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VOA Short Stories., Luck

Luck

SUSAN CLARK: Now, the Special English program, AMERICAN STORIES.

(MUSIC)

Our story today is called "Luck.

" It was written by Mark Twain. Here is Shep O'Neal with the story. (MUSIC)

SHEP O'NEAL: I was at a dinner in London given in honor of one of the most celebrated English military men of his time. I do not want to tell you his real name and titles. I will just call him Lieutenant General Lord Arthur Scoresby. I cannot describe my excitement when I saw this great and famous man.

There he sat, the man himself, in person, all covered with medals. I could not take my eyes off him. He seemed to show the true mark of greatness. His fame had no effect on him. The hundreds of eyes watching him, the worship of so many people, did not seem to make any difference to him. Next to me sat a clergyman, who was an old friend of mine.

He was not always a clergyman. During the first half of his life he was a teacher in the military school at Woolwich. There was a strange look in his eye as he leaned toward me and whispered – “Privately – he is a complete fool.” He meant, of course, the hero of our dinner. This came as a shock to me.

I looked hard at my friend. I could not have been more surprised if he has said the same thing about Napoleon, or Socrates, or Solomon. But I was sure of two things about the clergyman. He always spoke the truth. And, his judgment of men was good. Therefore, I wanted to find out more about our hero as soon as I could. Some days later I got a chance to talk with the clergyman, and he told me more.

These are his exact words: About forty years ago, I was an instructor in the military academy at Woolwich, when young Scoresby was given his first examination. I felt extremely sorry for him. Everybody answered the questions well, intelligently, while he – why, dear me – he did not know anything, so to speak. He was a nice, pleasant young man. It was painful to see him stand there and give answers that were miracles of stupidity. I knew of course that when examined again he would fail and be thrown out. So, I said to myself, it would be a simple, harmless act to help him as much as I could. I took him aside and found he knew a little about Julius Caesar's history. But, he did not know anything else. So, I went to work and tested him and worked him like a slave. I made him work, over and over again, on a few questions about Caesar, which I knew he would be asked. If you will believe me, he came through very well on the day of the examination. He got high praise too, while others who knew a thousand times more than he were sharply criticized. By some strange, lucky accident, he was asked no questions but those I made him study. Such an accident does not happen more than once in a hundred years. Well, all through his studies, I stood by him, with the feeling a mother has for a disabled child. And he always saved himself by some miracle. I thought that what in the end would destroy him would be the mathematics examination. I decided to make his end as painless as possible. So, I pushed facts into his stupid head for hours. Finally, I let him go to the examination to experience what I was sure would be his dismissal from school. Well, sir, try to imagine the result. I was shocked out of my mind. He took first prize! And he got the highest praise. I felt guilty day and night – what I was doing was not right.

But I only wanted to make his dismissal a little less painful for him. I never dreamed it would lead to such strange, laughable results. I thought that sooner or later one thing was sure to happen: The first real test once he was through school would ruin him.

Then, the Crimean War broke out.

I felt that sad for him that there had to be a war. Peace would have given this donkey a chance to escape from ever being found out as being so stupid. Nervously, I waited for the worst to happen. It did. He was appointed an officer. A captain, of all things! Who could have dreamed that they would place such a responsibility on such weak shoulders as his. I said to myself that I was responsible to the country for this.

I must go with him and protect the nation against him as far as I could. So, I joined up with him. And away we went to the field. And there – oh dear, it was terrible.

Mistakes, fearful mistakes – why, he never did anything that was right – nothing but mistakes. But, you see, nobody knew the secret of how stupid he really was. Everybody misunderstood his actions. They saw his stupid mistakes as works of great intelligence. They did, honestly! His smallest mistakes made a man in his right mind cry, and shout and scream too – to himself, of course. And what kept me in a continual fear was the fact that every mistake he made increased his glory and fame. I kept saying to myself that when at last they find out about him, it will be like the sun falling out of the sky. He continued to climb up, over the dead bodies of his superiors.

Then, in the hottest moment of one battle down went our colonel. My heart jumped into my mouth, for Scoresby was the next in line to take his place. Now, we are in for it, I said… The battle grew hotter.

