato Daisy a giocare a golf con lei al club locale domani, parlò in difesa della signorina Baedeker:

“Oh, she's all right now. “Oh, sie ist jetzt wieder in Ordnung. When she's had five or six cocktails she always starts screaming like that. Wenn sie fünf oder sechs Cocktails hatte, fängt sie immer an, so zu schreien. Quando ha bevuto cinque o sei cocktail inizia sempre a urlare in quel modo. I tell her she ought to leave it alone.” Ich sage ihr, sie solle es in Ruhe lassen. Eu digo-lhe que ela devia deixar isso em paz".

“I do leave it alone,” affirmed the accused hollowly. "Ich lasse es in Ruhe", bekräftigte der Beschuldigte hohl. "Lo lascio stare", affermò l'accusato con tono vacuo.

“We heard you yelling, so I said to Doc Civet here: ‘There's somebody that needs your help, Doc.' ” "Wir haben gehört, wie du geschrien hast, also sagte ich zu Doc Civet hier: 'Da ist jemand, der deine Hilfe braucht, Doc.'" "Vi abbiamo sentito urlare, così ho detto a Doc Civet qui: 'C'è qualcuno che ha bisogno del tuo aiuto, Doc'".

“She's much obliged, I'm sure,” said another friend, without gratitude, “but you got her dress all wet when you stuck her head in the pool.” „Sie ist sich sicherlich sehr verpflichtet“, sagte ein anderer Freund ohne Dankbarkeit, „aber du hast ihr Kleid komplett nass gemacht, als du ihren Kopf ins Becken gesteckt hast.“ "Le è molto grata, ne sono certo", disse un altro amico, senza gratitudine, "ma le hai bagnato il vestito quando le hai infilato la testa nella piscina".

“Anything I hate is to get my head stuck in a pool,” mumbled Miss Baedeker. „Was ich überhaupt nicht mag, ist es, meinen Kopf in einem Pool festzustecken“, murmelte Frau Baedeker. "Tutto ciò che detesto è finire con la testa in una piscina", borbottò la signorina Baedeker. “They almost drowned me once over in New Jersey.” „Sie haben mich fast einmal in New Jersey ertrinken lassen.“ "Una volta mi hanno quasi affogato nel New Jersey".

“Then you ought to leave it alone,” countered Doctor Civet. „Dann solltest du es in Ruhe lassen“, entgegnete Doktor Civet. "Allora dovreste lasciar perdere", ha risposto il dottor Civet.

“Speak for yourself!” cried Miss Baedeker violently. „Sprich für dich selbst!“, rief Miss Baedeker heftig. “Your hand shakes. „Deine Hand zittert. "La tua mano trema. I wouldn't let you operate on me!” Non mi farei operare da te!".

It was like that. So war es. È stato così. Almost the last thing I remember was standing with Daisy and watching the moving-picture director and his Star. Das Letzte, an das ich mich erinnern kann, war, wie ich mit Daisy stand und den Regisseur und seinen Star beim Filmen beobachtete. Quasi l'ultima cosa che ricordo è di essere stato in piedi con Daisy a guardare il regista di film in movimento e la sua Star. They were still under the white-plum tree and their faces were touching except for a pale, thin ray of moonlight between. Sie standen noch unter dem weißen Pflaumenbaum und ihre Gesichter berührten sich, außer einem blassen, dünnen Strahl Mondlicht dazwischen. It occurred to me that he had been very slowly bending toward her all evening to attain this proximity, and even while I watched I saw him stoop one ultimate degree and kiss at her cheek. Mir wurde bewusst, dass er sich den ganzen Abend sehr langsam zu ihr hinübergebeugt hatte, um diese Nähe zu erreichen, und selbst während ich zusah, sah ich ihn noch einen letzten Grad nach unten gehen und an ihre Wange küssen. Mi venne in mente che per tutta la sera si era piegato molto lentamente verso di lei per raggiungere questa vicinanza, e anche mentre guardavo lo vidi abbassarsi di un ultimo grado e baciarle la guancia.

