新喋喋人生

Alan Bennett's Talking Heads S01E10

Part 2 July 7, 2020, 10:18 a.m.

我还是去敲她的门看看她怎么样了
knock on her door, see how she was.
她住在蒙特街一栋双联房♥屋里
She lives in one of the double-fronted houses on The Mount,
门上有一个扇形灯和一个可爱的门环
original fanlight over the door and a lovely knocker,
还有手抓球肯定是在1820年后建的
hand grasping a ball, can't be later than 1820,
但是那幢房♥子应该是维多利亚时期风格的
though the house I'd have said was Victorian.
但是当然了灰泥可以掩盖很多罪恶
But of course it's stucco which can cover a multitude of sins,
我进去后才发现这是17世纪的
and once I get inside I realise it's 17th century
看起来完好无损
and seemingly never been touched.
我想得没错她情况很糟糕
And of course I'm right, she's not well,
她已经在床上躺了两周
she's been in bed a fortnight
是家庭护理员玛贝尔来开的门
and it's Mabel, the home help who answers the door.
我很了解玛贝尔
Now I know Mabel of old
因为她经常会过来
because she's been in from time to time with
卖♥♥点小东西
odd bits of stuff, little things.
一块银香醋一枚黑玉胸针勺子之类的
A silver vinaigrette, a jet brooch, spoons and whatnot,
都是些随便就能卖♥♥掉的东西
stuff I've found homes for straight away.
她显然是纽卡斯尔的
It's all from Newcastle, apparently,
她得把姨妈送进疗养院
where her aunt has had to go into a home.
玛贝尔带我上楼去看文崔斯小姐
Anyway, Mabel takes me upstairs to see Miss Ventriss,
她告诉我自己已经做了各种检测
who tells me she's had all sorts of tests
但他们还是不知道怎么回事
and they still don't know what's wrong.
这可能说明他们知道了
Which probably means they do.
那只瘦小的手
Thin little hand.
就像风干的树叶
Like dried leaves.
真是一场悲剧
It's tragic.
美观的床头柜上摆着烤好的馅饼
Lovely bedside table with piecrust moulding.
这时社区护士走了进来
District Nurse comes in while I'm there,
直接往上面放了一堆药瓶这简直是犯罪
plonks a bottle of medicine straight down on it. It's criminal.
我帮忙给她喂了点流食
I help give her some benger's food
但是她马上就吐了出来
only she fetches it straight back.
银勺子所以当她们给她清理的时候
The spoon's silver, so while they're cleaning her up
我看着上面的标志
I look at the hallmark.
布里斯托尔省大约1830年的
Provincial, Bristol, about 1830.
和玛贝尔带来的一样
Same sort that Mabel brought in.
我喜欢最后漂亮的点缀
I love a nice finish.
枫木红木
Maple, rosewood,
特别是胡桃木
walnut particularly.
我最受不了剥皮的松树
What I can't abide is stripped pine.
说实话我不明白那有什么意义
I don't see the point, quite frankly.
有些经销商就特别喜欢
And they're fanatics about it, some dealers.
不过
I mean still.
他们什么都喜欢剥皮
They'll strip anything.
在碱液罐里放上五分钟
Five minutes in the caustic tank
就把一百多年来的精心照料化为乌有
is one hundred years of loving care down the drain.
所有的特色都消失了
All the character gone.
我在文崔斯小姐家就在想这个
I was thinking about this at Miss Ventriss's
因为她家到处都抛光了
because there's polish everywhere.
核桃木的榆木的果木的
Walnut, elm, fruitwood.
简直就像一个首饰盒
It's like a jewel box.
我最近经常都会去那里
I've been popping round there on a regular basis lately,
让玛贝尔也能休息休息
just to relieve Mabel a bit
这可怜的老姑娘几乎都快神志不清了
because the old girl's scarcely conscious now,
半数时间都意识不到我的存在
doesn't know I'm there half the time.
我坐在床边听着钟表走动的声音
I sit by the bed with the clock ticking.
马车钟玳瑁贴面刻槽的
Carriage clock, tortoiseshell veneer, fluted,
大约是1750年的
about 1750.
让我想到了劳伦斯
Made me think of Lawrence.
很漂亮
Lovely.
当然了你总能找到些什么
Of course, everywhere you look there's something.
简直就像是50年代的房♥子
It's like houses used to be in the '50s,
几乎就像是一个博物馆
and most of it museum quality practically.
是她爷爷传下来的他是一个优秀的收藏家
It's from her grandfather, he was a great collector apparently.
我对玛贝尔说"这些东西会怎么样"
I said to Mabel, "What's going to happen to all this?"
她说她应该没有什么近亲
She said, well she didn't think there were any relations.
她在加拿大有一个侄女