The English and their allies were steadily retreating all over the field. Our regiment occupied a position that was extremely important. One mistake now would bring total disaster. And what did Scoresby do this time – he just mistook his left hand for his right hand…that was all. An order came for him to fall back and support our right. Instead, he moved forward and went over the hill to the left. We were over the hill before this insane movement could be discovered and stopped. And what did we find? A large and unsuspected Russian army waiting! And what happened – were we all killed? That is exactly what would have happened in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred. But no – those surprised Russians thought that no one regiment by itself would come around there at such a time. It must be the whole British army, they thought.

They turned tail, away they went over the hill and down into the field in wild disorder, and we after them. In no time, there was the greatest turn around you ever saw. The allies turned defeat into a sweeping and shining victory. The allied commander looked on, his head spinning with wonder, surprise and joy. He sent right off for Scoresby, and put his arms around him and hugged him on the field in front of all the armies. Scoresby became famous that day as a great military leader – honored throughout the world. That honor will never disappear while history books last. He is just as nice and pleasant as ever, but he still does not know enough to come in out of the rain. He is the stupidest man in the universe. Until now, nobody knew it but Scoresby and myself.

He has been followed, day by day, year by year, by a strange luck. He has been a shining soldier in all our wars for years. He has filled his whole military life with mistakes. Every one of them brought him another honorary title. Look at his chest, flooded with British and foreign medals. Well, sir, every one of them is the record of some great stupidity or other. They are proof that the best thing that can happen to a man is to be born lucky. I say again, as I did at the dinner, Scoresby's a complete fool. (MUSIC)

SUSAN CLARK: You have just heard the story "Luck.

" It was written by Mark Twain and adapted for Special English by Harold Berman. Your narrator was Shep O'Neal. Listen again next week at this same time for another American Story told in Special English on the Voice of America. This is Susan Clark.

Luck Chance Laimė Szczęście Sorte Удача Şans Удача. 运气

SUSAN CLARK:  Now, the Special English program, AMERICAN STORIES. SUSAN CLARK: Nyní speciální anglický program, AMERICKÉ PŘÍBĚHY.

(MUSIC)

Our story today is called "Luck. Unsere heutige Geschichte heißt "Glück. 今日の私たちの話は「運」と呼ばれています。

"  It was written by Mark Twain. "Es wurde von Mark Twain geschrieben. 「それはマーク・トウェインによって書かれました。 Here is Shep O’Neal with the story. Zde je Shep O'Neal s příběhem. これがシェップ・オニールの話です。 (MUSIC)

SHEP O’NEAL:  I was at a dinner in London given in honor of one of the most celebrated English military men of his time. SHEP O'NEAL: Byl jsem na večeři v Londýně na počest jednoho z nejslavnějších anglických vojáků své doby. SHEP O'NEAL:私はロンドンで、当時最も有名なイギリス軍人の1人に敬意を表して夕食をとりました。 I do not want to tell you his real name and titles. Nechci vám říkat jeho skutečné jméno a tituly. 彼の本名と肩書きはお話ししたくありません。 I will just call him Lieutenant General Lord Arthur Scoresby. Budu mu jen říkat generálporučík Lord Arthur Scoresby. 私は彼をアーサー・スコアーズビー中尉と呼ぶことにします。 Я називатиму його просто генерал-лейтенант лорд Артур Скорсбі. I cannot describe my excitement when I saw this great and famous man. Nemohu popsat své vzrušení, když jsem viděl tohoto velkého a slavného muže. Я не можу описати своє хвилювання, коли побачив цього великого і знаменитого чоловіка.

There he sat, the man himself, in person, all covered with medals. Tam seděl, sám muž, osobně, vše pokryté medailemi. そこに彼は座っていました、彼自身、直接、すべてメダルで覆われていました。 Там сидів він сам, власною персоною, весь у медалях. I could not take my eyes off him. Nemohl jsem mu sundat oči. 私は彼から目を離すことができなかった。 Я не могла відвести від нього очей. He seemed to show the true mark of greatness. Zdálo se, že ukazuje skutečnou známku velikosti. 彼は偉大さの真の印を示しているようでした。 Казалось, он показал истинный знак величия. Здавалося, він показав справжню ознаку величі. His fame had no effect on him. Jeho sláva na něj neměla žádný vliv. 彼の名声は彼に影響を与えなかった。 Слава на него не подействовала. The hundreds of eyes watching him, the worship of so many people, did not seem to make any difference to him. Zdálo se, že stovky očí, které ho sledovaly, uctívání tolika lidí, ho nijak nezměnily. 非常に多くの人々の崇拝である彼を見ている何百もの目は、彼に何の違いももたらさなかったようです。 Сотні очей, що дивилися на нього, поклоніння стількох людей, здавалося, не мали для нього ніякого значення. Next to me sat a clergyman, who was an old friend of mine. Vedle mě seděl duchovní, který byl můj starý přítel.

