雙語對照 | 書蟲二級《歐·亨利短篇小說集》：2.索比的選擇

2.Soapy's Choice
2.索比的選擇

Soapy sat on a seat in Madison Square, New York, and looked up at the sky. A dead leaf fell onto his arm. Winter was coming, and Soapy know that he must make his plans. He moved unhappily on his seat.
索比坐在紐約麥迪遜廣場的長椅上，望著天空。一片枯葉落在他手臂上。冬天來了，索比知道一定得早作打算了。他滿腹不快地在長椅上輾轉反側。
He wanted three months in a nice, warm prison, with food and good friends. This was how he usually spent his winters. And now it was time, because, at night on his seat in the square, three newspapers did not keep out the cold.
他想找一個溫暖宜人的監(jiān)獄，有食物、有朋友的，去那兒過上三個月。他通常都是這么過冬的?，F(xiàn)在又到時候了，因為入夜之后，他躺在廣場的椅子上，三張報紙都已經抵擋不住寒意了。
So Soapy decided to go to prison, and at once began to try his first plan. It was usually easy. He ate dinner in an expensive restaurant. Then he told them he had no money and they called a policeman. Nice and easy, with no trouble.
因此索比決定進監(jiān)獄，并且馬上開始嘗試第一套方案。通常都是很簡單的。他去一家昂貴的餐館吃上一頓，然后告訴人家自己一個錢都沒有，他們就會叫警察來。妙極了，很簡單，毫無問題。
So Soapy left his seat, and walked slowly along the street. Soon he came to a bright restaurant on Broadway. Ah! This was all right. He just had to get to a table in the restaurant and sit down. That was all, because, when he sat down, people could only see his coat and his shirt, which were not very old. Nobody could see his trousers. He thought about the meal—not too expensive, but good.
于是，索比離開了長椅，慢慢地沿街走著。他很快到了百老匯大街上一家明亮的餐館外。啊!這家還不錯。他只要走進餐館，找個桌子坐下，就好了。因為他一旦坐下，人家就只能看到他的外套和襯衫，這兩樣都不太舊。誰也看不到他的長褲。他想著美餐——不要太貴，可是要吃好。
But when Soapy went into the restaurant, the waiter saw Soapy's dirty old trousers and terrible shoes.
可是索比走進餐館時，服務員看見了他又臟又舊的長褲，還有破破爛爛的鞋子。
Strong hands turned him round and helped him out into the street again.
幾只有力的大手把索比轉了個圈兒，把他趕到了街上。
So now he had to think of something different. Soapy walked away from Broadway and soon he found himself on Sixth Avenue. He stopped in front of a shop window and looked at it. It was nice and bright, and everybody in the street could see him. Slowly and carefully he picked up a stone and threw it at the window. The glass broke with a loud noise. People ran round the corner and Soapy was happy, because the man in front was a policeman. Soapy did not move. He stood there with his hands in his pockets, and he smiled. 'I'll soon be in prison now,' he thought.
所以他還得想個別的招兒。索比走過百老匯大街，很快到了第六大道。他在一家商店外停下，看著櫥窗。這兒明亮、整齊，而且街上人人都看得到他。他慢慢地、小心翼翼地撿起一塊石頭，照著櫥窗砸去。一聲巨響，玻璃碎了。人們繞過街角朝這邊跑來，索比很高興，因為跑在前面的就是一位警察。索比沒有動。他站在那兒，手插在兜里，微笑著。“很快我就可以進監(jiān)獄了。”他想。
The policeman came up to Soapy, 'Who did that?' he asked.
警察走到索比面前問道：“誰干的?”
'Perhaps I did,' Soapy replied.
“也許是我。”索比回答說。
But the policeman knew that people who break windows do not stop to talk to policemen. They run away. And just then the policeman saw another man, who was running to catch a bus. So the policeman ran after him. Soapy watched for a minute. Then he walked away. No luck again! He began to feel cross.
但是警察知道，砸了玻璃的人是不會等在那兒跟警察說話的。他們早跑了。就在這時，警察看到另一個人正跑著，想趕上一輛公共汽車。于是，警察就去追那個人了。索比看了一會兒，然后走開了。又不走運!他開始有點惱怒了。
But on the opposite side of the road he saw a little restaurant. 'Ah, that'll be all right,' he thought, and he went in. This time nobody looked at his trousers and his shoes. He enjoyed his meal, and then he looked up at the waiter, smiled and said, 'I haven't got any money, you know. Now, call the police. And do it quickly, I'm tired!'
