钟表匠

我是里亚。

This is Ria.

欢迎收听《给小小人的小故事》。

Welcome to Little Stories for Tiny People.

今天的故事有点长，我们可没时间浪费。

Our story today is quite long, and we simply have no time to waste.

讲的是一只大老鼠，他有很多钟表，还有他的兄弟、荒野，以及时间。

It's about a large mouse and his many clocks and his brother and the wilderness and time.

这个故事叫《钟表匠》。

It's called The Clockmaker.

接下来交给你了，亨德里克斯和斯托里。

Take it away, HENDRIX and STOREY.

记住，这里没有插图。

Remember, there are no picture.

你得在脑子里自己想象画面。

You had to imagine a picture in your mind.

你怎么想象都行。

You can imagine them however you want.

好的。

Okay.

我们开始了。

Here we go.

你好。

Hello.

开门了吗？

Are you open?

店门叮当一声开了。

The door of the shop opens with a jingle.

一只老鼠拖着一只巨大的钟，慢悠悠地走了进来。

A mouse ambles inside, holding an enormous clock between her paws.

钟很重，从她走路的样子就能看出来——她使出了全身的力气，才把钟拖进屋。

It's heavy, clear from the way she moves as she holds it, as if it's taking every ounce of her strength to get it in the door.

一进门，她的耳朵抖了抖，被上百座钟同时滴答声刺得皱起眉头。

Once inside, her ears twitch, and she winces at the sound of hundreds of clocks ticking in chorus.

钟表匠坐在他那张小凳子上，面前摆着一张大桌子。

The clockmaker is perched on his little stool before a broad desk.

他根本没注意到她进来了。

He doesn't notice her come in.

他全神贯注地盯着一块手表，透过一架立式放大镜仔细查看里面的精密零件。

He's focused on the tiny workings of a watch at which he peers through a large standing magnifying glass.

他的助手克莱德立刻行动起来。

His assistant, Clyde, leaps into action.

早上好。

Good morning.

好的。

Yes.

今天有什么可以帮您的？

What can we do for you today?

我那座钟每天三点就不再唱歌了。

My dear clock has stopped singing at three.

每天到了三点，它本该唱歌的时候，却一点动静都没有。

Every day at three, when it should sing, it does nothing at all.

克莱德瞥了一眼自己的手表。

Clyde glances at his wristwatch.

现在是十点五十九分，咱们看看钟会不会开始唱歌。

Well, it's 10:59 right now, so let's see if the clock begins to sing.

它三点的时候也该是这样才对。

That's what it should do at three as well.

我明白了。

I see.

我们明天下午之前就能修好。

We'll have it fixed by tomorrow afternoon.

对了，你两点四十五分过来，咱们一起等它三点唱歌。

In fact, come by at 02:45, and we'll listen together as it sings at three.

非常感谢您，

Thank you so much,

顾客说着，仿佛一刻也等不及似的匆匆离开了店铺。

the customer says and seems to dash out of the shop as if she can't wait to get away.

这种情况很常见。

This is common.

顾客进店后，总是匆匆办完事，就像逃命一样赶紧离开。

Customers enter the shop, do their business as quickly as possible, and scurry out as if escaping.

克莱德曾试着委婉地提过这个问题。

Clyde has tried to raise the issue gently.

先生，我注意到顾客们好像被店里的声音吓了一跳。

You know, sir, I've noticed that the customers seem a bit startled by the noise in here.

也许我们可以考虑一下

Perhaps we could think about

克莱德，这位钟表匠插了句话，自己却没意识到已经说出口了。

Clyde, the clockmaker would interject, not realizing he had spoken.

克莱德，去帮我拿那副微型钳子，好吗？

Clyde, get me those miniature pliers, will you?

好的，先生。

Yes, sir.

这些小钟整天整夜都在滴答作响，成百上千个。

The clocks tick on hundreds of them all day and all night.

