暮光之城?暮色 第269期:第十六章 卡萊爾(7)
“他們發(fā)生了什么事?”我大聲提問道，我的指尖在離油畫上的人物只有一公分的地方徘徊著。
"They're still there." He shrugged. "As they have been for who knows how many millennia.Carlisle stayed with them only for a short time, just a few decades. He greatly admired theircivility, their refinement, but they persisted in trying to cure his aversion to 'his natural foodsource,' as they called it. They tried to persuade him, and he tried to persuade them, to noavail. At that point, Carlisle decided to try the New World. He dreamed of finding others likehimself. He was very lonely, you see.
“他們還在那里。”他聳聳肩。“他們在那里不知道待了幾千年。卡萊爾只和他們待了很短的一段時間，只有幾十年。他非常地欽佩他們的禮貌，他們的高尚，但他們固執(zhí)地試圖治愈他對‘他天生的食物來源’的厭惡，他們是這樣稱呼的。他們試圖說服他，而他也試圖說服他們，但雙方都沒有收到效果。在那時，卡萊爾決定去新世界試試。他夢想著能找到別的像他自己這樣的人。他非常地孤獨(dú)，你知道。
"He didn't find anyone for a long time. But, as monsters became the stuff of fairy tales, hefound he could interact with unsuspecting humans as if he were one of them. He beganpracticing medicine. But the companionship he craved evaded him; he couldn't risk familiarity.
在很長一段時間里，他沒有找到任何人。但是，隨著怪物逐漸成為神話故事的內(nèi)容，他發(fā)現(xiàn)自己可以毫無芥蒂地和沒有戒心的人類相處，就好像他是他們之間的一員一樣。他開始實踐自己的醫(yī)術(shù)。但他所渴望的伙伴關(guān)系依然躲著他，他不敢冒任何風(fēng)險，去嘗試親密的關(guān)系。”
"When the influenza epidemic hit, he was working nights in a hospital in Chicago. He'd beenturning over an idea in his mind for several years, and he had almost decided to act — since hecouldn't find a companion, he would create one. He wasn't absolutely sure how his owntransformation had occurred, so he was hesitant. And he was loath to steal anyone's life theway his had been stolen. It was in that frame of mind that he found me. There was no hope forme; I was left in a ward with the dying. He had nursed my parents, and knew I was alone. Hedecided to try…"
“當(dāng)西班牙流感開始蔓延的時候，他在芝加哥的一家醫(yī)院里上夜班。他心里有一個想法，已經(jīng)形成了許多年了，他也幾乎已經(jīng)決定要去付諸行動了——既然他找不到志同道合的人，他可以自己創(chuàng)造一個。他不能完全肯定自己的轉(zhuǎn)變是否能夠順利進(jìn)行，所以他一直猶豫著。而且他不情愿去偷走別人的人生，就像他自己被偷走了人生一樣。在他發(fā)現(xiàn)我的時候，他的想法成型了。我已經(jīng)沒救了，和一群奄奄一息的人待在一個病房里。他看護(hù)過我的父母，知道我已經(jīng)成了孤兒。他決定試一試……”
His voice, nearly a whisper now, trailed off. He stared unseeingly through the west windows. Iwondered which images filled his mind now, Carlisle's memories or his own. I waited quietly.
他的聲音，現(xiàn)在幾近耳語，終于停住了。他視若無睹地向西邊的窗外望去。我想知道充斥在他腦子里的是什么樣的畫面，是卡萊爾的回憶還是他自己的。我安靜地等待著。
