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翻译：寒星
亨利·劳森(1867-1922)，澳大利亚小说家、诗人，先后出版了近20部诗集和短篇小说集。他的主要成就在于短篇小说，着重表现人们的相互关系和真情实感，而不以情节取胜。其语言朴实生动，富于幽默，体现了劳动阶层的口语特点，被评论家誉为“普通人的声音”。他的作品在题材、风格、语言方面都具有鲜明的地方特色，为奠定澳大利亚文学的基础作出了贡献。本文选自《越过活动栏杆》(1900)。
阅读小提示：文中用词具有澳大利亚地方特色，部分语句表达方式与现代英语有少许差别，阅读时需注意。
“When you’re going away by boat,” said Mitchell, “you ought to say good-bye to the women at home, and to the 1)chaps at the last 2)pub. I hate waiting on the 3)wharf or up on 4)deck when the boat’s behind time. There’s no sense in it, and a lot of unnecessary misery. Your friends wait on the wharf and you are kept at the 5)rail to the bitter end, just when they and you most want a 6)spell. And why? Some of them hang out because they love you, and want to see the last of you; some because they don’t like you to see them going away without seeing the last of you; and you hang out mostly because it would hurt ’em if you went below and didn’t give them a chance of seeing the last of you all the time - and you 7)curse the boat and wish to God it would start. And those who love you most - the 8)womenfolk of the family - and who are making all the fuss and breaking their hearts about having to see the last of you, and least want to do it - they hang out the longest, and are the most determined to see it. Where’s the sense in it? What’s the good of seeing the last of you? How do women manage to get 9)consolation out of a thing like that?
“But women get consolation out of 10)queer things sometimes,” he added 11)reflectively, “and so do men.
“I remember when I was 12)knocking about the coasts, an old aunt of mine always persisted in coming down to see the last of me, and bringing the whole family too - no matter if I was only going away for a month. I was her favourite. I always turned up again in a few months; but if I’d come back every next boat it wouldn’t have made the slightest difference to her. She’d say that I mightn’t come back some day, and then she’d never forgive herself nor the family for not seeing me off. I suppose she’ll see the end of me yet if she lives long enough - and she’s a 13)wiry old lady of the old school. She was old-fashioned and dressed like a 14)fright, they said at home. They hated being seen in public with her; to tell the truth, I felt a bit ashamed, too, at times. I wouldn’t be, now. When I’d get her off on to the wharf I’d be overcome with my feelings, and have to retire to the 15)privacy of the bar to hide my emotions till the boat was going. And she’d stand on the end of the 16)pier and wave her handkerchief and mop her old eyes with it until she was removed by force.
“God bless her old heart! There wasn’t so much affection wasted on me at home that I felt crowded by hers; and I never lost anything by her seeing the last of me.
“I do wish the 17)Oracle would stop that 18)confounded 19)fiddle of his - it makes you think over damned old things.”
