Genesis and Catastrophe

Genesis and Catastrophe¹
A True Story
‘EVERYTHING IS NORMAL,’ the doctor was saying. ‘Just lie back and relax.’ His voice was
miles away in the distance and he seemed to be shouting at her. ‘You have a son.’
‘What?’
‘You have a fine son. You understand that, don’t you? A fine son. Did you hear him crying?’
‘Is he all right, Doctor?’
‘Of course he is all right.’
‘Please let me see him.’
‘You’ll see him in a moment.’
‘You are certain he is all right?’
‘I am quite certain.’
‘Is he still crying?’
‘Try to rest. There is nothing to worry about.’
‘Why has he stopped crying, Doctor? What happened?’
‘Don’t excite yourself, please. Everything is normal.’
‘I want to see him. Please let me see him.’
‘Dear lady,’ the doctor said, patting her hand. ‘You have a fine strong healthy child. Don’t you
believe me when I tell you that?’
‘What is the woman over there doing to him?’
‘Your baby is being made to look pretty for you,’ the doctor said. ‘We are giving him a little
wash, that is all. You must spare us a moment or two for that.’
‘You swear he is all right?’
‘I swear it. Now lie back and relax. Close your eyes. Go on, close your eyes. That’s right.
That’s better. Good girl …’
‘I have prayed and prayed that he will live, Doctor.’
‘Of course he will live. What are you talking about?’
‘The others didn’t.’
‘What?’
‘None of my other ones lived, Doctor.’
The doctor stood beside the bed looking down at the pale exhausted² face of the young woman.
He had never seen her before today. She and her husband were new people in the town. The
innkeeper’s wife, who had come up to assist in the delivery, had told him that the husband worked
at the local customs-house on the border and that the two of them had arrived quite suddenly at the
inn with one trunk and one suitcase about three months ago. The husband was a drunkard, the
innkeeper’s wife had said, an arrogant³, overbearing, bullying⁴ little drunkard, but the young woman
was gentle and religious. And she was very sad. She never smiled. In the few weeks that she had
been here, the innkeeper’s wife had never once seen her smile. Also there was a rumour⁵ that this
was the husband’s third marriage, that one wife had died and that the other had divorced him for
unsavoury reasons. But that was only a rumour.
The doctor bent⁶ down and pulled the sheet up a little higher over the patient’s chest. ‘You have
nothing to worry about,’ he said gently. This is a perfectly⁷ normal baby.’
‘That’s exactly what they told me about the others. But I lost them all. Doctor. In the last
eighteen months I have lost all three of my children, so you mustn’t blame me for being anxious.’
‘Three?’
‘This is my fourth … in four years.’
The doctor shifted his feet uneasily on the bare floor.
‘I don’t think you know what it means, Doctor, to lose them all, all three of them, slowly,
separately, one by one. I keep seeing them. I can see Gustav’s face now as clearly as if he were
lying here beside me in the bed. Gustav was a lovely boy, Doctor. But he was always ill. It is
terrible when they are always ill and there is nothing you can do to help them.’
‘I know.’
The woman opened her eyes, stared up at the doctor for a few seconds, then closed them again.
‘My little girl was called Ida. She died a few days before Christmas. That is only four months
ago. I just wish you could have seen Ida, Doctor.’
‘You have a new one now.’
‘But Ida was so beautiful.’
‘Yes,’ the doctor said. ‘I know.’
‘How can you know?’ she cried.
‘I am sure that she was a lovely child. But this new one is also like that.’ The doctor turned
away from the bed and walked over to the window and stood there looking out. It was a wet grey
April afternoon, and across the street he could see the red roofs of the houses and the huge
raindrops splashing on the tiles.
‘Ida was two years old. Doctor … and she was so beautiful I was never able to take my eyes off
her from the time I dressed her in the morning until she was safe in bed again at night. I used to
