双语时尚生活
之每天读一点英文之那些光影飞华的魅惑
09 The True Cigar 恋上哈瓦那雪茄
Even before you come to grips with the cigar itself, there are small pleasures to be enjoyed, starting with the box—an ornately decorated yet functional relic from the days before the invention of plastic.
即使你还没把雪茄抓在手里，仍然有一些小小的乐趣可先供自己享受一下。就从雪茄盒开始吧——这是个装饰华丽但不失功能性的盒子，算是塑料发明前的遗迹。
A true cigar box is made from cedarwood, which allows the tobacco to breathe and to continue maturing.
真正的雪茄盒子是用杉木做的，可以让烟草透气，继续闷熟。
It is sealed with what looks like a high-denomination bank note (the export warranty of the respective government), and it is often covered with the kind of baroque graphic art that conjures up thoughts of brandy and boudoirs: curlicues, gold embossing, vignettes of white-bosomed ladies and bewhiskered gentlemen, florid typography—everything, in fact, that nineteenth-century pop artists could lay their hands on.
封条看起来像是高面值的银行票据（这是各国政府核发的输出许可证），上面通常还布满了印刷精美的巴洛克风格的图画，叫人想起白兰地酒和美人的香闺：涡卷曲的花纹，镶金的浮雕，柔光照片里露出雪白胸脯的淑女和一脸络腮胡须的绅士。其实，这都是19世纪通俗画家笔下的东西，一应俱全。
When you open the box, your nose is treated to a classic aroma, a bouquet that deserves a few quiet moments of appreciation before you proceed any further.It is a particularly masculine scent, and men have been known to line their clothes closets with the thin leaves of cedarwood that separate the fat rows of cigars.
等你打开雪茄盒，一阵隽永的芳香便会扑鼻而来。这份浓郁值得你为之流连片刻，静静体味一番，然后再进行下一步。雪茄香味有一股特别的阳刚气。男人们通常把雪茄储藏在衣橱里，再放一些杉木针叶，把一排排胖嘟嘟的雪茄和衣服隔开，以免串味。
(The thought of walking around smelling like a human corona may not appeal to all of us, but there are, God knows, worse things to smell of, as anyone who has been ambushed and sprayed on his way through the cosmetics department at Bloomingdale’s will confirm.)
（谁都不想自己的古巴雪茄闻起来活像根科罗娜雪茄。其实和变了味的雪茄比起来，这不算什么，比这更糟的是曼哈顿的布鲁明黛尔百货公司的化妆品柜台的香水埋伏，所有经历过的男士都可以出来作证。）
Now we come to the cigars, looking as prosperous and well filled as a group of investment bankers after a killing.This is the beginning of what should be at least forty-five minutes of unhurried enjoyment.Cigars should never be rushed, or puffed absentmindedly while you’re doing deals on the phone.
接下来，该说说雪茄了。一根根雪茄就像成功的投资银行家在获得暴利之后，大腹便便的样子。这只是刚刚开了个头，紧随其后的，还有至少45分钟不慌不忙的享受呢。抽雪茄绝对不能急，也不能一边吞云吐雾，一边分心于手中的电话，与人谈着生意。
The more attention you give them, the more pleasure they will give you, so if you don’t have a quiet hour or so, save the cigar until later.The leisurely ceremonial of preparing and smoking one of nature’s minor triumphs is worth the investment in time.
你越是专心于享用雪茄，雪茄带给你的快乐也就越多。所以，假如你抽不出一小时左右的空闲，让你安安静静地抽上一枝雪茄，那就留待以后再说吧！为了造物主这一小小的杰作投入些时间，从容准备、尽情享用这全套仪式，还是值得的。
A knowledgeable smoker will always inspect his cigar before committing himself.This is not an affectation； good cigars are made by human hands, which are fallible, and are sometimes stored in unsuitable conditions, which can be fatal.
内行的烟鬼在吸烟前，一定要检查一下他的雪茄。这可不是装模作样。好的雪茄都是手工制成的，难免会出些差错。有些雪茄也可能贮存的环境不对，那可是致命伤。
A cigar in its prime will feel firm as you roll it between thumb and index finger, and slightly elastic as you squeeze it.Brittle cigars will not taste good, and should be put aside for less discriminating smokers, such as politicians.