“I like her,” said Daisy, “I think she's lovely.” „Ich mag sie“, sagte Daisy, „ich finde sie wunderbar.“

But the rest offended her—and inarguably because it wasn't a gesture but an emotion. Aber der Rest verletzte sie – und zweifellos, weil es keine Geste war, sondern eine Emotion. Ma il resto l'ha offesa, e inequivocabilmente perché non si trattava di un gesto ma di un'emozione. She was appalled by West Egg, this unprecedented “place” that Broadway had begotten upon a Long Island fishing village—appalled by its raw vigour that chafed under the old euphemisms and by the too obtrusive fate that herded its inhabitants along a shortcut from nothing to nothing. Sie war entsetzt von West Egg, diesem beispiellosen "Ort", den Broadway auf einem Fischerdorf auf Long Island erzeugt hatte - entsetzt über seine rohe Kraft, die unter den alten Euphemismen rieb und über das allzu aufdringliche Schicksal, das seine Bewohner auf einem Abkürzungsweg von nichts nach nichts trieb. Era sconcertata da West Egg, questo "luogo" senza precedenti che Broadway aveva generato su un villaggio di pescatori di Long Island, sconcertata dal suo crudo vigore che si scontrava con i vecchi eufemismi e dal destino troppo invadente che incalzava i suoi abitanti lungo una scorciatoia dal nulla al nulla. She saw something awful in the very simplicity she failed to understand. Sie sah etwas Schreckliches in der Einfachheit, die sie nicht verstand. Vedeva qualcosa di terribile proprio nella semplicità che non riusciva a capire.

I sat on the front steps with them while they waited for their car. Ich saß mit ihnen auf den Vordertreppen, während sie auf ihr Auto warteten. It was dark here in front; only the bright door sent ten square feet of light volleying out into the soft black morning. Es war dunkel hier vorne; nur die helle Tür ließ zehn Quadratfuß Licht in den sanften schwarzen Morgen strömen. Era buio qui davanti; solo la porta luminosa mandava tre metri quadrati di luce nella morbida mattina nera. Sometimes a shadow moved against a dressing-room blind above, gave way to another shadow, an indefinite procession of shadows, who rouged and powdered in an invisible glass. Manchmal bewegte sich ein Schatten gegen einen Umkleideraum-Jalousie oben, wich einem anderen Schatten, einer unbestimmten Prozession von Schatten, die sich unsichtbar im Glas rouge und pudernten. A volte un'ombra si muoveva contro la tenda del camerino, lasciava il posto a un'altra ombra, una processione indefinita di ombre che si rovinavano e si incipriavano in un vetro invisibile.

“Who is this Gatsby anyhow?” demanded Tom suddenly. "Wer ist dieser Gatsby überhaupt?" fragte Tom plötzlich. "Ma chi è questo Gatsby?" chiese Tom all'improvviso. “Some big bootlegger?” "Un grande contrabbandiere?"

“Where'd you hear that?” I inquired. „Wo hast du das gehört?“, fragte ich.

“I didn't hear it. „Ich habe es nicht gehört. I imagined it. Ich habe es mir vorgestellt.“ A lot of these newly rich people are just big bootleggers, you know.”

“Not Gatsby,” I said shortly.

He was silent for a moment. The pebbles of the drive crunched under his feet. I ciottoli del viale scricchiolavano sotto i suoi piedi.

“Well, he certainly must have strained himself to get this menagerie together.” „Nun, er muss sich sicherlich angestrengt haben, um diese Menagerie zusammenzubringen.“ "Beh, di certo deve essersi sforzato per mettere insieme questo serraglio".

A breeze stirred the grey haze of Daisy's fur collar. Eine Brise bewegte den grauen Dunst von Daisys Pelzkragen. Una brezza agita la nebbia grigia del colletto di pelliccia di Daisy.

