雙語小說連載:《董貝父子》第8章 Part 18

'Floy,' he said one day, 'where's India, where that boy's friends live?'
“弗洛伊，”有一天他說道，“那個男孩的親友們所住的印度在什麼地方？”
'Oh, it's a long, long distance off,' said Florence, raising her eyes from her work.
“啊，離開這裏很遠很遠，”弗洛倫斯從針線活中擡起眼睛，說道。
'Weeks off?' asked Paul.
“要走好幾個星期嗎？”保羅問道。
'Yes dear. Many weeks' journey, night and day.'
“是的，親愛的。日夜趕路，也需要好多個星期的路程。”
'If you were in India, Floy,' said Paul, after being silent for a minute, 'I should - what is it that Mama did? I forget.'
“如果你在印度的話，弗洛伊，”保羅沉默了一分鐘之後，說道，“那麼我就會——媽媽是怎麼的？我記不得了。”
'Loved me!' answered Florence.
“愛我！”弗洛倫斯回答道。
'No, no. Don't I love you now, Floy? What is it? - died. in you were in India, I should die, Floy.'
“不，不。我現在不是愛你嗎，弗洛伊？那叫什麼來着？——死去。如果你在印度的話，那麼我就會死去，弗洛伊。”
She hurriedly put her work aside, and laid her head down on his pillow, caressing him. And so would she, she said, if he were there. He would be better soon.
她急忙把活計拋開，把頭伏在他的枕頭上，愛撫着他。她說，如果他在那裏，那麼她也會死去的，又說他很快就會好起來的。
'Oh! I am a great deal better now!' he answered. 'I don't mean that. I mean that I should die of being so sorry and so lonely, Floy!'
“啊，我現在好多啦！”他回答道。“我不是那個意思。我的意思是說，我會因爲十分悲傷十分孤獨而死去的，弗洛伊！”
Another time, in the same place, he fell asleep, and slept quietly for a long time. Awaking suddenly, he listened, started up, and sat listening.
還有一次，在同一個地方，他睡着了，安安靜靜地睡了好久。突然間他醒來了；他聽着，驚跳起來，然後坐下來聽着。
Florence asked him what he thought he heard. 'I want to know what it says,' he answered, looking steadily in her face. 'The sea' Floy, what is it that it keeps on saying?'She told him that it was only the noise of the rolling waves.
“我想要了解它 說什麼，”他凝視着她的臉。“這海，弗洛伊，它一直在說着一些什麼話？”她告訴他，那只是滾滾流動的海浪的喧聲。
'Yes, yes,' he said. 'But I know that they are always saying something. Always the same thing. What place is over there?' He rose up, looking eagerly at the horizon.
“是的，是的，”他說道。“但是我知道它們老是在說着什麼事情。老是同一個事情。那一邊是什麼地方？”
She told him that there was another country opposite, but he said he didn't mean that: he meant further away - farther away!
他站起來，熱切地望着地平線。她告訴他，那對面是另一個國家；但是他說他不是那個意思，他是說在遠遠的那一邊，遠遠的那一邊！
Very often afterwards, in the midst of their talk, he would break off, to try to understand what it was that the waves were always saying; and would rise up in his couch to look towards that invisible region, far away.
從此以後，他時常在談話的中途，突然停止，設法瞭解這些海浪老是在說些什麼話，而且會在他的車子中站起來，眺望着那遙遠的望不見的地方。