Unit7TheChaser課文翻譯綜合教程三

1、Unit 7Tlie ChaserJohn Henry Collier1 Alan Austen, as nervous as a kitten, went up certain dark and creaky stairs in the neighborhood of Pell Street, and peered about for a long time on the dim hallway before he found tlie name he wanted written obscurely on one of tlie doors2 He pushed open this doo

2、r, as he had been told to do, and found himself in a tiny room, which contained no furniture but a plain kitchen table, a rocking-chair, and an ordinary chair. On one of tlie dirty buff-coloured walls were a couple of shelves, containing in all perhaps a dozen bottles and jars.3 An old man sat in tl

3、ie rocking-chair, reading a newspaper. Alan, without a word, handed him the card he had been givenSit down，Mr. Austen,” said tlie old man very politely. T am glad to make your acquaintance.4 Ts it true,” asked Alan, that you have a certain mixture that has er quite extraordinary effects?5 “My dear s

4、ir,n replied the old man, “my stock in trade is not very large I dont deal in laxatives and teething mixtures but such as it is, it is varied. I think nothing I sell has effects which could be precisely descidbed as ordinary.6 Well, the fact is ” began Alan.7 Here, for exampleinterrupted the old man

5、, reaching for a bottle from the shelf. “Here is a liquid as colourless as water, ahnost tasteless, quite imperceptible in coffee, wine，or any other beverage It is also quite imperceptible to any known method of autopsy.”8 Do you mean it is a poison?” cried Alan，very much horrified9 Call it a glove-

6、cleaner if you like,” said the old man indifferentlyblaybe it will clean gloves. I have never tried One might call it a life-cleaner. Lives need cleaning sometimes.w10 T want nothing of tliat sort,” said Alan.11 Probably it is just as well,” said the old man. Do you know the price of tliis? For one

7、teaspoonful, which is sufficient, I ask five tliousand dollars. Never less. Not a penny less.12 T hope all your mixtures are not as expensive,said Alan apprehensively13 “Oh dear, no,” said the old man. It would be no good charging that soil of price for a love potion, for example Young people who ne

8、ed a love potion very seldom have five thousand dollars. Otherwise tliey would not need a love potion.”14 T am glad to hear that, said Alan.15 T look at it like this，” said the old man. Please a customer with one aiticle, and he will come back when he needs another Even if it is more costly. He will

9、 save up for it, if necessary.”16 So,” said Alan, you really do sell love potions?”17 “If I did not sell love potions,” said tlie old man, reaching for anotlier bottle, “I should not have mentioned the other matter to you. It is only when one is in a position to oblige that one can afford to be so c

10、onfidential 18 “And these potions,w said Alan. “They are not just .just er ”19 Oh，no,” said the old man. uTheir effects are permanent, and extend far beyond the mere casual impulse. But tliey include it. Oh，yes they include it. Bountifully, insistently Everlastingly.”20 “Dear me!” said Alan, attempt

11、ing a look of scientific detachment. “How very interesting !w21 But consider the spiritual side,” said tlie old man.22 I do, indeed, said Alan.23 uFor indifference/ said tlie old man, “they substitute devotion. For scorn, adoration. Give one tiny measure of tliis to the young lady its flavour is imp

12、erceptible in orange juice, soup, or cocktails and however gay and giddy she is, she will change altogether She will want nothing but solitude and you.”24 T can hardly believe it,” said Alan. She is so fond of parties.”25 She will not like them anymoTe,” said tlie old man. She will be afraid of the

13、pretty girls you may meet.”26 She will actually be jealous?” cried Alan in a rapture. Of me?27 “Yes, she will want to be everything to you.”28 She is, already Only she doesnt care about it.”29 She will, when she has taken this. She will care intensely You will be her sole interest in life.”30 “Wonde

14、rful!” cried Alan.31 She will want to know all you do/ said tlie old man. All that has happened to you during tlie day. Every word of it. She will want to know what you are tliinking about, why you sniile suddenly, why you are looking sad.”32 “That is love! cried Alan.33 “Yessaid the old man. How ca

15、refully she will look after you! She will never allow you to be tired, to sit in a draught, to neglect your food. If you are an hour late，she will be terrified She will think you are killed, or that some siren has caught you.”34 al can hardly imagine Diana like that!” cried Alan, overwhelmed with jo

16、y35 You will not have to use your imagination，” said the old man. And, by the way, since there are always sirens, if by any chance you should, later on, sEp a little, you need not worry. She will forgive you, in the end. She will be terribly hull, of course, but she will forgive you in the end.”36 T

17、hat will not happensaid Alan fervently.37 Of course not，” said the old man. 4But, if it did, you need not worry. She would never divorce you. Oh, no! And, of course, she will never give you the least, the very least, grounds for uneasiness.”38 And how much： said Alan, is this wonderful mixture?”39 I

18、t is not as dear,” said the old man, as the glove-cleaner, or life-cleaner, as I sometimes call it. No. That is five thousand dollars, never a penny less One has to be older than you are, to indulge in that sort of thing. One has to save up for it.”40 But the love potion?” said Alan.41 Oh, that,” sa

19、id tlie old man, opening the drawer in the kitchen table, and taking out a tiny, rather dirtyr-looking phialThat is just a dollar.w42 al cant tell you how grateful I am/? said Alan, watching him fill it.43 I like to oblige/ said the old man. “Then customers come back, later in life, when they are be

