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This Beautiful Fantastic

2018-03-07翻译思苇

疯狂英语·新悦读 2018年3期
关键词:贝拉花园

⊙ 翻译:思苇

Director Simon Aboud

Cast

Jessica Brown Find…Bella Brown Andrew Scott…Vernon

Tom Wilkinson…Alfie Stephenson Jeremy Irvine…Billy

Anna Chancellor…Bramble

Eileen Davies…Milly

听力难度

英式发音 适合泛听语速:100词/分钟

一言以蔽之,孤女贝拉是个怪人。

她满脑子奇思妙想,每天晚上都要写写画画,一心希望成为儿童书作家;她从小患有强迫症,总是穿着深色衣服出门,公寓里的一切必须井井有条;她在图书馆当管理员,每天的生活按部就班,一辈子最害怕的东西就是植物。

一天夜里,贝拉的草稿被狂风刮进了院子。她满怀恐惧地去捡稿子,一不小心摔倒了——清醒过来以后,她发现自己躺在邻居家的客厅沙发上。贝拉因此认识了脾气很坏的园艺老头阿尔菲,以及被阿尔菲整天呼来喝去的厨子弗农,还和同样喜欢异想天开的理工男比利坠入爱河。在周围众人的关怀之下,她从自己的封闭世界走了出来,向着更广阔的天地进发……

这是一部很适合在春天看的电影,有点文艺,有点小清新,让人不由想起当年的《天使爱美丽》——仿如一个略带奇幻色彩的现代童话,荒诞离奇、美不胜收,却也分外温暖动人。

1

弗农很感激贝拉的仗义帮忙,第二天一大早就带着两个女儿过来给贝拉做早饭。两个孩子去上学了,贝拉和弗农正要聊天,却发现花园里来了个不速之客……

Bella:Does their mum take them to school?

Vernon: No, my wife passed away, so…

Bella:The breakfast’s delicious. Thank you.

Vernon:Well, it’s a long time since I heard that. You’re welcome.

Bella:Your employer’s a1)bully. I don’t know why you put up with it.

Vernon:Well, you know, you get used to it, and it pays the rent. Is that him in the garden?

(In the garden)

Alfie:Aha.

Bella: Do you mind?

Alfie:You may have won the hearts of my2)slow-wittedstaff, but not me. I can’t forgive this. You have3)squanderedeverything nature has given you.

Bella:Why are you doing this to me?

Alfie:It’s something everyone must learn, Miss Brown. It’s called responsibility.4)Anathemato you, perhaps, but it’s an important part of the human condition. (to Vernon) And you,5)spudsfor brains, are late!

Vernon:No, I’m not!

Alfie:You are now. I cannot tolerate6)tardiness,so I won’t be paying you for today.

Vernon:I’ve had enough of this.

Alfie:What?

Vernon:I’m warning you, Alfie, one more word and you can7)shoveyour job, yeah?

Alfie: You’re fired.

Vernon:OK. Will that be my first verbal warning, then?

Alfie:You’re8)sacked, Vernon, end of story.

1) bully [΄bʊlɪ] n. 恶霸,横行霸道的人

2) slow-witted [΄sləʊ΄wɪtɪd] adj. 头脑迟钝的,笨的

3) squander [΄skwɒndə(r)] v. 挥霍,浪费

4) anathema [ə΄næθəmə] n. 诅咒,令人厌恶的事

5) spud [spʌd] n. <口>马铃薯,土豆

6) tardiness [΄tɑːdɪnɪs] n. 拖拉,迟到

7) shove [ʃʌv] v. <俚>让……见鬼去

8) sack [sæk] v. 开除,解雇

见招拆招见招拆招

地道表达:Do you mind?

我们对这个表达并不陌生,它通常表示“请你……好不好,倘若……你不见怪吧”,后面引出宾语从句,是一种客气地请求对方做某事,或者征求对方同意的礼貌用语。不过,do you mind本身其实还有另外一层含义,就是在你被惹恼了,但是还想尽量克制怒火的时候,向对方有礼地表示“请不要这样好不好,你太冒失了”,如:

● Do you mind my/me using the phone?

(我要打电话,你不见怪吧?)

● Do you mind if I get some orange juice?

(我去弄点橙汁来好不好?)

