中英双语新闻——120 Surviving in the Beijing Subways

 　　A small man in his wheelchair gently nudges his way into the packed Line 2 subway. People make way for him; he stakes out his space at the end of the car. He pulls out what looks like a slightly undersized car battery, and clumsily wraps the copper 1 wires around the positive and negative terminals. He reaches down to hook them up to the weathered speaker placed between his feet. After a slow but meticulous 2 procedure, microphone, MP3 player and speaker are eventually all in place. He clears his throat and smiles uncomfortably. "I`m always a bit nervous when I get started," he says in a quiet voice.

 
　　一位身材矮小的男子摇着轮椅小心地挤进了人满为患的地铁2号线。人们为他让道；男子在车厢的尽头找到位置安顿下来，拿出一个看上去像极了迷你汽车电池的东西，笨拙地把铜线缠在正负极上。然后俯下身去将铜线连接到双脚间的一个老旧音箱上。经过调试的过程很慢，但他仍一丝不苟。麦克风，MP3播放器和音箱终于各就各位。男子清了清嗓子，不自然地笑了笑，轻声说：“刚开始我总有点紧张。”
 
　　For now, Gao Xiaowei sings in subways. For three hours a day in his adopted city of Beijing, this is the way he wins his bread. He sings with closed eyes, shoulders swaying gently. "I want to know all about you, but I never got a chance," he croons, finishing the song with impressive sensitivity just before a recording 3 announces the next subway stop. There is no applause, but a couple people toss a few paper bills into his box before they squeeze off of the train.
 
　　现在，高小伟在地铁里唱歌。在自己选定的北京城中，他每天唱三小时的歌来维持生计。唱歌时他总是闭起双眼，轻摇双肩。“我想了解你，却没有机会。”他吟唱着，刚好在录音广播下一站站名之前，满富深情地演绎完这首歌。尽管没有掌声，但几个人在挤下地铁前，往他的盒子里扔了几张纸币。
 
　　Born in Jiangsu province to a farming couple, Gao was a happy and healthy baby. He explains how at the age of three, a small illness triggered an unfortunate train of events.
 
　　高小伟出生在江苏省的一个农民家庭，曾经是一个健康快乐的孩子。他诉说着在他三岁的时候，自己是如何因为一场小病而遭遇一连串不幸的。
 
　　"At that time, rural medical conditions were very poor and the doctor wasn`t very professional. As a result, the doctor gave me an injection in the wrong spot which caused me to lose the use of my legs. I was paralyzed, and my family rushed to save me without retaining any evidence.”
 
　　“那时农村医疗条件很差，大夫也不是很专业。结果大夫给我打针的时候打错了地方，结果导致我双腿失去行动能力。我瘫痪了，父母因为急着抢救我，而没有保留任何证据。”
 
　　“On the one hand, we had no awareness 4 about the law at that time, and it was difficult to sue doctors. On the other hand, the population in the country was small, and we all had close relationships with the doctor. So we didn`t have the nerve to sue him, and we didn`t want to cause any trouble. There were no consequences [for him] from any of this, and we think we were really a bit foolish at that time. Later, in [a] large hospital, the doctor was sure that it was caused by the [country doctor`s] medical error."
 
　　“一方面，那时候我们没有法律意识，起诉医生是件难事。另一方面，农村人口少，这医生跟我们关系很好，所以我们也狠不下心去告他，不想惹麻烦。所以他没有为此承担任何后果，现在想想觉得我们那时有点傻。后来，在一所大医院里，医生说正是那位农村大夫的医疗失误而导致了我的瘫痪。”
 
　　As a young man on a farm, Gao was dissatisfied as he was unable to help with the required physical jobs, and he didn`t like being dependent on others. But his parents wouldn`t approve of him leaving town, so he had to run away from home to find out what life could offer him. He went to many cities before settling on Beijing.
 
　　作为村里的年轻人，没法帮家里干活的高晓伟心有不甘，也不愿靠别人养着。但父母不同意他离开家乡，所以他只好从家里跑出来，寻找谋生的方法。在落脚北京之前，他去过很多城市。
 
　　"After I arrived in Beijing I sold all kinds of toys and jewelry 5 for ladies. But now singing in underpasses can let me live day by day better than selling things could before."
 
　　“到了北京之后，我卖过五花八门的玩具和首饰。但是跟卖东西比起来，如今在地下通道里唱歌的经历让我的生活一天一天地好起来了。”
 
　　Even though he could earn more, there were still dangers. "At first, the police were very hard on me and I was forcibly sent home. Now their attitude is kind, and they can understand us; but I`m still afraid of them."
 
　　尽管他挣得多了，但始终有风险。“刚开始，警察对我很严厉，把我遣送回家。现在他们的态度好多了，也能理解我们；但我还是有点怕他们。”
 
　　Gao`s brightest days in Beijing were spent performing music alongside two friends, a drummer and guitarist. "We used to sing in a busy underpass at Wangfujing. At that time, many people appreciated us, and we gave many interviews such as for Beijing TV."
 
　　高晓伟在北京最辉煌的日子，是跟两个朋友一起表演的日子，一位是鼓手，一位是吉他手。“我们曾经在王府井一个人潮熙攘的地下通道里唱歌。那时候很多人会欣赏我们的表演，还有很多人采访我们，比如北京电视台。”
 
　　But Beijing is a city where people come and go, and Gao has struggled with loneliness since his friends returned to their hometowns. You can hear a note of melancholy 6 in his voice when he sings songs about love, including one he wrote himself. With an embarrassed smile, he recounts his love from his hometown, a girl whose parents wouldn`t accept him. "Now she is married but I still remember her. Because of her, at that time I wrote many poems and songs... But I felt so much pain from my lost love [that] I burnt those poems."
 
　　但北京是个人来人往的城市，在朋友们回老家之后，他开始在孤独中挣扎。当他演唱爱情歌曲时，从他的声音里，你能听得出一丝忧伤，其中有一首歌正是他自己创作的。他尴尬地笑了笑，讲述起自己在老家的一段恋情，女孩的父母不愿接受他。“她现在已经结婚了，但我还是忘不了她。因为她，那时候我写了很多诗和歌曲……但后来因为痛失所爱太过痛苦，我把那些诗都烧了。”
 
　　Fortunately, music continues to play an important role for him. "It`s an indispensable part of my life. It can give me peace of mind, to temporarily forget the suffering... my life isn`t very good, I may be thought of as a beggar, but I need more than just food and meeting the needs of the body and music gives me a lot of spiritual comfort."
 
　　幸运的是，音乐仍旧是他生命中重要的一部分。“音乐是我生命中无可取代的一部分，它赋予我心灵的宁静，让我暂时忘掉痛苦……尽管我的生活并不如意，人们可能把我看做一个乞丐，但我需要的不仅仅是食物，或身体基本要求的满足，音乐给予我很多的精神安慰。”