1 Life in a violin case

Note :蓝色是为翻译的文字修改的部分

1.Life in a violin case

The turning point of my life was my decision to give up a promising business career and study music.

我人生的转折点是我决定放弃一个有前途的商业生涯和学习音乐。

可望发迹的经商之路

My parents, although sympathetic, and sharing my love of music, disapproved of it as a profession. This was understandable in view of the family background.

我的父母，虽然赞同，并且分享我对于音乐的热爱，却反对我以音乐为职业。从我的家庭背景来看，这样的观点是可以理解的。

My grandfather had taught music for nearly forty years at Springhill College in Mobile and, though much beloved and respected in the community, earned barely enough to provide for his large family.

我的祖父在Mobile的Springhill 大学教授音乐有四十年之久，虽然在社会中多受到热爱和尊重，但他的收入仅能勉强维持大家庭的生计。

可赚的钱难以养活一大家人

My father often said it was only the hardheaded thriftiness of my grandmother that kept the wolf at bay. As a consequence of this example in the family, the very mention of music as a profession carried with it a picture of a precarious existence with uncertain financial rewards.

我父亲常说要不是我祖母的精明实际和勤劳节俭，我们就像在海湾边的狼一样。

精打细算，省吃俭用一家人非得忍饥挨饿

由于这个例子的缘故，在我家只要一提起将音乐作为一种职业，就让人联想起朝不保夕的生活和不确定的生活保障。

My parents insisted upon college instead of a conservatory of music, and to college I went – quite happily, as I remember, for although I loved my violin and spent most of my spare time practicing, I had many other interests.

我父母坚持让我上大学而不是音乐学院，而后我上了大学，在我的记忆中，当时是很开心的，虽然我热爱我的小提琴，把我大多空闲时间都拿来练琴，我也有很多其他爱好。

Before my graduation form Columbia, the family met with severe financial reverses and I felt it my duty to leave college and take a job. Thus was I launched upon a business career.

没等我从哥伦比亚大学毕业，家里有了严重的经济危机，我感到退学找工作是我的责任，这才投身商界之中。

Now I do not for a moment mean to disparage business. My whole point I is that it was not for me. I went into it for money, and aside from the satisfaction of being able to help the family, money is all I got out of it. It was not enough.

现在我并不是有意贬低商界，我只是觉得我不适合这一行，我投身商界并不是为了我自己，只是为了钱。除了能补贴家用能给我带来的满足感之外，钱是我唯一得到的。这并不是我要的全部。

I felt that life was passing me by. From being merely discontented I became acutely miserable. My one ambition was to save enough to quit and go to Europe to study music.

我感到生活正在将我遗弃。仅仅是对生活的不满让我感到强烈的痛苦，我唯一的

我觉得自己没有受到生活的眷顾，原本只是不满意，后来就变得痛苦不堪

抱负是积攒足够的钱然后离开去欧洲学习音乐。

I used to get up at dawn to practice before I left for “downtown”, distracting my poor mother by bolting a hasty breakfast at the last minute.

我每天黎明就起床练习小提琴，在我去‘商业区’上班之前，几乎来不及在最后一分钟前吃一顿仓促的早餐，以至于分散了我可怜的母亲很多注意力。

练到最后一刻才匆匆咽下几口早饭，惹得我那可怜的妈妈好生惶恐不安。

Instead of lunching with my business associates, I would seek out some cheap café, order a meager meal and scribble my harmony exercises. I continued to make money, and finally, bit by bit, accumulated enough to enable me to go abroad.

与其与合伙人共进午餐，我倒宁愿找一家便宜的咖啡馆，订上少量的饭菜，随手写下我的和声练习曲。我不停的挣钱，到最后，一点一点，终于积攒了足够的钱供我出国。

The family being once more solvent, and my help no longer necessary, I resigned from my position and, feeling like a man released from jail, sailed for Europe.