通译双语文库:五镇故事新年伊始|Beginning the New Year

正文目录文库目录文库收藏中文百科 Wiki百科

五镇故事| STORIES FROM THE FIVE TOWNS

新年伊始|Beginning the New Year

属类：双语小说【分类】双语小说阅读：[2934] 登录会员即可添加到文库收藏夹，方便以后查看

伯斯利、汉桥、克尼普、朗肖、特恩希尔——这就是本书所说的五镇。这些故事发生在20世纪初的英格兰中部地区。如今的五镇已经成为斯托克城，不过这个地方仍然因为陶瓷和阿诺德·贝内特故事中的人物而闻名。
Bursley, Hanbridge, Knype, Longshaw, Turnhill — these are the Five Towns of Arnold Bennett's stories, set in the English Midlands in the early 1900s. Today the Five Towns are the city of Stoke-on-Trent, but the place is still famous for its pottery... and for the people in Arnold Bennett's stories.
这些人既不是名人，也不是什么大人物。他们在商店和工厂工作;他们恋爱又失恋;他们会拌嘴，会争吵。他们有时头脑聪明而且事业成功，他们有时的所作所为又极其愚蠢。菲利普有个重要消息要告诉母亲，不过他自己也将得到一个大大的惊喜……杰先生讨厌自己的画像，但又能怎么办呢?这可是五镇人送给他的礼物……在克尼普站，托比·霍尔突然决定乘火车去特恩希尔，不过这是为什么呢?然后出场的是约翰和罗伯特。他们是亲兄弟，住在同一屋檐下，在同一张桌子上吃饭——但十年来他们没和对方说过一个字……
They are not famous or important people. They work in shops and factories; they fall in, and out of, love; they argue and they quarrel. Sometimes they are clever and successful, and sometimes they do very stupid things. Philip has some important news to tell his mother, but he is also going to get a big surprise... Sir Jee hates his portrait, but what can he do about it? It was a present from the people of the Five Towns... At Knype station, Toby Hall suddenly decides to take the train to Turnhill, but why? Then there are John and Robert. They are brothers, they live in the same house, they eat meals together — and neither has said a single word to the other for ten years...

《字+字- 行+行- 页+页-

字+字- 行+行- 页+页- 》

上页 1 2 3 4 下页

序号英文/音标中文解释更多操作

	Derby ['dɑːbi]	n.德比(英国中部的都市);德比马赛
	past [pɑːst]	a. 过去的;
	York [jɔːk]	约克郡;〈板球〉使击球员出局
	Jersey ['dʒɜːzi]	n.毛线衫;毛织运动衫
	Seventy ['sevnti]	①[复]七十年代(70—79年);
	unlock [ˌʌn'lɒk]	v.开锁;开启;揭开;显露

图片译典（一词多图)

我的生词(单词助记)

道德经

论语

孙子兵法

禮記

孟子

尚書

詩經

周易

简典

新年伊始|Beginning the New Year

他去问火车站办公室的人。“年轻人，”他问，“下一班去德比的车是几点？”

“明天才有车呢。”

托比又去喝了一杯。

“我要去特恩希尔看看。”他慢慢地自言自语着，付了钱。

这是他23年来第一次回五镇，不过克尼普车站一点儿都没变，开往特恩希尔的列车时刻表也没变，连火车也和原来的一样。

20分钟后，他走出特恩希尔站，来到了镇上。他路过好几座漂亮的新房子。镇中心的一切都变了模样。

他继续往前走，穿过几条窄街，最后拐到儿童路。这里的老房子和从前一样，他细细地打量着一座小房子。灯亮着，一定有人在家。

他过了马路，走到房子跟前。这座房子对他来讲很特别（过去是11号——现在也是），因为24年前这里是他的家。

“你去哪儿？”普丽西拉问道。

他顿了一下，然后回答说：“美国。”

他就这样走了。这对普丽西拉来说没什么大不了的，她觉得托比不是个特别好的丈夫，没有托比，她照样能生活：她有自己的房子，还有些钱。

几年之后，托比回到了英格兰。他把霍尔这个名字也改了，开始在德比当陶匠。他做得很出色——薪水也不错，而且他没有太多需要花钱的地方。他的生活很安宁，每天工作，周末就去钓鱼。