时不时会有一个走不准了，钟表匠就顺着那不合拍的滴答声找过去。

Every now and then, one ends up off tempo, and the clockmaker follows the errant ticks until he finds it.

找到之后，他就拿去桌边重新调准。

Then he takes it to his desk and sets it right again.

钟表匠听得见这些钟声，可又好像听不见。

The clockmaker hears the clocks, but also doesn't hear them at all.

钟声一直都在，他既清楚它们的存在，又像对心跳一样浑然不觉。

They're always present, and he is both as aware of them and as oblivious to them as he is to his own heartbeat.

你怎么受得了的？

How do you stand it?

他哥哥上次来的时候就这么回了一句。

His brother retorted the last time he visited.

站什么？

Stand what?

钟表匠头也没抬，伏在桌边说道。

The clockmaker had said without looking up, hunched over his desk.

那滴答声，他哥哥难以置信地说。

The ticking, said his brother, incredulous.

你听不见吗？

You don't hear it, do you?

钟表匠抬起了头，耳朵动了动。

The clockmaker had lifted his head and twitched his ears.

当然听得见。

Of course, I hear it.

但他听不见。

But he doesn't.

倒也不是。

Not really.

他眼里只看得到放大镜下那些小小的钟表零件。

He doesn't notice much beyond the small clock parts beneath his magnifying glass.

这位钟表匠是一只体型较大的老鼠。

The clockmaker is a large mouse.

他身上长着蓬乱的浅棕色毛发，因为长期专注观察微小的机械结构，眼睛已经有些近视了。

He has a scruffy coat of light brown fur and small eyes that have become nearsighted from his focus on tiny clock mechanisms.

他 owns 自己的店铺，没人要求他穿制服。

He owns his shop and is not required by anyone to wear a uniform.

可即便如此，他每天穿的都是一模一样的衣服。

Even so, he wears the exact same thing every day.

一条结实的棕色长裤，一件白色纽扣衬衫，外加一件深蓝色外套。

Sensible brown trousers, a white button down shirt, and a navy jacket.

如果你偷偷瞄一眼他衣柜——就在钟表店后头那间小公寓里——你会看到四条叠得整整齐齐的棕色长裤，四件熨得笔挺的白色牛津衬衫，还有一件备用的深蓝色外套。

If you peeked into his closet, located in the tiny apartment in the rear of the Clock Shop, You'd see four pairs of brown trousers folded neatly over hangers, four white Oxford shirts, starched and pressed, and an extra navy jacket.

钟表匠的助手克莱德是一只非常小的老鼠。

The clockmaker's assistant, Clyde, is a very small mouse.

他小到有时候陌生人会把他当成孩子。

He is so small that strangers sometimes confuse him for a child.

他并不在意。

He doesn't mind.

个子高低不是他能决定的，所以他也没必要为此道歉。

He has no say in his stature and therefore feels no need to apologize for it.

他就是个子矮。

He's short.

就这么简单。

End of story.

克莱德给钟表匠工作很多年了，对店里的一切都了如指掌。

Clyde has worked for The Clockmaker for years, and he knows the shop like the back of his paw.

所有钟表匠懒得去做的事，全由他来干。

He does all the things The Clockmaker can't seem to muster any care to do.

比如接待顾客。

Things like greeting customers.

今天有什么可以帮您的吗？

May I assist you with anything today?

只是随便看看。

Just browsing.

谢谢。

Thank you.

其实，我能看看那个壁炉钟吗？

Actually, could I have a look at that mantle clock?

它会报时吗？

Does it chime?

报时声非常悦耳，夫人。

It chimes beautifully, madam.

我拿下来让您仔细看看。

Let me get it down so you can have a better look.

克莱德还负责送货。

Clyde also handles deliveries.

你还差六英寸。

You've got another six inches.

很好。

Good.

对。

Yes.

小心别撞到围栏。

Oh, watch out for the fence.

哎呀。

Oh.

天哪。

Oh, dear.

他还会帮顾客设计专属的钟表。

And he helps customers design their own custom clocks.

