The Legend of Secret Santa
神祕耶誕老人傳奇

譯解 陳正杰

神祕耶誕老人行善的故事，映照人間的溫暖。 歐新社

Susan Dahl had spent four months homeless in Colorado and just been on a harrowing 10-hour bus trip through sleet and snow. Hungry and broke, all she wanted to do was get back to family in Minnesota.
蘇珊•達爾在科羅拉多州流浪了四個月之後，剛坐了一趟長途巴士，在漫長的十個小時當中，一路不是下雪就是冰冷的雨。此刻她饑腸轆轆，卻身無分文，一心只盼回到明尼蘇達州的家人身邊。

That,s when a tall man in a red coat and red hat sat next to her at the downtown bus station, talked to her quietly and then slipped her $100 on that recent December afternoon.

那是12月的一個下午，離今天不多久，就在那時，在市中心的巴士站，一個穿著紅色大衣、戴著紅帽的高大男子在她身邊坐下，小聲跟她說話，然後塞給她100美元。

The man was doing the work of Larry Stewart, Kansas City,s original Secret Santa who anonymously wandered city streets doling out $100 bills to anyone who looked like they needed it. Stewart died of cancer at age 58 in January this year, but his legacy lives on.
這個人是在為賴瑞•史都華行善。史都華是堪薩斯市神祕耶誕老人本尊，常在市區街道上走動，碰到有人看起來缺錢用的樣子，他就給他們百元大鈔，而且從不透露身分。史都華今年（2007年）1月因癌症逝世，享年58歲，但他的義舉並未隨之中斷。

During about a quarter century, Stewart quietly gave out more than $1.3 million to people in laundromats, diners, bus stations, shelters and thrift stores, saying it was his way of giving back at Christmas for all the wealth and generosity he had received in his lifetime.

在約25年間，史都華悄悄在自助洗衣店、小餐館、巴士站、遊民收容所和二手商店幫助人，總共給了超過130萬美元。他說，他這一生享受富裕和恩待，這麼做是要在耶誕節的時候做一點回饋。

For years, Stewart did not want his name known or want thanks or applause, but in November of 2006 he acknowledged who he was and used his last few months to press his message of kindness toward others. He even trained some friends in the ways of Secret Santa.
多年來，史都華未曾透露身分，也不想要別人的感謝和掌聲，但去年11月，他承認自己就是那位神祕耶誕老人，並利用生命的最後幾個月宣揚以慈善待人的信息。他甚至訓練幾個朋友，讓他們延續他的志業。

This Christmas, a friend who told Stewart in the hospital that he would carry on for him is out on the streets, handing out $100 bills, each one stamped with “Larry Stewart, Secret Santa.”

一位朋友告訴病中的史都華說，他將代他行善，而今年耶誕期間，這位友人帶著百元鈔票上街助人，每張鈔票上都加蓋「神祕耶誕老人賴瑞•史都華」的字樣。

Between Kansas City and several other cities this Christmas, the new Secret Santa will give away $75,000 of his own money.
今年耶誕期間，這位新的神祕耶誕老人準備在堪薩斯和好幾個其他城市捐出自備的7萬5,000美元。

“I didn't want to be a Secret Santa,” said the man, a business consultant who lives in the Kansas City area. “I wanted to give Larry money. But last year, he said I had to hand it out myself. So I did, and I got hooked.”

此人是一位企業諮詢顧問，住在堪薩斯市一帶。他說：「我原本不想當神祕耶誕老人，我想拿錢給賴瑞，但去年他說我得自己去幫助人，所以我就去了，結果就樂此不疲。」

Stewart, who lived in the suburbs of Kansas City, made his fortune in cable television and long-distance telephone service. He had grown up in poverty in the small town of Bruce, Mississippi. Later, as a young adult and after losing a job, he lived in his car.
史都華生前住在堪薩斯市郊區，靠經營有線電視和長途電話生意致富。他生長於密西西比州一個名叫布魯斯的小鎮，原本家境貧窮。年輕時曾經失業，就睡在自己的車上。

Then came the day that planted the seed of Secret Santa. Hungry but broke, Stewart went into a restaurant and ordered a big breakfast. His plan was that when the check came he would claim he couldn’t find his wallet.

