本帖最后由 ヮ成熟、羙° 于 2014-6-26 19:30 编辑
理发师五哥的故事1 荷叶/译 父亲在世时，阿尔那斯卡很懒散。他不去为糊口而工作，而是每天晚上不知羞耻地向父亲索要，第二天以此度日。当父亲风烛残年去世时，只留下七百个德拉克马，由我们七兄弟平分，每人分得一百个。阿尔那斯卡一辈子都没拥有过这么多钱，不知用这些钱来做些什么。考虑了一段时间后，他决定从一个批发商那里买些眼镜、瓶子之类的东西。买完货后，下一步就是找一个位置不错的较小的店面，他会把货物堆放在一个敞开的篮子里，在大门口坐等路人来买。 就这样，他坐着一动不动，双眼盯着篮子，思绪飘得很远。不知不觉他大声说了出来，他隔壁的裁缝清清楚楚地听到了他的话。 “这一篮子货物，”阿尔那斯卡自言自语道：“花去了我一百德拉克马，这是我全部财产。我把它们一件件卖掉，就会变成二百德拉克马。我会用这二百德拉克马再去买眼镜，这就能变成四百。这样假以时日，就会变成四千，这很容易翻番。当我赚到一万时，我就不再做眼镜生意了，我会成为一个珠宝商。把全部时间用来卖珍珠、钻石和其它宝石。 最后，当财富满足了我内心的欲望以后，我将买一幢美丽的乡村别墅，拥有马匹和奴隶，然后我会过上快乐的生活，并招待我的朋友。在宴会上，我会从附近的城镇请来乐师和舞者来娱乐客人。即使有了钱，我也不会放弃做生意，我会一直积累到十万德拉克马。那时，我就会成为一个受尊重的人，我将向大元老的女儿求婚。我会留心告知她可敬的父亲大人，我听说过他女儿的美貌和智慧，婚礼那天我会花三千个金币。假如他拒绝，这当然不大可能，我会揪着他的胡子，把他托到家里。 当我娶元老女儿时，我会送给她十个最好的太监使唤。然后，我会穿上最华丽的长袍，骑上一匹金鞍马，马鞍上宝石闪闪发光，后面跟着一群奴隶。我会来到大元老家里，一路上人们都会对我注目，向我鞠躬。我全在大元老的台阶下下马，我上台阶时，我的仆役会左右站成两排，大元老会在台阶上等着接待我。然后，他会把我当成乘龙快婿而拥抱，把我请到上座。之后，我有理由相信，我的两个仆人会走进来，每人拿一个装有一千金币的钱包。我会把其中一个钱包递给大元老，说：“我用这一千金币向您女儿求婚，”再手举着另一个钱包说：“这一千金币表明我不是个只会说漂亮话的人。”听到我如此慷慨后，整个世界就不会再谈论别的事了。 我回到家里会和出门一样受到隆重的接待。我妻子会派一个官员来称赞我对她父亲的拜访，我会赐予这个官员富丽的服饰和精美的礼物。如果她给我送礼物来，我会拒绝，并把送礼的人打发走。没有我的许可，我绝不允许我妻子以任何借口离开家。我去看她，要有所有表示尊重的仪式。我的办事机构将是最有秩序的，我会留心总是穿着得体。晚上，当我回到住所时，我会坐在尊宠的地方。我会端足了架子，少说话，目不邪视。当我像满月一样可爱的妻子谦卑地站在我椅子前时，我会假装看不见她。那时，她身边的妇人会对我说：“尊敬的老爷和主人，您的妻子和奴仆正在您面前，等着您关注。您从不屈尊朝她看上一眼，她感到受了伤害。求您了，请她坐下吧。”我当然会假装没听到这些话，这会令她们非常苦恼。她们会跪在我脚下哀求，最后，我会抬起头，漫不经心地朝她看一眼，然后回归以前的态度。这些妇人会认为我对妻子的服饰不满意，把她领走去换一身更漂亮的，我呢，也会换上一身更华丽的。然后，她们回来继续请求。但这次甚至要用更长的时间，我才会被她们说服，看上妻子一眼。这种生活会从婚礼那天开始，我打算我们的余生都会这样继续下去。 附：原文 Story of the Barber's Fifth Brother 1 As long as our father lived Alnaschar was very idle.Instead of working for his bread he was not ashamed to ask for it every evening, and to support himself next day on what he had received the night before. When our father died, worn out by age, he only left seven hundred silver drachmas to be divided amongst us, which made one hundred for each son.Alnaschar, who had never possessed so much money in his life, was quite puzzled to know what to do with it. After reflecting upon the matter for some time he decided to lay it out on glasses, bottles, and things of that sort, which hewould buy from a wholesale merchant. Having bought his stock he next proceeded to look out for a small shop in a good position, where he sat down at the opendoor, his wares being piled up in an uncovered basket in front of him, waitingfor a customer among the passers-by. In this attitude he remained seated, his eyes fixed on the basket, but his thoughts far away.Unknown to himself he began to talk out loud, and a tailor, whose shop was next door to his, heard quite plainly what he was saying. "This basket,"said Alnaschar to himself, "has cost me a hundred drachmas-- all that I possess in the world. Now in selling the contents piece by piece I shall turntwo hundred, and these hundreds I shall again lay out in glass, which will produce four hundred. By this means I shall in course of time make fourthousand drachmas, which will easily double themselves. When I have got tenthousand I will give up the glass trade and become a jeweller, and devote all my time to trading in pearls,diamonds, and other precious stones. At last, having all the wealth that heartcan desire, I will buy a beautiful country house, with horses and slaves, andthen I will lead a merry life and entertain my friends. At my feasts I willsend for musicians and dancers from the neighbouring town to amuse my guests.In spite of my riches I shall not, however, give up trade till I have amassed acapital