lesson4 自己选择死亡方式 Lesson Four Die as You Choose 制定关于安乐死的法律已经到了不能再回避的地步。 The need for laws on euthanasia cannot be dodged for much longer. 在世界上某个较小的国家里，安乐死被医疗机构普遍接受，每年都有数千例公开实施。 In one of the world's smaller countries， mercy-killing is accepted by the medical establishment and openly practiced a few thousand times each year. 而在某个世界大国，安乐死虽然经常受到医疗机构的公开谴责，每年却以数倍于此的次数秘密实施，且从未公之于众。 In one of the world's biggest countries， euthanasia is condemned by the medical establishment， secretly practiced many times more often， and almost never comes to light. 但是，在上述那个国家有医生因为实施安乐死而在监狱里服刑呢？ Which of these countries has a mercy-killing doctor now languishing in its jails？ 是在小国荷兰。荷兰制定了有关安乐死的法律，能有效地管理它。 It is the small one， Holland， which has rules for euthanasia and so can police it effectively. 那位荷兰的医生违反了他国家的规定。 The Dutch doctor broke his country's rules. 有关安乐死的问题在所有国家都存在，决不仅出现在美国这个禁止安乐死的大国。 There is a moral here for all the countries， and not just for the big death-forbidding country， America. 目前美国正再次展开有关安乐死的辩论。 Right now it is going over the arguments about euthanasia once again. 美国医学协会会刊1月份发表了一封非同寻常的来信。一位医生在信中宣称自己按照病人的意愿，杀死了一位身患癌症的20岁女孩。 In January the Journal of the American Medical Association published a bizarre letter， in which an anonymous doctor claimed to have killed a 20-year-old cancer patient at her own request. 这件事引起了一场辩论，而这场辩论将轰轰烈烈地持续到秋季，那时加利福尼亚州可能会就一项使安乐死合法化的法律进行投票表决。 This started a debate that will rumble on into the autumn， when Californians may vote on a proposed law legalizing euthanasia. 这封信可能是为了起到引发争论的效果，内容并不可信。 The letter was probably written for polemical impact. It is scarcely credible. 是作者自己在信中声称他（或她）第一次与那位得了癌症的病人见面，听到病人说出5个字——“让我去死吧”——然后就杀了她。 It's author claims that he met the cancer patient for the first time， heard five words from her – “Let's get this over with” – then killer her. 即使是极端的安乐死支持者也不赞成在这种情况下采取如此做法。 Even the most extreme proponents of euthanasia do not support such an action in those circumstances. 然而，医疗上出现的可怕事件如洪水猛兽一般，并不比安乐死的情况更好。它们无疑会在英美以及其他国家中继续肆虐，几乎成了令人恐怖的常规。 Yet medical monstrosities that are hardly any better undoubtedly continue， almost as a matter of macabre routine， in America， Britain and many other countries. 一些医生私下透露他们有时会故意杀死病人，这样的情况非常普遍，令人担忧。 It is disturbingly easy to find doctors who will say， in private， that they sometimes kill patients on purpose. 多数医生说他们知道其他医生也有同样的行为，但是因为即使在病人乞求他们的时候，医生也几乎不能与病人公开讨论安乐死，因此医生往往倾向于仅在要死的人处于垂危昏迷之际而无法表达是否同意安乐死时，才结束其生命。 Most say that know somebody else who does. But because they can rarely discuss euthanasia openly with patients – even when those patients beg them for it – doctors tend to kill only when the dying are too far gone to consent. 由于自愿要求安乐死受到禁止，就只能由医生自行作出决定了，病人会在夜间受到药物注射而非自愿地离开人世。 Thus， because voluntary euthanasia is taboo， a doctor makes the decision himself – and the patient is killed involuntarily in the night with a syringe. 这是不使安乐死公开的代价。 That is one price of keeping euthanasia secret. 如果所有形式的安乐死都是错误的，那就应该统统列入禁止之列。 If all forms of mercy-killing are wrong， they should remain taboo. 可情况果真如此吗？ But are they？ 许多人都认为依靠医学技术来延续生命带给人的痛苦是令人悲哀、可憎可恶的，完全不顾人的尊严，因此被动的安乐死——让病人自行死亡——被人们普遍接受。 Because many people accept that it is sad， undignified and gruesome to prolong the throes of death will all the might of medical technology， passive euthanasia – letting patients die – is widely accepted. 美国大多数州都有关于“活遗嘱”的法规，为医生提供保护。如果医生没有尽力救助曾声明不想延续生命的病人，不会为此受到起诉。 Most American states have “living – will” legislation that protects doctors from prosecution if they do not try to save someone who has said he does not want life prolonged. 主动的安乐死——杀死病人——却依然争论颇多。 Active euthanasia – killing – remains controversial. 将人杀死与让人死亡之间的界线还能维持多久呢？ How long can the distinction between killing and letting die hold out？ 正如因未履行某种职责受到处罚一样，人也可能因干了某事而不受责难。 Just as there can be culpable omissions， so too can there be blameless acts. 让我们从道德伦理著作中举例说明。假定一个人会从某个孩子的死亡中获益，当这个孩子在浴缸中撞伤头部而失去知觉时，那个人视而不见，任其溺水身亡。 Suppose – to take an example from the moral philosophy books – that a man stands to gain from the death of a certain child. The child strikes his head in the bath and falls unconscious. The man sits down and watches him drown. 虽然这个人什么都没有做，但他并不能因此开脱罪责。 The fact that the man has performed no action does not excuse him. 同样，再假设为了缩短而不是延长死亡到来的时间，医生终止某种治疗是无可指责的做法，那么如果这位医生使用足够的镇痛剂致使病人死亡，他就一定大错特错吗？ Similarly， suppose that a doctor does no wrong by withholding some treatment in order that death should come sooner rather than later. Is he then necessarily wrong if he administers enough painkillers to kill？ 这位医生采取了某种行动，而不是未尽某种职责，这会使他有罪吗？ Does the fact that the doctor performed an action， rather than an omission， condemn him？ 许多医生一直在为解除病人临终前的痛苦而奋斗着。他们认为在病人请求安乐死时，根本无法截然区分被动与主动的安乐死。 Many doctors working on the battlefield of terminal suffering think that only squeamishness demands a firm difference between passive and active euthanasia on request. 他们赞成医生杀死病人的理由是：医生的职责之一就是使病人免遭痛苦，这是医生所做的全部事情，而杀死病人则是做到这一点的惟一办法。 Their argument for killing goes like this： one of a doctor's duties is to prevent suffering； sometimes that is all there is left for him to do， and killing is the only way to do it. 这个观点并不新颖。当希波克拉底为医生制定信条的时候，曾明确禁止安乐死，而多数其他希腊医生和思想家都不赞成这一禁令。 There is nothing new in this view. When Hippocrates formulated his oath for doctors， which explicitly rules out active killing， most other Greek doctors and thinkers disagreed with his ban. 前事不忘，后事之师。 Let the past be a guide. 有人认为死亡的时间是上帝安排的，任何人不得缩短他人的生命，然而假如一位病人的人生观使其接受安乐死，那么人们不禁要问：为什么其他人还要用不同的宗教观念去干预其死亡呢？ Some people believe that the time of death is appointed by God and that no man should put the clock back on another. Yet if a patient's philosophical views embrace euthanasia， it is not clear why the religious objections of others should intrude on his death. 另一个令人担忧问题是，有关安乐死的法律体系允许医生在规定的情况下按照垂死病人的请求实施安乐死，就可能为杀人首开先例，从而危害社会。 Another worry is that a legal framework for euthanasia， permitting a doctor to comply with a dying man's request in a prescribed set of circumstances， might pose dangers for society by setting a precedent for killing. 这个问题取决于社会。 That depends on the society. 尽管有不同意见，荷兰对建立这样的法律体系已经准备就绪。 Holland， arguably， is ready for it. 当年就是荷兰医生英勇无比地顶住了压力，拒绝参与使安乐死声名狼藉的纳粹用人体进行医学实验的暴行，这恐怕不是巧合。 It is probably no coincidence that it was Dutch doctors who most heroically resisted pressure to join in the Nazi medical atrocities that have given euthanasia its worst name. 这些医生对个人自由坚定不移的尊重使他们没有杀害渴望活下去的健康人。今天正是同样的精神又使他们去帮助不愿活下去的垂危病人。 The same tenacious respect for individual liberty that stopped them killing healthy people， who did not want to die， now lets them help dying people who do. 与之相反，西德在未来相当长的时间里都无法使任何形式的安乐死合法化。 West Germany， by contrast， will not be able to legalize any form of euthanasia for a long time to come. 由于历史的阴影反对安乐死的力量异常强大，在那些近年来自由意志的传统未受任何干扰的国家里，为自愿安乐死制定有限的规定并不会使人们产生太多的恐惧。 Opposition is too fierce， because of the shadow of the past. Countries with an uninterrupted recent libertarian tradition have less to fear from setting some limited rules for voluntary euthanasia. 拒绝讨论这个问题会使情况更加糟糕。 By refusing to discuss it， they usher in something worse.
lesson8-10 人生的一课 快一年了，大部分时间我都泡在家里、店铺、学校和教堂里，就像一块旧饼干，又脏又难以下咽。 For nearly a year， I sopped around the house， the Store， the school and the church， like an old biscuit， dirty and inedible. 这时我遇到或者说认识了抛给我第一根救生索的那位夫人。 Then I met， or rather got to know， the lady who threw me first lifeline. 波萨？弗劳尔斯夫人是斯坦普司黑人区中的出类拔萃的人物。 Mrs. Bertha Flowers was the aristocrat of Black Stamps. 她动作优雅，即使在最冷的天气里也不缩手缩脚，而在阿肯色州的夏日里，她似乎又有属于自己的微风环绕在她的身旁，给她带来凉爽。 She had the grace of control to appear warm in the coldest weather， and one the Arkansas summer days it seemed she had a private breeze which swirled around， cooling her. 她的皮肤深黑迷人，如果被挂住就会像李子皮一样剥落，但没有人敢离她近点，碰皱她的衣服，更不要说挂住她的皮肤了。 Her skin was a rich black that would have peeled like a plum if snagged， but then no one would have thought of getting close enough to Mrs. Flowers to ruffle her dress， let alone snag her skin. 她不太喜欢亲近，另外她还带着手套。 She didn't encourage familiarity. She wore gloves too. 她是我所知道的为数不多的有气质的女士之一，并且是我做人的楷模，影响了我一生。 She was one of the few gentlewomen I have ever known， and has remained throughout my life the measure of what a human being can be. 我被她深深地吸引，因为她像是我从没有亲身遇到过的那些人。 She appealed to me because she was like people I had never met personally. 她就像英国小说中的女人，走在沼泽地里（不管是什么地方），一群忠实的狗奔跑在她们的身旁，并与她们保持一定的距离以示尊敬。 Like women in English novels who walked the moors （whatever they were） with their loyal dogs racing at a respectful distance. 她就像坐在炉火熊熊的壁炉前的女人，不时从装满蛋糕和松脆饼的银盘中取东西喝。 Like the women who sat in front of roaring fireplaces， drinking tea incessantly from silver trays full of scones and crumpets. 她就像走在“石南丛生的荒野”中，读着用摩洛哥山羊皮装订的书的那些女人，而且有用连字符隔开的两个姓。 Women who walked over the “heath” and read morocco-bound books and had two last names divided by a hyphen. 可以肯定地说，是她本人使我为自己是个黑人而感到骄傲。 It would be safe to say that she made me proud to be Negro， just by being herself. 那个在我的记忆中如甜奶般鲜活的夏日的午后，她来我们的店里买东西。 One summer afternoon， sweet-milk fresh in my memory， she stopped at the Store to buy provisions. 换了另外一个同她身体情况和年龄相当的黑人妇女就会一只手把纸袋拎回家去，但奶奶却说，“弗劳尔斯大姐，让贝利帮你把东西送回家去。” Another Negro woman of her health and age would have been expected to carry the paper sacks home in one hand， but Momma said， “Sister Flowers， I'll send Bai-ley up to your house with these things.” “谢谢您，汉德森夫人。但我想让玛格丽特帮我送回去。” “Thank you， Mrs. Henderson. I'd prefer Marguerite， though.” 她说我名字时，我的名字也变得动听起来。 My name was beautiful when she said it. “反正我一直想跟她谈一谈。”她们互相对视了一下，其间的意思只有她们这些同龄人才明白。 “I've been mean-ins to talk to her， anyway.” They gave each other agegroup looks. 在石头路旁有一条小路，弗劳尔斯夫人在前面摆动着胳膊，在碎石路上小心地走着。 There was a little path beside the rocky road， and Mrs. Flowers walked in front swinging her arms and picking her way over the stones. 她没有回头，对我说，“听说你在学校里功课很好，玛格丽特，但那都是笔头作业。老师说他们很难让你在课堂上发言。” She said， without turning her head， to me， “I hear you're doing very good school work， Marguerite， but that it's all written. The teachers report that they have trouble getting you to talk in class. 我们走过左边三角形的农场，路变宽了，可以允许我们并排走在一起。但我畏缩地走在后面，想着那些没有问出口也无法回答的问题。 We passed the triangular farm on our left and the path widened to allow us to walk together. I hung back in the separate unasked and unanswerable questions. “过来和我一起走，玛格丽特。”我无法拒绝，尽管我很想。 “Come and walk along with me， Marguerite.” I couldn't have refused even if I wanted to. 她把我的名字叫得如此动听。或者更确切地说，她把每个词都说得这样清晰，我相信就是一个不懂英语的外国人也能听懂她的话。 She pronounced my name so nicely. Or more correctly， she spoke each word with such clarity that I was certain a foreigner who didn't understand English could have understood her. “现在没有人要强迫你说话——恐怕也没人能做到这一点。但是你记住，语言是人类进行沟通的方式，是语言将人类同低等动物区分开来。” “Now no one is going to make you talk —possibly no one can. But bear in mind， language is man's way of communicating with his fellow man and it is language alone which separates him from the lower animals.” 这对我来说是一个全新的观点，我需要些时间认真考虑一下。 That was a totally new idea to me， and I would need time to think about it. “你奶奶说你读了很多书，一有机会就读。这很好，但还不够好，言语的含义不仅是写在纸上的那点。它需要人的声音赋予它深层含义的细微差别。” “Your grandmother says you read a lot. Every chance you get. That's good， but not good enough. Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with the shades of deeper meaning. ” 我记住了有关声音赋予言语更多内涵的话。这些话听起来是那么正确，那么富有诗意。 I memorized the part about the human voice infusing words. It seemed so valid and poetic. 她说她要给我一些书，要我不仅阅读这些书，还要大声朗读。 She said she was going to give me some books and that I not only must read them， I must read them aloud. 她建议我用尽可能丰富的语调去读每一句话。 She suggested that i try to make a sentence sound in as many different ways as possible. “如果你草草读完这些书就还给我的话，我不接受任何理由。” “I'll accept no excuse if you return a book to me that has been badly handled.” 我想像不出如果我真的没有认真读弗劳尔斯夫人的某一本书，将会受到怎样的惩罚。让我去死恐怕是太仁慈太干脆了。 My imagination boggled at the punishment I would deserve if in fact I did abuse a book of Mrs. Flowers'。 Death would be too kind and brief. 房子里的气味让我有点吃惊。 The odors in the house surprised me. 不知什么缘故，我从来没有将弗劳尔斯夫人与食物、吃饭或是平常人的琐事联系起来。 Somehow I had never connected Mrs. Flowers with food or eating or any other common experience of common people. 那里一定也有户外厕所，但我一点也记不起来了。 There must have been an outhouse， too， but my mind never recorded it. 她打开门，香草的芬芳迎面扑来。 The sweet scent of vanilla had met us as she opened the door. “今天早上我做了些茶点。你瞧，我早打算好要请你来吃点心、柠檬水，这样我们就可以聊一会了。柠檬水正放在冰盒子里呢。” “I made tea cookies this morning. You see， I had planned to invite you for cookies and lemonade so we could have this little chat. The lemonade is in the icebox.” 这意味着弗劳尔斯夫人平时也买冰，而镇上大多数人家只是在星期六下午才买冰，放在木头做的冰淇凌冷藏机内，整个夏天也不过只买几次。 It followed that Mrs. Flowers would have ice on an ordinary day， when most families in our town bought ice late on Saturdays only a few times during the summer to be used in the wooden ice-cream freezers. “坐吧，玛格丽特，坐到那边桌子旁。” “Have a seat， Marguerite. Over there by the table.” 她端着一个用茶布盖着的盘。 She carried a platter covered with a tea towel. 尽管她事先说过她已经好久没有做点心了，我还是相信就像她的其他任何东西一样，点心也会十分精美可口。 Although she warned that she hadn't tried her hand at baking sweets for some time， I was certain that like everything else about her the cookies would be perfect. 我吃点心的时候，她开始给我讲我们后来称之为“我生活中的一课”的第一部分。 As I ate she began the first of what we later called “my lesson in living.” 她告诉我不能宽容无知，但可以理解文盲。 She said that must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. 她认为有些人虽然没有上过学，但却比大学教授更有知识，甚至更聪明。 That some people， unable to go to school， were more educated and even more intelligent than college professors. 她还鼓励我认真倾听被乡下人称为常识的一些俗语。她说这些朴实谚语是一代代人集体智慧的结晶。 She encouraged me to listen carefully to what country people called mother wit. That in those homely sayings was couched the collective wisdom of generations 我吃完点心后，她把桌子打扫干净，从书架上拿了一本又厚又小的书。 When I finished the cookies she brushed off the table and brought a thick， small book from the bookcase. 我读过《双城记》，认为这本书符合我心目中浪漫主义小说的标准。 I had read A Tale of Two Cities and found it up to my standards as a romantic novel. 她翻开第一页，于是我平生第一次听到了诗朗诵。 She opened the first page and I heard poetry for the first time in my life. “这是最辉煌的时代也是最糟糕的时代……”她的声音圆润，随着言语的起伏而抑扬顿挫，就像在唱歌一样。 “It was the best of times and the worst of times. . .” Her voice slid in and curved down through and over the words. She was nearly singing. 我想看一下她读的是否真的和我过去看的一样？ I wanted to look at the pages. Were they the same that I had read？ 还是像赞美诗一样，书页上满是音符？ Or were there notes， music， lined on the pages， as in a hymn book？ 她的声音开始慢慢低沉下来。 Her sounds began cascading gently. 我听过很多次布道，因此我知道她的朗诵就要结束了，但我还没有真正听见或听懂一个词。 I knew from listening to a thousand preachers that she was nearing the end of her reading， and I hadn't really heard， heard to understand， a single word. “你觉得怎么样？” “How do you like that？” 我这才意识到她在期待我的回答。 It occurred to me that she expected a response. 我的舌间还留有香草的余味，她的朗诵对我来说很奇妙。 The sweet vanilla flavor was still on my tongue and her reading was a wonder in my ears. 我得说点什么了。 I had to speak. 我说：“是的，夫人。”我至少得说这些，我也只能说这些。 I said， “Yea， ma'am.” It was the least I could do， but it was the most also. “还有一件事。你把这本诗集拿去，背下其中的一首。下次你再来看我时，我希望你背诵给我听。” 'There s one more thing. Take this book of poems and memorize one for me. Next time you pay me a visit， I want you to recite.“ 在经历了成年后的复杂生活后，我多次试图弄清楚为什么当年她送给我的礼物一下子就让我陶醉了。 I have tried often to search behind the sophistication of years for the enchantment I so easily found in those gifts. 书中的内容已经忘却，但余韵仍存。 The essence escapes but its aura remains. 被准许，不，是被邀请进入一群陌生人的私人生活中，与他们共同分享喜悦和恐惧，这使我读贝奥武夫时就犹如喝一杯蜜酒，读奥立佛？特威斯特时，犹如饮一杯热奶茶，忘记了那犹如南方苦艾酒般的痛苦经历。 To be allowed， no， invited， into the private lives of strangers， and to share their joys and fears， was a chance to exchange the Southern bitter wormwood for a cup of mead with Be-owulf or a hot cup of tea and milk with Oliver Twist. 当我大声地说“这比我做过的任何一件事都好得多”时，我眼中涌出了爱的泪水，那是为了自己的忘我 When I said aloud， “It is a far， far better thing that I do， than I have ever done…” tears of love filled my eyes at my selflessness. 在我第一次去她家回来，我跑下山去冲到马路上（路上很少有车经过），快到店铺时我还居然没忘了停下来。 On that first day， I ran down the hill and into the road （few cars ever came along it） and had the good sense to stop running before I reached the Store. 有人喜欢我，这是多么的不同啊。 was liked， and what a difference it made. 有人尊敬我，并不是因为我是汉德森夫人的外孙女或是贝利的妹妹，而是因为我是玛格丽特？约翰逊。 I was respected not as Mrs. Henderson's grandchild or Bailey's sister but for just being Marguerite Johnson. 孩提时的逻辑永远不需要证实（所有的结论都是绝对的）。 Childhood's logic never asks to be proved （all conclusions are absolute）。 我从来没有想过为什么弗劳尔斯夫人会选中我来表示关怀，也从来没想过也许是奶奶曾请求她开导我一下。 1 didn't question why Mrs. Flowers had singled me out for attention， nor did it occur to me that Momma might have asked her to give me a little talking to. 我只关心她曾给我做点心吃，还给我读她最喜欢的书。这些足以证明她喜欢我 All I cared about was that she had made tea cookies for me and read to me from her favorite book. It was enough to prove that she liked me. 奶奶和贝利在店铺里等我。 Momma and Bailey were waiting inside the Store. 他问：“她给了你什么？”他已经看到那些书了，但我把装着他那份点心的纸袋放在怀里，用诗集挡住。 He said. “My， what did she give you？” He had seen the books， but I held the paper sack with his cookies in my arms shielded by the poems. 奶奶说：“小姐，我知道你的举止像位女士。 Momma said， “Sister， I know you acted like a little lady. That do my heart good to see settled people take to you all. 我已经尽努力了，上帝知道，但这些天……“她的声音低下来，”快去把衣服换了。 I'm trying my best， the Lord knows， but these days…“ Her voice trailed off. ”Go on in and change your dress.
