文/曉 菲
一場(chǎng)沒(méi)有戰(zhàn)利品的勝戰(zhàn)
——《老人與海》賞析
文/曉 菲
Part 21
He looked across the sea and knew how alone he was now.But he could see the prisms(棱鏡)in the deep dark water and the line stretching(伸展;張開(kāi))ahead and the strange undulation(波動(dòng);起伏)of the calm.The clouds were building up now for the trade wind(信風(fēng))and he looked ahead and saw a flightofwild ducks etching themselves against the sky over the water,then blurring(變模糊),then etching again and he knew no man was ever alone on the sea.
He thought of how some men feared being out of sight of land in a small boat and knew they were right in the months of sudden bad weather. But now they were in hurricane(颶風(fēng))months and, when there are no hurricanes,the weather of hurricane months is the best of all the year.
第21章
他放眼向海面望去,發(fā)現(xiàn)此刻自己是多么地孤獨(dú)。但是他可以看見(jiàn)深暗的海水中陽(yáng)光逝射如棱鏡一般,以及魚(yú)線往前深入水中,還有平靜的水面上那奇異的起伏波動(dòng)。隨著即將吹起的信風(fēng),云朵漸漸多了,他往前望去,看見(jiàn)一群野鴨子在水面上低空飛過(guò),漸漸消失,然后又再度出現(xiàn)。他知道,海洋上沒(méi)有誰(shuí)是真正孤單的。
他想到,有些人最怕呆在一艘小船上卻完全看不見(jiàn)陸地的感覺(jué)。而他同意,在天氣極不穩(wěn)定的某幾個(gè)月中,這樣的想法是對(duì)的。但是現(xiàn)在正是颶風(fēng)季節(jié),只要沒(méi)有颶風(fēng)來(lái),這個(gè)月份是全年天氣最好的時(shí)候。
責(zé)任編輯:李丁文
If there is a hurricane you always see the signs of it in the sky for days ahead if you are at sea.They do not see it ashore(在岸上)because they do not know what to look for,he thought.The land must make a difference too,in the shape of the clouds.But we have no hurricane coming now.
“Light brisa(風(fēng)),”he said.“Better weather for me than for you,fish.”
His left hand was still cramped(痙攣的),but he was unknotting(解開(kāi)……結(jié)子)it slowly.
I hate a cramp,he thought.It is a treachery of one’s own body.It is humiliating(丟臉的)before others to have a diarrhoea(腹瀉) from ptomaine poisoning orto vomitfrom it.Buta cramp,he thought of it as a calambre(抽筋), humiliates oneself especially when one is alone.
If the boy were here he could rub it for me and loosen it down from the forearm,he thought. But it will loosen up.
Then, with his right hand he felt the difference in the pull of the line before he saw the slantchange in the water.Then,ashe leaned against the line and slapped his left hand hard and fast against his thigh(大腿) he saw the line slanting slowly upward.
“He’s coming up,”he said.“Come on hand. Please come on.”
The line rose slowly and steadily and then the surface of the ocean bulged ahead of the boat and the fish came out.He rose his full length from the water and then re-entered it,smoothly,like a diver and the old man saw the great scythe-blade of his tail go under and the line commenced to race out.
“He is two feet longer than the skiff(小帆船)?!眛he old man said.The line was going out fast but steadily and the fish was not panicked(恐慌).The old man was trying with both hands to keep the line just inside of breaking strength.He knew that if he could not slow the fish with a steady pressure the fish could take out all the line and break it.
