第22课

旁白 neutral

Some plays are so successful that they run for years on end.

有些戏剧非常成功，一连上演好几年。

旁白 neutral

In many ways, this is unfortunate for the poor actors who are required to go on repeating the same lines night after night.

在许多方面，这对可怜的演员来说是不幸的，他们被要求夜复一夜地重复相同的台词。

旁白 neutral

One would expect them to know their parts by heart and never have cause to falter.

人们会期望他们熟记自己的角色台词，永不结巴。

旁白 neutral

Yet this is not always the case.

然而，事实并非总是如此。

旁白 neutral

A famous actor in a highly successful play was once cast in the role of an aristocrat who had been imprisoned in the Bastille for twenty years.

一部非常成功的戏剧中，一位著名演员曾被塑造成一位在巴士底狱被囚禁了二十年的贵族。

旁白 neutral

In the last act, a gaoler would always come on to the stage with a letter which he would hand to the prisoner.

在最后一幕中，一个狱卒总是会带着一封信上台，然后递给囚犯。

旁白 neutral

Even though the noble was expected to read the letter at each performance, he always insisted that it should be written out in full.

尽管这位贵族在每次表演中都应该读这封信，但他总是坚持信应该写得清清楚楚。

旁白 neutral

One night, the gaoler decided to play a joke on his colleague to find out if,

一天晚上，狱卒决定和他的同事开个玩笑，想看看，

旁白 neutral

after so many performances, he had managed to learn the contents of the letter by heart.

在这么多场演出之后，他是否已经把信的内容熟记于心。

旁白 neutral

The curtain went up on the final act of the play and revealed the aristocrat sitting alone behind bars in his dark cell.

戏剧的最后一幕拉开了帷幕，露出了贵族独自一人坐在漆黑牢房的铁窗后面。

旁白 neutral

Just then, the gaoler appeared with the precious letter in his hands.

就在那时，狱卒手里拿着那封珍贵的信出现了。

旁白 neutral

He entered the cell and presented the letter to the aristocrat.

他走进牢房，把信递给了贵族。

旁白 neutral

But the copy he gave him had not been written out in full as usual.

但他给他的那份信件并未像往常一样完整写出。

旁白 neutral

It was simply a blank sheet of paper.

那只是一张白纸。

旁白 neutral

The gaoler looked on eagerly, anxious to see if his fellow actor had at last learnt his lines.

狱卒焦急地看着，渴望知道他的同事演员是否终于记住了台词。

旁白 neutral

The noble stared at the blank sheet of paper for a few seconds.

贵族盯着那张白纸看了几秒钟。

旁白 neutral

Then, squinting his eyes, he said: 'The light is dim. Read the letter to me.'

然后，他眯着眼睛说：“光线太暗了。你把信念给我听吧。”

旁白 neutral

And he promptly handed the sheet of paper to the gaoler.

他立刻把那张纸递给了狱卒。

旁白 neutral

Finding that he could not remember a word of the letter either,

狱卒发现自己也记不住信里一个字，

旁白 neutral

the gaoler replied: 'The light is indeed dim, sire. I must get my glasses. '

他回答说：“陛下，光线确实很暗。我必须去拿我的眼镜。”

旁白 neutral

With this, he hurried off the stage.

说完，他匆匆忙忙地下了台。

旁白 neutral

Much to the aristocrat's amusement,

令贵族非常有趣的是，

旁白 neutral

the gaoler returned a few moments later with a pair of glasses and the usual copy of the letter which he proceeded to read to the prisoner.

狱卒几分钟后带着一副眼镜和往常那封信的副本回来了，然后他开始念给囚犯听。