到不了-千客骚人

All the Cabbie Had Was a Letter
Foster Furcolo

1 He must have been completely lost in something he was reading because I had to tap on
the windshield to get his attention. 出租车司机拥有的就剩一封信
福斯特?弗克洛
他准是完全沉浸在所读的东西里了，因为我不得不敲挡风玻璃来引起他的注意。


2 your cab available?I asked when he finally looked up at me. He nodded, then said
apologetically as I settled into the back seat, He sounded
as if he had a cold or something. 他总算抬头看我了。“你出车吗？”我问道。他点点头，
当我坐进 后座时，他抱歉地说：“对不起，我在读一封信。”听上去他像是得了感冒什么的。


3 “我不着急，”我对
他说，“你接着把信读完吧。”


4 He shook his head.
他摇了摇头。“我已经读了好几遍了。我想我都能背出来了。”


5
road so much.
a grandchild? “ 家书抵万金啊，”我说。“至少对我来说是这样，因为我老是在外旅
行。”我估量他有六七十岁了，便猜 测说：“是孩子还是孙子写来的？”


6
well have been family. Old Ed was my oldest friend. In fact, we used to call each other 'Old
Friend' ─ when we'd meet, that is. I'm not much of a hand at writing. “不是家里人，”
他回答说。“不过，”他接着说，“想起来，也 可以算是一家人了。埃德老伙计是我最老的朋
友了。实际上，过去我俩总是以‘老朋友’相称的 —— 就是说，当我俩相见时。我这人就
是不大会写东西。”


7 But I
take it he's someone you've known quite a while? “我看大家写信都不那么勤快，”我
说，“我自己笔头就很懒。我看，你认识他挺久了吧？”


8 so we go way back. “差不多认
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识了一辈子了。我俩小时候就一起玩，所以我俩的友谊确实很长了。”


9 “一起上的学？”


10
and high school. “都一起上到高中呢。事实上，我俩从小学到高中都在一个班里。”


11 “保持
这么长久友谊的人可真不多见啊，”我说。


12
past 25 or 30 years because I moved away from the old neighborhood and you kind of lose touch
even though you never forget. He was a great guy. “其实呢，”司机接着说，“近25到
30年来，我跟他一年只见一两次面，因为 我从原来住的老街坊搬了出来，联系自然就少了，
虽说你一直放在心上。他在的时候可真是个大好人。”


13 said 'was'. Does that mean ─? “你刚才说他‘在的时候’。你是说 —
—？”


14 He nodded. 他点了点头。“前两个星期过世啦。”


15 sorry,I said. no fun to lose any friend ─ and losing a real old one is even
tougher. “真遗憾，”我说，“失去朋友真不是个滋味，失去个真正的老朋友更让人
受不了。”


16 He didn't reply to that, and we rode on in silence for a few minutes. But I realized that
Old Ed was still on his mind when he spoke again, almost more to himself than to me:
have kept in touch. Yes, 他开着车，没有接话
儿。 我们沉默了几分钟。可我知道他还在想着老埃德。他又开口时，与其说是跟我 说话，
还不如说是自言自语：“我真该一直保持联系。真的，”他重复道，“我真该一直保持联系。”


17
come up and we just don't seem to find the time. “是啊，”我表示赞同，“我们都该 与
老朋友保持更多的联系。不过总是有事情冒出来，好像就是抽不出空来。”

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18 He shrugged.
handed it over to me. 他耸了耸肩。“我们过去总能抽出空来，”他说。“信
里还提到呢。”他把信递给我，“你看看吧。”


19 “谢谢
你，”我说，“不过我不想读你的信。这纯属私事。”


20 The driver shrugged.
me. 司机耸一耸肩。“老埃德人都死了。没什么私事不私事了。念吧，”他催促说。


21 The letter was written in pencil. It began with the greeting Friend,the first
sentence reminded me of myself. I've been meaning to write for some time, but I've always
postponed it. It then went on to say that he often thought about the good times they had had
together when they both lived in the same neighborhood. It had references to things that
probably meant something to the driver, such as the time Tim Shea broke the window, the
Halloween that we tied Old Mr. Parker's gate, and when Mrs. Culver used to keep us after school.
信是用铅笔写的。称呼写着“老朋友”，而开头第一句话让我想到自己。“早就想写信了，可
就 是一拖再拖。” 信里接着写道，他常常回想从前两人住在一个街坊时的快乐时光。信里提
到些事，可能 对司机很重要，比如“那次蒂姆?谢打破窗子，那年万圣节前夕，我们把老帕
克先生的大门拴了起来，还 有卡尔弗太太老是在放学后把咱俩留下训斥的那阵子”。


