(中英)現(xiàn)代散文:黃昏 Dusk

Dusk

黃　昏

◎ Xie Bingying

◎　謝冰瑩

Dusk is deadly dull, but also most poetic.

最難過的是黃昏①，最有詩意的也是黃昏。

Every day after supper Te and I would go for a walk in the Miao Gao Mountains or along the railway track.

每天吃了晚飯后，我都要和特到妙高峰或者鐵道上散步。

After walking up a sloping street, we could get to a small pavilion behind No. 1 Middle School. But we never stopped to take a rest in the pavilion. Instead, we would stroll about enjoying the hazy twilight scene before the waning sun disappeared.

沿著斜斜的馬路走上去，就到了一中后面的小亭。我們是從來不在亭子里休息的，迎著將要消逝的殘陽②，漫步地欣賞著快要來到的迷茫晚景。

Usually, we would first go to the Lao Long Lake to take a look at its water rippling in the evening breeze. Sometimes we competed with each other in playing ducks and drakes while our reflections were mirrored in the water, fat ducks swimming in flocks, wisps of cooking smoke curling up from chimneys ... Then we would walk back home leisurely.

幾乎每次都是這樣，先走到老龍?zhí)叮粗煌盹L(fēng)吹皺的湖水，有時也比賽投幾顆石子，看誰比誰投的遠③，還要看著一個個倒映在水里的人影，一群群的肥鴨，一縷縷的炊煙……然后，慢慢地走回來。

The scenery all the way from the Miao Gao Mountains to the small pavilion was particularly fine, with locust trees on both sides dancing in the wind like fairy maidens and their pretty snow-white flowers set off by emerald-green leaves appearing all the more dainty and pure. The sweet aroma of the flowers wafted to us by the soft breezes was indescribably refreshing and pleasant.

由妙高峰到小亭的這一段路，特別美麗，兩旁的槐樹像仙女似的臨風(fēng)飄舞，雪白的花，襯在翠綠的樹葉下更顯得清秀、純潔。芬芳的香氣從微風(fēng)里送來，令人感到一種說不出的舒服和愉快。

What's more, in passing through the locust trees, we often felt as if we had entered a fairyland with lush greenery — a real Shangri-la. Sometimes, I would purposely lag behind Te so as to watch his shadowy silhouette moving about in the shade of the trees like in a film.

更有趣的，是當我們在槐樹中間穿過時，好像另走進了一個草木青青的仙境，真正的桃花源④。有時我故意走在后面，望著特的影子在樹蔭底下移動著，正像看一幕天然的電影。

Te, it's great! I would say to him. "How I love these trees! Let's walk slowly."

“特，美極了，我真愛這些槐花，慢慢地走吧?！?

Every time when I was there, I used to linger about for quite a long while, reluctant to leave.

每回走到這兒，我總要徘徊很久才去。

When we came back to the pavilion, it was already empty of visitors. Sometimes a couple of workerlike men would be found sitting there dozing. Quietly we feasted our eyes on the hazy evening scene.

回到小亭上來，游人都散了，有時也有一兩個工人模樣的男人坐在里邊打盹。對著迷茫的晚景，我們靜靜地欣賞著。

The sky was grey. The dark smoke from chimneys was also turning grey. The Xiang River, the Lu Mountains and the city of Changsha all looked grey from afar. Oh, the whole universe was turning grey. Only electric lamps glittering against the universal grey were providing some light to the gathering dusk, suggestive of the brightness of the future world.

天，是灰色的，由煙囪中冒出來的煙也由黑色變成了灰色；遠遠地望去，灰色的湘江，灰色的麓山，灰色的長沙城，呵，整個的宇宙都灰色化了，只有閃灼在灰色中間的電燈⑤在點綴著黃昏時的光明，在暗示著未來社會的燦爛。

One warm spring evening, we walked along the railway track towards Hou Zi Shi.

是一個暖融融的春天的黃昏，我們沿著鐵道一直走到了猴子石。

The place was farther than it seemed. We had to walk past numerous straw sheds and cottages before we got there.

路是這般遙遠，望過去似乎就在半里以內(nèi)⑥，而走起來時經(jīng)過了不知多少的草棚茅舍，還沒有到達目的地。

In the deepening dusk, the whole earth was shrouded in grey. Nevertheless we kept walking ahead with rapid strides.

天色漸漸地暗了下來，大地又被灰色吞噬著，我們沒有顧到天黑，只是大踏步地向前走著。

A ghastly stillness reigned. Not a soul in sight except Te and me.

路上寂靜得可怕，除了我倆而外，簡直看不見一個行人。

No need to hurry, Te. One way or another we'll have to get to Hou Zi Shi. It's OK even if we come back as late as midnight. Let's go slowly. Don't miss this opportunity of enjoying the beautiful scene before us.

“慢點走吧，特，無論如何我們要走到猴子石的⑦，即使回來是半夜了，也沒有關(guān)系。慢慢地走，不要辜負了眼前的美景⑧?！?

Holding me by the hand, Te was gazing up at a star over the horizon.

特拉住了我，眼睛在望著天邊一顆星。

Look, the star has come out. Why not move faster? It's getting late, no good for making our way in the dark.

“你看，星子都出來了，還不趕快走，太晚了，走路不方便。”

Don't worry! said I laughingly. "There's nothing to be afraid of with me keeping you company."

“怕什么?有我在這里，什么都用不著怕?！蔽亦偷囊宦曅α?，他又繼續(xù)著說。

It's a pity that you're not a boy! he continued. "Otherwise, when we got tired, we could lie down sleeping beside the railway, or go up the opposite hill to lie on top sleeping with the green grass as our bed, the white clouds as our quilts, and with inextinguishable lights over us in the sky and nightingales singing sweet songs. Oh, how happy we would be! Now that, of all people, you are a girl, I'll be full of inhibitions wherever we two go."

“你為什么不是個男孩子??！否則，我們走倦了就睡在鐵道旁邊，或者跑到對面的小山上去，青草做我們的床，白云做我們的被，還有懸在天空中的不滅的燈光，夜鶯的音樂，多么幸福啊！偏偏你是女人，到什么地方去都有顧慮。⑨”

It's a pity that you're not a boy. I chewed over his words again and again. Yes, if I were not a girl, I would be even more daring!

真的，“為什么我不是個男人呢？”我細細地咀嚼他這句話的意義。如果我不是女人，我的膽量一定更大。

Arriving at our destination, we could not help uttering a cry of wild joy. Looking back, I saw Changsha lying still in the darkness like an ancient castle. The frogs croaking in the fields made the countryside seem all the more dismal and forlorn.

到了目的地，我們快活得大叫起來，回頭望望被籠罩在黑暗下的長沙城，像一座寂靜的古堡，田壟間的蛙聲閣閣，更顯得鄉(xiāng)村里的寂寞凄清。

Now, against the music of Mother Nature, two figures set out on their homeward journey, nestling against each other.

在大自然的音樂聲中，兩個緊靠著走的人影踏上了他們的歸程。

《黃昏》是謝冰瑩寫于1934年5月8日的一篇散文，當時她因被國民黨通緝而從福建廈門避居于長沙附近妙高峰的青山祠里，專心致志從事寫作。