(中英)現(xiàn)代散文:黎明的眼睛 The Window

The Window

黎明的眼睛

◎ Duanmu Hongliang

◎　端木蕻良

When you throw open your window on an early morning in March, you will at once be totally exposed to the sun's first rays and, inhaling deeply of the fresh air brought in by them, exclaim, "Spring is here!"

三月清晨，把窗子推開①，第一片陽(yáng)光便飛到人們的全身②。對(duì)著陽(yáng)光帶進(jìn)來的新鮮空氣，任誰(shuí)都要深吸一口，說：春天來了！

Yes, it is through the window that spring manages to approach us.

就這樣，春天從窗口走近了我們。

But don't forget that not all houses have been windowed ever since man first began to build them.

但是，可不要忘記，不是從有房子那天起，我們就有窗子的呢?、?

Our Eskimo brothers' houses, built of large blocks of frozen snow and shaped like white-jade clock covers, have no windows at all. Our Oroqen? brothers used to live in roofless houses with no need for windows because they could in the evening enjoy the moon and stars overhead indoors.

我們的兄弟，愛斯基摩人用冰塊④建筑的房子，像個(gè)白玉的鐘罩一般，是沒有什么窗子的。過去的鄂倫春兄弟們住的“神仙柱”，因?yàn)闆]有屋頂，在屋里，到晚上可以看到頭上的月亮和星光，也就無(wú)須開窗子了。

Man's ancestors had been cave-dwellers before they left their mountains to settle on the plain. It was not until countless generations later that they began to build dwellings patterned after a cave — with an awning over a shallow pit in the ground. There was no window to speak of.

最早的人類山頂洞人走下山來，不知住過多少代，才懂得造個(gè)窩兒的時(shí)候，他們也只會(huì)模仿巖洞，把地挖個(gè)半截坑、上面再搭上個(gè)頂篷。至于窗子，就談不上了。

Making a window in the wall was a much later invention. As the popularity of windows grew, so did the civilization of man develop.

房墻上開窗子是后來的事⑤。隨著窗子的開鑿和擴(kuò)大，人類文明的曙光也隨著擴(kuò)大⑥。

The window, ever since its birth, has been an entrance to sunlight, a port for taking in fresh air, and a tie between nature and human society.

窗子，自從它出現(xiàn)的那天起，它就成為陽(yáng)光的眼睛，空氣的港口，成了自然和社會(huì)的紐帶。

With the passage of time and increase of tall buildings, more and more windows have appeared. Now, at the sight of a multi-storey building, one cannot help exclaiming at how the window is so symbolic of the house. Without a window, a house could hardly be called as such.

隨著時(shí)間流逝，層樓的加多，窗子也越來越多了?？吹礁邔拥慕ㄖ蜁?huì)驚嘆窗子是房屋最鮮明的象征。沒有窗子的房子，幾乎也就沒法把它喚作屋子了。

Who hasn't experienced great delight in opening a window? The moment you open it, you will be immediately struck by imposing blue mountains, fresh green willows, little swallows flying towards you...

有誰(shuí)未曾享受過開窗的喜悅呢？打開窗子，突然見到青山闖了進(jìn)來，打開窗子，看到柳色的清新，小燕的飛來……

Open the window, and fresh air will break in upon your room.

窗子開了，用不著打招呼，新的空氣就會(huì)猛撲進(jìn)來⑦。

Of course, grains of sand will simultaneously be brought in too. So will invisible dust particles and bacteria, either openly or surreptitiously...

當(dāng)然，隨之而來的，也有風(fēng)沙⑧飛入屋中。還有，眼睛看不到的微塵，還有很難發(fā)覺的細(xì)菌，有的是出面拜訪，有的是偷偷地混了進(jìn)來……

From ancient times to the present, innumerable poets have sung their praises of the window, innumerable singers have extolled it, innumerable lovers have fixed their dreamy eyes on it...

從古到今多少詩(shī)人贊美過窗子，多少歌手歌唱過窗子，多少情人的眼睛凝望過窗子⑨……

The evolution of the window is worthy of our study. Small as it is, the window has opened man's eyes to civilization. In the days to come, its changes will become even more manifold.

窗子的變化⑩，是值得人們考察一番的。小小的窗子，幾乎可以說，是文明的眼睛。在今后的日子里，窗子的變化會(huì)更加多種多樣了。

The window pane will, along with the tick-tick of the clock, automatically regulate light streaming into the room and change its own colour according to interior illumination. The window frame will be filled with circulatory water to remove things harmful to the resident without his knowledge and carry to him fragrance and nutrients which he much needs but are otherwise hard for him to get.

窗子的玻璃會(huì)隨著時(shí)鐘，自動(dòng)調(diào)和射進(jìn)室內(nèi)的光線?，窗子會(huì)隨著明暗變換顏色，窗框上裝有循環(huán)水，它可以為居室的主人帶走很多他發(fā)覺不到的天敵，又可以送進(jìn)來他需要而又不易得到的芳香和養(yǎng)分……

Some windows will ensure good ventilation and transparency without manual manipulation. They will keep out disturbing noises and let in sweet music.

有的窗子不需開合?，便能做到通風(fēng)透光，它還可以把你不愿聽到的聲音關(guān)到外邊，但是悅耳的琴聲，它是不會(huì)阻攔的……

Let's open the window! Open it not just to let in sunlight and air or to get a distant view of blue mountains, fresh green willows and swallows in flight..., but, more importantly, to usher in a new century!

打開窗子吧！現(xiàn)在開窗子就不光是為了迎進(jìn)陽(yáng)光、空氣，或者遠(yuǎn)眺青山的青、新柳的綠、燕子飛來的掠影……而是迎接一個(gè)新的世紀(jì)?！

端木蕻良（1912—1996），遼寧省昌圖縣人，滿族，是現(xiàn)代作家。他于三十年代初出現(xiàn)在中國(guó)文壇，曾先后主編多種刊物，并教過大學(xué)?！独杳鞯难劬Α肥撬麑懹?980年2月的一篇散文。文章借窗口見人類文明之過去、現(xiàn)在和未來，展示了窗子和人類文明的同步發(fā)展。