关于整点报时，我希望能听到猫头鹰的叫声。

For the hourly chime, I'd love to have an owl hoot.

整点响起猫头鹰的叫声，真是再合适不过了。

An owl hoot is most pleasant on the hour.

制作需要三周时间。

It will take three weeks to make.

希望不会太久。

I hope that's not too.

这太棒了。

That's wonderful.

这是我阿姨下个月生日的礼物。

It's for my aunt's birthday next month.

他每天中午还会迎接那只雄鼠。

He also welcomes the male rat every day at noon.

那是一个春意初现的明亮星期二，雄鼠到来的那天，我们的故事才真正拉开序幕。

It's a bright Tuesday on the edge of spring when the male rat arrives on the day our story really gets going.

好的。

Alright.

咱们现在怎么样？

How we doing?

现在进展如何？

How we doing?

还不错。

Good.

挺好的。

Quite good.

你呢？

And yourself?

没什么好抱怨的。

Can't complain.

不过说实话，我有点烦老赫克斯利养的那只狼蛛，天天准点追着我跑。

Although, I'll admit, I'm getting a little tired of old Huxley's pet wolf spider chasing after me every day like clockwork.

克莱德笑着回应了这个笑话。

Clyde smiles amiably at the joke.

钟表匠从工作上抬起头，瞥了一眼，又低头继续修桌上的钟。

Behind his desk, the clockmaker looks up briefly from his work, raises a brow, then goes back to the clock on his desk.

克莱德说，你每次他追你都跑掉，所以他一定觉得自己赢了。

Well, Clyde says, you do keep leaving when he chases you, so he must imagine he's winning.

是的。

Yeah.

可不是嘛。

No kidding.

今天只有一封信。

Just a letter today,

邮差说着，把一封薄薄的信递给克莱德。

the mail rat says, handing a slim envelope to Clyde.

先生，这是您哥哥寄来的。

Sir, it's from your brother, he says, holding it out to the clockmaker.

我哥哥？

My brother?

他把钟放下来，钟正好摊在桌面上。

As he sets down the clock, he's opened on his desk.

一个弹簧飞了出去，撞在墙上。

A spring goes flying across the room and hits against the wall.

你放我桌上就行，

Leave it on my desk, the clockmaker says, getting up to retrieve the spring.

我有空再看。

I'll look at it when I have time.

克莱德把信放在钟表匠工作台角落那堆还没拆的信件上。

Clyde sets the letter on the growing stack of unopened mail on the corner of the clockmaker's work desk.

送信的人走了。

The mail rat heads out.

明天见。

See you tomorrow.

几周过去了。

Weeks pass.

早春时节，万物复苏。

Early spring blooms with life.

森林被染成一片浓绿欲滴的翠色。

The forest is painted a lush, vivid green.

大地依旧不停地运转着。

The earth has continued its endless turning.

钟表店里，时钟依旧滴答作响，一刻不停地宣告着每一秒的流逝。

Inside the clock shop, the clocks tick on, unceasing in their announcement of each passing second.

克莱德白天在店里干活，一有空就冲到阳光下，尽情享受春天的美好。

Clyde spends his working hours in the shop, then dashes into the sunshine to relish Spring's wonders.

钟表匠整天坐在桌前，小眼睛紧盯着那些微小的齿轮。

The clockmaker spends his time working at his desk, his small eyes focused on tiny gears.

晚上，他就回到自己的小公寓里。

He spends his nights in his little apartment.

他好长时间没出过门了。

He hasn't stepped outside in ages.

中午时分，那只公老鼠叮叮当当地进来了。

At noon, the male rat enters with a jingle.

送信的路还顺心吗？

How's the route treating you?

克莱德知道，接下来准有一段有趣的事儿。

Clyde says, knowing an amusing anecdote will follow.

老哈克利的蜘蛛去宠物医院了，所以我这阵子能喘口气，

Old Huxley's spiders at the vet, so I'm getting a bit of a break, the male rat says with a grin.

