Oliver was now offically an undertaker's assistant. It was a good, sickly time of year, and coffins were selling well. Oliver gained a lot of experience in a short time, and was interested to see how brave some people were after a death in the family.During funerals for some rich people, for example, he saw that the people who had cried the loudest in the church usually recovered the fastest afterwards. He noticed how in other wealthy families the wife or the husband often seemed quite cheerful and clam despite the recent death - just as if nothing had happened. Oliver was very surprise to see all this, the greatly admire them for controlling their sadness so well.
奥利弗现在是一名正式的殡葬承办人助理。正赶上一年中的高发病时节,棺材卖得很好。奥利弗短时间内学到了许多经验,看一些人在家人死后的反应是很有意思的。例如,在有些富贵人家的葬礼上,他看到通常在教堂里哭得最厉害的人,事后却是恢复得最快的。他也注意到在其他一些富庶家庭中的妻子或丈夫看着开心和平静,尽管最近才办完丧事――就像什么都没发生过似的。奥利弗惊奇地看着这一切,非常佩服他们能这么好地控制住内心的伤痛。
He was treated badly by most of the people around him. Noah was jealous because Oliver went out to burials while he was left back in the shop, so he treated him even worse than before. Charlotte treated him badly because Noah did. And Mrs Sowerberry was his enemy because Mr Sowerberry was supposed to be his friend.
他身边的大多数人对他都很差。诺亚是嫉妒的,因为奥利弗可以出门去参加葬礼,而他却只能留在棺材铺里,所以他对他愈发差了。夏洛蒂对他差是因为诺亚对他差,然后苏尔伯里夫人把他当敌人看是因为苏尔伯里先生把他当朋友对待。
One day something happened which might seem unimportant, but which had a great effect on Oliver's future. Noah was in a particularly bad mood one dinner-time, and so he tried to make Oliver cry by hitting him, pulling his hair, and calling him horrible names. This was all unsuccessful, so he tried personal insults.
某天,发生了一些事,一些看起来不怎么重要的事,但对奥利弗未来的命运产生了极大影响。在一次晚膳时,诺亚心情特别差,便想把奥利弗弄哭来,打他,扯他头发,取侮辱性的外号等……这一切都没能把奥利弗弄哭,最后他决定对奥利弗进行人身攻击。
'workhouse, how's your mother?' he asked.
“济贫院小子,你妈怎么样啊?”诺亚问。
'She's dead.' replied Oliver, his face going red with emotion.
“她早死了。”奥利弗回,难过的渐渐脸红了起来。
Noah hoped that Oliver was going to cry, so he continued. 'What did she die of, workhouse?'
诺亚想看到奥利弗哭,所以他要再接再励。“那她是怎么死的,济贫院小子?”
'Of a break heart, i was told.' And a tear rolled down Oliver's cheek.
“我听说,是心碎死的。”一滴眼泪从奥利弗脸上滚了下来。
'Why are you crying, workhouse?'
“你在哭什么,济贫院小子?”
Oliver remained silent, and Noah grew braver. 'You know, i feel very sorry for you, Workhouse, But the truth is your mother was a wicked woman.'
奥利弗没说话,诺亚就更大胆了。“你懂的,我也替你感到难过,济贫院小子,但事实就是你妈是个坏女人。”
Oliver seemed suddenly to wake up. 'What did you say?'
奥利弗一下子醒了过来,“你说什么?”
'She was so bad it was lucky she died, or she would have ended up in prison, or hung.'
“你妈是个坏女人,她死了才是件好事,要不然她要么死在监狱,要么死在绞架上。”
His face bright red with anger, Oliver jumped up, seized Noah's throat, and shook the old boy so violently that his teeth was nearly fell out. Then he hit him with all his strength and knocked him to the ground.
奥利弗气得满脸通红,跳起来就一把掐住诺亚的脖子,狠命地摇了起来,以至于诺亚觉得都要把他的牙齿摇掉了,接着奥利弗用上全身力气一脚把他踹到地上。
'He'll murder me.' screamed Noah. 'Charlotte! Help! Oliver's gone mad-'
“他要杀人了。”诺亚大喊,“夏洛蒂,救命啊,奥利弗疯了~”
Charlotte and Mrs Sowerberry ran in and screamed in horror. They took hold of Oliver and began to beat him. Then Noah got up and started to kick him from behind. When they all tired, they forced Oliver, who was still fighting and shouting, into the cellar and locked it.