He was not always a clergyman. Nebyl vždy duchovním. 彼は必ずしも聖職者ではありませんでした。 Він не завжди був священнослужителем. During the first half of his life he was a teacher in the military school at Woolwich. Během první poloviny života byl učitelem na vojenské škole ve Woolwichi. 彼の人生の前半の間、彼はウーリッジの軍学校の教師でした。 Протягом першої половини свого життя він був викладачем у військовій школі у Вулвічі. There was a strange look in his eye as he leaned toward me and whispered – “Privately – he is a complete fool.” He meant, of course, the hero of our dinner. V jeho očích byl zvláštní pohled, když se naklonil ke mně a zašeptal - „Soukromě - je to úplný hlupák.“ Měl samozřejmě na mysli hrdinu naší večeře. 彼が私に寄りかかってささやいたとき、彼の目に奇妙な表情がありました–「私的に–彼は完全にばかです。」もちろん、彼は私たちの夕食の主人公を意味しました。 У його очах був дивний вираз, коли він нахилився до мене і прошепотів: "По секрету - він повний дурень". Він мав на увазі, звичайно, героя нашої вечері. This came as a shock to me. To mi přišlo jako šok. これは私にとってショックでした。 Це стало для мене шоком.

I looked hard at my friend. Tvrdě jsem se podíval na svého přítele. 私は友達をじっと見つめた。 I could not have been more surprised if he has said the same thing about Napoleon, or Socrates, or Solomon. Nemohl jsem být více překvapen, kdyby řekl to samé o Napoleonovi, Sokratovi nebo Solomonovi. 彼がナポレオン、ソクラテス、ソロモンについて同じことを言っていたら、私はこれ以上驚かなかったでしょう。 But I was sure of two things about the clergyman. Ale byl jsem si jistý dvěma věcmi o duchovním. しかし、私は聖職者について2つのことを確信していました。 He always spoke the truth. Vždy mluvil pravdu. And, his judgment of men was good. A jeho rozsudek lidí byl dobrý. Und sein Urteil über Menschen war gut. Therefore, I wanted to find out more about our hero as soon as I could. Proto jsem se chtěl dozvědět více o našem hrdinovi, jakmile to půjde. したがって、私はできるだけ早く私たちのヒーローについてもっと知りたいと思いました。 Some days later I got a chance to talk with the clergyman, and he told me more. O několik dní později jsem měl šanci si promluvit s duchovním a on mi řekl víc.

