吝嗇鬼伊本尼澤 · 史克魯奇，在昔日合伙人幽靈的警告以及“過去”、“現(xiàn)在”、“未來”三位精靈的幫助下，他終于明白是自己昔日的所作所為而失去了愛情、幸福、快樂和生命。雖然自己是這樣的一個(gè)人，但在美好的圣誕節(jié)還能得到別人誠(chéng)摯熱切的祝福，發(fā)誓改過自新。仁慈的上帝在擔(dān)負(fù)拯救人類重任的救世主這天，也降臨了他的寬恕，整個(gè)故事在呈現(xiàn)一個(gè)煥然一新的快樂的奇跡中圓滿收?qǐng)觥?/p>

查爾斯 · 狄更斯 （Charles Dickens） 在書中以細(xì)膩的筆觸生動(dòng)形象地描繪了圣誕節(jié)的各項(xiàng)活動(dòng)，其中的許多內(nèi)容已在今天的圣誕節(jié)中得到了普及。在節(jié)日的夜晚，全家人張燈結(jié)彩，舉行快樂的晚會(huì)。廳堂里溫暖如春，歡快的頌歌悅耳動(dòng)聽，引人注目的圣誕樹上懸掛著禮品盒，擺著烤鵝、葡萄干布丁和新鮮面包等美味佳肴的筵席令人垂涎三尺……所有這一切，更增添了節(jié)日的喜慶氣氛。甚至圣誕節(jié)的語(yǔ)言，也由于《圣誕頌歌》而變得更加豐富多彩。“恭賀圣誕！”（“Merry Christmas！”） 這句問候語(yǔ)就是在這本書中出現(xiàn)之后，才被得到廣泛應(yīng)用的。（中華讀書報(bào) 李忠東）

The Second of the Three Spirits

Charles Dickens

Awaking in the middle of a prodigiously tough snore， and sitting up in bed to get his thoughts together， Scrooge had no occasion to be told that the bell was again upon the stroke of One. He felt that he was restored to consciousness in the right nick of time， for the especial purpose of holding a conference with the second messenger despatched to him through Jacob Marley’s intervention. But， finding that he turned uncomfortably cold when he began to wonder which of his curtains this new spectre would draw back， he put them every one aside with his own hands， and lying down again， established a sharp look-out all round the bed. For， he wished to challenge the Spirit on the moment of its appearance， and did not wish to be taken by surprise， and made nervous.

Gentlemen of the free-and-easy sort， who plume themselves on being acquainted with a move or two， and being usually equal to the time-of-day， express the wide range of their capacity for adventure by observing that they are good for anything from pitch-and toss to manslaughter； between which opposite extremes， no doubt， there lies a tolerably wide and comprehensive range of subjects. Without venturing for Scrooge quite as hardily as this， I don’t mind calling on you to believe that he was ready for a good broad field of strange appearances， and that nothing between a baby and rhinoceros would have astonished him very much.

Now， being prepared for almost anything， he was not by any means prepared for nothing； and， consequently， when the Bell struck One， and no shape appeared， he was taken with a violent fit of trembling. Five minutes， ten minutes， a quarter of an hour went by， yet nothing came. All this time， he lay upon his bed， the very core and centre of ablaze of ruddy light， which streamed upon it when the clock proclaimed the hour； and which， being only light， was more alarming than a dozen ghosts， as he was powerless to make out what it meant， or would be at； and was sometimes apprehensive that he might be at that very moment an interesting case of spontaneous combustion， without having the consolation of knowing it. At last， however， he began to think as you or I would have thought at first； for it is always the person not in the predicament who knows what ought to have been done in it， and would unquestionably have done it too at last， I say， he began to think that the source and secret of this ghostly light might be in the adjoining room， from whence， on further tracing it， it seemed to shine. This idea taking full possession of his mind， he got up softly and shuffled in his slippers to the door.

The moment Scrooge’s hand was on the lock， a strange voice called him by his name， and bade him enter. He obeyed.