live in holy terror of something happening to that child. Gustav had gone and my little Otto had
also gone and she was all I had left. Sometimes I used to get up in the night and creep over to the
cradle and put my ear close to her mouth just to make sure that she was breathing.’
‘Try to rest,’ the doctor said, going back to the bed. ‘Please try to rest.’ The woman’s face was
white and bloodless, and there was a slight bluish-grey tinge⁸ around the nostrils⁹ and the mouth. A
few strands¹⁰ of damp hair hung down over her forehead, sticking to the skin.
‘When she died … I was already pregnant again when that happened, Doctor. This new one was
a good four months on its way when Ida died. “I don’t want it!” I shouted after the funeral. “I
won’t have it! I have buried enough children!” And my husband … he was strolling among the
guests with a big glass of beer in his hand … he turned around quickly and said, “I have news for
you, Klara, I have good news.” Can you imagine that, Doctor? We have just buried our third child
and he stands there with a glass of beer in his hand and tells me that he has good news. “Today I
have been posted to Braunau,” he says, “so you can start packing at once. This will be a new start
for you, Klara,” he says. “It will be a new place and you can have a new doctor …” ’
‘Please don’t talk any more.’
‘You are the new doctor, aren’t you, Doctor?’
‘That’s right.’
‘And here we are in Braunau.’
‘Yes.’
‘I am frightened. Doctor.’
‘Try not to be frightened.’
‘What chance can the fourth one have now?’
‘You must stop thinking like that.’
‘I can’t help it. I am certain there is something inherited that causes my children to die in this
way. There must be.’
‘That is nonsense.’
‘Do you know what my husband said to me when Otto was born, Doctor? He came into the
room and he looked into the cradle where Otto was lying and he said, “Why do all my children
have to be so small and weak?” ’
‘I am sure he didn’t say that.’
‘He put his head right into Otto’s cradle as though he were examining a tiny insect and he said,
“All I am saying is why can’t they be better specimens¹¹? That’s all I am saying.” And three days
after that. Otto was dead. We baptised him quickly on the third day and he died the same evening.
And then Gustav died. And then Ida died. All of them died, Doctor … and suddenly the whole
house was empty….’
‘Don’t think about it now.’
‘Is this one so very small?’
‘He is a normal child.’
‘But small?’
‘He is a little small, perhaps. But the small ones are often a lot tougher than the big ones. Just
imagine, Frau Hitler, this time next year he will be almost learning how to walk. Isn’t that a lovely
thought?”
She didn’t answer this.
‘And two years from now he will probably be talking his head off and driving you crazy with
his chatter¹². Have you settled on a name for him yet?’
‘A name?’
‘Yes.’
‘I don’t know. I’m not sure. I think my husband said that if it was a boy we were going to call
him Adolfus.’
‘That means he would be called Adolf.’
‘Yes. My husband likes Adolf because it has a certain similarity to Alois. My husband is called
Alois.’
‘Excellent.’
‘Oh no!’ she cried, starting up suddenly from the pillow. ‘That’s the same question they asked
me when Otto was born! It means he is going to die! You are going to baptize him at once!’
‘Now, now,’ the doctor said, taking her gently by the shoulders. ‘You are quite wrong. I
promise you you are wrong. I was simply being an inquisitive¹³ old man, that is all. I love talking
about names. I think Adolphus is a particularly fine name. It is one of my favourites. And look –
here he comes now.’
The innkeeper’s wife, carrying the baby high up on her enormous bosom¹⁴, came sailing across
the room towards the bed. ‘Here is the little beauty!’ she cried, beaming. ‘Would you like to hold
him, my dear? Shall I put him beside you?’
‘Is he well wrapped?’ the doctor asked. ‘It is extremely cold in here.’
‘Certainly he is well wrapped.’
