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★ 第8章 ★

The room seemed strangely quiet.

房子静得出奇。

The mother and her daughters were making a small white cotton shirt together, while the usually noisy young Cratchits sat silently in a corner, and Peter was reading a book.

妈妈和女儿们正在一起缝制一件小白衬衫，而一向吵吵闹闹的小克拉奇蒂静静地坐在一个角落里，彼得正在看书。

Mrs. Cratchit put her work down on the table and covered her face with her hand.

克拉奇蒂夫人把手头的活放在桌子上，用手捂住脸。

The color hurts my eyes, she said. The color? Ah, poor Tiny Tim!

“这颜色刺得我的眼睛都疼了，”她说。这颜色? 啊，可怜的小蒂姆!

Theyre a little better now, she went on. Its difficult to work by candlelight.

“现在眼睛好点了，”她继续说。“在烛光下干活真费劲，

And I dont want to show red eyes to your father when he comes home.

我不想让你父亲回来时看到我的眼睛红红的。”

Hes a bit late, said Peter, but I think hes walked more slowly these last few days, mother.

“他稍晚了点，”彼得说，“但我觉得最近这几天他走得更慢了，妈妈。”

They were very quiet again.

他们又都沉默了。

At last, she said bravely, Ive known him walk with — with Tiny Tim in his arms, very fast indeed.

最后她勇敢地说，“我知道他是怀里抱着——抱着小蒂姆走路的，实际上很快。”

So have I, cried Peter. Often!

“我也知道，”彼得大声说。“经常是这样!”

But he was very light to carry, and your father loved him so much! And theres your father at the door now!

“但他很轻，抱着方便，你爸爸很喜欢他!现在爸爸到门口了!”

She got up quickly to kiss Bob as he came in.

她立刻起身，当鲍勃进屋的时候她吻了他。

He looked tired and thin, and needed his long scarf, poor man!

他看上去疲惫消瘦，而且需要他的长围巾，好可怜的人啊!

Martha took his boots and scarf off, and Belinda brought him his tea, and the little Cratchits sat close to him.

玛莎为他脱下靴子，摘下围巾，贝琳达给他端来茶，小克拉奇蒂们紧挨着他坐下。

He was very cheerful with all of them and was pleased with the little shirt that his wife and daughters were making.

和他们在一起他开心极了，他妻子和女儿们缝制的小衬衫使他很高兴。

Itll be ready long before Sunday, wont it? he said.

“星期日之前能做好，不是吗?”他问道。

Sunday! You went there today, then, Bob? asked his wife.

“星期日! 那么你今天去那儿了，鲍勃?”他妻子问。

Yes, my dear. Youd love to see it. Its a beautiful green place. But youll see it often.

“是的，亲爱的。你想看看它，那地方绿绿的，很漂亮，但你会经常看到它的。

I promised him that we would go there every Sunday.

我答应他我们每个星期日都去那儿。

My little, little child! cried Bob, hiding his face in his hands. He had loved the boy very much.

我的小宝贝啊!”鲍勃哭了，双手捂住了脸。他过去一直深爱着这个男孩。

He went upstairs to the quiet bedroom, where the child lay.

他上楼来到了那孩子躺着的静静的卧室。

Poor Bob sat down beside him, and when he felt calmer, he kissed the little face and went downstairs again, almost happy.

可怜的鲍勃坐在他身边，当孩子稍平静了些的时候，他吻了他的小脸蛋然后下了楼，这时他似乎高兴了。

My dears, he said to his children, one of these days some of you will marry and leave home.

“我亲爱的孩子们，”他对他们说，“总有一天你们中的一个孩子要结婚离开家，

In a few years time perhaps all of you will. But Im sure none of us will ever forget Tiny Tim, will we?

几年之内你们都会这样的，但我认为我们谁也不会忘记小蒂姆，是吗?”

Never, father! they all cried.

“永远不会的，爸爸!”他们都哭了。

And I know, said Bob, that when we remember how patient and gentle he was, although he was only a little child, we wont argue among ourselves.

“我知道，”鲍勃说，“当我们记起他是何等的有耐心何等的彬彬有礼时，尽管他还是个小孩子，我们的看法还是一致的。

Well remember poor Tiny Tim, and love each other!

我们将会记住小蒂姆，并互爱。”

We will, father! they all cried again.

“我们会的，爸爸!”他们又都哭了。

I am very happy, said Bob.

“我很高兴，”鲍勃说。

I am very happy! Mrs. Cratchit kissed him, his daughters kissed him, the two young Cratchitskissed him, and he and Peter shook hands.

“我很高兴!”克拉奇蒂太太吻了他，他的女儿们吻了他，两个小克拉奇蒂吻了他，他和彼得握了手。

Tiny Tim, your goodness lives on in your family!

小蒂姆，你的美德会永驻于你的家庭中的!

Spirit, said Scrooge, I know that you will leave me soon.

“幽灵，”斯克罗吉说，“我知道一会儿你就要离开我了。

Tell me who that dead man on the bed was!

