It was very late and everyone had left the cafe except an old man who sat in the shadow the leaves of the tree made against the electric light. In the day time the street was dusty, but at night the dew settled the dust and the old man liked to sit late because he was deaf and now at night it was quiet and he felt the difference. The two waiters inside the cafe knew that the old man was a little drunk, and while he was a good client they knew that if he became too drunk he would leave without paying, so they kept watch on him.
"Last week he tried to commit suicide," one waiter said.
"Why?"
"He was in despair."
"What about?"
"Nothing."
"How do you know it was nothing?"
"He has plenty of money."
"上个星期他想自杀，"一个侍者说。
"为什么？"
"他绝望啦。"
"干吗绝望？"
"没事儿。"
"你怎么知道是没事儿？"
"他有很多钱。"
They sat together at a table that was close against the wall near the door of the cafe and looked at the terrace where the tables were all empty except where the old man sat in the shadow of the leaves of the tree that moved slightly in the wind. A girl and a soldier went by in the street. The street light shone on the brass number on his collar. The girl wore no head covering and hurried beside him.
"He had better get off the street now. The guard will get him. They went by five minutes ago."
The old man sitting in the shadow rapped on his saucer with his glass. The younger waiter went over to him.
"What do you want?"
The old man looked at him. "Another brandy," he said.
"警卫队会把他逮走，"一个侍者说。
"如果他到手了他要找的东西，那又有什么关系呢？"
"他这会儿还是从街上溜走为好。警卫队会找他麻烦，他们五分钟前才经过这里。"
那老人坐在阴影里，用杯子敲敲茶托。那个年纪比较轻的侍者上他那儿去。
"你要什么？"
老人朝他看了看。"再来杯白兰地，"他说。
"You'll be drunk," the waiter said. The old man looked at him. The waiter went away.
"你会喝醉的，"侍者说。老人朝他看了一看。侍者走开了。
"He'll stay all night," he said to his colleague. "I'm sleepy now. I never get into bed before three o'clock. He should have killed himself last week."
The waiter took the brandy bottle and another saucer from the counter inside the cafe and marched out to the old man's table. He put down the saucer and poured the glass full of brandy.
"You should have killed yourself last week," he said to the deaf man. The old man motioned with his finger. "A little more," he said. The waiter poured on into the glass so that the brandy slopped over and ran down the stem into the top saucer of the pile. "Thank you," the old man said. The waiter took the bottle back inside the cafe. He sat down at the table with his colleague again.
"I wish he would go home. I never get to bed before three o'clock. What kind of hour is that to go to bed?"
"我真希望他回家去。我从来没有在三点钟以前睡觉过。那是个什么样的睡觉时间呀？"
"He stays up because he likes it."
"他因为不喜欢睡觉所以才不睡觉。"
"He's lonely. I'm not lonely. I have a wife waiting in bed for me."
他孤孤单单。我可不孤单。我有个老婆在床上等着我呢。"
"He had a wife once too."
"他从前也有过老婆。"
"A wife would be no good to him now."
"这会儿有老婆对他可没好处。"
"You can't tell. He might be better with a wife."
"话可不能这么说。他有老婆也许会好些。"
"His niece looks after him. You said she cut him down."
"他侄女会照料他。你刚才说是她把他放下来的。"
"I know." "I wouldn't want to be that old. An old man is a nasty thing."
"我知道。" "我才不要活得那么老。老人邋里邋遢。"
"Not always. This old man is clean. He drinks without spilling. Even now, drunk. Look at him."
"不一定都是这样。这个老人干干净净。他喝啤酒来并不滴滴答答往外漏。哪怕这会儿喝醉了。你瞧他。"
"I don't want to look at him. I wish he would go home. He has no regard for those who must work."
"我才不想瞧他。我希望他回家去。他并不关心那些非干活不可的人。"
The old man looked from his glass across the square, then over at the waiters.
那老人从酒杯上抬起头来望望广场，又望望那两个侍者。
"Another brandy," he said, pointing to his glass. The waiter who was in a hurry came over.
"再来杯白兰地，"他指着杯子说。那个着急的侍者跑了过去。
"Finished," he said, speaking with that omission of syntax stupid people employ when talking to drunken people or foreigners. "No more tonight. Close now."
"没啦，"他不顾什么句法地说，蠢汉在对醉汉或外国人说话时就这么说法。"今晚上没啦。打烊啦。"
"Another," said the old man.
"再来一杯，"那老人说。
"No. Finished." The waiter wiped the edge of the table with a towel and shook his head.
"不，没啦，"侍者一边拿块毛巾揩揩桌沿，一边摇摇头。
The old man stood up, slowly counted the saucers, took a leather coin purse from his pocket and paid for the drinks, leaving half a peseta tip. The waiter watched him go down the street, a very old man walking unsteadily but with dignity.
"We are of two different kinds," the older waiter said. He was now dressed to go home. "It is not only a question of youth and confidence although those things are very beautiful. Each night I am reluctant to close up because there may be some one who needs the cafe."
"You do not understand. This is a clean and pleasant cafe. It is well lighted. The light is very good and also, now, there are shadows of the leaves."
"你不懂。这儿是个干净愉快的餐馆。十分明亮。而且这会儿，灯光很亮，还有飘渺的树影。"
"Good night," said the younger waiter.
"再见啦，"那个年轻的侍者说。
"Good night," the other said. Turning off the electric light he continued the conversation with himself, It was the light of course but it is necessary that the place be clean and pleasant. You do not want music. Certainly you do not want music. Nor can you stand before a bar with dignity although that is all that is provided for these hours. What did he fear? It was not a fear or dread, It was a nothing that he knew too well. It was all a nothing and a man was a nothing too. It was only that and light was all it needed and a certain cleanness and order. Some lived in it and never felt it but he knew it all was nada y pues nada y nada y pues nada. Our nada who art in nada, nada be thy name thy kingdom nada thy will be nada in nada as it is in nada. Give us this nada our daily nada and nada us our nada as we nada our nadas and nada us not into nada but deliver us from nada; pues nada. Hail nothing full of nothing, nothing is with thee. He smiled and stood before a bar with a shining steam pressure coffee machine.
"The light is very bright and pleasant but the bar is unpolished," the waiter said.
"灯很亮，也很愉快，只是这个酒吧没有擦得很光洁，"侍者说。
The barman looked at him but did not answer. It was too late at night for conversation.
酒吧招待看看他，但是，没有答腔，夜深了，不便谈话。
"You want another copita?" the barman asked.
"你要再来一小杯吗？"酒吧招待问道。
"No, thank you," said the waiter and went out. He disliked bars and bodegas. A clean, well-lighted cafe was a very different thing. Now, without thinking further, he would go home to his room. He would lie in the bed and finally, with daylight, he would go to sleep. After all, he said to himself, it's probably only insomnia. Many must have it.
