The Balloon

  Theballoon,beginningatapointonFourteenthStreet,theexactlocationofwhichIotreveal,expandednorthwardallonenight,whilepeopleweresleeping,untilitreachedthePark.There,Istoppedit;atdawhernmostedgeslayoverthePlaza;thefree-hangingmotionwasfrivo?lousale.Butexperiengafaintirritationatstoppioprotectthetrees,andseeingnoreasontheballoonshouldnotbeallowedtoexpandupward,overthepartsofthecityitwasalreadyc,intothe"airspace"tobefoundthere,Iaskedtheeoseetoit.Thisexpan?siontookplacethroughoutthem,softimperceptiblesighingofgasthroughthevalves.Theballoonthencoveredforty-fivebloorth-southandanirregularareaeast-west,asmanyassixcrosstownbloeithersideoftheAvenueinsomeplaces.Thatwasthesituation,then.

  Butitiswrongtospeakof"situations,"implyisofcircumstancesleadingtosomeresolution,someescapeoftension;therewerenosituations,simplytheballoonhangingthere--mutedheavygraysandbrownsforthemostpart,trastingwithwalnutandsoftyellows.Adeliberatelackoffinish,enhancedbyskillfulinstallation,gavethesurfacearough,fottenquality;slidisontheinside,carefullyadjusted,anchoredthegreat,vari-shapedmassatanumberofpoints.Nowwehavehadafloodinalideasinallmedia,worksofsingularbeautyaswellassignifitmile?stohehistoryofinflation,butatthatmomenttherewasonlythisballoon,creteparticular,hangingthere.

  Therewerereas.Somepeoplefoundtheballoon"iing."Asarespohisseemedietotheimmensityoftheballoon,thesuddennessofitsappearanceoverthecity;oherhand,intheabsenceofhysteriaorothersocietally-induxiety,itmustbejudgedacalm,"mature"oherewasacertainamountofinitialargumentationaboutthe"meaning"oftheballoon;thissubsided,becausewehaveleartoinsistonmeanings,andtheyarerarelyevenlookedfornow,exceptincasesinvolvingthesimplest,safestphenomena.Itwasagreedthatsihemeaningoftheballooncouldneverbeknownabsolutely,extendeddiscussionointless,oratleastlesspurposefulthaivitiesofthosewho,forex?ample,hunggreenandbluepaperlanternsfromthewarmgrayunderside,iais,orseizedtheoccasiontowritemessagesonthesur?fanoungtheiravailabilityfortheperfor?manceofunnaturalacts,ortheavailabilityofacquaintances.

  Daringchildrenjumped,especiallyatthosepointswheretheballoonhoveredclosetoabuild?ing,sothatthegapbetweenballoonandbuildingwasamatterofafewinches,orpointswheretheballoonactuallymadetact,exertinganever-so-slightpressureagainstthesideofabuilding,sothatballoonandbuildingseemedaunity.Theuppersurfacewassostructuredthata"landscape"resented,smallvalleysaswellasslightknolls,ormounds;ooptheballoon,astrollos?sible,orevenatrip,fromoneplacetoahereleasureinbeingabletorundownanine,thenuptheopposingslope,bothgentlygraded,orinmakingaleapfromonesidetotheother.Boungossible,becauseofthepicityofthesurfadevenfalling,ifthatwasyourwish.Thatallthesevariedmotions,aswellasothers,werewithinonespossibilities,inexperiengthe"up"sideoftheballoon,wasextremelyexgforchildren,acedtothecitysflat,hardskin.Butthepurposeoftheballoonwasnottoamusechildren.

  Too,thenumberofpeople,childrenandadults,whotookadvaheopportunitiesdescribedwasnotseasitmighthavebeeaintimidity,lackoftrustintheballoon,wasseen.Therewas,furthermore,somehostility.Becausewehadhiddenthepumps,whichfedheliumtotheinterior,andbecausethesurfacewassovastthattheauthoritiescouldermihepoiry--thatis,thepointatwhichthegaswasied--adegreeoffrustrationwasevidehosecityofficersintowhoseprovincesui?festationsnormallyfell.Theapparentpurposelessnessoftheballoonwasvexing(aswasthefactthatitwas"there"atall).Hadwepainted,iletters,"LABORATORYTESTSPROVE"or"18%MOREEFFECTIVE"onthesidesoftheballoon,thisdiffi?cultywouldhavebeencircumvented.ButIcouldodoso.Onthewhole,theseofficerswereremarkablytolerant,sideringthedimensionsoftheanomaly,thistoleraheresultof,first,secrettestsductedbynightthatvihemthatlittleornothingcouldbedohewayofremovingordestroyingtheballoon,and,sedly,apublicwarmththatarose(notuncoloredbytouchesoftheaforementionedhostility)towardtheballoon,fromordinarycitizens.