● “Here, do you mind!” he said, when she knocked over his drink. (她把他的饮料打翻了,他说:“哎呀,太不小心了!”)

9) dismissal [dɪs΄mɪsəl] n. 解雇,免职

10) rehearse [rɪ΄hзːs] v. 排练,练习

11) trespass [΄trespəs] v. 闯入,非法入侵

12) vague [veɪɡ] adj. 模糊的,不明确的

13) breathtaking [΄breθteɪkɪŋ] adj. 使人吃惊的,惊人的

14) spark [spɑːk] n. 火星,火花,闪光

15) furnace [΄fзːnɪs] n. 炉子,熔炉

16) scurry [΄skʌrɪ] v. 疾行,急忙赶路

17) odd [ɒd] adj. 奇怪的,古怪的

18) incredibly [ɪn΄kredəblɪ] adv. 不可思议地,惊人地;形容词为incredible。

19) arc [ɑːk] n. 弧,拱

20) extract [ɪk΄strækt] v. 提取,榨出

21) maximum [΄mæksɪməm] adj. 最大量的,最大值的

22) gripping [΄ɡrɪpɪŋ] adj. 吸引人的

23) path [pɑːθ] n. 道路

24) enlightenment [ɪn΄laɪtnmənt] n. 启发,启蒙

25) daunt [dɔːnt] v. 使气馁,使胆怯

26) relish [΄relɪʃ] v. 爱好,喜欢

27) palette [΄pælɪt] n. 调色板,一套颜料

28) texture [΄tekstʃə(r)] n. 质地,纹理

29) stunning [΄stʌnɪŋ] adj. <口>极好的,极漂亮的

30) chaos [΄keɪɒs] n. 混乱,无秩序

31) calamity [kə΄læmɪtɪ] n. 大灾祸,灾难

Vernon:You’ve heard of the three-stage9)dismissal process, have you?

Alfie:What?

Vernon:So, let me see, I’ve been working for you for five years, that’s a minimum of five months’ paid notice. I can get you a copy of the Employment Act if you want.

Alfie:You’d be better off10)rehearsing,“Would sir like chips with that?” Save you time.

Bella: He can work for me.

Alfie:What?

Vernon: What?

Bella:You could work for me, if you wanted to.

Vernon:I do. I do want to. Yeah, I do. (to Alfie) And so, it looks like I’m working here now. So, you are11)trespassing.

Alfie: Well, make the most of it. You deserve each other.

2

贝拉对花园的疏于管理惊

动了房东奥布莱恩。他要贝拉在

一个月之内将花园收拾干净,否则就得搬走。为了帮助贝拉,弗农与阿尔菲进行交涉——他负责阿尔菲的伙食,但阿尔菲要教贝拉如何打理花园。在教与学的过程中,一老一少的关系逐渐好转……

Bella: You know, I believe those things you said.

Alfie:Why would you say that?

Bella: Vernon told me how many times he’s heard the exact same stories. Shame on you.

Alfie:You should doubt only a man who changes his story. I only repeat myself in the12)vaguehope that, one day, somebody will actually hear me. (It rains suddenly.)13)Breathtaking,isn’t it? Come. Come, come.

Like14)sparksfalling from a giant15)furnace.In some countries, they hold parties when it starts to rain.But here, we just16)scurryaround and run for cover.It’s the most important currency in the world. And yet in our green and pleasant land, where we take so much for granted, we see it only as a means of ruining expensive hairdos and making taxi drivers rich.

Bella:You’re17)odd.

Alfie:Says she. (He takes out some seeds from his pocket.) Here.Helianthus—giant sunflower. Start off with them. They’re18)incrediblybeautiful.They need a lot of light and heat. They, they follow the19)arcof the sun from dawn until dusk,20)extracting21)maximumenergy from every day. It’s a very, very clever flower. Think about that.

(One day)

Alfie:I think there might be a garden here,after all.

Bella: Arthur’s book注—it’s 22)gripping.

Where did you get it?

Alfie:He was a friend of mine. Dear old Arthur showed me the23)pathto true24)enlightenment,and then took me on an incredible journey.Look after it. It’s the only one I’ve got.

Bella:I am amazed you trust me with it.

Alfie:So am I.

Bella:I bet even Arthur would have been25)dauntedby this garden.