There had been a niece in Canada
但是她好像死于一场空难了
but she had a feeling she was in an airline crash.
一开始我没法让她带我转转
I couldn't get her to take me round at first.
她说律师对她有严格的要求
She said she was under strict instructions from the solicitors.
我说"哪门子的律师"
I said, "What solicitors are those?"
她说"帕特森-碧迪和布朗律所的"
She said, "Paterson, Beatty and Brown."
我说"那没有问题
I said, "Well, there's no problem there.
我曾经高价向
I took a kneehole desk off
帕特森先生买♥♥了一张两头沉写字台"
"Mr Paterson and gave him a very good price."
她还是有点犹豫于是我说
She was still a bit reluctant so I said,
"玛贝尔我知道你一定要小心
"Mabel, I well understand you have to be careful.
小东西很容易会不见
"It's so easy for little things to go walkabout,
特别是老人家
"Particularly with old people.
那些小物件银器胸针
"Little things, silver, little brooches.
你明白那些东西吧"
"You know the sort of thing?"
她没有说话我继续说
She went a bit quiet so I said,
"我们从楼上开始吗"
"Shall we start with upstairs?"
真不敢相信
I couldn't believe it.
每个房♥间都像是一个藏宝库
Every room a treasure trove.
太了不起了
Amazing.
我边看玛贝尔边说
When I was going Mabel said,
"我会想办法给你弄一点"
"I'll try and steer some of it your way if I can."
我说"是啊大部分都能卖♥♥个好价钱
I said, "Yes, there'd be a nice little margin on most of this,
我们俩分都绰绰有余
"Even running to the two of us.
当然了假设是最糟糕的情况" 玛贝尔说"是的
"If the worst comes to the worst, of course." Mabel said, "Yes.
但是她今天看起来好多了
"Though she does seem a little better today.
晚饭吃了不少
"Kept more of her dinner down.
你要是看看她那件睡衣之下
"Still, you've only to look at her under that nightdress
几乎没有什么肉了"
"And there's nothing there."
我说"是啊
I said, "Yes.
那件睡衣是哪里来的"
"Where does that night dress come from?"
她说"应该是她祖母的纯手工做的
She said, "Her grandmother, I think. It's all hand done.
衣柜里有五六件呢
"There are half a dozen of them in the linen cupboard,
有些根本没穿过
"Some of them never worn.
太惨了"
"Tragic."
当然了鲨鱼们都来了
Of course the sharks are beginning to gather.
今天下午我坐在床边德里克敲响了大门
I'm sitting by the bed this afternoon and Derek knocks on the door
还带着西里尔做的干瘪蛋奶沙司
bearing one of Cyril's wizened egg custards.
玛贝尔不让他进门然后
Mabel wouldn't let him get his foot round the door, only then
南茜·巴纳德穿着那可怕的甜菜色休闲裤
Nancy Barnard rolls up in her terrible beetroot slacks,
带着她和费伊从巴拉圭沼泽搞的酊剂
says she and Fay swear by some tincture from the swamps
还发誓说这是从切姆斯福德买♥♥的
of Paraguay that she'd bought in Chelmsford,
要不要给她分一点
and should she get her some?
我对玛贝尔说"他们真是司马昭之心"
I said to Mabel, "They're so transparent."
文崔斯小姐睡着了于是我看了看她的床
Miss Ventriss is asleep, so I have a look at her bed.
是一件古董
It's a country piece.
应该是1830年左右的
About 1830 I'd have said,
上过漆很讨我喜欢
painted, which always gets my vote,
而且保存得很好
and in such good condition.
门铃又响了玛贝尔下楼时
The doorbell goes again so while Mabel's downstairs
我掀起床垫
I lift the mattress
油漆没有磨损的地方和新的一样
and where the paint isn't worn it's as good as new.
我把床单塞回去的时候
I'm just tucking the sheet back
看到她的小眼睛睁开了
and I see her little eyes are open
她看着我
and she's watching me.
我觉得她说"开心吧"
I think she said, "Happy?"
但是玛贝尔马上就进来了
Only Mabel came in just then.
当然了你不知道什么时候才是个头
Of course you can't tell when it gets to this stage,
那影响到了她的大脑
it goes to the brain.
那些访客律师
The visitors, the priest,
给她上油什么的
come to anoint her and whatnot.
只是保险
Just to be on the safe side,
医生说她随时都可能走
as the doctor says she could go any time.
我和玛贝尔就都交给他了
Mabel and I left him to it,
我们俩一起站在后院里
just stood respectfully in the background.
他用一块小绣花布盖住了圣杯
Had a little embroidered cloth that he covered the chalice with.