13 Happy Life at a Tavern 小客栈的乐趣
James Boswell 詹姆斯·鲍斯韦尔
We dined at an excellent inn at Chapelhouse(2), where Dr. Johnson expatiated on the felicity of England in its taverns and inns, and triumphed over(3) the French for not having, in any perfection, the tavern life. "There is no private house," said he, "in which people can enjoy themselves so well as at a capital tavern. Let there be ever so great plenty of good things(4), ever so much grandeur, ever so much elegance, ever so much desire that everybody should be easy, in the nature of things(5) it cannot be: there must always be some degree of care and anxiety. The master of the house is anxious to entertain his guests; the guests are anxious to be agreeable to him; and no man but a very impudent dog(6) indeed can as freely command what is in another’s house as if it were his own(7). Whereas at a tavern there is a general freedom from anxiety. You are sure you are welcome; the more noise you make, the more trouble you give, the more good things you call for, the welcomer you are. No servants(8) will attend you with the alacrity which waiters(9) do, who are excited with the prospect of an immediate reward(10) in proportion as(11) they please. No, sir; there is nothing which has as yet been contrived by man, by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern or inn.
中文译文：
我们在查普尔壕斯一家极好的小客栈里吃饭，约翰逊博土在那儿详细叙述了英格兰的小客栈和小旅馆的妙处，并得意洋洋地指出法国人没有任何这等完美的小客栈生活。"任何私人住宅，"他说，"都不能使人们象在一家顶好的小客栈里那样舒适愉快。尽管那里好东西应有尽有，尽管屋宇是那样的宏伟，陈设是那样的雅致，尽管主人一心一意要让每个人都感到自由自在，而实标上这是不可能实现的．相反，那里总是有着某种程度的顾虑和急切的心情．屋主人要小心地招待客人，客人要留神地迎合主人．除了非常无礼的鲁莽家伙，决没有人在别人的屋于里会象在自己家里那样可以随心所欲，颐指气使。然而在小客栈里就根本没有这种顾虑了．在这里，你肯定是受欢迎的，你嗓门越大，你越添麻烦，你要的好东西越多，你就越受欢迎。没有一个仆人会象受到小费刺激的店倌那样殷勤地侍候你，因为店倌的侍候越中意，你给小费越慷慨。投有的，先生，在人类迄今所创造的一切事物中，投有什么能象一家优美的乡村小客栈或者小旅馆那样给人们提供那么多的乐趣。
英文注释：
(1)tavern： 英国乡村中供给酒莱的小客栈o
(2) Chapelhouse： 查普尔壕斯，英国伦敦附近的一个小村镇。
(3) triumphed over： 因胜过而表现欣喜。
(4) Let there be ever so…： 此句中Let表示假设。
(5) in the nature of things： 按照事物的性质，实际上。
(6) no man but a very impudent dog： 也可译作"除了真正不懂礼貌的畜生外，谁也不……"。a very impudent dog此处指极其无礼的鲁莽汉。
(7) as if it were his own： 行为方式状语，内含与事实相反的情况，所以动词用虚拟语气。
(8) servants： 此处指私人住宅(private house)里的仆人。
(9) waiters： 此处指tavern里的店倌。
(10) an immediate reward： 能立即到手的报酬，意即小费。 ．
(11)in proportion as：与……成比例。通常用in proportion to…，后面接从句时用as。这句的意思是他们所得的小费多少与他们取悦顾客的程度成正比 |