雙語對照 ● The Shoe Tacks 鞋釘
The Shoe Tacks 鞋釘
◎ Tom Cawley
The hardworking blacksmith Jones used to work all day in his shop and so hard working was he that at times he would make the sparks fly from his hammer. The son of Mr. Smith, a rich neighbor, used to come to see the blacksmith everyday and for hours and hours he would enjoy himself watching how the tradesman[64]worked.
瓊斯是個勤勞的鐵匠，常常一整天都在他的店里工作。他工作非常努力，他的錘子時常會火花四濺。史密斯先生的兒子，一個很有錢的鄰居，幾乎每天都來看鐵匠工作。他喜歡觀看這位工匠工作，而且一看就是幾小時。
“Young man, why don’t you try your hand to learn to make shoe tacks, even if it is only to pass the time?” said the blacksmith. “Who knows, one day, it may be of use to you.” The lazy boy began to see what he could do. But after a little practice he found that he was becoming very skilled and soon he was making some of the finest tacks.
“年輕人，你為什么不嘗試一下如何制作鞋釘呢，哪怕只是用來消磨時間？”鐵匠說，“誰知道呢，有一天，它或許就會對你有用呢?！蹦莻€懶孩子開始想看看自己到底能做什么。但是，僅僅經(jīng)過小小的實踐練習(xí)，他就發(fā)現(xiàn)自己變得非常熟練，很快他就做出了最好的鞋釘。
Old Mr. Smith died and the son on account of the war lost all his goods. He had to leave home and was forced to take up residence in another country. It so happened that in this village there were numerous[65]shoemakers who were spending a lot of money to buy tacks for their shoes and even at times when they paid high prices they were not always able to get what they wanted, because in that part of the country there was a high demand for soldiers’ shoes.
老史密斯先生去世了，他的兒子則因為戰(zhàn)爭而失去了所有的財產(chǎn)。他不得不離開家園，被迫住在了另一個國家。事情就是這樣巧合，這個國家的這個地區(qū)急需大量軍鞋，所以這個村子里有很多鞋匠，而他們總是花費很多錢購買鞋釘。甚至有時即使付了很高的價錢，也買不到他們想要的鞋釘。
Our young Mr. Smith, who was finding it difficult to earn his daily bread, remembered that once upon a time he had learned the art of making tacks and had the sudden idea of making a bargain[66]with the shoemakers. He told them that he would make the tacks if they would help to get him settled in his workshop. The shoemakers were only too glad of the offer. And after a while, Mr. Smith found that he was soon making the finest tacks in the village. “How funny it seems,” he used to say, “Even making tacks can bring a fortune. My trade is more useful to me than were all my former riches.”
在這食不果腹的艱難時刻，我們的小史密斯先生想起了自己從前學(xué)過制鞋釘這門手藝，突然冒出了一個想法，和這些鞋匠們做一個交易。他告訴他們，如果他們幫他成立一個店鋪，他就可以做鞋釘。結(jié)果，鞋匠們對他的這一提議欣喜若狂。過了不久，史密斯先生發(fā)現(xiàn)他做的鞋釘是村里最好的?！翱雌饋砜烧嬗幸馑?，”他常常會說，“即便是做鞋釘也會帶來財富。與我以前所有的財富相比，我現(xiàn)在的生意更有益?！?
美麗語錄
Give everything a shot. You never know what (or who) is going to change your life.
任何事情都應(yīng)該去嘗試一下，因為你無法知道，什么樣的事或人將會改變你的一生。