Alfie:No, he would26)relishedit. A totally blank canvas, a chance to create your own masterpiece. Come. Come on, follow me.(Alfie invites Bella into his garden.)

How do we make a garden? How do we build a colour27)palette?How do we create depth and28)texture?How do we keep interest from April to October? Well,we start with these29)stunningfoxgloves and these alliums. Come on. Come, come,come.

We run to these camas, and these dahlias—so colourful it hurts your eyes…And well, the list is endless. It’s a world of beautifully-ordered30)chaos. That’s chaos,not31)calamity, Miss Brown, ’cause if you don’t understand the difference, then we won’t progress very far.

Bella: We?

Alfie:What?

花之语——植物学词汇小结

这个选段中出现了好几个植物学词汇,其中包括一些拉丁文的学名。这些词汇并不需要重点掌握,但可以作为百科知识扩充我们的知识面。有兴趣的同学不妨查阅图鉴资料,认识一下这几个品种:

helianthus 向日葵,向日葵属植物

foxglove 毛地黄,洋地黄

allium 百合科,葱属植物

cama 卡马百合,北美百合科植物

dahlia 大丽花,大丽花属植物

fragaria virginiana 弗州草莓

注:阿尔菲将自己最喜欢的园艺入门书借给了贝拉。

Bella:You said “we.”

Alfie:Well, that’s ridiculous.

(The other day)

Bella:Are you kicking me, Mr. Stephenson?Alfie:No. I’m encouraging you to get up. If you ignore my encouragement, then I’ll start kicking you.

Bella: This garden is taking forever.

Alfie: Oh well, everything that matters takes time. You can speed-read, but you can’t speed-garden.

Bella:Try telling that to O’Brien.

Alfie:Look at that. Look!

Bella:What’s that?

Alfie:It’s called fragaria virginiana. It’s a wild strawberry. Life, nature, it’s just waiting to burst out anywhere it can, seeking the light, getting on with it. It’s very simple.

Bella:It must have been buried under a ton of rubbish.

Alfie: Oh, isn’t it always like that?

3

贝拉怀疑比利欺骗了自己,伤心欲绝,闭门不出。弗农无计可施,只好找阿尔菲过来劝解……

Alfie:Ah, my son, how long since your last32)confession?

Vernon:Bella’s ill.

Alfie: What’s wrong with her?

Vernon:I don’t know.

Alfie:She should33)snap out of it.

Vernon:Alright, well, I’ll be sure to pass on your words of sympathy and support.

(A moment later)

Alfie:How’s the patient?

Vernon:It’s more than medicine can fix, unless you’ve got something for a broken heart.

Alfie:I can have a word with her, if you think it might help.

Vernon:But gently does it, yeah?

Alfie:Yes, of course. (at Bella’s door) Bella, open the34)bloodydoor! Don’t make me ask you again! (Bella opens the door.) You look a mess!

32) confession [kən΄feʃ(ə)n] n. (对神父做的)忏悔,告解

33) snap out of it 迅速恢复过来

34) bloody [΄blʌdɪ] adj. <俚>该死的

35) stuffed shirt 自命不凡的顽固派

36) horticulturist [ˌhɔːtɪ΄kʌltʃərɪst] n.园艺家

37) credible [΄kredəb(ə)l] adj. 可信的,可靠的

38) cope [kəʊp] v. 应付,对抗(常与with连用)

39) passion [΄pæʃ(ə)n] n. 激情,热情

40) wither [΄wɪðə(r)] v. 枯萎,凋谢

41) vine [vaɪn] n. 蔓,藤

42) grasp the nettle 迎难而上

Vernon:Alfie!

Alfie:Vernon, give us a couple of minutes. (to Bella) I brought you a present. Ask me that personal question. Anything you like.

Bella:Have you ever been in love?

Alfie:She was called Rose. She was a free spirit. She said I was a35)stuffed shirt.

Bella: You fell in love?

Alfie: Yes. It took about 20 minutes. It took her a bit longer.

Bella:You were happy together?

Alfie:As happy as two people can be, I think. We travelled everywhere. We shared everything. She was a36)horticulturist—the best.Bella: She wrote the book?

Alfie:Yeah, she did. She thought that Arthur Mildmay sounded more37)crediblethan Rose Milton. In those days, it was impossible to publish a female horticulturist. But she was a…she was a bright spark, and if she believed in something, she gave it all she had. She taught me how to live, and…and then she died, all of a sudden, in childbirth. Well, it was many years ago, with no warning, just…just gone, both of them. But the garden helped me to38)cope.

