1.'Where is the cow?' asked mr Pestonjee.'The cow?' the junior manager responded.'Yes, what else?''Oh, the cowwww...''I told you, two days ago.''Yes. I didn't forget. By this eve –?''No, not evening. By noon, in the lobby.''I thought he wasn't serious,' said the junior manager, when he left the room of mr. Pestonjee, returning to his desk.'A cow?' the accountant responded.'Yes.''A real cow?''Yes, a cow, a real cow, a living cow. Now, come with me.' Glancing towards the main door, the junior officer spotted the office assistant sitting on his stool, picking his nose.'And you also.'

“奶牛在哪里？”佩斯頓吉先生問。“奶牛？” 初級(jí)經(jīng)理回答說。“是的，還能有什么？”“哦，奶牛~~”“兩天前我告訴過你。”“是的，我記得。是今天晚上前要嗎？”“不，不是晚上，是中午。到時(shí)候，我要在公司大廳里見到它。”“我以為他不是認(rèn)真的。”這位初級(jí)經(jīng)理離開佩斯頓吉先生的辦公室，回到他自己的辦公桌時(shí)自言自語道。“一頭奶牛？”會(huì)計(jì)師接過話來。“是的。”“一頭真正的奶牛？”“是的，一頭奶牛，真正的奶牛，活的奶牛。現(xiàn)在，你跟我一起去吧。” 初級(jí)經(jīng)理看著正門的方向，發(fā)現(xiàn)了正坐在凳子上摳鼻孔的辦公室助理，“你也跟著。”

2. Halfway down the stairs, the office assistant saw the cleaner walking up counting who knows what with his fingers. He grabbed the cleaner's hand. The cleaner didn't seem to care about his new-found direction and now there were four of them stepping out to look for a cow.'Let's look near the station.' Said the junior manager. The station was a mile away.'I have to finish the company's balances today. Mr Pestonjee said it was urgent,' said the accountant, his legs already moving in the opposite direction.'This cow business is also for Pestonjee and it's due by noon,' said the junior manager.'Yes, yes. No, no. See you at lunch.' Said the accountant, and he left.

下到一半樓梯時(shí)，辦公室助理看到清潔工正一邊上樓，一邊掐著手指數(shù)落著東家長(zhǎng)西家短的事情。于是，他抓住清潔工的一只手，而且清潔工似乎并不在乎自己的腳步被人引向了其他方向——現(xiàn)在，這支“外出尋找奶牛”團(tuán)隊(duì)有四個(gè)成員了。“我們?nèi)ボ囌靖浇纯础！背跫?jí)經(jīng)理說。公司距車站一英里遠(yuǎn)。“我今天必須把公司平賬弄好了，佩斯頓吉先生說這事很緊急。”會(huì)計(jì)師說，他的雙腿已經(jīng)開始朝回去的方向移動(dòng)。“找奶牛的事也是給佩斯頓吉先生辦的，而且這事必須在中午前完成。” 初級(jí)經(jīng)理說。“是，是。不，不。咱們午飯時(shí)見。”會(huì)計(jì)師說著便脫離了這個(gè)四人團(tuán)隊(duì)。

3. They continued their journey. Half a mile later, despite her many manifestations – cow milk, cow curd, cow butter, cow leather, cow dung, cow paintings, cow murals, cow sculptures, a cow temple, shops named after cows, conversations around cows, and a cow cart without a cow, the animal in its whole earthly form was not to be seen. It was already twelve.

剩下的三個(gè)人繼續(xù)他們的行程。走了半英里后，盡管他們已經(jīng)見到了許多關(guān)于奶牛的事——牛奶、牛乳、奶牛黃油、奶牛皮、牛糞、關(guān)于奶牛的畫作、關(guān)于奶牛的壁畫、奶牛雕塑、供著奶牛的廟宇、以奶牛命名的商店、關(guān)于牛的談話，以及一架沒有奶牛的牛車，但作為一個(gè)活生生動(dòng)物的奶牛卻始終沒有出現(xiàn)在他們眼前。已經(jīng)十二點(diǎn)了。

4.'There, I see one!,' the office assistant shouted, pointing to a sturdy, milk-white animal busy rubbing herself against a banyan tree.'Do you see the owner?''She isn't tied. Must be stray.''She has a bell around her neck.''Doesn't matter. We aren't stealing. She'll be back in no time.'

