26 \wind. It will fall today, and I shall die at the same time.\ “这是最后一片叶子，”约翰西说。“我以为夜里它肯定会掉落的。我晚上听到大风呼啸。今天它会掉落的，叶子掉的时候，也是我死的时候。”

27 The day wore away, and even through the twilight they could see the lone ivy leaf clinging to its stem against the wall. And then, with the coming of the night the north wind was again loosed.

白天慢慢过去了，即便在暮色黄昏之中，他们仍能看到那片孤零零的常青藤叶子，背靠砖墙，紧紧抱住梗茎。尔后，随着夜幕的降临，又是北风大作。

28 When it was light enough Johnsy, the merciless, commanded that the shade be raised. 等天色亮起，冷酷无情的约翰西命令将窗帘拉起。

29 The ivy leaf was still there. 常青藤叶依然挺在。

30 Johnsy lay for a long time looking at it. And then she called to Sue, who was stirring her chicken soup over the gas stove.

约翰西躺在那儿，望着它许久许久。接着她大声呼唤正在煤气灶上搅鸡汤的苏。

31 \show me how wicked I was. It is a sin to want to die. You may bring me a little soup now, and some milk with a little port in it and -- no; bring me a hand-mirror first, and then pack some pillows about me, and I will sit up and watch you cook.\ “我一直像个不乖的孩子，苏迪，”约翰西说。“有一种力量让那最后一片叶子不掉，好让我看到自己有多坏。想死是一种罪过。你给我喝点汤吧，再来点牛奶，稍放一点波尔图葡萄酒――不，先给我拿面小镜子来，弄几个枕头垫在我身边，我要坐起来看你做菜。”

32 An hour later she said: 一个小时之后，她说：

33 \ “苏迪，我真想有一天去画那不勒斯海湾。”

34 The doctor came in the afternoon, and Sue had an excuse to go into the hallway as he left. 下午大夫来了，他走时苏找了个借口跟进了过道。

35 \ “现在是势均力敌，”大夫说着，握了握苏纤细颤抖的手。

36 \good nursing you'll win. And now I must see another case I have downstairs. Behrman, his name is -- some kind of an artist, I believe. Pneumonia, too. He is an old, weak man, and the attack is acute. There is no hope for him; but he goes to the hospital today to be made

more comfortable.\

“只要精心照料，你就赢了。现在我得去楼下看另外一个病人了。贝尔曼，是他的名字――记得是个什么画家。也是肺炎。他年老体弱，病来势又猛。他是没救了。不过今天他去了医院，照料得会好一点。”

37 The next day the doctor said to Sue: \care now -- that's all.\

第二天，大夫对苏说：“她脱离危险了。你赢了。注意饮食，好好照顾，就行了。”

38 And that afternoon Sue came to the bed where Johnsy lay and put one arm around her. 当日下午，苏来到约翰西的床头，用一只手臂搂住她。

39 \today in the hospital. He was ill only two days. He was found on the morning of the first day in his room downstairs helpless with pain. His shoes and clothing were wet through and icy cold. They couldn't imagine where he had been on such a terrible night. And then they found a lantern, still lighted, and a ladder that had been dragged from its place, and some scattered brushes, and a palette with green and yellow colors mixed on it, and -- look out the window, dear, at the last ivy leaf on the wall. Didn't you wonder why it never fluttered or moved when the wind blew? Ah, darling, it's Behrman's masterpiece -- he painted it there the night that the last leaf fell.\

“我跟你说件事，小白鼠，”她说。“贝尔曼先生今天在医院里得肺炎去世了。他得病才两天。发病那天上午人家在楼下他的房间里发现他疼得利害。他的鞋子衣服都湿透了，冰冷冰冷的。他们想不出那么糟糕的天气他夜里会去哪儿。后来他们发现了一个灯笼，还亮着，还有一个梯子被拖了出来，另外还有些散落的画笔，一个调色板，和着黄绿两种颜色，――看看窗外，宝贝儿，看看墙上那最后一片常青藤叶子。它在刮风的时候一动也不动，你没有觉得奇怪吗？啊，亲爱的，那是贝尔曼的杰作――最后一片叶子掉落的那天夜里他画上了这片叶子。”

He did not trust the woman to trust him. And he did not trust the woman not to trust him. And he did not want to be mistrusted now.

他不敢相信这个女人居然会信任自己。他也不认为这个女人就不信任自己。不过，现在他不想失去别人对自己的信任。

Thank You, Ma'm

Langston Hughes

1 She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but a hammer and nails. It was about eleven o'clock at night, dark, and she was walking alone, when a boy ran up behind her and tried to snatch the purse. The strap broke with the sudden single tug the boy gave it from behind. (1) But the boy's weight and the weight of the purse combined caused him to lose his balance. Instead of taking off full blast as he had hoped, the boy fell on his back on the sidewalk and his legs flew up. The large woman simply turned around and kicked him right square in his blue-jeaned sitter. Then she reached down, picked the boy up by his shirtfront, and shook him

violently.

