The Wagon to Longpuddle
去長(zhǎng)池村的馬車
It is a Saturday afternoon in autumn, in the High Street of a well-known town. A large carrier's wagon stands outside the Town Hall, and the horses wait quietly, eating from their nose-bags. On the side of the wagon, in large yellow letters, are the words, 'BURTHEN, CARRIER TO LONGPUDDLE.'
這是秋天一個(gè)周六的下午,一個(gè)眾所周知的小鎮(zhèn)上,一輛運(yùn)客的馬車正停在大路上,就在鎮(zhèn)公所門(mén)口,拉車的幾匹馬安靜地等在那里,就著馬糧袋吃東西。馬車的一側(cè)用黃色的大字寫(xiě)著“伯森,去往長(zhǎng)池村的馬車”。
It is now half-past three by the clock on the Town Hall, and the wagon will leave at four. Slowly, people begin to arrive and take their seats. First, two women climb up, and then a third, who is the postmistress at Longpuddle. At five minutes to four, more people arrive. There is Mr Profitt, the schoolteacher, and Christopher Twink, the builder, with his old father. Then come a farmer and his wife, and last of all, Mr Flaxton, the church clerk.
這會(huì)兒,鎮(zhèn)公所的大鐘指到了3點(diǎn)半,馬車準(zhǔn)備4點(diǎn)出發(fā)。漸漸地,開(kāi)始有人來(lái)搭車,各自找了座位安頓下來(lái)。最先上來(lái)的是兩位婦人,接著上來(lái)的是長(zhǎng)池村郵局的女局長(zhǎng)。差5分4點(diǎn)的時(shí)候,又來(lái)了幾位乘客,有學(xué)校教師普羅菲特先生,建筑工克里斯托弗·特溫克和他的老爹。接著又來(lái)了一個(gè)農(nóng)夫和他的老婆,最后來(lái)的是教堂執(zhí)事弗拉克斯頓先生。
By now Burthen, the carrier, is getting the horses ready, and soon he climbs up to the driving seat.
這個(gè)時(shí)候,車夫伯森正在給馬做準(zhǔn)備,不一會(huì)兒他自己也登上了車夫的座位。
'Is everybody here?' he asks the passengers.
“都到齊了嗎?”他問(wèn)乘客們。
The people who are not there do not reply, of course, and a minute or two later the wagon begins to move along the High Street. When it comes to the bridge over the river at the bottom end of the town, the postmistress suddenly calls out to the carrier.
當(dāng)然,沒(méi)到的人也沒(méi)辦法回答他,于是一兩分鐘之后馬車開(kāi)始沿著大路出發(fā)了。馬車走到鎮(zhèn)子盡頭的小河,正在過(guò)橋的時(shí)候,郵局女局長(zhǎng)突然叫住了車夫。
'Mr Burthen,' she says. 'There's a man calling you, over there by the corner. I think he wants you to stop for him.'
“伯森先生,”她說(shuō),“那邊的拐角上有個(gè)人在叫你。我想他可能想讓你等他一下。”
Burthen stops the wagon, and waits while the man comes towards them. 'Now who's that, then?' he says. 'That's not a Longpuddle man.'
伯森停下馬車,等那人趕過(guò)來(lái)。“那人是誰(shuí)?”他說(shuō),“他不是長(zhǎng)池村的人。”
'I've never seen him before,' says the schoolteacher.
“我以前從沒(méi)見(jiàn)過(guò)他。”學(xué)校教師說(shuō)。
Then the stranger arrives. 'Can you take another passenger for Longpuddle?' he asks.
陌生人趕到馬車跟前,問(wèn):“你們能再搭一個(gè)人去長(zhǎng)池村嗎?”
'We can take one more,' says the carrier. 'Where are you from, sir? You're not from round here, are you?'
“我們可以再搭一個(gè)人,”車夫說(shuō),“你是從哪兒來(lái)的,先生?你不是這附近的人,對(duì)吧?”
'I am,' says the stranger. 'I was born at Longpuddle, and my father and grandfather before me.'
“我是這兒的人,”陌生人說(shuō),“我就生在長(zhǎng)池村,我的父親和祖父也都生在那里。”
The postmistress is watching him with interest. 'Oh!' she says suddenly. 'I know who you are! You're John Lackland's son — he who went to America thirty years ago with his wife and family.'
郵局女局長(zhǎng)饒有興趣地打量著他。“哦!”她突然說(shuō),“我知道你是誰(shuí)了!你是約翰·拉克蘭的兒子,他30年前帶著老婆孩子去了美國(guó)。”
'That's right,' says the stranger, smiling. 'John Lackland was my father. And now I've come home to have a look at the old village, and find some old friends. Are the same families still living there?'
“沒(méi)錯(cuò),”陌生人笑著說(shuō),“約翰·拉克蘭是我父親?,F(xiàn)在我回家來(lái)看看老村子,拜訪幾位老朋友。過(guò)去的那些人家還住在那兒吧?”
'Many of them are,' says the church clerk. 'Which names do you remember?'
“許多人家都還在,”教堂執(zhí)事說(shuō),“你都記得哪些名字?”
'There was a boy called Tony Kytes, I remember.'
“我記得過(guò)去有個(gè)男孩叫托尼·凱茨。”
'Oh yes,' says the clerk. 'Tony Kytes is a married man now. Lives over at Mellstock, I think.'
“哦,是的,”教堂執(zhí)事說(shuō),“托尼·凱茨現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)結(jié)了婚。我想他搬到麥爾斯托克去了。”
'And he nearly got married to three women,' laughs the carrier. 'There's a good story about Tony and all his young women.'
“而且他差點(diǎn)兒娶了三個(gè)老婆,”車夫哈哈大笑起來(lái),“托尼和他那幾個(gè)姑娘可有一段兒不錯(cuò)的故事。”
'Tell me about it,' says John Lackland's son.
“跟我說(shuō)說(shuō)。”約翰·拉克蘭的兒子說(shuō)。
And this is the carrier's story.
于是,車夫講起了這個(gè)故事。