| He accepted another pint and took a pull at it. | 他又接受了一品脱酒，一饮而尽。 |
| Of course, I had my own personal alchemist too. | “当然啦，我也有过自己的私人炼金术士。” |
| You what? | “你什么？” |
| He was getting silly and he knew it. Exuberance and Hall and Woodhouse best bitter was a mixture to be wary of, but one of the first effects it had is to stop you being wary of things, and the point at which Arthur should have stopped and explained no more was the point at which he started instead to get inventive. | 他开始醉了而且他心里清楚这点。“易博兰斯”、“霍尔”和“伍德豪斯”最好的苦啤酒是需要警惕的东西，但这些东西的一个首要效果就是让你放松警惕，当阿瑟本应该停下来不再解释的时候，他却开始富有创作欲望了。 |
| Oh yes, he insisted with a happy glazed smile. It’s why I’ve lost so much weight. | “哦，是的，”他坚持着，露出开心圆滑的微笑。“所以我减了那么多体重。” |
| What? said his audience. | “啥？”他的听众们说。 |
| Oh yes, he said again. The Californians have rediscovered alchemy. Oh yes. | “哦，是的，”他再一次说到。“加利福尼亚州重新发掘了炼金术。哦，是的。” |
| He smiled again. | 他再一次微笑。 |
| Only, he said, it’s in a much more useful form than that which in… He paused thoughtfully to let a little grammar assemble in his head. In which the ancients used to practise it. Or at least, he added, failed to practise it. They couldn’t get it to work you know. Nostradamus and that lot. Couldn’t cut it. | “只有，”他说，“它处在一种更为有用的形式下相较于……”他意味深长地停顿了一下，试着组织一下头脑中的语法。“比古人的做法要有效。至少，”他补充道，“古人失败的尝试了。他们没法让炼金术成功你们知道的。诺查丹玛斯以及好多人。搞不定。” |
| Nostradamus? said one of his audience. | “诺查丹玛斯？”他的一个听众说。 |
| I didn’t think he was an alchemist, said another. | “我不认为他是个炼金术士，”另一人说。 |
| I thought, said a third, he was a seer. | “我觉着，”第三个人发言，“他是个预言家。” |
| He became a seer, said Arthur to his audience, the component parts of which were beginning to bob and blur a little, because he was such a lousy alchemist. You should know that. | “他是后来成为了预言家，”阿瑟对听众说，听众开始躁动，“因为他是个如此恶心的炼金术士。你们应该知道。” |
| He took another pull at his beer. It was something he had not tasted for eight years. He tasted it and tasted it. | 他又干了一口他的啤酒。这是他八年没尝过的东西了。他不停地喝啊喝。 |
| What has alchemy got to do, asked a bit of the audience, with losing weight? | “炼金术士要做什么事啊，”一些听众问，“就是帮人减肥？” |
| I’m glad you asked that, said Arthur. Very glad. And I will now tell you what the connection is between… He paused. Between those two things. The things you mentioned. I’ll tell you. | “我很欣慰你问到了这点，”阿瑟说。“非常欣慰。我现在会告诉你之间的联系……”他停顿了。“关于这两样东西之间的联系。你刚提到的东西。我会告诉你。” |
| He paused and manoeuvred his thoughts. It was like watching oil tankers doing three-point turns in the English Channel. | 他停了一下，开始组织自己的思绪。这就好像看着油罐车在英吉利海峡里做三点转向（注）。 |
| They’ve discovered how to turn excess body fat into gold, he said, in a sudden blur of coherence. | “他们发现了将人体多余脂肪变成黄金的方法，”他突然含糊地说。 |
| You’re kidding. | “你搞笑呢吧。” |
He accepted another pint and took a pull at it.
Of course, I had my own personal alchemist too.
You what?
He was getting silly and he knew it. Exuberance and Hall and Woodhouse best bitter was a mixture to be wary of, but one of the first effects it had is to stop you being wary of things, and the point at which Arthur should have stopped and explained no more was the point at which he started instead to get inventive.
Oh yes, he insisted with a happy glazed smile. It’s why I’ve lost so much weight.
What? said his audience.
Oh yes, he said again. The Californians have rediscovered alchemy. Oh yes.
He smiled again.
Only, he said, it’s in a much more useful form than that which in… He paused thoughtfully to let a little grammar assemble in his head. In which the ancients used to practise it. Or at least, he added, failed to practise it. They couldn’t get it to work you know. Nostradamus and that lot. Couldn’t cut it.
Nostradamus? said one of his audience.
I didn’t think he was an alchemist, said another.
I thought, said a third, he was a seer.
He became a seer, said Arthur to his audience, the component parts of which were beginning to bob and blur a little, because he was such a lousy alchemist. You should know that.
He took another pull at his beer. It was something he had not tasted for eight years. He tasted it and tasted it.
What has alchemy got to do, asked a bit of the audience, with losing weight?
I’m glad you asked that, said Arthur. Very glad. And I will now tell you what the connection is between… He paused. Between those two things. The things you mentioned. I’ll tell you.
He paused and manoeuvred his thoughts. It was like watching oil tankers doing three-point turns in the English Channel.
They’ve discovered how to turn excess body fat into gold, he said, in a sudden blur of coherence.
You’re kidding.
他又接受了一品脱酒，一饮而尽。
“当然啦，我也有过自己的私人炼金术士。”
“你什么？”
他开始醉了而且他心里清楚这点。“易博兰斯”、“霍尔”和“伍德豪斯”最好的苦啤酒是需要警惕的东西，但这些东西的一个首要效果就是让你放松警惕，当阿瑟本应该停下来不再解释的时候，他却开始富有创作欲望了。
“哦，是的，”他坚持着，露出开心圆滑的微笑。“所以我减了那么多体重。”
“啥？”他的听众们说。
“哦，是的，”他再一次说到。“加利福尼亚州重新发掘了炼金术。哦，是的。”
他再一次微笑。
“只有，”他说，“它处在一种更为有用的形式下相较于……”他意味深长地停顿了一下，试着组织一下头脑中的语法。“比古人的做法要有效。至少，”他补充道，“古人失败的尝试了。他们没法让炼金术成功你们知道的。诺查丹玛斯以及好多人。搞不定。”
“诺查丹玛斯？”他的一个听众说。
“我不认为他是个炼金术士，”另一人说。
“我觉着，”第三个人发言，“他是个预言家。”
“他是后来成为了预言家，”阿瑟对听众说，听众开始躁动，“因为他是个如此恶心的炼金术士。你们应该知道。”
他又干了一口他的啤酒。这是他八年没尝过的东西了。他不停地喝啊喝。
“炼金术士要做什么事啊，”一些听众问，“就是帮人减肥？”
“我很欣慰你问到了这点，”阿瑟说。“非常欣慰。我现在会告诉你之间的联系……”他停顿了。“关于这两样东西之间的联系。你刚提到的东西。我会告诉你。”
他停了一下，开始组织自己的思绪。这就好像看着油罐车在英吉利海峡里做三点转向（注）。
“他们发现了将人体多余脂肪变成黄金的方法，”他突然含糊地说。
“你搞笑呢吧。”
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