第62章 老路灯 The Old Street Lamp（2/2）

“这是一份了不起的礼物，” 它说，“明亮的星星一直是我的快乐源泉，它们总是比我能发出的光亮更加耀眼，尽管我已经竭尽全力去发光了；现在它们注意到了我，一盏可怜的老路灯，还送了我一份礼物，这礼物能让我清楚地看到我所记得的一切，就好像那些事情还摆在我面前一样，而且还能让所有爱我的人都看到我。”

“this is a glift,” said he; “the bright stars have always been a joy to , and have always shone ore brilliantly than I ever uld shihough I have tried with y whole ight; and now they have noticed , a poor old p, and have senta gift that will eo see clearly everythg that I reber, as if it still stood before , and to be seen by all those who love .

而这其中蕴含着最真实的快乐，因为无法与他人分享的快乐只能算享受了一半。

And hereihe truest pleasure, for joy which we ot share with others is only half enjoyed.”

“这种想法值得赞赏，” 风说，“但为此需要点上蜡烛。如果不在你里面点上蜡烛，你那些独特的能力根本无法给别人带来丝毫益处。星星们可没想到这一点；它们以为你和其他所有的灯都得是蜡烛才行：不过我现在得走了。” 于是它便歇息去了。

“that se does you honor,” said the d; “but for this purpose wax lights will be necessary. If these are not lightedyou, your particur faculties will not be othersthe least. the stars have not thought of this; they suppose that you and every ht t be a wax taper: but I t go down now.” So he id hiself to rest.

“蜡烛，真是的！” 路灯说，“我从来就没有过蜡烛，而且看样子也不太可能会有。要是我能确定不会被熔化掉就好了！”

“wax tapers, deed!” said the p, “I have never yet had these, nor is it likely I ever shall. If I uld only be sure of not beied down!”

第二天。嗯，或许我们最好还是跳过第二天吧。

theday. well, perhaps we had better pass over theday.

夜幕降临了，路灯躺在一把老式扶手椅里，猜猜在哪儿！哦，在那个老守夜人的家里。

the eveng had e, and the p was restga grandfather’s chair, and guess where! why, at the old wat’s hoe.

他请求市长和市政当局看在他长期忠实服务的份上，允许他留下这盏路灯，因为二十四年前他刚开始履行职责的那天，就是他亲手把路灯挂起来并点亮的。

he had begged, as a favor, that the ayor and rporation would allow hi to keep the street p,sideration of his long and faithful service, as he had hiself hung it up and lit it on the day he first nced his duties, four-ay years ago.

他几乎把它当作自己的孩子；他没有孩子，所以路灯就给了他。

he looked upon it alost as his own child; he had no children, so the p was taken to hi.

它就躺在靠近温暖炉火的那把大扶手椅里。它似乎变大了些，因为看上去它把椅子都填满了。

It seed alost as if it had grer, for it appeared quite to fill the chair.

这对老夫妻坐在那儿吃晚餐，友好地看了看那盏老路灯，他们本很乐意让它在餐桌旁也有个位置的。

the old people sat at their supper, castg friendly g the old p, who they would willgly have aditted to a pce at the table.

确实，他们住在一个地下两码深的地窖里，得穿过一条石头通道才能进到屋里，但屋里温暖舒适，门的四周还钉上了布条。

It is quite true that they dwelta celr, o yards deepthe earth, and they had to cross a stone passage to get to their roo, but with it was war and fortable and strips of list had been nailed round the door.

床和小窗户都挂着窗帘，一切看起来都干净整洁。

the bed and the little dow had curtas, and everythg lookeda.

窗台上摆着两个奇特的花盆，是一个叫克里斯蒂安的水手从东印度群岛或西印度群岛带回来的。

on the dow seat stood o curio flower-pots which a sailor, nad christian, had brought over fro the East or west Indies.

它们是陶制的，形状是两头大象，背部敞开；它们是空心的，里面装满了土，花朵就从敞开的地方绽放出来。

they were of cy, andthe for of o elephants, with open backs; they were hollow and filled with earth, and through the open space flowers blood.

其中一个花盆里种着一些非常好的细香葱或韭菜；这就算是他们的菜园子了。

In one grew so very fe chives or leeks; this was the kit garden.