“每当你要坐船远行，”米切尔说，“你必须和家里的女人说再见，还有你在旅店里认识的人。我讨厌船晚点时在码头或甲板上等待开船。那没有任何意义，徒增很多不必要的痛苦。你的朋友在码头上等，而你在栏杆边一直被痛苦折磨，那时你们都只想逃离这境地。为什么？他们其中一些人在那停留是因为他们爱你，想见你最后一面；一些则是因为不想你看着他们没见你最后一面就离去；而你还在那里停留主要是因为如果你走下船舱，总是不给他们见你一面的机会，会伤害到他们—你诅咒那船，并且向上帝祈祷，希望快点开船。那些最爱你的人—家里的女人—她们总爱小题大做，为了见你最后一面而伤透自己的心，又最不想看着你离
开—他们停留最久，也是最有决心要送你的人。这样做有什么意义？见最后一面有什么好处？女人们如何从那样的事情中得到安慰呢？”
“然而有时女人就是能从一些古怪的事情中得到安慰，”他若有所思地说，“男人也是。
“还记得我还在游历各地时，我的一个老姑妈总是坚持要出来见我最后一面，还把全家人都带上了—即便我只是外出一个月。她最疼我了。我总在几个月后又回来；但即使我坐下一班船马上回来，这对于她来说也没什么区别。她就会说某天我可能不再回来了，那她就不能原谅自己和家人，因为他们没有给我送行。我猜如果她足够长命的话，她会看着我终老死去—她是一个瘦而结实的传统派老妇人。她家里人说她很老土，穿得像个怪人似的。他们讨厌众目睽睽之下和她走在一起，老实说，有时我也觉得有点羞耻。但我现在不会了。每当她到码头给我送行时，我总会心潮起伏，不禁退到酒吧的厢座，把情绪隐藏起来直到开船。而她则一直站在码头的末端不住地挥手帕，抹着苍老的眼睛，直到被人拉走。
“愿上帝保佑她年老的心吧！在家时她没有浪费太多的感情在我身上让我感到被她的温暖所包围；而给她见我最后一面也不会让我失去什么。
“我真希望先知能停止他那讨厌的胡扯—它让人想起那些该死的往事。”
1) chap [tFAp] n. （俗）伙伴，家伙
2) pub [pQb] n. 在澳大利亚指旅店
3) wharf [(h)wC:f] n. 码头
4) deck [dek] n. 甲板
5) rail [reil] n. 横杆, 围栏
6) spell [spel] n. 这里指改变现状的逃离
7) curse [kE:s] v. 诅咒，咒骂
8) womenfolk [5wimin5fEuk] n. 社团或家庭中的女人
9) consolation [7kCnsE5leiFEn] n. 安慰
10) queer [kwiE] a. 奇怪的
11) reflectively [ri5flektivli] ad. 沉思地
12) knock about/around 游历
13) wiry [5waiEri] a. 瘦长结实的
14) fright [frait] n. （非正式）怪人
15) privacy [5praivEsi] n. 独处不被干扰，这里指厢座
16) pier [piE] n. 码头
17) oracle [5CrEkl] n. （古希腊）神谕，圣贤
18) confounded [kEn5faundid] a. 讨厌的
19) fiddle [5fidl] n. （非正式）胡扯
亨利·劳森(1867-1922)，澳大利亚小说家、诗人，先后出版了近20部诗集和短篇小说集。他的主要成就在于短篇小说，着重表现人们的相互关系和真情实感，而不以情节取胜。其语言朴实生动，富于幽默，体现了劳动阶层的口语特点，被评论家誉为“普通人的声音”。他的作品在题材、风格、语言方面都具有鲜明的地方特色，为奠定澳大利亚文学的基础作出了贡献。本文选自《越过活动栏杆》(1900)。
阅读小提示：文中用词具有澳大利亚地方特色，部分语句表达方式与现代英语有少许差别，阅读时需注意。
“When you’re going away by boat,” said Mitchell, “you ought to say good-bye to the women at home, and to the 1)chaps at the last 2)pub. I hate waiting on the 3)wharf or up on 4)deck when the boat’s behind time. There’s no sense in it, and a lot of unnecessary misery. Your friends wait on the wharf and you are kept at the 5)rail to the bitter end, just when they and you most want a 6)spell. And why? Some of them hang out because they love you, and want to see the last of you; some because they don’t like you to see them going away without seeing the last of you; and you hang out mostly because it would hurt ’em if you went below and didn’t give them a chance of seeing the last of you all the time - and you 7)curse the boat and wish to God it would start. And those who love you most - the 8)womenfolk of the family - and who are making all the fuss and breaking their hearts about having to see the last of you, and least want to do it - they hang out the longest, and are the most determined to see it. Where’s the sense in it? What’s the good of seeing the last of you? How do women manage to get 9)consolation out of a thing like that?
“But women get consolation out of 10)queer things sometimes,” he added 11)reflectively, “and so do men.
