(undated)
Wonderful Boy,
Where are you tonight? Your letter came only an hour ago — cruel hour — I had hoped you would spend it with me here.
Paris is a morgue without you: before I knew you, it was Paris, and I thought it heaven; but now it is a vast desert of desolation and loneliness. It is like the face of a clock, bereft of its hands.
All the pictures that hung in my memory1 before I knew you have faded and given place to our radiant moments together.
Now I cannot live apart from you — your words, even though bitter — dispel all the cares of the world and make me happy; my art has been suckled by them and softly rocked in their tender cradle; they are as necessary to me now as sunlight and air.
I am as hungry for them as for food. I am thirsty for them, and my thirst is overwhelming.2 Your words are my food, your breath my wine. You are everything to me.
Your Sarah
morgue n. 陈尸所
desolation n. 荒凉
bereft adj. 丧失的，失去……的
radiant adj. 光亮的
dispel v. 驱逐
suckle v. 滋养
overwhelming adj. 无法抵挡的
中译 莎拉·伯恩哈特致萨杜书
（无日期）
俊少年：
今晚你到哪里去了？你的信一小时前刚到——残酷的一小时——我原希望你和我一起在这里度过的。
没有你，巴黎成了一座陈尸所；我认识你之前，巴黎就是巴黎，我把它看成天堂；然而现在它变成了一片荒凉而寂寞的沙漠。它像一个失去了指针的钟面。
认识你以前我脑海里挂着的一切图画都消失得无影无踪，取而代之的是我俩在一起的欢乐时光。
如今，离开你，我就活不了——你说的话，即使是刻薄话——能为我驱散人世间的一切烦恼，使我快乐；你的话滋养了我的艺术，像柔软的摇篮轻轻摇着它；你的话对于我就像阳光和空气一样不可或缺。
我渴望听到你说话，犹如饥饿的人想得到食物，口渴难忍的人想喝水。你的话就是我的食物，你的气息就是我的美酒。你是我的一切。
你的莎拉
原来如此！
法国女演员伯恩哈特（Sarah Bernhardt, 1844-1923）以悦耳声线风靡欧洲。在巴黎与法国剧作家萨杜（1831-1908）邂逅之后，深深爱上萨杜，对萨杜主动追求，两人终成夫妇。
这封情信很简单，作者以很直接的方式吐露爱意，带点轻佻，称收信人为“Wonderful Boy”。随之而来的文字，也很直截了当地表示恨不得立即见到爱郎，就是那种“你是我的灵魂，你是我的生命”的痴情模样。
妙笔生花
作者多次运用比喻及意象 (metaphor and imagery) 来强调单独盼望的感受：
Paris is a morgue without you... / heaven...is a vast desert of desolation and loneliness. / ...like the face of a clock, bereft of its hands. / pictures hung in my memory ...faded...
表示爱人等同生命必需品：Your words are my food, / your breath my wine. / You are everything to me. 文中也用到拟人法 (personification)，使意象更生动传神：
Your words .... make me happy; my act has been suckled by them and softly rocked in their tender cradle ...（把他的话语 [your words] 比作温柔的母亲；把自己的行动 [my act] 比作受抚育的婴儿。）
增值英语
1 All the pictures that hung in my memory ... have faded...
句式 that hung in my memory 是关系从句，修饰名词 pictures，并用作定语，有指明的作用。这句从句指出 pictures 是“挂”在脑海里的图画；没有这个从句，主句的主语 pictures 就不知何所指了。又例如：
The man who leaned against the wall was ill. 那倚着墙的男子生病了。（不是任何一个男子）
The book which was left on the desk is mine. 留在桌上的书是我的。（不是留在别处的书）
以上两句中的关系代词 who 和 which 可以用 that 代替。
句式 有些关系从句只修饰名词而没有指明作用，把这类从句加进全句中或拿走，对名词或全句意思影响不大：
His company, which employs twenty people, is an importer.
他的公司是一家进口公司，雇用了二十名雇员。（该公司已知是属于他的，从句只描述该公司而不发生指明作用。）
My sister, who rears many pets, is an animal lover. 我的姐姐是个动物爱护者，她饲养了很多宠物。（姐姐是我的，无需由从句指明。）
2 my thirst is overwhelming.
overwhelming (adj) 一词意义及用法很广，主要指某事物很强大或人的感受等很强烈，是无法抗拒、阻挡的：
He felt an overwhelming desire to work hard to realize his ambition. (overwhelming = very strong) 他感到有一股不可克制的愿望去努力工作，以实现他的雄心。
This candidate has an overwhelming victory in the election.
(overwhelming victory = landslide victory) 这个候选人在该次选举中获得一边倒的胜利。
An overwhelming majority of the people are against the legalization of gambling. (overwhelming = very great) 绝大多数人反对赌博合法化。
