散文佳作108篇 第18期:小麻雀 A Little Sparrow

A Little Sparrow

老舍

Lao She

雨后，院里來(lái)了個(gè)麻雀，剛長(zhǎng)全了羽毛。它在院里跳，有時(shí)飛一下，不過(guò)是由地上飛到花盆沿上，或由花盆上飛下來(lái)。看它這么飛了兩三次，我看出來(lái)：它并不會(huì)飛得再高一些。它的左翅的幾根長(zhǎng)翎擰在一處，有一根特別的長(zhǎng)，似乎要脫落下來(lái)。我試著往前湊，它跳一跳，可是又停住，看著我，小黑豆眼帶出點(diǎn)要親近我又不完全信任的神氣。我想到了：這是個(gè)熟鳥(niǎo)，也許是自幼便養(yǎng)在籠中的。所以它不十分怕人?？墒撬淖蟪嵋苍S是被養(yǎng)著它的或別個(gè)孩子給扯壞，所以它愛(ài)人，又不完全信任。想到這個(gè)，我忽然的很難過(guò)。一個(gè)飛禽失去翅膀是多么可憐。這個(gè)小鳥(niǎo)離了人恐怕不會(huì)活，可是人又那么狠心，傷了它的翎羽。它被人毀壞了，而還想依靠人，多么可憐!它的眼帶出進(jìn)退為難的神情，雖然只是那么個(gè)小而不美的小鳥(niǎo)，它的舉動(dòng)與表情可露出極大的委屈與為難。它是要保全它那點(diǎn)生命，而不曉得如何是好。對(duì)它自己與人都沒(méi)有信心，而又愿找到些倚靠。它跳一跳，停一停，看著我，又不敢過(guò)來(lái)。我想拿幾個(gè)飯粒誘它前來(lái)，又不敢離開(kāi)，我怕小貓來(lái)?yè)渌??？墒切∝埐](méi)在院里，我很快地跑進(jìn)廚房，抓來(lái)了幾個(gè)飯粒。及至我回來(lái)，小鳥(niǎo)已不見(jiàn)了。我向外院跑去，小貓?jiān)谟氨谇暗幕ㄅ枧远字?。我忙去?qū)逐它，它只一撲，把小鳥(niǎo)擒住!被人養(yǎng)慣的小麻雀，連掙扎都不會(huì)，尾與爪在貓嘴旁搭拉著，和死去差不多。

As soon as the rain stopped, a little sparrow, almost full-fledged, flew into the courtyard. Ithopped, fluttered, darting up to the edge of flower pots and back to the ground again.Watching it move up and down a couple of times, I realized drat it could not fly any higher asthe plumes on its left wing had got twisted with one sticking out as if about to come off. WhenI made an attempt to move closer, it jumped off a hit and stopped again, staring back at mewith its small, black and bean-like eyes that had a mixed look of wanting to be friends with meand not being certain that I was trustworthy. It occurred to me that this must be a tamebird, having been caged since it was hatched perhaps. No wonder it was not much scared of mypresence. Its left wing might have been impaired by some kid and that was why there wasdistrust in its look though it showed some intimacy with man. Suddenly I was seized withsadness. How miserable it was for a bird to lose its wings! Without someone taking care of itthis small thing could not survive. But man had injured its wing. How cruel he was! Injured asit was, it still wanted to rely on man. How pitiable! The look in its eyes showed that She littlecreature was of two minds. It was small and by no means pretty, yet its gestures andexpressions revealed that it had been wronged and landed in a difficult situation. It was anxiousto keep its delicate life out of danger, but it did not know what to do. It had little confidencein itself and less trust in man, but it needed someone to rely on. It hopped and stopped,looking at me but too shy to come over. I thought of fetching some cooked rice to attract it,but I dared not leave it alone test it should be attacked by the kitten. As the kitten was notaround at the moment, I hurried to the kitchen and cause back with a few grains only to findthe bind missing. I ran to the outer yard and saw the kitten crouching by a flower pot in frontof the screen wall. I hastened to drive her away but, with a quick jump, she caught hold of thebird. The tame sparrow, with its tail and claws dangling from the kitten’s mouth, did not evenknow how to struggle. It looked more dead than alive.

瞧著小鳥(niǎo)，貓一頭跑進(jìn)廚房，又一頭跑到西屋。我不敢緊追，怕它更咬緊了可又不能不追。雖然看不見(jiàn)小鳥(niǎo)的頭部，我還沒(méi)忘了那個(gè)眼神。那個(gè)預(yù)知生命危險(xiǎn)的眼神。那個(gè)眼神與我的好心中間隔著一只小白貓。來(lái)回跑了幾次，我不追了。追上也沒(méi)用了，我想，小鳥(niǎo)至少已半死了。貓又進(jìn)了廚房，我愣了一會(huì)兒，趕緊的又追了去;那兩個(gè)黑豆眼仿佛在我心內(nèi)睜著呢。

With my eyes fixed on the bird, I watched the kitten run first to the kitchen and then to theram at the west end. I was afraid to press hard after her, but I had to follow her in case sheshould tighten her jaws. Though the bird's head was not visible to toe, the look of anticipateddanger in its eyes was vivid in my wind. Between its look and my sympathy stood that smallwhite cat. Having run a few rounds after her I quit, thinking it was pointless to chase her likethat because, by the time I caught her, the bird would have been half dead. When the catslipped back to the kitchen again, I hesitated for a second and then hurried over there too. Itseemed, in my mind's eye, the little bird were pleading for help with its two black bean-likeeyes.

