He pointed to his empty "tipping plate." The young sailor finished his meal and got up to leave. Putting on his coat, he walked over to the flower woman's table.
钢琴师指了指身旁的那只空空如也的“小费盘”。年轻的海员已吃完,起身准备离开。他穿上外套,走到卖花老太太的桌前。
Happy Christmas, he said, smiling and picking out two flowers. "How much are they?"
他笑着说了声“圣诞快乐!”,一边挑出两朵小小的花,“多少钱?”
Two francs, monsieur.
“两个法郎,先生。”
Pressing one of the small flowers flat, he put it into the letter he had written, then handed the woman a twenty-franc note.
他把其中的一朵花压平,放进已经写好的信里,然后将一张20法郎面额的钞票递给了老妇。
I don't have change, monsieur, she said. "I'll get some from the waiter."
“我没有零钱找您,先生。”她说,“我去跟服务员换一点来。”
No, ma'am, said the sailor, leaning over and kissing the ancient cheek. "This is my Christmas present to you."
“不用了,夫人。”说着,水手俯身吻了吻那张老迈的脸,“这是我送给您的圣诞礼物。”
Straightening up, he came to our table, holding the other flower in front of him. "Sir," he said to me, "may I have permission to present this flower to your beautiful daughter?" In one quick motion he gave my wife the flower, wished us a Merry Christmas, and departed.
他直起身,朝我们的餐桌走来,另一朵鲜花举在他的胸前。“先生,”他对我说,“我可以将这花作为礼物送给您漂亮的女儿吗?”说着,他迅速地将那朵花塞到我妻子的手中,道了声“圣诞快乐”,就离去了。
Everyone had stopped eating. Everyone had been watching the sailor. Everyone was silent. A few seconds later, Christmas exploded throughout the restaurant like a bomb. The old flower woman jumped up, waving the twenty-franc note. Hobbling to the middle of the floor she did a lively folk dance and shouted to the piano player, "Joseph, my Christmas present! And you shall have half, so you can have a feast, too."
人们都停止吃饭,大家一直关注着水手的一举一动,整个餐厅鸦雀无声。几秒钟后,圣诞的欢乐激情像炸弹似地爆炸开来。卖花老妇腾身站起,挥动着她手中的那张20法郎的钞票。她蹒跚着走到餐厅的中央,欢快地踏起了舞步,冲着钢琴师嚷道:“约瑟夫,我收到圣诞礼物了!我也让你分享一半,让你也能吃上一顿丰盛的圣诞晚餐。”