Rose had a39)passionfor life, and I see the seeds of that in you. And it upsets me greatly to see you lying here,40)witheringon the41)vine. So, I say…I say42)grasp the nettle, you stupid girl, and stop feeling sorry for yourself!

见招拆招

俗语:snap out of it

动词词组snap sb. out of sth.多用于口语,意思是“(使)迅速从……恢复过来,(使)迅速改变”,它还可以构成一个固定搭配snap out of it,特指尽快摆脱各种不好的状态,特别是从悲伤、痛苦、愤怒等消极情绪中迅速振作起来,如:

● The loud noise snapped him out of daydream. (巨大的噪声顿

时把他从白日梦中惊醒过来。)

● The coach told the lazy player to snap out of it.(教练要那个懒

惰的队员尽快改掉坏毛病。)

参考译文

1

贝拉:是她们的妈妈送她们上学吗?弗农:不是,我太太过世了,所以……贝拉:早餐很好吃,谢谢。弗农:喔,我好久没听过这话了。不客气。

贝拉:你的雇主太霸道了,真不知道你为什么能忍受他。

弗农:你瞧,慢慢就习惯了,我还得靠这份薪水还账单。花园里那人是他吗?

(花园里)

阿尔菲:啊哈。

贝拉:你能别这样吗?

阿尔菲:你也许赢得了我这些脑子不灵光的佣人的好感,但我可不会上当。我无法原谅这片惨状。你糟蹋了大自然给你的一切。

贝拉:你为什么要这样对我?

阿尔菲:这是每个人都要学会的事情,布朗小姐,这就是责任感。这对你来说或许是种诅咒,但它在人类生活中占着相当重要的地位。(对弗农)至于你这个木头脑袋,迟到啦!

弗农:不,我没有!

阿尔菲:现在迟到了。我无法忍受迟到,所以我今天不会付你工钱。

弗农:我受够了。

阿尔菲:什么?

弗农:我警告你,阿尔菲,你再说一句,我就不干了,懂吗?

阿尔菲:你被炒了。

弗农:好吧,这是给我的第一次口头警告吗?

阿尔菲:你被开除了,弗农,到此为止。

弗农:你听说过“解雇三步走”吧?

阿尔菲:那是什么?

弗农:我想想,我在你那儿工作五年了,你至少要支付五个月的解约通知费。如有需要,我可以给你复印一份《劳动法》。

阿尔菲:你还是快点练习一下吧:“先生,配菜要薯条吗?”省省吧,别浪费时间了。

贝拉:他可以来我这儿工作。

阿尔菲:什么?

弗农:什么?

贝拉:你如果愿意的话,可以在我这里干活。

弗农:我愿意,我很乐意,真心的。(对阿尔菲)看来我要在这里工作了,而你现在是非法入侵。

阿尔菲:喔,好好享受吧,你们俩真是天作之合。

贝拉:你知道吗,我相信你说的话。

阿尔菲:这话怎讲?

贝拉:弗农跟我说,你这套老话他已经听过无数遍,简直是丢人。

阿尔菲:如果一个人每次的说辞都不一样,他的人品更值得怀疑。我老说那些话,是因为我还抱有那么一点希望,希望终有一天,有人能将我的话真正听进去。(突然下雨了。)这雨真是惊人,对吧?来吧,快来。

简直就像从大熔炉落下的火花一样。在一些国家,每当下雨的时候,人们就会举办庆祝活动。而在这里,我们却只会匆匆赶路,找个地方躲雨。雨水是世界上最重要的流通货币,但是,在我们这片把许多东西都视为理所当然的绿色乐土上,人们觉得雨水不过是弄坏昂贵发型,以及让出租车司机发财的坏天气。

2

贝拉:你真是个怪人。

阿尔菲:瞧她说的。(他从衣兜里掏出一

些种子。)这给你,这是大向日葵。刚开

始先种这花吧,它们美极了,需要充足的

光照和温度。它们……从日出到日落,它们都会跟着太阳转,在日复一日之中尽可能地吸收能量,是一种特别聪明的花。考虑一下吧。

(有一天)

阿尔菲:我想,这里最后大概会弄成一个像模像样的花园。

贝拉:阿瑟的书真是引人入胜。你从哪儿买到的?

