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第12章 The Goloshes of Fortune(6)

But now we will descend to East Street, and see what happened to the watchmans body. He sat lifeless on the steps. His staff had fallen out of his hand, and his eyes stared at the moon, about which his honest soul was wandering.

不过我们还是回到下界的东街去,看看守夜人的躯壳是怎样吧。他坐在楼梯上,一点生气也没有。他的晨星已经从他的手里落下来了,他的一双眼睛呆呆地盯着月亮,寻找他那个正在月亮里游览的诚实的灵魂。

“What is it oclock, watchman?” Inquired a passenger. But there was no answer from the watchman.

“现在是几点钟了,守夜人?”一个路过的人问。不过守夜人一声也不回答。

The man then pulled his nose gently, which caused him to lose his balance. The body fell forward, and lay at full length on the ground as one dead.

于是这人就轻轻地把他的鼻子揪一下,这使他失去了平衡。他的躯壳直直地倒下来——他死了。

All his comrades were very much frightened, for he seemed quite dead, still they allowed him to remain after they had given notice of what had happened, and at dawn the body was carried to the hospital. We might imagine it to be no jestingjesting n.笑话, 滑稽 matter if the soul of the man should chance to return to him, for most probably it would seek for the body in East Street without being able to find it. We might fancy the soul inquiring of the police, or at the address office, or among the missing parcels, and then at length finding it at the hospital. But we may comfort ourselves by the certainty that the soul, when acting upon its own impulsesimpulse n.推动, 刺激, 冲动, 推动力vt.推动, is wiser than we are, it is the body that makes it stupid.

揪他鼻子的人这时感到非常害怕起来。守夜人是死了,而且也僵了。这事被报告上去,并且也经过了一番研究。第二天早晨这尸体被运到医院里去。 如果这灵魂回来而到东街去找它的躯壳,结果又找不到,那可真是一桩有趣的笑话啦!很可能它会先到警察署去,随后到户口登记处去,因为在这些地方它可以登记寻找失物。最后它可能会找到医院里去。不过我们也不必担心,当灵魂自己处理自己事情的时候,它是很聪明的。使得灵魂愚蠢的倒是这具躯壳。

As we have said, the watchmans body had been taken to the hospital, and here it was placed in a room to be washed. Naturally, the first thing done here was to take off the goloshes, upon which the soul was instantly obliged to return, and it took the direct road to the body at once, and in a few seconds the mans life returned to him. He declared, when he quite recovered himself, that this had been the most dreadful night he had ever passed, not for a hundred pounds would he go through such feelings again. However, it was all over now.

我们已经说过,守夜人的躯壳已经被抬到医院里去了,而且还被运到洗涤间去了。人们在这儿要做的第一件事当然是先脱掉他的套鞋。这么一来,灵魂就回来了。它直接回到躯壳上来,这人马上就活转来了。他坦白地说这是他一生中最可怕的一夜。你就是送给他一百块钱,他也不愿意再尝试这种事情。不过现在一切都已成了过去。

The same day he was allowed to leave, but the goloshes remained at the hospital.

在这同一天,他得到许可离开医院,不过他的套鞋仍然留在那儿。

The Eventful Moment—A Most Unusual Journey伟大的一刻、一次极不平常的旅行

Every inhabitant of Copenhagen knows what the entrance to Fredericks Hospital is like, but as most probably a few of those who read this little tale may not reside in Copenhagen, we will give a short descriptiondescription n.描写, 记述, 形容, 种类, 描述 of it.

哥本哈根的每个居民都知道哥本哈根佛列得里克医院的大门的样子。不过,也许有少数不住在哥本哈根的人会读到这个故事,所以我们不妨把它描写一番。

The hospital is separated from the street by an iron railing, in which the bars stand so wide apart that, it is said, some very slim patients have squeezed through, and gone to pay little visits in the town. The most difficult part of the body to get through was the head, and in this case, as it often happens in the world, the small heads were the most fortunate. This will serve as sufficient introduction to our tale.

