吹小號的天鵝 第75期:費城(4)

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

他看到一個倚在鳥屋前的寬柵欄旁的男人。

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

這個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'·盧卡斯了，”路易斯想。

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

他飛快地游了過去。“吭—嗬!”他通過他的小號說。

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

“很高興見到你，”盧卡斯先生回答，“你來的很準時。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,

歡迎到費城動物園來，這里到處都是珍稀的哺乳動物，鳥類，爬行動物，兩棲動物，魚類，

including sharks, rays, and other fishlike vertebrates.

包括鯊魚，鰩魚，還有其他的和魚類似的脊椎動物。

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;我的工作已經(jīng)把我限定在跳動著的城市心臟內(nèi)，在錢商之間了。

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

我一直活在工作的強大壓力之下。你從波士頓來這兒的路上如何?”

"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，“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.

“這是個叫人開心的問題，”盧卡斯先生回答，“這個工作將從十月十五號開始。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，就在河對面

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

一個相當(dāng)時髦的收費低廉的地方，一個令人心跳的場所。

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的客人們吹奏小號，除了星期日以外。

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

有時你可以去參加一個爵士樂團：'吹小號的天鵝路易斯'。

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

報酬是很豐厚的，一想到報酬我的情緒就上來了。

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

財富和幸福都在天鵝路易斯和好心腸的幸運盧卡斯身邊轉(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.

“我怎么去夜總會呢?”對盧卡斯先生的話只聽懂了一半的路易斯問。

"In a taxicab," replied Mr. Lucas.

“坐出租車，”盧卡斯先生回答，

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

“在動物園北門，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.

從十月十五號晚上九點起，一個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.

一輛出租車將在那里聽候你的差遣，把你送到夜總會去。司機是我的一個老朋友。

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.

“誰來付出租車費呢?”路易斯在他的石板上問。

"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，“幸運盧卡斯，那個有著一副慷慨心腸的人，將為天鵝路易斯付出租車費。

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

順便說一句，我看你帶了一個票子裝得鼓鼓的錢袋子。

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."

你在費城逗留期間應(yīng)該把這個錢袋交我保管，因為這里可是一個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，“我寧愿自己來保管它。”