第十个人 Lesson Ten The Tenth Man 就在第二天下午3点（闹钟上的时间），一个军官走进了牢房。这是他们几星期以来见到的第一位军官。他非常年轻，甚至小胡子的形状也显示出他不够老练，左边的胡子剃得重了点。 It was at three the next afternoon （alarm clock time） that an officer entered the cell； the first officer they had seen for weeks – and this one was very young， with inexperience even in the shape of his mustache which he had shaved too much on the left side. 他就像一个初次登台领奖的小学生一样窘迫不安，他说起话来粗鲁无礼，似乎要显示一种他并不具备的力量。 He was as embarrassed as a schoolboy making his first entry on a stage at a prize-giving， and he spoke abruptly so as to give the impression of a strength he did not possess. 他说道：“昨天夜间城里发生了几起谋杀，一名军事长官的副手、一位中士和一个骑自行车的女孩被杀。”他又说道：“我们不在乎女孩的死。法国男人杀死法国女人不关我们的事。” He said， “There were murders last night in the town. The aide-de-camp of the military governor， a sergeant and a girl on a bicycle.” He added， “We don't complain about the girl. Frenchmen have our permission to kill Frenchwomen.” 很明显他事先仔细斟酌了他的讲话，但他的嘲弄做过了头，他的表演也很业余。 He had obviously thought up his speech carefully beforehand， but the irony was overdone and the delivery that of an amateur actor： 整个场面就像手势字谜游戏那样矫饰做作。 the whole scene was as unreal as a charade. 他接着说道：“你们知道自己为什么来这里，你们在这里好吃好喝，过着舒适的日子，而我们的人却在工作和战斗。不过现在你们必须付出代价了。不要怪我们，要怪你们自己的杀人凶手。我的命令是集中营里每十个人要有一个被枪决。你们有多少人？”“报数。”他厉声喝道人们闷闷不乐地照办了。“28，29，30.”人们知道不用数他也知道人数，这不过是他玩的把戏中不可省略的一句台词…… He said， “You know what you are here for， living comfortably， on fine rations， while our men work and fight. Well， now you've got to pay the hotel bill. Don't blame us. Blame your own murderers. My orders are that one man in every ten shall be shot in this camp. How many of you are there？” He shouted sharply， “Number off，” and sullenly they obeyed， “…… twenty-eight， twenty-nine， thirty.” They knew he knew without counting. This was just a line in his charade he couldn't sacrifice. 他说道：“那么，你们的名额是三个，我们并不关心是哪三个人。你们可以自己选择。死刑于明天早上7点执行。” He said， “Your allotment then is three. We are quite indifferent as to which three. You can choose for yourselves. The funeral rites will begin at seven tomorrow morning.” 他玩的把戏结束了，人们可以听到他的脚步响亮地敲击着沥青路渐渐远去。 The charade was over： they could hear his feet striking sharply on the asphalt going away. 查维尔忽然很想知道他打的手势是什么字。要他们猜的是不是“夜间”，“姑娘”，“旁边”或“30”。不，不是。谜底肯定是“人质”。 Chavel wondered for a moment what syllable had been acted —“night，”“girl，”“aside，” or perhaps “thirty，” but it was of course the whole word—“hostage. ” 牢房里很长时间没人说话。后来一个叫克拉夫的阿尔萨斯人开口道：“好了，我们有人自愿吗？” The silence went on a long time， and then a man called Krogh， an Alsatian， said， “Well， do we have to volunteer？” “废话。”一个职员说道。他是一个上了年纪的戴着夹鼻眼镜的老头。他接着说道：“没人会自愿，我们必须抽签。除非有人认为应按年龄决定——最老的先死。” “Rubbish，” said one of the clerks， a thin elderly man in pince-nez， “nobody will volunteer. We must draw lots.” He added， “Un-less it is thought that we should go by ages —the oldest first. ” “不，不行。”另一个人说道，“那不公平。” “No， no，” one of the others said， “that would be unjust. ” “这是自然规律。” “It's the way of nature.” “那算什么自然规律。”又一个人说道，“我有个女儿，5岁时就死了。” “Not even the way of nature，” another said. “1 had a child who died when she was five……” “我们必须抽签。”市长坚定地说。 “We must draw lots，” the mayor said firmly. “只有这样才公正。”他坐在那里，双手依然紧贴在肚子上，遮挡着他的怀表，但是整个牢房里都能听见怀表清脆的滴答声。 “It is the only fair thing.” He sat with his hands still pressed over his stomach， hiding his watch， but all through the cell you could hear its blunt tick lock tick. 他接着又说道：“由未婚者抽签，已婚者除外，他们有责任。” He added， “On the unmarried. The married should not be included. They have responsibilities… “哈，哈！”皮埃尔说道，“我们明白了。为什么已婚者就应逃脱？他们的事儿已经做完了。当然，你结婚了吧？” “Ha， ha，” Pierre said， “we see through that. Why should the married get off？ Their work's finished. You， of course， are married？” “我的妻子不在了。”市长说，“我现在是未婚，你呢？” “I have lost my wife，” the mayor said， “I am not married now. And you…” “结了。”皮埃尔答道。 “Married，” Pierre said. 市长开始解下怀表。发现皮埃尔处境安全，他似乎更坚信作为怀表的主人自己必定是下一个牺牲者。 The mayor began to undo his watch； the discovery that his rival was safe seemed to confirm his belief that as the owner of time he was bound to be the next victim. 他环顾了每一个人，然后选择了查维尔。也许是因为只有他穿着西服背心适合戴表链。他说道：“查维尔先生，我想让你替我拿着怀表，万一……” He looked from face to face and chose Chavel， perhaps because he was the only man with a waistcoat fit to take the chain. He said， “Monsieur Chavel， I want you to hold this watch for me in case…” “你找别人吧！”查维尔说，“我还没结婚呢。” “you'd better choose someone else，” Chavel said. “I am not married.” 那个老职员又开口了，“我结婚了，我有权说话。 The elderly clerk spoke again. He said， “I'm married. I've got the right to speak. 我们正把一切引向歧途。这不是我们最后一次抽签。如果这儿有一个特权阶层——那些最终将活着的人，大家想想，牢房里会是什么样子。你们其他人很快就会痛恨我们。你们害怕，而我们将不再担心。“ We are going the wrong way about all this. Everyone must draw lots. This isn't the last draw we shall have， and picture to yourselves what it will be like in this cell if we have a privileged class —the ones who are left to the end. The rest of you will soon begin to hate us. We shall be left out of your fear. . . “ “他说得对。”皮埃尔说。 “He's right，” Pierre said. 市长重新握紧了怀表，说道：“就照你们的主意办。要是能够这样征税的话……”他做了个绝望的手势。 The mayor refastened his watch. “Have it your own way，” he said. “But if the taxes were levied like this…” He gave a gesture of despair. “我们如何抽签？”克拉夫问道。 “How do we draw？” Krogh asked. 查维尔答道：“最快的办法就是从一只鞋里抽出画有记号的纸条。” Chavel said， “The quickest way would be to draw marked papers out of a shoe. . .” 克拉夫轻蔑地说：“那么快干吗？对于我们当中几个人来说这可是最后一次赌博了。我们蛮可以享受一番。我提议赌抛硬币。” Krogh said contemptuously， “Why the quickest way？ This is the last gamble some of us will have. We may as well enjoy it. I say a coin.” “这不好。”那个职员说，“抛硬币不是一个公平、合理的办法。” “It won't work，” the clerk said. “You can't get a even chance with a coin.” “惟一的办法就是抽签。”市长说道。 “The only way is to draw，” the mayor said. 职员开始为抽签做准备，为此他牺牲了一封家信。 The clerk prepared the draw， sacrificing for it one of his letters from home. 他很快地看了一遍信，然后把它撕成30张小纸条。 He read it rapidly for the last time， and then tore it into thirty pieces. 他用铅笔在其中三张上画上十字，然后把每张纸条都叠上。 On three pieces he made a cross in pencil， and then folded each piece. 他接着说：“克拉夫的鞋。”大家把纸条放在地下搅乱，然后装进了鞋子里。 “Krogh's got the biggest shoe，” he said. They shuffled the pieces on the floor and then dropped them into the shoe. “我们按姓氏的字母顺序抽签。”市长说。 “We'll draw in alphabetical order，” the mayor said. “从Z开始抽。”查维尔说道。他的安全感开始动摇了。他急切想喝点什么，用手指从嘴唇上撕下一小块干皮。 “Z first，” Chavel said. His feeling of security was shaken. He wanted a drink badly. He picked at a dry piece of skin on his lip. “就按你说的办。”卡车司机说道，“有人排在维尔森前面吗？我先抽。” “As you wish，” the lorry driver said. “Anybody beat Voisin？ Here goes. 他用手在鞋子里小心地掏，就像是要掏到他心里想要的那张。 “He thrust his hand into the shoe and made careful excavations as though he had one particular scrap of paper in mind. 他抽出一张，打开，怔怔地看着，然后说了声：“完了。”他坐下来，摸出一支香烟放到嘴里，却忘了点火。 He drew one out， opened it， and gazed at it with astonishment. He said， “This is it.” He sat down and felt for a cigarette， but when he got it between his lips he forgot to light it. 查维尔心中充满了巨大而又令他感到羞耻的快乐。 Chavel was filled with a huge and shameful joy. 看来自己得救了。剩下二十九个人抽签，而只有两张带有记号的纸条。 It seemed to him that already he was saved —twenty - nine men to draw and only two marked papers left. 抽中死签的可能性突然变得对他有利，从10比1变成了14比1.经营蔬菜水果的商人也抽了一张，然后漫不经心、毫无表情地示意自己平安无事。 The chances had suddenly grown in his favor from ten to one to—fourteen to one： the greengrocer had drawn a slip and indicated carelessly and without pleasure that he was safe. 的确，从抽第一张签时人们就忌讳任何喜形于色的表现，一个人不能以任何宽慰的举动去嘲弄注定要死的人。 Indeed from the first draw any mark of pleasure was taboo： one couldn't mock the condemned man by any sign of relief. 查维尔胸中有一种隐隐约约的不安——还不是恐惧，像是一种压抑感。 Again a dull disquiet —ii couldn't yet be described as a fear—exended its empire over Chavel's chest. 当第六个人抽到空白纸条时，他发现自己在打哈欠；当第十个人——就是大家称作雅维耶的那个人抽完签后，他的心中又充满了某中怨愤的情绪。现在抽中死签的机会同开始时一样了。 It was like a constriction： he found himself yawning as the sixth man drew a blank slip， and a sense of grievance nagged at his mind when the tenth man bad drawn—it was the one they called Janvier—and the chances were once again the same as when the draw started. 有的人抽出他们手指碰到的第一张纸条；有的人似乎怀疑命运企图将某一张纸条强加于他们，所以他们刚刚从鞋里抽出一张，就又扔回去，再另换一张。 Some men drew the first slip which touched their fingers； others seemed to suspect tha t fate was trying to force on them a particular slip and when they bad drawn one a little way from the shoe would let it drop again and choose another. 时间过得很慢，令人难以置信。那个叫做维尔森的人靠墙坐着，嘴里叼着仍未点燃的香烟，对一切都不再在意。 Time passed with incredible slowness， and the man called Voisin sat against the wall with the unlighted cigarette in his mouth paying them no attention at all. 就在生存的机会逐渐变小，抽中死签的可能性达到八分之一时，一个叫做勒诺特的上年纪的职员抽中了第二张死签。 The chances had narrowed to one in eight when the elderly clerk —his name was Lenotre—drew the second slip. 他清了清喉咙，戴上夹鼻眼镜，好像要确认自己没有看错。“喂，维尔森先生，我能加入吗？”他带着淡淡的微笑说道。 He cleared his throat and put on his pince-nez as though he had to make sure he was not mistaken. “Ah， Monsieur Voisin，” he said with a thin undecided smile， “May I join you？” 令人难以琢磨的机会再次以绝对对查维尔有利的优势朝他走来，抽中死签的可能性只有十五分之一，可他这次却没有丝毫欣慰，他被普通百姓所具有的勇气所震撼，他想让这一切尽快结束，就像一副扑克玩得太久了，他只希望有人离开牌桌，结束牌局。 This time Chavel felt no joy even though the elusive odds were back again overwhelmingly in his favor at fifteen to one； he was daunted by the courage of common men. He wanted the whole thing to be over as quickly as possible： like a game of cards which has gone on too long， he only wanted someone to make a move and break up the table. 勒诺特在维尔森身边靠墙坐下，他翻过纸条，背面是信中的一点内容，“是你妻子的？”维尔森问道。“是我女儿的。”勒诺特答道，“请原谅。”他起身走到自己的铺盖处，抽出一本便笺，回到维尔森身边开始写起来。他不慌不忙，认认真真地写下一串纤细而清晰的字迹。 。 Lenotre， sitting down against the wall next to Voisin， turned the slip over： on the back was a scrap of writing. Your-wife？“ Voisin said. “My daughter，” Lenotre said. “Excuse me.” He went over to his roll of bedding and drew out a writing pad. Then he sat down next to Voisin and began to write， carefully， without hurry， a thin legible hand. 这时中死签的概率又回到了10比1. The odds were back to ten to one. 从那时起，对查维尔来说，抽中死签的可能性似乎以一种不可避免的可怕趋势发生着变化。 From that point the odds seemed to move toward Chavel with a dreadful inevitability： 9比1，8比1，抽中死签的可能性好像指向了他。 nine to one， eight to one； they were like a pointing finger. 剩下的人抽得越来越快，越来越随便。 The men who were left drew more quickly and more carelessly： 在查维尔看来，他们似乎都知道了某种秘密，知道他会抽到死签。 they seemed to Chavel to have some inner information —to know that he was the one. 轮到他抽签时，只剩下了3张纸，留给他的机会这么少，在他看来真是不公平。 When his time came to draw there were only three slips left ， and it appeared to Chavel a monstrous injustice that there were so few choices left for him. 他从鞋中抽出一张，接着又认定这是同伴的意志强加给他的，一定有十字。于是他把它放回去，另抽了一张。 He drew one out of the shoe and then feeling certain that this one had been willed on him by his companions and contained the penciled cross he threw it back and snatched another. “律师，你偷看了。”剩下的两个人中有一个大声说道，但另一个让他安静下来。 “You looked， lawyer，” one of the two men exclaimed， but the other quieted him. “他没有偷看，他抽到的是有记号的。” “He didn't look. He's got the marked one now.” “不，不。”查维尔把纸条扔到地上，开始大叫：“我从来就没有同意，你们不能让我替别人去死。” “No，” Chavel said， “no.” He threw the slip upon the ground and cried， “I never consented to the draw. You can't make me die for the rest of you. . . ” 大家惊讶地看着他，但并没有敌意。 They watched him with astonishment but without enmity. 他是一个出身高贵的人。人们没有用自己的标准去衡量他，因为他属于一个别人难以理解的阶层。人们甚至没有把他的行为与胆怯联系起来。 He was a gentleman. They didn't judge him by their own standards： he belonged to an unaccountable class and they didn't at first even attach the idea of cowardice to his actions. “听我说，”查维尔一边哀求，一边举起那张纸条。大家既惊奇又好奇地看着他。“谁接受这张纸条，我就给他10万法郎。” “Listen，” Chavel implored them. He held out the slip of paper and they all watched him with compassionate curiosity. “I'll give a hundred thousand francs to anyone who'll take this.” 他快速移动着小步地从一个人面前走到另一个人面前，朝每一个人展示那张小纸条，好像是拍卖会上的服务员。 He took little rapid steps from one man to another， showing each man the bit of paper as if he were an attendant at an auction. “10万法郎。”他恳求道。人们感到震惊，同样又感到一丝怜悯：他是他们之中惟一的有钱人，这是与众不同之处。 “A hundred thousand francs，” he implored， and they watched him with a kind of shocked pity： he was the only rich man among them and this was a unique situation. 人们无法去比较，只能认定这就是他那个阶层的特点，这犹如一个在异国港口下船就餐的旅游者能从一个碰巧与他同桌的狡猾商人身上总结出该国的国民性格。 They had no means of comparison and assumed that this was a characteristic of his class， just as a traveler stepping off the liner at a foreign port for luncheon sums up a nation's character forever in the wily businessman who happens to share the table with him.
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我头顶烈日站在一艘渔船的滚烫的钢甲板上。这艘渔船在丰收季节一天所处理加工的鱼可达15吨。但现在可不是丰收季节。
2、Although this fishing boat was once the largest fishing base in Central Asia at this moment, when I stood at the bow of the boat and looked into the distance, I saw that the hope of a good harvest was very slim.
这艘渔船此时此刻停泊的地方虽说曾是整个中亚地区最大的渔业基地，但当我站在船头向远处眺望时，却看出渔业丰收的希望非常渺茫。
3、Looking around, the original scene of blue sea waves patting the ship's side no longer exists. Instead, it is a vast, dry and hot desert. Other fishing boats of the fishing fleet were stranded in the desert, scattered among the rolling sand dunes in Pituo.
极目四顾，原先那种湛蓝色海涛轻拍船舷的景象已不复存在，取而代之的是茫茫的一片干燥灼热的沙漠。渔船队的其他渔船也都搁浅在沙漠上，散见于陂陀起伏、绵延至天边的沙丘间。
4、Ten years ago, the Aral Sea was the fourth largest inland lake in the world, comparable to the largest of the Great Lakes in North America.
十年前，咸海还是世界上第四大内陆湖泊，可与北美大湖区五大湖中的最大湖泊相媲美。
5、Now, due to the construction of a poorly considered water conservancy project, the water originally injected into the lake has been introduced into the desert to irrigate cotton fields. The water surface of the great lake, the Aral Sea, has gradually become smaller. The newly formed lakeshore is almost 40 kilometers away from the permanent berthing position of these fishing boats.
而今，由于兴建了一项考虑欠周的水利工程，原来注入此湖的水被引入沙漠灌溉棉田，咸海这座大湖的水面已渐渐变小，新形成的湖岸距离这些渔船永远停泊的位置差不多有40公里远。
6、At the same time, people in the nearby town of molinak are still producing canned fish, but the fish they use are no longer from the Aral Sea, but are transported here from the Pacific fishing base more than 1000 miles away across the West Iberia.
