又中又英 | Stinks to high heaven | 褚简宁

　　Nutritionists say a healthy diet should consist of a wide range of fruits and vegetables, seafood such as salmon, skinless chicken, nuts, and brown rice. I eat a wide range of fruits, but there is one fruit I will never eat even though it is known in Asia as the king of fruits. The fruit I will never eat is durian because it stinks to high heaven. The word “stink” means a very unpleasant smell. If something stinks to high heaven, it means it smells very bad. A dead rat decaying in the sun will stink to high heaven.

　　Some Hong Kong friends once took me to a fruit seller in Penang who had fresh durian. He cut open the shells of several durians to take out the yellow inside part. My friends hungrily ate the durian and insisted I try some. I refused, telling them the durian stank to high heaven. When I was a young boy growing up in Hong Kong I often bought deep-fried tofu, known as stinky tofu, from street hawkers. The tofu stank to high heaven, but I liked the taste! I haven’t had stinky tofu in many years.

　　The expression “stinks to high heaven” has another meaning which is not about smell. An American politician used it recently in connection with the child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell who is serving a 20-year prison sentence. He said the US government’s recent transfer of Maxwell to a low-security prison which is run more like a camp despite her serious crimes stank to high heaven. The expression used this way means corrupt or very suspicious.

　　营养学家说，一个健康的饮食应该包含各式各样的水果、蔬菜、海鲜如三文鱼、去皮的鸡肉、坚果以及糙米。我吃的水果种类繁多，但有一样水果我是从来不会吃的，即使在亚洲它被奉为水果之王。我从不吃的水果是榴梿，因为它stinks to high heaven。Stink是指非常难闻的气味；若某物stinks to high heaven，意即它臭气冲天。一只暴晒在日光下的死老鼠也会臭气熏天（stink to high heaven）。

　　有一次，一些香港朋友带我到槟城一个卖生果的档贩，那里有卖新鲜的榴梿。他切开了几个榴梿的外壳，取出黄色的果肉。我的朋友们饥肠辘辘地吞吃着榴梿，并坚决要求我得试一点。我拒绝了，告诉他们榴梿真的臭气冲天（stank to high heaven）。我从前在香港长大，还是小男孩的时候，就不时去找街边小贩买臭豆腐。那豆腐也是臭气冲天（stank to high heaven），但我很喜欢那味道！我已经多年没有吃过臭豆腐了。

　　习语“stinks to high heaven”还有另一个不关乎气味的意思。最近有一个美国政客谈到正在监狱服20年刑期的儿童性奴贩子格希莱恩．麦克斯韦尔时，就用到了这个习语。他说，尽管麦克斯韦尔已恶贯满盈至stank to high heaven，美国政府最近仍将她转至一个运作像度假营的低设防监狱。在这里，这个习语是指其卑鄙龌龊，极为腐败或可疑。

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