医院是用一排相当高的栅栏和街道隔开的。不过这些粗铁杆之间的距离很宽,据说有些很瘦的实习医生居然能从栅栏中挤出去,在外面溜达一番。身体最不容易挤出去的一部分是脑袋。在这种情形下,小脑袋是幸运的了——这也是世界上常见的事情。作为一个介绍,这叙述已经够了。

One of the young volunteers, of whom, physically speaking, it might be said that he had a great head, was on guard that evening at the hospital. The rain was pouring down, yet, in spite of these two obstaclesobstacle n.障碍, 妨害物, he wanted to go out just for a quarter of an hour, it was not worth while, he thought, to make a confidant of the porter, as he could easily slip through the iron railings. There lay the goloshes, which the watchman had forgotten. It never occurred to him that these could be goloshes of Fortune. They would be very serviceable to him in this rainy weather, so he drew them on. Now came the question whether he could squeeze through the palings, he certainly had never tried, so he stood looking at them.

一个年轻的实习医生——此人的头脑从生理上说,是颇为巨大的——这天晚上恰巧值班。雨在倾盆地下着。不过,虽然有这种不便,他仍是想出去——哪怕出去一刻钟也行。他觉得自己没有把这事情告诉门房的必要,特别是他现在可以从栅栏中间溜出去。守夜人留下的那双套鞋正放在那儿。他做梦也没有想到这是一双“幸运的套鞋”。像这样的阴雨天,它们对他是很有用的,所以他就穿上了。现在的问题是:他能不能从这铁栅栏中间挤出去,因为他从来没有试过。现在他就站在这儿。

“I wish to goodness my head was through,” said he, and instantly, though it was so thick and large, it slipped through quite easily. The goloshes answered that purpose very well, but his body had to follow, and this was impossible.

“我的天,我真希望能把头挤出去!”他说。虽然他的头非常笨重,但是他马上就轻松愉快地把头挤出去了。这大概是套鞋听懂了他的愿望的缘故。不过现在他的身躯也得挤出去才成。然而这却办不到。

“I am too fat,” he said, “I thought my head would be the worst, but I cannot get my body through, that is certain.”

“噢,我太胖了!”他说。“我起初还以为我的脑袋最糟糕哩!现在我的身体却挤不出去了。”

Then he tried to pull his head back again, but without success, he could move his neck about easily enough, and that was all. His first feeling was one of anger, and then his spirits sank below zero. The goloshes of Fortune had placed him in this terrible position, and unfortunately it never occurred to him to wish himself free. No, instead of wishing he kept twisting about, yet did not stir from the spot. The rain poured, and not a creature could be seen in the street. The porters bell he was unable to reach, and however was he to get loose! He foresaw that he should have to stay there till morning, and then they must send for a smith to file away the iron bars, and that would be a work of time. All the charitycharity n.慈善, 施舍, 慈善团体 children would just be going to school: and all the sailors who inhabited that quarter of the town would be there to see him standing in the pillory. What a crowd there would be.

他现在又希望把头缩回来,可是行不通。他只能自由地动动脖子,别的都办不到,他当时的一个感觉是要发脾气,接着他的心情就低落到了零点。“幸运的套鞋”造成这样一个可怕的局面,而且不幸的是,他自己也没有产生一个解脱自己的愿望。没有。他只是想挣脱,结果是寸步难移。雨在倾盆地下着,街上一个人也没有。他的手又够不到门铃,那么他怎样能获得自由呢?他怕自己不得不在这儿待到第二天早晨。那时人们就可以去叫一个铁匠来,把栅栏锉断。不过这不是立即就可以办到的。对面学校的男孩子不久就要起床,水手区的居民也将会到来,特别来看他被圈在枷里的样子。这么一来,跑来看他的人比去年看角力比赛的人恐怕还要多了。

“Ha,” he cried, “the blood is rushing to my head, and I shall go mad. I believe I am crazy already, oh, I wish I were free, then all these sensationssensation n.感觉, 感情, 感动, 耸人听闻的 would pass off.”