(单词翻译:单击)
For the last few years now, Wayan and Tutti have been living on their own—all alone, in the beehive of Bali!—moving from place to place every few months as money comes and goes, always sleepless with worry about where to go next. Which has been difficult because every time she moves, her patients (mostly Balinese, who are all on hard times themselves these days) have trouble finding her again. Also, with every move, little Tutti has to be pulled out of school. Tutti was always first in her class before, but has slipped since the last move down to twentieth out of fifty children.
过去几年来,大姐和图蒂独立生活——在组织如蜂巢的巴厘岛中独自生活!——随着钱的来去,每隔几个月搬一次家,始终为了下一步何去何从忧心忡忡。这并不容易,因为每回搬家,她的病患(多半是巴厘岛人,近来他们亦自身难保)很难再找到她。此外,每回搬家,图蒂都必须转学。图蒂从前在班上总是名列前茅,但打从上回搬家后,名次已掉到五十个学童当中的第二十名。
In the middle of Wayan's telling me this story, Tutti herself came charging into the shop, having arrived home from school. She's eight years old now and a mighty exhibition of cha-risma and fireworks. This little cherry bomb of a girl (pigtailed and skinny and excited) asked me in lively English if I'd like to eat lunch, and Wayan said, "I forgot! You should have lunch!" and the mother and daughter rushed into their kitchen and—with the help of the two shy young girls hiding back there—produced sometime later the best food I'd tasted yet in Bali.
正当大姐向我叙述这件真实故事之际,图蒂本人放学回家,走进店里。如今八岁的她,展现出无比的魅力。这名可爱的女孩(绑马尾、皮包骨、活跃异常)用生动的英语问我想不想吃午饭,大姐说:"我都给忘了!你该吃午饭!"母女俩赶忙跑进厨房——加上躲在里头的两位害羞女孩帮忙——过一会儿制作出我在巴厘岛尝过的最佳食物。
Little Tutti brought out each course of the meal with a bright-voiced explanation of what was on the plate, wearing a huge grin, generally just being so totally peppy she should've been spinning a baton.
小图蒂端上每道菜时,就嗓音清亮、笑容可掬地说明盘内的东西,如此活泼的她该去耍指挥棒。
"Turmeric juice, for keep clean the kidneys!" she announced.
"姜黄汁,清洁肾脏!"她宣告。
"Seaweed, for calcium!"
"海藻,补充钙质!"
"Tomato salad, for vitamin D!"
"番茄沙拉,补充维他命D!"
"Mixed herbs, for not get malaria!"
"多种香草,预防疟疾!"
I finally said, "Tutti, where did you learn to speak such good English?"
我最后说:"图蒂,你在哪儿学会这一口好英语?"
"From a book!" she proclaimed.
"从书上!"她宣称。
"I think you are a very clever girl," I informed her.
"我认为你是很聪明的女孩。"我告知她。
"Thank you!" she said, and did a spontaneous little happy dance.
"谢谢你!"她说,跳了个即兴的快乐小舞,
"You are a very clever girl, too!"
"你也是很聪明的女孩!"
Balinese kids aren't normally like this, by the way. They're usually all quiet and polite, hiding behind their mother's skirts. Not Tutti. She was all show-biz. She was all show and tell.
顺带一提,巴厘岛的孩子通常不像这样。他们经常极度安静客气,躲在母亲身后。图蒂却不然,她具有娱乐风采,她懂得表现与表达。
"I will see you my books!" Tutti sang, and hurtled up the stairs to get them.
"我让你看我的书!"图蒂唱歌般地说道,冲上楼梯取书。
"She wants to be an animal doctor," Wayan told me. "What is the word in English?"
"她想当动物医生,"大姐告诉我,"那词怎么说?"
"Veterinarian?"
"兽医?"
"Yes. Veterinarian. But she has many questions about animals, I don't know how to answer. She says, "Mommy, if somebody brings me a sick tiger, do I bandage its teeth first, so it doesn't bite me? If a snake gets sick and needs medicine, where is the opening?' I don't know where she gets these ideas. I hope she can go to university."
"对,兽医。她对动物有许多疑问,我却没法回答。她说:"妈咪,如果有人带一只生病的老虎过来,是不是先包扎牙齿,以免它咬我?假如有条蛇生了病,需要服药,它的开口在哪里?"我不晓得她从哪儿得到这些想法。我希望她能上大学。"