The baby was tightly swaddled in a white woollen shawl, and only the tiny pink head protruded¹⁵.
The innkeeper’s wife placed him gently on the bed beside the mother. ‘There you are,’ she said.
‘Now you can lie there and look at him to your heart’s content.’
‘I think you will like him,’ the doctor said, smiling. ‘He is a fine little baby.’
‘He has the most lovely hands!’ the innkeeper’s wife exclaimed. ‘Such long delicate fingers!’
The mother didn’t move. She didn’t even turn her head to look.
‘Go on!’ cried the innkeeper’s wife. ‘He won’t bite you!’
‘I am frightened to look. I don’t care to believe that I have another baby and that he is all right.’
‘Don’t be so stupid.’
Slowly, the mother turned her head and looked at the small, incredibly serene¹⁶ face that lay on
the pillow beside her.
‘Is this my baby?’
‘Of course.’
‘Oh … oh … but he is beautiful.’
The doctor turned away and went over to the table and began putting his things into his bag.
The mother lay on the bed gazing at the child and smiling and touching¹⁷ him and making little
noises of pleasure. ‘Hello, Adolfus,’ she whispered. ‘Hello, my little Adolf …’
‘Ssshh!’ said the innkeeper’s wife. ‘Listen! I think your husband is coming.’
The doctor walked over to the door and opened it and looked out into the corridor.
‘Herr Hitler!’
‘Yes.’
‘Come in, please.’
A small man in a dark-green uniform stepped softly into the room and looked around him.
‘Congratulations,’ the doctor said. ‘You have a son.’
The man had a pair of enormous whiskers meticulously¹⁸ groomed¹⁹ after the manner of the
Emperor Franz Josef, and he smelled strongly of beer. ‘A son?’
‘Yes.’
‘How is he?’
‘He is fine. So is your wife.’
‘Good.’ The father turned and walked with a curious little prancing²⁰ stride over to the bed where
his wife was lying. ‘Well, Klara,’ he said, smiling through his whiskers. ‘How did it go?’ He bent
down to take a look at the baby. Then he bent lower. In a series of quick jerky movements, he bent
lower and lower until his face was only about twelve inches from the baby’s head. The wife lay
sideways on the pillow, staring up at him with a kind of supplicating²¹ look.
‘He has the most marvellous pair of lungs,’ the innkeeper’s wife announced. ‘You should have
heard him screaming just after he came into this world.’
‘But my God, Klara …’
‘What is it, dear?’
‘This one is even smaller than Otto was!’
The doctor took a couple of quick paces forward. ‘There is nothing wrong with that child,’ he
said.
Slowly, the husband straightened up and turned away from the bed and looked at the doctor. He
seemed bewildered and stricken. ‘It’s no good lying. Doctor,’ he said. ‘I know what it means. It’s
going to be the same all over again.’
‘Now you listen to me,’ the doctor said.
‘But do you know what happened to the others, Doctor?’
‘You must forget about the others, Herr Hitler. Give this one a chance.’
‘But so small and weak!’
‘My dear sir, he has only just been bom.’
‘Even so …’
‘What are you trying to do?’ cried the innkeeper’s wife. ‘Talk him into his grave?’
‘That’s enough!’ the doctor said sharply.
The mother was weeping now. Great sobs²² were shaking her body.
The doctor walked over to the husband and put a hand on his shoulder. ‘Be good to her,’ he
whispered. ‘Please. It is very important.’ Then he squeezed the husband’s shoulder hard and began
pushing him forward surreptitiously to the edge of the bed. The husband hesitated. The doctor
squeezed harder, signalling him urgently through fingers and thumb. At last, reluctantly, the
husband bent down and kissed his wife lightly on the cheek.
‘All right, Klara,’ he said. ‘Now stop crying.’
‘I have prayed so hard that he will live, Alois.’
‘Yes.’
‘Every day for months I have gone to the church and begged on my knees that this one will be
allowed to live.’
‘Yes, Klara, I know.’
‘Three dead children is all that I can stand, don’t you realize that?’ ‘Of course.’
‘He must live, Alois. He must, he must … Oh God, be merciful unto him now …’