告诉我床上的死人是谁!”

No answer came in words, but the ghost of Christmas Yet to Come took Scrooge through the streets of London again.

没有回答的声音，但“来日圣诞”鬼魂带着斯克罗吉再一次地穿越了伦敦的大街。

Wait a moment, said Scrooge.

“等一会儿，”斯克罗吉说。

Were passing my office. Let me see how I shall look in the future!

“我们正在经过我的办公室，让我看看我将来是什么样子!”

The spirit stopped. Its hand was pointing away from the office.

幽灵停了下来。它的手并没有指着办公室，

But Scrooge hurried up to the window and looked in.

但斯克罗吉匆忙走到窗前往里看了看，

It was an office still, but not his.

还是间办公室，但已不属于他了。

The furniture was not the same, and the figure in the chair was not himself.

家具变了，椅子里坐着的也不是他自己了。

The ghost continued to point onwards, and Scrooge followed.

鬼魂继续朝前指，斯克罗吉跟着。

They reached a church and entered the churchyard.

他们来到一座教堂前，进了教堂的院落。

Here, among the untidy graves and the uncut grass, lay the miserable man whose nameScrooge would soon learn.

在这里不整齐的坟墓和未修剪的杂草中躺着一个可怜的人，一会儿斯克罗吉就会知道他是谁。

It was a lonely place, most suitable for a man so unloved.

这是一个冷清的地方，对一个如此不受爱戴的人来说这儿再合适不过了。

The spirit stood and pointed down at one of the graves.

幽灵站在那儿，朝下指着其中的一个坟墓。

Scrooge was strangely afraid.

斯克罗吉感到莫名的恐惧。

Before I look more closely at that gravestone, he said, answer me one question.

“在我更仔细地看墓碑前，”他说，“回答我一个问题。

Are these the shadows of the things that will be, or are they only shadows of the things that may be?

这些影子是将来会实现的事情还是可能会实现的事情?”

Without replying, the ghost pointed silently down at the grave.

鬼魂没有回答，它默默地朝下指着坟墓。

Scrooge moved slowly towards it, and following the finger, read on the stone his own name, EBENEZER SCROOGE.

斯克罗吉慢慢地向它走去，顺着幽灵手指头的方向，他看见墓碑上写着他自己的夕字：埃比尼泽·斯克罗吉。

Am I that man who was lying on the bed? he cried.

“我就是那个躺在床上的人吗?”他大声问。

The spirit pointed from the grave to him, and back again.

幽灵从坟墓指向他，然后又指向坟墓。

No, Spirit! Oh, no, no!

“不，幽灵! 噢，不，不!”

The finger was still there.

手指依然还是指着坟那里。

Scrooge fell to the ground in front of the ghost, holding its long dark robe.

斯克罗吉倒在鬼魂前面的地上，抓住它长长的黑袍子。

Spirit! Listen! I am a changed man! I have learned my lesson from your spirits!

“幽灵!听着!我是一个改过自新的人了!我从你们这些幽灵身上吸取了教训!

Why show me this terrible end, if there is no hope for me!

如果我没有希望的话，为什么要让我看如此可怕的结局!”

For the first time, the hand appeared to shake.

他的手第一次颤抖起来。

Good spirit, tell me that my future will change if I change my life now!

“我的好幽灵，告诉我如果我现在改变我的生活，我的未来也会改变的!”

The kind hand shook again.

他善良的手有些颤抖了。

I will remember the past, and think of the future. I will be good to other people.

“我将记住过去，并且会为未来考虑的。我会对他人行善的，

I will keep Christmas in my heart and will try to be kind, and cheerful, and merry, every day.

我会把圣诞记在心中并尽可能的善良、高兴、快乐，每天都这样。

Oh, tell me I can clean away the writing on this stone!

噢，对我说我能够把这石头上的名字弄掉!”

Wildly, he caught the ghostly hand and held it for a moment.

他死命地抓住鬼魂的手并攥了一会儿。

But the spirit was stronger than him and pulled its hand away.

但幽灵比他要强壮，它把手挣脱开。

Just then Scrooge noticed that something strange was happening to the spirit.

这时斯克罗吉看到奇怪的事情在幽灵的身上发生了。

It was getting smaller and smaller, and suddenly it became — a bedpost.

它变得越来越小，突然变成了——一根床柱子。

《圣诞颂歌》是1843年查尔斯·狄更斯创作的小说，该小说是查尔斯·狄更斯三部圣诞小说之一。

该小说主要讲的是一个吝啬鬼的故事。一个吝啬鬼积攒了很多钱，然而他却不舍得为职员的炉火加一块儿煤，他的侄子好意的邀请他参加圣诞夜的晚会，他却认为侄子是为了占他的便宜而推辞，社会活动者请他为穷人施舍一点圣诞的饭菜，也被他无情地断然拒绝。他晚上回到了家，夜幕里他看见了一张鬼脸，这真的是鬼?还是他的幻像?然而，鬼的出现却使他发生了天翻地覆的变化。