of a hundred thousand drachmas, when, having become a man of much consideration, I shall request the hand of the grand-vizir's daughter, takingcare to inform the worthy father that I have heard favourable reports of her beauty and wit, and that I will pay down on our wedding day 3 thousand goldpieces. Should the vizir refuse my proposal, which after all is hardly to be expected, I will seize him by thebeard and drag him to my house." When I shall have married his daughter I will give her ten of the best eunuchs that can be found for her service. Then I shall put on my most gorgeous robes, and mounted on ahorse with a saddle of fine gold, and its trappings blazing with diamonds,followed by a train of slaves, I shall present myself at the house of thegrand-vizir, the people casting down their eyes and bowing low as I pass along.At the foot of the grand-vizir's staircase I shall dismount, and while my servants stand in a row to right and left I shall ascend the stairs, at thehead of which the grand-vizir will be waiting to receive me. He will then embrace me as his son-in-law, and giving me his seat will place himself below me. This being done (as I have every reason to expect), two of my servants will enter, each bearing a purse containing a thousand pieces of gold. One of these I shall present to him saying, "Here are the thousand gold pieces that I offered for your daughter's hand, and here," I shall continue, holding outthe second purse, "are another thousand to show you that I am a man who is better than his word." After hearing of such generosity the world willtalk of nothing else. I shall return home with the same pomp as I setout, and my wife will send an officer to compliment me on my visit to her father, and I shall confer on the officer the honour of a rich dress and ahandsome gift. Should she send one to me I shall refuse it and dismiss thebearer. I shall never allow my wife to leave her rooms on any pretext whatever without mypermission, and my visits to her will be marked by all the ceremony calculatedto inspire respect. No establishment will be better ordered than mine, and I shall take care always to be dressed in a manner suitable to my position. Inthe evening, when we retire to our apartments, I shall sit in the place ofhonour, where I shall assume a grand demeanour and speak little, gazing straight before me, and whenmy wife, lovely as the full moon, stands humbly in front of my chair I shall pretend not to see her. Then her women will say to me, "Respected lord and master, your wife and slave is before you waiting to be noticed. She ismortified that you never deign to look her way; she is tired of standing solong. Beg her, we pray you, to be seated." Of course I shall give no signs of even hearing this speech, which will vex them mightily. They will throw themselves at my feet with lamentations, and at length I will raise my head and throw a careless glance at her, then I shall go back to my former attitude. The women will think that I am displeased at my wife's dress and will lead her awayto put on a finer one, and I on my side shall replace the one I am wearing with another yet more splendid. They will then return to the charge, but this time it will take much longer before they persuade me even to look at my wife. It isas well to begin on my wedding-day as I mean to go on for the rest of ourlives. | 
发表于 2014-6-26 19:26:18
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