1 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

2 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

3 arrogant   

adj.傲慢的，自大的

参考例句：

• You've got to get rid of your arrogant ways.你这骄傲劲儿得好好改改。
• People are waking up that he is arrogant.人们开始认识到他很傲慢。

4 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 rumour   

n.谣言，谣传，传闻

参考例句：

• I should like to know who put that rumour about.我想知道是谁散布了那谣言。
• There has been a rumour mill on him for years.几年来，一直有谣言产生，对他进行中伤。

6 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

7 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

8 tinge   

vt.(较淡)着色于，染色；使带有…气息；n.淡淡色彩，些微的气息

参考例句：

• The maple leaves are tinge with autumn red.枫叶染上了秋天的红色。
• There was a tinge of sadness in her voice.她声音中流露出一丝忧伤。

9 nostrils   

鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Her nostrils flared with anger. 她气得两个鼻孔都鼓了起来。
• The horse dilated its nostrils. 马张大鼻孔。

10 strands   

n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Twist a length of rope from strands of hemp. 用几股麻搓成了一段绳子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She laced strands into a braid. 她把几股线编织成一根穗带。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 specimens   

n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人

参考例句：

• Astronauts have brought back specimens of rock from the moon. 宇航员从月球带回了岩石标本。
• The traveler brought back some specimens of the rocks from the mountains. 那位旅行者从山上带回了一些岩石标本。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 chatter   

vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战

参考例句：

• Her continuous chatter vexes me.她的喋喋不休使我烦透了。
• I've had enough of their continual chatter.我已厌烦了他们喋喋不休的闲谈。

13 inquisitive   

adj.求知欲强的，好奇的，好寻根究底的

参考例句：

• Children are usually inquisitive.小孩通常很好问。
• A pat answer is not going to satisfy an inquisitive audience.陈腔烂调的答案不能满足好奇的听众。

14 bosom   

n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的

参考例句：

• She drew a little book from her bosom.她从怀里取出一本小册子。
• A dark jealousy stirred in his bosom.他内心生出一阵恶毒的嫉妒。

15 protruded   

v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The child protruded his tongue. 那小孩伸出舌头。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The creature's face seemed to be protruded, because of its bent carriage. 那人的脑袋似乎向前突出，那是因为身子佝偻的缘故。 来自英汉文学

16 serene   

adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的

参考例句：

• He has entered the serene autumn of his life.他已进入了美好的中年时期。
• He didn't speak much,he just smiled with that serene smile of his.他话不多，只是脸上露出他招牌式的淡定的微笑。

17 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

18 meticulously   

adv.过细地，异常细致地；无微不至；精心

参考例句：

• The hammer's silvery head was etched with holy runs and its haft was meticulously wrapped in blue leather. 锤子头是纯银制成的，雕刻着神圣符文，而握柄则被精心地包裹在蓝色的皮革中。 来自辞典例句
• She is always meticulously accurate in punctuation and spelling. 她的标点和拼写总是非常精确。 来自辞典例句

19 groomed   

v.照料或梳洗（马等）( groom的过去式和过去分词 )；使做好准备；训练；（给动物）擦洗

参考例句：

• She is always perfectly groomed. 她总是打扮得干净利落。
• Duff is being groomed for the job of manager. 达夫正接受训练，准备当经理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 prancing   

v.（马）腾跃( prance的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The lead singer was prancing around with the microphone. 首席歌手手执麦克风，神气地走来走去。
• The King lifted Gretel on to his prancing horse and they rode to his palace. 国王把格雷特尔扶上腾跃着的马，他们骑马向天宫走去。 来自辞典例句

21 supplicating   

v.祈求，哀求，恳求( supplicate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She stammered a few supplicating words. 她吞吞吐吐说了一些求情的话。 来自互联网

22 sobs   

啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She was struggling to suppress her sobs. 她拼命不让自己哭出来。
• She burst into a convulsive sobs. 她突然抽泣起来。