与此同时，这儿附近的莫里那克镇上人们仍在生产鱼罐头，但所用的鱼已不是咸海所产，而是从一千多英里以外的太平洋渔业基地穿越西伯利亚运到这儿来的。
这部分内容主要考察的状语从句的知识点：
状语从句根据其作用可分为时间、地点、原因、条件、目的、结果、让步、方式和比较等从句。状语从句一般由连词(从属连词)引导，也可以由词组引起。从句位于句首或句中时通常用逗号与主句隔开，位于句尾时可以不用逗号隔开。
状语修饰动词、形容词、副词或整个句子。通常由副词、介词短语、动词不定式、分词和从句等担当。
例如：
1、Naturally, our grandparents were pleased to get our phone call.（副词）
当然，我们的祖父母乐于接到我们的电话。
2、We worked hard, from sunrise to sunset.（介词状短语）
我们工作得很努力，从日出到日落。
沙漠之舟艾尔•戈尔 我头顶烈日站在一艘渔船的滚烫的钢甲板上。这艘渔船在丰收季节一天所处理加工的鱼可达15吨。但现在可不是丰收季节。这艘渔船此时此刻停泊的地方虽说曾是整个中亚地区最大的渔业基地，但当我站在船头向远处眺望时，却看出渔业丰收的希望非常渺茫。极目四顾，原先那种湛蓝色海涛轻拍船舷的景象已不复存在，取而代之的是茫茫的一片干燥灼热的沙漠。渔船队的其他渔船也都搁浅在沙漠上，散见于陂陀起伏、绵延至天边的沙丘间。十年前，咸海还是世界上第四大内陆湖泊，可与北美大湖区五大湖中的最大湖泊相媲美。而今，由于兴建了一项考虑欠周的水利工程，原来注入此湖的水被引入沙漠灌溉棉田，咸海这座大湖的水面已渐渐变小，新形成的湖岸距离这些渔船永远停泊的位置差不多有40公里远。与此同时，这儿附近的莫里那克镇上人们仍在生产鱼罐头，但所用的鱼已不是咸海所产，而是从一千多英里以外的太平洋渔业基地穿越西伯利亚运到这儿来的。我因要对造成环境危机的原因进行调查而得以周游世界，考察和研究许多类似这样破坏生态环境的事例。一九八八年深秋时节，我来到地球的最南端。高耸的南极山脉中太阳在午夜穿过天空中的一个孔洞照射着地面，我站在令人难以置信的寒冷中，与一位科学家进行着一场谈话，内容是他正在挖掘的时间隧道。这位科学家一撩开他的派克皮大衣，我便注意到他脸上因烈日的曝晒而皮肤皲裂，干裂的皮屑正一层层地剥落。他一边讲话一边指给我看。从我们脚下的冰川中挖出的一块岩心标本上的年层。他将手指．到二十年前的冰层上，告诉我说，“这儿就是美国国会审议通过化空气法案的地方。”这里虽处地球之顶端，距美国首都华盛顿两大洲之遥，但世界上任何一个国家只要将废气排放量减少一席在空气污染程度上引起的相应变化便能在南极这个地球上最偏而人迹难至的地方反映出来。迄今为止，地球大气层最重要的变化始于上世纪初的工业命，变化速度自那以后逐渐加快。工业意味着先是煤、后是石油消耗。我们燃烧了大量的煤和石油——导致大气层二氧化碳含的增加，这就使更多的热量得以留存在大气层中，从而使地球的候逐渐变暖。离南极极点不到一百码远，在雪上飞机降落的冰铺道上风处，科学家们一日数次地测量大气，以便绘制图表记录下无情的变化。雪上飞机在冰铺跑道上降落后，引擎仍得保持运聋以防金属部件冻住而无法发动。在我访问期间，我观看了一位科家绘出那天的测量结果，把图表上一条斜度很大的上升的线再上推进。他告诉我——在这地球的尽头——很容易看清全球大层的巨大变化的速度仍在加快。两年半以后，在地球的另一端，在寒冷至极的北冰洋上漂浮的一块十二英尺厚的冰板上搭起的小帐篷里我又体验到了在午的阳光下睡觉的滋味。饱吃了一顿早餐后，我和同伴们一起乘雪防滑汽车北行数英里，到了约定会合地点，那儿的冰层较薄——有三英尺半厚——水下有一艘核潜艇在那儿徘徊着。潜艇破冰上来，载上新的乘客后又潜了下去。我也就开始同那些正设法以高的精确度测量极地冰帽厚度的科学家们进行交谈。许多人认北极冰层由于地球气候的转暖而正在变薄。此前我刚刚通过谈使美国海军方面与研究北极冰层的科学家达成协议，向他们提由水下声纳系统探测得到的本来属于最高机密的有关资料，这资料有助于他们了解北极冰层所发生的情况。现在我想实地考一下北极极点。我们登上潜艇约八个小时后，潜艇冲破冰层浮上面。于是，我便置身于一片神奇瑰丽的冰雪世界中。雪原上寒风劲扫，银光闪耀，其边缘则是一道由连绵起伏的小冰丘或由冰席相撞、相互挤压而形成小型山脉的冰层“压脊”勾勒出的地平线。但即使在这儿，空气中二氧化碳的含量也在不断上升，最后气温也必然会随之上升——事实上，地球气候变暖会使南北极地区在气温上升的速度上远高于世界的其他地区。随着极地气温的升高，这里的冰层会融化变薄。由于南北极的冰帽对全球的气候有着至关重要的调节作用，它们的融化将会带来灾难性的后果。探索这些问题并不是一种纯理论性的工作。我从北极回来后过了六个月，就有一队科学家报称北极冰层的分布结构已发生显著变化；另一队科学家则在考察报告中提出了一个更有争议的说法(如今已有大量资料可以佐证)：总体说来，仅在过去十年当中，北极冰层已融化了百分之二。另外，科学家们还在几年前就已证实，在北极圈以北的许多地区，春季雪融的时间逐年提前，而且冻土带的地下深处的温度都在稳步上升。凑巧的是，破坏生态环境的一些最典型的、最令人担忧的事例刚好都发生在南北极正中间的地方——巴西境内的赤道带上——那儿滚滚浓烟时常弥漫着辽阔但现又面临着破坏的亚马孙热带雨林的上空。亚马孙雨林正被人们大片大片地烧毁，以便腾出空地作饲养速食肉牛的牧场。我1989年初去那儿时得知，现在旱季时节放火焚烧森林的时间正逐年提前，其结果是每年都有面积比整个田纳西州还大的大片森林遭到砍伐焚烧。据给我们当向导的生物学家汤姆•洛夫乔伊介绍，亚马孙雨林中每平方英里的林区栖息的禽鸟种类多于整个北美洲现存的禽鸟种类——这就意味着我们正在使成千上万种我们从来没有听到过的飞禽的歌声永远消失。 人们也不一定非要周游世界才能目睹人类对地球的破坏。今天的世界上，预示着地球生态危机的景象已是随处可见。在北方高纬度地区，夜晚的天空有时也会呈现出另一种预示地球上日趋严重的生态失衡的阴森景象。假如日落后天空明朗无云——而且你又置身于一个空气污染还没有严重到足以完全遮蔽夜空的地方进行观察的话——你会看见天空高处有时会出现一种奇异的云团。这种“夜光云团”偶尔出现于夜幕开始笼罩大地的时候，它呈半透明的白色，在高空中闪烁发光，看起来颇不像自然之物。其实，这种云团也确非自然之物：近年来由于大气中甲烷含量的大幅度增高，夜光云团的出现频率也随着上升了。(甲烷又称天然气，它产生于填土、煤矿、糠壳、新砍伐的林地里群聚的白蚁、燃烧生物以及人类许多其他的活动过程中。)虽说过去天空偶尔也出现过夜光云团，但大气层中所含的那些过量的甲烷会将更多的水蒸气带到高层大气中；水蒸气在更高处凝结，会形成更厚的云层，夜幕降临以后很久，这些位于高空的云层下方还在受着太阳光的照射。对天空中出现的这些奇异现象我们应当如何看待呢?是仅仅叹为奇观还是怀着像我们在动物园中观看动物时感受到的那种复杂的感情?也许我们应当为自己所具有的破坏力而惊奇赞叹：正如人类由于大量猎取象牙致使大象面临灭种威胁一样，我们今天正由于大量糟蹋和破坏地球上的自然资源而使白天和黑夜之间的平衡遭到破坏。我们的这种行为更进一步地增加了地球变暖的危险，因为甲烷是一种形成速度极快韵温室效应气体，它在大气中的总含量仅次于二氧化碳和水蒸气，使高空大气层的化学成分都发生了变化。即使不去考虑这种危险，但只要意识到我们让这些闪烁着阴森森的鬼火般光亮的云团笼罩着自己头顶上的夜空，这还不就足以令我们警醒吗?难道说是我们的眼睛因为过分习惯于人类文明之光而对这些云团视而不见——看不出它们乃是人类文明同地球之间的激烈冲突的一种具体表现形式吗? 尽管有时很难理解其真正含义，我们大家都曾耳闻目睹过一些反映人类对生态环境造成破坏的惊人的现象——或是气温超过一百度的高温天气出现频率的增加，或是太阳灼伤人的皮肤的速度的加快，或是公众对越积越多的废物该如何处理这一问题进行讨论的热情的高涨。但是，我们大家对这些现象所作的反应却很有点奇怪。我们为何不采取切实有效的行动来保护生态环境呢?这个问题也可以换一种方式来问：为什么有些现象会引起我们重视，促使我们立即采取行动，努力寻求有效对策?为什么另外一些现象，虽然有时也同样严重，却让人们无动于衷，人们的注意力不是集中在寻求积极有效的对策而是某种方便省事的规避策略呢? 话说回来，由于令人担忧的生态环境受到破坏的现象太多了，使人有时确乎难以认识其实质意义和影响。在对这些威胁生态环境的现象进行考察分析之前，下面的做法也许是有益的：对这些现象进行分级归类，从而使我们的思想感情条理化，以便根据实际情况采取相应的合理的对策。有一套行之有效的分级归类方法源自于军队。他们经常将冲突根据其发生范围的大小分为三级，即“局部性冲突”，“地区性战斗”，及“战略性对抗”。第三级指的是直接威胁到一个国家的生存，因而必须以全球局势为背景来进行认识的军事对抗行为。对生态环境方面的危机也可以这样来加以考虑。比如，水域的污染、空气的污染和非法倾倒垃圾的行为多半属于局部性的问题，而诸如酸雨、地下含水层的污染以及大面积的石油泄漏一类的问题则基本上是地区性的。这两类问题都带有普遍性，世界各地可能同时出现性质相同的局部性问题和地区性问题，因此，这些局部性问题和地区性问题又似乎可以看作是全球性的问题。但它们并不属于战略性问题，因为这些问题并没有对全球生态环境的本质结构造成影响，也没有直接威胁到人类社会的生存。 然而，新的一类环境问题确实影响全球生态系统，而这些威胁基本上是战略性的。过去四十年中大气层氯的含量增加了百分之六百，这不仅发生在那些生产与此直接相关的氟里昂的国家，而且发生在所有国家的上空，还同样发生在南极上空、北极上空和太平洋上空——从地球表面一直到天空深处。氯含量的增加破坏了地球调节太阳通过大气层射到地面的紫外线辐射量的全球程序。如果我们让氯含量继续增加，那么紫外线辐射量也将增加——终有一天会威胁到所有的动植物的生存。地球气候转暖也是一种战略性威胁。自第二次世界大战以来，大气层中二氧化碳和其他一些吸热物质分子的含量已增加了近百分之二十五，这便对地球自身具有的调节太阳热量在大气层中存留量的能力构成了世界性的威胁。由此导致的大气层中热量的增高会严重破坏地球的气候平衡机制，从而影响到地球上的风量、雨量、地面温度、洋流和海面高度，而正是这些因素反过来又决定着陆地和海上动植物的生态分布，也在很大程度上决定着人类社会的定居地点和生活方式。换句话说，由于人类社会已突然具备了改变整个地球而不只是某一特定地区的生态环境的能力，人类与地球之间的关系便整个地发生了改变。众所周知，人类文明对地球上的环境一贯有着极大的影响。且举一例来说明吧：还在远古时代，人类为了觅食求生，有时便纵火焚毁大片原始森林，这是有据可考的。而在今天我们这个时代，人类已经把地球表面的很大一部分完全改换了面貌，城镇里的地面换成了混凝土，乡村里的地面则改造成了精心培育的稻田、牧场、麦田和其他农作物种植地。人类加于地球上的这类改变，有时虽然似乎有着深远的影响，但它们对全球生态系统直到最近仍只产生着微不足道的影响。在我们这个时代以前，的确可以高枕无忧地认为，无论是人类所曾做过的或是所能做的任何事情，都不可能对地球上的环境产生永久性的影响。但是今天，我们却必须抛弃这种想当然的想法，这样才能够以战略性眼光来考虑并重新认识我们人类同地球环境之间的关系。今天，人类文明已成了地球生态环境变化的主要原因。然而，我们却拒不承认这一事实，并且觉得很难想象，人类对地球的影响，现在也得用测量月球对海水的吸引力或暴风对高山的侵蚀作用的方法来测量。假如我们现在已有能力改变像太阳与地球之间的关系这样重要事物的话，我们自然应该承认自己有责任谨慎而有节制地使用这种权力。但迄今为止，我们似乎对地球上十分脆弱的生态系统漠然置之。本世纪中有两个决定人类与地球之间的本质关系的关键因素发生了重大变化：一是人口的急剧增长，二是科学技术的突飞猛进。世界人口每十年的增长数字就相当于全中国的人口总数，而科技的发展使我们具有了几乎是不可思议的力量，可以对构成这个地球的物质恣意地进行焚烧、砍伐、挖掘、搬运和改造。人口的增长既是人类与地球之间的关系发生变化的一个原因，同时也是向人们昭示这一变化有多么巨大的一个显著标志，在我们从历史的角度来看待这一问题的时候尤其如此。自二十万年前现代人类开始出现时起直到朱利叶斯•凯撒的时代，在地球上生活过的人类总计不足二亿五千万。一千五百年后，当克里斯托弗•哥伦布扬帆渡海去寻找新大陆时，地球上的人口大约是五亿。到托马斯•杰佛逊起草《独立宣言》的一七七六年，地球上的人口便又翻了一番，达到十亿。到本世纪中叶，第二次世界大战结束之时，地球上的人口总数刚过二十亿。换句话说，自人类最初出现时起到一九四五年，经历了一万多代人的时间才使世界人口达到二十亿。而如今，在一个人——我——的一生的时间里，世界人口便能从二十亿增长到九十亿。目前，这个增长过程业已完成一大半。像人口增长的情形一样，科学技术的发展在十八世纪慢慢开始加速，而现在的发展速度则以代数指数的速度递增。举例来说，在科学的许多领域中现在都有这样一个公认的说法：最近十年中产生的重大科学新发现超过以往科学史上的新发现的总和。尽管任何一项新发现对人类与地球之间的关系所造成的影响都无法同核武器对人类与战争的关系所造成的影响相比，但这些科学发现结合在一起，却是千真万确地使人类所积累的开发利用地球资源以求生存的能力发生了根本性的变化——在这样的条件下，如果人类不加节制地随意开发利用地球资源，其后果就会同随意发动核战争一样不堪设想。 既然人类与地球之间的关系发生了这样根本性的变化，我们就有必要考察分析这一变化并认清其实质意义。我们首先需要认识的是，目前正在世界各地不断发生的破坏生态环境的各种令人怵目惊心的事例，除了对我们产生震撼和警醒作用外，它们之间还有许多共同的特点。它们标志着一个在影响范围和严重性方面都是人类前所未遇的大问题的存在。地球气候的转暖、臭氧层的破坏、物种的消亡、森林的毁坏——这些现象有一个共同的原因：人类文明与地球生态平衡的关系的变化。我们的认识任务包含两个方面：一是要认识到人类对地球进行破坏的能力具有全球性的、甚至是永久性的影响；二是要认识到，理解人类作为大自然的创造者之一的新角色的唯一方法，是将自己视为一套不按我们所熟悉的因果定律运作的复杂体系的一个组成部分。我们所要解决的不是人类对环境如何产生影响的问题，而是人类如何处理同环境关系的问题。因此，要寻求解决问题的办法，就必须仔细研究、认真评估这种关系的重要性，也要认真分析评估人类文明中各种要素之间以及这些要素与地球生态系统的各个主要组成部分之间的相互关系的重要性。 对我们的思维方式提出这种挑战性要求的先例只有一个，而这一先例又是来自军事方面的。核武器的发明及其后美国和苏联研制出成千上万的战略性核武器这一现实，迫使人们痛苦地、逐渐地认识到，由发展核武器而获取的新能量不仅永远改变了两个超级大国之间的关系而且也永远地改变了人类与战争惯例之间的关系。拥有核武器的国家之间如果爆发全面大战，其结果可能是双方同时而彻底的毁灭。这一认识使人们头脑清醒起来，开始认真地对这样一种战争的前景下双方关系的各个方面重新进行认识。早在一九四六年就有一位军事战略家下过断言，认为使用核弹进行的战略轰炸“完全有可能撕开长期掩盖着战争性质变化的那一层薄纱，现实是战争已由拼斗厮杀发展成为彻底的毁灭”。然而，在核军备竞赛的初期，两个超级大国都一厢情愿地认为他们扩充军备的行动会对对方的思维产生完全直接的影响。几十年来，双方在研制新武器方面的每一点进展都是为了用来威胁对方，但每次这样做的结果却只是促使对方加倍努力地研制配备更先进的武器。慢慢地，人们终于看清了：造成核军备竞赛问题的主要因素并不是科技。核军备竞赛问题因科学技术的发展而变得复杂了，这倒没错，但其起因却在于两个超级大国之间互相对峙的关系，而其根源则在于人们对战争究竟意味着什么这一问题的陈旧的认识。解决军备竞赛问题的最终办法也许能够找到，但不能从竞赛双方中任何一方研制出某种终极武器的行动中去寻找，也不能从任何一方单方面裁军的决定中去寻找，而只能从双方重新认识并调整彼此间的关系的行动中去寻找。要完成这种关系的调整，必须使武器制造技术发生变化，并对凶悍好斗国家封锁核技术，但更为重要的还是要使我们自己对于战争和国与国之间的关系等问题发生思想认识上的变化。当前人类文明对全球环境的威胁的战略实质以及全球环境的变化对人类文明的威胁的战略实质向我们提出了一系列相似的挑战，同时也使我们产生了一些自欺欺人的期望。有的人认为，有了某种崭新的终极技术——不管是核能还是基因工程——就可以解决这个问题。还有的人则认为，只有大大减少我们对技术的依赖才能改善人类的生存环境——这种看法充其量是一种简单化的看法。真正的解决办法要从重新设计以及最终弥合文明与地球间的关系中去寻找。要完成这一点，只有通过重新仔细估量导致这种关系在较近时期内发生的剧烈变化的所有各种因素才行。改变我们与地球的关系的途径当然会涉及到新技术的发明和应用，但关键的变化将与对这种关系本身的新的思路有关。
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lesson8-10 人生的一课 快一年了，大部分时间我都泡在家里、店铺、学校和教堂里，就像一块旧饼干，又脏又难以下咽。 For nearly a year， I sopped around the house， the Store， the school and the church， like an old biscuit， dirty and inedible. 这时我遇到或者说认识了抛给我第一根救生索的那位夫人。 Then I met， or rather got to know， the lady who threw me first lifeline. 波萨？弗劳尔斯夫人是斯坦普司黑人区中的出类拔萃的人物。 Mrs. Bertha Flowers was the aristocrat of Black Stamps. 她动作优雅，即使在最冷的天气里也不缩手缩脚，而在阿肯色州的夏日里，她似乎又有属于自己的微风环绕在她的身旁，给她带来凉爽。 She had the grace of control to appear warm in the coldest weather， and one the Arkansas summer days it seemed she had a private breeze which swirled around， cooling her. 她的皮肤深黑迷人，如果被挂住就会像李子皮一样剥落，但没有人敢离她近点，碰皱她的衣服，更不要说挂住她的皮肤了。 Her skin was a rich black that would have peeled like a plum if snagged， but then no one would have thought of getting close enough to Mrs. Flowers to ruffle her dress， let alone snag her skin. 她不太喜欢亲近，另外她还带着手套。 She didn't encourage familiarity. She wore gloves too. 她是我所知道的为数不多的有气质的女士之一，并且是我做人的楷模，影响了我一生。 She was one of the few gentlewomen I have ever known， and has remained throughout my life the measure of what a human being can be. 我被她深深地吸引，因为她像是我从没有亲身遇到过的那些人。 She appealed to me because she was like people I had never met personally. 她就像英国小说中的女人，走在沼泽地里（不管是什么地方），一群忠实的狗奔跑在她们的身旁，并与她们保持一定的距离以示尊敬。 Like women in English novels who walked the moors （whatever they were） with their loyal dogs racing at a respectful distance. 她就像坐在炉火熊熊的壁炉前的女人，不时从装满蛋糕和松脆饼的银盘中取东西喝。 Like the women who sat in front of roaring fireplaces， drinking tea incessantly from silver trays full of scones and crumpets. 她就像走在“石南丛生的荒野”中，读着用摩洛哥山羊皮装订的书的那些女人，而且有用连字符隔开的两个姓。 Women who walked over the “heath” and read morocco-bound books and had two last names divided by a hyphen. 可以肯定地说，是她本人使我为自己是个黑人而感到骄傲。 It would be safe to say that she made me proud to be Negro， just by being herself. 那个在我的记忆中如甜奶般鲜活的夏日的午后，她来我们的店里买东西。 One summer afternoon， sweet-milk fresh in my memory， she stopped at the Store to buy provisions. 换了另外一个同她身体情况和年龄相当的黑人妇女就会一只手把纸袋拎回家去，但奶奶却说，“弗劳尔斯大姐，让贝利帮你把东西送回家去。” Another Negro woman of her health and age would have been expected to carry the paper sacks home in one hand， but Momma said， “Sister Flowers， I'll send Bai-ley up to your house with these things.” “谢谢您，汉德森夫人。但我想让玛格丽特帮我送回去。” “Thank you， Mrs. Henderson. I'd prefer Marguerite， though.” 她说我名字时，我的名字也变得动听起来。 My name was beautiful when she said it. “反正我一直想跟她谈一谈。”她们互相对视了一下，其间的意思只有她们这些同龄人才明白。 “I've been mean-ins to talk to her， anyway.” They gave each other agegroup looks. 在石头路旁有一条小路，弗劳尔斯夫人在前面摆动着胳膊，在碎石路上小心地走着。 There was a little path beside the rocky road， and Mrs. Flowers walked in front swinging her arms and picking her way over the stones. 她没有回头，对我说，“听说你在学校里功课很好，玛格丽特，但那都是笔头作业。老师说他们很难让你在课堂上发言。” She said， without turning her head， to me， “I hear you're doing very good school work， Marguerite， but that it's all written. The teachers report that they have trouble getting you to talk in class. 我们走过左边三角形的农场，路变宽了，可以允许我们并排走在一起。但我畏缩地走在后面，想着那些没有问出口也无法回答的问题。 We passed the triangular farm on our left and the path widened to allow us to walk together. I hung back in the separate unasked and unanswerable questions. “过来和我一起走，玛格丽特。”我无法拒绝，尽管我很想。 “Come and walk along with me， Marguerite.” I couldn't have refused even if I wanted to. 她把我的名字叫得如此动听。或者更确切地说，她把每个词都说得这样清晰，我相信就是一个不懂英语的外国人也能听懂她的话。 She pronounced my name so nicely. Or more correctly， she spoke each word with such clarity that I was certain a foreigner who didn't understand English could have understood her. “现在没有人要强迫你说话——恐怕也没人能做到这一点。但是你记住，语言是人类进行沟通的方式，是语言将人类同低等动物区分开来。” “Now no one is going to make you talk —possibly no one can. But bear in mind， language is man's way of communicating with his fellow man and it is language alone which separates him from the lower animals.” 这对我来说是一个全新的观点，我需要些时间认真考虑一下。 That was a totally new idea to me， and I would need time to think about it. “你奶奶说你读了很多书，一有机会就读。这很好，但还不够好，言语的含义不仅是写在纸上的那点。它需要人的声音赋予它深层含义的细微差别。” “Your grandmother says you read a lot. Every chance you get. That's good， but not good enough. Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with the shades of deeper meaning. ” 我记住了有关声音赋予言语更多内涵的话。这些话听起来是那么正确，那么富有诗意。 I memorized the part about the human voice infusing words. It seemed so valid and poetic. 她说她要给我一些书，要我不仅阅读这些书，还要大声朗读。 She said she was going to give me some books and that I not only must read them， I must read them aloud. 她建议我用尽可能丰富的语调去读每一句话。 She suggested that i try to make a sentence sound in as many different ways as possible. “如果你草草读完这些书就还给我的话，我不接受任何理由。” “I'll accept no excuse if you return a book to me that has been badly handled.” 我想像不出如果我真的没有认真读弗劳尔斯夫人的某一本书，将会受到怎样的惩罚。让我去死恐怕是太仁慈太干脆了。 My imagination boggled at the punishment I would deserve if in fact I did abuse a book of Mrs. Flowers'。 Death would be too kind and brief. 房子里的气味让我有点吃惊。 The odors in the house surprised me. 不知什么缘故，我从来没有将弗劳尔斯夫人与食物、吃饭或是平常人的琐事联系起来。 Somehow I had never connected Mrs. Flowers with food or eating or any other common experience of common people. 那里一定也有户外厕所，但我一点也记不起来了。 There must have been an outhouse， too， but my mind never recorded it. 她打开门，香草的芬芳迎面扑来。 The sweet scent of vanilla had met us as she opened the door. “今天早上我做了些茶点。你瞧，我早打算好要请你来吃点心、柠檬水，这样我们就可以聊一会了。柠檬水正放在冰盒子里呢。” “I made tea cookies this morning. You see， I had planned to invite you for cookies and lemonade so we could have this little chat. The lemonade is in the icebox.” 这意味着弗劳尔斯夫人平时也买冰，而镇上大多数人家只是在星期六下午才买冰，放在木头做的冰淇凌冷藏机内，整个夏天也不过只买几次。 It followed that Mrs. Flowers would have ice on an ordinary day， when most families in our town bought ice late on Saturdays only a few times during the summer to be used in the wooden ice-cream freezers. “坐吧，玛格丽特，坐到那边桌子旁。” “Have a seat， Marguerite. Over there by the table.” 她端着一个用茶布盖着的盘。 She carried a platter covered with a tea towel. 尽管她事先说过她已经好久没有做点心了，我还是相信就像她的其他任何东西一样，点心也会十分精美可口。 Although she warned that she hadn't tried her hand at baking sweets for some time， I was certain that like everything else about her the cookies would be perfect. 我吃点心的时候，她开始给我讲我们后来称之为“我生活中的一课”的第一部分。 As I ate she began the first of what we later called “my lesson in living.” 她告诉我不能宽容无知，但可以理解文盲。 She said that must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. 她认为有些人虽然没有上过学，但却比大学教授更有知识，甚至更聪明。 That some people， unable to go to school， were more educated and even more intelligent than college professors. 她还鼓励我认真倾听被乡下人称为常识的一些俗语。她说这些朴实谚语是一代代人集体智慧的结晶。 She encouraged me to listen carefully to what country people called mother wit. That in those homely sayings was couched the collective wisdom of generations 我吃完点心后，她把桌子打扫干净，从书架上拿了一本又厚又小的书。 When I finished the cookies she brushed off the table and brought a thick， small book from the bookcase. 我读过《双城记》，认为这本书符合我心目中浪漫主义小说的标准。 I had read A Tale of Two Cities and found it up to my standards as a romantic novel. 她翻开第一页，于是我平生第一次听到了诗朗诵。 She opened the first page and I heard poetry for the first time in my life. “这是最辉煌的时代也是最糟糕的时代……”她的声音圆润，随着言语的起伏而抑扬顿挫，就像在唱歌一样。 “It was the best of times and the worst of times. . .” Her voice slid in and curved down through and over the words. She was nearly singing. 我想看一下她读的是否真的和我过去看的一样？ I wanted to look at the pages. Were they the same that I had read？ 还是像赞美诗一样，书页上满是音符？ Or were there notes， music， lined on the pages， as in a hymn book？ 她的声音开始慢慢低沉下来。 Her sounds began cascading gently. 我听过很多次布道，因此我知道她的朗诵就要结束了，但我还没有真正听见或听懂一个词。 I knew from listening to a thousand preachers that she was nearing the end of her reading， and I hadn't really heard， heard to understand， a single word. “你觉得怎么样？” “How do you like that？” 我这才意识到她在期待我的回答。 It occurred to me that she expected a response. 我的舌间还留有香草的余味，她的朗诵对我来说很奇妙。 The sweet vanilla flavor was still on my tongue and her reading was a wonder in my ears. 我得说点什么了。 I had to speak. 我说：“是的，夫人。”我至少得说这些，我也只能说这些。 I said， “Yea， ma'am.” It was the least I could do， but it was the most also. “还有一件事。你把这本诗集拿去，背下其中的一首。下次你再来看我时，我希望你背诵给我听。” 'There s one more thing. Take this book of poems and memorize one for me. Next time you pay me a visit， I want you to recite.“ 在经历了成年后的复杂生活后，我多次试图弄清楚为什么当年她送给我的礼物一下子就让我陶醉了。 I have tried often to search behind the sophistication of years for the enchantment I so easily found in those gifts. 书中的内容已经忘却，但余韵仍存。 The essence escapes but its aura remains. 被准许，不，是被邀请进入一群陌生人的私人生活中，与他们共同分享喜悦和恐惧，这使我读贝奥武夫时就犹如喝一杯蜜酒，读奥立佛？特威斯特时，犹如饮一杯热奶茶，忘记了那犹如南方苦艾酒般的痛苦经历。 To be allowed， no， invited， into the private lives of strangers， and to share their joys and fears， was a chance to exchange the Southern bitter wormwood for a cup of mead with Be-owulf or a hot cup of tea and milk with Oliver Twist. 当我大声地说“这比我做过的任何一件事都好得多”时，我眼中涌出了爱的泪水，那是为了自己的忘我 When I said aloud， “It is a far， far better thing that I do， than I have ever done…” tears of love filled my eyes at my selflessness. 在我第一次去她家回来，我跑下山去冲到马路上（路上很少有车经过），快到店铺时我还居然没忘了停下来。 On that first day， I ran down the hill and into the road （few cars ever came along it） and had the good sense to stop running before I reached the Store. 有人喜欢我，这是多么的不同啊。 was liked， and what a difference it made. 有人尊敬我，并不是因为我是汉德森夫人的外孙女或是贝利的妹妹，而是因为我是玛格丽特？约翰逊。 I was respected not as Mrs. Henderson's grandchild or Bailey's sister but for just being Marguerite Johnson. 孩提时的逻辑永远不需要证实（所有的结论都是绝对的）。 Childhood's logic never asks to be proved （all conclusions are absolute）。 我从来没有想过为什么弗劳尔斯夫人会选中我来表示关怀，也从来没想过也许是奶奶曾请求她开导我一下。 1 didn't question why Mrs. Flowers had singled me out for attention， nor did it occur to me that Momma might have asked her to give me a little talking to. 我只关心她曾给我做点心吃，还给我读她最喜欢的书。这些足以证明她喜欢我 All I cared about was that she had made tea cookies for me and read to me from her favorite book. It was enough to prove that she liked me. 奶奶和贝利在店铺里等我。 Momma and Bailey were waiting inside the Store. 他问：“她给了你什么？”他已经看到那些书了，但我把装着他那份点心的纸袋放在怀里，用诗集挡住。 He said. “My， what did she give you？” He had seen the books， but I held the paper sack with his cookies in my arms shielded by the poems. 奶奶说：“小姐，我知道你的举止像位女士。 Momma said， “Sister， I know you acted like a little lady. That do my heart good to see settled people take to you all. 我已经尽努力了，上帝知道，但这些天……“她的声音低下来，”快去把衣服换了。 I'm trying my best， the Lord knows， but these days…“ Her voice trailed off. ”Go on in and change your dress.