It was his own room. There was no doubt about that. But it had undergone a surprising transformation. The walls and ceiling were so hung with living green， that it looked a perfect grove； from every part of which， bright gleaming berries glistened. The crisp leaves of holly， mistletoe， and ivy reflected back the light， as if so many little mirrors had been scattered there； and such a mighty blaze went roaring up the chimney， as that dull petrification of a hearth had never known in Scrooge’s time， or Marley’s， or for many and many a winter season gone. Heaped up on the floor， to form a kind of throne， were turkeys， geese， game， poultry， brawn， great joints of meat， sucking-pigs， long wreaths of sausages， mince-pies， plum-puddings， barrels of oysters， red-hot chestnuts， cherry-cheeked apples， juicy oranges， luscious pears， immense twelfth-cakes， and seething bowls of punch， that made the chamber dim with their delicious steam. In easy state upon this couch， there sat a jolly Giant， glorious to see：， who bore a glowing torch， in shape not unlike Plenty’s horn， and held it up， high up， to shed its light on Scrooge， as he came peeping round the door.

‘Come in.’ exclaimed the Ghost. ‘Come in， and know me better， man.’

Scrooge entered timidly， and hung his head before this Spirit. He was not the dogged Scrooge he had been； and though the Spirit’s eyes were clear and kind， he did not like to meet them.

‘I am the Ghost of Christmas Present，’ said the Spirit. ‘Look upon me.’

Scrooge reverently did so. It was clothed in one simple green robe， or mantle， bordered with white fur. This garment hung so loosely on the figure， that its capacious breast was bare， as if disdaining to be warded or concealed by any artifice. Its feet， observable beneath the ample folds of the garment， were also bare； and on its head it wore no other covering than a holly wreath， set here and there with shining icicles. Its dark brown curls were long and free； free as its genial face， its sparkling eye， its open hand， its cheery voice， its unconstrained demeanour， and its joyful air. Girded round its middle was an antique scabbard； but no sword was in it， and the ancient sheath was eaten up with rust.

‘You have never seen the like of me before.’ Exclaimed the Spirit.

‘Never，’ Scrooge made answer to it.

‘Have never walked forth with the younger members of my family； meaning （for I am very young） my elder brothers born in these later years.’ pursued the Phantom.

‘I don’t think I have，’ said Scrooge. ‘I am afraid I have not. Have you had many brothers， Spirit.’

‘More than eighteen hundred，’ said the Ghost.

‘A tremendous family to provide for.’ muttered Scrooge.

The Ghost of Christmas Present rose.

‘Spirit，’ said Scrooge submissively，’ conduct me where you will. I went forth last night on compulsion， and I learnt a lesson which is working now. To-night， if you have aught to teach me， let me profit by it.’

‘Touch my robe.’

Scrooge did as he was told， and held it fast.

Holly， mistletoe， red berries， ivy， turkeys， geese， game， poultry， brawn， meat， pigs， sausages， oysters， pies， puddings， fruit， and punch， all vanished instantly. So did the room， the fire， the ruddy glow， the hour of night， and they stood in the city streets on Christmas morning， where （for the weather was severe） the people made a rough， but brisk and not unpleasant kind of music， in scraping the snow from the pavement in front of their dwellings， and from the tops of their houses， whence it was mad delight to the boys to see it come plumping down into the road below， and splitting into artificial little snow-storms.

第三節(jié)歌：三個(gè)幽靈中的第二個(gè)

汪倜然 譯

斯克擄奇從鼾聲大作中醒過來，在床上坐起定了定神，根本用不著人家來告訴他，就知道鐘又將敲一點(diǎn)了。他覺得自己正好在這緊要關(guān)頭醒過來，就是特地為了要和那第二個(gè)使者來一次會(huì)晤，而這個(gè)使者正是由于雅各·馬利的干預(yù)，才到他這里來的。但是當(dāng)他開始猜想這個(gè)新幽靈會(huì)把他帳子的哪一邊拉開時(shí)，他覺得自己很不舒服地發(fā)起冷來，便索性用自己的手把每一邊的帳子都拉開來，然后再在床上躺下，對(duì)床的四周保持嚴(yán)密的警戒，因?yàn)樗蛩阍谶@幽靈一出現(xiàn)時(shí)，就向它挑戰(zhàn)，而不愿意突然遭到襲擊，弄得驚惶失措。

