Ulysses - Chapter 15
尤利西斯 - 第十五章
Outside the brothel, Stephen collapsed on the street. Two British soldiers approached, looking for trouble. They accused Stephen of insulting their king and prepared to beat him. Bloom intervened, using his wits to defuse the situation.
在妓院外面,斯蒂芬倒在街上。两名英国士兵走近,寻找麻烦。他们指责斯蒂芬侮辱他们的国王,准备殴打他。布卢姆介入,用他的智慧化解了局势。
"He's drunk," Bloom explained calmly. "He doesn't know what he's saying. I'll take him home."
"他喝醉了,"布卢姆平静地解释。"他不知道自己在说什么。我会带他回家。"
The soldiers were unconvinced, their fists clenched and ready. But Bloom's reasonable manner and obvious concern for Stephen gave them pause. They muttered threats and warnings before moving on, seeking easier targets for their aggression.
士兵们不相信,他们的拳头紧握着,准备好了。但布卢姆合理的态度和对斯蒂芬明显的关心让他们停顿了一下。他们嘟囔着威胁和警告后离开了,寻找更容易的目标来发泄他们的侵略。
Bloom helped Stephen to his feet, checking for injuries. The young man was bruised and dazed, barely conscious. His wallet was missing, probably stolen in the brothel or picked from his pocket on the street.
布卢姆帮助斯蒂芬站起来,检查伤势。这个年轻人受了伤,头晕目眩,几乎失去知觉。他的钱包不见了,可能在妓院被偷了,或者在街上被人从口袋里掏走了。
A vision of Rudy appeared to Bloom, his dead son as he would have been at eleven years old. The boy was beautiful, perfect, reading a book in Hebrew. Bloom's heart ached with love and loss. For a moment, Stephen and Rudy merged in his mind, the living and the dead becoming one.
鲁迪的幻象出现在布卢姆面前,他死去的儿子十一岁时的样子。男孩很漂亮,完美,正在读一本希伯来语的书。布卢姆的心因爱和失落而疼痛。有那么一刻,斯蒂芬和鲁迪在他的脑海中融合,活着的和死去的成为一体。
The vision faded, leaving Bloom alone with the unconscious Stephen. He had to get the young man somewhere safe, somewhere he could recover. But where? Stephen had no money, and Bloom didn't know where he lived.
幻象消失了,留下布卢姆独自和失去知觉的斯蒂芬在一起。他必须把这个年轻人带到安全的地方,一个他可以恢复的地方。但去哪里?斯蒂芬没有钱,布卢姆不知道他住在哪里。
A cab passed, and Bloom considered hailing it. But the expense would be significant, and he wasn't sure Stephen could afford to repay him. Still, what choice did he have? He couldn't leave the young man lying in the street.
一辆出租车经过,布卢姆考虑招呼它。但费用会很高,他不确定斯蒂芬能否负担得起还给他。不过,他有什么选择?他不能让这个年轻人躺在街上。
Bloom made his decision. He would take Stephen to his own home, would give him shelter for the night. It was the decent thing to do, the human thing.
布卢姆做出了决定。他会带斯蒂芬去他自己的家,会给他提供一晚的住所。这是体面的事情,是人性的事情。