第十个人 Lesson Ten The Tenth Man 就在第二天下午3点（闹钟上的时间），一个军官走进了牢房。这是他们几星期以来见到的第一位军官。他非常年轻，甚至小胡子的形状也显示出他不够老练，左边的胡子剃得重了点。 It was at three the next afternoon （alarm clock time） that an officer entered the cell； the first officer they had seen for weeks – and this one was very young， with inexperience even in the shape of his mustache which he had shaved too much on the left side. 他就像一个初次登台领奖的小学生一样窘迫不安，他说起话来粗鲁无礼，似乎要显示一种他并不具备的力量。 He was as embarrassed as a schoolboy making his first entry on a stage at a prize-giving， and he spoke abruptly so as to give the impression of a strength he did not possess. 他说道：“昨天夜间城里发生了几起谋杀，一名军事长官的副手、一位中士和一个骑自行车的女孩被杀。”他又说道：“我们不在乎女孩的死。法国男人杀死法国女人不关我们的事。” He said， “There were murders last night in the town. The aide-de-camp of the military governor， a sergeant and a girl on a bicycle.” He added， “We don't complain about the girl. Frenchmen have our permission to kill Frenchwomen.” 很明显他事先仔细斟酌了他的讲话，但他的嘲弄做过了头，他的表演也很业余。 He had obviously thought up his speech carefully beforehand， but the irony was overdone and the delivery that of an amateur actor： 整个场面就像手势字谜游戏那样矫饰做作。 the whole scene was as unreal as a charade. 他接着说道：“你们知道自己为什么来这里，你们在这里好吃好喝，过着舒适的日子，而我们的人却在工作和战斗。不过现在你们必须付出代价了。不要怪我们，要怪你们自己的杀人凶手。我的命令是集中营里每十个人要有一个被枪决。你们有多少人？”“报数。”他厉声喝道人们闷闷不乐地照办了。“28，29，30.”人们知道不用数他也知道人数，这不过是他玩的把戏中不可省略的一句台词…… He said， “You know what you are here for， living comfortably， on fine rations， while our men work and fight. Well， now you've got to pay the hotel bill. Don't blame us. Blame your own murderers. My orders are that one man in every ten shall be shot in this camp. How many of you are there？” He shouted sharply， “Number off，” and sullenly they obeyed， “…… twenty-eight， twenty-nine， thirty.” They knew he knew without counting. This was just a line in his charade he couldn't sacrifice. 他说道：“那么，你们的名额是三个，我们并不关心是哪三个人。你们可以自己选择。死刑于明天早上7点执行。” He said， “Your allotment then is three. We are quite indifferent as to which three. You can choose for yourselves. The funeral rites will begin at seven tomorrow morning.” 他玩的把戏结束了，人们可以听到他的脚步响亮地敲击着沥青路渐渐远去。 The charade was over： they could hear his feet striking sharply on the asphalt going away. 查维尔忽然很想知道他打的手势是什么字。要他们猜的是不是“夜间”，“姑娘”，“旁边”或“30”。不，不是。谜底肯定是“人质”。 Chavel wondered for a moment what syllable had been acted —“night，”“girl，”“aside，” or perhaps “thirty，” but it was of course the whole word—“hostage. ” 牢房里很长时间没人说话。后来一个叫克拉夫的阿尔萨斯人开口道：“好了，我们有人自愿吗？” The silence went on a long time， and then a man called Krogh， an Alsatian， said， “Well， do we have to volunteer？” “废话。”一个职员说道。他是一个上了年纪的戴着夹鼻眼镜的老头。他接着说道：“没人会自愿，我们必须抽签。除非有人认为应按年龄决定——最老的先死。” “Rubbish，” said one of the clerks， a thin elderly man in pince-nez， “nobody will volunteer. We must draw lots.” He added， “Un-less it is thought that we should go by ages —the oldest first. ” “不，不行。”另一个人说道，“那不公平。” “No， no，” one of the others said， “that would be unjust. ” “这是自然规律。” “It's the way of nature.” “那算什么自然规律。”又一个人说道，“我有个女儿，5岁时就死了。” “Not even the way of nature，” another said. “1 had a child who died when she was five……” “我们必须抽签。”市长坚定地说。 “We must draw lots，” the mayor said firmly. “只有这样才公正。”他坐在那里，双手依然紧贴在肚子上，遮挡着他的怀表，但是整个牢房里都能听见怀表清脆的滴答声。 “It is the only fair thing.” He sat with his hands still pressed over his stomach， hiding his watch， but all through the cell you could hear its blunt tick lock tick. 他接着又说道：“由未婚者抽签，已婚者除外，他们有责任。” He added， “On the unmarried. The married should not be included. They have responsibilities… “哈，哈！”皮埃尔说道，“我们明白了。为什么已婚者就应逃脱？他们的事儿已经做完了。当然，你结婚了吧？” “Ha， ha，” Pierre said， “we see through that. Why should the married get off？ Their work's finished. You， of course， are married？” “我的妻子不在了。”市长说，“我现在是未婚，你呢？” “I have lost my wife，” the mayor said， “I am not married now. And you…” “结了。”皮埃尔答道。 “Married，” Pierre said. 市长开始解下怀表。发现皮埃尔处境安全，他似乎更坚信作为怀表的主人自己必定是下一个牺牲者。 The mayor began to undo his watch； the discovery that his rival was safe seemed to confirm his belief that as the owner of time he was bound to be the next victim. 他环顾了每一个人，然后选择了查维尔。也许是因为只有他穿着西服背心适合戴表链。他说道：“查维尔先生，我想让你替我拿着怀表，万一……” He looked from face to face and chose Chavel， perhaps because he was the only man with a waistcoat fit to take the chain. He said， “Monsieur Chavel， I want you to hold this watch for me in case…” “你找别人吧！”查维尔说，“我还没结婚呢。” “you'd better choose someone else，” Chavel said. “I am not married.” 那个老职员又开口了，“我结婚了，我有权说话。 The elderly clerk spoke again. He said， “I'm married. I've got the right to speak. 我们正把一切引向歧途。这不是我们最后一次抽签。如果这儿有一个特权阶层——那些最终将活着的人，大家想想，牢房里会是什么样子。你们其他人很快就会痛恨我们。你们害怕，而我们将不再担心。“ We are going the wrong way about all this. Everyone must draw lots. This isn't the last draw we shall have， and picture to yourselves what it will be like in this cell if we have a privileged class —the ones who are left to the end. The rest of you will soon begin to hate us. We shall be left out of your fear. . . “ “他说得对。”皮埃尔说。 “He's right，” Pierre said. 市长重新握紧了怀表，说道：“就照你们的主意办。要是能够这样征税的话……”他做了个绝望的手势。 The mayor refastened his watch. “Have it your own way，” he said. “But if the taxes were levied like this…” He gave a gesture of despair. “我们如何抽签？”克拉夫问道。 “How do we draw？” Krogh asked. 查维尔答道：“最快的办法就是从一只鞋里抽出画有记号的纸条。” Chavel said， “The quickest way would be to draw marked papers out of a shoe. . .” 克拉夫轻蔑地说：“那么快干吗？对于我们当中几个人来说这可是最后一次赌博了。我们蛮可以享受一番。我提议赌抛硬币。” Krogh said contemptuously， “Why the quickest way？ This is the last gamble some of us will have. We may as well enjoy it. I say a coin.” “这不好。”那个职员说，“抛硬币不是一个公平、合理的办法。” “It won't work，” the clerk said. “You can't get a even chance with a coin.” “惟一的办法就是抽签。”市长说道。 “The only way is to draw，” the mayor said. 职员开始为抽签做准备，为此他牺牲了一封家信。 The clerk prepared the draw， sacrificing for it one of his letters from home. 他很快地看了一遍信，然后把它撕成30张小纸条。 He read it rapidly for the last time， and then tore it into thirty pieces. 他用铅笔在其中三张上画上十字，然后把每张纸条都叠上。 On three pieces he made a cross in pencil， and then folded each piece. 他接着说：“克拉夫的鞋。”大家把纸条放在地下搅乱，然后装进了鞋子里。 “Krogh's got the biggest shoe，” he said. They shuffled the pieces on the floor and then dropped them into the shoe. “我们按姓氏的字母顺序抽签。”市长说。 “We'll draw in alphabetical order，” the mayor said. “从Z开始抽。”查维尔说道。他的安全感开始动摇了。他急切想喝点什么，用手指从嘴唇上撕下一小块干皮。 “Z first，” Chavel said. His feeling of security was shaken. He wanted a drink badly. He picked at a dry piece of skin on his lip. “就按你说的办。”卡车司机说道，“有人排在维尔森前面吗？我先抽。” “As you wish，” the lorry driver said. “Anybody beat Voisin？ Here goes. 他用手在鞋子里小心地掏，就像是要掏到他心里想要的那张。 “He thrust his hand into the shoe and made careful excavations as though he had one particular scrap of paper in mind. 他抽出一张，打开，怔怔地看着，然后说了声：“完了。”他坐下来，摸出一支香烟放到嘴里，却忘了点火。 He drew one out， opened it， and gazed at it with astonishment. He said， “This is it.” He sat down and felt for a cigarette， but when he got it between his lips he forgot to light it. 查维尔心中充满了巨大而又令他感到羞耻的快乐。 Chavel was filled with a huge and shameful joy. 看来自己得救了。剩下二十九个人抽签，而只有两张带有记号的纸条。 It seemed to him that already he was saved —twenty - nine men to draw and only two marked papers left. 抽中死签的可能性突然变得对他有利，从10比1变成了14比1.经营蔬菜水果的商人也抽了一张，然后漫不经心、毫无表情地示意自己平安无事。 The chances had suddenly grown in his favor from ten to one to—fourteen to one： the greengrocer had drawn a slip and indicated carelessly and without pleasure that he was safe. 的确，从抽第一张签时人们就忌讳任何喜形于色的表现，一个人不能以任何宽慰的举动去嘲弄注定要死的人。 Indeed from the first draw any mark of pleasure was taboo： one couldn't mock the condemned man by any sign of relief. 查维尔胸中有一种隐隐约约的不安——还不是恐惧，像是一种压抑感。 Again a dull disquiet —ii couldn't yet be described as a fear—exended its empire over Chavel's chest. 当第六个人抽到空白纸条时，他发现自己在打哈欠；当第十个人——就是大家称作雅维耶的那个人抽完签后，他的心中又充满了某中怨愤的情绪。现在抽中死签的机会同开始时一样了。 It was like a constriction： he found himself yawning as the sixth man drew a blank slip， and a sense of grievance nagged at his mind when the tenth man bad drawn—it was the one they called Janvier—and the chances were once again the same as when the draw started. 有的人抽出他们手指碰到的第一张纸条；有的人似乎怀疑命运企图将某一张纸条强加于他们，所以他们刚刚从鞋里抽出一张，就又扔回去，再另换一张。 Some men drew the first slip which touched their fingers； others seemed to suspect tha t fate was trying to force on them a particular slip and when they bad drawn one a little way from the shoe would let it drop again and choose another. 时间过得很慢，令人难以置信。那个叫做维尔森的人靠墙坐着，嘴里叼着仍未点燃的香烟，对一切都不再在意。 Time passed with incredible slowness， and the man called Voisin sat against the wall with the unlighted cigarette in his mouth paying them no attention at all. 就在生存的机会逐渐变小，抽中死签的可能性达到八分之一时，一个叫做勒诺特的上年纪的职员抽中了第二张死签。 The chances had narrowed to one in eight when the elderly clerk —his name was Lenotre—drew the second slip. 他清了清喉咙，戴上夹鼻眼镜，好像要确认自己没有看错。“喂，维尔森先生，我能加入吗？”他带着淡淡的微笑说道。 He cleared his throat and put on his pince-nez as though he had to make sure he was not mistaken. “Ah， Monsieur Voisin，” he said with a thin undecided smile， “May I join you？” 令人难以琢磨的机会再次以绝对对查维尔有利的优势朝他走来，抽中死签的可能性只有十五分之一，可他这次却没有丝毫欣慰，他被普通百姓所具有的勇气所震撼，他想让这一切尽快结束，就像一副扑克玩得太久了，他只希望有人离开牌桌，结束牌局。 This time Chavel felt no joy even though the elusive odds were back again overwhelmingly in his favor at fifteen to one； he was daunted by the courage of common men. He wanted the whole thing to be over as quickly as possible： like a game of cards which has gone on too long， he only wanted someone to make a move and break up the table. 勒诺特在维尔森身边靠墙坐下，他翻过纸条，背面是信中的一点内容，“是你妻子的？”维尔森问道。“是我女儿的。”勒诺特答道，“请原谅。”他起身走到自己的铺盖处，抽出一本便笺，回到维尔森身边开始写起来。他不慌不忙，认认真真地写下一串纤细而清晰的字迹。 。 Lenotre， sitting down against the wall next to Voisin， turned the slip over： on the back was a scrap of writing. Your-wife？“ Voisin said. “My daughter，” Lenotre said. “Excuse me.” He went over to his roll of bedding and drew out a writing pad. Then he sat down next to Voisin and began to write， carefully， without hurry， a thin legible hand. 这时中死签的概率又回到了10比1. The odds were back to ten to one. 从那时起，对查维尔来说，抽中死签的可能性似乎以一种不可避免的可怕趋势发生着变化。 From that point the odds seemed to move toward Chavel with a dreadful inevitability： 9比1，8比1，抽中死签的可能性好像指向了他。 nine to one， eight to one； they were like a pointing finger. 剩下的人抽得越来越快，越来越随便。 The men who were left drew more quickly and more carelessly： 在查维尔看来，他们似乎都知道了某种秘密，知道他会抽到死签。 they seemed to Chavel to have some inner information —to know that he was the one. 轮到他抽签时，只剩下了3张纸，留给他的机会这么少，在他看来真是不公平。 When his time came to draw there were only three slips left ， and it appeared to Chavel a monstrous injustice that there were so few choices left for him. 他从鞋中抽出一张，接着又认定这是同伴的意志强加给他的，一定有十字。于是他把它放回去，另抽了一张。 He drew one out of the shoe and then feeling certain that this one had been willed on him by his companions and contained the penciled cross he threw it back and snatched another. “律师，你偷看了。”剩下的两个人中有一个大声说道，但另一个让他安静下来。 “You looked， lawyer，” one of the two men exclaimed， but the other quieted him. “他没有偷看，他抽到的是有记号的。” “He didn't look. He's got the marked one now.” “不，不。”查维尔把纸条扔到地上，开始大叫：“我从来就没有同意，你们不能让我替别人去死。” “No，” Chavel said， “no.” He threw the slip upon the ground and cried， “I never consented to the draw. You can't make me die for the rest of you. . . ” 大家惊讶地看着他，但并没有敌意。 They watched him with astonishment but without enmity. 他是一个出身高贵的人。人们没有用自己的标准去衡量他，因为他属于一个别人难以理解的阶层。人们甚至没有把他的行为与胆怯联系起来。 He was a gentleman. They didn't judge him by their own standards： he belonged to an unaccountable class and they didn't at first even attach the idea of cowardice to his actions. “听我说，”查维尔一边哀求，一边举起那张纸条。大家既惊奇又好奇地看着他。“谁接受这张纸条，我就给他10万法郎。” “Listen，” Chavel implored them. He held out the slip of paper and they all watched him with compassionate curiosity. “I'll give a hundred thousand francs to anyone who'll take this.” 他快速移动着小步地从一个人面前走到另一个人面前，朝每一个人展示那张小纸条，好像是拍卖会上的服务员。 He took little rapid steps from one man to another， showing each man the bit of paper as if he were an attendant at an auction. “10万法郎。”他恳求道。人们感到震惊，同样又感到一丝怜悯：他是他们之中惟一的有钱人，这是与众不同之处。 “A hundred thousand francs，” he implored， and they watched him with a kind of shocked pity： he was the only rich man among them and this was a unique situation. 人们无法去比较，只能认定这就是他那个阶层的特点，这犹如一个在异国港口下船就餐的旅游者能从一个碰巧与他同桌的狡猾商人身上总结出该国的国民性格。 They had no means of comparison and assumed that this was a characteristic of his class， just as a traveler stepping off the liner at a foreign port for luncheon sums up a nation's character forever in the wily businessman who happens to share the table with him.