“At least they are more interesting than the people we know,” she said with an effort. „Zumindest sind sie interessanter als die Leute, die wir kennen“, sagte sie mit Mühe. "Almeno sono più interessanti delle persone che conosciamo", disse con uno sforzo.

“You didn't look so interested.” „Du sahst nicht so interessiert aus.“ "Non sembravi così interessato".

“Well, I was.” „Nun, das war ich.“

Tom laughed and turned to me. Tom lachte und drehte sich zu mir um.

“Did you notice Daisy's face when that girl asked her to put her under a cold shower?” „Hast du Daisys Gesicht bemerkt, als das Mädchen sie bat, sie unter eine kalte Dusche zu stellen?“ "Hai notato la faccia di Daisy quando quella ragazza le ha chiesto di metterla sotto una doccia fredda?".

Daisy began to sing with the music in a husky, rhythmic whisper, bringing out a meaning in each word that it had never had before and would never have again. Daisy begann, mit der Musik in einem heiseren, rhythmischen Flüstern zu singen, und brachte in jedem Wort eine Bedeutung zum Vorschein, die es nie zuvor hatte und nie wieder haben würde. Daisy iniziò a cantare con la musica in un sussurro ritmico e roco, facendo emergere in ogni parola un significato che non aveva mai avuto prima e che non avrebbe mai più avuto. When the melody rose her voice broke up sweetly, following it, in a way contralto voices have, and each change tipped out a little of her warm human magic upon the air. Als die Melodie anstieg, zersplitterte ihre Stimme süß, folgte ihr auf eine Weise, wie es Kontraalt-Stimmen tun, und jeder Wechsel ließ ein wenig ihres warmen menschlichen Zauber in die Luft entweichen. Quando la melodia si alzava, la sua voce si spezzava dolcemente, seguendola, come fanno le voci di contralto, e ogni cambio spargeva nell'aria un po' della sua calda magia umana.

“Lots of people come who haven't been invited,” she said suddenly. “That girl hadn't been invited. They simply force their way in and he's too polite to object.” Sie drängen einfach herein und er ist zu höflich, um dagegen zu protestieren.

“I'd like to know who he is and what he does,” insisted Tom. "Ich würde gerne wissen, wer er ist und was er macht", bestand Tom darauf. “And I think I'll make a point of finding out.” "Und ich denke, ich werde darauf bestehen, es herauszufinden." "E credo che mi impegnerò a scoprirlo".

“I can tell you right now,” she answered. „Ich kann es dir gleich sagen“, antwortete sie. “He owned some drugstores, a lot of drugstores. „Er besaß einige Apotheken, viele Apotheken. "Possedeva alcune farmacie, molte farmacie. He built them up himself.” Er hat sie selbst aufgebaut.“ Li ha costruiti lui stesso".

The dilatory limousine came rolling up the drive. Die träge Limousine rollte die Auffahrt hinauf. La dilatata limousine si avvicinò al viale.

“Good night, Nick,” said Daisy. „Gute Nacht, Nick“, sagte Daisy.

