介绍:
Bert's Thanksgiving
伯特的感恩节
By J. T. Trowbridge revised by Kristina Harding
特罗布里奇【著】. 克里斯汀娜•哈丁【修订】.
At noon on a dreary November day, a lonesome little fellow stood at the door of a cheap restaurant in Boston, and offered a solitary copy of a morning paper for sale to the people passing. But there were really not many people passing, for it was Thanksgiving Day, and the shops were closed, and everybody who had a home to go to, and a dinner to eat, seemed to have gone home.
十一月的一个沉闷的午间，一位寂寞的小伙子站在波士顿一家廉价餐馆门口，想把一份晨报卖给路人。但是由于这天是感恩节，路上没有很多行人，商店也都关门了，那些有家可归、有晚餐要赴的人们，似乎也都已经回家了。
An old man, with a face that looked pinched, and who was dressed in a seedy black coat, stopped at the same doorway, and, with one hand on the latch, he appeared to hesitate between hunger and a sense of poverty, before going in. It was possible, however, that he was considering whether he could afford himself the indulgence of a morning paper, seeing it was Thanksgiving Day; so at least Bert thought, and addressed him accordingly.
这时，有一个满脸消瘦的老人，身上穿着破旧的黑色外套，在餐馆门前停了下来，一只手搭在门把上准备进去，但在进门前，他看起来似乎在饥饿感与贫穷之间犹豫不决。而卖报纸的小伙伯特也在考虑老人能否看在今天是感恩节的份上，买一份晨报。不管怎样，至少伯特认为有可能，因此他走上前问了这位老人。
"Buy a paper, sir? All about the fire in East Boston, and arrest of burglars in Springfield. Only two cents."
“先生，买一份报纸吗？今天的内容是关于东波士顿的火灾和斯普林菲尔德的窃贼被捕。只要两美分。”
The little old man looked at the boy, with keen gray eyes which seemed to light up the pinched look of his face, and answered in a shrill voice,"You ought to come down in your price, this time of day. You can't expect to sell a morning paper at 12 o'clock for full price."
那位瘦弱的老人看着小伙，锐利的灰色眼睛似乎为他憔悴的面色增添了一丝生机，他用尖锐的声音回答道，“你应该在今天把报纸的价格降下来。因为你不能指望在中午十二点还能以原价来卖出晨报。”
"Well, give me a cent, then," said Bert. "That's less than cost; but never mind. I'm bound to sell out, anyhow."
“好吧，那付我一美分就好。”伯特说。“尽管这价钱低于成本，但没关系，我无论如何都要把它们卖出去。”
"You look cold," said the old man.
老人说，“你看起来很冷。”
"Cold," replied Bert, "I'm nearly frozen. And I want my dinner. And I'm going to have a big dinner, too, seeing it's Thanksgiving Day."
“冷？”伯特回答说，“我都要被冻僵了。我想要吃晚餐，一顿丰盛的晚餐，毕竟今天是感恩节。”
"Ah! Lucky for you, my boy!" said the old man. "You've a home to go to, and friends, too. I hope."
“欧！你是多么幸运啊，我的孩子！”老人说，“你有家可回，还有朋友，我猜。”
"No, sir; no home, and no friend—only my mother."
“不，先生。我没有家，也没有朋友，我只有妈妈。”
"It's more lonesome not to eat at all," said the old man, his gray eyes twinkling. "Here, I guess I can find one cent for you—though there's nothing in the paper, I know."
“如果完全不吃点什么东西会更孤独吧”，那位老人说着说着，灰色的眼睛里闪烁出了光芒。“我想我可以找出一分钱来买份报纸，虽然我知道里面并没有什么可读的。”
The old man spoke with some feeling, his fingers trembled, and somehow he dropped two cents instead of one into Bert's hand. "Here! You've made a mistake!" cried Bert. "A bargain's a bargain. You've given me a cent too much!"
老人说话的口气带着一种道不明的感情，他的手颤抖着，不知怎么的，就给了伯特两美分而不是一美分。“不！您给错了！”伯特喊道。“买卖是要一言为定的，说好的，我就不会反悔。您多付了我一美分！”
"No, I didn't,—I never give anybody a cent too much!"
