吹小號(hào)的天鵝 第75期:費(fèi)城(4)

He saw a man leaning on the wide railing in front ofthe Bird House.

他看到一個(gè)倚在鳥(niǎo)屋前的寬柵欄旁的男人。

The man was dressed in a purple suit and wore aTyrolean hat.

這個(gè)男人穿著一套紫色的西裝，戴著一頂?shù)倭_爾式的帽子。

His face looked shrewd and wise, as though he knewa great many things, many of them not worthknowing.

他的臉顯得精明而又睿智，好象他知道相當(dāng)多的事情，其中的不少都是別人不屑于去了解的事情一樣。

"That must be Abe "Lucky" Lucas," thought Louis.

“那人一定就是阿貝·'幸運(yùn)'·盧卡斯了，”路易斯想。

He swam quickly over. "Ko-hoh!" he said, through his trumpet.

他飛快地游了過(guò)去。“吭—嗬!”他通過(guò)他的小號(hào)說(shuō)。

"My pleasure," replied Mr. Lucas. "You are right on time. The splashdown was sensational.

“很高興見(jiàn)到你，”盧卡斯先生回答，“你來(lái)的很準(zhǔn)時(shí)。降落的效果也很有震撼力。

Welcome to the Philadelphia Zoo, which crawls with rare mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians,and fishes,

歡迎到費(fèi)城動(dòng)物園來(lái)，這里到處都是珍稀的哺乳動(dòng)物，鳥(niǎo)類(lèi)，爬行動(dòng)物，兩棲動(dòng)物，魚(yú)類(lèi)，

including sharks, rays, and other fishlike vertebrates.

包括鯊魚(yú)，鰩魚(yú)，還有其他的和魚(yú)類(lèi)似的脊椎動(dòng)物。

Watch out for wild animals--this place is replete with them:

要當(dāng)心那些野獸--這地方也是它們的天下：

snakes, zebras, monkeys, elephants, lions, tigers, wolves, foxes, bears, hippos, rhinos,woodchucks, skunks, hawks, and owls.

有蛇，斑馬，猴子，大象，獅子，老虎，狼，狐貍，熊，河馬，犀牛，土撥鼠，臭鼬，鷹，還有貓頭鷹。

I seldom come here; my work confines me to the throbbing heart of the city, among the moneychangers.

我很少到這里來(lái);我的工作已經(jīng)把我限定在跳動(dòng)著的城市心臟內(nèi)，在錢(qián)商之間了。

I am under great pressure from my work. How was your trip from Boston?"

我一直活在工作的強(qiáng)大壓力之下。你從波士頓來(lái)這兒的路上如何?”

"Smooth," wrote Louis on his slate. "I made good time. What about my job?"

“很順利，”路易斯在他的石板上寫(xiě)，“一切都好。我的工作是什么?”

"A happy question," replied Mr. Lucas. "The job will start on October fifteenth. The contract hasbeen finalized.

“這是個(gè)叫人開(kāi)心的問(wèn)題，”盧卡斯先生回答，“這個(gè)工作將從十月十五號(hào)開(kāi)始。合約已經(jīng)訂好了。

Your place of employment is a nightclub of great renown, across the river

你的工作地方是一家非常有名的夜總會(huì)，就在河對(duì)面

a place of high fashion and low prices, a jumpy joint.

一個(gè)相當(dāng)時(shí)髦的收費(fèi)低廉的地方，一個(gè)令人心跳的場(chǎng)所。

You will be called upon to make appearances each evening except Sunday, and play yourtrumpet for the happy customers.

你將在每天晚上為快樂(lè)的客人們吹奏小號(hào)，除了星期日以外。

Once in a while you can join a jazz group: "Louis the Swan on trumpet."

有時(shí)你可以去參加一個(gè)爵士樂(lè)團(tuán)：'吹小號(hào)的天鵝路易斯'。

The pay is very good. My spirits are lifted by thinking about the pay.

報(bào)酬是很豐厚的，一想到報(bào)酬我的情緒就上來(lái)了。

Wealth and happiness are around the corner for Louis the Swan and Lucky Lucas, the great ofheart.

財(cái)富和幸福都在天鵝路易斯和好心腸的幸運(yùn)盧卡斯身邊轉(zhuǎn)悠著呢。

My agent's fee is ten percent, a mere bagatelle."

我的傭金才百分之十，簡(jiǎn)直是小菜兒一碟。”

"How do I get to the nightclub?" asked Louis, who only understood about half of what Mr. Lucaswas saying.

“我怎么去夜總會(huì)呢?”對(duì)盧卡斯先生的話只聽(tīng)懂了一半的路易斯問(wèn)。

"In a taxicab," replied Mr. Lucas.

“坐出租車(chē)，”盧卡斯先生回答，

"Be at the North Entrance of the Zoo, Girard Avenue and Thirty-fourth Street,

“在動(dòng)物園北門(mén)，吉拉德街⑾和第三十四街之間，

at nine o'clock on the evening of October fifteenth, a night that will live in memory.

從十月十五號(hào)晚上九點(diǎn)起，一個(gè)夜晚將活在你的記憶深處了。

A cab will await your pleasure and will transport you to the club. The driver is a friend of mine.

一輛出租車(chē)將在那里聽(tīng)候你的差遣，把你送到夜總會(huì)去。司機(jī)是我的一個(gè)老朋友。

He, too, is under pressure from his work."

他也活在工作的重壓之下。”

"Who's going to pay for the cab?" asked Louis on his slate.

“誰(shuí)來(lái)付出租車(chē)費(fèi)呢?”路易斯在他的石板上問(wèn)。

"I am," replied Mr. Lucas. "Lucky Lucas, the generous of heart, pays for the cab for Louis theSwan.

“我，”盧卡斯先生回答，“幸運(yùn)盧卡斯，那個(gè)有著一副慷慨心腸的人，將為天鵝路易斯付出租車(chē)費(fèi)。

And by the way, I see that you are wearing a moneybag and that it is plump with moola.

順便說(shuō)一句，我看你帶了一個(gè)票子裝得鼓鼓的錢(qián)袋子。

I suggest, from the kindness of my great heart,

我建議，這是出自我那偉大的好心，

that you turn this moneybag over to me for safekeeping during your stay in Philadelphia, aplace of many thieves and pickpockets."

你在費(fèi)城逗留期間應(yīng)該把這個(gè)錢(qián)袋交我保管，因?yàn)檫@里可是一個(gè)盜賊和扒手盛行的地方。”

"No, thank you," wrote Louis. "Will keep moneybag myself."

“不必了，謝謝你，”路易斯寫(xiě)，“我寧愿自己來(lái)保管它。”