假使有颶風(fēng)的話,那在海上好幾天前就可以從天空中看到一些征兆了。他想,如果是在陸地上的話,反倒就看不見(jiàn)了,因?yàn)槿藗儾粫缘每词裁礊闇?zhǔn)。一定是陸地使這些云朵改變了形狀。不過(guò)現(xiàn)在不會(huì)有颶風(fēng)來(lái)就是了。
“微風(fēng),”他說(shuō),“魚(yú)呀!這種天氣對(duì)我比對(duì)你有利多了。”
他的左手依然在痙攣,但是似乎已漸漸舒展開(kāi)了些。
我恨透抽筋,他想。這簡(jiǎn)直就是跟自己的身體作對(duì)。一個(gè)人中了尸毒當(dāng)眾上吐下瀉固然丟臉,但是對(duì)于一個(gè)獨(dú)處的人來(lái)說(shuō),抽筋更是可恥。
他想,如果男孩在我身邊,他可以幫我從手肘一直往下揉一揉,讓抽筋盡快結(jié)束。不過(guò)它自己還是會(huì)好的。
就在他看見(jiàn)水中魚(yú)線的傾斜度改變之前,他的右手就已經(jīng)感覺(jué)到線的拉力有點(diǎn)不同了。在他靠著魚(yú)線,左手急促地往大腿重重拍打的同時(shí),他看見(jiàn)那條傾斜的魚(yú)線,緩慢地上升。
“它起來(lái)了,”他說(shuō),“手啊,快好吧!拜托快好吧?!?/p>
魚(yú)線緩慢而穩(wěn)定地升起,船頭前面,海水波濤洶涌,魚(yú)破水而出了。它全身都浮出了水面,然后像個(gè)潛水員般利落地再度沒(méi)入水中。老人看著它那大鐮刀狀的尾巴沒(méi)入水中后,魚(yú)線也跟著向前奔去。
“它比這條小船還要長(zhǎng)兩尺。”老人說(shuō)。魚(yú)線放得既快又穩(wěn),可是魚(yú)沒(méi)有驚慌失措。在不扯斷魚(yú)線的范圍之內(nèi),老人的雙手使勁握住魚(yú)線。他知道如果沒(méi)有辦法用穩(wěn)定的拉力減緩魚(yú)的速度的話,所有的魚(yú)線都可能會(huì)被拖光,并斷裂。
He is a great fish and I must convince him, he thought.I must never let him learn his strength nor what he could do if he made his run.If I were him I would put in everything now and go until something broke.But,thank God,they are not as intelligent as we who kill them;although they are more noble and more able.
The old man had seen many great fish.He had seen many that weighed more than a thousand pounds and he had caught two of that size in his life,but never alone.Now alone,and out of sight of land,he was fast to the biggest fish that he had ever seen and bigger than he had ever heard of, and his left hand was still as tight as the gripped claws of an eagle.
It will uncramp though,he thought.Surely it will uncramp tohelp my righthand.There are three things that are brothers:the fish and my two hands.It must uncramp.It is unworthy of it to be cramped.The fish had slowed again and was going at his usual pace.
I wonder why he jumped,the old man thought.He jumped almost as though to show me how big he was.I know now,anyway,he thought.I wish I could show him what sort of man I am.But then hewould seethecramped hand.Lethim think I am more man than I am and I will be so. I wish I were the fish,he thought,with everything he has against only my will and my intelligence.
He settled comfortably against the wood and took his suffering as it came and the fish swam steadily and the boat moved slowly through the dark water.There was a small sea rising with the wind coming up from the east and at noon the old man’s left hand was uncramped.
他心想,這是條大魚(yú),我一定要把它制服。我千萬(wàn)不可以讓它明白自己的力量有多大,也不能讓它知道可以如何逃跑。假如我是它,我會(huì)竭盡所能地跑,直到線被扯斷為止。但是,感謝上帝,這些魚(yú)雖然比我們?nèi)祟惛哔F,更有能耐,但不如我們這些屠殺它們的人那么聰明。