上等的雪茄夹在食指和拇指间捻动，会觉得十分结实，捏一捏也觉得它略带些微的弹性。松松脆脆的雪茄味道并不好，应该留给分辨能力较差的人，比如政客之流享用。
If the cigar pleases your eye, your nose, and your fingers, the next step is to make an incision in the wrapper at the head so that the smoke can be drawn through.
这雪茄你若是看着养眼，闻着满意，摸起来也舒服，那下一步便是在雪茄头部的外包烟叶上开个切口，好让烟气穿透。
Surgical techniques vary from smoker to smoker.Rambo, should he ever do anything as un-American as smoke a Cuban cigar, would probably bite off the end.
动这种外科手术的技巧，因吸烟者不同而相异。像电影《第一滴血》中的兰博这号人，假使他也做出抽古巴雪茄这等最不美国的行为，那他可能就是一口咬掉雪茄的屁股。
More delicate souls will use a cigar cutter or even a sharp fingernail to make a small opening.
比较优雅的人则会用雪茄刀，或者尖尖的指甲，划开一个小切口。
The cut should be clean, and not too deep； if you stab a cigar in the head with a penknife or a toothpick, you will create a funnel, which results in a hot, bitter smoke.
切口一定要整齐，也不可太深。如果你用刀片或牙签戳雪茄的头，就要小心别弄出个大洞来。那样的话，吸出来的烟会又烫又苦。
The last stage before lighting up is optional.Should you remove the band—that miniature work of art just below the head—or should you leave it on?
点烟之前的最后一步其实是可有可无的。你是要撕掉那一圈带子呢——就是烟头下面的那一圈微型画，还是留着不动?
When it was first invented (credit is often given to Gustave Bock, a Dutchman), the band had a practical purpose, which was to prevent the outer wrapper from coming adrift as the cigar heated up.
它刚被发明出来的时候可是有实用功效的。这份殊荣归之于一位荷兰人，古斯塔夫博克，雪茄品牌标签的引入者，也是率先涉足古巴雪茄的欧洲人之一，就是要防止雪茄点燃之后，外层卷雪茄的烟叶散落开来。
Nowadays, with more reliable gumming methods, the risk of losing the wrapper is very slight, so it comes down to a question of aesthetics.
如今，上胶的方法已经比较可靠了，这一层外卷烟叶散掉的风险也就很小了。所以，是否撕掉那一圈带子，不过是美观与否的问题。
Do you prefer your cigars to be decorated or totally nude? Either is fine, and only pedants make a fuss about it.
你是喜欢你的雪茄附着一些装饰物呢，还是想让它一丝不挂?其实两种做法都可行，只有喜欢卖弄的人才会对此小题大做。
So you’ve rolled and you’ve squeezed and you’ve sniffed and you’ve cut, and now you are ready to light up.Once again, a certain finesse is required, and certain laws of nature should be observed.
好啦，你捻也捻过了，捏也捏过了，闻也闻过了，切也切过了，现在就等着点烟了。还是一样，需要用点技巧，还得遵守一些大自然的规律。
The most important rule is never to use a gas lighter unless you like the taste of gas fumes.Similarly, don’t be tempted to lean across the dinner table and gaze into the décolletage of your beloved as you light up from a candle.
而最重要的一条规则就是绝对不要用打火机，除非你喜欢汽油味。同样地，你不可动辄弯腰趴到餐桌上，一边就着蜡烛点烟，一边死死盯着露肩低胸的美人儿。
Wax and tobacco don’t mix.Use a match.When you have the cigar in your mouth, bring the flame close to the end (about one third of an inch away) and rotate it so that you make an even burn that starts at the rim and spreads to the center.
石蜡和烟草是水火不容的，请用火柴。雪茄叼在嘴里之后，将火苗移到雪茄的尾端（保持约1/3英寸的距离），环绕一周，让雪茄均匀地从边缘点燃，再燃烧至中央。
You can now settle back and take the first luxurious puff.
现在你可以往后一靠，好好喷出第一口氤氲的烟雾了。
There is a richness of texture to cigar smoke that makes inhaling quite unnecessary: it is enough just to hold the smoke in the mouth for a few seconds before blowing it gently toward the heavens.
雪茄的烟气有醇厚浓郁的质感，所以，没必要吸进去，只消将烟含在嘴里几秒钟，再仰头朝天徐徐吐出即可。
And as you watch it hanging in the air, thick and blue gray and aromatic, you can easily imagine that what you are smoking was hand-rolled on a Cuban maiden’s long brown thigh.(I doubt that this delightful practice still exists in the cigar factories, but a man can dream.)