進(jìn)了廚房，貓?jiān)谝粭l鐵筒—冬天升火通煙用的，春天拆下來(lái)便放在廚房的墻角—旁蹲著呢。小鳥(niǎo)已不見(jiàn)了。鐵筒的下端未完全扣在地上，開(kāi)著一個(gè)不小的縫兒，小貓用腳往里探。我的希望回來(lái)了，小鳥(niǎo)沒(méi)死。小貓本來(lái)才四個(gè)來(lái)月大，還沒(méi)捉住過(guò)老鼠，或者還不會(huì)殺生.只是叼著小鳥(niǎo)玩一玩。正在這么想，小鳥(niǎo)忽然出來(lái)了，貓倒像嚇了一跳，往后躲了躲。小鳥(niǎo)的樣子.我一眼便看清了，登時(shí)使我要閉上了眼。小鳥(niǎo)幾乎是蹲著，胸離地很近，像人害肚痛蹲在地上那樣。它身上并沒(méi)血。身子可似乎是拳在一塊，非常的短。頭低著，小嘴指著地。那兩個(gè)黑眼珠!非常的黑，非常的大，不看什么，就那么頂黑頂大的愣著。它只有那么一點(diǎn)活氣，都在眼里，像是等著貓?jiān)贀渌?，它沒(méi)力量反抗或逃避;又像是等肴貓赦免了它，或是來(lái)個(gè)救星。生與死都在這倆眼里，而并不是清醒的。它是胡涂了，昏迷了：不然為什么由鐵筒中出來(lái)呢可是，雖然昏迷，到底有那么一點(diǎn)說(shuō)不清的，生命根源的，希望。這個(gè)希望使它注視著地上，等著，等著生或死。它怕得非常的忠誠(chéng)氣完全把自己交給了一線的希望，一點(diǎn)也不動(dòng)。像把生命要從兩眼中流出，它不叫也不動(dòng)。

In the kitchen I noticed the cat was crouching by a tin pipe which was installed as smoke ductin winter and dismantled in spring, at the corner, but the bird was not with her. The pipe leanedagainst the corner and, between its lower end and the floor; there was an opening throughwhich the cat was probing with her paws. My hope revived: the bird was not dead. As thekitten was less than four months old, it had not teamed how to catch mice, or how to kill forthat matter. It was merely holding the bird in its mouth and having fun with it. While I wasthinking along these lines the little bird suddenly emerged and the kitten, taken aback, boltedbackward. Tile way the little bird looked was so registered to me at the first glance that I feltlike shutting my eyes immediately. It was virtually crouching, with its chest close to the floor,like a man suffering from a stomachache. There was no stain of blood on its body, but itseemed to be shrinking up into itself. Its head dropped low, its small beak pointing to the floor.Its two black eyes, unseeing, were very black and large, looking last- The little life left in it was alin the eyes. It seemed to be expecting the cat to charge again, with no strength to resist orrun; or wishing that the cat would be kind enough to pardon it or that some saviour wouldcome along to its rescue. Life and death coexisted in its eyes. I thought the bin must beconfused or stunned, or else why should it have come out from the pipe? Stunned as it was, itstill cherished some hope which, though hard to define, was the source of life. With thathope it gazed at the floor, expecting either to survive or die. I was so really scared that itbecame completely motionless, leaving itself all to the precarious hope. It kept quiet and stillas if waiting for its life to flow out of its eyes.

小貓沒(méi)再撲它，只試著用小腳碰它。它隨著擊碰傾側(cè)，頭不動(dòng)，眼不動(dòng)，還呆呆地注視著地上。但求它能活著，它就決不反抗?？墒遣⒎侨珶o(wú)勇氣，它是在貓的面前不動(dòng)!我輕輕地過(guò)去，把貓抓住。將貓放在門(mén)外，小鳥(niǎo)還沒(méi)動(dòng)。我雙手把它捧起來(lái)。它確是沒(méi)受了多大的傷.雖然胸上落了點(diǎn)毛。它看了我一眼!

The kitten made no more attempts to attack it. She only tried to touch it with her little paws.As the kitten touched it, it tilted from side to side, its head undisturbed and its eyes lookingblank at the floor. It would not fight back so long as there was a chance of survival. But thebird had not lost all of its courage; it acted this way only with the cat. I went aver light-footed,picked up the cat and put her outside the door, the sparrow remaining where it was. When Itook it up in my hands and looked, it was riot seriously injured, though some fluff had come offits chest. It was looking at me.

我沒(méi)主意：把它放了吧，它準(zhǔn)是死;養(yǎng)著它吧，家中沒(méi)有籠子。我捧著它，好像世上一切生命都在我的掌中似的，我不知怎樣好。小鳥(niǎo)不動(dòng)，拳著身，兩眼還那么黑，等著!愣了好久，我把它捧到臥室里，放在桌子上，看著它，它又愣了半夭，忽然頭向左右歪了歪用它的黑眼睜了一下;又不動(dòng)了，可是身子長(zhǎng)出來(lái)一些，還低頭看著，似乎明白了點(diǎn)什么。

I had no idea what to do. If I let it go, it was sure to die; if I kept it with me, I did rot have acage for it. I held it in my hands as if holding all the lives in the world, not knowing what to do.'Me sparrow huddled up, motionless, its eyes as black as ever, still expectant. It remained thatway for a long while. I took it to my bedroom, put it on the desk and watched it for a fewmoments. Suddenly it tilted its head Wit and then right, winking its black eyes once or twice,and became still again. By now its body seemed to have stretched a hit, but it still kept its headlow as if it had understand something.