夏洛蒂和苏尔伯里夫人冲进房间,发出一阵惊呼。她们抓住奥利弗就是一顿暴打,然后诺亚爬起来,站在背后踢奥利弗。他们都打累了时,奥利弗还在挣扎和叫喊,就被推进了地窖锁了起来。
译《雾都孤儿》第三章:奥利弗到伦敦去(一)Mrs Sowerberry sat down, breathing heavily. 'He's like a wild animal.' she said. 'We could all have been murdered in our beds!'
苏尔伯里夫人坐下来,大口吸气。“他简直就是头野兽,”她说,“我们都要被他杀死在床上的。”
'I hope Mr Sowerberry doesn't take him any more of these dreadful creatures from the workhouse.' said Charlotte. 'Poor Noah was nearly killed.' Mrs Sowerberry looked at Noah sympathetically.
“我希望苏尔伯里先生从未从济贫院把这吓人的怪物带回来过。”夏洛蒂说,“可伶的诺亚差点被他杀死了。”苏尔伯里夫人十分同情地看着诺亚。
Noah, who was twice Oliver's size, pretended to rub tears from his eyes.
诺亚,他的身形是奥利弗的两倍,假惺惺地从眼里挤出了几滴泪。
'What shall we do?' cried Mrs Sowerberry. 'He'll kick that door down in ten minutes.' They could hear Oliver banging and kicking at the cellar door.'Noah - run and get Mr Bumble.'
“那我们要怎么做?”苏尔伯里夫人问,“只要十分钟,他就会把门踢掉。”他们能听到奥利弗对地窖的门拳打脚踢的声音。“诺亚,跑去把班布尔先生叫过来。”
So Noah ran through the streets as quickly as he could to fetch the beadle. When he reached the workhouse, he waited for a minute to make sure his face was suitably tearful and frightened.
诺亚飞快跑过街道,想尽快把班布尔先生请过来。当跑到济贫院时,他花了一分钟来让脸上露出一副楚楚可伶的痛苦和惊慌的表情。
As soon as Mr Bumble came out, Noah cried, 'Mr Bumble! Mr Bumble! It's Oliver Twist, sir. He's become a violent. He tried to murder me, sir! And Charlotte, and Mrs Sowerberry as well.'
等班布尔先生一露面,诺亚就大喊,“班布尔先生,班布尔先生,奥利弗·特维斯特,先生。他变成一个暴力狂了。他差点就把我杀了,先生!还有夏洛蒂,和苏尔伯里夫人。”
Mr Bumble was shocked and angry. 'Did he? I'll come up there immediately and beat him with my stick.'
班布尔先生又惊又怒。“他真这样?我立马过去,拿手杖揍他一顿。”
When he arrived at the shop, Oliver was still kicking wildly at the cellar door.
班布尔先生到棺材铺时,奥利弗还在用力踢地窖的门。
'Let me out.' he shouted from the cellar, when he heard Mr Bumble's voice. 'I'm not afraid of you!'
“放我出去。”奥利弗在地窖里大喊,当他听到班布尔先生说话时。“我一点儿都不怕你。”
Mr Bumble stopped for a moment, amazed and even rather frightened by this change in Oliver. Then he said to Mrs Sowerberry, 'It's the meat that's caused this, you know?'
班布尔先生站了会,惊奇甚至害怕奥利弗的这一改变,然后转身对苏尔伯里夫人说,“他是因为吃了肉才这样的,你知道吗?”
'What?'
“什么?”
'Meat, madam. You've fed him too well here. Back in the workhouse this would never have happened.'
“肉,夫人。你给他吃的太好了。要是在济贫院里,永远都不会发生这样的事。”
更多译文:
PS:本书为牛津系列简易读物,有著名作家查理德·罗杰根据英国作家查尔斯·狄更斯的同名小说改写。英文为书虫系列原文,译文是笔者翻译。
另本文仅因个人兴趣而译,故本文谢绝转载和各种商业用途,同时承诺若出现任何责任由作者承担,必要时简书可删除文章。
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