老人曾經(jīng)見(jiàn)過(guò)許許多多的大魚(yú),其中很多都超過(guò)1000磅重,而他自己一生中也捕過(guò)兩條這般重的大魚(yú),但他從來(lái)不是單獨(dú)一個(gè)人捕到的。而現(xiàn)在,他孤零零一個(gè)人,遠(yuǎn)在陸地之外,他的命運(yùn)與一條過(guò)去所見(jiàn)所聞中的從未碰過(guò)的大魚(yú),緊密地結(jié)合在一起;他的左手依然像老鷹的爪子一樣僵硬。
抽筋總會(huì)好的,他想。它當(dāng)然要松開(kāi)來(lái),幫助我的右手。我有三個(gè)兄弟:魚(yú)和我的雙手。它必須復(fù)元,手若抽筋就一點(diǎn)用也沒(méi)有啦。那魚(yú)又慢了下來(lái),恢復(fù)它往常的速度前進(jìn)。
我真不知道它為什么要跳上來(lái),老人想。它跳上來(lái)就像是要我看看它有多么大。無(wú)論如何,我現(xiàn)在總算明白了,他想,希望我也能夠讓它看看我是怎樣的一個(gè)人。不過(guò),如果是如此的話,它就會(huì)看到這只抽筋的手了,還是,讓它把我當(dāng)作一個(gè)很強(qiáng)健的男子吧,那么我就會(huì)如此去做了。他想,我真希望我是那條魚(yú),用那么多的力量來(lái)對(duì)抗的僅是我的意志和智慧。
他很舒服地靠在木頭上,干瞪著眼忍受著痛苦。魚(yú)依然穩(wěn)定地游著,船也在黑暗的水中緩慢地移動(dòng)。東方吹來(lái)的風(fēng),掀起一陣陣輕微的浪潮。到了中午,老人的左手舒展開(kāi)了。
估計(jì)很少有人不知曉作家海明威吧?酷愛(ài)文學(xué)的,仰慕他特立獨(dú)行的文學(xué)風(fēng)格;關(guān)注政治的,欽佩他在第一次世界大戰(zhàn)中的英勇戰(zhàn)績(jī);熱衷八卦的,也會(huì)驚嘆于他一生錯(cuò)綜復(fù)雜的情史。本期推薦的選段,就是來(lái)自海明威先生的代表作——《老人與?!罚═he Old Man And The Sea)。
海明威出生于美國(guó)伊利諾伊州芝加哥市的奧克帕克,被認(rèn)為是20世紀(jì)最著名的小說(shuō)家之一。1953年,他的作品《老人與?!帆@得普利策獎(jiǎng);1954年,《老人與?!酚譃楹C魍Z得諾貝爾文學(xué)獎(jiǎng)。他的作品,在美國(guó)文學(xué)史乃至世界文學(xué)史上都占有重要地位。
不過(guò),文學(xué)上輝煌的造詣往往黯淡了海明威在其他方面取得的成就。很少有人知道,拋開(kāi)作家這層身份,他還作為一名救護(hù)車駕駛員,親赴意大利參加過(guò)第一次世界大戰(zhàn),并被授予銀制勇敢勛章。他也當(dāng)過(guò)戰(zhàn)地記者,成為第一個(gè)報(bào)道中國(guó)抗戰(zhàn)正面戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)的美國(guó)記者。
無(wú)數(shù)讀者曾經(jīng)困惑,擁有如此顯赫人生的海明威,作品中為何總是滲透著對(duì)人生、社會(huì)、世界的迷茫之情?正如人們始終無(wú)法接受,如此頑強(qiáng)又熱愛(ài)生活的海明威,晚年怎么會(huì)選擇在愛(ài)達(dá)荷州家中自殺身亡?或許,繁華褪去之后的平靜或者不堪,才最難在心底被釋懷吧。
《老人與?!芬粫?shū)中刻畫的主人公圣地亞哥是一位名副其實(shí)的硬漢。他從來(lái)不向失敗妥協(xié)。即便出海84天一無(wú)所獲,仍舊在第85天堅(jiān)持揚(yáng)起了船帆,并且終于等到一條龐大的馬林魚(yú)。這條身長(zhǎng)18尺、體重1500磅的大馬林魚(yú),一直拽著船往海里走。老人沒(méi)有武器,沒(méi)有食物,沒(méi)有水,還面臨左手抽筋的痛苦,卻依然死拉著魚(yú)不放。經(jīng)歷三天三夜頑強(qiáng)的搏斗之后,老人終于殺死了大魚(yú),并把它拴在船邊,等待凱旋。但是,上天并未垂憐這位已經(jīng)筋疲力盡的老人。大魚(yú)的血腥味吸引了許多鯊魚(yú)前來(lái)?yè)寠Z,老人再次憑借著堅(jiān)韌不拔的精神與鯊魚(yú)們搏斗。由于寡不敵眾,依舊難改大魚(yú)被吃光的命運(yùn)。最終,回報(bào)給老人的僅僅是一副干癟的魚(yú)骨頭。
結(jié)合這本書(shū)當(dāng)時(shí)的時(shí)代背景,不難看出海明威是用老人在逆境中不屈服的精神,來(lái)歌頌受盡迫害卻不喪失頑強(qiáng)意志的人類;用大魚(yú)來(lái)象征人們追求美好事物的決心;用殘忍的鯊魚(yú)們比喻貪婪的資本家,又或是一切阻礙人們追求幸福的絆腳石。
本期的選段,以一片寧?kù)o、沉默的海洋拉開(kāi)序幕。波瀾不驚的海水,在夜晚繁星的照耀下,透露著與世無(wú)爭(zhēng)的平靜,與后面描寫老人戰(zhàn)勝大魚(yú)、打敗鯊魚(yú)的驚險(xiǎn)形成了鮮明的對(duì)比。大海似乎在淺吟低唱地告訴我們,不管生活給予我們的是幸福、苦楚,還是萬(wàn)般艱辛,大自然都會(huì)毫不動(dòng)搖地遵循它本身的規(guī)律,日復(fù)一日,滾滾前行。真正能改變的,則是自己面臨困境永不妥協(xié)的意志力,以及追求美好事物的理想與信心。
陳曉菲(Sherly Chen):畢業(yè)于北京師范大學(xué)英美文學(xué)專業(yè),獲美國(guó)俄勒岡州政府獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金赴美留學(xué)深造。精通英語(yǔ),酷愛(ài)文學(xué)。愿用手中筆,記下心中愛(ài)。