今天就一封信，他边说边把一封薄薄的信递给克莱德。

Just a letter today, he adds, handing a slim envelope to Clyde.

先生，克莱德的声音里透出一丝不安。

Sir, Clyde says, uneasiness creeping into his voice.

是你哥哥寄来的另一封信。

It's another letter from your brother.

信封上地址旁边还潦草地写着‘紧急’两个字。

It has the word urgent scrawled next to the address.

钟表匠从桌前抬起头，脸上露出困惑的神情。

The clockmaker glances up from his desk, a puzzled look clouding his features.

是我弟弟寄来的信。

A letter from my brother.

他前几天才寄过一封信。

He sent a letter just days ago.

克莱德和送信的老鼠对视了一眼。

Clyde and the mail rat exchange a look.

先生，我觉得您上一封来自弟弟的信，应该是去年冬天末到的，如果我没记错的话。

Sir, I believe the previous letter from your brother arrived in late winter, if I'm

记错了的话。

not

记错了的话。

mistaken.

邮差察觉到这谈话不关自己的事，便离开了店铺。

The mail rat, sensing this is not a conversation of which he needs to be a part, exits the shop.

明天见。

See you tomorrow.

现在是冬天吧？

It is winter, isn't it?

钟表匠望着窗外说道。

The clockmaker says, peering out the window.

克莱德眨了眨眼。

Clyde blinks.

现在都快到仲春了，先生。

It's mid spring, sir.

钟表匠透过窗户看到满眼的绿叶，缓缓点了点头。

The clockmaker, seeing the verdant green leaves through the window, nods slowly.

他伸手去拿桌上的那叠信，翻找着，终于找到了哥哥寄来的那封原信。

He reaches for the stack of letters on his desk, rifling through them until he reaches the original letter from his brother.

克莱德把第二封信放在它旁边。

Clyde sets the second letter next to it.

钟表匠打开这两封信，盯着上面的文字。

The clockmaker opens both and stares at the words.

他顿时屏住了呼吸。

The breath goes out of him.

他久久凝视着信纸，反复来回翻看。

He looks at the pages for a long time, switching back and forth one to the other.

他的神情十分凝重。

His expression, serious.

钟表的滴答声仿佛越来越响。

The ticking of the clocks seems to grow louder.

良久，钟表匠把信折好，站了起来。

At length, the clockmaker folds the letters and stands.

我弟弟病了。

My brother is ill.

我得马上走。

I must go at once.

闹钟突然响了，把克莱德吓了一跳，直接从椅子上跳了起来。

An alarm clock goes off, startling Clyde so much, he literally jumps in the air.

看来，确实是时候该走了。

It seems it is, in fact, time for the clockmaker to go.

克莱德跌跌撞撞地走到闹钟前，把它关掉了。

Clyde stumbles over to the alarm clock and clicks it off.

钟表匠却一点都没注意到。

The clockmaker doesn't notice.

他心里想着生病的弟弟，还有那间必须时刻照看的铺子。

He's thinking of his brother who needs a visit and his shop, which needs constant attention.

他盯着钟表滴答走了几下，才突然明白，这根本不是什么两难的选择。

He spends a few ticks of the clock wrestling with this dilemma before realizing it's not a dilemma at all.

克莱德，钟表匠说，我不在的时候，你得替我照看铺子。

Clyde, the clockmaker says, you must tend to the shop in my absence.

我至少要走一星期。

I'll be gone for at least a week.

完全没问题，先生。

No problem at all, sir.

去探望你弟弟吧。

Go see your brother.

代我向他问好，祝他一切顺利。

Please give him my regards and well wishes.

说完，钟表匠几个月来第一次离开了他的店铺。

And with that, the clockmaker leaves his shop for the first time in months.

闹钟的响声或许没影响到他，但当他走出门，踏入森林时，外界的寂静却让他猛地一惊。

The chime of the alarm clock might not have affected him, but when the clockmaker steps outside into the forest, he is jarred by the incredible silence of the outer world.

