poor relation
说明：文章内容仅供预览，部分内容可能不全。下载后的文档，内容与下面显示的完全一致。下载之前请确认下面内容是否您想要的，是否完整无缺。
Charles Lamb [作者简介] 查尔斯-兰姆 (Charles Lamb,1775—1843),英国著名散文家、评论家。自幼好读书，与英国浪漫派诗人柯勒律治为幼时同学，终生友善。十七岁入东印度公司担任簿记员，直至1825年退休。兰姆笃于手足之情，精心照料精神失常的姐姐，终身未娶。兰姆赞赏浪漫主义思潮中的人性主义的主张，并运用到自己充满温情和调侃的个性化散文创作中。兰姆的最大成就在于他的随笔，其特点是笔调亲切、富生活气息与人情味。他喜爱写生活琐事与知识性题材，好推敲文字，注重细节。兰姆的随笔后来辑为两个集子《伊利亚随笔》（1823）和《后期随笔集》(1833) 。文章多为自传体，情调伤感。 本文所选是兰姆的《穷亲戚》（Poor Relations）一文中的第二段，虽非全豹，也可略见一斑，而且这一段大抵也是能自成段落的。 【精彩篇章】 Poor Relations by Charles Lamb He is known by his knock..Your heart telleth you “ That is Mr.---.” A rap, between familiarity and respect; that demands, and, at the same time, seems to despair of entertainment. He entereth smilling, and— embarrassed. He holdeth out his hand to you to shake, and — weth it back again. He casually looketh in about dinner-time — when the table is full. He offereth to go away, seeing you have company , but is induced to stay. He filleth a chair, and your visitor’s two children are accommodated at a side table. He never cometh upon days, when your wife says with some complacency. “My dear, perhaps Mr.— will drop in today.” He remembereth birth-days — and professeth he is fortunate to have stunbled upon one. He declareth against fish, the turbot being small — yet suffereth himself to be importuned into a slice against his first resolution. He sticketh by the port — yet will be prevailed upon to empty the remainder glass of claret, if a stranger press it upon him. He is a puzzle to the servants, who are fearful of being too obsequious, or not civil enough to him. The guests think “they have seen him before.” Every one speculateth upon his condition ; and the most part take him to be — a tidewaiter . He calleth you by your Christian name, to imply that his other is the same with your own. He is too familiar by half , yet you wish he had less diffidence . With half the familiarity he might pass for a casual dependent ; with more boldness he would be in no danger of being taken for what he is . He is too humble for a friend , yet taketh on him more state than befits a client . He is a worse guest than a country tenant , inasmuch as he bringeth up no rent — yet’tis odds , from his garb and demeanour , that your guests take him for one . He is asked to make one at the whist table , refuseth on the score of poverty , and — resents being left out . When the company break up , he proffereth to go for a coach — and lets the servant go . He recollects your grandfather ; and will thrust in some mean and quite unimportant anecdote of — the family . He knew it when it was not quite so flourishing as “he is blest in seeing it now.” He reviveth past situations, to institute what he calleth — favourable comparisons . With a refecting sort of congratulation , he will inquire the price of your furniture ; and insults you with a special commendation of your window-curtains. He is of opinion that the urn is the more elegant shape , but, after all , there was something more comfortable about the old tea-kettle — which you must remember. He dare say you must find a great convenience in having a carriage of your own , and appealeth to your lady if it is not so . Inquireth if you have had your arms done on vellum yet ; and did not know , till lately , that such-and-such had been the crest of the family . His memory is unseasonable ; his compliments perverse ; his talk a trouble ; his stay pertinacious , and when he goeth away , you dismiss his chair into a corner , as precipitately as possible , and feel fairly rid of two nuisances . 注释：open days:没有客人来的日子 complacency : 安心 obsequious: 卑顺 tidewaiter：海关外勤人员 too familiar by half：过分地对人亲切 state：派头 client：帮闲 yet’tis odds：多半 from his garb and demeanour：他穿着神气 With a refecting sort of congratulation：带着言外之意的祝贺 urn：茶炊 arms：家徽 【参考译文】 穷亲戚 一听敲门声就知是他。你心里说 “是某某先生来了。” 那敲门声介于亲昵与尊敬之间：不好让人拒绝，同时似乎在绝望之中希求不要遇到冷遇。他笑着进屋，——有些局促不安。伸出手想与你握手，——又逡巡缩回。他是在吃饭时间偶然进来看看，——桌上却没有空位子了。看到另有客人， 他说就不坐了，但一劝又留下来了。他占了一把椅子， 请来的客人的两个小孩就被另外安置在旁边的小桌。不请客的日子，你的妻子带着几分安心对你说：“亲爱的，也许某某先生今天会来吧，” 而此君是决不，临的。他总记得你们的生日——总说他有幸碰上了这个好日子。看到桌上的鱼不甚丰盛， 他就声称一向不好吃鱼——但经人一劝，马上放弃原意也来上一块。他专喝便宜的甜红酒， ——但如果生人一让，他也就把瓶中剩下的法国名酒喝了下去。他可给仆人出了难题，因为仆人既不敢过分卑顺，又不敢礼节不周。 客人们想 “以前曾经见过他”。 大家都猜测他的境遇如何，多数人认为他是位海关外勤人员。他直呼你的名字，以表明与你同姓。他自居不是外人稍稍有些过分，可是你却又希望他不要那样局促不安。他若不是那样不自见外，别人会把他当作一位偶人来访的下属； 而如果他能较为大方些，别人也就不会看出他是什么来头。说他是朋友，他又太卑声下气，可他又有些派头，也不合帮闲的身份。这位客人还不如乡下来的佃户，他连交租子这一点都做不到——从他穿着神气看，别人多半把他当做是个佃户。打牌请他凑一手，他会因为穷而不加入，——可是不让他一下，他又要生气。当客人们散去时，他说要去雇车，——但终于还是让仆人去了。他谈话中常常提起你的祖父，扯上些过去你家中微寒时不相干的事。他熟知你府上当年情况， 而“今朝有幸，得见贵府兴旺”。 他翻出过去的事情，以昔比今，更见今日之可喜可贺。带着祝贺的口气，他询问家具的价钱；对窗帘也特别夸几句来冒犯你。他承认今天的茶炊更文雅大方一些，可是你一定记得，当年那把旧茶壶却另有一股使人舒服的劲儿。他还说你自己有辆车了，一定很方便，更要问你太太是否赞同此话。他竟还要问你是否把自己的家徽画好，说直到最近才知道主人家徽上面的花纹原来是这样的。他记性好的不是地方； 他捧人捧得奇奇怪怪； 他一开口就是麻烦；他呆下来就如粘住，他走后，你立刻把他的椅子搬到角落里，觉得一下子去了两块病。 本文来源：https://www.wddqw.com/doc/413de823bcd126fff7050bb6.html