那些悠閑自在、不拘形跡的先生們，自負(fù)有那么兩下子，而且是分外通曉世事，善于審時(shí)應(yīng)變的，為了要表示他們?cè)诿半U(xiǎn)應(yīng)變方面神通廣大，就說他們從擲錢游戲到殺人勾當(dāng)，任何事情都是擅長(zhǎng)的；而在這兩個(gè)相反的極端之間，無疑地還有著范圍相當(dāng)廣泛的許多事情。我固然不敢把斯克擄奇說得這么有能耐，可是我愿意請(qǐng)你們相信，他是準(zhǔn)備看到范圍相當(dāng)廣泛的各種稀奇古怪的東西出現(xiàn)的，從一個(gè)小娃娃直到一頭大犀牛之間，無論什么東西出現(xiàn)都不會(huì)使他太驚駭。

如今，正因?yàn)樗麥?zhǔn)備看見差不多任何東西，他才毫無準(zhǔn)備會(huì)一無所見；因此，當(dāng)鐘鳴一下，而并無鬼影出現(xiàn)時(shí)，他禁不住劇烈地發(fā)起抖來。五分鐘，十分鐘過去了，一刻鐘過去了，可是什么都沒有出現(xiàn)。在這一段時(shí)間里，他一直躺在床上，處于一道紅光的核心和中央，這道光是在鐘敲一點(diǎn)時(shí)就照射在他身上的；而且，由于只是一道光，竟比一二十個(gè)鬼更驚人，因?yàn)樗葻o法了解它的用意是什么，也不知道它打算怎么樣；有些時(shí)候他更深怕自己當(dāng)時(shí)會(huì)自燃起來，成為一個(gè)有趣的事例，事先卻一點(diǎn)也沒有思想準(zhǔn)備。然而，到了最后，他開始想到——至于你我，是一開頭就會(huì)想到的，因?yàn)榕杂^者清，只有不置身在困境中的人才知道應(yīng)該怎樣應(yīng)付這種境遇，而且毫無疑問地會(huì)這樣去做——到了最后，我剛才說，他才開始想到，這道鬼光的來源和奧秘，可能就在隔壁的那個(gè)房間里，因?yàn)樗侔堰@道光的蹤跡追尋了一下，發(fā)現(xiàn)它似乎就是從那房間里照射出來的。他心里既然完全存了這個(gè)想法，就輕輕地從床上起來，趿著拖鞋走到房門口去。

斯克擄奇的手剛碰到鎖上，一個(gè)陌生的口音就叫了一聲他的名字，而且吩咐他進(jìn)去。他遵命做了。

那是他自己的房間。這一點(diǎn)是毫無疑問的。但是這個(gè)房間已經(jīng)起了驚人的變化。四壁和天花板上都掛滿了活的綠色植物，看起來完全象是一座小叢林，亮晶晶的漿果在叢林里的每一個(gè)地方閃耀著。冬青、槲寄生和常青藤的鮮嫩的葉子把這些亮光反射出來，好象有許多小鏡子散布在那兒似的；熊熊的火焰直向煙囪里轟轟地上竄，無論是在斯克擄奇的時(shí)期，馬利的時(shí)期，還是過去許許多多的冬季里，這個(gè)陰沉的化石般的壁爐里都從未有過這樣猛烈的火焰。堆在地板上，形成一個(gè)寶座似的，是火雞、鵝、野味、家禽、腌肉、大塊的腿肉、乳豬、一長(zhǎng)串一長(zhǎng)串的香腸、明治攀、葡萄干布丁、一桶桶的牡蠣、火熱的栗子、象孩兒臉般紅通通的蘋果、多汁的橘子、甘美的生梨、龐大的主顯節(jié)餅，以及煮沸的一碗碗五味酒，它們冒出來的芬芳的熱氣，把這個(gè)房間都熏得模糊了。在這里的榻上坐著一個(gè)興高采烈的巨人，氣派堂皇，手里拿著一根通紅的火把，形狀同象征豐饒的羊角不無相似之處，他把它高高地舉起，等斯克擄奇走到房門口來張望的時(shí)候，火把的光正好照在他身上。

