她仔細看了看他的手后又朝麥里克笑笑說:“我常在報紙上看到有關你的情況,你是一個很有趣的人,你生活雖難以自理,但人們說你很幸福,是真的嗎?你現在很幸福嗎?”麥里克回答說:“嗯,陛下,是的,我是一個很幸福的人,現在我有一個家,有許多朋友,還有許多書。我每時每刻都很愉快?!?/div>
她說:“多么精彩的故事,我非常想聽,請把你讀到的講給我聽,我發現你這兒有許多書?!?/div>
'Oh, yes, Your Majesty. I love my books, 'said Merrick. And for nearly half an hour they sat and talked about books. The Queen gave him a little book, and some red flowers, before she left.
他說:“哦,陛下,是的,我喜歡這些書。”他們在那兒就書上的事談了近半個小時。王后離開時送給了他一本小書和一些紅花。
After her visit, Merrick began to sing. He could not sing easily, of course, because of his mouth, but all that day there was a strange, happy noise in his room. He looked at the flowers carefully, and put them on his table.
在她來訪以后,麥里克開始唱歌。盡管他的嘴不能自如地歌唱,但那些日子里他的房間里總是回蕩著一種奇怪、幸福的歌聲。他仔細看了看這些花,將它們擺在桌子上。
He had many visits from the Queen, and at Christmas she sent him a Christmas card.
王后多次拜訪他,圣誕節那天她送給他一張圣誕卡片:
Windsor Castle
于溫莎城堡
1888年12月 20日
親愛的約瑟夫:
Here is a small Christmas present for you. I think it looks like me, doesn't it?I do like visiting you very much, and I am going to come to the hospital again in the New Year.
給你一個小小的圣誕禮物,我想你見到這就如同見到我一樣,是嗎?我很喜歡拜訪你,我將在新年那天去醫院看你。
Happy Christmas!
祝圣誕快樂!
你的朋友 亞歷山德拉
The present was a picture of Queen Alexandra, with her name on it. Merrick cried over it, and put it carefully by the bed in his room. Then he sat down and wrote a letter to the Queen. It was the first letter of his life.
這份禮物是亞歷山德拉王后的一張照片,上面有她的名字。麥里克喜不自禁,把它放在房間里他的床邊,然后坐下來給王后寫信。這是他有生以來寫的第一封信:
The London Hospital
于倫敦醫院
23rd December 1888
1888年12月 23日
My dear Queen,
親愛的王后:
Thank you very, very, much for your wonderful card and the beautiful picture. It is the best thing in my room, the very best, the most beautiful thing I have. This is the first Christmas in my life, and my first Christmas present. Perhaps I had a Christmas with my mother once, but I do not remember it. I have my mother's picture too, and she is beautiful, like you. But now I know many famous ladies and kind people like Dr Treves, and I am a very happy man. I am happy too because I am going to see you in the New Year.
非常感謝您給我精美的卡片和漂亮的照片,這是我房間里最好的東西,也是我所擁有的最好最漂亮的東西。我有生以來過第一個圣誕節,這是我的第一個圣誕節禮物。也許我曾與母親一起度過一個圣誕節,但我已記不住了。我也有一張母親的照片,她很漂亮,像你一樣?,F在我認識許多有名望的女士和好心腸的人們,他們都像特里維斯博士一樣,我是一個很幸福的人。我很高興將在新年里再次見到你。
Happy Christmas to you, my dear friend,
祝我親愛的朋友圣誕節愉快!
With all my love,
獻上我誠摯的敬意,
Joseph Merrick
你的朋友 約瑟夫·麥里克