第八章
Outside, in the dust and among the garbage (therewere four dogs now), Bernard and John were walkingslowly up and down.
外面,在沙塵和垃圾之中(那兒現(xiàn)在有了四條狗),伯納在和約翰緩緩地走來走去。
"So hard for me to realize," Bernard was saying, toreconstruct.
“我很難明白,”伯納說,也很難重新組合成印象。
As though we were living on different planets, in different centuries.
我們好像生活在不同的星球上,不同的世紀(jì)里。
A mother, and all this dirt, and gods, and old age, and disease …
有個母親,有這么多骯臟,有上帝,有衰老,還有疾病……
He shook his head. "It's almost inconceivable. I shall never understand, unless you explain."
他搖搖頭。“幾乎難以想象。我永遠(yuǎn)也不會明白,除非你解釋清楚。”
Explain what?
解釋什么?
"This." He indicated the pueblo. "That." And it was the little house outside the village. "Everything. All your life."
解釋這個,”他指著印第安村莊,“那個。”村子外那間小屋。“解釋這一切。你們的生活。”
But what is there to say?
可那有什么可解釋的?
From the beginning. As far back as you can remember.
從頭解釋起。解釋你能夠回憶起的一切。
"As far back as I can remember." John frowned. There was a long silence.
“我能夠回憶起的一切。”約翰皺起了眉頭,沉默了很久。
It was very hot. They had eaten a lot of tortillas and sweet corn.
天氣炎熱,母子倆吃了很多玉米攤餅和甜玉米。
Linda said, "Come and lie down, Baby." They lay down together in the big bed.
琳妲說,“來躺一躺,孩子,”母子倆在大床上躺了下來。
"Sing," and Linda sang. Sang "Streptocock-Gee to Banbury-T" and "Bye Baby Banting, soonyou'll need decanting."
“唱歌,”琳妲唱起了“鏈霉菌馬右轉(zhuǎn)彎,轉(zhuǎn)到斑波里T字邊”,和“再見吧寶貝班亭,你馬上就要換瓶”。
Her voice got fainter and fainter …
歌聲越來越含糊……
There was a loud noise, and he woke with a start.
一陣響動,約翰給驚醒了。
A man was saying something to Linda, and Linda was laughing.
有個男人在對琳妲說著什么,琳妲在笑。
She had pulled the blanket up to her chin, but the man pulled it down again.
她原把毛毯拉到了下巴,那人卻把它全掀開了。
His hair was like two black ropes, and round his arm was a lovely silver bracelet with bluestones in it.
那人的頭發(fā)像兩根黑色的繩子,手臂上有一條可愛的銀臂測,鑲嵌著藍(lán)色的石頭。
He liked the bracelet; but all the same, he was frightened; he hid his face against Linda'sbody.
約翰喜歡那臂側(cè),可仍然害怕。他把臉躲到淋妲懷里。
Linda put her hand on him and he felt safer.
琳妲摟住他,他感到了安全。
In those other words he did not understand so well, she said to the man, "Not with John here."
他聽見琳妲用他聽不大懂的話說,“不行,約翰在這兒。”
The man looked at him, then again at Linda, and said a few words in a soft voice.
那人看了看他,又看了看琳妲,又溫柔地說了幾句什么。
Linda said, "No."
琳妲說,“不行。”
But the man bent over the bed towards him and his face was huge, terrible; the black ropes ofhair touched the blanket.
但那人卻彎過身子對著他。那臉大而可怕,頭發(fā)碰到了毛毯。
"No," Linda said again, and he felt her hand squeezing him more tightly.
"不。"琳妲又說,他感到她的手摟得更緊了。
"No, no!" But the man took hold of one of his arms, and it hurt. He screamed.
"不,不。”但是那人卻抓住了他一條胳臂,抓得他生疼,他尖叫起來。
The man put up his other hand and lifted him up.
那人伸出另一只手抱起他來。
Linda was still holding him, still saying, "No, no."
琳妲仍然抱住他說,“不行,不行。”
The man said something short and angry, and suddenly her hands were gone.
那人說了些生氣的話,很短促。琳妲的手突然放松了。
"Linda, Linda." He kicked and wriggled; but the man carried him across to the door, opened it,put him down on the floor in the middle of the other room, and went away, shutting the doorbehind hirn.
"琳妲,琳妲。”他又是踢腿又是掙扎;但是那人把他抱到了門邊,開了門,把他放在另一間屋子正中,自己走掉,在身后關(guān)上了門。
He got up, he ran to the door.
他爬起來跑到門口。
Standing on tiptoe he could just reach the big wooden latch.
他踮起腳勉強可以摸到那巨大的水門閂。
He lifted it and pushed; but the door wouldn't open.
他抬起門閂一推;卻打不開。
"Linda," he shouted. She didn't answer.
"琳妲。”他大叫。琳妲沒有回答。