173 The polygonal portrait
173 多边形肖像
There was a politician who wanted to have a portrait painted in the shape of a polygon.
有一位政治家想要请人画一幅多边形的画像。
He contacted a particular portraitist whose portraiture was purportedly perfect and made a few inquiries:
他与一位独树一帜的肖像画家取得了联系，据称这位画家的肖像画法已经到了近乎完美的地步。他向画家咨询了几个问题。
I would like the portrait to portray a ponderous demeanor, said the politician.
我希望这副画能描绘出我笨重的样子。政治家说。
The portraitist replied, If you possess a positive posture and pose a persuasive pose, your portrayal will portend the affection of the populous portion of your constituents.
画家回答道：如果你能拥有一副积极的姿态，摆出令人信服的样子，那么你的肖像将预示着您的选区人口中大部分选民的情感意向。
What material will it be made of? he asked.
那这幅画是用什么材料绘制的呢？
It will be made of porcelain, a non-porous material.
画家回答说：用瓷，一种非渗透性的材料。
It will also be portable and suitable as a poster if you wish, and, of course, it will be polygonal as you requested, said the portraitist.
如果你愿意的话，还可以做得非常轻便，像一张招贴画一样。当然，肯定会如你所要求的那样是多边形的。
The man asked, I have another concern. I have very large pores on my nose.
政治家又问：我还有另一个担心。我鼻子上的毛孔太大，
Will they appear? We can hide them if you wish, answered the artist.
画上看得出来吗？…如果你愿意的话，我们可以把毛孔隐藏起来。
Good. My appearance is important to me as I am a politician.
好的。由于我是搞政治的，外表对我来说非常重要。
One last question, said the prospective customer,
还有最后一个问题，这个即将成交的主顾说道，
How long will it take me to receive it after it's done?
画好以后多久我才能拿到画像？
If we send it by post, the postal system can have it in your possession a few days after the postmark if the postage is correct, that is, he said.
如果用邮件的方式传递，邮局将在所盖邮戳的几天以后将画送到，画就为您所拥有了—当然如果邮资没有问题的话。画家回答道。
And what if it gets lost in the mail? Who will be responsible? inquired the politician. The postmaster, of course. He replied.
那如果投递过程中画丢失了呢？谁来负责任？政治家又问道。当然是邮政局长。画家回答。
Since the portrait was portable, there was no need to send it after all the politician picked it up himself.
实际上，那画非常轻便，根本就没有必要邮寄—政治家自己就可以随身携带。
When he finally received the polygonal portrait, he was quite pleased.
当他最终拿到那幅多边形画像以后，他感到非常满意。