亨利·休格的神奇故事（2023）

每个像你一样的医生 用最专业的手法蒙住我的眼睛
Even doctors, like you, who blindfold me in the most expert fashion,
也拒绝相信有人不用眼睛也看得见
refuse to believe anyone can see without his eyes.
他们忘了还有别的方法 能把图像传输到大脑
They forget there are other ways of sending an image to the brain.
伊姆达德·可汗沉默了
Imdad Khan fell silent.
他累了
He was tired.
我问：“什么别的方法？”
"What other ways?" I asked.
其实老实说 我也不知道
Quite honestly, I do not know.
视力由身体的其他部分实现了
The seeing is done by another part of the body.
哪个部分？
Which part?
那天晚上我没有睡
That night I didn't go to bed.
这个男人会让科学家开心得翻筋斗
This man would have scientists turning somersaults in the air.
他肯定是世上最有价值的活人
He must be the most valuable man alive.
我必须从生物学、化学和魔法的角度 找到他是怎么做到的
I had to find out exactly how it was, biologically, chemically, magically,
如何不用眼睛也把图像传输到大脑
an image could be sent to the brain without using the eyes.
盲人或许能重见天日 聋人恢复听力 谁知道还有什么助益？
Blind people might be able to see. Deaf people to hear. Who knows what else?
我心想：“这个不可思议的人 不能被忽视”
"This incredible man must not be ignored," I thought.
那天晚上 我开始细致抄写 伊姆达德告诉我的一切
I started transcribing with care everything Imdad had told me that evening.
我一连写了五个小时都没停笔
I wrote for five hours without stopping.
到了第二天早上八点 我写完了最重要的部分
At eight o'clock the next morning, I finished the most important part:
就是你刚才读的那些
the pages you've just read.
一直到茶歇时 我才跟马歇尔医生碰面
I didn't see Dr. Marshall until we met for our tea-break.
我抓紧时间尽量都跟他说了
I told him what I could in the time we had.
我说：“今晚再去一趟剧院” 现在可不能没了他
"Back to the theater tonight," I said. Can't lose him now.
我跟你一起去
I'll come with you.
到了6点45分 我们开车去皇家大厅
At 6:45, we drove to the Royal Palace Hall.
我把车停好 我们向剧院走去
I parked the car, and we walked to the theater.
我说：“有点不对劲”
"There's something wrong," I said.
那里没有人群 大门都紧闭着
There was no crowd, and the doors were closed.
表演的宣传海报还在 但有人在上面用油漆写着…
The poster for the show was in place, but someone had printed across it…
“今晚的表演取消”
"Tonight's performance canceled."
我站在紧闭的门旁边 询问老看门人：“出什么事了？”
I asked an old gatekeeper by the locked doors: "What happened?"
有人死了
Someone died.
“谁？”
"Who?"
当然 我已经知道答案
Of course, I already knew.
那个不用眼睛也看得见的人
The man who sees without his eyes.
我喊道：“怎么会？”
"How?" I cried.
他睡着了之后就再也没醒来
He went to sleep and never woke up.
这种事情常有
These things happen.
我们慢慢走回车里
We walked slowly back to the car.
我感觉到排山倒海般的悲痛和愤怒
I felt an overwhelming sense of grief and anger.
我就不应该让他离开我的视线
I should never have allowed him out of my sight.
我应该把床让给他睡 照顾好他
I should've given him my bed, taken care of him.
伊姆达德·可汗创造了奇迹
Imdad Khan was a maker of miracles.
他跟神秘力量交流的能力远超常人
He'd communicated with mysterious forces far beyond the reach of ordinary people.
现在他死了
Now he was dead.
马歇尔医生说：“都结束了”
"That's that," Dr. Marshall said.
都结束了
That's that.
我说：“是的”
"Yes," I said.
“都结束了”
"That's that."
我两次见伊姆达德·可汗的全部内容
This is a true and accurate report of everything
都准确真实地记录在这里面
concerning my two meetings with Imdad Khan.
好嘛
Well, well, well.
这真是很有意思
Now that is extremely interesting.
这是绝妙的信息
This is a terrific piece of information.
这能改变我的人生
This could change my life.
亨利所说的这个信息
The piece of information Henry was referring to
就是指伊姆达德·可汗 训练自己从扑克牌的背面
was that Imdad Khan had trained himself to read the value of a playing-card
读出花色点数
from the reverse side,
如之前所说 作为不诚实的赌徒
and, being, as mentioned, a dishonest gambler,
亨利马上意识到 他可以大发横财
Henry realized at once, he could make a fortune.
他下楼来到配膳室
He went downstairs to the butler's pantry
要了蜡烛、烛台和尺子
and asked for a candle, a candlestick, and a ruler.
他回到自己的卧室 锁上房♥门
He took them to his bedroom, locked the door,
拉上窗帘 然后把灯关了
drew the curtains, and turned off the lights.
把蜡烛放在梳妆桌上 拉过一把椅子
Put the candle on the dressing-table. Pulled up a chair.
他注意到眼睛与烛芯是齐平的 他很满意
He noticed with satisfaction that his eyes were level with the wick.
