Chapter 4 Merrick’s First Home 4 麦里克的第一个家
We gave Merrick two rooms at the back of the hospital.
我们将医院后面的两个房间给了麦里克，
One room was a bathroom, so he could have a bath every day.
一间是浴室，供他每天洗澡。
Soon his skin was much better, and there was no horrible smell.
于是他的皮肤好多了，再也没有难闻的气味。
The second room had a bed, table, and chairs.
另一间里面有床、桌子和椅子。
I visited him every day, and talked to him.
我每天都去看他，陪他说话。
He loved reading, and talking about books.
他喜欢看书，也喜欢谈论书里的内容。
At first he did not know many books: the Bible, and one or two newspapers, that’s all.
起初，他并不知道多少书，只知道《圣经》和一两份报纸而已。
But I gave him some books of love stories, and he liked them very much.
后来我给了他几本爱情小说，他非常喜欢，
He read them again and again, and talked about them often.
读了一遍又一遍，并经常谈论其中的故事。
For him, the men and women in these books were alive, like you and me.
对他来说，书中的男女就像你我一样，都是活着的，
He was very happy.
他非常高兴。
But sometimes it was difficult for him.
对他来说，有时也很难。
At first, one or two people in the hospital laughed at Merrick because he was ugly.
开始时，医院里有一两个人嘲笑他，说他长得丑陋，
Sometimes, they brought their friends to look at him.
有时他们把自己的朋友带来参观他。
One day a new nurse came to the hospital, and nobody told her about Merrick.
有一天，一个护士新来到医院，没有人把麦里克的情况告诉她，
She took his food to his room, and opened the door.
她给麦里克送饭，当她打开门，
Then she saw him. She screamed, dropped the food on the floor, and ran out of the room.
见到他时，尖叫一声，将饭扔在地上跑了出去。
I was very angry with the nurse, and went to see Merrick.
我去看望麦里克，我很生这个护士的气。
He was not happy about it, but he was not very angry.
他对此事不高兴但没生气，
I think he felt sorry for the girl.
我想他感到自己对不起这个姑娘，
‘People don’t like looking at me. I know that, Dr Treves,’ he said.
他说：“人们不喜欢朝我看，我知道为什么，特里维斯博士。”
‘They usually laugh or scream.’
“他们经常对我嘲笑、尖叫。”
‘Well, I don’t want nurses to laugh at you, Joseph,’ I said angrily.
我气愤地说：“约瑟夫，我不希望护士们嘲笑你，
‘I want them to help you.’
我要她们来帮助你。”
‘Thank you, doctor,’ he said, in his strange slow voice.
“谢谢你，大夫。”他用奇怪的声音慢慢说着：
‘But it’s not important. Everyone laughs at me. I understand that.’
“每个人都在嘲笑我，我理解，这并不重要。”
I looked at him sadly.
我忧伤地看着他。
In his one good hand, his left hand, he had the little picture of his mother.
他的那只好手——左手——拿着一张他母亲的小照片，
He looked at the picture for a minute, and then put it by a flower on the table.
他仔细地看了一会儿，然后将照片放在桌上的一束花旁，
A tear ran out of his eye and down the skin of his enormous, ugly face.
一滴泪水顺着那张丑陋的大脸滚下来。
‘Dr Treves,’ he said, slowly.
“特里维斯博士，”他慢慢地说，
‘You and the nurses are very kind, and I’m very happy here.
“您和这些护士们都是非常善良的，我在这儿很幸福。
Thank you very much.
非常感谢您。
But…I know I can’t stay here long, and…I would like to live in a lighthouse, after the hospital, please.
可是……我知道我不能长期待在这儿，我想要住到医院后面的那座灯塔里。
A lighthouse, or a home for blind people.
一座灯塔或是一间供盲人住的房子，
I think those are the best places for me.’
我想那对我来说是最好的地方。”
‘What do you mean?’ I asked. ‘Why?’
我问：“你这是什么意思？为什么？”
He did not look at me.
他不看我，
He put the flower on the picture and looked at it carefully.
他把那束花放在那张照片上，仔细地看着。
‘Lighthouses have sea all round them, don’t they?’
他说：“灯塔四周是大海，对不对？
Nobody could look at me in a lighthouse, so I would be happy there.
在那里没有人朝我看，所以在那里我会幸福的。
And blind people can see nothing, so they couldn’t see me, could they?’
盲人什么也看不见，所以他们也看不见我，是不是？”
‘But Joseph,’ I said. ‘This is your home. You live here now.
我说：“约瑟夫，这就是你的家，现在你就住在这儿，
You aren’t going to leave the hospital.’
你不要离开医院。”
‘Not today, perhaps,’ he said. But soon. You are a kind man, Dr Treves.
他说：“不可能是今天，但很快。您是一个好人，特里维斯博士。
But I can’t stay here very long. I have no money.’
我不能在这儿呆很长时间，我没有钱。”
I smiled. ‘Joseph,’ I said. ‘This is your home now.
我笑着说：“约瑟夫，现在这儿就是你的家。
Don’t you understand? You can stay here all your life.’
你难道还不知道你可以在这儿呆一辈子吗？”
Very carefully, I told him about the letter to The Times, and the money.
于是我把如何为了他与《泰晤士报》联系的那封信及有关钱的来历详详细细地告诉了他。
I don’t think he understood at first, so I told him again.
开始我担心他不能理解此事，所以就又说了一遍。
He was very quiet for a minute.
他沉默了片刻，
Then he stood up, and walked up and down the room very quickly.
然后站起来在房间里很快地来回走动着，
A strange sound came from him, like laughing.
并发出一种奇怪的声音，像是在大笑。
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