愛在瘟疫蔓延時 Love in the Time of Cholera;El amor en los tiempos del cólera

作者 加布列.賈西亞.馬奎斯 Gabriel García Márquez

譯者:姜鳳光，蔣宗曹

— 您以為我們可以這樣一來一返直到何時?

— 直到永遠

這是船長對阿里薩想要和費米娜多相處而選擇不靠岸的指令時，感到質疑的對話，而阿里薩講了這句像是在給予承諾的回答。

年輕人的愛情令人嚮往，因為充滿活力、充滿希望，但很少人會去關注老年人的愛情，因為大家總是認為他們已遲暮，好像無法跟大家所知的一般的愛情牽扯上。馬奎斯卻一反常態，他不只將年少時阿里薩與費米娜每次通訊的緊張描寫生動:阿里薩充滿情愛的句句詩詞、費米娜一開始的高冷到最後的享受這份愛情的快樂；在中年時雙方各自在不同的感情世界中所經歷的種種:費米娜平靜安穩的表面下帶著混亂與矛盾的婚姻生活、阿里薩充滿思念的日子與其他女人共度春宵與戀情的每個時光；年老喪偶後費米娜發現她比想像中更思念阿里薩，阿里薩也不再用年輕時那猛烈激動的攻勢去追求，反而轉向溫和漸進的方法表達愛意。

我讀著讀著這本書，每一個章節都讓我覺得我確確實實融入在那個年代。馬奎斯描述著南美的天氣、霍亂的慌張、烏爾比諾醫師的建設、參加的活動……彷彿我真的也一起搭上熱氣球、一起搭上阿里薩的船，這本書不是只講愛情，這本書紀錄了霍亂之下，跟霍亂一樣糾纏著人類的愛情。

邀請大家閱讀這本書，尤其在現在也是處於疫情的時代，或許也會有不同的共鳴，也欣賞阿里薩53年7個月又11天的愛情。

— How long you think we can keep going and returning?

— Forever.

The conversation was said by the captain that who felt strange for Ariza’s order not to stop the ship as he wanted to stay longer with Fermina. So that Ariza answered the question as giving an promise to Fermina.

We often pursue the youngers’ love because of the vigor, exciting and hope it brings to us. While seldom people pay attention to the elders’ love as we think they are old enough to enjoy the love. However, Marquez wrote the novel not only described the kids love but also detailed the love after they getting old. From Ariza’s full-of-love letters and poem and Fermina’s cool attitude at first and her enjoyment of the love, to the period they all grew up and Fermina had a beautiful but mess marriage, Ariza had fallen in love and had sex with many different women. In the end, after Urbino dead, Fermina was dawned that she missed Ariza more then her imaged and Ariza didn’t use such fierce way to pursue Fermina.

I felt I was in the story when reading the book. Marquez use intense description to tell readers the detail life and emotion the characters had during the time. As I can almost feel I was in the balloon, and was in Ariza’s ship. Whereas the novel did not only tell the story only of love, but the love like the cholera that cannot let human released as well.

It is recommended to read the book as now we are also in the pandemic era. Perhaps we can earn some resonance surprisingly. Or we can admire the spirits of Ariza’s 11days-7 months-53 years love.