不過，他在路對面看到了一家小餐館。“啊，正好。”他想著便走了進去。這次沒人看他的長褲和鞋子。他享用了晚餐，然后抬頭看看服務員，微笑著說：“我一個錢也沒有。明白嗎?現(xiàn)在叫警察吧?？禳c兒，我累了!”
'No police for you!' the waiter answered. 'Hey! Jo!'
“不用叫警察!”服務員回答，“嘿!喬!”
Another waiter came, and together they threw Soapy out into the cold street. Soapy lay there, very angry. With difficulty, he stood up. His nice warm prison was still far away, and Soapy was very unhappy. He felt worse because a policeman, who was standing near, laughed and walked away.
又過來一個服務員，他們倆一起把索比扔了出去，丟在冰冷的街上。索比躺在那兒，氣極了。他艱難地站了起來。他所期盼的那溫暖宜人的監(jiān)獄仍然遙不可及，索比沮喪極了。一個警察就站在近旁，可是他卻大笑著走開了，這叫索比更為懊惱。
Soapy moved on, but he walked for a long time before he tried again. This time it looked easy.
索比繼續(xù)往前走去，但這一次他走了很久才去做再一次的嘗試。這一次似乎很容易。
A nice young woman was standing in front of a shop window. Not very far away there was also a policeman. Soapy moved nearer to the young woman. He saw that the policeman was watching him. Then he said to the young woman, with a smile, 'Why don't you come with me, my dear? I can give you a good time.'
一位漂亮的年輕女人站在一家商店的櫥窗前。離那兒不遠的地方就有一個警察。索比朝那位年輕女人走近了一些。他看到警察在看著他。然后他笑咪咪地對那女人說：“跟我來吧，寶貝兒?我會叫你快活的。”
The young woman moved away a little and looked more carefully into the shop window. Soapy looked at the policeman. Yes, he was still watching. Then he spoke to the young woman again. In a minute she would call the policeman. Soapy could almost see the prison doors. Suddenly, the young woman took hold of his arm.
那年輕女人走開了一點兒，更認真地看著櫥窗里面。索比瞧了瞧警察。沒錯，他還在往這邊兒看。于是，他又去跟那年輕女人搭話。不消一分鐘，她就會叫警察。索比幾乎都看見監(jiān)獄的大門了。突然，那年輕女人抱住了他的手臂。
'OK,' She said happily. 'If you buy me a drink. Let's go before that policeman sees us.'
“好啊，”她快活地說，“只要你給我買一杯喝的。我們走吧，別叫那警察看見。”
And poor Soapy walked away with the young woman, who still held on to his arm. He was very unhappy.
可憐的索比只好跟這個年輕女人走開了，她還抱著他的手臂不放。他感到難過極了。
At the next corner he ran away from the woman. Suddenly he was afraid. 'I'm never going to get to prison,' he thought.
到了下一個街角，他從那女人身邊逃開了。剎那間，他害怕了。“我永遠也進不了監(jiān)獄了。”他想。
Slowly, he walked on and came to a street with a lot of theatres. There were a lot of people there, rich people in their best clothes. Soapy had to do something to get to prison. He did not want to spend another night on his seat in Madison Square. What could he do? Then he saw a policeman near him, so he began to sing and shout and make a lot of noise. This time they must send him to prison. But the policeman turned his back to Soapy and said to a man who was standing near, 'He's had too much to drink, but he's not dangerous. We'll leave him alone tonight.'
他慢慢地走著，來到一條有許多家劇院的街上。那兒有好多人，有錢人都穿著最好的衣服。索比一定得干點兒什么，好進監(jiān)獄。他可不想在麥迪遜廣場的長椅上再過一夜了。他能干點兒什么呢?他看到一個警察就在身邊，所以開始大唱大叫，弄出許多聲響來。這一次他們總得送他進監(jiān)獄了吧。但是，警察背過身去，向站在近旁的一個男人說：“他喝多了，但不會有什么危險。今天晚上我們就不管他了。”
What was the matter with the police? Soapy was really unhappy now, but he stopped making a noise. How could he get to prison? The wind was cold, and he pulled his thin coat around him.