lesson5 宁为黑人不为女子 Lesson Five I'd Rather Be Black than Female 我是第一位当选国会议员的黑人妇女，这使我不同凡响。 Being the first black woman elected to Congress has made me some kind of phenomenon. 国会中还有九位黑人议员和十位妇女议员，但我是第一位同时克服两个不利因素的人。 There are nine other blacks in Congress； there are ten other women. I was the first to overcome both handicaps at once. 在这两种不利因素中，是个女人比是黑人更糟。 Of the two handicaps， being black is much less of a drawback than being female. 如果我说做黑人比做妇女更糟糕，也许没有人会对我的说法提出质疑。 If I said that being black is a greater handicap than being a woman， probably no one would question me. 为什么呢？因为“众所周知”，美国存在着对黑人的歧视。 Why？ Because “we all know” there is prejudice against black people in America. 说美国存在着对妇女的歧视对于几乎所有男人——还有大多数女人来说——却是不可思议的。 That there is prejudice against women is an idea that still strikes nearly all men – and， I am afraid， most women – as bizarre. 许多年以来，多数人看不到社会存在着对黑人的歧视。 Prejudice against blacks was invisible to most white Americans for many years. 当黑人终于通过静坐*、联合抵制和自由乘车*的方式以示*，来提及这个问题时，他们觉得简直难以置信。 When blacks finally started to “mention” it， with sit-ins， boycotts， and freedom rides， Americans were incredulous. “谁，我们？”他们委屈地问道。 “Who， us？” they asked in injured tones. “我们歧视黑人？”对美国白人来说，这是漫长而痛苦的再教育的开始。 “We're prejudiced？” It was the start of a long， painful reeducation for white America. 他们，包括那些自认为是自由主义者的白人——还需要许多年才能发现并消除他们实际上都持有的种族主义态度。 It will take years for whites – including those who think of themselves as liberals – to discover and eliminate the racist attitudes they all actually have. 消除对妇女的歧视的困难有多大？我确信这将会是一场更持久的斗争。 How much harder will it be to eliminate the prejudice against women？ I am sure it will be a longer struggle. 部分问题在于比起黑人来美国妇女被洗脑的程度更深，且更满足于她们次等公民的角色。 Part of the problem is that women in America are much more brainwashed and content with their roles as second – class citizens than blacks ever were. 我来解释一下。 Let me explain. 二十多年来我一直积极参与政治活动。 I have been active in politics for more than twenty years. 除了最后的那六年，其余那些年干活的是我，我干的是所有无聊琐碎但对竞选胜负至关重要的工作——可得到好处的却是男人，这几乎就是政界妇女一直以来的命运。 For all but the last six， I have done the work – all the tedious details that make the difference between victory and defeat on election day – while men reaped the rewards， which is almost invariably the lot of women in politics. 在美国政界，大部分的工作仍然是由妇女来做——大约300万志愿者。 It is still women – about three million volunteers – who do most of this work in the American political world. 她们中任何人所能期待的结果是有幸当选为区或县的副主席，这是一个隔离却平等的职位，是给那些多年来一直忠实从事装信封和组织牌局工作的妇女的奖赏。 The best any of them can hope for is the honor of being district or county vice-chairman， a kind of separate-but-equal position with which a woman is rewarded for years of faithful envelope stuffing and card-party organizing. 在这种职位上，她可以享受公费出差去参加州或全国性的会议或代表大会，在这些场合她的作用就是和她单位的男主席投一样的票。 I n such a job， she gets a number of free trips to state and sometimes national meetings and conventions， where her role is supposed to be to vote the way her male chairman votes. 1963年，当我企图摆脱这一角色代表布鲁克林的贝德富锡—斯图维桑特参加竞选纽约州众议院的席位时，遇到了极大的阻力。 When I tried to break out of that role in 1963 and run for the New York State Assembly seat from Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant， the resistance was bitter. 从竞选一开始，我就要面对他们毫不掩饰的对女性的敌意。 From the start of that campaign， I faced undisguised hostility because of my sex. 但是在四年以后，当我竞选国会议员时，性别问题才成了一个主要争端。 But it was four years later， when I ran for Congress， that the question of my sex became a major issue. 我所在党派的党员召开秘密会议讨论如何阻止我参加竞选。 Among members of my own party， closed meetings were held to discuss ways of stopping me. 我的对手，的人权运动领袖詹姆士？法默竭力把自己塑造成一个具有男子汉气概的黑人形象；他坐着带有扩音器的卡车在附近地区巡回，车上满载着留着非洲发式、穿颜色花哨的宽袍和蓄胡子的年轻人。 My opponent， the famous civil-rights leader James Farmer， tried to project a black， masculine image； he toured the neighborhood with sound trucks filled with young men wearing Afro haircuts， dashikis， and beards. 电视台记者对我不屑一顾，他们忽略了一个非常重要的数据，而对此我和我的竞选经纪人韦斯利？麦克唐纳？霍尔德却很清楚。 While the television crews ignored me， they were not aware of a very important statistic， which both I and my campaign manager， Wesley MacD. Holder， knew. 在我这个区内，登记参加投票选举的人中男女的比例是1∶2.5.而且那些妇女是有组织的——是教师家长协会、教会社团、牌局俱乐部以及其他社会服务性团体的成员。我去找她们寻求帮助。 n my district there are 2.5 women for every man registered to vote. And those women are organized – in PTAs， church societies， card clubs， and other social and service groups I went to them and asked their help. 法默先生到现在仍然不知道他是如何被击败的。 Mr. Farmer still doesn't quite know what hit him. 当一位聪明的年轻女大学生开始找工作时，为什么第一个问题总是“你会打字吗？” When a bright young woman graduate starts looking for a job， why is the first question always： “Can you type？” 在这个问题背后是一整部妇女受歧视的历史。 A history of prejudice lies behind that question. 为什么被看成是秘书而不是管理者？为什么被看成是图书管理员和教师而不是律师？ Why are women thought of as secretaries， not administrators？Librarians and teachers， but not doctors and lawyers？ 因为她们被认为是不一样的，低人一等的。 Because they are thought of as different and inferior. 快乐的家庭主妇和心满意足的黑鬼都是由歧视产生的典型人物。 The happy homemaker and the contented darky are both stereotypes produced by prejudice. 妇女甚至还没有达到黑人所达到的象征性的平等水平。 Women have not even reached the level of tokenism that blacks are reaching. 法院中没有妇女，只有两名妇女曾担任内阁的职位，但现在一个也没有。 No women sit on the Supreme Court. Only two have held Cabinet rank， and none do at present. 只有两位妇女担任大使。 Only two women hold ambassadorial rank. 妇女主要从事工资低、伺候人、没有前途的工作。即使她们获得较好的职位，他们的工资也总是比同样工作的男人低。 But women predominate in the lower-paying， menial， unrewarding， dead-end jobs， and when they do reach better positions， they are invariably paid less than a man for the same job. 这不是歧视又是什么？ If that is not prejudice， what would you call it？ 几年前，我与一位政治领袖谈论有关一个有前途的青年妇女做候选人的事。 A few years ago， I was talking with a political leader about a promising young woman as a candidate. “为什么要花费时间和精力去树立这个女孩的威信？”他问道，“你很清楚她只会在我们打算让她竞选市长时退出竞选去而生孩子。” “Why invest time and effort to build the girl up？” he asked me. “You know she'll only drop out of the game to have a couple of kids just about the time we're ready to run her for mayor.” 对于我，许多人说了类似的话。 Plenty of people have said similar things about me. 每次当我试图向上迈一步时，许多人劝我回去教书，说那才是妇女的职业，把政治留给男人。 Plenty of others have advised me， every time， I tried to take another upward step， that I should go back to teaching， a woman's vocation and leave politics to the men. 我热爱教书，只要我确信这个国家再也不需要女人作贡献时，我就会去教书。 I love teaching， and I am ready to go back to it as soon as I am convinced that this country no longer needs a women's contribution. 当在这个富足的国家里，当没有孩子饿着肚子上床睡觉时，我可能会回去教书。 When there are no children going to bed hungry in this rich nation， I may be ready to go back to teaching. 当每一个孩子都能上好学校时，我也许会回去教书。 When there is a good school for every child， I may be ready. 当我们不再将钱财耗费在武器装备上来杀人时，当我们不再容忍对少数民族的歧视时，当惩治住房和雇佣不公行为的法律得以实施而不是被束之高阁时，那么我在政治上也就再没什么可做的了 When we do not spend our wealth on hardware to murder people， when we no longer tolerate prejudice against minorities， and when the laws against unfair housing and unfair employment practices are enforced instead of evaded， then there may be nothing more for me to do in politics. 但是在那以前——我们都知道那不是今年或是明年——我们需要的是更多的妇女投身于政治，因为妇女可以作出特殊的贡献。 But until that happens – and we all know it will not be this year or next – what we need is more women in politics， because we have a very special contribution to make. 我希望自己成功的例子能使其他的妇女愿意参与政治活动——不仅仅是装信封，而是竞选政府职位。 I hope that the example of my success will convince other women to get into politics – and not just to stuff envelopes， but to run for office. 妇女能将同情、宽容、远见、忍耐和毅力带到政府中——这是我们与生俱有的品质或是在男人的压制下不得不培养出来的品质。 It is women who can bring empathy， tolerance， insight， patience， and persistence to government – the qualities we naturally have or have had to develop because of our suppression by men. 一个国家的妇女通过她们在生活中的行为来塑造这个国家的道德、宗教和政治。 The women of a nation mold its morals， its religion， and its politics by the lives they live. 目前， 我们国家在政治上也许比其他任何方面更需要妇女的理想主义和决心。 At present，our country needs women's idealism and determination，perhaps more in politics than anywhere else.
lesson8-10 人生的一课 快一年了，大部分时间我都泡在家里、店铺、学校和教堂里，就像一块旧饼干，又脏又难以下咽。 For nearly a year， I sopped around the house， the Store， the school and the church， like an old biscuit， dirty and inedible. 这时我遇到或者说认识了抛给我第一根救生索的那位夫人。 Then I met， or rather got to know， the lady who threw me first lifeline. 波萨？弗劳尔斯夫人是斯坦普司黑人区中的出类拔萃的人物。 Mrs. Bertha Flowers was the aristocrat of Black Stamps. 她动作优雅，即使在最冷的天气里也不缩手缩脚，而在阿肯色州的夏日里，她似乎又有属于自己的微风环绕在她的身旁，给她带来凉爽。 She had the grace of control to appear warm in the coldest weather， and one the Arkansas summer days it seemed she had a private breeze which swirled around， cooling her. 她的皮肤深黑迷人，如果被挂住就会像李子皮一样剥落，但没有人敢离她近点，碰皱她的衣服，更不要说挂住她的皮肤了。 Her skin was a rich black that would have peeled like a plum if snagged， but then no one would have thought of getting close enough to Mrs. Flowers to ruffle her dress， let alone snag her skin. 她不太喜欢亲近，另外她还带着手套。 She didn't encourage familiarity. She wore gloves too. 她是我所知道的为数不多的有气质的女士之一，并且是我做人的楷模，影响了我一生。 She was one of the few gentlewomen I have ever known， and has remained throughout my life the measure of what a human being can be. 我被她深深地吸引，因为她像是我从没有亲身遇到过的那些人。 She appealed to me because she was like people I had never met personally. 她就像英国小说中的女人，走在沼泽地里（不管是什么地方），一群忠实的狗奔跑在她们的身旁，并与她们保持一定的距离以示尊敬。 Like women in English novels who walked the moors （whatever they were） with their loyal dogs racing at a respectful distance. 她就像坐在炉火熊熊的壁炉前的女人，不时从装满蛋糕和松脆饼的银盘中取东西喝。 Like the women who sat in front of roaring fireplaces， drinking tea incessantly from silver trays full of scones and crumpets. 她就像走在“石南丛生的荒野”中，读着用摩洛哥山羊皮装订的书的那些女人，而且有用连字符隔开的两个姓。 Women who walked over the “heath” and read morocco-bound books and had two last names divided by a hyphen. 可以肯定地说，是她本人使我为自己是个黑人而感到骄傲。 It would be safe to say that she made me proud to be Negro， just by being herself. 那个在我的记忆中如甜奶般鲜活的夏日的午后，她来我们的店里买东西。 One summer afternoon， sweet-milk fresh in my memory， she stopped at the Store to buy provisions. 换了另外一个同她身体情况和年龄相当的黑人妇女就会一只手把纸袋拎回家去，但奶奶却说，“弗劳尔斯大姐，让贝利帮你把东西送回家去。” Another Negro woman of her health and age would have been expected to carry the paper sacks home in one hand， but Momma said， “Sister Flowers， I'll send Bai-ley up to your house with these things.” “谢谢您，汉德森夫人。但我想让玛格丽特帮我送回去。” “Thank you， Mrs. Henderson. I'd prefer Marguerite， though.” 她说我名字时，我的名字也变得动听起来。 My name was beautiful when she said it. “反正我一直想跟她谈一谈。”她们互相对视了一下，其间的意思只有她们这些同龄人才明白。 “I've been mean-ins to talk to her， anyway.” They gave each other agegroup looks. 在石头路旁有一条小路，弗劳尔斯夫人在前面摆动着胳膊，在碎石路上小心地走着。 There was a little path beside the rocky road， and Mrs. Flowers walked in front swinging her arms and picking her way over the stones. 她没有回头，对我说，“听说你在学校里功课很好，玛格丽特，但那都是笔头作业。老师说他们很难让你在课堂上发言。” She said， without turning her head， to me， “I hear you're doing very good school work， Marguerite， but that it's all written. The teachers report that they have trouble getting you to talk in class. 我们走过左边三角形的农场，路变宽了，可以允许我们并排走在一起。但我畏缩地走在后面，想着那些没有问出口也无法回答的问题。 We passed the triangular farm on our left and the path widened to allow us to walk together. I hung back in the separate unasked and unanswerable questions. “过来和我一起走，玛格丽特。”我无法拒绝，尽管我很想。 “Come and walk along with me， Marguerite.” I couldn't have refused even if I wanted to. 她把我的名字叫得如此动听。或者更确切地说，她把每个词都说得这样清晰，我相信就是一个不懂英语的外国人也能听懂她的话。 She pronounced my name so nicely. Or more correctly， she spoke each word with such clarity that I was certain a foreigner who didn't understand English could have understood her. “现在没有人要强迫你说话——恐怕也没人能做到这一点。但是你记住，语言是人类进行沟通的方式，是语言将人类同低等动物区分开来。” “Now no one is going to make you talk —possibly no one can. But bear in mind， language is man's way of communicating with his fellow man and it is language alone which separates him from the lower animals.” 这对我来说是一个全新的观点，我需要些时间认真考虑一下。 That was a totally new idea to me， and I would need time to think about it. “你奶奶说你读了很多书，一有机会就读。这很好，但还不够好，言语的含义不仅是写在纸上的那点。它需要人的声音赋予它深层含义的细微差别。” “Your grandmother says you read a lot. Every chance you get. That's good， but not good enough. Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with the shades of deeper meaning. ” 我记住了有关声音赋予言语更多内涵的话。这些话听起来是那么正确，那么富有诗意。 I memorized the part about the human voice infusing words. It seemed so valid and poetic. 她说她要给我一些书，要我不仅阅读这些书，还要大声朗读。 She said she was going to give me some books and that I not only must read them， I must read them aloud. 她建议我用尽可能丰富的语调去读每一句话。 She suggested that i try to make a sentence sound in as many different ways as possible. “如果你草草读完这些书就还给我的话，我不接受任何理由。” “I'll accept no excuse if you return a book to me that has been badly handled.” 我想像不出如果我真的没有认真读弗劳尔斯夫人的某一本书，将会受到怎样的惩罚。让我去死恐怕是太仁慈太干脆了。 My imagination boggled at the punishment I would deserve if in fact I did abuse a book of Mrs. Flowers'。 Death would be too kind and brief. 房子里的气味让我有点吃惊。 The odors in the house surprised me. 不知什么缘故，我从来没有将弗劳尔斯夫人与食物、吃饭或是平常人的琐事联系起来。 Somehow I had never connected Mrs. Flowers with food or eating or any other common experience of common people. 那里一定也有户外厕所，但我一点也记不起来了。 There must have been an outhouse， too， but my mind never recorded it. 她打开门，香草的芬芳迎面扑来。 The sweet scent of vanilla had met us as she opened the door. “今天早上我做了些茶点。你瞧，我早打算好要请你来吃点心、柠檬水，这样我们就可以聊一会了。柠檬水正放在冰盒子里呢。” “I made tea cookies this morning. You see， I had planned to invite you for cookies and lemonade so we could have this little chat. The lemonade is in the icebox.” 这意味着弗劳尔斯夫人平时也买冰，而镇上大多数人家只是在星期六下午才买冰，放在木头做的冰淇凌冷藏机内，整个夏天也不过只买几次。 It followed that Mrs. Flowers would have ice on an ordinary day， when most families in our town bought ice late on Saturdays only a few times during the summer to be used in the wooden ice-cream freezers. “坐吧，玛格丽特，坐到那边桌子旁。” “Have a seat， Marguerite. Over there by the table.” 她端着一个用茶布盖着的盘。 She carried a platter covered with a tea towel. 尽管她事先说过她已经好久没有做点心了，我还是相信就像她的其他任何东西一样，点心也会十分精美可口。 Although she warned that she hadn't tried her hand at baking sweets for some time， I was certain that like everything else about her the cookies would be perfect. 我吃点心的时候，她开始给我讲我们后来称之为“我生活中的一课”的第一部分。 As I ate she began the first of what we later called “my lesson in living.” 她告诉我不能宽容无知，但可以理解文盲。 She said that must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. 她认为有些人虽然没有上过学，但却比大学教授更有知识，甚至更聪明。 That some people， unable to go to school， were more educated and even more intelligent than college professors. 她还鼓励我认真倾听被乡下人称为常识的一些俗语。她说这些朴实谚语是一代代人集体智慧的结晶。 She encouraged me to listen carefully to what country people called mother wit. That in those homely sayings was couched the collective wisdom of generations 我吃完点心后，她把桌子打扫干净，从书架上拿了一本又厚又小的书。 When I finished the cookies she brushed off the table and brought a thick， small book from the bookcase. 我读过《双城记》，认为这本书符合我心目中浪漫主义小说的标准。 I had read A Tale of Two Cities and found it up to my standards as a romantic novel. 她翻开第一页，于是我平生第一次听到了诗朗诵。 She opened the first page and I heard poetry for the first time in my life. “这是最辉煌的时代也是最糟糕的时代……”她的声音圆润，随着言语的起伏而抑扬顿挫，就像在唱歌一样。 “It was the best of times and the worst of times. . .” Her voice slid in and curved down through and over the words. She was nearly singing. 我想看一下她读的是否真的和我过去看的一样？ I wanted to look at the pages. Were they the same that I had read？ 还是像赞美诗一样，书页上满是音符？ Or were there notes， music， lined on the pages， as in a hymn book？ 她的声音开始慢慢低沉下来。 Her sounds began cascading gently. 我听过很多次布道，因此我知道她的朗诵就要结束了，但我还没有真正听见或听懂一个词。 I knew from listening to a thousand preachers that she was nearing the end of her reading， and I hadn't really heard， heard to understand， a single word. “你觉得怎么样？” “How do you like that？” 我这才意识到她在期待我的回答。 It occurred to me that she expected a response. 我的舌间还留有香草的余味，她的朗诵对我来说很奇妙。 The sweet vanilla flavor was still on my tongue and her reading was a wonder in my ears. 我得说点什么了。 I had to speak. 我说：“是的，夫人。”我至少得说这些，我也只能说这些。 I said， “Yea， ma'am.” It was the least I could do， but it was the most also. “还有一件事。你把这本诗集拿去，背下其中的一首。下次你再来看我时，我希望你背诵给我听。” 'There s one more thing. Take this book of poems and memorize one for me. Next time you pay me a visit， I want you to recite.“ 在经历了成年后的复杂生活后，我多次试图弄清楚为什么当年她送给我的礼物一下子就让我陶醉了。 I have tried often to search behind the sophistication of years for the enchantment I so easily found in those gifts. 书中的内容已经忘却，但余韵仍存。 The essence escapes but its aura remains. 被准许，不，是被邀请进入一群陌生人的私人生活中，与他们共同分享喜悦和恐惧，这使我读贝奥武夫时就犹如喝一杯蜜酒，读奥立佛？特威斯特时，犹如饮一杯热奶茶，忘记了那犹如南方苦艾酒般的痛苦经历。 To be allowed， no， invited， into the private lives of strangers， and to share their joys and fears， was a chance to exchange the Southern bitter wormwood for a cup of mead with Be-owulf or a hot cup of tea and milk with Oliver Twist. 当我大声地说“这比我做过的任何一件事都好得多”时，我眼中涌出了爱的泪水，那是为了自己的忘我 When I said aloud， “It is a far， far better thing that I do， than I have ever done…” tears of love filled my eyes at my selflessness. 在我第一次去她家回来，我跑下山去冲到马路上（路上很少有车经过），快到店铺时我还居然没忘了停下来。 On that first day， I ran down the hill and into the road （few cars ever came along it） and had the good sense to stop running before I reached the Store. 有人喜欢我，这是多么的不同啊。 was liked， and what a difference it made. 有人尊敬我，并不是因为我是汉德森夫人的外孙女或是贝利的妹妹，而是因为我是玛格丽特？约翰逊。 I was respected not as Mrs. Henderson's grandchild or Bailey's sister but for just being Marguerite Johnson. 孩提时的逻辑永远不需要证实（所有的结论都是绝对的）。 Childhood's logic never asks to be proved （all conclusions are absolute）。 我从来没有想过为什么弗劳尔斯夫人会选中我来表示关怀，也从来没想过也许是奶奶曾请求她开导我一下。 1 didn't question why Mrs. Flowers had singled me out for attention， nor did it occur to me that Momma might have asked her to give me a little talking to. 我只关心她曾给我做点心吃，还给我读她最喜欢的书。这些足以证明她喜欢我 All I cared about was that she had made tea cookies for me and read to me from her favorite book. It was enough to prove that she liked me. 奶奶和贝利在店铺里等我。 Momma and Bailey were waiting inside the Store. 他问：“她给了你什么？”他已经看到那些书了，但我把装着他那份点心的纸袋放在怀里，用诗集挡住。 He said. “My， what did she give you？” He had seen the books， but I held the paper sack with his cookies in my arms shielded by the poems. 奶奶说：“小姐，我知道你的举止像位女士。 Momma said， “Sister， I know you acted like a little lady. That do my heart good to see settled people take to you all. 我已经尽努力了，上帝知道，但这些天……“她的声音低下来，”快去把衣服换了。 I'm trying my best， the Lord knows， but these days…“ Her voice trailed off. ”Go on in and change your dress.
