In beautiful County Clare in the verdant southwest of Ireland,
在爱尔兰西南部郁郁葱葱,风景秀丽的克莱尔郡,
there is a man, a farmer, a local legend, a man who provides a very special service.
有一名男士,他是农民,是当地的传奇人物,也是一项非常特殊服务的提供者。
That woman wants someone that looks like Donald Trump.
那位女士想找一个唐纳德·特朗普那样的人。
Like I said, it's special.
我说过了,他提供的服务很特别。
This Great Big Story is inspired by Genesis.
感谢捷恩斯对本期伟大的故事的大力支持。
Matchmakers have been helping couples in Ireland since ancient times and this guy is one of the last.
自古以来,月老一直在帮助爱尔兰的男女结成姻缘,这位就是如今已经为数不多的月老之一。
My name is Willie Daly. I'm a traditional Irish matchmaker.
我叫威利·戴利。我出生于爱尔兰的一个月老世家。
What I do is I find wives for boys and I find husbands for girls.
我的工作就是为小伙子找妻子,为小姑娘找丈夫。
Matchmaking is a traditional thing, and it stemmed from the fact that in rural Ireland, most properties are left to a son.
做媒是我们这边的一项传统,来源于在爱尔兰农村,财产大多传男不传女这一习俗。
And so, the grils (have) gone to Dublin, New York, and America.
女孩们去了都柏林、纽约,美国什么的。
Sometimes there were no girls around, so matchmaking was very essential if someone lived in a rural place.
,有时乡下就没什么女孩儿了,所以对于住在农村的人来说,做媒是非常必要的。
I inherited matchmaking, you know,
这份工作我是继承来的,
my father was a matchmaker and my grandfather was a matchmaker.
我父亲就是给人做媒的,祖父也是。
So I've been doing it for over 50 years.
我已经做了50多年的媒了。
This is a lucky love book; now it's 160 years old--belong to my father, my grandfather and myself.
这是一本幸运爱情宝典;现在已经有160岁了——曾经是我父亲的,也是我祖父的,现在成我的了。
I have a little form.
我有一个小表格。
People fill out a few details, maybe a couple of likes, dislikes, only less than that one page;
大家会在表上填一些细节,比如喜欢什么,不喜欢什么,表达只有不到一页的内容;
and some people fill up very little on the page; they just say open-minded.
有些人回答地就很简洁;就写了个“都行”。
The book, I think it has magic powers.
我觉得这本书是有魔力的。
So, if you touch the book with both hands and you are single,
如果你用双手触摸这本书,你又是单身的话,
you'll be in love and married inside of 6 month.
就会在6个月内恋爱结婚。
And it seems it worked and in his career, Willie has brought quite a few people together.
这招似乎奏效了,在威利的职业生涯中,他已经促成了不少姻缘。
Since I Started, I would say it's in the area of around 3000.
从我开始干这行算的话,到现在大概有1500对了吧。
My matchmaking hasn't changed in 50 years.
我做媒的方法50年来一直没变过。
My system with matchmaking is--timing is very important.
那就是做媒的时间是很重要的。
The place you're doing the matchmaking is important.
做媒的地点也很重要。
I love to introduce people with physical contact,
我喜欢用肢体接触来引导大家,
but that physical contact is often created and enhanced by people drinking a good lot and it makes them very happy.
但通常是在大家喝得比较多,比较开心的时候用这种办法。
So my matchmaking has been--Arthur Guinness has helped it a lot.
我做这份工作——亚瑟·吉尼斯帮了我很大的忙。
Today the matchmaking tradition has evolved,
如今,做媒这一传统已经发生了变化,
many matches are made at a festival in nearby Lisdoonvarna;
许多相亲活动都是在附近的利斯顿瓦尔纳过节的时候举办的;
every year the festival attracts thousands of people and lasts 24 days; Willie is at the heart of the event,
每年,利斯顿瓦尔纳的节日都会吸引成千上万的人,还会持续足足24天;威利则是这一节日的核心人物,
and to him, human contact is everything.
对他而言,人与人的接触就是节日的全部要义。
Oh! Let's do it! Let's do it.
哇!那咱们开始吧。说干就干。
You can look into a woman's eyes and see the beauty of the woman and be able to tell her that you love her.
你能通过一个姑娘的眼睛看到她的美,然后告诉她你爱她。
You can't tell an internet or a computer that you love her.
但你不能对互联网或是电脑说你爱她。
You can't do that.
你不能吧。
This is Willie's daughter, Elisha; she's a matchmaker as well.
这是威利的女儿伊丽莎;她也是一名红娘。
Anyone can go online now and go on any of these websites Tinder, Plenty of Fish.
如今,大家都能上网,上Tinder啊Plenty of Fish什么的。
I have never done it, so I don't knock it. I think it works for some people.
但我从来都没上过,没有尝试过。我觉得网络这种方式在一部分人那里行得通。
But people just want originality, they want someone genuine and that's where we come in.
但大家也会想要独特感,也会想找一个真诚的人,这个时候就轮到我们上场了。
That's "The Wild Rover" now.
这首叫《漂泊之人》。
One could almost say that everything has changed.
你可以说世道全变了。
But I can equally say that nothing has changed.
我也可以说,世道一点儿都没变。
People still have the same needs.
因为人们的需求没有变。
They want someone to share the life with, share the work with, to get married have children and enjoy a lovely happy family life.
他们还是希望找个人共度余生,一起分担工作,结婚生子,一起享受美好幸福的家庭生活。
That's very important.
这是非常重要的。
I've never thought about not doing it.
我从未想过不做这份工作。
People often say, "When do you want to retire?"
大家经常会问我:“你准备什么时候退休啊?”
But I suppose I would be bit smart, I would say, "Well, I'm too old to retire now.
但我会卖个乖,跟他们说,“这个嘛,我已经老得退不了啦。”