《圣诞颂歌》 第四章 最后一位幽灵(3)

（单词翻译）

Inside, the first woman put her bundle¹ on the table and said,

在屋里第一个妇女把她的包袱放在桌子上说，

'I don't care if everybody knows where this comes from!

“我不在乎是不是大家都知道这是从什么地方弄来的！

We all have to take care of ourselves! He always did!'

我们都得关心我们自己！他总是这样做的！”

'That's right,' agreed the second woman.

“你说得对。”第二个女人表示赞同。

'Very true,' agreed the third.

“太正确了。”第三个也表示赞同。

'Does a dead man need these things?' continued the first woman.

“死人需要这些东西吗？”第一个女人继续说。

'And why was he so mean while he was alive?'

“为什么他活着的时候那么吝啬？

We all worked for him, didn't we? Cleaned his house, washed his clothes, cooked his soup?

我们都给他干活儿，是不是？打扫他的房子，给他洗衣服、燉汤？

And what did we get? Three shillings² a week!

我们又得到什么了呢？一周三个先令！

It's no surprise that he died alone, with no friends around him!'

他孤单单地死了，身边一个朋友也没有，这也就没什么可奇怪的了！”

'You never spoke³ a truer word,' said the second.

“你从没有说过比这更千真万确的话。”第二个妇女说。

'He was a bad man, we all know that,' said the third.

“他是一个坏蛋，这点我们都知道。”第三个妇女说。

'Now what have we here?' said old Joe, opening the women's bundles⁴.

“现在让我看看你们都拿来了些什么？”老乔说着打开了三位的包。

'Buttons, pencils, boots, silver spoons, some excellent bed-curtains, blankets and — a very good shirt.'

“钮扣、铅笔、靴子、银匙、一些很不错的床罩、毯子还有——一件很好的衬衣。”

He added⁵, feeling the fine cotton.

他补充道，手摸着那质地精良的棉布。

'Yes, it was his best,' said the first woman. 'They put it on him after he died.

“是的，这是他最好的衣服。”第一个女人说，“他死后他们给他穿上了，

But he doesn't need it now that he's dead!

但既然他已经死了，所以他现在不需要它了！

And the blankets and bed-curtains! He doesn't need them either!

这些毯子和床罩！他也不需要它们了！”

'You took the shirt off a dead body, and the blankets and curtains off his bed, while he was lying there!

“你从死尸上脱下了这件衬衣，拿了这些毯子和床罩，当他一直睡觉的床上！

Well, well!' said Joe, shaking his head.

哎，哎！”乔边说边摇头，

'Here's your money.' And he counted out several shillings into the women's hands.

“这是给你的钱。”他数出几个先令塞到这几个妇女的手中。

'Ha ha ha!' laughed the first woman.

“哈哈哈！”第一个妇女笑了，

'He frightened everyone away when he was alive, and we've made money out of him now that he's dead! Ha ha ha!'

“他活着的时候把大家都吓跑了，现在他死了我们还能从他身上挣到钱！哈哈哈！”

Scrooge felt sick and angry at the same time.

斯克罗吉既感到懊丧又感到气愤。

'Spirit,' he said, 'I see now. I could be that unhappy man.

“幽灵，”他说，“现在我明白了，那个不幸的人可能就是我。

Good Heavens, what's this?'

天哪，这是什么？”

Joe and the women had disappeared, and Scrooge was standing⁶ in a dark room.

乔和女人们消失了，斯克罗吉站在一间黑屋子里。

Opposite him was a bed, with no blankets or curtains.

他对面有一张床，上面没有毯子和床罩。

A light shone down from above, on to the body of a dead man, covered with a sheet.

一束光从上面照下来，照在死尸上，死尸用单子盖着。

'How sad,' thought Scrooge, 'to die with no friends or family around him!

“多么悲哀，”斯克罗吉想，“死时身边没有朋友和家人，

To lie in an empty room, with no candles or flowers, and robbed⁷ of his clothes!

被剥光了衣服躺在空屋子里，没有蜡烛和鲜花，

To know that nobody loves him, because he loved nobody in his life!

知道自己不被人爱是因为他在世时不曾爱过别人！

Money can't buy a happy life, or a peaceful death!'

金钱买不到幸福的生活和安宁的死亡。”