lesson6 一个好机会 Lesson Six A Good Chance 我到鸭溪时，喜鹊没在家，我和他的妻子阿米莉亚谈了谈。 When I got to Crow Creek， Magpie was not home. I talked to his wife Amelia. “我要找喜鹊，”我说，“我给他带来了好消息。”我指指提着的箱子，“我带来了他的诗歌和一封加利福尼亚大学的录取通知书，他们想让他来参加为印第安人举办的艺术课。” “I need to find Magpie，” I said. “I've really got some good news for him.” I pointed to the briefcase I was carrying. “I have his poems and a letter of acceptance from a University in California where they want him to come and participate in the Fine Arts Program they have started for Indians.” “你知道他还在假释期间吗？” “Do you know that he was on parole？” “这个，不，不大清楚。”我犹豫着说，“我一直没有和他联系，但我听说他遇到了些麻烦。” “Well， no， not exactly，” I said hesitantly， “I haven't kept in touch with him but I heard that he was in some kind of trouble. 她对我笑笑说：“他已经离开很久了。你知道，他在这儿不安全。他的假释官随时都在监视他，所以他还是不到这儿来为好，而且我们已经分开一段时间了，我听说他在城里的什么地方。” She smiled to me and said， “He's gone a lot. It's not safe around here for him， you know. His parole officer really watches him all the time and so sometimes it is just better for him not to come here. Besides， we haven't been together for a while. I hear he's in town somewhere.” “你是指他在钱柏林？” “Do you mean in Chamberlain？” “对。我和他姐姐住在这儿，她说前一段时间她在那儿见过他。不过喜鹊不会去加利福尼亚的。即使你见到他并和他谈此事，他现在也决不会离开这儿。” “Yes， I live here with his sister and she said that she saw him there， quite a while ago. But Magpie would not go to California. He would never leave here now even if you saw him and talked to him about it.” “可他以前去过，”我说，“他去过西雅图大学。” “But he did before，” I said， “He went to the University of Seattle.” “是的，但……但是，那是以前，”她说，似乎不想再谈这个话题。 “Yeah， but…well， that was before，” she said， as though to finish the matter. “你难道不希望他去吗？”我问道。 “Don't you want him to go？” I asked. “哦，这不是我说了算的。我们现在已经分开了。我只是告诉你，你一定会失望的。像你这样的人希望他需要那些，可他已经不再需要了。”她很快答道，语气非常肯定。 Quickly， she responded， “Oh， it's not up to me to say. He is gone from me now. I'm just telling you that you are in for a disappointment. He no longer needs the things that people like you want him to need，” she said positively. 当她意识到我不喜欢她用“像你这样的人”的字眼时，她停了一下，然后把手放在我的胳膊上，“听着，”她说，“喜鹊现在终于快乐了。他情绪很好，英俊倜傥，自由自在而又意志坚强。他和兄弟们一起坐在皮鼓前唱歌，他现在一切都很好。以前，每当发表那些反政府和反对美国印第安人事务委员会的言论时，他总会越发气愤，充满怨恨。我曾为他担忧，但现在我不再担心了。你为什么不让他独自呆着呢？” When she saw that I didn't like her reference to “people like you”， she stopped for a moment and then put her hand on my arm. “Listen，” she said， “Magpie is happy now， finally. He is in good spirits， handsome and free and strong. He sits at the drum and sings with his brothers： he's okay now. When he was saying all those things against the government and against the council， he became more and more ugly and embittered and I used to be afraid for him. But I'm not now. 我和赛利娜坐在一家咖啡馆里。 I was sitting at the café with Salina. 她突然说道：“我不知道喜鹊在哪儿，我已经4天没见到他了。” Abruptly she said， “I don't know where Mapie is. I haven't seen him in four days.” “我把他的诗也带来了。”我说，“他有机会进入加利福尼亚的艺术学院，但是我必须和他谈一谈，还要让他填一下这些表格。我相信他一定会感兴趣的。” “I've got his poems here with me，” I said. “He has a good change of going to a Fine Arts school in California， but I have to talk with him and get him to fill out some papers. I know that he is interested.” “不，他不会的，”她打断了我，“他根本就不再做这些没用的、愚蠢的梦了。” “No， he isn't，” she broke in. “He doesn't have those worthless， shitty dreams anymore.” “别这样说，赛利娜，这对他真的是个好机会。” “Don't say that， Salina. This is a good chance for him.” “好了，你爱怎么想就怎么想吧，可最近你跟他谈过吗？你知道他如今怎么样吗？” “Well， you can think what you want， but have you talked to him lately？ Do you know him as he is now？” “我知道他情况很好，我也知道他有这个天分。” “I know he is good. I know he has such talent.” “他是一个印第安人，这次他回到这里是要住下来。” “He is Indian， and he's back here to stay this time.” “你和我一起开车去钱柏林，好吗？”我问道。 “Would you drive into Chamberlain with me？” I asked. 她一言不发。 She said nothing. “如果他是你所说的那种印第安人，不管那是什么意思，如果他这次回来是要住下来，如果他自己亲口对我说出来，我就打消这个念头。但是，赛利娜，”我极力说服道，“我一定要跟他谈谈，问问他想要做什么。你知道我的意思，不是吗？” “If he is Indian as you say， whatever that means， and if he is back here to stay this time and if he tells me that himself， I'll let it go. But Salina，” I urged， “I must talk to him and ask him what he wants to do. You see that， don't you？” “是的， 我知道了，” 她 终于说道， “他有权知道这一切， 但你会明白。” “Yes，” she said finally. “He has a right to know about this， but you'll see…” 我们离开时，她的高跟鞋在咖啡屋前的人行道上发出清脆的响声，当她又谈及喜鹊时，变得焦虑不安。 Her heels clicked on the sidewalk in front of the café as we left， and she became agitated as she talked. “他在卡司特*时，因为法院被烧，惹了麻烦，被判入狱1年。他现在还在假释期间，他的假释期还有5年，可他们连任何对他不利的证据都没有找到。5年呀！你能相信吗？现在连谋杀罪的人都没有判这样重。” “After all that trouble he got into during that protest at Custer when the courthouse was burned， he was in jail for a year. He's still on parole and he will be on parole for another five years – and they didn't even prove anything against him！ Five years！ Can you believe that？ People these days can commit murder and not get that kind of a sentence.” 我们驱车行使在钱柏林的大街上，埃尔吉正站在银行附近的拐角处，我和赛利娜都心照不宣，这个喜鹊的好朋友肯定知道他在哪儿。 Elgie was standing on the corner near the Bank as we drove down the main street of Chamberlain， and both Salina and I knew without speaking that this man， this good friend of Magpie's， would know of his whereabouts. 我们停了车，埃尔吉走了过来，舒服地靠坐在车的后排座位上。 We parked the car， Elgie came over and settled himself in the back seat of the car. 车慢慢地驶到了我们停车的街角处，假释官目不转睛地盯着我们3人，而我们却假装没看见。 A police car moved slowly to the corner where we were parked and the patrolmen looked at the three of us intently and we pretended not to notice. 巡逻车在空荡荡的街道上慢慢前行。我小心谨慎地转向埃尔吉。 The patrol car inched down the empty street and I turned cautiously toward Elgie. 我还没来得及开口，赛利娜说，“她给喜鹊拿了些表格。他有可能进入加利福尼亚的一所作家学院读书。” Before I could speak， Salina said， “She is got some papers for Magpie. He has a chance to go to a writer's school in California.” 总是不太想让别人清楚地了解他的想法的埃尔吉说道，“是吗？”可赛利娜却不想让他就这么不置可否。“埃尔吉，”她嘲弄道，“埃尔吉，你知道他是不会去的！” Always tentative about letting you know what he was really thinking， Elgie said， “Yeah？” But Salina wouldn't let him get away so noncommittally， “Elgie，” she scoffed. “You know he wouldn't go！” “是呀，你知道，”埃尔吉开口说，“卡司特那件事发生以后，我和喜鹊曾经想要躲藏起来，最后我们到了奥古斯塔娜大学的校园。那儿有我们的几个朋友。他开始谈论自由，而这些是我永远都不会忘记的。在那以后当他被捕入狱时，自由便成为了他的主要话题。自由。他渴望自由，可是，老兄，他们总盯着你的时候，你不可能有自由。哦，那个怪物，就是他的那个假释官，是一只卑鄙的看门狗。” “Well， you know，” Elgie began， “one time when Magpie and me were hiding out after that Custer thing， we ended up on to Augustana College Campus. We got some friends there. And he started talking about freedom and I never forget that， and then after he went wants to be free and you can't be that， man， when they're watching you all the time. Man， that freak that's his parole officer is some mean watch-dog.” “你觉得他会拿到奖学金吗？”我满怀希望地说。 “You think he might go for the scholarship？” I asked， hopefully. “我不知道。也许吧。” “I don't know. Maybe.” “他在哪儿？”我问道。 “Where is he？” I asked. 沉默了很长一会儿后，埃尔吉终于开口了：“我想你来得太好了，因为喜鹊需要从这没完没了的监视和检查中解脱出来。事实上，他一直谈道：”如果我和白人交往，那么我将没有自由；那里没有印第安人的自由。你现在应该和他谈谈。他变了。他赞成同白人完全分离或隔离。“ There was a long silence. Then Elgie said at last， “I think it's good that you've come， because Magpie needs some relief from this constant surveillance， constant checking up. In fact， that's what he always talks about. 'If I have to associate with the whites， then I'm not free： there is no liberty in that for Indians.' You should talk to him now. He's changed. He's for complete separation， segregation， total isolation from the whites.” “这是不是有点太过分了？太不实际了？”我问道。 “Isn't that a bit too radical？ Too unrealistic？” I asked. “我不知道。我真的不知道。” “I don't know. Damn if I know.” “好了，”赛利娜说，“你觉得他在加利福尼亚的那所大学里会怎样？可这是他学习和写作的一个好机会。我觉得他会从中找到一种愉快的感觉。” “Yeah，” said Salina， “Just what do you think it would be like for him at that university in California？” “But it's a chance for him to study， to write. He can find a kind of satisfying isolation in that， I think.” 过了一会儿，埃尔吉说道：“不错，我认为你是对的”。 After a few moments， Elgie said， “Yeah， I think you are right.” 然后他又从后排座位上抬起身来说道：“我要过桥了，再过大约3个街区就到了。在我快要下桥的地方的左边有一座白色的老式二层小楼。喜鹊的哥哥刚从内布拉斯加州教养院出来，现在跟他的妻子就住在那儿，喜鹊也在。” “ Soon he got out of the back seat and said， ”I'm going to walk over the bridge . It's about three blocks down there. There is an old， whit two-story house on the left side just before you cross the bridge. Magpie's brother just got out of the Nebraska State Reformatory and he is staying there with his old lady， and that's where Magpie is.“ 现在终于能够和他谈谈，并让他自己作出决定了。 At last！ Now I could really talk to him and let him make this decision for himself. “呵！还有些问题，”埃尔吉说，“喜鹊本不应该在那儿，你知道，因为这是他的假释条件的一部分，那就是他要离开朋友、亲戚和以前的囚犯，差不多是所有的人。可上帝呀，这是他的哥哥呀。等到日落前你们再来。把车停在加油站那儿，只要从那儿绕过那条街走到房子的后门进去，你就可以跟喜鹊谈所有这一切了。” “There are things about this though，” Elgie said. “Magpie shouldn't have been there， see， because it's a part of the condition of his parole that he stays away from friends and relatives and ex-convicts and just about everybody. But Jesus， this is his brother. Wait until just before sundown and then come over. Park your car at the service station just around the block from there and walk to the back entrance of the house and then you can talk to Magpie about all this.” 赛利娜跟我讲述着喜鹊在背井离乡数月后返回鸭溪的情形及他的亲戚是怎样到他姐姐家欢迎他返乡的。“他们来听他和兄弟唱歌，他们围坐在椅子上，欢笑着和他一起歌唱。” Salina was talking， telling me about Magpie's return to Crow Creek after months in exile and how his relatives went to his sister's house and welcomed him home. “They came to hear him sing with his brothers， and they sat in chairs around the room and laughed and sang wit him.” 我们到达时，院子里停着几辆车。赛利娜压低声音说，“她们可能正在聚会。” Several cars were parked in the yard of the old house as we approached， and Salina， keeping her voice low， said， “Maybe they are having a party.” 然而，四周的寂静使我忐忑不安。当我们走进敞着的后门时，看到人们都站在厨房里，我小心翼翼地问道，“出什么事了？ But the silence which hung about the place filled me with apprehension， and when we walked in the back door which hung open， we saw people standing in the kitchen. I asked carefully， “What's wrong？” 没有人答话，只有埃尔吉走了过来。他那充血的眼睛里充满悲伤和痛苦。 Nobody spoke but Elgie came over， his bloodshot eyes filled with sorrow and misery. 他在我们面前站了一会儿，然后示意我们到起居室去。 He stood in front of us for a moment and then gestured us to go into the living room. 屋子里静静地，坐满了人。终于，埃尔吉轻轻地说道，“他们枪杀了他。” The room was filled with people sitting in silence， and finally Elgie said， quietly， “They shot him.” “他们说他违反了假释条件把他抓走了，关进监狱后就枪杀了他。” “They picked him up for breaking the conditions of his parole and they put him in jail and … they shot him.” “可是为什么？”我大喊道，“怎么会发生这样的事？” “But why？” I cried. “How could this have happened？” “他们说他们认为他要反抗，而且他们害怕他。” “They said they thought he was resisting and that they were afraid of him.” “害怕？”我怀疑地问，“但……但是，他有武器吗？” “Afraid？” I asked， incredulously. “But…but…was he armed？” “没有”，埃尔吉说着坐了下来。他的胳膊撑在膝盖上，头低着。 “No，” Elgie said， seated now， his arm on his knees， his head down. “No， he wasn't armed.” 我把喜鹊的诗紧紧握在手里，两手的拇指交替在平滑的纸夹上狠狠地摁着。 I held the poems tightly in my hands pressing my thumbs，first one and then the other，against the smoothness of the cardboard folder.
第十个人 Lesson Ten The Tenth Man 就在第二天下午3点（闹钟上的时间），一个军官走进了牢房。这是他们几星期以来见到的第一位军官。他非常年轻，甚至小胡子的形状也显示出他不够老练，左边的胡子剃得重了点。 It was at three the next afternoon （alarm clock time） that an officer entered the cell； the first officer they had seen for weeks – and this one was very young， with inexperience even in the shape of his mustache which he had shaved too much on the left side. 他就像一个初次登台领奖的小学生一样窘迫不安，他说起话来粗鲁无礼，似乎要显示一种他并不具备的力量。 He was as embarrassed as a schoolboy making his first entry on a stage at a prize-giving， and he spoke abruptly so as to give the impression of a strength he did not possess. 他说道：“昨天夜间城里发生了几起谋杀，一名军事长官的副手、一位中士和一个骑自行车的女孩被杀。”他又说道：“我们不在乎女孩的死。法国男人杀死法国女人不关我们的事。” He said， “There were murders last night in the town. The aide-de-camp of the military governor， a sergeant and a girl on a bicycle.” He added， “We don't complain about the girl. Frenchmen have our permission to kill Frenchwomen.” 很明显他事先仔细斟酌了他的讲话，但他的嘲弄做过了头，他的表演也很业余。 He had obviously thought up his speech carefully beforehand， but the irony was overdone and the delivery that of an amateur actor： 整个场面就像手势字谜游戏那样矫饰做作。 the whole scene was as unreal as a charade. 他接着说道：“你们知道自己为什么来这里，你们在这里好吃好喝，过着舒适的日子，而我们的人却在工作和战斗。不过现在你们必须付出代价了。不要怪我们，要怪你们自己的杀人凶手。我的命令是集中营里每十个人要有一个被枪决。你们有多少人？”“报数。”他厉声喝道人们闷闷不乐地照办了。“28，29，30.”人们知道不用数他也知道人数，这不过是他玩的把戏中不可省略的一句台词…… He said， “You know what you are here for， living comfortably， on fine rations， while our men work and fight. Well， now you've got to pay the hotel bill. Don't blame us. Blame your own murderers. My orders are that one man in every ten shall be shot in this camp. How many of you are there？” He shouted sharply， “Number off，” and sullenly they obeyed， “…… twenty-eight， twenty-nine， thirty.” They knew he knew without counting. This was just a line in his charade he couldn't sacrifice. 他说道：“那么，你们的名额是三个，我们并不关心是哪三个人。你们可以自己选择。死刑于明天早上7点执行。” He said， “Your allotment then is three. We are quite indifferent as to which three. You can choose for yourselves. The funeral rites will begin at seven tomorrow morning.” 他玩的把戏结束了，人们可以听到他的脚步响亮地敲击着沥青路渐渐远去。 The charade was over： they could hear his feet striking sharply on the asphalt going away. 查维尔忽然很想知道他打的手势是什么字。要他们猜的是不是“夜间”，“姑娘”，“旁边”或“30”。不，不是。谜底肯定是“人质”。 Chavel wondered for a moment what syllable had been acted —“night，”“girl，”“aside，” or perhaps “thirty，” but it was of course the whole word—“hostage. ” 牢房里很长时间没人说话。后来一个叫克拉夫的阿尔萨斯人开口道：“好了，我们有人自愿吗？” The silence went on a long time， and then a man called Krogh， an Alsatian， said， “Well， do we have to volunteer？” “废话。”一个职员说道。他是一个上了年纪的戴着夹鼻眼镜的老头。他接着说道：“没人会自愿，我们必须抽签。除非有人认为应按年龄决定——最老的先死。” “Rubbish，” said one of the clerks， a thin elderly man in pince-nez， “nobody will volunteer. We must draw lots.” He added， “Un-less it is thought that we should go by ages —the oldest first. ” “不，不行。”另一个人说道，“那不公平。” “No， no，” one of the others said， “that would be unjust. ” “这是自然规律。” “It's the way of nature.” “那算什么自然规律。”又一个人说道，“我有个女儿，5岁时就死了。” “Not even the way of nature，” another said. “1 had a child who died when she was five……” “我们必须抽签。”市长坚定地说。 “We must draw lots，” the mayor said firmly. “只有这样才公正。”他坐在那里，双手依然紧贴在肚子上，遮挡着他的怀表，但是整个牢房里都能听见怀表清脆的滴答声。 “It is the only fair thing.” He sat with his hands still pressed over his stomach， hiding his watch， but all through the cell you could hear its blunt tick lock tick. 他接着又说道：“由未婚者抽签，已婚者除外，他们有责任。” He added， “On the unmarried. The married should not be included. They have responsibilities… “哈，哈！”皮埃尔说道，“我们明白了。为什么已婚者就应逃脱？他们的事儿已经做完了。当然，你结婚了吧？” “Ha， ha，” Pierre said， “we see through that. Why should the married get off？ Their work's finished. You， of course， are married？” “我的妻子不在了。”市长说，“我现在是未婚，你呢？” “I have lost my wife，” the mayor said， “I am not married now. And you…” “结了。”皮埃尔答道。 “Married，” Pierre said. 市长开始解下怀表。发现皮埃尔处境安全，他似乎更坚信作为怀表的主人自己必定是下一个牺牲者。 The mayor began to undo his watch； the discovery that his rival was safe seemed to confirm his belief that as the owner of time he was bound to be the next victim. 他环顾了每一个人，然后选择了查维尔。也许是因为只有他穿着西服背心适合戴表链。他说道：“查维尔先生，我想让你替我拿着怀表，万一……” He looked from face to face and chose Chavel， perhaps because he was the only man with a waistcoat fit to take the chain. He said， “Monsieur Chavel， I want you to hold this watch for me in case…” “你找别人吧！”查维尔说，“我还没结婚呢。” “you'd better choose someone else，” Chavel said. “I am not married.” 那个老职员又开口了，“我结婚了，我有权说话。 The elderly clerk spoke again. He said， “I'm married. I've got the right to speak. 我们正把一切引向歧途。这不是我们最后一次抽签。如果这儿有一个特权阶层——那些最终将活着的人，大家想想，牢房里会是什么样子。你们其他人很快就会痛恨我们。你们害怕，而我们将不再担心。“ We are going the wrong way about all this. Everyone must draw lots. This isn't the last draw we shall have， and picture to yourselves what it will be like in this cell if we have a privileged class —the ones who are left to the end. The rest of you will soon begin to hate us. We shall be left out of your fear. . . “ “他说得对。”皮埃尔说。 “He's right，” Pierre said. 市长重新握紧了怀表，说道：“就照你们的主意办。要是能够这样征税的话……”他做了个绝望的手势。 The mayor refastened his watch. “Have it your own way，” he said. “But if the taxes were levied like this…” He gave a gesture of despair. “我们如何抽签？”克拉夫问道。 “How do we draw？” Krogh asked. 查维尔答道：“最快的办法就是从一只鞋里抽出画有记号的纸条。” Chavel said， “The quickest way would be to draw marked papers out of a shoe. . .” 克拉夫轻蔑地说：“那么快干吗？对于我们当中几个人来说这可是最后一次赌博了。我们蛮可以享受一番。我提议赌抛硬币。” Krogh said contemptuously， “Why the quickest way？ This is the last gamble some of us will have. We may as well enjoy it. I say a coin.” “这不好。”那个职员说，“抛硬币不是一个公平、合理的办法。” “It won't work，” the clerk said. “You can't get a even chance with a coin.” “惟一的办法就是抽签。”市长说道。 “The only way is to draw，” the mayor said. 职员开始为抽签做准备，为此他牺牲了一封家信。 The clerk prepared the draw， sacrificing for it one of his letters from home. 他很快地看了一遍信，然后把它撕成30张小纸条。 He read it rapidly for the last time， and then tore it into thirty pieces. 他用铅笔在其中三张上画上十字，然后把每张纸条都叠上。 On three pieces he made a cross in pencil， and then folded each piece. 他接着说：“克拉夫的鞋。”大家把纸条放在地下搅乱，然后装进了鞋子里。 “Krogh's got the biggest shoe，” he said. They shuffled the pieces on the floor and then dropped them into the shoe. “我们按姓氏的字母顺序抽签。”市长说。 “We'll draw in alphabetical order，” the mayor said. “从Z开始抽。”查维尔说道。他的安全感开始动摇了。他急切想喝点什么，用手指从嘴唇上撕下一小块干皮。 “Z first，” Chavel said. His feeling of security was shaken. He wanted a drink badly. He picked at a dry piece of skin on his lip. “就按你说的办。”卡车司机说道，“有人排在维尔森前面吗？我先抽。” “As you wish，” the lorry driver said. “Anybody beat Voisin？ Here goes. 他用手在鞋子里小心地掏，就像是要掏到他心里想要的那张。 “He thrust his hand into the shoe and made careful excavations as though he had one particular scrap of paper in mind. 他抽出一张，打开，怔怔地看着，然后说了声：“完了。”他坐下来，摸出一支香烟放到嘴里，却忘了点火。 He drew one out， opened it， and gazed at it with astonishment. He said， “This is it.” He sat down and felt for a cigarette， but when he got it between his lips he forgot to light it. 查维尔心中充满了巨大而又令他感到羞耻的快乐。 Chavel was filled with a huge and shameful joy. 看来自己得救了。剩下二十九个人抽签，而只有两张带有记号的纸条。 It seemed to him that already he was saved —twenty - nine men to draw and only two marked papers left. 抽中死签的可能性突然变得对他有利，从10比1变成了14比1.经营蔬菜水果的商人也抽了一张，然后漫不经心、毫无表情地示意自己平安无事。 The chances had suddenly grown in his favor from ten to one to—fourteen to one： the greengrocer had drawn a slip and indicated carelessly and without pleasure that he was safe. 的确，从抽第一张签时人们就忌讳任何喜形于色的表现，一个人不能以任何宽慰的举动去嘲弄注定要死的人。 Indeed from the first draw any mark of pleasure was taboo： one couldn't mock the condemned man by any sign of relief. 查维尔胸中有一种隐隐约约的不安——还不是恐惧，像是一种压抑感。 Again a dull disquiet —ii couldn't yet be described as a fear—exended its empire over Chavel's chest. 当第六个人抽到空白纸条时，他发现自己在打哈欠；当第十个人——就是大家称作雅维耶的那个人抽完签后，他的心中又充满了某中怨愤的情绪。现在抽中死签的机会同开始时一样了。 It was like a constriction： he found himself yawning as the sixth man drew a blank slip， and a sense of grievance nagged at his mind when the tenth man bad drawn—it was the one they called Janvier—and the chances were once again the same as when the draw started. 有的人抽出他们手指碰到的第一张纸条；有的人似乎怀疑命运企图将某一张纸条强加于他们，所以他们刚刚从鞋里抽出一张，就又扔回去，再另换一张。 Some men drew the first slip which touched their fingers； others seemed to suspect tha t fate was trying to force on them a particular slip and when they bad drawn one a little way from the shoe would let it drop again and choose another. 时间过得很慢，令人难以置信。那个叫做维尔森的人靠墙坐着，嘴里叼着仍未点燃的香烟，对一切都不再在意。 Time passed with incredible slowness， and the man called Voisin sat against the wall with the unlighted cigarette in his mouth paying them no attention at all. 就在生存的机会逐渐变小，抽中死签的可能性达到八分之一时，一个叫做勒诺特的上年纪的职员抽中了第二张死签。 The chances had narrowed to one in eight when the elderly clerk —his name was Lenotre—drew the second slip. 他清了清喉咙，戴上夹鼻眼镜，好像要确认自己没有看错。“喂，维尔森先生，我能加入吗？”他带着淡淡的微笑说道。 He cleared his throat and put on his pince-nez as though he had to make sure he was not mistaken. “Ah， Monsieur Voisin，” he said with a thin undecided smile， “May I join you？” 令人难以琢磨的机会再次以绝对对查维尔有利的优势朝他走来，抽中死签的可能性只有十五分之一，可他这次却没有丝毫欣慰，他被普通百姓所具有的勇气所震撼，他想让这一切尽快结束，就像一副扑克玩得太久了，他只希望有人离开牌桌，结束牌局。 This time Chavel felt no joy even though the elusive odds were back again overwhelmingly in his favor at fifteen to one； he was daunted by the courage of common men. He wanted the whole thing to be over as quickly as possible： like a game of cards which has gone on too long， he only wanted someone to make a move and break up the table. 勒诺特在维尔森身边靠墙坐下，他翻过纸条，背面是信中的一点内容，“是你妻子的？”维尔森问道。“是我女儿的。”勒诺特答道，“请原谅。”他起身走到自己的铺盖处，抽出一本便笺，回到维尔森身边开始写起来。他不慌不忙，认认真真地写下一串纤细而清晰的字迹。 。 Lenotre， sitting down against the wall next to Voisin， turned the slip over： on the back was a scrap of writing. Your-wife？“ Voisin said. “My daughter，” Lenotre said. “Excuse me.” He went over to his roll of bedding and drew out a writing pad. Then he sat down next to Voisin and began to write， carefully， without hurry， a thin legible hand. 这时中死签的概率又回到了10比1. The odds were back to ten to one. 从那时起，对查维尔来说，抽中死签的可能性似乎以一种不可避免的可怕趋势发生着变化。 From that point the odds seemed to move toward Chavel with a dreadful inevitability： 9比1，8比1，抽中死签的可能性好像指向了他。 nine to one， eight to one； they were like a pointing finger. 剩下的人抽得越来越快，越来越随便。 The men who were left drew more quickly and more carelessly： 在查维尔看来，他们似乎都知道了某种秘密，知道他会抽到死签。 they seemed to Chavel to have some inner information —to know that he was the one. 轮到他抽签时，只剩下了3张纸，留给他的机会这么少，在他看来真是不公平。 When his time came to draw there were only three slips left ， and it appeared to Chavel a monstrous injustice that there were so few choices left for him. 他从鞋中抽出一张，接着又认定这是同伴的意志强加给他的，一定有十字。于是他把它放回去，另抽了一张。 He drew one out of the shoe and then feeling certain that this one had been willed on him by his companions and contained the penciled cross he threw it back and snatched another. “律师，你偷看了。”剩下的两个人中有一个大声说道，但另一个让他安静下来。 “You looked， lawyer，” one of the two men exclaimed， but the other quieted him. “他没有偷看，他抽到的是有记号的。” “He didn't look. He's got the marked one now.” “不，不。”查维尔把纸条扔到地上，开始大叫：“我从来就没有同意，你们不能让我替别人去死。” “No，” Chavel said， “no.” He threw the slip upon the ground and cried， “I never consented to the draw. You can't make me die for the rest of you. . . ” 大家惊讶地看着他，但并没有敌意。 They watched him with astonishment but without enmity. 他是一个出身高贵的人。人们没有用自己的标准去衡量他，因为他属于一个别人难以理解的阶层。人们甚至没有把他的行为与胆怯联系起来。 He was a gentleman. They didn't judge him by their own standards： he belonged to an unaccountable class and they didn't at first even attach the idea of cowardice to his actions. “听我说，”查维尔一边哀求，一边举起那张纸条。大家既惊奇又好奇地看着他。“谁接受这张纸条，我就给他10万法郎。” “Listen，” Chavel implored them. He held out the slip of paper and they all watched him with compassionate curiosity. “I'll give a hundred thousand francs to anyone who'll take this.” 他快速移动着小步地从一个人面前走到另一个人面前，朝每一个人展示那张小纸条，好像是拍卖会上的服务员。 He took little rapid steps from one man to another， showing each man the bit of paper as if he were an attendant at an auction. “10万法郎。”他恳求道。人们感到震惊，同样又感到一丝怜悯：他是他们之中惟一的有钱人，这是与众不同之处。 “A hundred thousand francs，” he implored， and they watched him with a kind of shocked pity： he was the only rich man among them and this was a unique situation. 人们无法去比较，只能认定这就是他那个阶层的特点，这犹如一个在异国港口下船就餐的旅游者能从一个碰巧与他同桌的狡猾商人身上总结出该国的国民性格。 They had no means of comparison and assumed that this was a characteristic of his class， just as a traveler stepping off the liner at a foreign port for luncheon sums up a nation's character forever in the wily businessman who happens to share the table with him.