这不只是安静，简直像是少了什么。

It is more than silent or rather less.

在店里待了那么多小时，成百上千个钟摆滴答作响，从不中断，突然来到森林，他感受到的不是寂静，而是某种‘负声’。

After so many hours in his shop with the unwavering tempo of hundreds of ticks carrying on without so much as a hiccup, the forest seems to have not just silence, but negative sound.

钟表匠把手放在胸口，感觉自己的心跳仿佛停了一样。

The clockmaker puts a paw to his chest feeling as though his very heart has stopped beating.

他以前也经历过这种情况。

This has happened to him before.

这正是他多年没踏出店铺的原因之一。

It's one of the reasons he hasn't left his shop in ages.

当然，这种短暂的眩晕没什么大碍。

It's harmless, of course, this brief disorientation.

但还是让人心里发毛。

Still, it's unsettling.

这时，他听见了手腕上手表那微弱到几乎听不见的滴答声，这声音让他重新回到了现实。

Then he hears the small, nearly inaudible ticking of his wristwatch, it's enough to anchor him to the moment.

他想起了自己为什么要走出来。

He remembers the reason he has stepped outside in the first place.

他开始了旅程。

He begins his journey.

到了下午晚些时候，他的耳朵渐渐适应了。

By late afternoon, his ears have adjusted.

他能听见整片森林的声音。

He can hear the whole of the forest.

他想念他的店铺。

He misses the shop.

他想念那些规律的滴答声，想念每一个时刻的安稳。

He misses the orderliness of the ticking, the predictability of every moment.

森林里全是杂乱无章的声响，刺得他耳朵发疼。

The forest is a cacophony of discordant sounds pricking his ears.

他哥哥住得远，得走好几天的路，他不由得感到这次旅程格外漫长。

His brother lives several days journey away, and he feels humbled by the lengthy trip ahead of him.

他时不时绊一下脚，双脚还不习惯这种不平的地面。

He finds himself stumbling, his feet unused to unsteady ground.

那天晚上，他在一丛开花的灌木下睡着了。

That night, he falls asleep beneath a flowering shrub.

他梦见了钟表。

He dreams of clocks.

早上，一只鸣鸟的叫声把他吵醒了。

In the morning, he is awakened by the insistent call of a songbird.

钟表匠的目光落在了手腕上的手表上。

The clockmaker's eyes fix on his wristwatch.

时间正好是早上五点。

It is precisely 5AM.

他微微一笑。

He smiles to himself.

森林的闹钟，他继续穿行在林间。

Forest alarm clock, He continues his travels through the woods.

中午时分，他来到一条小溪边。

At midday, he comes to a creek.

溪水太宽，他跳不过去。

It is too wide for him to hop across.

他得一块石头接一块石头地跳过去。

He must skip from rock to rock.

蹦过小溪竟是一种意外的快乐。

It's an unexpected delight dashing across the creek.

当他的小爪子踩在石头上时，他感到一种从未有过的兴奋。

The clockmaker feels an unfamiliar sense of excitement as his little paws hit against the stones.

这是一项全新的挑战，和他每天在店里面对的完全不一样。

It's a new challenge, totally unlike those he faces every day at his shop.

每次落地，一股满足感就像电流一样流遍全身。

Each time he lands, he feels satisfaction run through him like a current through a wire.

但钟表匠习惯了秩序、重复和可预测的生活。

But the clockmaker is accustomed accustomed to order, to repetition, to predictability.

当他的脚踩上一块不稳的石头时，他还没练到能稳住平衡的地步。

When his foot lands upon an unsteady stone, he's not practiced at this sort of thing enough to recover his balance.

他一不小心跌进溪水里，溅起一片水花。

He falls with a splash into the creek.

这位钟表匠叫约瑟夫。

The clockmaker's name is Joseph.

现在该告诉你了，尤其是他已经不在钟表店了。

It's time you knew this, especially since he's no longer in his clock shop.

在外面，他不再是钟表匠。

Out in the world, he's not a clockmaker.

