（听读三幽灵中的第二位）

★ 第6章 ★

The spirit did not stay long here but told Scrooge to hold his robe again.

幽灵没有在这久留，它让斯克罗吉再一次地抓住它的袍子。

'Where are we going? Not up in the air, surely!'

“我们要去哪儿? 当然不会是去天上吧!”

And Scrooge, terribly frightened, looked down as they flew over the land and then over the sea.

斯克罗吉吓得要命，当他们飞过田野然后又飞过海洋的时候，他朝下看着。

It was stormy, windy weather, and the waves crashed violently underneath them.

风雨交加，海浪在他们下面咆哮。

The spirit took Scrooge to a lighthouse built on a lonely rock, several miles from land.

幽灵带着斯克罗吉来到了一座建在一块孤零零的礁石上的灯塔上，礁石距陆地有数英里之遥。

A light was kept burning at the top, in order to warn sailors to keep away from the dangerous rocks.

灯塔顶上有一盏灯一直亮着，为的是提醒水手们远离那些危险的岩石。

Two men lived here in this cold, unfriendly place, far away from their families, but the spirit smiled to see them shake hands, wish each other a merry Christmas, and sing a carol together in front of their fire.

在这个冰冷荒凉的地方住着两个男人，他们远离自己的家人，但当幽灵看见他们握手，彼此祝福圣诞快乐并一起在炉火前唱着颂歌时，它笑了。

Again the spirit and Scrooge flew on, and together they landed on a ship in the middle of the sea.

幽灵和斯克罗吉继续向前飞，他们又都同时落在了大海中央的一条船上。

Here every man, although many miles from home, had a kind word for his friend or thought warmly of his family because it was Christmas.

在这儿，虽然离家甚远，但每个人都向朋友说了一句祝福的话，或者向自己的家人给以温馨的祝福，因为今天是圣诞节。

It was a great surprise to Scrooge while listening to the noise of the wind and waves, to hear a happy laugh.

当斯克罗吉正听着风的吼叫和浪涛的汹涌时，他很吃惊地听到了笑声。

He recognized it as his nephew's, and found himself, with the smiling spirit beside him, in his nephew's bright, warm sitting-room.

他听出这是他外甥的笑声，他发现他和面带微笑的幽灵一起来到了他外甥明亮温暖的起居室。

When Scrooge's nephew laughed, everybody who was with him wanted to laugh too. He had that kind of laugh.

斯克罗吉的外甥笑着，和他在一起的人也都想笑，他的笑就具备这样的感染力。

And at the moment, his very pretty wife and several of his friends were laughing with him.

此刻，他漂亮的妻子和他的几个朋友和他一起在笑。

'He said that Christmas was humbug! Hahaha!' cried Scrooge's nephew.

“他说圣诞节是骗人的!哈哈哈!”斯克罗吉的外甥大声说。

'That's very bad of him, Fred!' said his wife.

“他真是太坏了，弗雷德!”他妻子说。

'He's a strange old man,' said Scrooge's nephew, 'but I'm sorry for him.

“他是一个怪老头，”斯克罗吉的外甥说，“但我很是为他感到难过。

His money is no use to him, you see. He isn't at all happy or comfortable, although he's rich.

你知道，他的钱没有给他带来什么，他既不幸福也不舒服，虽然他有钱。

It's sad to think of him sitting alone in his cold room. And so I'm going to invite him every Christmas.

想到他独自一人坐在他那冷飕飕的屋子里我心里就不是滋味，所以每个圣诞节我都将去邀请他。

He can be cross and miserable if be likes, but I'll go on inviting him and one day perhaps he'll think better of Christmas!'

他爱发脾气，那就发好了，但我会继续邀请他，也许终究有一天他对圣诞节的感觉会好起来的。”

After tea, the cheerful little group sang songs and played music.

下午茶后，这几个欢快的人唱歌并演奏音乐。

Scrooge recognized the song that his little sister used to sing, and remembered sadly what the ghost of Christmas Past had shown him.

斯克罗吉听出了他小妹妹过去常唱的那支歌，记起了“昔日圣诞”幽灵给他看过的东西。

Later the friends played guessing games, and Scrooge joined in the games with delight.

后来朋友们进行了猜谜游戏，斯克罗吉高兴地同他们一起猜。

Nobody except the spirit could hear him, but he often guessed the right answer.

只有幽灵能听见他说什么，但他请的答案大都正确。

'It's time to go now,' said the ghost, smiling at the old man's childish excitement.

“现在该走了，”鬼魂说，这个老头孩子般的兴奋劲儿使他觉得好笑。

'No, spirit, please, let me stay a little longer. Look, they're playing a new game!'

“不，幽灵，请让我再多呆一小会儿。看，他们又要做一个新游戏!”

It was a game called Yes and No, in which Scrooge's nephew had to think of something and the others had to ask questions to discover what it was.

