第三冊第19篇：我在費城的第一天

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by Benjamin Franklin

I have been the more particular in this description of my journey, and shall be so of my first entry into that city, that you may in your mind compare such unlikely beginnings with the figure I have since made there. I was in my working dress, my best clothes being to come round by sea. I was dirty and stockings; and I knew no soul, nor where to look for lodging. I was fatigued with travelling, rowing, and want of rest; I was very hungry; and my whole stock of cash consisted of a Dutch dollar, and about a shilling in copper. The latter I gave the people of the boat for my passage, who at first refused it, on account of my rowing; but I insisted on their taking it, a man being sometimes more generous when he has but a little money than when he has plenty, perhaps through fear of being thought to have but little.

我對于我的旅程敘述得特別詳細，我的初次進城我也將詳細交代，為的是使你在想象中能夠把這種不大有希望的開端跟我日后在該城成為要人這一情況作一對比。我穿了工作服，因為我最好的衣服要從海道運來。我風塵仆仆，口袋里裝滿了襯衫和襪子。我一個熟人也沒有，也不知何處去找住宿。我因為旅行、劃船和缺乏休息，感到很累了。我又十分餓，但是我的全部現(xiàn)金是一元荷蘭幣和約值一先令的銅幣。我把銅幣付給船上的人作為舟金，他們起初不肯收，因為我出力劃了船，但是我堅持要他們收下來，因為當一個人只有少量錢財?shù)臅r候，有時候他反而比他錢多時來得慷慨，也許是由于怕人家把他當做窮酸的緣故吧。

Then I walked up the street gazing about, till, near the market-house. I met a boy with bread. I had made many a meal on bread, and, inquiring where he got it, I went immediately to the baker's he directed me to, in Second Street, and asked for biscuit, intending such as we had in Boston; buut they, it seems, were not made in Philadelphia. Then I asked for a threepenny loaf, and was told they had none such. So, not considering or knowing the defference of money, and the greater cheapness nor the names of his bread, I gace him give me threepenny-worth of any sort. He gave me, accordingly, threee great puffy rollls, I was surprised at the quantity, but took it, and, having no room eating the other. Thus I went up Market Street as far as Fourth Street, passing by the door of Mr Read, my future wife's father; when she, standing at the door, saw me, and thought I made, as I certainly did, a most awkward, ridiculous appearance. Then I turned and went down Chestnut Street and part of Walnut Street, eating my roll all the way, and, coming round, found myself again at Market Street wharf, near the boat I came in, to which I went for a draught of the river water; and being filled with one of my rolls, gave the other two to a woman and her child that came down the river in the boat with us, and were waiting to go father.

接著我上了街，四處瀏覽(注視，凝視)，當我走到市場時，我遇見了一個手拿著面包的男孩子。以前我曾經(jīng)好幾次把面包當飯吃過。我詢問過他面包是從哪兒買來的以后，我立即跑到他指點給我的在第二街的一家面包鋪那里，我要像我們在波士頓買的那種硬面包，但是好像在費城他們不做這種面包。接著我就要三便士一條(的)面包，他們也說沒有，這樣，由于我沒有考慮到或不知道貨幣價值的不同，在費城物價較低，我也不知道究竟他鋪子里有什么面包，我就請他給我三便士任何種類的面包，于是，他給了我三個又大又肥(膨脹)的面包卷。這個數(shù)量使我感到驚異，但是我收了下來。因為我口袋里裝不下，我就兩脅下各夾著一個，一邊走，一邊嘴里吃著另外的一個，我就這樣沿著市場街走去一直走到第四街，經(jīng)過后來成為我岳丈的李得先生門口。我未來的愛人這時恰巧站在門口，看見了我，覺得我的樣子十分尷尬可笑，事實也真是這樣接著，我轉(zhuǎn)了一個彎，到了板栗街和胡桃街的一段，一路上我仍然吃著面包卷，又轉(zhuǎn)了一個彎以后，發(fā)現(xiàn)我又回到了市場街碼頭，我剛在坐著來的那只船的附近。我跑到碼頭上去喝了一口河水。我既吃了一個面包卷，肚子已經(jīng)飽了，就把其余的兩個給了跟我們一同從上江坐船來的婦人和她的孩子，她們正等著開船繼續(xù)前進。

Thus refreshed, I walked again up the street, which by this time had many clean-dressed people in it, who were all walking the same way. I joined them, and there-by was led into the great meeting-house of the Quakers near the market. I sat down among them, and after looking round a while and hearing nothing said, being very drowsy through labour and want of rest the preceding night, I fell fast asleep, and continued so till the meeting broke up, when one was kind enough to rouse me. This was, therefore, the first house I was in, or slept in, in Philadelphia.

飯后，我又跑到街上去了。這時街上有許多衣冠楚楚的人都在向著同一個方向走著，我加入了他們的隊伍，這樣我被帶到市場附近的一個巨大的教友會的會所。我在他們中間坐了下來，我四面看了一忽兒，聽不見有誰講話，由于第一天(先前的)晚上的勞動和缺乏睡眠，我感到十分困倦(昏昏欲睡的)，接著就睡著了，一直睡到散會時為止。這時，有一個人善意地叫醒了我。因此，這個會所是我在費城踏進過的或是睡眠過的第一所房屋。