lesson4 自己选择死亡方式 Lesson Four Die as You Choose 制定关于安乐死的法律已经到了不能再回避的地步。 The need for laws on euthanasia cannot be dodged for much longer. 在世界上某个较小的国家里，安乐死被医疗机构普遍接受，每年都有数千例公开实施。 In one of the world's smaller countries， mercy-killing is accepted by the medical establishment and openly practiced a few thousand times each year. 而在某个世界大国，安乐死虽然经常受到医疗机构的公开谴责，每年却以数倍于此的次数秘密实施，且从未公之于众。 In one of the world's biggest countries， euthanasia is condemned by the medical establishment， secretly practiced many times more often， and almost never comes to light. 但是，在上述那个国家有医生因为实施安乐死而在监狱里服刑呢？ Which of these countries has a mercy-killing doctor now languishing in its jails？ 是在小国荷兰。荷兰制定了有关安乐死的法律，能有效地管理它。 It is the small one， Holland， which has rules for euthanasia and so can police it effectively. 那位荷兰的医生违反了他国家的规定。 The Dutch doctor broke his country's rules. 有关安乐死的问题在所有国家都存在，决不仅出现在美国这个禁止安乐死的大国。 There is a moral here for all the countries， and not just for the big death-forbidding country， America. 目前美国正再次展开有关安乐死的辩论。 Right now it is going over the arguments about euthanasia once again. 美国医学协会会刊1月份发表了一封非同寻常的来信。一位医生在信中宣称自己按照病人的意愿，杀死了一位身患癌症的20岁女孩。 In January the Journal of the American Medical Association published a bizarre letter， in which an anonymous doctor claimed to have killed a 20-year-old cancer patient at her own request. 这件事引起了一场辩论，而这场辩论将轰轰烈烈地持续到秋季，那时加利福尼亚州可能会就一项使安乐死合法化的法律进行投票表决。 This started a debate that will rumble on into the autumn， when Californians may vote on a proposed law legalizing euthanasia. 这封信可能是为了起到引发争论的效果，内容并不可信。 The letter was probably written for polemical impact. It is scarcely credible. 是作者自己在信中声称他（或她）第一次与那位得了癌症的病人见面，听到病人说出5个字——“让我去死吧”——然后就杀了她。 It's author claims that he met the cancer patient for the first time， heard five words from her – “Let's get this over with” – then killer her. 即使是极端的安乐死支持者也不赞成在这种情况下采取如此做法。 Even the most extreme proponents of euthanasia do not support such an action in those circumstances. 然而，医疗上出现的可怕事件如洪水猛兽一般，并不比安乐死的情况更好。它们无疑会在英美以及其他国家中继续肆虐，几乎成了令人恐怖的常规。 Yet medical monstrosities that are hardly any better undoubtedly continue， almost as a matter of macabre routine， in America， Britain and many other countries. 一些医生私下透露他们有时会故意杀死病人，这样的情况非常普遍，令人担忧。 It is disturbingly easy to find doctors who will say， in private， that they sometimes kill patients on purpose. 多数医生说他们知道其他医生也有同样的行为，但是因为即使在病人乞求他们的时候，医生也几乎不能与病人公开讨论安乐死，因此医生往往倾向于仅在要死的人处于垂危昏迷之际而无法表达是否同意安乐死时，才结束其生命。 Most say that know somebody else who does. But because they can rarely discuss euthanasia openly with patients – even when those patients beg them for it – doctors tend to kill only when the dying are too far gone to consent. 由于自愿要求安乐死受到禁止，就只能由医生自行作出决定了，病人会在夜间受到药物注射而非自愿地离开人世。 Thus， because voluntary euthanasia is taboo， a doctor makes the decision himself – and the patient is killed involuntarily in the night with a syringe. 这是不使安乐死公开的代价。 That is one price of keeping euthanasia secret. 如果所有形式的安乐死都是错误的，那就应该统统列入禁止之列。 If all forms of mercy-killing are wrong， they should remain taboo. 可情况果真如此吗？ But are they？ 许多人都认为依靠医学技术来延续生命带给人的痛苦是令人悲哀、可憎可恶的，完全不顾人的尊严，因此被动的安乐死——让病人自行死亡——被人们普遍接受。 Because many people accept that it is sad， undignified and gruesome to prolong the throes of death will all the might of medical technology， passive euthanasia – letting patients die – is widely accepted. 美国大多数州都有关于“活遗嘱”的法规，为医生提供保护。如果医生没有尽力救助曾声明不想延续生命的病人，不会为此受到起诉。 Most American states have “living – will” legislation that protects doctors from prosecution if they do not try to save someone who has said he does not want life prolonged. 主动的安乐死——杀死病人——却依然争论颇多。 Active euthanasia – killing – remains controversial. 将人杀死与让人死亡之间的界线还能维持多久呢？ How long can the distinction between killing and letting die hold out？ 正如因未履行某种职责受到处罚一样，人也可能因干了某事而不受责难。 Just as there can be culpable omissions， so too can there be blameless acts. 让我们从道德伦理著作中举例说明。假定一个人会从某个孩子的死亡中获益，当这个孩子在浴缸中撞伤头部而失去知觉时，那个人视而不见，任其溺水身亡。 Suppose – to take an example from the moral philosophy books – that a man stands to gain from the death of a certain child. The child strikes his head in the bath and falls unconscious. The man sits down and watches him drown. 虽然这个人什么都没有做，但他并不能因此开脱罪责。 The fact that the man has performed no action does not excuse him. 同样，再假设为了缩短而不是延长死亡到来的时间，医生终止某种治疗是无可指责的做法，那么如果这位医生使用足够的镇痛剂致使病人死亡，他就一定大错特错吗？ Similarly， suppose that a doctor does no wrong by withholding some treatment in order that death should come sooner rather than later. Is he then necessarily wrong if he administers enough painkillers to kill？ 这位医生采取了某种行动，而不是未尽某种职责，这会使他有罪吗？ Does the fact that the doctor performed an action， rather than an omission， condemn him？ 许多医生一直在为解除病人临终前的痛苦而奋斗着。他们认为在病人请求安乐死时，根本无法截然区分被动与主动的安乐死。 Many doctors working on the battlefield of terminal suffering think that only squeamishness demands a firm difference between passive and active euthanasia on request. 他们赞成医生杀死病人的理由是：医生的职责之一就是使病人免遭痛苦，这是医生所做的全部事情，而杀死病人则是做到这一点的惟一办法。 Their argument for killing goes like this： one of a doctor's duties is to prevent suffering； sometimes that is all there is left for him to do， and killing is the only way to do it. 这个观点并不新颖。当希波克拉底为医生制定信条的时候，曾明确禁止安乐死，而多数其他希腊医生和思想家都不赞成这一禁令。 There is nothing new in this view. When Hippocrates formulated his oath for doctors， which explicitly rules out active killing， most other Greek doctors and thinkers disagreed with his ban. 前事不忘，后事之师。 Let the past be a guide. 有人认为死亡的时间是上帝安排的，任何人不得缩短他人的生命，然而假如一位病人的人生观使其接受安乐死，那么人们不禁要问：为什么其他人还要用不同的宗教观念去干预其死亡呢？ Some people believe that the time of death is appointed by God and that no man should put the clock back on another. Yet if a patient's philosophical views embrace euthanasia， it is not clear why the religious objections of others should intrude on his death. 另一个令人担忧问题是，有关安乐死的法律体系允许医生在规定的情况下按照垂死病人的请求实施安乐死，就可能为杀人首开先例，从而危害社会。 Another worry is that a legal framework for euthanasia， permitting a doctor to comply with a dying man's request in a prescribed set of circumstances， might pose dangers for society by setting a precedent for killing. 这个问题取决于社会。 That depends on the society. 尽管有不同意见，荷兰对建立这样的法律体系已经准备就绪。 Holland， arguably， is ready for it. 当年就是荷兰医生英勇无比地顶住了压力，拒绝参与使安乐死声名狼藉的纳粹用人体进行医学实验的暴行，这恐怕不是巧合。 It is probably no coincidence that it was Dutch doctors who most heroically resisted pressure to join in the Nazi medical atrocities that have given euthanasia its worst name. 这些医生对个人自由坚定不移的尊重使他们没有杀害渴望活下去的健康人。今天正是同样的精神又使他们去帮助不愿活下去的垂危病人。 The same tenacious respect for individual liberty that stopped them killing healthy people， who did not want to die， now lets them help dying people who do. 与之相反，西德在未来相当长的时间里都无法使任何形式的安乐死合法化。 West Germany， by contrast， will not be able to legalize any form of euthanasia for a long time to come. 由于历史的阴影反对安乐死的力量异常强大，在那些近年来自由意志的传统未受任何干扰的国家里，为自愿安乐死制定有限的规定并不会使人们产生太多的恐惧。 Opposition is too fierce， because of the shadow of the past. Countries with an uninterrupted recent libertarian tradition have less to fear from setting some limited rules for voluntary euthanasia. 拒绝讨论这个问题会使情况更加糟糕。 By refusing to discuss it， they usher in something worse.
lesson8-10 人生的一课 快一年了，大部分时间我都泡在家里、店铺、学校和教堂里，就像一块旧饼干，又脏又难以下咽。 For nearly a year， I sopped around the house， the Store， the school and the church， like an old biscuit， dirty and inedible. 这时我遇到或者说认识了抛给我第一根救生索的那位夫人。 Then I met， or rather got to know， the lady who threw me first lifeline. 波萨？弗劳尔斯夫人是斯坦普司黑人区中的出类拔萃的人物。 Mrs. Bertha Flowers was the aristocrat of Black Stamps. 她动作优雅，即使在最冷的天气里也不缩手缩脚，而在阿肯色州的夏日里，她似乎又有属于自己的微风环绕在她的身旁，给她带来凉爽。 She had the grace of control to appear warm in the coldest weather， and one the Arkansas summer days it seemed she had a private breeze which swirled around， cooling her. 她的皮肤深黑迷人，如果被挂住就会像李子皮一样剥落，但没有人敢离她近点，碰皱她的衣服，更不要说挂住她的皮肤了。 Her skin was a rich black that would have peeled like a plum if snagged， but then no one would have thought of getting close enough to Mrs. Flowers to ruffle her dress， let alone snag her skin. 她不太喜欢亲近，另外她还带着手套。 She didn't encourage familiarity. She wore gloves too. 她是我所知道的为数不多的有气质的女士之一，并且是我做人的楷模，影响了我一生。 She was one of the few gentlewomen I have ever known， and has remained throughout my life the measure of what a human being can be. 我被她深深地吸引，因为她像是我从没有亲身遇到过的那些人。 She appealed to me because she was like people I had never met personally. 她就像英国小说中的女人，走在沼泽地里（不管是什么地方），一群忠实的狗奔跑在她们的身旁，并与她们保持一定的距离以示尊敬。 Like women in English novels who walked the moors （whatever they were） with their loyal dogs racing at a respectful distance. 她就像坐在炉火熊熊的壁炉前的女人，不时从装满蛋糕和松脆饼的银盘中取东西喝。 Like the women who sat in front of roaring fireplaces， drinking tea incessantly from silver trays full of scones and crumpets. 她就像走在“石南丛生的荒野”中，读着用摩洛哥山羊皮装订的书的那些女人，而且有用连字符隔开的两个姓。 Women who walked over the “heath” and read morocco-bound books and had two last names divided by a hyphen. 可以肯定地说，是她本人使我为自己是个黑人而感到骄傲。 It would be safe to say that she made me proud to be Negro， just by being herself. 那个在我的记忆中如甜奶般鲜活的夏日的午后，她来我们的店里买东西。 One summer afternoon， sweet-milk fresh in my memory， she stopped at the Store to buy provisions. 换了另外一个同她身体情况和年龄相当的黑人妇女就会一只手把纸袋拎回家去，但奶奶却说，“弗劳尔斯大姐，让贝利帮你把东西送回家去。” Another Negro woman of her health and age would have been expected to carry the paper sacks home in one hand， but Momma said， “Sister Flowers， I'll send Bai-ley up to your house with these things.” “谢谢您，汉德森夫人。但我想让玛格丽特帮我送回去。” “Thank you， Mrs. Henderson. I'd prefer Marguerite， though.” 她说我名字时，我的名字也变得动听起来。 My name was beautiful when she said it. “反正我一直想跟她谈一谈。”她们互相对视了一下，其间的意思只有她们这些同龄人才明白。 “I've been mean-ins to talk to her， anyway.” They gave each other agegroup looks. 在石头路旁有一条小路，弗劳尔斯夫人在前面摆动着胳膊，在碎石路上小心地走着。 There was a little path beside the rocky road， and Mrs. Flowers walked in front swinging her arms and picking her way over the stones. 她没有回头，对我说，“听说你在学校里功课很好，玛格丽特，但那都是笔头作业。老师说他们很难让你在课堂上发言。” She said， without turning her head， to me， “I hear you're doing very good school work， Marguerite， but that it's all written. The teachers report that they have trouble getting you to talk in class. 我们走过左边三角形的农场，路变宽了，可以允许我们并排走在一起。但我畏缩地走在后面，想着那些没有问出口也无法回答的问题。 We passed the triangular farm on our left and the path widened to allow us to walk together. I hung back in the separate unasked and unanswerable questions. “过来和我一起走，玛格丽特。”我无法拒绝，尽管我很想。 “Come and walk along with me， Marguerite.” I couldn't have refused even if I wanted to. 她把我的名字叫得如此动听。或者更确切地说，她把每个词都说得这样清晰，我相信就是一个不懂英语的外国人也能听懂她的话。 She pronounced my name so nicely. Or more correctly， she spoke each word with such clarity that I was certain a foreigner who didn't understand English could have understood her. “现在没有人要强迫你说话——恐怕也没人能做到这一点。但是你记住，语言是人类进行沟通的方式，是语言将人类同低等动物区分开来。” “Now no one is going to make you talk —possibly no one can. But bear in mind， language is man's way of communicating with his fellow man and it is language alone which separates him from the lower animals.” 这对我来说是一个全新的观点，我需要些时间认真考虑一下。 That was a totally new idea to me， and I would need time to think about it. “你奶奶说你读了很多书，一有机会就读。这很好，但还不够好，言语的含义不仅是写在纸上的那点。它需要人的声音赋予它深层含义的细微差别。” “Your grandmother says you read a lot. Every chance you get. That's good， but not good enough. Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with the shades of deeper meaning. ” 我记住了有关声音赋予言语更多内涵的话。这些话听起来是那么正确，那么富有诗意。 I memorized the part about the human voice infusing words. It seemed so valid and poetic. 她说她要给我一些书，要我不仅阅读这些书，还要大声朗读。 She said she was going to give me some books and that I not only must read them， I must read them aloud. 她建议我用尽可能丰富的语调去读每一句话。 She suggested that i try to make a sentence sound in as many different ways as possible. “如果你草草读完这些书就还给我的话，我不接受任何理由。” “I'll accept no excuse if you return a book to me that has been badly handled.” 我想像不出如果我真的没有认真读弗劳尔斯夫人的某一本书，将会受到怎样的惩罚。让我去死恐怕是太仁慈太干脆了。 My imagination boggled at the punishment I would deserve if in fact I did abuse a book of Mrs. Flowers'。 Death would be too kind and brief. 房子里的气味让我有点吃惊。 The odors in the house surprised me. 不知什么缘故，我从来没有将弗劳尔斯夫人与食物、吃饭或是平常人的琐事联系起来。 Somehow I had never connected Mrs. Flowers with food or eating or any other common experience of common people. 那里一定也有户外厕所，但我一点也记不起来了。 There must have been an outhouse， too， but my mind never recorded it. 她打开门，香草的芬芳迎面扑来。 The sweet scent of vanilla had met us as she opened the door. “今天早上我做了些茶点。你瞧，我早打算好要请你来吃点心、柠檬水，这样我们就可以聊一会了。柠檬水正放在冰盒子里呢。” “I made tea cookies this morning. You see， I had planned to invite you for cookies and lemonade so we could have this little chat. The lemonade is in the icebox.” 这意味着弗劳尔斯夫人平时也买冰，而镇上大多数人家只是在星期六下午才买冰，放在木头做的冰淇凌冷藏机内，整个夏天也不过只买几次。 It followed that Mrs. Flowers would have ice on an ordinary day， when most families in our town bought ice late on Saturdays only a few times during the summer to be used in the wooden ice-cream freezers. “坐吧，玛格丽特，坐到那边桌子旁。” “Have a seat， Marguerite. Over there by the table.” 她端着一个用茶布盖着的盘。 She carried a platter covered with a tea towel. 尽管她事先说过她已经好久没有做点心了，我还是相信就像她的其他任何东西一样，点心也会十分精美可口。 Although she warned that she hadn't tried her hand at baking sweets for some time， I was certain that like everything else about her the cookies would be perfect. 我吃点心的时候，她开始给我讲我们后来称之为“我生活中的一课”的第一部分。 As I ate she began the first of what we later called “my lesson in living.” 她告诉我不能宽容无知，但可以理解文盲。 She said that must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. 她认为有些人虽然没有上过学，但却比大学教授更有知识，甚至更聪明。 That some people， unable to go to school， were more educated and even more intelligent than college professors. 她还鼓励我认真倾听被乡下人称为常识的一些俗语。她说这些朴实谚语是一代代人集体智慧的结晶。 She encouraged me to listen carefully to what country people called mother wit. That in those homely sayings was couched the collective wisdom of generations 我吃完点心后，她把桌子打扫干净，从书架上拿了一本又厚又小的书。 When I finished the cookies she brushed off the table and brought a thick， small book from the bookcase. 我读过《双城记》，认为这本书符合我心目中浪漫主义小说的标准。 I had read A Tale of Two Cities and found it up to my standards as a romantic novel. 她翻开第一页，于是我平生第一次听到了诗朗诵。 She opened the first page and I heard poetry for the first time in my life. “这是最辉煌的时代也是最糟糕的时代……”她的声音圆润，随着言语的起伏而抑扬顿挫，就像在唱歌一样。 “It was the best of times and the worst of times. . .” Her voice slid in and curved down through and over the words. She was nearly singing. 我想看一下她读的是否真的和我过去看的一样？ I wanted to look at the pages. Were they the same that I had read？ 还是像赞美诗一样，书页上满是音符？ Or were there notes， music， lined on the pages， as in a hymn book？ 她的声音开始慢慢低沉下来。 Her sounds began cascading gently. 我听过很多次布道，因此我知道她的朗诵就要结束了，但我还没有真正听见或听懂一个词。 I knew from listening to a thousand preachers that she was nearing the end of her reading， and I hadn't really heard， heard to understand， a single word. “你觉得怎么样？” “How do you like that？” 我这才意识到她在期待我的回答。 It occurred to me that she expected a response. 我的舌间还留有香草的余味，她的朗诵对我来说很奇妙。 The sweet vanilla flavor was still on my tongue and her reading was a wonder in my ears. 我得说点什么了。 I had to speak. 我说：“是的，夫人。”我至少得说这些，我也只能说这些。 I said， “Yea， ma'am.” It was the least I could do， but it was the most also. “还有一件事。你把这本诗集拿去，背下其中的一首。下次你再来看我时，我希望你背诵给我听。” 'There s one more thing. Take this book of poems and memorize one for me. Next time you pay me a visit， I want you to recite.“ 在经历了成年后的复杂生活后，我多次试图弄清楚为什么当年她送给我的礼物一下子就让我陶醉了。 I have tried often to search behind the sophistication of years for the enchantment I so easily found in those gifts. 书中的内容已经忘却，但余韵仍存。 The essence escapes but its aura remains. 被准许，不，是被邀请进入一群陌生人的私人生活中，与他们共同分享喜悦和恐惧，这使我读贝奥武夫时就犹如喝一杯蜜酒，读奥立佛？特威斯特时，犹如饮一杯热奶茶，忘记了那犹如南方苦艾酒般的痛苦经历。 To be allowed， no， invited， into the private lives of strangers， and to share their joys and fears， was a chance to exchange the Southern bitter wormwood for a cup of mead with Be-owulf or a hot cup of tea and milk with Oliver Twist. 当我大声地说“这比我做过的任何一件事都好得多”时，我眼中涌出了爱的泪水，那是为了自己的忘我 When I said aloud， “It is a far， far better thing that I do， than I have ever done…” tears of love filled my eyes at my selflessness. 在我第一次去她家回来，我跑下山去冲到马路上（路上很少有车经过），快到店铺时我还居然没忘了停下来。 On that first day， I ran down the hill and into the road （few cars ever came along it） and had the good sense to stop running before I reached the Store. 有人喜欢我，这是多么的不同啊。 was liked， and what a difference it made. 有人尊敬我，并不是因为我是汉德森夫人的外孙女或是贝利的妹妹，而是因为我是玛格丽特？约翰逊。 I was respected not as Mrs. Henderson's grandchild or Bailey's sister but for just being Marguerite Johnson. 孩提时的逻辑永远不需要证实（所有的结论都是绝对的）。 Childhood's logic never asks to be proved （all conclusions are absolute）。 我从来没有想过为什么弗劳尔斯夫人会选中我来表示关怀，也从来没想过也许是奶奶曾请求她开导我一下。 1 didn't question why Mrs. Flowers had singled me out for attention， nor did it occur to me that Momma might have asked her to give me a little talking to. 我只关心她曾给我做点心吃，还给我读她最喜欢的书。这些足以证明她喜欢我 All I cared about was that she had made tea cookies for me and read to me from her favorite book. It was enough to prove that she liked me. 奶奶和贝利在店铺里等我。 Momma and Bailey were waiting inside the Store. 他问：“她给了你什么？”他已经看到那些书了，但我把装着他那份点心的纸袋放在怀里，用诗集挡住。 He said. “My， what did she give you？” He had seen the books， but I held the paper sack with his cookies in my arms shielded by the poems. 奶奶说：“小姐，我知道你的举止像位女士。 Momma said， “Sister， I know you acted like a little lady. That do my heart good to see settled people take to you all. 我已经尽努力了，上帝知道，但这些天……“她的声音低下来，”快去把衣服换了。 I'm trying my best， the Lord knows， but these days…“ Her voice trailed off. ”Go on in and change your dress.
