男子街头挂牌征婚12年 仅限富婆

Lonely bachelors looking for love often turn to dating websites in the search for a partner. But Robert Darling has taken things that little bit further - by wandering the streets of New York for twelve years with a sandwich board asking rich women to marry him.

孤独单身汉一般都会上婚恋网站寻求自己的另一半。但罗伯特·达令却选了一个有些极端的方式——连续12年带着挂在身上的广告牌走上纽约大街征婚，邀请富裕女士和他结婚。

The unemployed 58-year-old - who admits he is a 'great conversationalist' - says he wants a wealthy lady to take care of him. Mr Darling said: 'I've never had any luck with the ladies and while this is going to extremes I'm confident I can find love this way.'

这位58岁的无业男子自称是一位“不得了的谈话家”，他说想找一位富婆来照顾他。达令先生说：“我从来都没有女人缘，虽然这种做法有些过火，但我相信它能帮我找到真爱。”

'I get a good reaction from most people, they think it's funny but I am really serious. I'm looking for companionship, conversation, to go to museums and concerts - but I just don't have the resources to pay for that. So I need a wealthy lady to take care of me - I think I deserve it.'

“大多数人对此反应都还好，他们觉得这样做很滑稽，但我真是认真的。我想找一个伴侣，能一起聊天、逛博物馆、听音乐会——但我没钱做这些事。所以我想娶个有钱老婆照顾我，我觉得这是我应该得到的。”

Mr Darling said he has never had a serious relationship and his dating history is sparse. 'As far as a serious relationship, I've never had one,' he said. 'I've never been engaged, never proposed to anybody.'

达令先生说他目前从没有和谁正式交往过，约会经历也少之又少。他说：“至于真正的交往关系，我从来没有经历过。我从未订过婚，也从没向别人求婚。”

He takes his sign to upmarket areas of the city such as Wall Street, Columbus Circle and Times Square. 'There's a lot of money on Wall Street, maybe I'll meet a female Chief Executive Officer who will decide to become my wife,' he said.

他总是带着牌子到市区的上流人士聚集区，比如说华尔街、哥伦比亚圆环广场和时代广场。他说：“华尔街上的人都很有钱，说不定就能碰见一个想要嫁给我的首席执行官女士。”

He often gets phone calls in response to his sign, but none are serious inquiries. 'A woman called me once and I thought it looked promising - but she actually wanted to hook me up with her friend who needed a green card to stay in the country.'

他的牌子上写着电话号码，所以经常能接到别人的来电，可惜没有一个是认真的。“有一次一个女的给我打电话，我还觉得有希望发展下去，但实际上她只是想骗我和她朋友结婚，这样她那朋友就能申请绿卡留在美国了。”

And his unique approach gets mixed responses from people he meets. Onlooker Joyce Brill, a tourist from Virginia, said: 'I would not call Robert, I would not go on a date with him - absolutely not.

见过达令的人对他的独特做法褒贬不一。来自弗吉尼亚的观光客乔伊斯·布里尔说：“我不会给罗伯特打电话，更不会和他约会，绝对不会。”

'He's been doing this for so long and he and his sandwich board are kind of scruffy.' However, LaSonda Stephenson from New Jersey was kinder with her verdict.

然而，新泽西的拉塞达·史蒂芬森的评价就没那么严厉刺耳：“他一定是坚持这样征婚很久了，他本人和随身广告牌都变得有些破烂不整。”

She said: 'I think it's pretty courageous - it's not something I would do, but I applaud him for not being shy about it. Everyone deserves a fair shot at love.'

她还说：“他这样做很勇敢——我是不敢这样做的，但还是要表扬他勇于行动不怯弱。每个人在爱情上都应得到和努力同等的回报。”

But despite the wait, Mr Darling remains undeterred in his pursuit for true love. He said: 'There's an incredible amount I have to offer - I'm intelligent, almost brilliant.

虽然等了很久，但面对寻求真爱之路上的重重困难，达令先生依然不屈不挠。他说：“我有很多优点——我很聪明，几乎是绝顶聪明。”

'I've heard I'm handsome once or twice, and I'm a great conversationalist. To Ms Right out there I would say, "Call my number or email me".’

“还有一两次，我听到别人说我很帅，我也特别善于交流。我要对我将来的太太说：‘给我打电话吧，发邮件也行。’”

'We could talk and see if we're made for each other. It would be a great pleasure to see you if you're in New York City. Hopefully it will be a happy marriage. And he has no plans to hang up his sign any time soon.'

“我们可以先聊聊，看看二人是否合适。要是你在纽约，那能见到你真是太好了。希望我们有一个幸福美满的婚姻。你丈夫已经迫不及待要摘下这块牌子了。”

He said: 'Give up? Never! I'm just warming up. It's just a matter of time. I'm very patient and I know great success is just around the corner.'

他还说：“放弃？从不！我现在还只是热身阶段。这只是时间问题。我足够耐心，也知道巨大成功指日可待。”