“那里，我看見一頭！”辦公室助理指著一個(gè)正忙著在一棵榕樹上蹭癢癢的健碩的乳白色動(dòng)物大喊道。“你看到它的主人了嗎？”“沒拴著。肯定是走丟的。”“它脖子上掛著鈴鐺呢。”“沒關(guān)系。我們又不是在偷東西。它很快就會(huì)回來。”

5. They somehow managed to tie a rope around her neck, and off they went. The cow, with the bell dangling under her neck, followed the three men. When they reached the stairs of their office though, she stopped abruptly. The office assistant and the cleaner began pushing her.'What's going on?' the guard came running behind them.'Where are you taking that cow?''To Sir Pestonjee,' said the office assistant.'But she refuses to walk up.' The guard whacked the cow with his baton, hard, which made the cow eventually walk up.

他們?cè)O(shè)法在這頭奶牛的脖子上套了根繩子，然后踏上了回公司的路。奶牛跟在這三個(gè)人后面，鈴鐺在它的脖子下面晃來晃去。但當(dāng)他們走到辦公室的樓梯前時(shí)，奶牛突然停下了腳步。辦公室助理和清潔工開始向前推它。“怎么了？”保安跟著他們跑了過來。“你們要把那頭奶牛牽到哪里去？”“牽到佩斯頓吉先生那里。”辦公室助理說，“但它不肯走。”保安用警棍用力打了幾下奶牛，終于讓它走上了樓梯。

6. By the time they reached the second floor she had urinated on the office assistant's shirt and on the red carpet in the lobby. The company director, mr Pestonjee's boss, sat expansively, his legs resting on the sprawling table.'What is the price of our chewing gum? One pice?' He asked mr. Pestonjee, and twirled his stick.'One pice, yes Sir, we are competing with tea. But chewing gum has more benefits.''Why is that?' asked the managing director.

當(dāng)他們到達(dá)二樓時(shí)，奶牛在辦公室助理的襯衫和大廳的紅地毯上撒了泡尿。公司董事長(zhǎng)，也就是佩斯頓吉的老板，正非常放松地坐在那里，雙腿搭在那張寬闊的桌子上。“我們的口香糖價(jià)格是多少？一銅幣嗎？”他問佩斯頓吉先生，同時(shí)轉(zhuǎn)動(dòng)著手里的手杖。“是的，先生，是一銅幣。我們的競(jìng)品是茶。但嚼口香糖的益處更大。“為什么？”董事長(zhǎng)問。

7.'So I was saying, one day while walking home I stopped at the vegetable market. Beside me was a bellied man reading a newspaper–''What's your point?''Yes, yes sir. So, he stood there reading his paper loudly like he was the –''I don't have time for this.''I am coming to the point, sir. So he spits without a care in the world on my new leather shoes. That barbarian! Sorry sir, for my language. He had no manners.''So?''If he would spit chewing gum, instead of his phlegm, it won't soil anything. If his clothes are stained with his spit, his wife will be angry. If his wife is angry she will beat him. Instead he can chew gum all day long and everyone is happy.'

“我是說，一天回家的路上，我在菜市場(chǎng)停下了腳步。我旁邊有一個(gè)大腹便便的男子正看著報(bào)紙~”“你想表達(dá)什么？”“嗯，您別急。他就那么站在那兒大聲讀著報(bào)紙，就像他~”“我沒時(shí)間聽你說這個(gè)。”“這就說重點(diǎn)，先生。然后，他毫無顧忌地將一口痰吐在了我的新皮鞋上。真是個(gè)野蠻人！抱歉，先生，請(qǐng)?jiān)徫艺f了粗話。”“然后呢？”“如果他吐的是口香糖而不是痰，就不會(huì)弄臟任何東西。如果他的衣服被他吐的痰弄臟，他的妻子就會(huì)生氣。如果他的妻子生氣了，她就會(huì)揍他。取而代之，他可以一天到晚地嚼口香糖，這樣大家都高興。”

8.'Yes, yes. But I still think children are more attracted to chewing gum, not men. Why don't you work on that? Advertise near some of the schools. By the way, have you changed the old label?''Sorry, sir. Yes, sir. I did.''Is the new label specific about the contents?''Yes, sir.''It says:'Does not contain animal products. Suitable for all vegetarians.''?'Yes, sir.''Good. I want this message on the poster, not just on the label. What is that smell?'