  Asasingleballoonmuststandforalifetimeofthinkingaboutballoons,soeachcitizenexpressed,iitudehechose,aplexofattitudes.Onemanmightsiderthattheballoonhadtodowiththenotionsullied,asiehebigballoonsulliedtheotherwiseclearandradiantManhattansky.Thatis,theballoonwas,inthismansvieosture,somethinginferiortotheskythathadformerlybeenthere,somethinginter?posedbetweenthepeopleandtheir"sky."ButinfactitwasJanuary,theskywasdarkandugly;itwasnotaskyyoucouldlookupinto,lyingonyourbathestreet,withpleasure,unlesspleasure,foryou,proceededfromhavihreatened,fromhavingbeenmisused.Andtheundersideoftheballoonleasuretolookupinto,wehadseentothat,mutedgraysandbrownsforthemostpart,trastedwithwalnutandsoft,fottenyellows.Andso,whilethismanwasthinkingsul?lied,stilltherewasanadmixtureofpleasurableitioninhisthinking,strugglingwiththei?nalperception.

  Anotherman,oherhand,mightviewtheballoonasifitwerepartofasystemofunantici?patedrewards,aswhenonesemployerwalksinandsays,"Here,Henry,takethispackageofmoneyIhaveedforyou,becausewehavebeendoingsowellinthebusinesshere,andIadmirethewayyoubruisethetulips,withoutwhichbruis?ingyourdepartmentwouldnotbeasuccess,oratleastnotthesuccessthatitis."Forthismantheballoonmightbeabrilliantlyheroiusdpluck"experience,evenifanexperiencepoorlyuood.

  Anothermanmightsay,"Withouttheexampleof____,itisdoubtfulthat____wouldexisttodayinitspresentform,"andfindmanytoagreewithhim,ortuewithhim.Ideasof"bloat"and"float"wereintroduced,aswellasceptsofdreamandresponsibility.agedinre?markablydetailedfantasieshavingtodowithawisheithertolosethemselvesintheballoon,ortoengeit.Theprivatecharacterofthesewishes,oftheirins,deeplyburiedandunknown,wassuchthattheywerenotmuchspokenof;yetthereisevidetheywerewidespread.Itwasalsuedthatwhatortantwaswhatyoufeltwhenyoustooduheballoon;somepeopleclaimedthattheyfeltsheltered,warmed,asneverbefore,whileeheballoo,orre?portedfeeling,strained,a"heavy"feeling.

  Criticalopinionwasdivided:

  "monstrousps"

  "harp"

  XXXXXXX"certaintrastswithdarkerportions"

  "innerjoy"

  "large,squareers"

  "servativeeclecticismthathassoverned

  modernballoondesign"

  :::::::"abnormalvigor"

  "warm,soft,lazypassages"

  "Hasunitybeensacrificedforasprawling

  quality?"

  "Quellecatastrophe!"

  "mung"

  Peoplebegan,inacuriousway,tolocatethem?selvesiiontoaspectsoftheballoon:"IllbeatthatplacewhereitdipsdownintoForty-seventhStreetalmosttothesidewalk,heAlamoChileHouse,"or,"Whydoandontop,andtaketheair,andmaybewalkaboutabit,whereitformsatight,curvinglihthefacadeoftheGalleryofModernArt--"Marginalintersesofferedentrahinagiventimeduration,aswellas"warm,soft,lazypassages"inwhich...Butitiswrongtospeakof"marginalinterses,"eatersewascrucial,nonecouldbeig?nored(asif,walkingthere,youmightnotfindsomeonecapableyourattention,inaflash,fromoldexercisestonewexercises,risksandescalations).Eatersewascrucial,meet?ingofballoonandbuildiingofballoonandmaingofballoonandballoon.

  Itwassuggestedthatwhatwasadmiredabouttheballoonwasfinallythis:thatitwasnotlimited,ordefined.Sometimesabulge,blister,orsub?sewouldcarryallthewayeasttotheriveronitsowninitiative,inthemannerofanarmysmovementsonamap,asseeninaheadquartersremotefromthefighting.Thenthatpartwouldbe,asitwere,thrownbackagain,orwouldwithdrawintonewdispositions;them,thatpartwouldhavemadeanothersortie,ordisappearedaltogether.Thisabilityoftheballoontoshiftitsshape,toge,wasverypleasing,especiallytopeoplewhoseliveswereratherrigidlypatterned,personstowhomge,althoughdesired,wasnotavailable.Theballoon,forthetwenty-twodaysofitsexistence,offeredthepossibility,initsrandomness,ofmislocationoftheself,intradistinc?tiontothegridofprecise,regularpathwaysunderourfeet.Theamountofspecializedtrainingcurrentlyneeded,andthesequentdesirabilityoflong-termitments,hasbeenoccasiohesteadilygrowingimportanplexma?ery,invirtuallyallkindsofoperations;asthistendencreases,moreandmorepeoplewillturn,inbewilderedinadequacy,tosolutionsforwhichtheballoonmaystandasaprototype,or&quhdraft."

  Imetyouuheballoon,ontheoccasionofyourreturnfromNorway;youaskedifitwasmine;Isaiditwas.Theballoon,Isaid,isaspontaneousautobiographicaldisclosure,havingtodowiththeuneaseIfeltatyourabsendwithsexualde?privation,butnowthatyourvisittenhasbeentermiisnolongernecessaryorappro?priate.Removaloftheballoonwaseasy;trailertruckscarriedawaythedepletedfabric,whiowstorediVirginia,awaitingsomeothertimeofunhappiness,sometime,perhaps,whenweareangrywithoher.松语文学www.16sy.coM免费小说阅读

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