经典重译之股票大作手回忆录(444)
原文(474):
Well,I heard somebody in a broker's office reciting this quatrain,which was said to have been composed by John W.Gates:
The tarantula jumped on the centipede's back
And chortled with ghoulish glee:“I'll poison this murderous son of a gun.
If I don't he'll poison me!”
Mind you,I do not mean for one moment to imply that any of my friends in Wall Street would even dream of double-crossing me in a stock deal.But on general principles it is just as well to provide for any and all contingencies.It's plain sense.
After Wolff and Kane and Gordon told me that they had formed their syndicate to put up six millions in cash there was nothing for me to do but wait for the money to come in.I had urged the vital need of haste.Nevertheless the money came in driblets.I think it took four or five installments.I don't know what the reason was,but I remember that I had to send out an S O S call to Wolff and Kane and Gordon.
That afternoon I got some big checks that brought the cash in my possession to about four million dollars and the promise of the rest in a day or two.It began at last to look as though the syndicate might do something before the bull market passed away.At best it would be no cinch,and the sooner I began work the better.The public had not been particularly keen about new market movements in inactive stocks.But a man could do a great deal to arouse interest in any stock with four millions in cash.It was enough to absorb all the probable offerings.If time urged,as I had said,there was no sense in waiting for the other two millions.The sooner the stock got up to 50 the better for the syndicate.That was obvious.
其他版本译文(474):
好吧,我在经纪商那里却听到了别人读过下面这首据说是盖茨写的诗:
毒蜘蛛跳上蜈蚣的背,
残忍又幸灾乐祸地发笑,
我要毒死这个害人精,
否则的话它就会反过来毒死我。
请注意,我没有一丁点儿影射华尔街的朋友们曾经在股市上欺骗我的意思,不过出于原则,你还是要为所有突发事件做好准备,这是显而易见的。
甘恩、戈登和伍尔夫对我说了他们已经组团的消息,并说准备筹集600万现金。接下来,我无事可做,就等着这笔款到位。我让他们加快速度,这是非常重要的。不过这笔款项是分阶段到位的,大概通过四五次才完成筹备。我不知道其中的原因,可我有印象的是,我向他们三人发过特别紧急的求救信号。某天下午,一笔大款项的支票到了我手中,我也就有了大概400万的现金,同时我也接到他们的承诺,说其余款项过上一两天就能到位。如今来看,在多头市场结束前,这个小团队可能会获得一些小成就。不过,就算各方面条件都达到最佳程度,那也不是百分百肯定的,我行动开始得越早越有利。一只本来不受待见的股票,忽然出现了一些新动向,股民们是不会有多大兴趣的。不过当你手中有了400万美金后,能够做的事情就会更多,完全可以使人们对这只股票产生兴趣。这笔款完全能够吸进一切有卖出可能性的股票。时机如果真的跟我说的一样迫在眉睫,我也就不需要等还没到位的那200万了,我越能够趁早把股价抬高到50美元,对这个小团队来说也越有利,这是显而易见的。
我的译文(474):
哦,我在一家券商营业部听人叨叨这样一首四行诗,据说这是John W.Gates编的:
狼蛛狞笑着跃上蜈蚣背
咒骂这个狠毒的王八蛋
今天我要不毒死你
你也不会放过我!
请注意,这可不是说我在华尔街的朋友想要害我,哪怕是在梦里。我从来没有这个意思,但害人之心不可有,防人之心不可无,这是人之常情吧?
之后,Wolff 、 Kane 以及 Gordon告诉我,为了那600万现金,他们已经组建了财团,而在资金到位之前,我也做不了什么。我曾经跟他们强调过,这事是越快越好,时不我待,不能耽搁。然而他们的资金却还是磨磨蹭蹭,(从他们的指缝里)一点点儿的流到我这里,我记得我陆续收到了有四五笔,(可还是凑不够六百万),我不知道这是咋回事儿,但我记得为了这事,我不得不向他们发出了SOS告警。
那天下午我收到几张大额支票,这让我手头掌握的现金大约有四百万美元,余下的款项对方承诺一两天内到位。
事情终于有所转机,在牛市消退之前,这个财团看起来是要有所动作了。本来是越早开始操盘越好,因为即便准备工作一切顺利,那会儿的局势下操盘也不是件容易事。即使不活跃的股票出现新的市场动向,大众也比较麻木了,但手握四百万现金,完全可以在任何一只股票上大举扫货,从而唤起市场对它的兴趣,这笔资金足以吸纳市场上所有可能的卖盘了。正如我之前所说,时间紧迫,继续等待剩下的那两百万,已经没有意义了。对这个财团来说,让这只股票达到50美元,当然是越快越好。
引用依据:
1. Edwin Lefèvre: Reminiscences of a Stock Operator
2. 《股票大作手回忆录》([美] 埃德温·勒菲弗 著,汤前燕 译)
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