布达佩斯大饭店

在欧洲大♥陆♥最遥远的东部边界
前朱波罗卡共和国
曾经的帝国中心
旧卢茨 公墓
纪念我们的国家宝藏
亚 瑟
布达佩斯
大饭店
这是普遍存在的一种误解
It is an extremely common mistake,
人们认为作家的想象力永不枯竭
people think the writer’s imagination is always at work,
所以他能够源源不断地创作出
that he’s constantly inventing an endless supply
各种事件和情节
of incidents and episodes,
所以他能够简单地凭空编造出故事来
that he simply dreams up his stories out of thin air.
其实 恰恰相反
In point of fact, the opposite is true.
一旦公众知道了你是一名作家
Once the public knows you’re a writer,
他们就会主动向你提供人物和事件
they bring the characters and events to you
只要你还能细心观察
and as long as you maintain your ability to look
认真聆听
and to carefully listen,
这些故事就会…
these stories will continue to…
住手 住手 别 别闹
Stop it. Stop it! Don’t! Don’t do it!
就会持续找上门来
Will continue to seek you out over your lifetime.
那个给他人讲故事的人
To him who has often told the tales of others,
其实也会收获他人的故事
many tales will be told.
-抱歉 -没关系
– Sorry. – It’s all right.
下面这些事件是别人描述给我的
The incidents that follow were described to me
我将分毫无差地进行讲述
exactly as I present them here
并将采用一种完全出人意料的方式
and in a wholly unexpected way.
数年前
A number of years ago,
我患上了轻度的”作家热”
while suffering from a mild case of “Scribe’s Fever,”
那是一种神经衰弱症
a form of neurasthenia
普遍存在于当时的知识分子之中
common among the intelligentsia of that time,
我决定在八月
I decided to spend the month of August
前往苏台德华尔兹山下
in the spa town of Nebelsbad
奈博斯巴德的温泉小镇
below the Alpine Sudetenwaltz,
并在布达佩斯大饭店定下了一个房♥间
and had taken up rooms in the Grand Budapest,
那是一个景色如画 设计精巧
a picturesque, elaborate,
曾久负盛名的地方
and once widely celebrated establishment.
我想你们中有人知道它
I expect some of you will know it.
时值淡季 而且它在当时已经明显过时了
It was off season and, by that time, decidedly out of fashion,
已经走上了下坡路
and it had already begun its descent
变得破旧不堪 并最终将被拆除
into shabbiness and eventual demolition.
接待处
我们这几个客人
What few guests we were
作为这栋巨大的建筑里仅存的活人
had quickly come to recognize one another by sight
售货机
很快就对彼此眼熟了
as the only living souls residing in the vast establishment,
不过我认为
although I do not believe
我们之间的熟悉程度
any acquaintance among our number had proceeded
不会比礼貌的点头致意更进一步
beyond the polite nods we exchanged as we passed
阅览室
仅在棕榈厅
in the Palm Court,
阿♥拉♥伯浴室
in the Arabian baths,
以及石廊缆车里
and onboard the Colonnade Funicular.
我们看上去都非常拘谨
We were a very reserved group, it seemed,
且毫无例外地 都是孤身一人
and, without exception, solitary.
也许正是因为这种沉默
Perhaps as a result of this general silence,
我与饭店的礼宾员 一个西欧人
I had established a casual and bantering familiarity
在不经意间熟络起来
with the hotel’s concierge, a West-continental
他叫让先生
known only as Monsieur Jean,
一接触就让人觉得
who struck one as being, at once,
他是个懒散又很随和的人
both lazy and, really, quite accommodating.
我猜他的工资应该不怎么高
I expect he was not well paid.
服务铃
总之 一天晚上
In any case, one evening,
我习惯性地在和让先生交谈的时候
as I stood conferring elbow-to-elbow with Monsieur Jean,
我注意到我们有了一位新同伴
as had become my habit, I noticed a new presence in our company.
那是一位衣着考究的小个子老人
A small, elderly man, smartly dressed,
有着充满生气而又智慧的面容
with an exceptionally lively, intelligent face
带着极易察觉的哀伤
and an immediately perceptible air of sadness.
他和我们一样孤身一人 但我得说
He was, like the rest of us, alone, but also, I must say,
他是第一个
he was the first that
能让人感受到他深沉而真实的孤独感的人
struck one as being deeply and truly lonely.
