戰(zhàn)火中的生命



編者按：英國作家邁克爾·莫波格，走訪了位于英國南部的德文郡數(shù)位老兵，并受一個無法跟人交流卻能跟馬流暢溝通的少年啟發(fā)，寫下了一部兒童小說《戰(zhàn)馬》。這本小說是以一匹叫做“喬伊”（Zoey)的馬為第一視角，敘述了它在英國農(nóng)場以及英德戰(zhàn)場上的顛沛流離，也從旁見證了戰(zhàn)爭的殘酷。

《戰(zhàn)馬》的故事有些殘忍，但基調(diào)是溫情的，在給人們帶來創(chuàng)傷的戰(zhàn)火中，借由喬伊與男孩艾伯特的深厚情誼，彰顯了永不磨滅的勇氣與希望。小編選取的是喬伊被艾伯特父親買回家后，艾伯特教它學(xué)會耕地的段落，雖然當(dāng)時他們免不了覺得有些辛苦，但比起即將到來的戰(zhàn)爭，這簡直可以稱得上戰(zhàn)前最后一首田園詩。

斯皮爾伯格導(dǎo)演的同名電影被提名奧斯卡最佳影片

從此刻開始，艾伯特和喬伊互相信任

War Horse （Excerpt)

Chapter 2

［1］ That next morning both Albert and his father came out together to the stables. His father was walking with a pronounced limp. They were carrying a collar each and I could see that Albert had been crying for his pale cheeks were stained with tears. They stood together at the stable door. I noticed with infinite pride and pleasure that my Albert was

戰(zhàn)馬（節(jié)選）

第二章

［1］ 第二天早上，艾伯特和他父親一起來到馬廄。他父親走路明顯一瘸一拐的。他倆每人手里都拿了個馬軛，我能看出來艾伯特剛哭過，因?yàn)樗樕n白，滿臉淚痕。他倆一起站在馬廄門口。讓我無比自豪、無比歡欣的是，艾伯特的個頭兒已經(jīng)超過他父親。他父親一臉憔悴，顯得十分痛苦：“艾伯特，要是昨晚沒有你媽說情，我當(dāng)場就把這馬給斃了。它差點(diǎn)兒要了我的命。

already taller than his father whose face was drawn and lined with pain. “If your mother hadnt begged me last night， Albert， Id have shot that horse on the spot. He couldve killed me. Now Im warning you， if that animal is not ploughing straight as an arrow inside a week， hell be sold on， and thats a promise. Its up to you. You say you can deal with him， and Ill give you just one chance. He wont let me go near him. Hes wild and vicious， and unless you make it your business to tame him and train him inside that week， hes going. Do you understand? That horse has to earn his keep like everyone else around here—I dont care how showy he is—that horse has got to learn how to work. And Ill promise you another thing， Albert， if I have to lose that bet， then he has to go.” He dropped the collar on the ground and turned on his heel to go.

Believe in your dreams and they may come true; believe in yourself and they will come true. 相信你的夢想，它們可能會實(shí)現(xiàn)；相信你自己，它們一定會實(shí)現(xiàn)。

Five rules to be happy: Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less. 快樂的五條法則：不憎恨，不焦慮，簡單地生活，多一點(diǎn)付出，少一點(diǎn)期待。

［2］ “Father，” said Albert with resolution in his voice. “Ill train Joey—Ill train him to plough all right—but you must promise never to raise a stick to him again. He cant be handled that way， I know him， Father. I know him as if he were my own brother.”

“You train him， Albert， you handle him. Dont care how you do it. I dont want to know，” said his father dismissively. “Ill not go near the brute again. Id shoot him first.”