这个游戏的名字叫‘是与否’，在这个游戏中斯克罗吉的外甥要想点什么事情，其余的人便可以问问题以便知道他想的是什么。

The only possible answers were Yes or No.

唯一可能的答案就是‘是和否’。

Scrooge heard that Fred was thinking of a living animal, a wild animal, sometimes an angry animal, which lived in London and walked in the streets.

斯克罗吉听见弗雷德在想一只活着的动物，一只野兽，有时是一只暴怒的动物，它生活在伦敦，走在大街上。

Every time he answered a question, Fred could not stop himself laughing.

他每回答一个问题，弗雷德就情不自禁地大笑。

At last, his wife's dark, pretty sister started laughing too.

最后他那长得黑黑的漂亮妻妹也开始笑了起来。

'I know what it is, Fred! I know!' she cried out. 'It's your uncle Scro-o-o-o-oge!'

“弗雷德，我知道它是什么!我知道!”她大声喊道。“它是你舅舅斯克罗——吉!”

Everyone laughed until they cried. What a wonderful game! What a clever idea of Fred's!

大家都笑得流出了眼泪。多么精彩的游戏啊!弗雷德的主意多妙啊!

But at last, Fred dried his eyes, and said, 'We've been very merry because of him, so I think we should drink to his health.

但最后弗雷德擦干了眼睛说道，“我们刚才很快活是因为他，所以我想我们应该为他的健康干杯。

Here's to Uncle Scrooge! A merry Christmas and a happy new year to the old man! UncleScrooge!'

这一杯是祝斯克罗吉舅舅的! 祝他老人家圣诞快乐、新年幸福!斯克罗吉舅舅!”

'To Uncle Scrooge!' they all cried, cheerfully lifting their glasses.

“祝福斯克罗吉舅舅!”他们异口同声地喊道，高兴地举起了酒杯。

Uncle Scrooge wanted to thank them, but the spirit hurried him away.

斯克罗吉舅舅想感谢他们，但幽灵催他立刻离开。

The ghost seemed much older now: his brown hair had become grey.

鬼魂现在看上去老了许多：它棕色的头发变成了灰白色。

'Are spirits' lives so short?' asked Scrooge.

“幽灵的生命如此短暂吗?”斯克罗吉问。

'My life in this world ends at midnight tonight. Listen! It's a quarter to midnight now!'

“我的生命在今天午夜时结束。听着，现在离午夜只差一刻钟了!”

The church clock was striking the three quarters.

教堂的钟正在敲响三刻的时辰。

'Excuse me for asking, spirit,' said Scrooge, 'but what are those strange things near your foot?'

“幽灵，请问，”斯克罗吉说，“你脚边是什么东西?”

'Oh man, look here!' said the spirit sadly, and brought out from under his robe two ghostly figures, a boy and a girl.

“噢! 伙计，看这个!”幽灵悲伤地说，并从他的长袍下掏出两个鬼魂似的塑像，一个男孩一个女孩。

They were thin and poorly dressed, with cold, mean eyes and dry, yellow skin, and their faces showed only frightening and murderous hate.

他们骨瘦如柴，破衣烂衫，目光冷漠犀利，皮肤干燥发黄，他们的脸上充满了可怕的、凶狠的仇恨表情。

Scrooge had never seen anything so terrible or so sad.

斯克罗吉从未见到过如此可怕、糟糕的场面。

'These miserable children are Man's,' said the spirit.

“这些悲惨的孩子属于人类，”幽灵说。

'The boy is Crime. The girl is Need. They will destroy Man if nothing is done about them.'

“男孩叫‘罪恶’，女孩叫‘需要’。如果不为他们做点什么的话，他们将毁掉人类。”

'Can't anyone help them?' cried, Scrooge.

“难道就没有人能帮助他们吗?”斯克罗吉高声问道。

'Are there no prisons?' said the spirit, turning on Scrooge for the last time with his own words. 'Are there no workhouses?'

“难道没有看守所吗?”幽灵说着斯克罗吉曾说过的话，最后一次把脸转向他。“难道没有济贫院吗?”

The clock struck twelve.

钟敲响了12点。

Scrooge looked, but could no longer see the ghost or the children. He was alone again.

斯克罗吉看着，但他再也看不到幽灵和孩子们了。又剩下他一人了。

《圣诞颂歌》是1843年查尔斯·狄更斯创作的小说，该小说是查尔斯·狄更斯三部圣诞小说之一。

该小说主要讲的是一个吝啬鬼的故事。一个吝啬鬼积攒了很多钱，然而他却不舍得为职员的炉火加一块儿煤，他的侄子好意的邀请他参加圣诞夜的晚会，他却认为侄子是为了占他的便宜而推辞，社会活动者请他为穷人施舍一点圣诞的饭菜，也被他无情地断然拒绝。他晚上回到了家，夜幕里他看见了一张鬼脸，这真的是鬼?还是他的幻像?然而，鬼的出现却使他发生了天翻地覆的变化。

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