In the fall of 1924 Thomas Wolfe,fresh from his courses in play writing at Harvard joined the eight or ten of us who were teaching English composition in New York University.I had never before seen a man so tall as he,and so ugly.I pitied him and went out of my way to help him with his work and make him feel at home.
His students soon let me know that he had no need of my protectiveness.They spoke of his ability toexplain a poem in such a manner as to have them shouting with laughter or struggling to keep back their tears,of his readiness to quote in detail from any poet they could name.
Indeed,his students made so much of his power of observation that I decided to make a little test and see for myself.My chance came one morning when the students were slowly gathering for nine o‘clock classes.
Upon arriving at the university that day,I found Wolfe alone in the large room which served all theEnglish composition teachers as an office.He did not say anything when I asked him to come with me out into the hall,and he only smiled when we reached a classroom door and I told him to enter alone and look around.
He stepped in,remained no more than thirty seconds and then came out.“Tell me what you see.”I said as I took his place in the room,leaving him in the hall with his back to the door.Without the least hesitation and without a single error,he gave the number of seats in the room,pointed out those which were taken by boys and those occupied by girls,named the colors each student was wearing,pointed out the Latin verb written on the blackboard,spoke of the chalk marks which the cleaner had failed to wash from the floor,and pictured in detail the view of Washington Square from the window.
As Irejoined Wolfe,I was speechless with surprise.He,on the contrary,was wholly calm as he said,“The worst thing about it is that I‘ll remember it all.
在1924年的秋天,托马斯·沃尔夫,刚刚从他在哈佛的剧作课程毕业便加入了我们由八到十个人组成的在纽约大学教英语作文的一行人的团队.我以前从未见过一个男人像他这么高大,这么难看.我处于对他的可怜走了出去,以我的方式来帮助他工作,让他有宾至如归的感觉.
他的学生很快就让我知道他不需要我我对他的保护.他们谈到他的能力,他向他的学生们对一首诗做了这么多的解释,以这样的方式让他们高声大笑,或尽力忍住自己的眼泪,他心甘情愿从任何他 们能说出的诗人那里详细地引述.
确实,他的学生对他的能力进行了大量的观察,这也使我决定做一个小测试,来看看自己.一个早上我的机会来了,当时学生慢慢聚集来上九点钟的课,
那一天我一抵达大学后的时候,我发现沃尔夫独自一人在所有的英语作文教师当作办公室的大房间.当我请他跟我进了大厅时,当我们达到了教室门口他只是笑了笑,他没有说什么,我告诉他独自进入,到处看看.
他走进去,呆了不超过30秒,然后就出来了.“告诉我你看到什么.” 我说,这时我自己坐在他的房间里位置,让他留在了大厅,他的背对着门.他没有犹豫,且没有一个错误地点清了在房间里的座位数,并指出这些 由男孩占用,那些由女孩占用的,每个所穿衣服的颜色学生的名字,指出写在黑板上的拉丁语动词,谈到了擦黑板的人的未能从地板洗清理干净的粉笔痕迹,透过窗口详细描述了华盛顿广场的看法.
正当我重新和沃尔夫在一起时,我惊讶地说不出话来.相反,他是全平静,他说,“最糟糕的是,我会记住这一切.”
你原来的段落比较凌乱,我做了调整.希望对你有所帮助.