《圣诞颂歌》第一章马利的鬼魂(1)（打印版）

1 Marley's ghost

1．马利的鬼魂

It is important to remember that Jacob Marley was dead. Did Scrooge know that? Of course he did.

要记住雅各布·马利已经死了，这可是件重要的事儿。斯克罗吉知道这个吗？他当然知道。

Scrooge and Marley had been partners in London for many years, and excellent men of business they were, too.

斯克罗吉和马利在伦敦曾是多年的合作伙伴，并且他们还都是精明的生意人。

When Marley died, Scrooge continued with the business alone.

当马利死的时候，斯克罗吉一个人继续操持着生意。

Both names still stood above the office door: Scrooge and Marley.

办公室门口的上方悬挂的依旧是两个人的名字：斯克罗吉和马利。

Sometimes people who were new to the business called Scrooge Scrooge, and sometimes Marley, but he answered to both names.

有时初次来这儿打交道的人们喊斯克罗吉斯克罗吉，有时喊马利，但两个名字他都应答。

He did not care what name they called him.

他不在乎别人叫他什么名字。

The only thing that mattered to him was the business, and making money.

对他来说唯一重要的事情是他的生意和赚钱。

Oh! He was a hard, clever, mean old man, Scrooge was!

噢！他是一个刻薄、精明、吝啬的老头儿，斯克罗吉的确是这样的！

There was nothing warm or open about him.

他没有丝毫热情，也从来不敞开心扉。

He lived a secretive, lonely life, and took no interest in other people at all.

他过着神秘、孤独的生活，对别人丝毫不感兴趣。

The cold inside him made his eyes red, and his thin lips blue, and his voice high and cross.

他内心的冷漠使他的眼睛呈红色，他的薄唇呈蓝色，他的嗓音既高又暴躁。

It put white frost on his old head, his eyebrows and his chin.

这使他的老脑壳、眉毛和下巴罩上了白色的冰霜。

The frost in his heart made the air around him cold, too.

他内心的冰雾使得他周围的空气都变得寒冷。

In the hottest days of summer his office was as cold as ice, and it was just as cold in winter.

在最炎热的夏日里他的办公室也很冰冷，就像冬天一样寒冷。

Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say, with a happy smile, 'My dear Scrooge, how are you? When will you come to see me?'

走在街上没有人截住他并面带幸福的微笑向他说，“我亲爱的斯克罗吉，你好吗？你什么时候来我这里坐坐？”

No poor man asked him for money, no children asked him the time, no man or woman ever, in all his life, asked him the way.

穷人没有向他讨过钱，孩子们没有向他问过时间。在他一生中，从没有任何人，无论男女，向他问过路。

Animals as well as people were afraid of him.

动物也和人一样都怕他。

Dogs used to hide in doorways when they saw him coming.

狗见到他来了就藏到门廊下。

But what did Scrooge care! It was just what he wanted.

但斯克罗吉在乎什么呢！这正是他梦寐以求的。

He liked being on the edge of people's busy lives, while warning everyone to keep away from him.

他喜欢处在人们繁忙生活的边缘，他警告所有的人都离他远点儿。