All the Cabbie Had Was a LetterFoster Furcolo 1 He must have been completely lost in something he was reading because I had to tap on the windshield to get his attention. 出租车司机拥有的就剩一封信福斯特?弗克洛他准是完全沉浸在所读的东西里了，因为我不得不敲挡风玻璃来引起他的注意2 "Is your cab available?" I asked when he finally looked up at me. He nodded, then said apologetically as I settled into the back seat, "I'm sorry, but I was reading a letter." He sounded as if he had a cold or something. 他总算抬头看我了 “你出车吗？”我问道他点点头，当我坐进后座时，他抱歉地说：“对不起，我在读一封信。
”听上去他像是得了感冒什么的3 "I'm in no hurry," I told him. "Go ahead and finish your letter." “我不着急， ”我对他说， “你接着把信读完吧 ”4 He shook his head. "I've read it several times already. I guess I almost know it by heart." 他摇了摇头 “我已经读了好几遍了我想我都能背出来了 ”5 "Letters from home always mean a lot," I said. " At least they do with me because I'm on the road so much." Then, estimating that he was 60 or 70 years old, I guessed: "From a child or maybe a grandchild?" “家书抵万金啊， ”我说 “至少对我来说是这样，因为我老是在外旅行 ”我估量他有六七十岁了，便猜测说：“是孩子还是孙子写来的？”6 " This isn't family," he replied. "Although," he went on, " come to think of it, it might just as well have been family. Old Ed was my oldest friend. In fact, we used to call each other 'Old Friend' ─ when we'd meet, that is. I'm not much of a hand at writing." “不是家里人，”他回答说。
“不过， ”他接着说， “想起来，也可以算是一家人了埃德老伙计是我最老的朋友了实际上，过去我俩总是以‘老朋友’相称的 —— 就是说，当我俩相见时我这人就是不大会写东西 ”7 "I don't think any of us keep up our correspondence too well," I said. "I know I don't. But I take it he's someone you've known quite a while?" “我看大家写信都不那么勤快， ”我说， “我自己笔头就很懒我看，你认识他挺久了吧？”8 "All my life, practically. We were kids together, so we go way back." “差不多认识了一辈子了我俩小时候就一起玩，所以我俩的友谊确实很长了 ”9 " Went to school together?" “一起上的学？”10 "All the way through high school. We were in the same class, in fact, through both grade and high school." “都一起上到高中呢。
事实上，我俩从小学到高中都在一个班里11 "There are not too many people who've had such a long friendship," I said. “保持这么长久友谊的人可真不多见啊， ”我说12 "Actually," the driver went on, "I hadn't seen him more than once or twice a year over the past 25 or 30 years because I moved away from the old neighborhood and you kind of lose touch even though you never forget. He was a great guy." “其实呢， ”司机接着说， “近 25到 30 年来，我跟他一年只见一两次面，因为我从原来住的老街坊搬了出来，联系自然就少了，虽说你一直放在心上他在的时候可真是个大好人 ”13 "You said 'was'. Does that mean ─?" “你刚才说他 ‘在的时候’ 。
你是说 ——？”14 He nodded. "Died a couple of weeks ago." 他点了点头 “前两个星期过世啦 ”15 "I'm sorry," I said. "It's no fun to lose any friend ─ and losing a real old one is even tougher." “真遗憾， ”我说， “失去朋友真不是个滋味，失去个真正的老朋友更让人受不了 ”16 He didn't reply to that, and we rode on in silence for a few minutes. But I realized that Old Ed was still on his mind when he spoke again, almost more to himself than to me: "I should have kept in touch. Yes," he repeated, "I should have kept in touch." 他开着车，没有接话儿。
我们沉默了几分钟可我知道他还在想着老埃德他又开口时，与其说是跟我说话，还不如说是自言自语：“我真该一直保持联系真的， ”他重复道， “我真该一直保持联系17 "well," I agreed, "We should all keep in touch with old friends more than we do. But things come up and we just don't seem to find the time." “是啊， ”我表示赞同， “我们都该与老朋友保持更多的联系不过总是有事情冒出来，好像就是抽不出空来 ”18 He shrugged. "We used to find the time," he said. "That's even mentioned in the letter." He handed it over to me. "Take a look." 他耸了耸肩 “我们过去总能抽出空来， ”他说信里还提到呢 ”他把信递给我， “你看看吧 ”19 "Thanks," I said, "but I don't want to read your mail. That's pretty personal." “谢谢你， ”我说， “不过我不想读你的信。
这纯属私事 ”20 The driver shrugged. "Old Ed's dead. There's nothing personal now. Go ahead," he urged me. 司机耸一耸肩 “老埃德人都死了没什么私事不私事了念吧， ”他催促说21 The letter was written in pencil. It began with the greeting "Old Friend,"and the first sentence reminded me of myself. I've been meaning to write for some time, but I've always postponed it. It then went on to say that he often thought about the good times they had had together when they both lived in the same neighborhood. It had references to things that probably meant something to the driver, such as the time Tim Shea broke the window, the Halloween that we tied Old Mr. Parker's gate, and when Mrs. Culver used to keep us after school. 信是用铅笔写的。
称呼写着“老朋友” ，而开头第一句话让我想到自己 “早就想写信了，可就是一拖再拖 ” 信里接着写道，他常常回想从前两人住在一个街坊时的快乐时光信里提到些事，可能对司机很重要，比如“那次蒂姆?谢打破窗子，那年万圣节前夕，我们把老帕克先生的大门拴了起来，还有卡尔弗太太老是在放学后把咱俩留下训斥的那阵子” 22 "You must have spent a lot of time together," I said to him. “你们俩准是在一起度过了不少时光， ”我对他说23 "Like it says there," he answered, "about all we had to spend in those days was time." He shook his head: "Time." “就跟信里写的那样， ”他回答说， “我俩在那个时候能花的只有时间 ”他摇头叹道：“时间啊 ”24 I thought the next paragraph of the letter was a little sad: I began the letter with "Old Friend" because that's what we've become over the years ─ old friends. And there aren't many of us left. 信里接下来的那段我觉得有点凄凉：“信的开头我写着‘老朋友’ ，因为这么多年来，我们这对老朋友渐渐都老了。
我们这些人当中留下的也不多了 ”25 "You。