另一个种着一株漂亮天竺葵的大象花盆，他们称之为花园。

the other elephant, which taed a beautiful geraniu, they called their frden.

墙上挂着一幅大幅彩色版画，画的是维也纳会议，所有的国王和皇帝都在上面。

on the wall hung a rge lored prt, representg the gress of Vienna, and all the kgs and eperors at once.

墙上还挂着一个带重锤的钟，它 “滴答、滴答” 地走着，走得挺稳；但它总是走得太快了些，不过老两口说，这总比走得太慢要好。

A clock, with heavy weights, hung on the wall a “tick, tick,” steadily enough; yet it was always rather too fast, which, however, the old people said was better thaoo slow.

他们正在吃晚餐，而正如我们所听到的，那盏老路灯就躺在炉火旁的那把老式扶手椅里。

they were g their supper, while the old street p, as we have heard, ythe grandfather’s ar-chair he stove.

在路灯看来，仿佛整个世界都颠倒过来了；但过了一会儿，老守夜人看了看路灯，说起了他们俩一起经历过的种种 —— 在雨中，在雾里；在夏日短暂而明亮的夜晚，或是在漫长的冬夜里，冒着纷飞的暴风雪，那时他是多么渴望能回到地窖里的家中。

It seed to the p as if the whole world had turned round; but after a while the old wat looked at the p, and spoke of what they had both gh together, —ra andfog; durg the short bright nights of sur, orthe long ter nights, through the driftg snow-stors, when he loo be at hothe celr.

这时路灯感觉一切又都恢复正常了。

then the p felt it was all at once right aga.

他把发生过的一切都看得清清楚楚，就好像那些事正在他眼前发生一样。

he saw everythg that had happened quite clearly, as if it were passg before hi.

无疑，风送给了他一份极好的礼物。

Surely the d had given hi an excellent gift.

这对老夫妻非常勤劳能干，他们连一个小时都不曾空闲过。

the old people were very active and dtrio, they were never idle for even a sgle hour.

在星期天下午，他们会拿出一些书来，通常是一本他们非常喜欢的游记。

on Sunday afternoons they would brg out so books, generally a book of travels which they were very fond of.

老人会大声朗读关于非洲的内容，讲那里的大片森林和野生大象，而他的妻子则会专心地听着，不时偷偷地看一眼当作花盆的陶制大象。

the old an would read aloud about Africa, with its great forests and the wild elephants, while his wife would listen attentively, stealg a gnow and then at the cy elephants, which served as flower-pots.

“我几乎能想象自己看到了这一切。” 她说；这时路灯多么希望自己里面能点上一支蜡烛啊，因为那样的话，老妇人就能像他自己一样清楚地看到最微小的细节了。

“Ialost iage I a seeg it all,” she said; and then how the p wished for a wax taper to be lightedhi, for then the old woan would have seen the sallest detail as clearly as he did hiself.

那些高大的树木，树枝密密麻麻地缠绕在一起，赤身裸体的黑人骑在马上，成群的大象用它们又宽又重的脚踩踏竹林。

the lofty trees, with their thickly ened brahe naked negroes on horseback, and whole herds of elephants treadg down baboo thickets with their broad, heavy feet.

“我拥有这些能力又有什么用呢，” 老路灯叹了口气说，“我弄不到蜡烛啊；这儿只有油和动物油脂，这些可不行。”

“what is the e of all y capabilities,” sighed the old p, “when I ot obta any wax lights; they have only oil and tallow here, and these will not do.”

有一天，一大堆蜡烛头被弄到了地窖里。

one day a great heap of wax-dle ends found their way to the celr.

大一点的蜡烛头被点着了，小一点的老妇人留着用来给线打蜡。

the rger pieces were burnt, and the saller ohe old woa for waxihread.

所以现在蜡烛是够了，但谁也没想到要往路灯里放一小截。

So there were now dles enough, but it never ourred to any oo put a little pie the p.

“我现在拥有这非凡的能力，” 路灯想，“我内在有这些本事，可我没法和别人分享；他们不知道我能把这些白墙变成漂亮的挂毯，或者把它们变成壮丽的森林，或者，实际上，变成他们想要的任何其他东西。”

“here I a now with y rare powers,” thought the p, “I have faculties with , but I ot share the; they do not know that I uld ver these white walls with beautiful tapestry, e the to noble forests, or, io anythg else they ight wish for.”