他就是一只老鼠，一只掉进小溪、浑身湿透的老鼠。

He's a mouse, a mouse who has fallen into a creek and drenched himself.

约瑟夫站起来时，水从他裤子的口袋里淌出来。

When Joseph stands, water spills from the pockets of his trousers.

他的夹克湿得不成样子。

His jacket is a sopping mess.

他的衬衫也脏了。

His shirt is stained.

天气挺暖和的。

The day is warm.

他脱下外套，把它留在了那里。

He removes his jacket and leaves it.

除了继续往前走，努力把尴尬抛在脑后，他别无选择。

There is nothing to do but carry on and try to put the embarrassment behind him.

约瑟夫重新爬上了那块石头。

Joseph climbs back onto a rock.

他从没经历过这种事。

He's not used to this.

一点都没有。

Not at all.

还有一件事不对劲，不只是他浑身湿透这么简单。

And there is something else, something wrong beyond the fact that he's soaking wet.

森林里的声音好像突然变大了，灌满了他的耳朵。

The sounds of the forest seem to increase in volume, filling his ears.

他觉得，好像少了点什么。

There's something missing, he thinks.

他低头看了看手腕上的手表。

He looks down at his wristwatch.

表盘里已经灌满了水。

The face of it has filled with water.

指针停了，不再走了。

It has stopped ticking.

他浑身湿透，衣服皱巴巴的，孤零零地站在森林里，连块手表都没有，没法让自己平静下来。

He is a dripping wet, rumpled mouse in the middle of the forest without so much as a wristwatch to steady his mind.

他闭上眼睛，努力想象着自己的办公桌，还有那些大大小小的钟表。

He closes his eyes, trying to imagine his desk, his many clocks.

这是多年来，他第一次不知道确切的时间。

It's the first time in years he hasn't known precisely what time it is.

他的思绪飘回了最初决定把钟表作为一生事业的那一刻。

His mind drifts to the first time he'd known clocks would be his life's work.

他祖母洞穴的墙上挂着一块简单的挂钟。

His grandmother had a simple wall clock in her burrow.

那时候他还是一只小老鼠，眼睛根本离不开那只钟。

As a tiny mouse, he couldn't take his eyes off it.

有一天，奶奶在另一个房间忙活，约瑟夫爬到架子上，把钟抱了下来。

One day, when she was busy doing something in the other room, Joseph scrambled up a shelf, grasped the clock, and brought it down to the floor.

他把钟完全拆开，所有零件都摆在面前。

He'd taken the clock apart, setting all the pieces out in front of him.

他仔细检查每一个部件，用爪子翻来覆去地摆弄。

He'd inspected each element, turned each one over in his paw.

然后他重新装好钟，当钟再次滴答响起来的时候，他高兴得不得了。

Then he'd put the clock back together and felt a burst of unbridled joy when it began to tick.

那是他人生第一次，觉得事情终于有道理了。

It was the first time in his life that things made sense.

关于钟表，总有对错分明的答案。

There were answers, correct answers, when it came to clocks.

现在，他站在一个鲜活而真实的世界中央。

Now he stands in the middle of a living, breathing world.

阳光透过树叶洒落下来。

The sun shines down through the trees.

远处的云朵缓缓飘动。

The clouds shift far above.

约瑟夫正站在溪流中央，踩在一块平坦的石头上。

Joseph is in the middle of the creek, perched on a flat rock.

要过去的话，他得继续从一块石头跳到另一块。

To cross, he must continue leaping from stone to stone.

他根本分不清哪些石头结实，哪些会松动。

He has no way of telling which ones are sturdy and which are loose.

他看见三条不同的路线，却不知道哪一条最稳妥。

He sees three distinct ways to go, and he has no idea which is the surest.

他低头看了看被水浸透的手表。

He looks down at his waterlogged watch.

就在这时，约瑟夫看见一只松鼠从他下游的溪面上飞快跑过。

Just then, Joseph sees a squirrel dash across the creek downstream of him.