“不，我没有，我从不多给任何人一分钱！”
"But—see here!" And Bert showed the two cents, offering to return one.“
但是你看！”伯特指着手里的两美分，极力想要退还一枚硬币。
"No matter," said the old man. "It will be so much less for my dinner—that's all."
“没事的”，老人说。“这比我的晚餐费用少得多。”
Bert had instinctively pocketed the pennies, but he felt bad. "Poor old man!" he thought; "he's seen better days, I guess. Perhaps he's no home. A boy like me can stand it, but I guess it must be hard for him. He meant to give me two cents the whole time; and I don't believe he has had a decent dinner for many a day.""Look here," he cried; "where are you going to get your dinner, to-day?"
伯特本能地收下了硬币，但他感觉很糟糕。他心想，“真是个可怜的老人啊”，“我想他现在的状况并不好。也许，他无家可归。像我一样的男孩兴许还可以承受，但我想，这对他来说一定很困难。他本来就打算给我2美分，但我感觉他已经很多天都没有吃上一顿像样的晚餐了。”“可是这样的话”，伯特对老人大声说，“你今天要怎么解决晚餐呢？”
"I can get a bite here as well as anywhere—it doesn't matter much to me," replied the old man.
老人回答道，“我在什么地方都能吃上晚餐，没关系的，这对我来说并不是很重要”。
"I'll pay for your dinner!" Bert exclaimed. "Come! We don't have a Thanksgiving but once a year, and a fellow wants a good time then."
“我请您吃晚餐吧！”伯特喊道。“来吧！感恩节每年才一次，我也想好好享受一下这个节日。”
"Ah!" said the man, taking off his hat and giving it a brush with his elbow as they entered the restaurant, as if trying to appear as respectable as he could. He placed his hat on the floor, and took a seat opposite Bert at a little table which they had all to themselves. Bert offered him the menu.“
那好吧！”老人接受了邀请，并在进入餐厅时摘下了他的帽子，用手掸了掸帽子上的灰尘，仿佛是在尽可能地显示自己的体面。他把帽子放在地板上，坐在一张小桌子前，对面坐着伯特。随后，伯特递给了他菜单。
"I must ask you to choose for me; nothing very extravagant, you know, I am used to plain food."
“我想请你为我点菜，不要很奢侈的食物，我习惯吃得简单点。”
"So am I. But I'm going to have a dinner, for once in my life, and so are you," cried Bert, generously. "What do you say to chicken soup—and end up with a big piece of pumpkin pie! How's that for a Thanksgiving dinner?"
“我也是。但我想吃一顿好一点的晚餐，这也是人生中仅有的一次，你也有和我一起吃得好一点”，伯特慷慨地说道。“你觉得鸡汤和一大块南瓜派怎么样！这样一顿感恩节晚餐可以吗？”
"Scrumptuous!" said the old man, appearing to glow with the warmth of the room and the prospect of a good dinner. "But won't it cost you too much?"
“这听起来简直太美味了！”老人说道，并且伴随着餐厅里洋溢的温暖氛围和对一顿丰盛的晚餐的期待，老人显得很高兴。“但这难道不会让你破费很多吗？”
"Too much? No, sir!" said Bert. "Chicken soup, fifteen cents; pie—they give tremendous big pieces here, thick, I tell you—ten cents. That's twenty-five cents; half a dollar for two. Of course, I don't eat this way every day of the year! Here! Waiter!" And Bert gave his princely order as if he did it every day.“
破费很多？不会的，先生！”伯特回答说。“鸡汤才15美分，还有他们这里的南瓜饼又大又厚，只要10美分。这样总共才花费25美分，两个人才半美元。况且，我也不是每天都这么吃。服务员，点单！”伯特把点好的对他来说宛如王子般待遇的菜单递给了服务员，就仿佛他是天天这么吃的一般。
"Where is your mother? Why don't you have dinner with her?" the little man asked.“
话说你的母亲在哪里呢？为什么不和她共进晚餐呢？”那个瘦小的老人问道。
声明：本双语文章的中文翻译系沪江英语原创内容。
Music:
Ludovico Einaudi - In Un'Altra Vita
Ludovico Einaudi - Primavera
ED:
Leon Else - Cheap Hotel.mp3