“I remember when I was 12)knocking about the coasts, an old aunt of mine always persisted in coming down to see the last of me, and bringing the whole family too - no matter if I was only going away for a month. I was her favourite. I always turned up again in a few months; but if I’d come back every next boat it wouldn’t have made the slightest difference to her. She’d say that I mightn’t come back some day, and then she’d never forgive herself nor the family for not seeing me off. I suppose she’ll see the end of me yet if she lives long enough - and she’s a 13)wiry old lady of the old school. She was old-fashioned and dressed like a 14)fright, they said at home. They hated being seen in public with her; to tell the truth, I felt a bit ashamed, too, at times. I wouldn’t be, now. When I’d get her off on to the wharf I’d be overcome with my feelings, and have to retire to the 15)privacy of the bar to hide my emotions till the boat was going. And she’d stand on the end of the 16)pier and wave her handkerchief and mop her old eyes with it until she was removed by force.
“God bless her old heart! There wasn’t so much affection wasted on me at home that I felt crowded by hers; and I never lost anything by her seeing the last of me.
“I do wish the 17)Oracle would stop that 18)confounded 19)fiddle of his - it makes you think over damned old things.”
“每当你要坐船远行，”米切尔说，“你必须和家里的女人说再见，还有你在旅店里认识的人。我讨厌船晚点时在码头或甲板上等待开船。那没有任何意义，徒增很多不必要的痛苦。你的朋友在码头上等，而你在栏杆边一直被痛苦折磨，那时你们都只想逃离这境地。为什么？他们其中一些人在那停留是因为他们爱你，想见你最后一面；一些则是因为不想你看着他们没见你最后一面就离去；而你还在那里停留主要是因为如果你走下船舱，总是不给他们见你一面的机会，会伤害到他们—你诅咒那船，并且向上帝祈祷，希望快点开船。那些最爱你的人—家里的女人—她们总爱小题大做，为了见你最后一面而伤透自己的心，又最不想看着你离
开—他们停留最久，也是最有决心要送你的人。这样做有什么意义？见最后一面有什么好处？女人们如何从那样的事情中得到安慰呢？”
“然而有时女人就是能从一些古怪的事情中得到安慰，”他若有所思地说，“男人也是。
“还记得我还在游历各地时，我的一个老姑妈总是坚持要出来见我最后一面，还把全家人都带上了—即便我只是外出一个月。她最疼我了。我总在几个月后又回来；但即使我坐下一班船马上回来，这对于她来说也没什么区别。她就会说某天我可能不再回来了，那她就不能原谅自己和家人，因为他们没有给我送行。我猜如果她足够长命的话，她会看着我终老死去—她是一个瘦而结实的传统派老妇人。她家里人说她很老土，穿得像个怪人似的。他们讨厌众目睽睽之下和她走在一起，老实说，有时我也觉得有点羞耻。但我现在不会了。每当她到码头给我送行时，我总会心潮起伏，不禁退到酒吧的厢座，把情绪隐藏起来直到开船。而她则一直站在码头的末端不住地挥手帕，抹着苍老的眼睛，直到被人拉走。
“愿上帝保佑她年老的心吧！在家时她没有浪费太多的感情在我身上让我感到被她的温暖所包围；而给她见我最后一面也不会让我失去什么。
“我真希望先知能停止他那讨厌的胡扯—它让人想起那些该死的往事。”
1) chap [tFAp] n. （俗）伙伴，家伙
2) pub [pQb] n. 在澳大利亚指旅店
3) wharf [(h)wC:f] n. 码头
4) deck [dek] n. 甲板
5) rail [reil] n. 横杆, 围栏
6) spell [spel] n. 这里指改变现状的逃离
7) curse [kE:s] v. 诅咒，咒骂
8) womenfolk [5wimin5fEuk] n. 社团或家庭中的女人
9) consolation [7kCnsE5leiFEn] n. 安慰
10) queer [kwiE] a. 奇怪的
11) reflectively [ri5flektivli] ad. 沉思地
12) knock about/around 游历
13) wiry [5waiEri] a. 瘦长结实的
14) fright [frait] n. （非正式）怪人
15) privacy [5praivEsi] n. 独处不被干扰，这里指厢座
16) pier [piE] n. 码头
17) oracle [5CrEkl] n. （古希腊）神谕，圣贤
18) confounded [kEn5faundid] a. 讨厌的
19) fiddle [5fidl] n. （非正式）胡扯