他看着松鼠溅着水花跑过去，忍不住笑了。

He smiles at the way the squirrel scurries across, splashing through the water.

它一到对岸，就窜上树不见了。

It reaches land then disappears up a tree.

约瑟夫忍不住笑自己太较真了。

Joseph laughs at his own folly.

选哪条路又有什么关系呢？

What does it matter which path he takes?

他的裤子已经湿了。

His pants are damp.

他的衬衫也沾满了污渍。

His shirt, stained.

手表沉甸甸地贴在手腕上。

His watch is a lump on his wrist.

他就像一只赶着去见需要他的兄弟的小老鼠。

He's a mouse on the way to see his brother who needs him.

他摘下手表，放在岸边一块石头上，旁边是那件湿透的夹克。

He removes his wristwatch and leaves it next to his wet jacket on a rock.

他轻快地跃过小溪，轻松到了对岸。

He scampers across the creek, easily reaching the other side.

走了好几个小时后，约瑟夫趴在一根树枝上休息，双脚垂在空中，静静看着日落。

After traveling for hours, Joseph rests on a tree branch, his feet dangling beneath him to watch the sunset.

他心想，这大概是世界上最美的景象，随即感到一阵羞愧涌上心头。

That's the most beautiful thing in the world, he thinks, and feels embarrassment envelop him.

他望着天空绚丽的色彩，能感觉到自己的心跳在胸腔里一下一下地跳着。

He feels his heart ticking in his chest as he looks out at the wash of colors in the sky.

我错过了多少次日落？

How many sunsets have I missed?

有多少次地球的钟摆转动，我都为了那些琐碎的忙碌而视而不见？

How many turns of Earth's clock have I ignored in favor of mouse made copies?

约瑟夫看着天空渐渐暗下来，夜幕降临。

Joseph watches the sky darken into night.

他躺在树枝上，在星空下睡着了，像一团蜷缩的毛球。

He falls asleep beneath the stars on the branch, a coil of fur.

几个小时后，他被猫头鹰爪子划过背部的尖锐触感惊醒。

He is awakened hours later by the sharp curve of an owl's talon scraping against his back.

他猛地弹起，拼命挣脱猫头鹰的爪子，沿着树枝全速狂奔，拼了命地逃命，胸口狂跳、惊恐不已，直到再也感觉不到头顶上那只鸟的威胁。

He bolts up, scrambling out of the owl's grasp, and runs full speed along the branch, running for his life, his heart and alarm in his chest until he no longer feels the looming presence of the bird above him.

黎明时分，约瑟夫缓缓醒了过来。

Joseph blinks awake at dawn.

他记得日落时那令人心碎的美，也记得自己惊慌逃窜的场景，但别的就都想不起来了。

He remembers the heartbreaking beauty of the sunset and his frenzied escape from the owl, but nothing else.

他蜷缩在一堆枯枝落叶下面。

He's huddled beneath a mess of twigs and leaves.

他四肢着地，仔细打量着自己。

He stands on all fours, inspecting himself.

他的裤子已经完全认不出来了，全是破洞和撕裂。

His pants are unrecognizable, ripped, and torn.

他的衬衫已经快没了。

His shirt is half gone.

剩下的全沾满了泥土。

What remains is caked with dirt.

他把剩下那点衣服全脱了，扔在森林的地面上。

He takes off what's left of both garments, leaving them on the forest floor.

之后的路都模糊得记不清了。

The rest of the journey is a blur.

约瑟夫像只真正的老鼠一样奔跑，白天躲开笨重的生物，晚上避开猫头鹰。

Joseph runs like a proper mouse, avoiding lumbering creatures during the day and owls at night.

等他赶到那棵他兄弟多年前安家的老树时，毛发早已失去光泽。

By the time he reaches the old tree where his brother made his home years ago, his fur has lost its sheen.

他变成了一只又大又邋遢的老鼠。

He is a large, scruffy mouse.

