身份案 01事件的开端(1)

A Case Of Identity

身份案

"My dear fellow," said Sherlock Holmes as we sat on either side of the fire in his lodgings¹ at Baker² Street,

我同福尔摩斯两人对坐在贝克街他寓所的壁炉前。他说："老兄，

"life is infinitely³ stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent.

生活比人们所能想象的要奇妙何止千百倍；

We would not dare to conceive the things which are really mere⁴ commonplaces of existence.

真正存在的很平常的事情，我们连想也不敢想。

If we could fly out of that window hand in hand, hover⁵ over this great city,

假如我们能够手拉手地飞出那个窗户，翱翔在这个大城市的上空，

gently remove the roofs, and peep in at the queer things which are going on,

轻轻地揭开那些屋顶，窥视里边正在发生的不平常的事情：

the strange coincidences, the plannings, the cross-purposes, the wonderful chains of events,

奇怪的巧合、密室的策划、闹别扭、以及令人惊奇的一连串的事件，

working through generations, and leading to the most outre results,

它们一代一代地不断发生着，导致稀奇古怪的结果，

it would make all fiction with its conventionalities and foreseen conclusions most stale and unprofitable."

这就会使得一切老一套的、一看开头就知道结局的小说，变得索然无味而失去销路。"

"And yet I am not convinced of it," I answered.

我回答说："可是，我并不信。

"The cases which come to light in the papers are, as a rule, bald enough, and vulgar enough.

报纸上发表的案件，一般地说，都十分单调，俗不可耐。

We have in our police reports realism pushed to its extreme limits,

在警察的报告里，现实主义到了极点，

and yet the result is, it must be confessed, neither fascinating nor artistic⁶."

必须承认，结果是既不有趣，也无艺术性。"

"A certain selection and discretion⁷ must be used in producing a realistic effect," remarked Holmes.

福尔摩斯说道："要产生实际的效果必须运用一些选择和判断。

"This is wanting in the police report, where more stress is laid,

警察报告里没有这些，也许重点放到

perhaps, upon the platitudes⁸ of the magistrate⁹ than upon the details,

地方长官的陈词滥调上去了，

which to an observer contain the vital essence of the whole matter.

而不是放在观察者认为是整个事件必不可少的实质的细节上。

Depend upon it, there is nothing so unnatural¹⁰ as the commonplace."

毫无疑问，没有什么象司空见惯的东西那样不自然的了。"

1 lodgings   

n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍

参考例句：

• When he reached his lodgings the sun had set. 他到达公寓房间时，太阳已下山了。
• I'm on the hunt for lodgings. 我正在寻找住所。

2 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

3 infinitely   

adv.无限地，无穷地

参考例句：

• There is an infinitely bright future ahead of us.我们有无限光明的前途。
• The universe is infinitely large.宇宙是无限大的。

4 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

5 hover   

vi.翱翔，盘旋；徘徊；彷徨，犹豫

参考例句：

• You don't hover round the table.你不要围着桌子走来走去。
• A plane is hover on our house.有一架飞机在我们的房子上盘旋。

6 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

7 discretion   

n.谨慎；随意处理

参考例句：

• You must show discretion in choosing your friend.你择友时必须慎重。
• Please use your best discretion to handle the matter.请慎重处理此事。

8 platitudes   

n.平常的话，老生常谈，陈词滥调( platitude的名词复数 )；滥套子

参考例句：

• He was mouthing the usual platitudes about the need for more compassion. 他言不由衷地说了些需要更加同情之类的陈腔滥调。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He delivered a long prose full of platitudes. 他发表了一篇充满陈词滥调的文章。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 magistrate   

n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官

参考例句：

• The magistrate committed him to prison for a month.法官判处他一个月监禁。
• John was fined 1000 dollars by the magistrate.约翰被地方法官罚款1000美元。

10 unnatural   

adj.不自然的；反常的

参考例句：

• Did her behaviour seem unnatural in any way?她有任何反常表现吗？
• She has an unnatural smile on her face.她脸上挂着做作的微笑。