These are his exact words: Toto jsou jeho přesná slova: これらは彼の正確な言葉です: About forty years ago, I was an instructor in the military academy at Woolwich, when young Scoresby was given his first examination. Asi před čtyřiceti lety jsem byl instruktorem na vojenské akademii ve Woolwichi, když byl mladý Scoresby podroben první zkoušce. 約40年前、若いスコアズビーが最初の試験を受けたとき、私はウーリッジの陸軍士官学校のインストラクターでした。 I felt extremely sorry for him. Bylo mi ho velmi líto. 私は彼を非常に気の毒に思いました。 Everybody answered the questions well, intelligently, while he – why, dear me – he did not know anything, so to speak. Všichni odpovídali na otázky dobře, inteligentně, zatímco on - proč, milý mě - nic takového nevěděl, abych tak řekl. Alle beantworteten die Fragen gut und intelligent, während er – warum, meine Liebe – er sozusagen nichts wusste. 誰もが質問に賢く答えましたが、彼は、いわば、何も知りませんでした。 He was a nice, pleasant young man. Byl to milý, příjemný mladý muž. 彼は素晴らしくて気持ちの良い青年でした。 It was painful to see him stand there and give answers that were miracles of stupidity. Bylo bolestivé vidět ho stát a dávat odpovědi, které byly zázraky hlouposti. Es tat weh, ihn dort stehen zu sehen und Antworten zu geben, die Wunder der Dummheit waren. 彼がそこに立って愚かな奇跡の答えを出すのを見るのは辛かったです。 I knew of course that when examined again he would fail and be thrown out. Samozřejmě jsem věděl, že při dalším zkoumání selže a bude vyhozen. もちろん、もう一度調べてみると、彼は失敗して捨てられることを私は知っていました。 So, I said to myself, it would be a simple, harmless act to help him as much as I could. Řekl jsem si tedy, že by to byl jednoduchý, neškodný akt, který by mu pomohl, jak jen jsem mohl. それで、私は自分自身に言いました、それは私ができる限り彼を助けることは単純で無害な行為であるでしょう。 I took him aside and found he knew a little about Julius Caesar’s history. Vzal jsem ho stranou a zjistil, že ví něco o historii Julia Caesara. 私は彼を脇に連れて行き、彼がジュリアスシーザーの歴史について少し知っていることに気づきました。 But, he did not know anything else. Ale nic jiného nevěděl. So, I went to work and tested him and worked him like a slave. Takže jsem šel do práce a testoval jsem ho a pracoval jako otrok. Also ging ich zur Arbeit und testete ihn und bearbeitete ihn wie einen Sklaven. それで、私は仕事に行って彼をテストし、奴隷のように働きました。 Так что я принялся за работу, испытал его и работал как раб. I made him work, over and over again, on a few questions about Caesar, which I knew he would be asked. Přinutil jsem ho, aby znovu a znovu pracoval na několika otázkách týkajících se Caesara, o kterých jsem věděl, že bude položen. 私は彼にシーザーについてのいくつかの質問に何度も何度も取り組んでもらいました。 If you will believe me, he came through very well on the day of the examination. Pokud mi budete věřit, prošel v den zkoušky velmi dobře. あなたが私を信じてくれるなら、彼は試験当日に非常にうまくやってきた。 He got high praise too, while others who knew a thousand times more than he were sharply criticized. Velice chválil, zatímco jiní, kteří věděli tisíckrát více, než byli ostře kritizováni. By some strange, lucky accident, he was asked no questions but those I made him study. Při nějaké podivné neštěstí mu byly položeny žádné otázky, ale ty, které jsem ho donutil studovat. Such an accident does not happen more than once in a hundred years. Taková nehoda se nestane více než jednou za sto let. Well, all through his studies, I stood by him, with the feeling a mother has for a disabled child. Po celou dobu studia jsem stál vedle něj s pocitem, který má matka pro postižené dítě. And he always saved himself by some miracle. A vždy se zachránil nějakým zázrakem. I thought that what in the end would destroy him would be the mathematics examination. Myslel jsem si, že to, co ho nakonec zničí, bude matematické vyšetření. I decided to make his end as painless as possible. Rozhodl jsem se, aby byl jeho konec co nejbolestnější. So, I pushed facts into his stupid head for hours. Takže jsem do jeho hloupé hlavy celé hodiny tlačil fakta. Итак, я часами вбивал факты в его тупую голову. Finally, I let him go to the examination to experience what I was sure would be his dismissal from school. Nakonec jsem ho nechal jít na zkoušku, abych zažil to, co jsem si byl jistý, že bude jeho propuštění ze školy. В конце концов, я позволил ему пойти на экзамен, чтобы испытать то, что, как я был уверен, означало его увольнение из школы. Well, sir, try to imagine the result. No, pane, zkuste si představit výsledek. I was shocked out of my mind. Byl jsem šokován z mé mysli. He took first prize! Získal první cenu! And he got the highest praise. A dostal nejvyšší pochvalu. I felt guilty day and night – what I was doing was not right. Cítil jsem se provinile dnem i nocí - to, co jsem dělal, nebylo správné. Я чувствовал себя виноватым день и ночь – то, что я делал, было неправильным.

