英譯現(xiàn)代散文●白蝴蝶之戀 ◎ 劉白羽

白蝴蝶之戀

A White Butterfly

◎　劉白羽

◎　Liu Baiyu

春意甚濃了，但在北方還是五風(fēng)十雨，春寒料峭，一陣暖人心意的春風(fēng)剛剛吹過，又來了一片沁人心脾的冷雨。

Spring was very much in the air. In North China, however, the weather was agreeable but chilly. There was now a heart-warming spring wind, now a refreshing cold rain.

我在草地上走著，忽然，在鮮嫩的春草上看到一只雪白的蝴蝶。蝴蝶給雨水打落在地面上。沾濕的翅膀輕微地簌簌顫動著，張不開來。它奄奄一息，即將逝去。但它白得像一片小雪花，輕柔纖細(xì)，楚楚動人，多么可憐呀!

As I was walking on a meadow, I suddenly saw a snow-white butterfly lying on the tender green grass. It had been struck down by rain and was now unable to open out its tremulous wet wings. It was on the point of dying. Soft and slender and white like a snowflake, it looked so lovely and so pitiable.

它從哪兒來?要飛向哪兒去?我癡癡望著它。忽然像有一滴圣潔的水滴落在靈魂深處，我的心靈給一道白閃閃的柔軟而又強(qiáng)烈的光照亮了。

Where was it from? And where was it flying to? I stared at it blankly, feeling like a drop of holy water had suddenly fallen into the depth of my soul and a ray of dazzling light, white and soft, had lit up my heart.

我彎下身，小心翼翼地把白蝴蝶捏起來，放在手心里。

I bent down to gingerly pick it up with my fingers and placed it in the palm of my hand.

這已經(jīng)冷僵了的小生靈發(fā)蔫了，它的細(xì)細(xì)的腳動彈了一下，就歪倒在我的手中。

The little creature, stiff with cold, looked shriveled up and, twitching its thin legs slightly, fell on its side in my palm.

我用口呵著氣，送給它一絲溫暖，蝴蝶漸漸甦醒過來。它是給剛才那強(qiáng)暴的風(fēng)雨嚇懵了吧?不過，它確實(shí)太纖細(xì)了，你看，那白茸茸的像透明的薄紗的翅膀，兩根黑色的須向前伸展著，兩點(diǎn)黑漆似的眼睛，幾只像絲一樣細(xì)的腳?？墒牵@纖細(xì)的小生靈，它飛翔出來是為了尋覓什么呢?在這陰晴不定的天氣里，它表現(xiàn)出尋求者何等非凡的勇氣。

As I breathed on it to warm it up a bit, it came to gradually. It might have been scared stiff and out of its senses by the violent storm of a moment ago. It was very slim. Its gossamer-like wings were white, downy and transparent. Its two black feelers were stretched ahead. Its two eyes were pitch-black. Its legs were thin like thread. What had led the feeble little creature to venture out on the wing. What unusual courage it had displayed in battling against the treacherous weather as a seeker!

它活過來了，我竟感到無限的喜悅。

Its regained consciousness had brought me immeasurable joy.

這時，風(fēng)過去了，雨也過去了。太陽用明亮的光輝照滿宇宙，照滿人間，一切都那樣晶瑩，那樣明媚，樹葉由嫩綠變成深綠了，草地上開滿小米粒那樣黃的小花朵。我把蝴蝶放在盛滿陽光的一片嫩葉上。我向草地上漫步而去了。但我的靈魂里在吶喊——開始像很遙遠(yuǎn)、很遙遠(yuǎn)……，我還以為天空中又來了風(fēng)、來了雨，后來我才知道就在我的心靈深處：你為什么把一個生靈棄置不顧?……于是我折轉(zhuǎn)身又走回去，又走到那株古老婆娑的大樹那兒。誰知那只白蝴蝶緩緩地、緩緩地在樹葉上蠕動呢!我不驚動它，只靜靜地看著。陽光閃發(fā)著一種淡紅色，在那葉片上顫悸、燃燒，于是帶來了火、熱、光明、生命，雨珠給它曬干了，風(fēng)沙給它掃凈了，那樹葉像一片綠玻璃片一樣透明、清亮。

By now, the wind and rain had both left off. The whole universe was basking in brilliant sunlight. Everything was bright and beautiful. The leaves had turned from light green to dark green. The meadow was studded all over with small yellow flowers as tiny as grains of millet. After placing the butterfly on a sun-bathed leaf, I turned to stroll down the meadow. Then I heard a very, very distant call and took it for the sound of wind and rain, but soon I realized it had come from the depth of my heart — a call demanding to know why I had recklessly cast away the poor little creature. Thereupon, I turned back and came to an ancient big tree swaying gently in the breeze. To my great surprise, the butterfly was wriggling slightly on the leaf. I watched silently, refraining from alarming it. The sun was shining on the leaf with its reddish light, quivering and burning. It had brought fire, heat, light and life. It had dried up the raindrops and swept away dust. And the tree leaf looked like a piece of green glass, transparent and crystal-clear.

我那美麗的白蝴蝶呀!我那勇敢的白蝴蝶呀!它試了幾次，終于一躍而起，展翅飛翔，活潑伶俐地在我周圍翩翩飛舞了好一陣，又向清明如洗的空中冉冉飛去，像一片小小的雪花，愈飛愈遠(yuǎn)，消失不見了。

O my beautiful white butterfly! O my courageous white butterfly! After trying several times, it finally managed to rise abruptly to its feet and spread its wings to fly. It circled agilely around me for quite a long time and then flew high into the cloudless skies like a tiny snowflake until it was out of sight.

這時，一江春水在我心頭輕輕地蕩漾了一下。在白蝴蝶危難時我憐憫它，可是當(dāng)它真的自由翱翔而去時我又感到如此失落、悵惘，“唉!人啊人……”我默默佇望了一陣，轉(zhuǎn)身向青草地走去。

Meanwhile, I got a bit sentimental. I had taken pity on the white butterfly when it was in adversity. But now, as it was soaring freely way up into the sky, I experienced a feeling of loss and sadness.“Oh, how mentally fragile man is! …”I sighed. I stood watching numbly for a long time, and then turned to stroll away on the meadow.

劉白羽(1916—2005)，北京人，現(xiàn)代著名小說家、散文家。他幼時當(dāng)過學(xué)徒，14歲上學(xué)，1936年畢業(yè)于北平民國大學(xué)中文系，1938年到延安。整個解放戰(zhàn)爭期間任新華社隨軍記者，抗美援朝期間兩次奔赴朝鮮戰(zhàn)場，以軍旅作家著稱。新中國成立后，從事文化領(lǐng)導(dǎo)工作，同時仍致力于創(chuàng)作，作品豐碩，所著《芳草集》獲全國優(yōu)秀散文(集)獎。在名篇《白蝴蝶之戀》中，他通過對一只受傷的白蝴蝶的情感傾注，表達(dá)了對生命和大自然的熱愛與關(guān)注。文章筆觸委婉細(xì)膩，詩意濃郁。