现在，因为去克鲁，一趟列车，还有喝了一杯的缘故，他来到了儿童路，穿过街道站在11号的门前。他敲了敲门。

在五镇，许多人家开门时都慢吞吞的，而且很小心——这家也不例外。门打开了一道缝，一个女人从里面瞧着托比。

“是霍尔太太的家吗？”他问道。

“不，这不是霍尔太太的家，是坦斯利太太的家。”

“我以为……”

门又打开了些。

“是你吗，托比？”

“是啊。”托比答道，笑了一下。

“哎呀，哎呀！”妇人叹道，“哎呀，哎呀！”门又打开些，“进来坐坐吗，托比？”

“好啊。”托比回答。

于是他进了屋。

“坐吧，”他的妻子说道，“我以为你已经死了，因为有人写信这么告诉我。”

“没错！”托比说，“不过我还活着。”

托比在壁炉旁一把舒服的椅子上坐了下来。他熟悉这把椅子，也熟悉这壁炉。他把帽子放在桌上。普丽西拉锁好门，也坐了下来。她穿着黑衣服，而且和托比一样，有点儿发胖了。

“哎呀，哎呀，”她说道，“这么说你已经回来了。”

“是的。”

他们沉默了一阵。

“天气真冷啊，是吧？”他说。

“是啊，今年冬天真冷。”

又是一阵沉默。他们在想着什么，又是怎样的感觉呢？也许他们什么也没有多想。

“有什么新闻吗？”他问。

“新闻？哦，没什么特别的。”

壁炉上方挂着一张照片，是年轻时的普丽西拉。这让托比很惊讶。

“我不记得那张照片。”他说。

“什么？”

“那个！”他抬起头看着那幅照片。

“哦！那个！那是我的女儿。”

“哦！”托比吃了一惊。

“我嫁给了乔布·坦斯利，”普丽西拉说，“他四年前过世了。我女儿已经结婚了，”她边说边抬头看着女儿的照片，“她去年9月嫁给了小吉布森。”

“哎呀，哎呀！”

他们又陷入沉默。

“这火烧得真旺。”托比望着炉火说道。

“是啊。”

“好煤。”

“70便士一吨。”

他们又沉默下来。

“内德·沃克拉特还在酒馆吗？”托比问。

“我想是的。”普丽西拉说。

“我想出去走走，去喝一杯。”托比说着站起身来。

托比开门的时候，普丽西拉说道：

“你忘记拿帽子了，托比。”

“不，”他回答，“我没忘。我还要回来。”

他们看着对方，无声地交流着。

“好吧，”她回答，“哎呀，哎呀！”

“好的！”

于是托比向酒馆走去。

We are slow, silent people, we of the Five Towns. Perhaps it is because we make pottery, which is slow, silent work. There are many stories about us and how slow and silent we are. These stories often surprise the rest of the world very much, but we just laugh at them. Here is an example.

He went to speak to the man in the station office. ’Young man,’ he asked. ’When’s the next train to Derby?’

There isn’t one before tomorrow.’

Toby went and had another drink.

I’ll go to Turnhill,’ he said to himself slowly, and he paid for his drink.

This was his first visit to the Five Towns for twenty-three years, but Knype station was still the same, and so were the times of the trains to Turnhill. The train was the same, too.

In twenty minutes he was leaving Turnhill station and walking into the town. He walked past a number of fine new buildings. In the town centre almost everything was different.

He walked on, into smaller streets, and at last came to Child Row. The old houses here were the same as always, and he looked at one small house very carefully. The light was on, so there was somebody at home.

He crossed the street to the house. It was a special house for him (Number 11 it was—and is) because twenty-four years ago it was his home.

* * *

* * *

Where are you going?’ asked Priscilla.

He stopped for a minute, then answered, ’America.’

And he went. It was not difficult for Priscilla. She did not think that Toby was a very good husband. She could live without him; she had her house and some money.

After a few years he returned to England. He changed his name from Hall, and started work as a potter in Derby. He did well — the money was good, and he didn’t have much to spend it on. He lived quietly, working all week and going fishing at the weekends.

And now, because of a visit to Crewe, a train, and a drink, he was in Child Row, and crossing the street to Number 11. He knocked on the door.

* * *

* * *

Many doors in the Five Towns open slowly and carefully — and so did this one. It opened a few centimetres, and a woman looked out at Toby.

Is this Mrs Hall’s?’ he asked.

No. It’s not Mrs Hall’s. It’s Mrs Tansley’s.’