告别有情天

告别有情天
亲爱的史蒂文斯先生
Dear Mr. Stevens
过了这么久收到我的来信 可能让你很惊讶
You will be surprised to hear from me after all this time.
自从我听闻达林顿公爵死后
You’ve been in my thoughts
我就一直想起你
ever since I heard Lord Darlington had died.
我们听说他的继承人
We read in the Manchester Guardian
要把达林顿府邸拍卖♥♥
that his heirs put Darlington Hall up for sale
因为他们一点也不想保留这房♥子
because they no longer wished to maintain it.
报纸上也写道
The article went on to say that
既然没有人想买♥♥这样一座大宅邸
since there were no buyers for such a large house
于是新继承者决定把它拆解
the new earl decided to demolish it
以5000英镑的价格卖♥♥掉
and sell the stone to a local builder for 5000 pounds.
我也在每日邮报里看到一些
We also saw some rubbish in the Daily Mail
让我颇为愤慨的报道
which made my blood boil
反抗者的基地要被铲平了
Traitor’s nest to be pulled down.
180几尼
One hundred and eighty guineas?
180几尼 还有其他出价吗
One hundred and eighty? Have we done?
女士们 先生们 接下来是拍卖♥♥会的压轴
Ladies and gentlemen, a great highlight of the sale
414号♥拍卖♥♥品
Lot 414
一幅伊丽莎白时代的肖像画
the fine Elizabethan portrait
一个高贵的绅士
A Portly Gentleman.
起价是2000几尼
I’ll start the bidding at 2000 guineas.
2000几尼 谢谢出价
2000 guineas, thank you.
Two-two.
Two-four.
Two-six.
Two-eight.
3000 3200
Three thousand. Three-two.
3400 3600
Three-four. Three-six.
Three-eight.
4000 4500
4000 guineas. Four and a half thousand.
Five thousand.
And a half.
Six thousand.
And a half.
Seven thousand.
And a half.
Eight thousand.
And a half.
Nine thousand.
And a half.
1♥0♥0♥0♥0♥ guineas is bid.
And a half.
Eleven thousand.
And a half.
意下如何 先生 已经11500几尼了
Against you, sir, at eleven and a half thousand guineas.
11500几尼 成交
All done at eleven and a half thousand guineas.
我十分欣慰地得知
I was very relieved to read later how an American millionaire
一位叫刘易斯的美国富翁 拯救了达林顿府
named Lewis saved Darlington Hall
你就不用从那里搬走了
so that you wouldn’t be turned out of your home after all.
他是不是就是那个
Could him possibly be the same Congressman Lewis
1963年获得爵位的那个国会议员刘易斯
who attended His Lordship’s conference in 1936?
史蒂文斯先生 我经常回忆起那些往日的美好时光
Mr. Stevens, I so often think of the good old days
那时我还是达林顿府的管家
when I was the housekeeper at Darlington Hall.
工作很辛苦
It was certainly hard work.
我也知道 史蒂文斯先生您是一个不苟言笑的人
and I certainly have known butlers easier to please than our Mr. Stevens
但我依旧认为那些年是我一生中最快乐的时光
but those years with you were among the happiest of my life.
现在你肯定有一帮新的手下
You must have a completely different staff now.
那些老面孔应该都不在了
Not many of the old faces likely to be around anymore.
我一直觉得达林顿公爵雇的男仆太多
I don’t suppose there’s much need for the small army of footmen
没有太大必要
that Lord Darlington employed.
我最近也不是很顺
My own news is not very cheerful.
距离我上次给你写信的7年间
In the 7 years since I last wrote,
我又一次离开了我的丈夫
I have again left my husband
遗憾地告诉您 我的婚姻看起来是完了
and, sad to say, my marriage seems to be over.
我现在寄宿在克利夫顿的小旅馆那里
I’m staying at a friend’s boarding house in Clevedon.
我不知道未来会怎样
I don’t know what my future is.
自从我女儿 凯瑟琳去年结婚之后
Since Catherine, my daughter, got married last year
我的生活就变得很空洞
my life has been empty.
我眼前一片茫然 不知如何来填补我的生活
The years stretch before me and if only I knew how to fill them.
但我很想能再度工作
But I would like to be useful again.
-又烤焦了 -不好意思 先生
-Burned again? -Yes, I’m sorry, sir.
厨房♥里一直以来总是
The rule in the kitchen has always been
厨师专注于煮早餐 放任她的助手烤面包
cook cooks the cooked breakfast while her assistant toasts the toast.
为什么不给她添置一个面包机呢
Why don’t we get her a pop-up toaster?