当你看着空中灰蓝色的烟雾，浓厚又芬芳，你十有八九会幻想，你正在抽的这根雪茄是由一位古巴少女在她修长的褐色大腿上婆娑卷成的。（我不太确定，这种撩人的做法是不是还流传于现在的雪茄工厂里。但是，男人们做做梦也无妨嘛！）
“The cigar smoker,”wrote Marc Alyn,“is a calm man, slow and sure of his wind.”You will never see an experienced cigar man taking quick, agitated puffs.He is concentrating—albeit in a relaxed and sometimes even trancelike fashion—on the pleasure of the moment.
马可·埃林写道：“抽雪茄的人是一个冷静的人，从容不迫、目标明确。”你绝对看不到一个老资格的烟民会焦躁不安、狂吐烟圈的。他一定是专心沉浸在那一刻的喜悦之中。这份专注是轻松的，甚至像是处于一种眩晕的状态。
This mood of leisurely well-being that is induced by a good cigar is perhaps its greatest attraction.
好雪茄带来的这种悠闲、安逸的心情，或许正是它最大的魅力所在。
It even has social benefits, because this mild euphoria makes heated argument almost impossible.Nobody but a clod would waste a $45 Havana by waggling it around for emphasis or stubbing it out in anger.
雪茄甚至还有其社交上的好处，因为在这种略微飘飘欲仙的氛围里，几乎不太可能出现激烈的争论。除了笨蛋，有谁还会捏着45美元一根的哈瓦那雪茄四处招摇，却只是为了发表一下自己对某一问题的看法呢，又有谁会在一怒之下就将一根点燃的哈瓦那雪茄掐灭了呢?
Despite a good cigar’s tranquilizing effect, it doesn’t kill conversation.Quite the contrary, since it encourages contented and appreciative listeners.
虽然一枝上等雪茄具有镇静的效用，但还不至于扼杀聊天的雅兴。恰恰相反，正是因为雪茄，造就出了一批批心甘情愿且心悦诚服的听众。
(Why do you think cigars are handed out at the end of formal dinners? Obviously, to render the audience benign, no matter how long and terrible the speeches are.)
（要不然的话，在晚宴结束时，你干吗要发雪茄给大家呢?很清楚啊，就是想要听众慈悲为怀而不管那演讲有多臭、多长。）
Stories told over a cigar are funnier, observations are more profound, pauses are comfortable, the cognac is smoother, and life is generally rosier.An hour with a good cigar and a couple of friends is a vacation from life’s nonsense.
抽雪茄的时候，听到的故事比平常更好笑，观察比平常更深刻，一时的静默也很舒服，干邑白兰地喝起来更濡滑，生活变得更美好。花一个小时，抽一根好雪茄，还有一两位好友做伴，可以暂且摆脱生活中无谓的纷扰。
实战提升
Practising&Exercise
单词讲解：
cosmetics [kɔz'metiks] n. 化妆品（cosmetic的复数）；装饰品
prosperous ['prɔspərəs] adj. 繁荣的；兴旺的
wrapper ['ræpə] n. 包装材料；包装纸；书皮
nude [nju:d] adj. 裸的，裸体的；无装饰的；与生俱有的
luxurious [lʌk'zjuəriəs, -'ʒuə-] adj. 奢侈的；丰富的；放纵的；特级的
实用句型&词组
He smoked at least half a packet of cigarettes a day.( 至少)
He put aside his work to spend more time with his son.( 把……放在一边)
They walked a couple of miles.( 几个，三两个)
学习更多：
即使你还没把雪茄抓在手里，仍然有一些小小的乐趣可先供自己享受一下。
当你打开雪茄盒，一阵隽永的芳香便会扑鼻而来。这份浓郁值得你为之流连片刻，静静体味一番，然后再进行下一步。
恰恰相反，正是因为雪茄，造就出了一批批心甘情愿且心悦诚服的听众。
雪茄怎么抽众所周知，抽香烟是将烟雾吸入肺部，然后吐出，而抽雪茄与抽香烟截然不同。
正确的抽食方法是抽雪茄的同时口含雪茄烟雾，在充分享受雪茄特有的醇香后轻轻吐出烟雾。需注意的是，雪茄的烟灰有助于冷却雪茄，因而，不要轻易弹掉烟灰。最后，当你品尝完一支醇香的雪茄后，不要像熄灭香烟那样将之掐灭，你只需将雪茄放在烟灰缸边，数秒后，它就会自动熄灭。