教授与疯子

我还准备了一些用这些语言出版的作品
and have prepared some works for publication upon these languages
我对俄语也有很好的了解
I also have a useful knowledge of Russian
我对希伯来语和叙利亚语有足够的了解
I have sufficient knowledge of Hebrew and Syriac to
能够阅读旧约和古叙文圣经
to read at sight the old testament and peshito
我也懂一些阿♥拉♥姆语和阿♥拉♥伯语
to a lesser degree I know Aramaic Arabic
还有那精美的腓尼基语
and Phoenician to the point where it was left by Genesius
原谅我的喋喋不休 您应该有问题要问
Forgive me rattling on like this. I am sure you have questions.
默里先生 我想起一个词
Mr. Mori, a word comes to mind.
聪明的
“Clever.”
你知道它的定义和它的来源吗
can you define it and tell us its history?
好 我试一试
I’ll make a fist of it , on the hoof, as it were
聪明 形容词
clever: adjective
意思是机敏 敏捷 灵巧
meaning-adroit,nimble,dextrous.
可能是从德国北部词语Klover
Probably from the low German klover..
或来源于荷兰中部地区词语Klever
Or perhaps the middle Dutch, klever,
意思是活跃 聪明
meaning sprightly, smart
默里先生也是苏格兰木屐舞的大♥师♥
Mr. Mori is a master of the scottish clog dance.
请原谅我没有告诉你就去参加了面试
Forgive me for keeping it from you.
我几乎不敢相信我会得到这个机会
I scarcely believed in the chance myself.
研究语言是我生命的全部
It’s all mine. The entire language.
我总是不知道怎么抵抗你对事物的热情
I never known how to resist it. your exuberance.
但这次太突然了
but it’s a sudden
我们要放弃一切比如学校和稳定的生活
And to abandon all this, the school, the constancy.
这是你要的生活吗 我是说我们的生活
Is this truly what you wish? for all of us?
艾达 我是个蒂维厄特河谷来的
Ada, I’m an untutored linen draper’s boy
没上过学的织布工
from Teviotdale,
现在我终于能有所成就
now, suddenly, with a real crack at it.
我的一生都在为此做准备
My entire life has been in preparation for this.
无论我做什么 都是为了你
Whatever I’ve done, I’ve done with you.
没有你我将一事无成
I’ve never been able to without you
再信我一次 我需要你的力量
Once again, lend yourself to me.
若我要写一本好书 我需要你的支持
If i am to fashion a book, I will need a spine.
爸爸
Father
艾尔希 孩子们
Elsie, Children
我们要去什么地方吗
Are we going somewhere?
去牛津 你们的爸爸现会成为历史上
To Oxford, your father is the editor
一部新的英文字典的编辑
of the New English dictionary on Historical Principles.
那是什么意思
What is that?
那会是一本很厚的书 里面有很多单词
It’s a very big book. With lots of words in it.
里面有英语中的所有单词
All the words of the English language.
就像强森博士的字典那样吗
Like Dr. Johnson’s dictionary?
是的 但他的书只包含了一小部分文字
Yes, but his book, comprised only a mere handful of words.
我负责识别和定义直至最后一个
I am charged with identifying and defining every last one
里面会有快乐这个词吗 爸爸
Will “happy” be in there, Father?
是的 会有快乐这个词的 艾尔希
Yes, “happy” will be there, Elsie.
我的字典将需要这么多的资料
My dictionary will need as many volumes as these
才撑的起整个语系
to house the emtire language
那么悲伤 – 悲伤也会在里面
Will “sad”…- “sad” will be there, yes, fine
大这个字呢 里面会有大字吗
What about “big”, will “big” be in there?
大 会有的 还会有小
Big, yes, and small too.
你们想到的和想不到的词里面都有
There isn’t a word you can think of that will not be in this very big book
爸爸 – 怎么了 奥佐
Father? Yes Ouzuen.
里面会有我的名字吗
Will Ozwin be in it?
也许 可能
Probably… maybe.
永远不要拿书玩好吗 这么做是不对的
Never play with books, all right, this is wrong.
英国布罗德摩尔
“Broadmoor, England”
1872.4.17周三742号♥囚犯
Wednesday 17 April 1872 , inmate No. 742.
第742号♥ 出庭
No. 742, Attendance.
主犯威廉·切斯特 美国人 48岁
Mainor, William Chester American, 48 years old.
外科医生 美国陆军上尉
Surgeon, captain in the US Army.
宗教不详
No known religion
属于危险人物
Classified a dangerous to others.
被关在2号♥楼
Assigned to block 2
囚犯内心充满愤怒 吐了几十次痰
The prisoner is in a rage, spitting dozens of times.