谢谢您，太太 兰斯顿·休斯

她是个大块头女人，拎着个大包，里边除了榔头钉子什么都有。大约夜晚11点光景，夜深天黑，她孤身一人正走着，一个男孩从她身后猛地窜出，想一把夺去她的包。男孩从后面一记猛拉，包带断裂了。自身的体重加上皮包的重量使得男孩失去了平衡。他非但没有像原先希望的那样飞速逃离，反而两脚朝天仰面摔倒在人行道上。大块头女人一转身，一脚踢在他穿着蓝布牛仔裤的屁股上。接着她俯身拽住他的衣襟把他拖起来猛摇。

2 After that the woman said, \

3 She still held him tightly. But she bent down enough to permit him to stoop and pick up her purse. Then she said, \ 4 Firmly gripped by his shirtfront, the boy said, \ 5 The woman said, \ 6 The boy said, \

7 By that time two or three people passed, stopped, turned to look, and some stood watching. 之后那女人吩咐道：“捡起我的钱包, 孩子，把它拿过来。”

她仍紧紧地拽着他。 不过她略微弯下腰，好让他俯身捡包。接着她质问道：“你害不害臊？”

男孩被拽住衣襟，回答说：“是的，太太。” 女人问：“你这么做是想要干什么？” 男孩说：“没想干什么。”

这时，有两三个过路人停下来，转过身来瞧，还有人站在一边看。

8 \ 9 \

10 \ 11 \

12 \nobody home to tell you to wash your face?' 13 \

14 \it will get washed this evening,\said the large woman, starting up the street, dragging the frightened boy behind her.

“要是我松开手，你会不会逃？” 那女人问。 “会的，太太。”男孩说。 “那我就不松手，”那女人说。她没有放开他。 “我错了，夫人。”男孩低声说。

“唉! 你的脸这么脏。我很想给你洗洗脸。你家里就没人让你好好洗脸吗？” “没，太太。”男孩说。

“既然这样，今晚你的脸得好好洗洗，”大块头女人一边说着，一边拖着惊惶失措的男孩沿着街道大步走去。

15 He looked as if he were fourteen or fifteen, frail and thin in tennis shoes and blue jeans. 16 The woman said, \

can do right now is to wash your face. Are you hungry?'

17 \

18 \ 19 \

20 \not going to last awhile, you got another thought coming. When I get through with you, sir, you are going to remember Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones.\

他看上去十四五岁，穿着网球鞋和蓝布牛仔裤，显得又瘦又弱。 女人说：“你该做我的儿子。我会教你分清是非。我现在能做的起码是把你的脸给洗洗。 你饿不饿？” “不饿，太太，”男孩说, “我只想要你放了我。” “我拐弯的时候碍着你没有？”女人问。 “没有，太太。”

“可你是自己惹上我的，”女人说。 “要是你以为咱俩的事儿马上就完了，那你可就想错了。小伙子,等我跟你完了这事以后, 你就会记住我露埃拉·贝茨·华盛顿·琼斯太太的。”

21 Sweat popped out on the boy's face and he began to struggle. Mrs. Jones stopped, jerked him around in front of her, put a half-nelson about his neck and continued to drag him up the street. When she got to her door, she dragged the boy inside, down a hall, and into a large furnished room at the rear of the house. She switched on the light and left the door open. The boy could hear other roomers laughing and talking in the large house. Some of their doors were open, too, so he knew

he and the woman were not alone. The woman still had him by the neck in the middle of her room. 汗珠从男孩的脸上冒了出来。他开始挣扎。琼斯太太停下来，一把将他拽到身前，扣住他的颈脖，拉着他继续往前走。她到了家门口，把男孩拽进屋，走过过道，来到屋子后部一间有家具的大房间。她打开灯，让门敞开着。男孩听见大房子里其他房客在说笑。有的房门也开着。因此他知道除了他和这个妇人还有别人在。他们到了房间中央，那女人仍拽着他的脖子。

22 She said, \ 23 \

24 \-- at last. Roger looked at the door -- looked at the woman -- looked at the door -- and went to the sink.

25 \ 26 \ 她开口道：“你叫什么名字？” “罗杰，”男孩回答说。

“这样吧，罗杰，你去那边水池洗一洗脸，”那女人说着，终于松开了他――罗杰望望门，――望望那女人――又望望门，最后朝水池走去。 “让水流一流，等到水热起来，”她说。 “这是条干净毛巾，拿着。” “你要送我去坐大牢？”男孩在水池前弯下身，问道。

27 \get home to cook me a bite to eat, and you snatch my pocketbook! Maybe you ain't been to your supper either, late as it be. Have you?\