Every one of these old people was over ninety. They were as shrivelled as prunes, and as bony as skeletons, and throughout the day, until Charlie made his appearance, they lay huddled in their one bed, two at either end, with nightcaps on to keep their heads warm, dozing the time away with nothing to do. But as soon as they heard the door opening, and heard Charlie’s voice saying, “Good evening, Grandpa Joe and Grandma Josephine, and Grandpa George and Grandma Georgina,” then all four of them would suddenly sit up, and their old wrinkled faces would light up with smiles of pleasure — and the talking would begin. For they loved this little boy. He was the only bright thing in their lives, and his evening visits were something that they looked forward to all day long. Often, Charlie’s mother and father would come in as well, and stand by the door, listening to the stories that the old people told; and thus, for perhaps half an hour every night, this room would become a happy place, and the whole family would forget that it was hungry and poor.
这四位老人家都已年过九十。他们皱缩得像李子干，皮包骨头像骷髅。整整一天，在查理来看望他们以前，他们都挤在同一张床上躺着，两个一头，头上戴着睡帽保暖，无事可做，打着盹消磨时间。但是一听到门响，听到查理的声音——“你们好，约瑟夫爷爷，约瑟芬奶奶，乔治姥爷，乔治娜姥姥”，他们四个一下子全都坐起来，布满皱纹的老脸便露出快活的微笑，便亮堂起来，谈话也就开始了，因为他们非常爱这个小孩子。他是老人家生命中唯一的光明，他们整天等的就是他晚上来看他们。查理的妈妈和爸爸也常常进来，站在门边听老人家讲故事。这样，每天晚上约有半个小时，这个房间成为一个快乐的地方，全家人忘掉了饥饿和贫困。
In the evenings, after he had finished his supper of watery cabbage soup, Charlie always went into the room of his four grandparents to listen to their stories, and then afterwards to say good night.
每天晚上，查理吃完他那顿清汤寡水的卷心菜汤晚餐以后，总是走进四位老人家的房间去听他们讲故事，然后才道过晚安离开。
“I knew he was famous, Grandpa Joe, and I knew he was very clever…”
“我也知道他很有名，约瑟夫爷爷，我也知道他很聪明…”
“True?” cried all four of them at once. “Of course it’s true! Good heavens, didn’t you know that? It’s about fifty times as big as any other!”
“真的？”四位老人家同时叫起来，“当然是真的！天哪，这件事你还不知道吗？它大约是任何一家巧克力工厂的五十倍那么大！”
“And is Mr Willy Wonka really the cleverest chocolate maker in the world?”
“那么，威利·旺卡先生真的是世界上最聪明的巧克力制造商吗？”
One evening, when Charlie went in to see his grandparents, he said to them, “Is it really true that Wonka’s Chocolate Factory is the biggest in the world?”
一天晚上，当查理进来看望祖父、祖母和外祖父、外祖母的时候，他对他们说：“旺卡巧克力工厂是世界上最大的巧克力工厂，这是真的吗？”
“My dear boy,” said Grandpa Joe, raising himself up a little higher on his pillow, “Mr Willy Wonka is the most amazing, the most fantastic, the most extraordinary chocolate maker the world has ever seen! I thought everybody knew that!”
“我亲爱的孩子，”约瑟夫爷爷从他的枕头上抬起一点儿身子说，“威利·旺卡先生是世界上有过的最惊人、最不可思议、最非凡的巧克力制造商！我还以为这件事人人都知道呢！”
And Grandpa Joe said, “You mean to say I’ve never told you about Mr Willy Wonka and his factory?”
约瑟夫爷爷又说：“你是说，威利·旺卡先生和他那家工厂的事，我从来没有告诉过你？”
The other three old people nodded their heads slowly up and down, and said, “Absolutely true. Just as true as can be.”
另外三位老人家慢慢把头一上一下地点着说：“绝对是真的，真是千真万确。”
“Clever!” cried the old man. “He’s more than that! He’s a magician with chocolate! He can make anything — anything he wants! Isn’t that a fact, my dears?”
“聪明！”那老人家叫道，“他岂止聪明，他是一位制造巧克力的魔术师！他能制造任何东西——他要什么就能制造什么！这不是事实吗，我亲爱的太太和亲家们？”
“Never,” answered little Charlie.
“从来没有。”小查理回答说。
“Good heavens above! I don’t know what’s the matter with me!”
“天哪！我不知道我这是怎么啦！”
“I certainly will. Sit down beside me on the bed, my dear, and listen carefully.”
“我当然要告诉你。坐到我的床边来吧！我亲爱的，好好听着。”
“Will you tell me now, Grandpa Joe, please?”
“那么请你现在告诉我好吗，约瑟夫爷爷？”
Grandpa Joe was the oldest of the four grandparents. He was ninety-six and a half, and that is just about as old as anybody can be. Like all extremely old people, he was delicate and weak, and throughout the day he spoke very little. But in the evenings, when Charlie, his beloved grandson, was in the room, he seemed in some marvellous way to grow quite young again. All his tiredness fell away from him, and he became as eager and excited as a young boy.