［3］But when Albert came into the stable it was not to smoothe me as he usually did， nor to talk to me gently. Instead he walked up to me and looked me hard in the eye. “That was divilish stupid，” he said sternly. “If you want to

我現(xiàn)在警告你，要是這馬在一星期內(nèi)不能把地犁得筆直筆直的，我就賣了它，我說 到做到。全看你的了。你說你能對付它，我就給你一次機(jī)會。再說，它也不讓我靠近。這馬野性十足，本性惡毒，除非你能馴服它，一個星期就訓(xùn)練好它，否則它就得離開。聽明白了嗎？這馬得像其他人一樣學(xué)會自食其力——我可不管它有多好看——這馬必須學(xué)會干活兒。艾伯特，我得跟你說清楚了，要是我打賭輸了的話，它必須走。”他把馬軛扔到地上，轉(zhuǎn)身離去。

［2］ “爸，”艾伯特堅(jiān)定地說，“我會訓(xùn)練好喬伊——我會讓它學(xué)會犁地——不過，您必須保證不再打它。不能那么訓(xùn)練它，爸，我了解它，我特別了解它，它就像我的親兄弟一樣?！?/p>

“艾伯特，你來訓(xùn)練它，你來管它。我不管你怎么做，我也不想知道?！彼赣H不想繼續(xù)討論下去，“我不會再靠近這畜生。我想一槍斃了它?！?/p>

［3］ 這次艾伯特走進(jìn)馬廄后沒有像從前那樣撫摸我，也沒有對我柔聲說話。相反，他徑直走過來，表情嚴(yán)肅地盯著我。“你簡直蠢透了?！彼麉柭曊f，“你要想活下去，喬伊，就得學(xué)會生存之道。以后你再也不能踢人。爸的話是當(dāng)真的，

survive， Joey， youll have to learn. Youre never to kick out at anyone ever again. He means it， Joey. Hed have shot you just like that if it hadnt been for Mother. It was Mother who saved you. He wouldnt listen to me and he never will. So never again Joey. Never.” His voice changed now， and he spoke more like himself. “We have one week Joey， only one week to get you ploughing. I know with all that thoroughbred in you you may think it beneath you， but thats what youre going to have to do. Old Zoey and me， were going to train you; and itll be divilish hard work—even harder for you cos youre not quite the right shape for it. Theres not enough of you yet. You wont much like me by the end of it， Joey. But Father means what he says. Hes a man of his word. Once hes made up his mind， then thats that. Hed sell you on， even shoot you rather than lose that bet， and thats for sure.”

［4］ That same morning， with the mists still clinging to the fields and linked side by side to dear old Zoey in a collar that hung loose around my shoulders， I was led out on to Long Close and my training as a farmhorse began. As we took the strain together for the first time the collar rubbed at my skin and my feet sank deep into the soft ground with the effort of it. Behind， Albert was shouting almost continuously， flashing a whip at me whenever I hesitated or went off line， whenever he felt I was not giving it my best—and he knew. This was a different Albert. Gone were the gentle words and the kindnesses of the past. His voice had a harshness and a sharpness to it that would brook no refusal on my part.

喬伊。要不是媽媽幫忙，他會一槍斃了你。是媽媽救了你。他不聽我的，將來也不會聽。所以，喬伊，下次可別這樣了。以后別再這樣了。”說到這兒，他的語氣發(fā)生了變化，變得更像原來的他，“喬伊，咱們只有一個星期，你得在這幾天里學(xué)會犁地。我知道你是良種馬，你可能覺得犁地的活兒根本不配讓你干，可是現(xiàn)在你必須得干這活兒。我和老馬佐依，我倆會訓(xùn)練你；這活兒特別累——對你來說尤其累，因?yàn)槟悴皇寝r(nóng)用馬，也還沒有足夠的力氣干好這活兒。喬伊，這事完了你會對我有意見。可是我必須得做。我爸爸說到做到，他是言出必行的人。他一旦下定決心，就沒法改變。他會把你賣掉，甚至斃了你也不愿意賭輸，這是毫無疑問的?！?/p>