他借助尺子 让脸距离蜡烛约40厘米
Using the ruler, he positioned his face 16 inches from the candle,
跟书里所说的一样
as indicated in the book.
伊姆达德·可汗 想着他最亲爱的人的脸
Imdad Khan had visualized the face of the person he loved best,
对他而言 就是过世的哥哥
which, in his case, was his deceased brother.
亨利没有兄弟
Henry didn't have a brother.
于是他决定想着自己的脸
He decided instead to visualize his own face.
亨利盯着火焰中♥央♥的黑色♥区♥域时
As Henry stared into the black area at the center of the flame,
不寻常的事情发生了
an extraordinary thing happened.
他的思维完全放空 大脑不再烦躁
His mind went absolutely blank, his brain ceased fidgeting,
突然 他感觉整个身体都被包裹住了
and all at once he felt as if his entire body had become encased,
温暖舒适
snug and cozy,
就在那个燃烧虚无的黑色小区域
within that little black area of burning nothingness.
诚然 这只持续了15秒钟
Admittedly, this lasted only 15 seconds.
之后 不管在哪里 或不管他在做什么
Then, no matter where, or what he was doing,
他都特别注意 每天要用蜡烛练习五次
he made a point of practicing with the candle five times a day.
这是头一次 让他全身心地投入一项爱好
For the very first time, he threw himself into something with genuine enthusiasm,
他取得的进步也非同凡响
and the progress he made was remarkable.
六个月后
After six months
他已经可以完全 专注于自己的脸长达三分钟
he could concentrate absolutely upon the image of his face for three minutes
不会混进丝毫别的思绪
without a single outside thought entering his mind.
亨利想：“就是我
"It's me," Henry thought.
我就是极为罕有的圣人
"I'm the one-in-a-billion with the ability
快速掌握了瑜伽之力！”
to acquire yoga powers at incredible speed!"
到了第一年末 他已经超过了五分半钟
By the end of the first year, he'd exceeded five and a half minutes.
那天终于到来了
The time had come.
（1959年9月16日）
在亨利伦敦家的客厅里 午夜
The living room of Henry's London flat. Midnight.
他因为兴奋而摇摆 因为他首次
He shakes with excitement as, for the first time,
把一叠扑克牌翻转放在前面
he places a deck of cards upside down before him
然后专注于顶部的纸牌
and concentrates on the top card.
最初他只看到牌背面普通的红线图案
All he sees initially is the ordinary design of thin red lines on the back,
或许这是世上最普通的扑克牌设计
perhaps the most common playing-card design in the world.
他现在把注意力转移到纸牌的另一面
He now shifts his concentration to the other side of the card.
他精神高度集中 专注于看不见的纸牌背面
He focuses with great intensity upon the invisible underneath of the card.
过了三十秒钟 一分钟、两分钟、三分钟
Thirty seconds elapse. One, two, three minutes.
亨利一动不动
Henry doesn't move a muscle.
他现在绝对练就了高水平的专注力
His now highly-developed concentration is absolute.
他想着纸牌的反面
He visualizes the reverse of the card.
头脑里决不能混入其他思绪
No other thought is permitted to enter his mind.
在第四分钟 有事情发生了
During the fourth minute, something starts to happen.
慢慢地 像魔法一样 但又很遥远
Slowly, magically, but distinctly,
黑色斑点变成了黑桃 扭曲潦草的字体变成了五
a black blob becomes a spade, a twisty squiggle becomes a five.
黑桃五
The five of spades.
他手指颤抖 拿起纸牌 翻了过来
Fingers quivering, he picks up the card and turns it over.
他说：“我成功了”
"I've done it," he says.
亨利对此入了迷
Henry becomes a fanatic.
除了买♥♥食物和酒 他再也不离开寓所半步
He never leaves his flat except to buy food and drink.
一整天 甚至熬到半夜
All day and often far into the night,
他俯身在纸牌上 拿着码表
he crouches over the cards with the stopwatch.
一秒一秒地缩短时间
Reducing his time, second by second.
一个月后 他用时一分半钟 六个月后 二十秒
In a month, he's at a minute and a half. Six months, 20 seconds.
又过了七个月 十秒整
Seven more months, ten seconds flat.
他的目标是五秒
His target is five.
他要在五秒内看透纸牌
Unless he can read through a card in five seconds,
否则在娱乐场里行不通
he won't work the casinos successfully.
不过距离他的目标越近 实现的难度就越大
Yet the nearer he gets to his target, the more difficult it becomes to reach it.
从十秒到九秒 用了四个礼拜
Four weeks to get from ten seconds to nine.
从九秒到八秒 又用了五个礼拜
Five more to get from nine to eight.
艰苦的工作再也难不倒他
Hard work no longer bothers him.
他可以连续工作12小时 毫无问题
He's able to work 12 hours straight, no trouble.
他很确定自己能达成目标
He knows with certainty he'll get there.
最后两秒是最难的 用了十一个月
The last two seconds are the hardest, 11 months.
但是在一个周六 接近傍晚
But late one Saturday afternoon…
五秒钟 亨利把整副牌过一遍 每张牌都要计时
Five seconds. Henry goes through the pack, timing himself with every card.
五秒