我自己也有着同样的症状
A symptom of my own medical condition as well.
这个有趣的老兄是什么人
Who’s this interesting old fellow?
我向让先生打听道
I inquired of Monsieur Jean.
让我吃惊的是 他对此感到惊讶
To my surprise, he was distinctly taken aback.
-你不知道吗 -他问道
– Don’t you know? – He asked.
你认不出他吗
Don’t you recognize him?
他的确看起来眼熟
He did look familiar.
那就是穆斯塔法先生本尊
That’s Mr. Moustafa himself.
他今天早些时候到的
He arrived earlier this morning.
这个名字对于你们中
This name will no doubt be familiar
久经世事的人来说一定很耳熟
to the more seasoned persons among you.
泽罗·穆斯塔法先生曾是朱波罗卡最富有的人
Mr. Zero Moustafa was at one time the richest man in Zubrowka,
移♥民♥获得巨额资产
泽罗垄断市场
和政委达成协议
泽罗·穆同志
并且仍是布达佩斯大饭店的所有者
and was still indeed the owner of the Grand Budapest.
他时常过来住上一周 或者再多几天
He often comes and stays a week or more,
一年至少三次 但从不在这个季节来
three times a year at least, but never in the season.
让先生示意我靠近
Monsieur Jean signaled to me and I leaned closer.
我告诉你个秘密
I’ll tell you a secret.
他只住在顶层后角
He takes only a single-bed sleeping room without a bath
没有浴室的单人房♥
in the rear corner of the top floor
那里比货梯还小
and it’s smaller than the service elevator!
众所周知
It was well known,
泽罗·穆斯塔法购买♥♥了几座
Zero Moustafa had purchased and famously inhabited
欧洲大♥陆♥最为奢华的城♥堡♥和宫殿 入住其中
some of the most lavish castles and palazzos on the continent.
但在这里 在他自己空荡荡的饭店
Yet here, in his own nearly empty hotel,
他却占据了雇员的住处
he occupied a servant’s quarters?
这时 一出附加的
At that moment, the curtain
大戏拉开了帷幕
rose on a parenthetical, domestic drama…
该死
Shit.
立刻完全吸引了让先生
which required the immediate and complete attention
所有的注意
of Monsieur Jean,
但老实说 我没有关注它多久
but, frankly, did not hold mine for long.
然而
However,
这位令人好奇的老人的故事被过早地打断
this premature intermission in the story of the curious, old man
令我 如古语所言
had left me, as the expression goes,
“好奇得发紧 犹如一张拉满待放的弓”[德]”Gespannt wie ein Flitzebogen,”
于是 我坐在床沿上
that is, on the edge of my seat,
同一个姿势保持了整晚 直到第二天早上
where I remained throughout the next morning, until,
我发现命运
in what I have found to be
以它那神秘而又可靠的方式
its mysterious and utterly reliable fashion,
又一次介入了我的生活
fate, once again, intervened on my behalf.
我欣赏你的作品
I admire your work.
什么
I beg your pardon?
我说 我看过并欣赏你美妙的作品
I said, I know and admire your wonderful work.
非常感谢您 先生
Thank you most kindly, sir.
让先生有没有跟你说过
Did Monsieur Jean have a word or two to share with you
这座建筑的年迈的所有者的事
about the aged proprietor of this establishment?
我必须承认 我的确打听了您的事
I must confess, I did myself inquire about you.
让先生很有能力
He’s perfectly capable, of course, Monsieur Jean
但他算不上一流
but we can’t claim he’s a first,
认真来说 甚至算不上二流的礼宾员
or, in earnest, even second-rate concierge.
但是只能这样了
But there it is.
时代变了
Times have changed.
这个温泉浴室很漂亮
The thermal baths are very beautiful.
它们建成时就是这个样子
They were in their first condition.
当然 也没法进行修缮了
It couldn’t be maintained, of course.
就现在的审美来看 有些过于颓废派了
Too decadent for current tastes.
但我还是一样爱着这里 这迷人的古老废墟
But I love it all just the same, this enchanting old ruin.
恕我冒昧 您当初为何要买♥♥下这里
How did you come to buy it, if I may ask?
布达佩斯大饭店
The Grand Budapest.
我没买♥♥
I didn’t.
如果你不仅仅是出于礼貌而问
If you’re not merely being polite,
如果是的话请一定告知我
and you must tell me if that’s the case,
不过你要是真的感兴趣