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阿什贝利 ∣ 一片啤酒和一杯冷小牛肉

作者:本站编辑      2023-10-26 05:53:44     29


《传话游戏》全译本之《加默·范斯爵士》

(美)约翰 · 阿什贝利
少况译




加默·范斯爵士
 
 
上周日上午六点傍晚时分当我驾着小船航行越过山顶时,一位剃平头的陌生人向我敬礼,所以我问他,他是否可以告诉我那位小老太是否已死她
 
上周六星期因为要把自己淹死在纷飞的羽毛中而被处以绞刑?
“去问僧侣刘易斯他认为‘去过干过’在人生所谓的傍晚
意味着什么。可能他会用象棋招式取悦你。我想要的
就是我该死的处方。”“你会得到的,阁下”,他用平和的
声音说。所以他给了一片啤酒和一杯冷小牛肉
而且还有这条小狗。
 
我看不到有什么理由要更礼貌,当太阳已经越过天顶,
而业余无线电操作员侵入每一个海湾,用他们的废话污染墙壁。
当两只天鹅到达那个,一只昏厥,得到了安抚。
另一只消失在墙里面。
 
他似乎认为我知道某个秘密或其它与壁炉里弄得一团糟的
原木有关的。这个造成他躲避我我想
有十二个月。
之后我们开始谈正事,实际上还签了合同。
他伤心欲绝。那小子让他损失沉重。有两个老婆而且还有一个
在路上不愿意把他自己交给一辆二手雪佛兰。这个
可以理解我认为我说可以理解。那个男人
没心情琢磨这些区别。至少我以为他说了
带上重型火炮梦想就是现在否则
它不会发生,不会在我的日记里。嗯,为何那也是
我的看法,我祝福了他。风中的细胞。那个傻冒会遍布
我们的新范本,用葡萄蜜弄脏它们,我会
为了围攻者的权力挑战你。对这个他抽象地
同意了,它在一只画眉里结束了。不要去……嗯我
也很抱歉。我已经签署的诅咒,
没必要跳过去,假装满不在乎。温和的眼睛
表达一个孩子的尊严。可以让它腐烂,一开始
就很浮夸。
 
“不,不要绞死他”,他说,因为他昨天杀死一只野兔。如果你不相信我,我会给你看那只野兔在篮子里还活着。
 
所以他们建了一座浮桥,而当他们过了桥,鱼儿鼓掌。
我吓坏了,在海峡群岛的赌桌上输了
四十磅,老天在上我说。我点燃了我的弓,稳住我的箭,
在他们中间射出。我一侧弄断了十七根肋骨,
另一侧二十一根半;但我的箭完好无损穿过
一点没碰到它。最糟糕的是我丢了我的箭;
 
然而我又在一棵树的树洞里找到了它。我摸它;它摸着
黏糊。我闻它;它闻着像蜜。
 

 

 (童话《加默·范斯爵士》)
 

 
Sir Gammer Vans
 
Last Sunday morning at six o'clock in the evening as I was sailing over the tops of the mountains in my little boat a crew-cut stranger saluted me, so I asked him, could he tell me whether the little old woman was dead yet who
 
was hanged last Saturday week for drowning herself in a shower of feathers?
“Ask Monk Lewis what he thinks 'been there done that' means in the so-called
evening of life. Chances are he'll regale you with chess moves. ALL I want is my damn prescription.” “And you shall have it, sir,” he answered in a level voice. So he gave me a slice of beer and a cup of cold veal and there was this little dog.
 
I see no reason to be more polite when the sun has passed its zenith, yet ham radio operators infest every cove, defacing walls with their palaver.
And when two swans come to that, one swoons and is soothed.
The other lost inside a wall.
 
He seemed to think I knew some secret or other pertaining to the botched
logs in the fireplace. This caused him to avoid me I think
for a twelvemonth.
After which we got down to business and actually signed the contract.
He was inconsolable. The brat had cost him. With two wives and another
on the way wouldn't commit himself to a used Chevy. Which is
understandable I think I said it's understandable. The man
was in no mood to entertain these distinctions. At least I thought he said
bring on the heavy artillery the dream is now or
it won't happen, not in my diary. Well why that's just what
I think too, I blessed him. Cells in the wind. The sucker'll be all
over our new templates, smearing them with grape honey, I'll
challenge you for the right to beleaguer. To which he assented
abstractedly and it was over in a thrush. Not to...well excuse me
too. Curses I'd already signed on,
there was no need to jump for it, put a good face on it. Mild eyes
expressing a child's dignity. OK for it to rot, it
was pompous to begin with.
 
"No, don't hang him,” says he, for he killed a hare yesterday. And if you don't believe me I'll show you the hare alive in a basket.
 
So they built a pontoon bridge, and when they had crossed over the fish applauded.
I was aghast, lost forty pounds at the gaming tables of the
Channel Islands, 'sblood I said. So I set fire to my bow, poised my arrow, and shot amongst them. I broke seventeen ribs on one side,
and twenty-one and a half on the other; but my arrow passed clean through
without ever touching it, and the worst was I lost my arrow;
 
however I found it again in the hollow of a tree. I felt it; it felt
clammy. I smelt it; it smelt honey.
 

 

 (诗人马克·福特是美国图书馆丛书《约翰·阿什贝利诗集》二卷本的编辑)
 
 



 |   翻译札记

1. 《加默·范斯爵士》是一个英国童话,讲诉了一系列自相矛盾的事件。讲诉者去拜访范斯爵士。他的房屋是一座砖房,完全用打火石建造,孤立的一座,座落在六七十座和它一样的房子中间。爵士请他吃早餐,一片啤酒,一杯冷小牛肉。他们去打猎。他射中了一头鹿,没有伤到鹿,却弄断了它的肋骨,然后在蜂巢里找到那支箭。

2. 阿什贝利用同样的自相矛盾的修辞手法,重写了《加默·范斯爵士》,所以一开始就是“上午六点傍晚时分”,然后是驾着小船越过山顶。

3. “一片啤酒和一杯冷小牛肉”直接取自原来的故事。诗的后面又写到了故事里的那支箭。


(《约翰·阿什贝利诗集》)

End

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