“進(jìn)來！”這幽靈叫道?！斑M(jìn)來！同我多熟悉熟悉，朋友！”

斯克擄奇畏畏縮縮地走進(jìn)去，在這幽靈面前低頭站著。他已經(jīng)不是從前那個(gè)冥頑不靈的斯克擄奇了；雖則那幽靈的眼光是明朗和善的，他卻不愿意和它接觸。

“我是‘現(xiàn)代圣誕節(jié)之靈’，”這幽靈說，“對(duì)我看！”

斯克擄奇就恭而敬之地照辦了。只見它穿著一件樸素的綠色長(zhǎng)袍，或是大氅，周圍用白的毛皮鑲邊。這件衣服寬松地披在它身上，它那寬闊的胸部都露了出來，仿佛不屑被人為的衣飾所衛(wèi)護(hù)或遮掩。從衣服的寬大的褶裥下面，看得見它的一雙腳也是赤露著的；它的頭上不戴別的東西，只戴著一個(gè)冬青編的花冠，上面到處點(diǎn)綴著閃閃發(fā)亮的冰柱。它那深褐色的鬈發(fā)很長(zhǎng)，隨便地披著，就象它那和藹的臉兒、閃光的眼睛、張開的手掌、愉快的聲音、自在的舉止和快樂的氣氛那樣地隨便不羈。它的腰間佩著一把古老的劍鞘，可是里面沒有劍，而且這古老的劍鞘已經(jīng)長(zhǎng)滿了銹。

“你從來沒有見過象我這樣的吧！”幽靈叫道。

“從來沒有，”斯克擄奇回答它。

“從來沒有同我家里比較年輕的成員們一起走動(dòng)過吧？我的意思是說，在最近幾年里誕生的我的哥哥們，因?yàn)槲业哪昙o(jì)是很小的，”幽靈不放松地說。

“我想我是沒有這樣做過，”斯克擄奇說?！拔铱峙率菦]有這樣做過。你有許多兄弟么，幽靈？”

“有一千八百多個(gè)，”這鬼說。

“這可是一盒很不容易贍養(yǎng)的大家庭啊！”斯克擄奇嘀咕著說。

“現(xiàn)在圣誕節(jié)之靈”站起身來。

“幽靈呵，”斯克擄奇恭順地說，“帶我到你要帶我去的地方吧。昨天夜里我是被逼出去的，可是我已經(jīng)得到了一種教訓(xùn)，這教訓(xùn)現(xiàn)在正在起作用了。今天夜里，如果你有什么要教導(dǎo)我的話，那就讓我得到教益吧。”

“輕輕地抓住我的袍子！”

斯克擄奇遵照他的吩咐做了，把袍子緊緊抓住。

冬青、槲寄生、紅漿果、常青藤、火雞、鵝、野味、家禽、腌肉、鮮肉、豬、香腸、牡蠣、餡餅、布丁、水果和五味酒，立刻全都消失了。那個(gè)房間、壁爐、通紅的火光、夜間的鐘點(diǎn)，也全都消失了，他們已經(jīng)站在圣誕節(jié)早晨的城里的街道上。因?yàn)樘鞖夂涞煤埽藗冊(cè)诎炎≌懊嫒诵械郎虾臀蓓斏系难┒肩P掉，發(fā)出了一種聒噪、輕快但并不難聽的樂聲，而最使孩子們欣喜若狂的是看見雪從屋頂上沉重地落到下面路上，碎裂成人造的小暴風(fēng)雪。