But I only wanted to make his dismissal a little less painful for him. Ale já jsem jen chtěl, aby jeho propuštění bylo pro něj trochu méně bolestivé. I never dreamed it would lead to such strange, laughable results. Nikdy jsem nesnil, že by to vedlo k tak zvláštním, smíchným výsledkům. I thought that sooner or later one thing was sure to happen: The first real test once he was through school would ruin him. Myslel jsem, že dříve nebo později se určitě stane jedna věc: První skutečný test, jakmile prošel školou, by ho zničil.

Then, the Crimean War broke out. Pak vypukla krymská válka.

I felt that sad for him that there had to be a war. Cítil jsem pro něj smutné, že musela být válka. Peace would have given this donkey a chance to escape from ever being found out as being so stupid. Mír by dal tomuto oslu šanci utéct z toho, že se zjistí, že je tak hloupý. Nervously, I waited for the worst to happen. Nervózně jsem čekal na to nejhorší. It did. To ano. He was appointed an officer. Byl jmenován důstojníkem. A captain, of all things! Kapitán všech věcí! Who could have dreamed that they would place such a responsibility on such weak shoulders as his. Kdo mohl snít o tom, že by na tak slabá ramena, jako je jeho, uvalili takovou odpovědnost. I said to myself that I was responsible to the country for this. Řekl jsem si, že za to jsem zemi zodpovědný.

I must go with him and protect the nation against him as far as I could. Musím jít s ním a chránit národ před ním, jak jen to půjde. So, I joined up with him. Takže jsem se k němu připojil. And away we went to the field. A pryč jsme šli na pole. And there – oh dear, it was terrible. A tam - ach drahá, bylo to hrozné.

Mistakes, fearful mistakes – why, he never did anything that was right – nothing but mistakes. Chyby, strašné chyby - proč nikdy neudělal nic správného - nic než chyby. But, you see, nobody knew the secret of how stupid he really was. Ale jak vidíte, nikdo nevěděl tajemství toho, jak hloupý byl. Everybody misunderstood his actions. Všichni nepochopili jeho činy. They saw his stupid mistakes as works of great intelligence. Viděli jeho hloupé chyby jako díla velké inteligence. They did, honestly! Upřímně! His smallest mistakes made a man in his right mind cry, and shout and scream too – to himself, of course. Jeho nejmenší chyby způsobily, že muž ve své pravé mysli křičel a také křičel a křičel - samozřejmě na sebe. And what kept me in a continual fear was the fact that every mistake he made increased his glory and fame. A to, co mě drželo v neustálém strachu, byla skutečnost, že každá jeho chyba zvýšila jeho slávu a slávu. I kept saying to myself that when at last they find out about him, it will be like the sun falling out of the sky. Stále jsem si říkal, že když se o něm konečně dozvědí, bude to jako slunce padající z nebe. He continued to climb up, over the dead bodies of his superiors. Pokračoval v lezení po mrtvých tělech svých nadřízených.

Then, in the hottest moment of one battle down went our colonel. Pak v nejžhavějším okamžiku jedné bitvy sestoupil náš plukovník. Dann, im heißesten Moment einer Schlacht, ging unser Oberst zu Boden. Luego, en el momento más caluroso de una batalla, fue nuestro coronel. My heart jumped into my mouth, for Scoresby was the next in line to take his place. Moje srdce vyskočilo do mých úst, protože Scoresby byl další v řadě, který zaujal jeho místo. Mein Herz sprang in meinen Mund, denn Scoresby war der nächste in der Reihe, der seinen Platz einnahm. Now, we are in for it, I said… Teď jsme pro to, řekl jsem ... Jetzt sind wir dran, sagte ich … The battle grew hotter. Bitva rostla tepleji.