他的尾巴上裹着一层厚厚的尘土。

His tail has a film of dirt covering the length of it.

他的爪子因为攀爬岩石和碎石而变得坚硬粗糙。

His paws are hardened and calloused from climbing over rocks and gravel.

他的眼睛明亮而清澈。

His eyes are bright and clear.

他的视力变得更加敏锐了。

His vision sharpened.

当他跨过哥哥的门槛时，约瑟夫不再是那个衣着体面、掌控着滴答作响的小机器的商人。

When he steps over his brother's threshold, Joseph is not a well dressed entrepreneur who holds dominion over small machines that tick for him.

他是一只生活在广袤自然中的野鼠，心跳与森林的节奏同频共振。

He is a wild mouse in an enormous natural world whose heart beats along with the rhythm of the forest.

约瑟夫的哥哥杰克正躺在床上睡觉。

Joseph's brother, Jack, is asleep in bed.

但约瑟夫一冲进屋，就猛地闯了进来，尾巴在身后甩来甩去。

But when Joseph enters, he barrels inside, his tail whipping about him.

在野外待了这么多天，他早就忘了要小心行动。

After days in the wilderness, he's not used to being careful with his movements.

他撞倒了一个花瓶。

He knocks over a vase.

杰克的眼睛微微睁开，随即瞪大了。

Jack's eyes flutter open and go wide.

约瑟夫和兄弟俩紧紧拥抱在一起。

Joseph, the brothers embrace.

杰克忍不住笑出了声，看着约瑟夫这副模样。

Jack cannot help but laugh at Joseph's condition.

我从来没见过你手腕上没戴手表。

I don't know if I've ever seen you without a watch on your wrist.

约瑟夫在那儿住了好几天。

Joseph stays for days.

兄弟俩聊起了小时候的往事。

The brothers reminisce about their childhoods.

杰克身体虚弱，一直卧床不起。

Jack is weak and never leaves bed.

但到了该走的时候，他让约瑟夫回家，回到自己的生活里去。

But when it's time, he tells Joseph to go home, to return to his life.

我保证会好起来的。

I promise to heal.

有意思的是，当约瑟夫站在门口时，杰克说，要是你看完我第一封信就立刻赶来，那我当时情况会更糟。

The funny thing, Jack says when Joseph stands at the door, as if you'd come right away after my first letter, I was much worse off.

你晚点来反而更好。

It's better you waited.

约瑟夫深表赞同，脸上露出了微笑。

Joseph cannot agree, but he smiles.

他最后看了一眼哥哥，注意到哥哥耳朵边缘的毛发已经有些花白。

He takes a last look at his older brother whose fur is graying along the edges of his ears.

一个念头突然涌上心头。

A thought bubbles into his mind.

我记录下了每一秒，却错过了整整一年。

I have tracked every second yet missed every year.

但杰克坚持要他回家，他就照做了。

But Jack insists he head home, and so he does.

回去的路像一场梦。

The journey back is like a dream.

约瑟夫尽情感受着野外的每一刻。

Joseph soaks up every moment in the wild.

他留意着天上的时钟，看太阳如何稳稳地划过天际。

He takes note of the clock in the sky, the way the sun moves reliably across the heavens.

虽然没有他的钟表那么精确，却一样准时。

It's not precise like his clocks, but it's just as regular.

还有什么比日出更可靠呢？

What could be more reliable than a sunrise?

他在一个暮春的下午回到了钟表店。

He makes it back to the clock shop on a late spring afternoon.

夫人，我相信您一定会喜欢那只钟表的。

Madam, I do believe you will be charmed by that timepiece.

我完全相信。

I've no doubt at all.

我帮您包起来吧？

Shall I wrap it up for you?

克莱德听到门响，转过身来，一时说不出话。

Clyde turns at the sound of the door and is momentarily speechless.

好。

Yes.

您能帮我包起来吗？

Would you wrap it up for me?

他的顾客说道。

His customer says.

当然可以。

Of course.

当然可以。

Of course.