Her glance left me and sought the lighted top of the steps, where “Three O'Clock in the Morning,” a neat, sad little waltz of that year, was drifting out the open door. Ihr Blick verließ mich und suchte das beleuchtete Ende der Treppe, wo „Three O'Clock in the Morning“, ein hübscher, trauriger kleiner Walzer aus jenem Jahr, durch die offene Tür drang. Il suo sguardo mi lasciò e cercò la cima illuminata dei gradini, dove "Three O'Clock in the Morning", un piccolo e triste valzer di quell'anno, stava uscendo dalla porta aperta. After all, in the very casualness of Gatsby's party there were romantic possibilities totally absent from her world. Im Grunde genommen gab es in der sehr Lässigkeit von Gatsbys Party romantische Möglichkeiten, die in ihrer Welt völlig fehlten. Dopotutto, nella stessa casualità della festa di Gatsby c'erano possibilità romantiche totalmente assenti dal suo mondo. What was it up there in the song that seemed to be calling her back inside? Was war es da oben im Lied, das schien, sie wieder nach innen zu rufen? Che cosa c'era lassù nella canzone che sembrava richiamarla dentro di sé? What would happen now in the dim, incalculable hours? Was würde jetzt in den schwach beleuchteten, unermesslichen Stunden passieren? Che cosa sarebbe successo ora, nelle ore più buie e incalcolabili? Perhaps some unbelievable guest would arrive, a person infinitely rare and to be marvelled at, some authentically radiant young girl who with one fresh glance at Gatsby, one moment of magical encounter, would blot out those five years of unwavering devotion. Vielleicht würde ein unglaublicher Gast eintreffen, eine Person unendlich selten und bewundernswert, ein authentisch strahlendes junges Mädchen, das mit einem frischen Blick auf Gatsby, einem Moment magischer Begegnung, diese fünf Jahre unerschütterlicher Hingabe auslöschen würde. Forse sarebbe arrivato un ospite incredibile, una persona infinitamente rara e da ammirare, una ragazza autenticamente radiosa che con un nuovo sguardo a Gatsby, un momento di incontro magico, avrebbe cancellato quei cinque anni di incrollabile devozione.

I stayed late that night. Ich blieb jene Nacht lange wach. Quella sera sono rimasto fino a tardi. Gatsby asked me to wait until he was free, and I lingered in the garden until the inevitable swimming party had run up, chilled and exalted, from the black beach, until the lights were extinguished in the guestrooms overhead. Gatsby bat mich zu warten, bis er frei war, und ich verweilte im Garten, bis die unvermeidliche Schwimmparty vom schwarzen Strand heraufgelaufen war, gekühlt und begeistert, bis die Lichter in den Gästezimmern über uns erloschen waren. Gatsby mi chiese di aspettare fino a quando non fosse stato libero, e io indugiai in giardino fino a quando l'inevitabile gruppo di bagnanti non fosse salito, infreddolito ed esaltato, dalla spiaggia nera, fino a quando le luci non si fossero spente nelle stanze degli ospiti in alto. When he came down the steps at last the tanned skin was drawn unusually tight on his face, and his eyes were bright and tired. Als er schließlich die Stufen hinunterkam, war die sonnengebräunte Haut ungewöhnlich straff auf seinem Gesicht und seine Augen waren hell und müde. Quando finalmente scese i gradini, la pelle abbronzata era insolitamente tirata sul viso e gli occhi erano lucidi e stanchi.

“She didn't like it,” he said immediately. "Sie mochte es nicht", sagte er sofort. "Non le è piaciuto", ha detto subito.

“Of course she did.” "Natürlich mochte sie es."

“She didn't like it,” he insisted. “She didn't have a good time.”

He was silent, and I guessed at his unutterable depression. Er schwieg, und ich ahnte seine unaussprechliche Depression. Rimase in silenzio e io intuii la sua impronunciabile depressione.

“I feel far away from her,” he said. „Ich fühle mich weit von ihr entfernt“, sagte er. "Mi sento lontano da lei", ha detto. “It's hard to make her understand.” „Es ist schwer, ihr das zu vermitteln.“ "È difficile farle capire".

“You mean about the dance?”