神祕耶誕老人的種子在某一天種下。史都華當時饑腸轆轆，但沒錢買吃的。他走進一家餐廳，點了豐富的早餐，準備在買單時謊稱找不到皮夾。

The owner came from behind the counter and bent to the floor near Stewart ,s feet. “You must have dropped this,” he said, handing Stewart a $20 bill.
餐廳老闆從櫃檯走出來，到史都華腳旁彎下身，然後給他一張20元的鈔票說：「這是你掉的吧？」

Stewart vowed that day that he would help others whenever he could. He made his way to Kansas City and eventually made a lot of money in business.

史都華當下立志，要盡一己之力幫助別人。他後來到了堪薩斯，靠經商終於致富。

At Christmas, Stewart would search for people in threadbare coats and old cars and give them hundred-dollar bills. He asked only that they, in turn, help someone else. He also gave money to community causes in Kansas City and his hometown in Mississippi.
每年耶誕期間，史都華會找尋穿著破舊大衣和開著破車的人，給他們百元大鈔。他只要求他們轉而幫助別人。他也捐款幫助堪薩斯市和密西西比家鄉的社區慈善事業。

Stewart said he offered the simple gifts of cash every year because it was something people didn,t have to “beg for, get in line for, or apply for.”

史都華曾說，他每年直接拿現金當禮物，讓人們可以不需要靠「乞討、排隊領取或申請」來得到幫助。

一點你就通

harrowing（形容詞）→讓人非常焦慮、不舒服的，可以依程度與這些字互相替換：painful, torturing, agonizing, excruciating；a harrowing experience常被獲釋的人質或政治犯用來形容失去自由的那段經歷，而對於子女曾遭綁架的人來說，小孩平安獲釋之前的日子，也可以用harrowing來描述。

harrow當名詞是指一種犁田用的耙子，當動詞的意思是「（在心理上）折磨」。 sleet（名詞）→凍雨，寒冷地帶冬天下的一種結冰或半結冰的細雨。

slipped（動詞，過去式）→傳給、塞給。slip away是說人（或時光）悄悄溜走，這裡是說不著痕跡地把錢拿給對方。slip當名詞是的意思之一是小片的紙，例如收據、薪水單或小抄。 original（形容詞）→原本的，薯片和飲料等包裝上如果註明original，就表示它是「原味」。談到構想或小說、電影等創作，original代表它有創意，不光是抄襲舊作或重彈老調。名詞是originality（原創性）。

anonymously（副詞）→以匿名、不透露身分的方式（做某件事情）。Alcoholics Anonymous（戒酒無名會）是1930年代起源於美國的自願性組織，宗旨在於自助戒酒或互助戒酒。 doling out→分給，原形為dole out。

legacy（名詞）→先人或前任者遺留下來的資產、功績等，未必是有形的，例如a legacy of religious freedom指的是因為前人的努力，使後人享有宗教信仰的自由。 laundromats（名詞，複數）→自助式洗衣店，店裡通常是一排排投幣式的洗衣機和烘乾機。

thrift stores（名詞，複數）→賣二手貨的商店，主要商品是服飾，在美國主要是生活窮困的民眾才會到這種地方，為的是變賣衣物或者買便宜的東西，但也有外來移民或留學生光顧。 hooked（過去分詞）→上癮，但一般不用來指毒品或賭錢的癮，get hooked意思是「一試就喜歡」。不好的癮一般用addiction這個字，例如毒癮、酒癮和賭癮分別可稱為drug addiction, alcohol addiction, gambling addiction。

made his fortune in→因（從事某個行業）致富。 fortune是財富，另一個常用的詞是made a fortune（賺了很多錢），例如John made a fortune selling snow boots during that unusually long winter.（那年冬天特別長，約翰靠著賣雪靴發了一筆財。）

check（名詞）→（特別是指餐館的）帳單。在美國的餐廳裡，跟服務生招個手說　Check, please! 意思就是「買單！」 claim（動詞）→聲稱、謊稱。在法庭上或任何爭辯的場合，兩造的說法難以辨別真假或哪一方有理時，就用這個字，意思是「這是他的說詞」，例如日本、中國和台灣都claim享有釣魚台的主權，北京並且claim台灣是它的一省。

vowed（動詞，過去式）→誓言。原形vow也可當做名詞，例如marriage vows是結婚誓詞。 threadbare（形容詞）→指衣服或地毯等紡織品磨得破舊不堪，也可以形容陳腐的事物，例如threadbare excuses（老掉牙的藉口）。

causes（名詞，複數）→以熱忱、專注的精神追求的目標或事業，例如 the cause of freedom and equality（對自由與平等的追求）。這裡是指社區裡的慈善事業。