阿尔菲:他是我的朋友。亲爱的老阿瑟将我带上了真正的启蒙之路,带我踏上了一段神奇的旅程。好好保管,我只有这么一本了。贝拉:你竟然把它托付给我,真让我吃惊。阿尔菲:我也很吃惊。

贝拉:我敢说,就算是阿瑟,也会被这个花园吓一跳。阿尔菲:不,他会乐此不疲——就像一张完全空白的画布,可以尽情创作自己的杰作。来,快来,跟我来。

(阿尔菲邀请贝拉参观他的花园。)

如何打造一个花园?如何打造一个丰富的调色板?如何营造出园艺的深度和质感?如何让花园从四月到十月亮点不断?喔,我们从这些漂亮的毛地黄和百合花开始吧。快来,来来来。

然后是卡马百合,这是大丽花——它的颜色太鲜艳了,简直有点刺眼……好花真是数之不尽。这世界看似混乱,其实有着一种美丽的秩序。布朗小姐,这是混乱,而不是灾难,如果你不明白这两者之间的区别,我们是无法取得进展的。

贝拉:我们?

阿尔菲:什么?

贝拉:你刚刚说“我们”。

阿尔菲:喔,简直一派胡言。

(另一天)

贝拉:斯蒂芬森先生,你这是在踢我吗?

阿尔菲:不,我是在鼓励你快点起来。如果你无视我的鼓励,我才开始踢你。

贝拉:这花园永远都弄不好。

阿尔菲:喔,重要的事物都是很花时间的。你可以速读,但园艺是无法加速的。

贝拉:你和奥布莱恩说去吧。

阿尔菲:你看那儿,看!

贝拉:那是什么?

阿尔菲:那是弗州草莓,是一种野草莓。人生啊,大自然啊,都在等待着闯出生天的机会,只要一有机会,它们就会寻找光照,适应环境,生长下去——就是这么简单。

贝拉:它一定是被埋没在一大堆垃圾下面了。

阿尔菲:喔,这不是司空见惯的事情吗?

3

阿尔菲:啊,我的孩子,离你上次忏悔已经很久了吧?

弗农:贝拉病了。

阿尔菲:她怎么了?

弗农:我不知道。

阿尔菲:她得赶快振作起来。

弗农:好吧,我一定会向她转达你的同情与支持。

(过了一会儿)

阿尔菲:病人的情况如何?

弗农:喔,光吃药可治不好,除非你知道怎么治愈一颗破碎的心。

阿尔菲:我可以跟她聊聊,如果你觉得那会奏效的话。弗农:但你得温柔点儿,行吗?

阿尔菲:好的,没问题。(在贝拉门外)贝拉,快把这该死的门给我打开!别让我说第二遍!(贝拉打开房门。)你看起来真糟糕!

弗农:阿尔菲!

阿尔菲:弗农,让我们聊一会儿。(对贝拉)我给你带了礼物。问我那个私人问题吧,想问什么都行。

贝拉:你爱过吗?

阿尔菲:她的名字叫萝丝,是个不受拘束的姑娘,她说我是个自命不凡的顽固派。

贝拉:你们相爱吗?

阿尔菲:对。我只用20分钟就爱上她了,

而她爱上我则稍微花了点时间。

贝拉:你们在一起幸福吗?

阿尔菲:能有多幸福,就有多幸福。我们四处旅行,分享一切。她是个园艺家——是最优秀的一个。

贝拉:那本书是她写的?

阿尔菲:没错,是她写的。她觉得阿瑟·迈尔德梅听起来比萝丝·米尔顿更有可信度。在那个年头,女园艺家是没办法出书的,但她是个……她就像一朵灿烂的火花,一旦有了信念,她就会为此付出一切。她教会我如何生活,后来在生孩子的时候突然离世。喔,那是好多年前的事情了,毫无征兆,就……就这样走了,她和孩子都没了。是园艺帮我走出伤痛的。

萝丝对生活充满热情,我在你身上看到了那种热情的种子。所以看到你躺在这儿,仿佛一株在藤蔓上慢慢枯萎的植物似的,让我特别难受。所以我说啊……你这个笨女孩,迎难而上啊,别再自怨自艾了!

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