20、tter off, and want more expensive things. Here you are. You will find it very effective.n44 Thank you again,” said Alan. Good-bye.”45 aAu revoir said the man.解酒水艾倫奧斯丁，緊得像只小貓，心里七上八下、忐忑不安的進(jìn)了裴爾街區(qū)的一個(gè)樓道， 黑乎乎的樓梯咯吱咯吱直響。他在昏暗的平臺(tái)上停了下來(lái)，仔細(xì)望了許久，才看到了那扇門， 門上那個(gè)模糊不淸的名字正是他要找的。按別人說(shuō)的，他推開(kāi)了門，門里面是一間很小的屋子，屋里幾乎沒(méi)什么家具，除了一餐 桌，

21、一把搖椅，還有一把普普通通的椅子。一面臟乎乎的暗黃色的墻上擱著兩個(gè)架子，架子 上列著十幾個(gè)瓶瓶罐罐。一位老人正坐在搖椅上，看著報(bào)紙。艾倫一言不發(fā)把別人給的那卡 片遞給了老人?！罢?qǐng)坐，艾倫先生，”老人禮貌地說(shuō)?！昂芨吲d認(rèn)識(shí)你?！薄笆钦娴膯?？ ”艾倫問(wèn)，“你真有那種藥嗎，有一嗯一很神奇效果的哪種藥嗎？ ”“我親愛(ài)的先生，”老人回答到，“我這兒的貨不是很多一瀉藥、長(zhǎng)牙藥我可沒(méi)有一不過(guò)， 我的東西雖不多，品種可也不少。而且我的這些藥，它的藥效，嚴(yán)格來(lái)說(shuō)，可沒(méi)一樣可以說(shuō) 是普普通通的。”“嗯，實(shí)際上.”艾倫開(kāi)口說(shuō)。“像這一瓶，”老人打斷艾倫，指著架子上的一瓶藥水說(shuō)，“這瓶藥水跟水一樣沒(méi)顏色， 也幾乎沒(méi)有

22、味道，摻在水，匍萄灑，或者其它飲料中很難被察覺(jué)。就算是進(jìn)行尸體解剖，就 現(xiàn)在所知的方法來(lái)說(shuō)，要發(fā)現(xiàn)也很難?！薄澳愕囊馑?，它是毒藥嗎？ ”艾倫驚恐的喊道。“你要是愿意，稱它手套淸除劑也可，”老人漠然回答，“也許它可以淸除掉手套，我沒(méi) 試過(guò)?；蛘叻Q它生命淸除劑也未嘗不可，生命有時(shí)也需要淸除，人類才能得以凈化。”“這東西我可一點(diǎn)都不想要，”艾倫說(shuō)?！安灰?，”老人說(shuō)，“你可知道這東西的價(jià)格？ 一茶匙的量，也夠用了，我賣五千美 元，絕對(duì)不能少，一分也不能少?！薄澳愕乃幉粫?huì)都這么貴吧，”艾倫憂心忡忡。“噢，親愛(ài)的，不全這么貴，”老人說(shuō)，“像這愛(ài)情水，如果我開(kāi)這么個(gè)價(jià)，那可不是個(gè) 好標(biāo)價(jià)。買愛(ài)情水的年輕

23、人很少有五千美元的，要不，他們也不會(huì)需要愛(ài)情水了?！薄奥?tīng)起來(lái)真是讓人高興，”艾倫說(shuō)?！拔疫@么想來(lái)著，”老人說(shuō)，“要是一樣?xùn)|西讓顧客滿意了，當(dāng)他需要其它東西時(shí)，就會(huì) 再回來(lái)，即便是更賢的貨物，只要是有必要，省吃儉用他也會(huì)湊足了錢來(lái)買的?！薄澳?，”艾倫說(shuō)，“你真有愛(ài)情水賣？”“沒(méi)愛(ài)情水，”老人說(shuō)，“我會(huì)跟你羅嗦那些嗎。一個(gè)人要是沒(méi)點(diǎn)能耐，別人怎會(huì)這么信 任他。”“那這些藥水，”艾倫說(shuō)，“他們不會(huì)只是一只是一嗯一”“哦，不會(huì)，”老人說(shuō)，“藥效會(huì)持久存在，服了這藥水，他的愛(ài)情之水將會(huì)綿綿不斷如 滔滔江水，偶爾心頭掠過(guò)的那愛(ài)的小浪花，只會(huì)是那其中的滄海一粟，當(dāng)然這種偶爾的愛(ài)的 浪花自然也有，哦，是，當(dāng)然

24、包括在。但他們會(huì)源源不斷，持之以恒，經(jīng)久不衰的?！薄芭叮炷?！ ”艾倫說(shuō)，竭力擺岀一副宜身之外的神態(tài)，“那真太有趣了！ ”“你再想想精神方而！ ”老人說(shuō)?！昂?，我會(huì)?！鞍瑐愓f(shuō)?！八龑?duì)你不會(huì)再漠不關(guān)心，”老人說(shuō)，“卻是忠心耿耿。也不會(huì)再吹毛求疵而是柔情蜜意。 年輕的姑娘只要吃過(guò)這么一小點(diǎn)兒愛(ài)情水摻在橙汁、湯汁或是雞尾酒中，絲亳聞不出味 道一-不管她之前多會(huì)尋歡作樂(lè)，吃過(guò)后，就會(huì)像變了個(gè)人似的。什么都不會(huì)想，什么都不 會(huì)要，只會(huì)想一個(gè)人跟你呆著。”“真讓人難以相信，”艾倫說(shuō)，“她可喜歡呼朋喚友了。”“以后她不會(huì)喜歡了，”老人說(shuō)，“她會(huì)擔(dān)心，你在聚會(huì)上會(huì)碰到漂亮姑娘?！薄八鏁?huì)嫉妒嗎？”艾倫欣喜若狂，“會(huì)為我嗎？”“會(huì)的，她會(huì)希望