22 “你们俩准是在一起度
过了不少时光，”我对他说。


23
shook his head: “就跟信里写的那样，”他回答说，“我俩在那个时候能花的
只有时间。”他摇头叹道：“时间啊。”


24 I thought the next paragraph of the letter was a little sad: I began the letter with
Friend─ old friends. And there aren't many of
us left. 信里接下来的那段我觉得有点凄凉： “信的开头我写着‘老朋友’，因为这么
多年来，我们这对老朋友渐渐都老了。我们这些人当中留下的也 不多了。”


25 know,I said to him, it says here that there aren't many of us left, that's
absolutely right. Every time I go to a class reunion, for example, there are fewer and fewer still
around. “你要知道，”我对他说，“信里说我们这些人当中留下的不多了，说得一点
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不错。比如说，每次我去参加老同学聚会，来的人总是越来越少。”


26 “时间不饶人啊，”司机说。


27 you two work at the same place?I asked him. “你们俩以前在一起工作
吗？”我问他。


28
married, we used to go to each other's house every now and then. But for the last 20 or 30 years
it's been mostly just Christmas cards. Of course there'd be always a note we'd each add to the
cards ─ usually some news about our families, you know, what the kids were doing, who moved
where, a new grandchild, things like that ─ but never a real letter or anything like that.
“不，不过没成家时我俩总在一起闲荡。后来， 两人都成了家，就不时相互串门。可最近这
二三十年来，主要就是寄寄圣诞卡了。当然，我俩都总在卡上 写几句 —— 通常是关于各自
家里的情况，不是吗，孩子们在干些什么，谁搬到哪儿，添了个小孙子，都是这类事 —— 可
一直都没正儿八经地写过信什么的。”


29 is a good part here,I said. it says Your friendship over the years has
meant an awful lot to me, more than I can say because I'm not good at saying things like that.
found myself nodding in agreement. “这
一处写得好，”我说，“这里写道： ‘你多年的友谊对我非常重要，远比我能说出来的重要得
多，因为我不擅长说这样的话。’”我颔首称是 。“这话准让你听着开心，是吧？”


30 The driver said something that I couldn't understand because he seemed to be all choked
up, so I continued: 司
机说了句什么，可我没听明白，因为他似乎哽噎得厉害。于是我接着说：“我也真想收到这
样 一封老朋友的来信。”


31 We were getting close to our destination so I skipped to the last paragraph. So I thought
you'd like to know that I was thinking of you. And it was signed, Your Old Friend, Tom.
我们快到目的地了，于是我跳到最后一段。“因此我想你一定想知道我惦记着你。”信末署名：
“老朋友汤姆”。


32 I handed back the letter as we stopped at my hotel.
took my suitcase out of the cab. Tom? The letter was signed Tom? 我们在我的旅店前停
下，我把信递了回去。“很高兴能和你聊聊 ，”我将衣箱从车上提下时说。汤姆？信的署名是
汤姆？
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33 “我记得
你朋友叫埃德，”我说，“为什么他署名汤姆呢？”


34 It's a letter I wrote to him
before I knew he'd died. So I never mailed it. “这封信不 是汤姆写给我的，”他解释说，
“我是汤姆。这是我在得知他去世前写给他的信。所以我一直没寄出。”


35 He looked sort of sorrowful, or as if he were trying to see something in the distance.
guess I should have written it sooner. 他神情有点悲伤，似乎想看清远处什么东西。“我
想我真该早些写这封信。”


36 When I got to my hotel room I didn't unpack right away. First I had to write a letter ─
and mail it. 我进了旅馆房间之后，没有马上打开箱包。首先我得写封信 —— 而且要
寄出去。

























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Never Let a Friend Down
Jim Hutchison

1 to the football match this afternoon?Bill McIntosh asked 59-year-old Royce
Wedding as they drank beer at the Eureka Hotel in the Australian town of Rainbow. Royce shook
his head. 决不抛弃朋友
吉姆?赫奇森
“下 午去看足球赛吗？”比尔?麦金托什问59岁的罗伊斯?韦丁。他们两人正在澳大
利亚的虹镇尤里卡饭店 喝啤酒。罗伊斯摇摇头。“我答应我妈给我家的一块地烧荒。”