The English and their allies were steadily retreating all over the field. Angličané a jejich spojenci ustupovali po celém poli. Our regiment occupied a position that was extremely important. Unser Regiment nahm eine äußerst wichtige Stellung ein. One mistake now would bring total disaster. Jedna chyba by teď přinesla totální katastrofu. And what did Scoresby do this time – he just mistook his left hand for his right hand…that was all. A co tentokrát udělal Scoresby - prostě si pomýlil levou ruku za pravou ruku ... to bylo všechno. An order came for him to fall back and support our right. Přišel rozkaz, aby ustoupil a podpořil naše právo. Instead, he moved forward and went over the hill to the left. Místo toho se pohnul kupředu a šel přes kopec doleva. We were over the hill before this insane movement could be discovered and stopped. Byli jsme nad kopcem, než bylo možné odhalit a zastavit tento šílený pohyb. And what did we find? A co jsme našli? A large and unsuspected Russian army waiting! Velká a netušená ruská armáda čeká! And what happened – were we all killed? A co se stalo - byli jsme všichni zabiti? That is exactly what would have happened in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred. Přesně to by se stalo v devadesáti devíti případech ze sta. But no – those surprised Russians thought that no one regiment by itself would come around there at such a time. Ale ne - ti překvapení Rusové si mysleli, že tam v takovou dobu nepřijde žádný pluk sám. It must be the whole British army, they thought. Musí to být celá britská armáda, říkali si.

They turned tail, away they went over the hill and down into the field in wild disorder, and we after them. Otočili ocas, odešli přes kopec a dolů na pole v divoké nepořádku a my za nimi. In no time, there was the greatest turn around you ever saw. V žádném okamžiku nedošlo k největšímu obratu, jaký jste kdy viděli. В мгновение ока произошел величайший поворот, который вы когда-либо видели. The allies turned defeat into a sweeping and shining victory. Spojenci proměnili porážku v zametavé a zářivé vítězství. Les alliés ont transformé la défaite en une victoire éclatante et éclatante. Союзники превратили поражение в широкую и блестящую победу. The allied commander looked on, his head spinning with wonder, surprise and joy. Velitel spojeneckých sil pohlédl a jeho hlava se točila údivem, překvapením a radostí. Командир союзников смотрел, голова у него кружилась от изумления, удивления и радости. He sent right off for Scoresby, and put his arms around him and hugged him on the field in front of all the armies. Poslal přímo na Scoresbyho, objal ho a objal ho na hřišti před všemi armádami. Scoresby became famous that day as a great military leader – honored throughout the world. Scoresby se stal ten den slavným jako velký vojenský vůdce - poctěn po celém světě. В этот день Скорсби прославился как великий военачальник, которого чтят во всем мире. That honor will never disappear while history books last. Tato čest nikdy nezmizí, dokud knihy o historii vyprší. Эта честь никогда не исчезнет, пока существуют книги по истории. He is just as nice and pleasant as ever, but he still does not know enough to come in out of the rain. Je stejně příjemný a příjemný jako vždy, ale stále neví dost, aby se dostal z deště. Il est toujours aussi gentil et agréable, mais il n'en sait toujours pas assez pour rentrer sous la pluie. Он такой же милый и приятный, как всегда, но он все еще не знает достаточно, чтобы выйти из-под дождя. He is the stupidest man in the universe. Je to nejhloupější muž ve vesmíru. Until now, nobody knew it but Scoresby and myself. Až dosud to nikdo nevěděl, ale Scoresby a já.

He has been followed, day by day, year by year, by a strange luck. Den po dni, rok za rokem ho následovalo zvláštní štěstí. He has been a shining soldier in all our wars for years. Po celá léta byl zářícím vojákem. Он был блестящим солдатом во всех наших войнах в течение многих лет. He has filled his whole military life with mistakes. Celý svůj vojenský život naplnil chybami. Every one of them brought him another honorary title. Každý z nich mu přinesl další čestný titul. Каждый из них принес ему еще одно почетное звание. Look at his chest, flooded with British and foreign medals. Podívejte se na jeho hruď, zaplavenou britskými a zahraničními medailemi. Well, sir, every one of them is the record of some great stupidity or other. No, pane, každý z nich je záznam nějaké velké hlouposti nebo jiného. They are proof that the best thing that can happen to a man is to be born lucky. Jsou důkazem, že nejlepší věcí, která se může člověku stát, je narodit se šťastně. I say again, as I did at the dinner, Scoresby’s a complete fool. Znovu říkám, stejně jako na večeři, Scoresby je úplný hlupák. (MUSIC)

SUSAN CLARK:  You have just heard the story "Luck.

"  It was written by Mark Twain and adapted for Special English by Harold Berman. Your narrator was Shep O’Neal. Listen again next week at this same time for another American Story told in Special English on the Voice of America. This is Susan Clark.