“The dance?” He dismissed all the dances he had given with a snap of his fingers. „Der Tanz?“ Er wischte alle Tänze, die er gegeben hatte, mit einem Fingerschnippen beiseite. "Il ballo?" Con uno schiocco di dita liquidò tutti i balli che aveva fatto. “Old sport, the dance is unimportant.” „Alter Freund, der Tanz ist unwichtig.“

He wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: “I never loved you.” After she had obliterated four years with that sentence they could decide upon the more practical measures to be taken. Er verlangte von Daisy nichts Geringeres, als dass sie zu Tom gehen und sagen sollte: „Ich habe dich nie geliebt.“ Nachdem sie mit diesem Satz vier Jahre ausgelöscht hatte, konnten sie sich auf die praktischeren Maßnahmen einigen, die ergriffen werden sollten. Non desiderava altro da Daisy che lei andasse da Tom e gli dicesse: "Non ti ho mai amato". Dopo che lei avesse cancellato quattro anni con quella frase, avrebbero potuto decidere le misure più pratiche da prendere. One of them was that, after she was free, they were to go back to Louisville and be married from her house—just as if it were five years ago. Eine davon war, dass sie nachdem sie frei war, nach Louisville zurückkehren und von ihrem Haus aus heiraten sollten - als ob es fünf Jahre zuvor wäre. Una di queste era che, dopo che lei fosse stata libera, sarebbero tornati a Louisville e si sarebbero sposati a casa sua, proprio come se fosse successo cinque anni prima.

“And she doesn't understand,” he said. „Und sie versteht es nicht“, sagte er. “She used to be able to understand. „Sie konnte es früher verstehen.“ "Una volta era in grado di capire. We'd sit for hours—” Stavamo seduti per ore...".

He broke off and began to walk up and down a desolate path of fruit rinds and discarded favours and crushed flowers. Si interruppe e cominciò a camminare su e giù per un sentiero desolato di scorze di frutta, bomboniere scartate e fiori schiacciati.

“I wouldn't ask too much of her,” I ventured. „Ich würde nicht zu viel von ihr verlangen“, wagte ich zu sagen. "Non le chiederei troppo", azzardai. “You can't repeat the past.” „Du kannst die Vergangenheit nicht wiederholen.“ "Non si può ripetere il passato".

“Can't repeat the past?” he cried incredulously. „Die Vergangenheit nicht wiederholen?“ rief er ungläubig. "Non si può ripetere il passato?", esclamò incredulo. “Why of course you can!” Natürlich kannst du das! "Ma certo che si può!".

He looked around him wildly, as if the past were lurking here in the shadow of his house, just out of reach of his hand. Er schaute wild um sich, als ob die Vergangenheit hier im Schatten seines Hauses lauern würde, gerade außerhalb seiner Reichweite. Si guardò intorno selvaggiamente, come se il passato fosse in agguato qui, all'ombra della sua casa, appena fuori dalla sua portata di mano.

“I'm going to fix everything just the way it was before,” he said, nodding determinedly. „Ich werde alles wieder genau so herrichten, wie es vorher war“, sagte er entschlossen nickend. "Sistemerò tutto come era prima", disse, annuendo con determinazione. “She'll see.”

He talked a lot about the past, and I gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy. Er sprach viel über die Vergangenheit, und ich schloss daraus, dass er etwas wiederfinden wollte, irgendeine Vorstellung von sich selbst vielleicht, die er beim Lieben von Daisy verloren hatte. Parlò molto del passato e capii che voleva recuperare qualcosa, forse un'idea di sé, che era andata a finire nell'amore per Daisy. His life had been confused and disordered since then, but if he could once return to a certain starting place and go over it all slowly, he could find out what that thing was… Sein Leben war seitdem verwirrt und durcheinander gewesen, aber wenn er einmal zu einem bestimmten Ausgangspunkt zurückkehren und alles langsam durchgehen könnte, könnte er herausfinden, was dieses Ding war… Da allora la sua vita era stata confusa e disordinata, ma se fosse riuscito a tornare a un certo punto di partenza e a ripercorrere tutto con calma, avrebbe potuto scoprire cosa fosse quella cosa...

