Burmese Days 缅甸岁月 Chapter 12

In the sticky, sleepy heat of the living-room, almost dark because of the beaded curtain, U Po Kyin was marching slowly up and down, boasting. From time to time he would put a hand under his singlet and scratch his sweating breasts, huge as a woman's with fat. Ma Kin ¹ was sitting on her mat, smoking slender white cigars. Through the open door of the bedroom one could see the corner of U Po Kyin's huge square bed, with carved teak posts, like a catafalque, on which he had committed many and many a rape ²., ,Ma Kin was now hearing for the first time of the 'other affair' which underlay ³ U Po Kyin's attack on Dr Veraswami. Much as he despised her intelligence, U Po Kyin usually let Ma Kin into his secrets sooner or later. She was the only person in his immediate ⁴ circle who was not afraid of him, and there was therefore a pleasure in impressing her., ,'Well, Kin Kin,' he said, 'you see how it has all gone according to plan! Eighteen anonymous ⁵ letters already, and every one of them a masterpiece. I would repeat some of them to you if I thought you were capable of appreciating them.', , ,'Take no notice? Aha, no fear of that! I think I know something about the European mentality ⁶. Let me tell you, Kin Kin, that if there is one thing I CAN do, it is to write an anonymous letter.', ,This was true. U Po Kyin's letters had already taken effect, and especially on their chief target, Mr Macgregor., ,She has gone to live with her husband's kin.她住到丈夫的亲戚家里去了 。,The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤
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