2 Bill, who was thin but strong, looking far less than his 79 years, peered outside at the heat. A
light breeze was blowing from the north, making conditions perfect for the burn. But Bill felt
uneasy about Royce doing the job alone. The farmer had a bad leg and walked with great difficulty.
比尔瘦削而结实，79岁，但看上去远没有那么老。他望着外面 的炎热空气。一阵轻风自北
向南吹，这条件最适宜烧荒了。不过比尔对罗伊斯独自干这活不放心。这个农 夫有条腿不好，
行走很费劲。


3 The pair had been best of friends for 30 years, ever since the days when they traveled
together from farm to farm in search of work. Now, living alone 12 miles east of town, Bill
scraped a living hunting foxes and rabbits. Once a fortnight he went to town to buy supplies and
catch up with Royce, who helped run the Wedding family's farm.
两人曾一起从一个农场走到另一个农场寻些活儿干，迄今已是30年的好朋友 了。如今比尔
独自一人住在镇东12英里处，靠打狐狸和野兔勉强过活。他两个星期一次前来小镇购物，
会会帮着经管自家的农场的罗伊斯。“我帮你一把，”比尔说。


4 The pair set off in Royce's car. Soon they were bumping over a sandy track to the
weed-choked 120-acre field.
old tire to the tow bar with a 50-foot chain. Soaking the tire with gasoline, Bill put a match to it
and jumped in the car. 两人坐着罗伊斯的车动身了。没多一会儿他们就颠簸在一 条沙
土路上，朝一块面积120公顷、杂草丛生的田地开去。“火是除去这玩意儿的惟一办法，”比尔说。他们用根50英尺长的链条把一个旧轮胎绑在牵引杆上。比尔在轮胎上浇透汽油，划
根火柴一 点，便跳进车里。


5 Driving slowly from the southern edge of the field, they worked their way upwind,
leaving a line of burning weeds in their wake. Half way up the field, and without warning, the car
pitched violently forward, plowing into a hidden bank of sand. 两人从农田的南边 缓缓开
车逆风而行，所过之处留下一条燃着的草带。开到地当中，车猛地朝前一颠，没等察觉，就
陷进了一个被草遮着的沙堆。
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6 The breeze suddenly swung around to their backs and began to gather strength. Fanned to
white heat, the fire line suddenly burst into a wall of flame, heading directly toward them.
get out of here! 微风突然转向，朝两人身后吹来，而且越吹越强。火仗 风
势，烧得炽热，一条火带顿时就变成一道火墙，直扑两人而来。“咱们快离开这儿！”罗伊斯
说道。


7 Desperately he tried to back the car out of the sand bank. But the wheels only spun deeper
in the soft sand. 他拼命想把车倒出沙堆。可车轮在软沙里越转陷得越深。


8 Suddenly the fire was on them. Bill pushed open his door only to find himself flung through
the air as, with a roar, the gasoline tank exploded and the car leapt three feet off the ground. When
it crashed back down Royce found himself pinned against the steering wheel, unable to move. The
car's seats and roof were now on fire. 火顿时就扑到两人身上。比尔推开车门，却听得
一声巨响，油箱爆炸了，车子 飞离地面三英尺，他自己则被抛到空中。车子摔回地面后，罗
伊斯发现自己被方向盘卡住，动弹不得。这 时，车座和车顶也都烧着了。


9 Bill lay where he fell, all the breath knocked out of him. The front of his shirt, shorts, bare
arms and legs were soaked in burning gasoline. Then the sight of the car in flames brought him
upright with a start. 比尔
躺在跌落的地方，摔得气都喘不过来。他的衬衣前襟、短裤、光裸的手 臂和双腿都浸在燃烧
着的汽油里。接着汽车着火了，见此情景他惊坐起来。“罗伊斯！”他边喊边挣扎着 站起身来，
向汽车冲去。


10 Pulling open the door, he seized Royce's arms through the smoke.
他拉开车门，在烟雾中抓住罗伊斯的手臂。“我给卡住了，”罗伊
斯说，“你快走！”


11 (1) The fire bit at Bill's arms, face and legs, but he tightened his grip on Royce.
leaving you here, (1)火舌舔着比尔的双臂、脸和双腿，但他紧紧地 抓住罗伊
斯不放。“我不会把你丢弃在这儿的，”他说道。


