英國語文第五冊(雙語):小內爾之死(2)

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Opening her eyes at last from a very quiet sleep, she begged that they would kiss her once again. That done, she turned to the old man, with a lovely smile upon her face—such, they said, as they had never seen, and never could forget—and clung with both her arms about his neck. She had never murmured or complained, but with a quiet mind, and manner quite unaltered—save that she every day became more earnest, and more grateful to them—faded like the light upon the summer's evening.

沉靜地睡了一覺后，她睜開了雙眼，祈求大家再親吻她一次。之后，她轉頭對著老人家，臉上帶著可愛甜美的笑容——那么光彩動人，人們說那是從未見過，也永生難忘的笑容，她用雙臂環(huán)繞在老人家的脖子上。她從未發(fā)過牢騷，從未抱怨過什么，最后她帶著平靜的心情和絲毫沒有改變的態(tài)度——有的只是日日對人們更加仰慕、更加感恩的態(tài)度——像一道紅光，在一個夏日的黃昏中緩緩地消失了。

The child who had been her little friend came there almost as soon as it was day with an offering of dried flowers, which he begged them to lay upon her breast. He told them of his dream again, and that it was of her being restored to them, just as she used to be. He begged hard to see her, saying that he would be very quiet, and that they need not fear his being alarmed, for he had sat alone by his younger brother all day long when he was dead, and had felt glad to be so near him. They let him have his wish; and indeed he kept his word, and was in his childish way a lesson to them all.

天剛剛亮，那個和他一向是朋友的小男孩跑了過來，帶著一束干花作為禮物，祈求人們允許他把花放在她的胸前。他又向人們講述了一遍自己的夢，他夢見她向以前一樣回到了人們身邊。他努力的祈求著人們讓自己見她一面，并答應一定會安安靜靜的。人們也不用擔心他會受驚，因為當他的小弟弟走向死亡時，自己也是這么整日陪伴在旁，而且非常高興能夠如此親近即將離去親人。他們滿足了他的要求，實際上，他也真的信守了自己的諾言，以孩子幼稚的方式教育了所有在場的人。

Up to that time the old man had not spoken once—except to her—or stirred from the bedside. But when he saw her little favourite, he was moved as they had not seen him yet, and made as though he would have him come nearer. Then, pointing to the bed, he burst into tears for the first time; and they who stood by, knowing that the sight of this child had done him good, left them alone together.

至此，除了對她之外，老人家還未曾開口說一句話，也不曾離開床邊半步。但是，當他看到她那最好的朋友時，被感動的一塌糊涂，人們從未見過他如此動容，并且他還透出想讓那孩子靠的更近一些的意思。然后，他手指著床，第一次放聲大哭；環(huán)立四周的人們都知道，這個孩子的出現(xiàn)對他來說是有好處的，于是便留下了他們獨處。

Soothing him with his artless talk of her, the child persuaded him to take some rest, to walk abroad—to do almost as he desired him. And when the day came on which they must remove her in her earthly shape from earthly eyes for ever, he led him away, that he might not know when she was taken from him. They were to gather fresh leaves and berries for her bed.

男孩用天真樸實的話語來安慰著老人，并且還勸告他去休息一會兒，到外面走走，或者去做任何渴望做的事情。天光大亮后，他們就要把她在凡間的尸體從世俗人的眼中永遠的挪開了。他讓男孩先離開這里，以免他知道她被帶走的那個時候到了。他們已經(jīng)開始為她采集新鮮的樹葉和漿果。

And now the bell—the bell she had so often heard by night and day, and listened to with solemn pleasure, almost as to a living voice—rung its remorseless toll for her, so young, so beautiful, so good. Decrepit age, and vigorous life, and blooming youth, and helpless infancy, poured forth—on crutches, in the pride of health and strength, in the full blush of promise, in the mere dawn of life—to gather round her tomb. Old men were there, whose eyes were dim and senses failing—grandmothers, who might have died ten years ago and still been old—the deaf, the blind, the, lame, the palsied—the living dead, in many shapes and forms, to see the closing of that early grave.

現(xiàn)在，鐘聲又響起來了，這鐘聲她往昔的日日夜夜都能聽到，是她總會帶著一種肅穆的愉快心情靜靜聆聽的，并且總會賦予其生命力的鐘聲；現(xiàn)在這鐘聲冷酷無情地為她這樣一個年輕、美麗、善良的小生命而響起。拄著拐杖的年邁老者，精力充沛充滿活力的壯年人，前途無量的青春少年，以及剛獲得新生命的無助嬰兒等，都紛紛涌上街頭，聚集在她的墓前。老人們在那里，他們的眼睛早已昏花，感知也早已衰退——那些已做祖母的人，或許十年前就已經(jīng)死去但至今雖然活著卻已老去，聾子，瞎子，跛子、半身不遂的人等各式各樣的行尸走肉們，都趕來觀看年輕夭亡人的封穴儀式。