［4］ 就是這個早上，一個馬軛松松地套在了我的肩膀上。我和親愛的老馬佐依肩并肩，踏著田里彌漫著的薄霧，被領(lǐng)到一個叫朗克魯斯的地方，我的農(nóng)用馬訓(xùn)練生涯開始了。由于我們第一次一起犁地，那馬軛擦傷了我的皮，我的雙腳因?yàn)樘昧Χ钌钕萑胨绍浀耐寥览铩０卦诤竺娌煌５厝氯?，我只要一遲疑，或者走歪了，或者他覺得我沒有盡力——他能看出來，他就朝我揮鞭。艾伯特像變了一個人似的。他以前說的好話和友善的態(tài)度蕩然無存。他現(xiàn)在說話嚴(yán)厲、刻薄，決不允許我反抗。老馬佐依在我旁邊，她俯身讓人套上馬軛默默地拉車，低著頭，雙腳深陷入土壤。為了佐依，為了我，也為了艾伯特，我也彎腰讓人套上馬軛，開始犁地。那一個星期里，我要學(xué)會農(nóng)用馬犁地的基本技能。我一用

Beside me old Zoey leant into her collar and pulled silently， head down， digging in with her feet. For her sake and for my own sake， for Alberts too， I leant my weight into my collar and began to pull. I was to learn during that week the rudiments of ploughing like a farm horse. Every muscle I had ached with the strain of it; but after a nights good rest stretched out in the stable I was fresh again and ready for work the next morning.

Happiness isnt getting all you want. Its enjoying all you have. 幸福不是得到你想要的一切，而是享受你所擁有的一切。

Life stops when you stop dreaming， but love ends when you stop caring， friendship ends when you stop sharing. 當(dāng)你不再追逐夢想，人生意義不復(fù)存在；當(dāng)你不再呵護(hù)對方，愛情不復(fù)存在；當(dāng)你不再愿意分享，友情不復(fù)存在。

［5］ Each day as I progressed and we began to plough more as a team， Albert used the whip less and less and spoke more gently to me again， until finally at the end of the week I was sure I had all but regained his affection. Then one afternoon after we had finished the headland around Long Close， he unhitched the plough and put an arm around each of us. “Its all right now， youve done it my beauties. Youve done it，” he said. “I didnt tell you， cos I didnt want to put you off， but Father and Farmer Easton have been watching us from the house this afternoon.” He scratched us behind the ears and smoothed our noses. “Fathers won his bet and he told me at breakfast that if we finished the field today hed forget all about the incident， and that you could stay on， Joey. So youve done it my beauty and Im so proud of you I could kiss you， you old silly， but I wont do that， not with them watching. Hell let you stay now， Im sure he will. Hes a man of his word is my father， you can be sure of that—long as hes sober.”

力，肌肉就生疼；不過，在馬廄里好好休息過一晚之后，第二天早晨，我又精神抖擻地準(zhǔn)備開始新的工作了。

［5］ 隨著我每天的進(jìn)步，慢慢地，我們開始像一個團(tuán)隊(duì)了。艾伯特用鞭子的次數(shù)越來越少，而且又開始對我溫柔地說話。一個星期后，我敢肯定自己已重新贏得了他的疼愛。一天下午，我們把朗克魯斯附近的一片地犁完之后，他把犁取下來，伸雙臂把我倆摟住。“好了，你們完成任務(wù)了，我的寶貝兒們。你們完成了?！彼f，“我沒早點(diǎn)兒告訴你們，因?yàn)槲也幌胱屇銈兎中?，整個下午，爸爸和伊斯頓一直站在屋里看著我們呢?！彼麚狭藫衔覀兊亩涓置覀兊谋亲?，“爸爸打賭贏了。他吃早飯的時候告訴我說，要是今天我們把地犁完了，踢他的事他也就不計(jì)較了。還說可以留下來，喬伊。你看，你成功了，親愛的寶貝兒，我真為你自豪，都想親你一下，你這個小傻瓜。不過我不會那樣做，只要他們看著咱們，我就不那樣做?，F(xiàn)在，我爸會讓你留下來，我敢保證他會的。我爸是說話算數(shù)的，你放心吧——他只要沒喝醉就一定能言出必行?！?/p>