约瑟夫爷爷是四位老人家中最老的一位。他已经九十六岁半，一般人大概就只能活那么老。和所有极老的人一样，他很虚弱，整天不说什么。但到晚上，当他心爱的孙子查理到房间里来时，他好像奇迹般地又变得十分年轻。他的虚弱样子一下子消失得无影无踪，变得像个小孩子一样又起劲又兴奋。
“Oh, what a man he is, this Mr Willy Wonka!” cried Grandpa Joe. “Did you know, for example, that he has himself invented more than two hundred new kinds of chocolate bars, each with a different centre, each far sweeter and creamier and more delicious than anything the other chocolate factories can make!”
“噢，这位威利·旺卡先生是怎么个人啊！”约瑟夫爷爷叫道，“比方说，你知道吗？他一个人就发明了两百多种新的巧克力糖，各有不同的夹心，比任何一家巧克力工厂的巧克力糖都要甜得多，奶油味浓得多，好吃得多！”
“Perfectly true!” cried Grandma Josephine. “And he sends them to all the four corners of the earth! Isn’t that so, Grandpa Joe?”
“一点儿不假！”约瑟芬奶奶叫道，“他把它们销售到地球的每一个角落！不是这样吗，约瑟夫爷爷？”
“Quite right!” the others agreed, nodding their heads. “Mr Wonka has done it.”
“一点儿不假！”另外几位老人家点头同意说，“威利·旺卡先生做到了。”
“It is, my dear, it is. And to all the kings and presidents of the world as well. But it isn’t only chocolate bars that he makes. Oh, dear me, no! He has some really fantastic inventions up his sleeve, Mr Willy Wonka has! Did you know that he’s invented a way of making chocolate ice cream so that it stays cold for hours and hours without being in the refrigerator? You can even leave it lying in the sun all morning on a hot day and it won’t go runny!”
“是的，我亲爱的，正是这样。威利·旺卡先生还把巧克力糖送给世界各国的国王和总统。不过他不止制造巧克力糖。噢，天哪，不是的！他还有一些真正异想天开的发明。这位威利·旺卡先生真有一套绝招！你知道吗？他发明了一种办法制造巧克力冰淇淋！这种冰淇淋不用放进冰箱，却可以许多许多个钟头保持冰冻。即使在大热天，你把它放在太阳底下一个上午也不会融化！”
“And then again,” Grandpa Joe went on speaking very slowly now so that Charlie wouldn’t miss a word, “Mr Willy Wonka can make marshmallows that taste of violets, and rich caramels that change colour every ten seconds as you suck them, and little feathery sweets that melt away deliriously the moment you put them between your lips. He can make chewing-gum that never loses its taste, and sugar balloons that you can blow up to enormous sizes before you pop them with a pin and gobble them up. And, by a most secret method, he can make lovely blue birds” eggs with black spots on them, and when you put one of these in your mouth, it gradually gets smaller and smaller until suddenly there is nothing left except a tiny little pink sugary baby bird sitting on the tip of your tongue.”
“还有，”约瑟夫爷爷现在很慢地说下去，因此查理一个字也不会听漏，“威利·旺卡先生能够做出有紫罗兰香味的软糖、舔下去每十秒钟变一次颜色的牛奶糖、进口就会甜津津地融化的棉花糖。他能够做出永不失去甜味的口香糖，只要不用针刺破、不用口咬破便可以吹得其大无比的泡泡糖。他还用最秘密的办法制造出带黑点的蓝色鸟蛋，你把这样一个蛋放到嘴里，它会愈变愈小，最后一下子，舌尖上只剩下一只很小很小的粉红色糖鸟。”
“But that’s impossible!” said little Charlie, staring at his grandfather.
“但那是不可能的！”小查理看着他的爷爷说。
“Of course it’s impossible!” cried Grandpa Joe. “It’s completely absurd! But Mr Willy Wonka has done it!”
“当然不可能！”约瑟夫爷爷叫道，“这简直是荒谬！但是威利·旺卡先生做到了！”
While they were talking, Mr and Mrs Bucket, Charlie’s mother and father, had come quietly into the room, and now both were standing just inside the door, listening.
在他们谈着说着的时候，查理的爸爸妈妈巴克特先生和巴克特太太已经悄悄地走进房间，这时候双双站在门边听着。
Grandpa Joe paused and ran the point of his tongue slowly over his lips. “It makes my mouth water just thinking about it,” he said.
约瑟夫爷爷停下来，舌尖在嘴唇上慢慢地舔动。“一想到这个就叫我要流口水。”他说。
“You mean Prince Pondicherry?” said Grandpa Joe, and he began chuckling with laughter.
“你说的是本地治里[1]王子吗？”约瑟夫爷爷说着，咯咯地笑起来。【注：[1]本地治里是印度的一个地名。】
“Tell Charlie about that crazy Indian prince,” said Grandma Josephine. “He’d like to hear that.”
“给查理讲讲那印度疯王子吧！”约瑟芬奶奶说，“他会喜欢听那个故事的。”
“Mine, too,” said little Charlie. “But please go on.”
“我也一样，”小查理说，“不过请你说下去吧！”
“What did he do?” asked Charlie eagerly.
“他做什么事啦？”查理急着问。
“Completely dotty!” said Grandpa George.
“他疯透了！”乔治姥爷说。
“Listen,” said Grandpa Joe, “and I’ll tell you.”
“听着！”约瑟夫爷爷说，“我来告诉你。”
“But very rich,” said Grandma Georgina.
“但是非常富有。”乔治娜姥姥说。
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