据他自己说 他不想吞下那按到他嘴里
by his own account trying not to swallow poison coated
的铁把手上附着的有毒物质
cold iron bars that have been pressed on his teeth.
进去吧
In you go
3月17日 囚犯度过了无眠的三天
March 17, three days now the prisoner has gone without sleep.
不断地从床上跳上跳下
Constantly leaping from his bed to
在恐惧的情绪中寻找着
searching underneath it in sheer terror
不断声称要找到那些晚上来找他的人
Repeatedly claiming to look for those coming for him at night
理查德布林医生
Dr. Richard Brin.
布罗德摩尔精神病院院长
alienist superintendent, Broadmoor Asylum
布林医生的病人威廉 切斯特迈纳
William Chester Maynor Dr. Breen’s Patient.
实话实说 这个作家协会的秘书们不会
There it was, staring me in the face, the Home Secretary wouldn’t
相信和接受谎言
be bamboozled into accepting
你相信吗
Can you believe this?
像奥修斯在雅典时写了一句话
Like Orthios, a two-headed dog of a line. Written! In the Athenaeum!
一只两个头的狗
in a single sentence.
默里先生 你的书要有严格的要求
Your book, Mr. Mori, will need to establish Strict rules
禁止此类错误
banning such offenses
除此之外 还要在书中修正拼写错误
Beyond which it should fix all spellings,
书中还要包括正确的发音并且保证
lay down proper pronunciations and firm up
言语的准确性
correctness of speech
麦克斯 我们之前也有做过这些
We’ve been here before, Max
其中哪些错误坚决不能
What of all the bamboozles and wouldn’t, couldn’t and shouldn’ts
再次出现
to come in the future
这种语言已经到达了巅峰 过分地精炼
The tongue is at its purest peak. Sufficiently refined
它只会让它走下坡路
that it can henceforward only deteriorate.
永久地解决这个问题是我们的责任
It’s up to us to fix it once and for all.
如果出了错还不能修改
Alterations to it can then be permitted or not
谁又有权来决定你是否可以修改字典呢
And who would you have do the permitting?
你 麦克斯 还是我 都不是
You, O Max? me? No.
所有单词在语言中都是有说服力的
All words are valid in the language.
古词或新兴词 过时词或常用词
Ancient or new, obsolete or robust,
外来词或本地词
foreign born or home-grown.
这本书必须详细记录每个字的细微差别
The book must inventory every word,every nuance,
每个词源的误解和每一个英文作家的
every twist of etymology and every possible illustrative citation
可能用到的说明性引用
from every English author.
要么全写 要么不写
All of it or nothing at all.
那将意味着要阅读所有的材料
That would mean reading everything.
需要引用有史以来所有被用来
Quoting everyting that showed anything to do with the history
引用的词汇
of the words that are to be cited
这工程太巨大了 – 但意义非凡
The task is gigantic. monumental
并且不可能
And impossible.
我有办法
There is a way
这件事如果一个人做可能要用一百辈子
The task might take one man a hundred lifetimes
一百个人做的话这一生一定能做完
could take a hundred men just one
找志愿者吗 我们试过 但失败了
Volunteers, we’ve tried it before, James, and failed.
恐怕国内没有足够的学者
I’m afraid there aren’t enough academics in the land
名单上有多少 – 80也可能90
How many did you enlist? Eighty, perhaps ninety.
要是有一千个人几年就能完成
With a thousand you could accomplish it in just a few years
你打算在哪里找这一千个人
Where do you propose finding a thousand men?
任何说英语的地方
Everywhere English is celebrated and spoken.
在每一家书店或学校 工作场所或家庭
In every bookstore or school, workplace or home.
你是说找普通人吗 业余爱好者吗
Do you mean ordinary people? Amateurs?
说英语的 是的
English speakers, yes.
我们让他们阅读我们想找的词的材料
We will ask them to read in search of words that we want.
然后让他们在纸条上
And get them to write the word the word
把找到的词写下来
On a slip of paper.
还要记下文献中用来
along with the quotation from literature
描述这个词所引用的内容
that they have found illustrating the very word.
然后把他们的笔记寄给我们
And then, post the slip to us.
简直是一个军团
An entire army
覆盖了整个广袤的语言帝国
covering the breadth of the Empire and beyond,
在整个英国文学界铺上一张大网
drawing a sweep net over the whole of English literature,
列出他们自己语言的全部内容
listing the entirety of their own language.
一本由平民编写的词典
A Dictionary by Democracy.
它仍然由我们这些学者来编辑
Still edited by us. Learned men.
默里先生 用这种方式要多久完成
With this system, Mr. Mori, how long do you estimate to finishing the task?