我们不需要这种小东西
We need not a new gadget
而是需要一套新的人事方案
but a revised staff plan, sir.
人事方案 我们有吗
A staff plan, huh? I didn’t know we had one.
一套不怎么好的人事方案
A faulty one, unfortunately.
先生 最近
Sir, quite recently
您曾建议我应该休息一下
you were kind enough to suggest that I go on a little holiday
到处走走
take a trip around the country.
对极了 好好放松一下
Absolutely. Certainly, take a break. See the world.
谢谢先生
Thank you, sir.
你上一次出门走访世界是什么时候
When did you last see the world, Stevens? Tell me.
请允许我这样讲
In the past, the world always used to come to this house,
在过去 整个世界都会聚集到这房♥子来
if I may say so.
确实可以这么说
You may say so.
那么下周我去伦敦时 你就放个假吧
Well, you shall take off when I’m in London next week.
车子也借给你用
I tell you what, you take the car.
-那辆老戴姆勒 -先生 我不能接受
-Take the Daimler. -Good Lord, sir, I couldn’t.
你跟那辆车是天生一对 史蒂文斯
You and that Daimler belong together, Stevens.
你们为彼此而生
You were made for each other.
您真是太好了 先生
That’s most kind of you, I must say, sir. Most kind.
我想到西部去走走
I had intended to travel to the West country,
听说那里有不错的风景
where I understand we have splendid scenery.
也许我还能顺便去雇个人
And I might incidentally be able to
把眼前的人事问题解决掉
solve our stuff problems while I’m been that part of world.
前任的女管家 现在暂时住在克利夫顿
A former housekeeper, at present living in Clevedon, has indicated, Sir
她有意愿回来继续工作
that she might be prepared to return to service.
是你的女朋友
What’s this, your girlfriend?
还是余情未了
Or a former attachment?
不 先生
Oh, no, sir.
她是一个非常能干的女管家
No, but a very able housekeeper.
非常能干
A most able housekeeper.
我开玩笑的 史蒂文斯
I was just kidding, Stevens.
我很抱歉
Sorry.
知道我最喜欢英国报纸什么地方吗
You know what I like best about your papers?
这些讣告
These obituaries.
无论什么样的混♥蛋♥都能得到很体面的葬礼讣文
Every son of a gun gets this stately funeral oration.
-美国可没有这东西 -确实 先生
-It’s not an art we have in the States. -Indeed, sir.
谢谢 史蒂文斯
Thank you, Stevens.
刘易斯先生
Mr. Lewis.
亲爱的贝恩太太
Dear Mrs. Benn
我计划于10月3日下午4点左右到达克利夫顿
I propose to reach Clevedon on 3rd October around 4 p. m.
如果您能写封信到亨格福德邮局与我联♥系♥
I’d be grateful for a line from you
我将不胜感激
to reach me at the post office at Collingbourne, near Hungerford
我准备在那里稍作停留
where I’m planning to stop.
贝恩夫人 你一直有非常好的记忆力
Mrs. Benn, I always said you possess an amazing memory.
府邸的新主人确实是国会议员刘易斯
Our new employer is indeed Congressman Lewis
现在他已经从政♥治♥舞台退休了
though he’s now retired from political life in the U.S.
他现正住在达林顿府
He’s already taken up residence at Darlington Hall,
不久他的家人也会搬来
will soon be joined by his family.
我不得不说 对于这样一个大家庭
But I regret to say we are woefully understaffed
我们实在是人手不足
for a house this size.
贝恩夫人 下面这些话绝不是恭维
Mrs. Benn, will you permit me once again to sing your praises?
自从你因结婚而离开这里
Let me state that when you left to get married
没有任何一个女管家能做到你那样井井有条
no housekeeper ever reached your high standard in any department.
我还清晰记得你刚来达林顿府的时候
I well remember your first arrival in Darlington Hall.
你就这么出乎意料地来了
You came somewhat unexpectedly,
甚至可以说很贸然
one might even say impulsively
那天我们都在忙于查格洛夫镇的聚会
while we were dead in the middle of the Charlgrove meet.
那天还有一件事让我记忆犹新
That day is marked in my memory in another way as well.
那是最后一次公爵像以前一样
It was the last time His Lordship
热忱欢迎他的邻居们
was happy to welcome his neighbours, as in the old days.
当然是由于已经好多年
Of course, it had been years
他们没有来硬拉他去打猎的关系
since any of them had coaxed him to hunt.
这是公爵从来都不喜欢的运动
It was never a sport His Lordship enjoyed or approved of.
早上好 埃尔
Good morning, Ayres.
公爵 很高兴见到您
My lord, nice to see you.