然而，路灯一直被擦得干干净净，放在一个角落里闪闪发亮，吸引着所有人的目光。

the p, however, was always keptand shga er where it attracted all eyes.

陌生人把它看成是没用的杂物，但老两口不在乎；他们喜欢这路灯。

Strangers looked upon it as ber, but the old people did not care for that; they loved the p.

有一天 —— 那天是守夜人的生日 —— 老妇人面带微笑地走近路灯，说道：“今天我要搞个灯火通明的庆祝活动，来为我的老头子庆祝生日。”

one day — it was the wat’s birthday — the old proached the p, silg to herself, and said, “I will have an ilation to-dayhonor of y old an.”

路灯在它的金属框架里哐当作响，因为它想：“这下我终于要在里面点上蜡烛了。” 但最后并没有往路灯里放蜡烛，还是像往常一样加的油。

And the p rattledhis tal fra, for he thought, “Now at st I shall have a light with ,” but after all no wax light cedthe p, but oil as ual.

路灯亮了一整晚，也开始太清楚地意识到，星星送给他的这份礼物这辈子都要成为一件隐藏的宝贝了。

the p burhrough the whole eveng, and began to perceive too clearly that the gift of the stars would rea a hidden treasure all his life.

然后它做了个梦；因为对于拥有它这种能力的路灯来说，做梦并不是难事。

then he had a drea; for, to oh his faculties, dreag was no difficulty.

在他的梦里，老两口似乎已经去世了，而他自己则被送到了铸铁厂准备被熔化掉。

It appeared to hi that the old people were dead, and that he had been taken to the iron foundry to be lted down.

这让他感到的焦虑，丝毫不亚于那天他被叫去市政厅在市长和市议会面前接受检查的时候。

It caed hi quite as uxiety as on the day when he had been called upon to appear before the ayor and the cil at the town-hall.

虽说他已经被赋予了想生锈就生锈、直至腐朽的能力，但他并没有使用这项能力。

but though he had been endowed with the power of fallg to decay fro rt when he pleased, he did not ake e of it.

于是，他被放进了熔炉，被改造成了一个你所能想象到的最雅致的铁制烛台，就是那种用来插蜡烛的烛台。

he was therefore put to the ltg-furnad ged to as elegant an iroick as you uld wish to see, oeo hold a wax taper.

这个烛台的形状是一个手持花束的天使，蜡烛就插在花束的中央。

the dlestied.

它要被摆放在一张绿色的写字台上，放在一个非常舒适的房间里；房间里到处散落着许多书籍，墙上挂着精美的画作。

It was to stand on a green writg table,a very pleasant roo; any books were scattered about, and splendid patgs hung on the walls.

房间的主人是一位诗人，也是一个有才智的人；他所思所想、所写所着的一切都呈现在他周围的景象之中。

the owner of the roo was a诗人, and a an of tellect; everythihought or wrote ictured around hi.

大自然有时在黑暗的森林里向他展现自己，有时在欢快的草地上，那里有鹳在昂首阔步，或者在一艘航行在波涛汹涌的大海上的船的甲板上，头顶是湛蓝的天空，又或者在夜晚闪烁的群星之下。

Nature showed herself to hi sotisthe dark forests, at otherscheerful adows where the storks were struttg about, or on the deck of a ship sailg across the foag sea with the clear, be sky above, or at night the glitterg stars.

“我拥有多么强大的能力啊！”路灯从梦中醒来后说道，“我几乎都希望自己被熔化掉了；但不行，在老两口还活着的时候可不能这样。

“owers I possess!” said the p, awakg fro his drea; “I uld alost wish to be lted down; but no, that t not be while the old people live.

他们仅仅因为我本身而喜爱我，他们把我擦得亮亮的，还给我加油。

they lovefor yself alohey keepbright, and supplywith oil.

我过得和他们那么喜爱的那幅维也纳会议的画一样好。”

I a as well off as the picture of the gress,which they take so uch pleasure.”

从那时起，它心里就踏实了，而像这样一盏可敬的老路灯，确实也理应如此。

And fro that ti he felt at resthiself, and not ore so than su honorable old p really deserved to be.