… One autumn night, five years before, they had been walking down the street when the leaves were falling, and they came to a place where there were no trees and the sidewalk was white with moonlight. … An einem Herbstabend, fünf Jahre zuvor, waren sie die Straße entlanggegangen, als die Blätter fielen, und sie kamen an eine Stelle, wo keine Bäume waren und der Bürgersteig vom Mondlicht weiß beleuchtet war. They stopped here and turned toward each other. Now it was a cool night with that mysterious excitement in it which comes at the two changes of the year. Es war nun eine kühle Nacht mit dieser geheimnisvollen Aufregung, die bei den beiden Jahreszeitenwechseln aufkommt. The quiet lights in the houses were humming out into the darkness and there was a stir and bustle among the stars. Die leisen Lichter in den Häusern strahlten ins Dunkle hinaus, und es herrschte reges Treiben unter den Sternen. Le luci silenziose delle case ronzavano nell'oscurità e tra le stelle c'era agitazione e fermento. Out of the corner of his eye Gatsby saw that the blocks of the sidewalks really formed a ladder and mounted to a secret place above the trees—he could climb to it, if he climbed alone, and once there he could suck on the pap of life, gulp down the incomparable milk of wonder. Aus dem Augenwinkel sah Gatsby, dass die Blöcke der Bürgersteige tatsächlich eine Leiter bildeten und zu einem geheimen Ort über den Bäumen führten – er könnte dorthin klettern, wenn er alleine kletterte, und einmal dort könnte er am Lebenssaft saugen, die unvergleichliche Milch des Staunens hinunterschlucken. Con la coda dell'occhio Gatsby vide che i blocchi dei marciapiedi formavano davvero una scala e salivano a un posto segreto sopra gli alberi: poteva salirci, se si arrampicava da solo, e una volta lì poteva succhiare il papiro della vita, trangugiare l'incomparabile latte della meraviglia.

His heart beat faster as Daisy's white face came up to his own. He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God. Er wusste, dass wenn er dieses Mädchen küsste und seine unaussprechlichen Visionen mit ihrem vergänglichen Atem für immer vereinte, sein Geist nie wieder wie der Geist Gottes toben würde. Sapeva che, baciando quella ragazza e sposando per sempre le sue visioni impronunciabili al suo respiro perituro, la sua mente non si sarebbe mai più scatenata come la mente di Dio. So he waited, listening for a moment longer to the tuning-fork that had been struck upon a star. Also wartete er, lauschte noch einen Moment länger der Stimmgabel, die an einem Stern angeschlagen worden war. Quindi aspettò, ascoltando ancora per un attimo il diapason che era stato battuto su una stella. Then he kissed her. Dann küsste er sie. At his lips' touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete. Al tocco delle sue labbra, ella sbocciò per lui come un fiore e l'incarnazione fu completa.

Through all he said, even through his appalling sentimentality, I was reminded of something—an elusive rhythm, a fragment of lost words, that I had heard somewhere a long time ago. Attraverso tutto ciò che disse, anche attraverso il suo spaventoso sentimentalismo, mi venne in mente qualcosa, un ritmo sfuggente, un frammento di parole perdute, che avevo sentito da qualche parte molto tempo fa. For a moment a phrase tried to take shape in my mouth and my lips parted like a dumb man's, as though there was more struggling upon them than a wisp of startled air. Für einen Moment versuchte sich ein Ausdruck in meinem Mund zu formen und meine Lippen öffneten sich wie die eines stummen Mannes, als ob mehr auf ihnen lag als nur ein Hauch überraschter Luft. Per un attimo una frase cercò di prendere forma nella mia bocca e le mie labbra si schiusero come quelle di un muto, come se ci fosse qualcosa di più che un filo d'aria spaventata. But they made no sound, and what I had almost remembered was uncommunicable forever. Aber es kam kein Ton heraus, und was ich fast erinnert hatte, blieb für immer unmitteilbar. Ma non emisero alcun suono, e ciò che avevo quasi ricordato rimase per sempre non comunicabile.