“是的，是的。但我還是認(rèn)為孩子們更喜歡嚼口香糖，而不是成年男子。你為什么不朝這個(gè)方向努力努力？在一些學(xué)校附近打打廣告。順便問一下，你是否把舊標(biāo)簽改了？”“抱歉，先生。是的，先生，舊標(biāo)簽已經(jīng)改了。”“新標(biāo)簽是否對(duì)產(chǎn)品含量進(jìn)行了更有針對(duì)性地描述？”“是的，先生。”“標(biāo)簽上是否寫了'不含動(dòng)物產(chǎn)品，適合所有素食主義者'？'是的，先生。''很好。我希望這條信息出現(xiàn)在廣告海報(bào)上，而不僅僅是標(biāo)簽上。這想法如何？”

9.'Sir, I have something that will convince you a cow is the best ambassador for our product.''What?''Here in the lobby.' The managing director stepped out of his room. A cow stood in the lobby looking at him with big moist eyes.'What is this nonsense? Is this a joke, Mr Pestonjee?''No, sir. I got her for you. To show you how she eats grass, just like chewing gum. That she deserves to be on our posters. Sir! The cow chews all day long! If we use her on our posters they will love our chewing gum.'

“先生，我有個(gè)可以說服您奶牛才是我們產(chǎn)品最佳的形象大使。”“什么？”“就在公司的大廳里。”董事長(zhǎng)走出他的辦公室。一頭奶牛正站在大廳里，睜著一雙濕潤(rùn)的大眼睛瞅著他。“這什么亂七八糟的？佩斯頓吉先生，這是在開玩笑嗎？”“不，先生。這是我為您找來的。向您展示它是如何吃草的，跟嚼口香糖一模一樣。它理應(yīng)出現(xiàn)在我們的廣告海報(bào)上。先生！奶牛整天都是嚼啊嚼！如果我們把它用在我們的廣告海報(bào)上，人們會(huì)愛上我們的口香糖的！”

10.'First, get her out of here,' shouted the managing director.'Second, clean up this mess right now! I can't breathe. I want this place cleared, spotless, before the day ends!' Then he left for the day. Mr. Pestonjee advanced towards the cow, sad, angry and disappointed about his vain efforts, he felt he needed to take it out on the cow.

“首先，把它請(qǐng)出去，”董事長(zhǎng)大喊道，“其次，立刻收拾好這爛攤子！我都喘不過來氣了。我要這個(gè)地方今天被清理干凈，要一塵不染那種！”隨后，他便離開了。佩斯頓吉先生朝奶牛走去，對(duì)自己努力的付諸東流感到悲傷、憤怒和失望，他覺得自己需要把這滿肚子的怒氣都撒在這頭奶牛上。

11. Schlip – flop – he slid on the puddle of dung and urine and landed on his back. The office assistant covered his mouth to prevent him from laughing out loud. The cow rose. She looked at mr Pestonjee lying on the floor, and their eyes locked for two seconds. Her neck turned, as if embarrassed. She walked past the junior manager, through the doorway and down the stairs. The office assistant followed her with his eyes until she disappeared into the streets.

出溜——啪嘰，他背朝下滑倒在牛糞和牛尿形成的坑里。辦公室助理用手遮住嘴，以防自己笑出聲來。奶牛站了起來。它看著躺在地板上的佩斯頓吉先生，佩斯頓吉先生也看著它，四目相對(duì)有兩秒鐘時(shí)間。奶牛的脖子轉(zhuǎn)開了，好像很尷尬的樣子。它從初級(jí)經(jīng)理身邊走過，穿過門口，走下樓梯。辦公室助理的眼睛一直盯著它的背影，直至它消失在街的盡頭。

12.'See, sir, what an intelligent animal. She knew her way out.''Only one door was open, you idiot. Get me a towel.''But still, sir. She could have pushed open the other doors.''What do we do now?' the manager asked.'Go home?' . Mr. Pestonjee knew: he was defeated.

“先生，看，多么聰明的動(dòng)物。它居然知道怎么出去。”“你個(gè)白癡，只有一扇門是開著的。給我拿一條毛巾來。”“但是，先生，它本可以推開其他門的。”“那我們現(xiàn)在要做什么？”經(jīng)理問，“回家？” 。佩斯頓吉先生知道，自己已經(jīng)一敗涂地

13. Within minutes all of the office's twelve employees were out and the guard had locked the gates. A week later, on the way to the railway station to catch the train, Mr. Pestonjee saw the cow siting near a temple, healthier, busy with and unusually large bounty of grass. It made him wonder…

幾分鐘之內(nèi)，辦公室里的全部12名員工全部離開了公司，然后保安鎖上了大門。一周后，在去火車站趕火車的途中，佩斯頓吉先生看到了那頭奶牛正坐在一所寺廟旁，看上去比之前更健康了，正忙著像通常那樣大口大口地吃草。這場(chǎng)景讓他感到很詫異......