百万英镑 The Million Pound Bank Note的财富观

更新时间:2016-08-09 11:08:00



  《百万英镑》(The Million Pound Note)是美国著名作家马克·吐温的短篇小说,讲述了一个在美国街头乞讨的穷小子亨利·亚当斯在伦敦偶遇两位富翁兄弟打赌,获得一张无法兑现的百万大钞一个月的保管权利。一个月的期限到了,亨利不仅没有饿死或被捕,反倒成了富翁,并且赢得了一位漂亮小姐的爱情,在兄弟那里也获得了一份工作。文章以其略带夸张的艺术手法再现大师小说中讽刺与幽默,揭露了20世纪初英国社会的拜金主义思想



  刚获得一百万英镑的心理斗争

  I got to thinking a good deal about that situation. My hopes began to rise high. Without doubt the salary would be large. It would begin in a month; after that I should be all right. Pretty soon I was feeling first-rate. By this time I was tramping the streets again. The sight of a tailor-shop gave me a sharp longing to shed my rags, and to clothe myself decently once more. Could I afford it? No; I had nothing in the world but a million pounds. So I forced myself to go on by. But soon I was drifting back again. The temptation persecuted me cruelly. I must have passed that shop back and forth six times during that manful struggle. At last I gave in; I had to.

  我对那份美差浮想联翩,期望值也开始上升。不用说,薪水决不是个小数目。过一个月就要开始上班,从此我就会万事如意了。转眼间,我的自我感觉好极了。这时,我又在大街上逛了起来。看到一家服装店,一股热望涌上我的心头:甩掉这身破衣裳,给自己换一身体面的行头。我能买得起吗?不行;除了那一百万英镑,我在这世上一无所有。于是,我克制住自己,从服装店前走了过去。可是,不一会儿我又转了回来。那诱惑把我折磨得好苦。我在服装店前面来来回回走了足有六趟,以男子汉的气概奋勇抗争着。终于,我投降了;我只有投降。

  别人在他拿出支票前后的态度反差

  I asked if they had a misfit suit that had been thrown on their hands.

  我问他们手头有没有顾客试过的不合身的衣服。

  The fellow I spoke to nodded his head towards another fellow, and gave me no answer. I went to the indicated fellow, and he indicated another fellow with his head, and no words. I went to him, and he said:

  我问的伙计没搭理我,只是朝另一个点点头。我向他点头示意的伙计走过去,那一个也不说话,又朝第三个人点点头,我朝第三个走过去,他说:

  "Tend to you presently."

  “这就来。”

  I waited till he was done with what he was at, then he took me into a back room, and overhauled a pile of rejected suits, and selected the rattiest one for me. I put it on. It didn't fit, and wasn't in any way attractive, but it was new, and I was anxious to have it; so I didn't find any fault, but said, with some diffidence:

  我等着他忙完了手头的事,把我带到后面的一个房间,在一摞退货当中翻了一通,给我挑出一套最寒酸的来。我换上了这套衣服。这衣服不合身,毫无魅力可言,可它总是新的,而我正急着要衣服穿呢;没什么可挑剔的,我迟迟疑疑地说:

  "It would be an accommodation to me if you could wait some days for the money. I haven't any small change about me."

  “要是你们能等两天再结账。就帮了我的忙了。现在我一点零钱都没带。”

  The fellow worked up a most sarcastic expression of countenance, and said: "Oh, you haven't? Well, of course, I didn't expect it. I'd only expect gentlemen like you to carry large change."

  那店员端出一副刻薄至极的嘴脸说:哦,您没带零钱?说真的,我想您也没带。我以为像您这样的先生光会带大票子呢。”

  I was nettled, and said:"My friend, you shouldn't judge a stranger always by the clothes he wears. I am quite able to pay for this suit; I simply didn't wish to put you to the trouble of changing a large note."

  我火了,说:“朋友,对外地来的,你们不能总拿衣帽取人哪。这套衣服我买得起,就是不愿让你们找不开一张大票,添麻烦。”

  He modified his style a little at that, and said, though still with something of an air:"I didn't mean any particular harm, but as long as rebukes are going, I might say it wasn't quite your affair to jump to the conclusion that we couldn't change any note that you might happen to be carrying around. On the contrary, we can."

  他稍稍收敛了一点,可那种口气还是暴露无遗。他说:“我可没成心出口伤人,不过,您要是出难题的话,我告诉您,您一张口就咬定我们找不开您带的什么票子,这可是多管闲事。正相反,我们找得开。”

  I handed the note to him, and said: "oh, very well; I apologize."

  我把那张钞票递给他,说:“哦,那好;对不起了。”

  He received it with a smile, one of those large smiles which goes all around over, and has folds in it, and wrinkles, and spirals, and looks like the place where you have thrown a brick in a pond; and then in the act of his taking a glimpse of the bill this smile froze solid, and turned yellow, and looked like those wavy, wormy spreads of lava which you find hardened on little levels on the side of Vesuvius. I never before saw a smile caught like that, and perpetuated.

  他笑着接了过去,这是那种无处不在的笑容,笑里有皱,笑里带褶,一圈儿一圈儿的,就像往水池子里面扔了一块砖头;可是,只瞟了一眼钞票,他的笑容就凝固了,脸色大变,就像你在维苏威火山山麓那些平坎上看到的起起伏伏、像虫子爬似的凝固熔岩。我从来没见过谁的笑脸定格成如此这般的永恒状态。这家伙站在那儿捏着钞票,用这副架势定定地瞅。

  马克吐温是一个批判现实主义作家,作品幽默讽刺却直指社会问题。《百万英镑》从一个富豪间的打赌开始,男主只是有钱人闲来无事取乐的对象,然后他却在一个月内不花分文,凭借一张“纸片儿”从乞讨的流浪儿变成了受人尊敬的富豪,令人唏嘘,反思社会对金钱的态度。


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