Bake Sale

Bake Sale -David Roth
Lichtman的麵包店
Louis Lichtman had a bakery at 86th and Amsterdam
Louis Lichtman在阿姆斯特丹大道86街開了一家麵包店
Youd smell the rising bread at least a couple blocks away
站在幾條街外你都能聞到店里傳來的麵包香氣
For forty years a wedding cake of one kind or another
四十多年來，麵包店的櫥窗裡每天
Would occupy the Lichtmans Bakery window every day
都擺滿了各式各樣的婚禮蛋糕
Then the world turned from pastry and from challah and from cookies
漸漸的，人們似乎不再喜歡餅乾糕點了
From the independent merchant to the supermarket mall
超級市場也慢慢取代了獨立商戶
And the rents were rising faster than the loaves that they were earned on
租金飛速上漲，麵包店逐漸入不敷出
So the 'Going Out of Business'sign appeared on Lichtmans wall
直到某一天，寫著“倒閉”的牌子出現在了Lichtman麵包店的牆上
The lights are out at Lichtmans now
Lichtman的光消失了
The buildings cold and empty with a cake stand in the window
店裡冷清且空蕩，只剩一個蛋糕孤零零擺在櫥窗裡
Your credits fine no money down
信用很好，不用為抵押額外支付錢
And the Upper West Side doesnt smell as sweetly as it used to
但上西城也再也聞不到當麵包店還大放異彩時
Back when Lichtmans Bakery graced our little town
那股甜甜的麵包香
The final day of business came and with it Lichtmans regulars
最後營業日那天，老顧客們都來了
Paying their respects and taking in the sad details
表達他們的尊敬，接受這一悲傷事實
Mrs Kaplan bought a dozen cakes another thirty strudels
Kaplan夫人買了一打蛋糕，又加了30個餡餅
As the auctioneer prepared to start the sale
拍賣商準備開始拍賣了
Some sixty other bakers bid on ovens and on boxes
大約60個其他麵包師參與了競標，買烤箱和剩下的東西
There were mixers there was shortening there were bowls and there were pans
攪拌器，起酥油，鍋碗瓢盆......
And the years were sifting through the racks at Louis Lichtmans bakery
麵包店的歲月轉瞬即逝
Like the flour and the sugar through his hands
Lichtman手中好像還拿著麵粉和糖
The lights are out at Lichtmans now
他的光消失了
The buildings cold and empty with a cake stand in the window
店裡冷清且空蕩，只剩一個蛋糕孤零零擺在櫥窗裡
The Daily Special sign fell down
寫著“今日特價“的牌子掉了下來
And the Upper West Side doesnt smell as sweetly as it used to
上西城也再聞不到當麵包店還大放異彩時
Back when Lichtmans Bakery graced our little town
那股甜甜的麵包香
The last of all the lots was sold the frosting tubes and freezer
最後一件拍賣品是霜管和冰櫃
Mr Lichtman clutched his rolling pin and went to stand outside
Lichtman拿著他的擀麵杖，站在店門口
He didnt want to watch the auctioneer conclude his business
他不想看著拍賣商宣布他的生意結束了
And he didnt want his friends to see him cry
他也不願他的朋友們看見他的眼淚
A note left hanging on the wall
店內牆上還掛著一張便簽
It said that Mrs Rosenthal still owed him 7dollars
上面寫著Rosenthal夫人還欠他7美元
That was a long long time ago
那似乎是很久很久之前的事了
And the ceiling fan once spinning round for one last time was slowing down
天花板上曾經飛轉的吊扇似乎也慢下來了
As forty years came turning to a close
在這四十年的快結束的時候
The lights are out at Lichtmans now
Lichtman的光也消失了
The buildings cold and empty Mr Lichtman moved to Jersey
店裡冷清且空蕩，Lichtman搬去了澤西島
The neighborhood has changed around
街坊早已不是從前的街坊
The Upper West Side doesnt smell as sweetly as it used to
上西城也再聞不到當Lichtman麵包店還大放異彩時
Back when Lichtmans Bakery graced our little town
那股甜甜的麵包香