警察到底是怎么啦?索比現(xiàn)在真是沮喪透了。不過他不再鬧騰了。怎么才能進監(jiān)獄啊?風很冷，他裹緊了薄薄的外套。
But, just then, inside a shop, he saw a man with an expensive umbrella. The man put his umbrella down near the door, and took out a cigarette. Soapy went into the shop, picked up the umbrella, and, slowly, he began to walk away. The man came quickly after him. 'That's my umbrella,' he said.
但是，就在這時，他看到一家商店里有個男人拿著把昂貴的傘。那人把傘放在門口，取出一支香煙來。索比走進店里，拿起那把傘，而且，慢吞吞地，要走開了。那男人迅速跟過來。“那是我的傘。”他說。
'Oh, is it?' Soapy replied. 'Then why don't you call a policeman? I took it, and you say it's your umbrella. Go on, then. Call a policeman! Look! There's one on the corner.'
“哦，是嗎?”索比回答說，“那干嗎不叫警察呢?我拿了這把傘，而且你說這是你的傘。那么去吧，叫警察來!看!街角那兒就有一個。”
The umbrella man looked unhappy. 'Well, you know, perhaps I've made a mistake. I took it from a restaurant this morning. If it's yours, well, I'm very sorry...'
傘的主人似乎很不安。“好吧，你知道，也許是我弄錯了。我是今天早上從一家餐館拿的這把傘。如果是你的，那么，我很抱歉……”
'Of course it's my umbrella,' Soapy said.
“這當然是我的傘。”索比說。
The policeman looked at them—and the umbrella man walked away. The policeman went to help a beautiful young girl to cross the road.
警察看著他們——傘的主人走開了。警察去幫助一位漂亮姑娘過馬路去了。
Soapy was really angry now. He threw the umbrella away and said many bad things about policemen. Just because he wanted to go to prison, they did not want to send him there. He could do nothing wrong!
索比現(xiàn)在惱怒至極。他把傘扔到一邊，把警察罵了個夠。就因為他想進監(jiān)獄，而他們偏不想送他進去。他怎么都干不成壞事兒!
He began to walk back to Madison Square and home— his seat.
他開始走回麥迪遜廣場——他的家——那把長椅。
But on a quiet corner, Soapy suddenly stopped. Here, in the middle of the city, was a beautiful old church. Through one purple window he could see a soft light, and sweet music was coming from inside the church. The moon was high in the sky and everything was quiet. For a few seconds it was like a country church and Soapy remembered other, happier days. He thought of the days when he had a mother, and friends, and beautiful things in his life.
但是在一個僻靜的角落，索比突然停住了腳步。那兒，在城市的中心，有一座美麗的老教堂。透過一扇紫色的窗子，他看到一點柔和的光亮，教堂里傳出悅耳的音樂。月亮高高地掛在天空，周遭一片寧靜。有那么片刻的時間，這兒感覺很像一個鄉(xiāng)村教堂，索比記起了從前的快樂時光。他想到過去那些日子，那時他有母親，有朋友，還擁有生命里許多美好的東西。
Then he thought about his life now—the empty days, the dead plans. And then a wonderful thing happened. Soapy decided to change his life and be a new man. 'Tomorrow,' he said to himself, 'I'll go into town and find work. My life will be good again. I'll be somebody important. Everything will be different. I'll...'
然后他想到現(xiàn)在的生活——空虛的日子、失敗的計劃。于是，一件奇妙的事情發(fā)生了。索比決定改變生活，重新做人。“明天，”他對自己說，“我要進城找工作。我的生活會重新好起來的。我會成為大人物。一切都會不同。我要……”
Soapy felt a hand on his arm. He jumped and looked round quickly—into the face of a policeman!
索比感覺到一只手搭在他臂上。他跳了起來，迅速回頭看去——看到了一張警察的臉!
'What are you doing here?' asked the policeman.
“你在這兒干什么?”警察問道。
'Nothing,' Soapy answered.
“什么也沒干。”索比回答。
'Then come with me,' the policeman said.
“那么跟我走吧。”警察說。
'Three months in prison,' they told Soapy the next day.
“監(jiān)禁三個月。”第二天，他們對索比說。