12 Now Bill dug his heels into the sand and pulled as hard as he could. Suddenly he fell
backward. Royce was free and out of the car. As soon as he had dragged him away he patted out
the flames on Royce's body and on his own legs and arms with his bare hands. 比尔两个
脚跟扎在沙堆里，拼命用力拉。突然他仰面倒 下，罗伊斯被拉出了汽车。他一把将罗伊斯拉
开，便赶紧赤手去扑灭罗伊斯身上以及自己腿上、手臂上的 火。
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13 Royce saw a second explosion rock the car, as it was eaten up by flames. I'd be ashes now
if Bill hadn't gotten me out, he thought. Looking down, Royce was shocked by the extent of his
injuries. His stomach and left hip were covered in deep burns. Worse still, his fingers were burned
completely out of shape. 罗伊斯 看着又一次爆炸把汽车震得直晃，车一下子被火苗吞
噬。“要不是比尔把我拉出来，我这会儿就烧成灰了 ，”他暗想。他低头一看，身上伤势之严
重令他大为惊讶。他腹部及左臀严重烧伤。更糟糕的是，手指被 烧得完全变了形。


14 Lying on his back, Bill was in equally bad shape. Pieces of blackened flesh and skin hung
from his forearms, hands and legs. 比尔仰天躺在地上，也一样被烧得不成样子。前臂
以及手和腿上，一块块烧得焦黑的皮肉挂了下来。


15 Bill looked across at his friend. Reading the despair clouding Royce's face, Bill said,
get help. You hang on.
field, he wondered how his friend was going to walk almost two miles and get over three fences.
比尔朝 自己的朋友望去，看出罗伊斯满脸绝望，便说：“我去叫人。你顶住。”罗伊斯点了点
头，可当他看着比 尔穿过焦黑的田地缓缓走开时，真不知道这位朋友怎么去走那几乎整整两
英里的路，还要跨越三道栅栏。


16 (2) A lifetime spent around the tough people who make their home in the Australian bush
had permanently fixed into Bill's soul two principles: never give up no matter how bad the odds
and never let a friend down. Now, with every step sending pain piercing through every part of his
body, he drew on those twin pillars of character.(3) If I don't make it, Royce will die out there, he
told himself over and over. (2) 一辈子与居住在澳大利亚灌木地带的那 些刚强的硬汉
一起生活的人生经历，将两条准则永久地铭刻在比尔心头：无论多么艰难，决不泄气，决不
抛弃朋友。此时此刻，他每迈出一步，浑身上下便针扎似地疼，他完全是靠这两种品质支撑
着。 (3) 如果我不能挺住的话，罗伊斯就会死在那里，比尔一次又一次地告诫自己。


17 the matter with that dog?said Vicky Wedding, Royce's mom, peering out her
window. Startled by a noise behind her, she turned to see Bill leaning against the door. “那
条狗怎么啦？” 罗伊斯的母亲维基?韦丁说着朝窗外望去。听到身后响动，她吓了一跳，转
身一看，比尔正倚靠在门上。


18
“天哪，出了什么事？”她惊问道，赶紧扶住正沿着门框瘫坐下去的比尔。


19
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down, covered him in wet towels to ease the pain of his burns, and then picked up the phone.
“我们遭火烧了，”他低声道， 几乎说不出话来。“快去叫人。”维基扶比尔坐下，用湿毛巾
敷在他身上以减轻烧伤的疼痛，随后便拿起 了电话。


20 Throughout the bumpy, hour-and-a-half ride to the hospital in Horsham, neither of the two
injured men spoke of their pain.
keep their spirits up. Bill grinned weakly. 他们坐上汽车前往霍舍姆的医院，在长达一个
半小时的颠簸的路途中，两 位伤者只字未提自己的伤痛。“咱们真该去看足球赛，”罗伊斯开
口说道，想让自己和朋友振作一下精神 。比尔也轻轻一笑。


21 Not long after Bill found himself at Government House being presented with the Bravery
Medal for his courageous rescue. (4) But the real highlight for Bill came six months after the fire,
when Royce, just out of hospital, walked into the Eureka Hotel and bought him a beer. 不
久，比尔在镇公所被授予勇敢奖章，以表彰其勇救他人的壮举。(4) 但真正最令比尔激动的
时刻是火灾发生六个月之后，刚刚出院的罗伊斯走进尤里卡饭店，请他喝啤酒。


22
could have. “咱们赢了，”两人举杯时，罗伊斯说道，“为生死之交干杯。”

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