第十个人 Lesson Ten The Tenth Man 就在第二天下午3点（闹钟上的时间），一个军官走进了牢房。这是他们几星期以来见到的第一位军官。他非常年轻，甚至小胡子的形状也显示出他不够老练，左边的胡子剃得重了点。 It was at three the next afternoon （alarm clock time） that an officer entered the cell； the first officer they had seen for weeks – and this one was very young， with inexperience even in the shape of his mustache which he had shaved too much on the left side. 他就像一个初次登台领奖的小学生一样窘迫不安，他说起话来粗鲁无礼，似乎要显示一种他并不具备的力量。 He was as embarrassed as a schoolboy making his first entry on a stage at a prize-giving， and he spoke abruptly so as to give the impression of a strength he did not possess. 他说道：“昨天夜间城里发生了几起谋杀，一名军事长官的副手、一位中士和一个骑自行车的女孩被杀。”他又说道：“我们不在乎女孩的死。法国男人杀死法国女人不关我们的事。” He said， “There were murders last night in the town. The aide-de-camp of the military governor， a sergeant and a girl on a bicycle.” He added， “We don't complain about the girl. Frenchmen have our permission to kill Frenchwomen.” 很明显他事先仔细斟酌了他的讲话，但他的嘲弄做过了头，他的表演也很业余。 He had obviously thought up his speech carefully beforehand， but the irony was overdone and the delivery that of an amateur actor： 整个场面就像手势字谜游戏那样矫饰做作。 the whole scene was as unreal as a charade. 他接着说道：“你们知道自己为什么来这里，你们在这里好吃好喝，过着舒适的日子，而我们的人却在工作和战斗。不过现在你们必须付出代价了。不要怪我们，要怪你们自己的杀人凶手。我的命令是集中营里每十个人要有一个被枪决。你们有多少人？”“报数。”他厉声喝道人们闷闷不乐地照办了。“28，29，30.”人们知道不用数他也知道人数，这不过是他玩的把戏中不可省略的一句台词…… He said， “You know what you are here for， living comfortably， on fine rations， while our men work and fight. Well， now you've got to pay the hotel bill. Don't blame us. Blame your own murderers. My orders are that one man in every ten shall be shot in this camp. How many of you are there？” He shouted sharply， “Number off，” and sullenly they obeyed， “…… twenty-eight， twenty-nine， thirty.” They knew he knew without counting. This was just a line in his charade he couldn't sacrifice. 他说道：“那么，你们的名额是三个，我们并不关心是哪三个人。你们可以自己选择。死刑于明天早上7点执行。” He said， “Your allotment then is three. We are quite indifferent as to which three. You can choose for yourselves. The funeral rites will begin at seven tomorrow morning.” 他玩的把戏结束了，人们可以听到他的脚步响亮地敲击着沥青路渐渐远去。 The charade was over： they could hear his feet striking sharply on the asphalt going away. 查维尔忽然很想知道他打的手势是什么字。要他们猜的是不是“夜间”，“姑娘”，“旁边”或“30”。不，不是。谜底肯定是“人质”。 Chavel wondered for a moment what syllable had been acted —“night，”“girl，”“aside，” or perhaps “thirty，” but it was of course the whole word—“hostage. ” 牢房里很长时间没人说话。后来一个叫克拉夫的阿尔萨斯人开口道：“好了，我们有人自愿吗？” The silence went on a long time， and then a man called Krogh， an Alsatian， said， “Well， do we have to volunteer？” “废话。”一个职员说道。他是一个上了年纪的戴着夹鼻眼镜的老头。他接着说道：“没人会自愿，我们必须抽签。除非有人认为应按年龄决定——最老的先死。” “Rubbish，” said one of the clerks， a thin elderly man in pince-nez， “nobody will volunteer. We must draw lots.” He added， “Un-less it is thought that we should go by ages —the oldest first. ” “不，不行。”另一个人说道，“那不公平。” “No， no，” one of the others said， “that would be unjust. ” “这是自然规律。” “It's the way of nature.” “那算什么自然规律。”又一个人说道，“我有个女儿，5岁时就死了。” “Not even the way of nature，” another said. “1 had a child who died when she was five……” “我们必须抽签。”市长坚定地说。 “We must draw lots，” the mayor said firmly. “只有这样才公正。”他坐在那里，双手依然紧贴在肚子上，遮挡着他的怀表，但是整个牢房里都能听见怀表清脆的滴答声。 “It is the only fair thing.” He sat with his hands still pressed over his stomach， hiding his watch， but all through the cell you could hear its blunt tick lock tick. 他接着又说道：“由未婚者抽签，已婚者除外，他们有责任。” He added， “On the unmarried. The married should not be included. They have responsibilities… “哈，哈！”皮埃尔说道，“我们明白了。为什么已婚者就应逃脱？他们的事儿已经做完了。当然，你结婚了吧？” “Ha， ha，” Pierre said， “we see through that. Why should the married get off？ Their work's finished. You， of course， are married？” “我的妻子不在了。”市长说，“我现在是未婚，你呢？” “I have lost my wife，” the mayor said， “I am not married now. And you…” “结了。”皮埃尔答道。 “Married，” Pierre said. 市长开始解下怀表。发现皮埃尔处境安全，他似乎更坚信作为怀表的主人自己必定是下一个牺牲者。 The mayor began to undo his watch； the discovery that his rival was safe seemed to confirm his belief that as the owner of time he was bound to be the next victim. 他环顾了每一个人，然后选择了查维尔。也许是因为只有他穿着西服背心适合戴表链。他说道：“查维尔先生，我想让你替我拿着怀表，万一……” He looked from face to face and chose Chavel， perhaps because he was the only man with a waistcoat fit to take the chain. He said， “Monsieur Chavel， I want you to hold this watch for me in case…” “你找别人吧！”查维尔说，“我还没结婚呢。” “you'd better choose someone else，” Chavel said. “I am not married.” 那个老职员又开口了，“我结婚了，我有权说话。 The elderly clerk spoke again. He said， “I'm married. I've got the right to speak. 我们正把一切引向歧途。这不是我们最后一次抽签。如果这儿有一个特权阶层——那些最终将活着的人，大家想想，牢房里会是什么样子。你们其他人很快就会痛恨我们。你们害怕，而我们将不再担心。“ We are going the wrong way about all this. Everyone must draw lots. This isn't the last draw we shall have， and picture to yourselves what it will be like in this cell if we have a privileged class —the ones who are left to the end. The rest of you will soon begin to hate us. We shall be left out of your fear. . . “ “他说得对。”皮埃尔说。 “He's right，” Pierre said. 市长重新握紧了怀表，说道：“就照你们的主意办。要是能够这样征税的话……”他做了个绝望的手势。 The mayor refastened his watch. “Have it your own way，” he said. “But if the taxes were levied like this…” He gave a gesture of despair. “我们如何抽签？”克拉夫问道。 “How do we draw？” Krogh asked. 查维尔答道：“最快的办法就是从一只鞋里抽出画有记号的纸条。” Chavel said， “The quickest way would be to draw marked papers out of a shoe. . .” 克拉夫轻蔑地说：“那么快干吗？对于我们当中几个人来说这可是最后一次赌博了。我们蛮可以享受一番。我提议赌抛硬币。” Krogh said contemptuously， “Why the quickest way？ This is the last gamble some of us will have. We may as well enjoy it. I say a coin.” “这不好。”那个职员说，“抛硬币不是一个公平、合理的办法。” “It won't work，” the clerk said. “You can't get a even chance with a coin.” “惟一的办法就是抽签。”市长说道。 “The only way is to draw，” the mayor said. 职员开始为抽签做准备，为此他牺牲了一封家信。 The clerk prepared the draw， sacrificing for it one of his letters from home. 他很快地看了一遍信，然后把它撕成30张小纸条。 He read it rapidly for the last time， and then tore it into thirty pieces. 他用铅笔在其中三张上画上十字，然后把每张纸条都叠上。 On three pieces he made a cross in pencil， and then folded each piece. 他接着说：“克拉夫的鞋。”大家把纸条放在地下搅乱，然后装进了鞋子里。 “Krogh's got the biggest shoe，” he said. They shuffled the pieces on the floor and then dropped them into the shoe. “我们按姓氏的字母顺序抽签。”市长说。 “We'll draw in alphabetical order，” the mayor said. “从Z开始抽。”查维尔说道。他的安全感开始动摇了。他急切想喝点什么，用手指从嘴唇上撕下一小块干皮。 “Z first，” Chavel said. His feeling of security was shaken. He wanted a drink badly. He picked at a dry piece of skin on his lip. “就按你说的办。”卡车司机说道，“有人排在维尔森前面吗？我先抽。” “As you wish，” the lorry driver said. “Anybody beat Voisin？ Here goes. 他用手在鞋子里小心地掏，就像是要掏到他心里想要的那张。 “He thrust his hand into the shoe and made careful excavations as though he had one particular scrap of paper in mind. 他抽出一张，打开，怔怔地看着，然后说了声：“完了。”他坐下来，摸出一支香烟放到嘴里，却忘了点火。 He drew one out， opened it， and gazed at it with astonishment. He said， “This is it.” He sat down and felt for a cigarette， but when he got it between his lips he forgot to light it. 查维尔心中充满了巨大而又令他感到羞耻的快乐。 Chavel was filled with a huge and shameful joy. 看来自己得救了。剩下二十九个人抽签，而只有两张带有记号的纸条。 It seemed to him that already he was saved —twenty - nine men to draw and only two marked papers left. 抽中死签的可能性突然变得对他有利，从10比1变成了14比1.经营蔬菜水果的商人也抽了一张，然后漫不经心、毫无表情地示意自己平安无事。 The chances had suddenly grown in his favor from ten to one to—fourteen to one： the greengrocer had drawn a slip and indicated carelessly and without pleasure that he was safe. 的确，从抽第一张签时人们就忌讳任何喜形于色的表现，一个人不能以任何宽慰的举动去嘲弄注定要死的人。 Indeed from the first draw any mark of pleasure was taboo： one couldn't mock the condemned man by any sign of relief. 查维尔胸中有一种隐隐约约的不安——还不是恐惧，像是一种压抑感。 Again a dull disquiet —ii couldn't yet be described as a fear—exended its empire over Chavel's chest. 当第六个人抽到空白纸条时，他发现自己在打哈欠；当第十个人——就是大家称作雅维耶的那个人抽完签后，他的心中又充满了某中怨愤的情绪。现在抽中死签的机会同开始时一样了。 It was like a constriction： he found himself yawning as the sixth man drew a blank slip， and a sense of grievance nagged at his mind when the tenth man bad drawn—it was the one they called Janvier—and the chances were once again the same as when the draw started. 有的人抽出他们手指碰到的第一张纸条；有的人似乎怀疑命运企图将某一张纸条强加于他们，所以他们刚刚从鞋里抽出一张，就又扔回去，再另换一张。 Some men drew the first slip which touched their fingers； others seemed to suspect tha t fate was trying to force on them a particular slip and when they bad drawn one a little way from the shoe would let it drop again and choose another. 时间过得很慢，令人难以置信。那个叫做维尔森的人靠墙坐着，嘴里叼着仍未点燃的香烟，对一切都不再在意。 Time passed with incredible slowness， and the man called Voisin sat against the wall with the unlighted cigarette in his mouth paying them no attention at all. 就在生存的机会逐渐变小，抽中死签的可能性达到八分之一时，一个叫做勒诺特的上年纪的职员抽中了第二张死签。 The chances had narrowed to one in eight when the elderly clerk —his name was Lenotre—drew the second slip. 他清了清喉咙，戴上夹鼻眼镜，好像要确认自己没有看错。“喂，维尔森先生，我能加入吗？”他带着淡淡的微笑说道。 He cleared his throat and put on his pince-nez as though he had to make sure he was not mistaken. “Ah， Monsieur Voisin，” he said with a thin undecided smile， “May I join you？” 令人难以琢磨的机会再次以绝对对查维尔有利的优势朝他走来，抽中死签的可能性只有十五分之一，可他这次却没有丝毫欣慰，他被普通百姓所具有的勇气所震撼，他想让这一切尽快结束，就像一副扑克玩得太久了，他只希望有人离开牌桌，结束牌局。 This time Chavel felt no joy even though the elusive odds were back again overwhelmingly in his favor at fifteen to one； he was daunted by the courage of common men. He wanted the whole thing to be over as quickly as possible： like a game of cards which has gone on too long， he only wanted someone to make a move and break up the table. 勒诺特在维尔森身边靠墙坐下，他翻过纸条，背面是信中的一点内容，“是你妻子的？”维尔森问道。“是我女儿的。”勒诺特答道，“请原谅。”他起身走到自己的铺盖处，抽出一本便笺，回到维尔森身边开始写起来。他不慌不忙，认认真真地写下一串纤细而清晰的字迹。 。 Lenotre， sitting down against the wall next to Voisin， turned the slip over： on the back was a scrap of writing. Your-wife？“ Voisin said. “My daughter，” Lenotre said. “Excuse me.” He went over to his roll of bedding and drew out a writing pad. Then he sat down next to Voisin and began to write， carefully， without hurry， a thin legible hand. 这时中死签的概率又回到了10比1. The odds were back to ten to one. 从那时起，对查维尔来说，抽中死签的可能性似乎以一种不可避免的可怕趋势发生着变化。 From that point the odds seemed to move toward Chavel with a dreadful inevitability： 9比1，8比1，抽中死签的可能性好像指向了他。 nine to one， eight to one； they were like a pointing finger. 剩下的人抽得越来越快，越来越随便。 The men who were left drew more quickly and more carelessly： 在查维尔看来，他们似乎都知道了某种秘密，知道他会抽到死签。 they seemed to Chavel to have some inner information —to know that he was the one. 轮到他抽签时，只剩下了3张纸，留给他的机会这么少，在他看来真是不公平。 When his time came to draw there were only three slips left ， and it appeared to Chavel a monstrous injustice that there were so few choices left for him. 他从鞋中抽出一张，接着又认定这是同伴的意志强加给他的，一定有十字。于是他把它放回去，另抽了一张。 He drew one out of the shoe and then feeling certain that this one had been willed on him by his companions and contained the penciled cross he threw it back and snatched another. “律师，你偷看了。”剩下的两个人中有一个大声说道，但另一个让他安静下来。 “You looked， lawyer，” one of the two men exclaimed， but the other quieted him. “他没有偷看，他抽到的是有记号的。” “He didn't look. He's got the marked one now.” “不，不。”查维尔把纸条扔到地上，开始大叫：“我从来就没有同意，你们不能让我替别人去死。” “No，” Chavel said， “no.” He threw the slip upon the ground and cried， “I never consented to the draw. You can't make me die for the rest of you. . . ” 大家惊讶地看着他，但并没有敌意。 They watched him with astonishment but without enmity. 他是一个出身高贵的人。人们没有用自己的标准去衡量他，因为他属于一个别人难以理解的阶层。人们甚至没有把他的行为与胆怯联系起来。 He was a gentleman. They didn't judge him by their own standards： he belonged to an unaccountable class and they didn't at first even attach the idea of cowardice to his actions. “听我说，”查维尔一边哀求，一边举起那张纸条。大家既惊奇又好奇地看着他。“谁接受这张纸条，我就给他10万法郎。” “Listen，” Chavel implored them. He held out the slip of paper and they all watched him with compassionate curiosity. “I'll give a hundred thousand francs to anyone who'll take this.” 他快速移动着小步地从一个人面前走到另一个人面前，朝每一个人展示那张小纸条，好像是拍卖会上的服务员。 He took little rapid steps from one man to another， showing each man the bit of paper as if he were an attendant at an auction. “10万法郎。”他恳求道。人们感到震惊，同样又感到一丝怜悯：他是他们之中惟一的有钱人，这是与众不同之处。 “A hundred thousand francs，” he implored， and they watched him with a kind of shocked pity： he was the only rich man among them and this was a unique situation. 人们无法去比较，只能认定这就是他那个阶层的特点，这犹如一个在异国港口下船就餐的旅游者能从一个碰巧与他同桌的狡猾商人身上总结出该国的国民性格。 They had no means of comparison and assumed that this was a characteristic of his class， just as a traveler stepping off the liner at a foreign port for luncheon sums up a nation's character forever in the wily businessman who happens to share the table with him.