文/瓊·克雷格黑德·喬治 譯析/吳文安
By Jean Craighead George
Frightful had not been quite two weeks old when she first saw Sam Gribley.He had lifted her from her nest on a cliff.Small as she was, she had jabbed him with her already powerful talons as he carried her to the ground.“I’m going to call you Frightful,”he had said.“You are a raving beauty.”Then he carried her to the gigantic hemlock tree on the mountain and into its hollowed-out bole.This was Sam’s home.
“驚悚”初識(shí)山姆·格里布雷時(shí),她還不到兩周大。山姆把她從懸崖上的巢里取出,帶到地面上?!绑@悚”還小,卻在下來(lái)時(shí)用已經(jīng)很有力的爪子猛戳山姆?!拔揖徒心恪@悚’吧,”山姆說(shuō),“你真是個(gè)絕色美女?!比缓笊侥肪蛶е绑@悚”來(lái)到山上那棵巨大的鐵杉樹(shù)旁,鉆進(jìn)中空的樹(shù)干里。這就是山姆的家。
[2]He fed her four and five times a day.He carried her on his gloved fist and talked to her.Before long, Frightful thought of him as her mother.He nurtured her like a peregrine falcon mother would.
[2]山姆一天喂“驚悚”四五次。山姆讓她待在戴著手套的手上,跟她說(shuō)話。沒(méi)過(guò)多久,“驚悚”就把山姆當(dāng)作了自己的鷹媽媽。山姆就像游隼媽媽那樣養(yǎng)育“驚悚”。
[3]When she was older, Sam made a perch for her and placed it outside his tree.He taught her to fly to his hand.When she was full-grown, he took her hunting with him.By now, the memory of her parents was pushed far back in her mind.Sam was her family.
[3]“驚悚”稍稍長(zhǎng)大,山姆給她做了塊棲木,放在樹(shù)屋外。山姆教她飛到自己的手上?!绑@悚”長(zhǎng)大以后,山姆就帶著她打獵。如今,“驚悚”已經(jīng)完全忘記了自己的游隼父母。山姆成了她的家人。
[4]At night and on winter days, Sam brought Frightful inside the huge old tree.She perched on his rustic bedstead and warmed herself by the clay fireplace.On spring and summer days,she would sit on her perch outside and watch the birds, the butterflies, and busy Sam.Patiently she waited for him to take her hunting.It was her greatest pleasure.She loved the sky.She loved the updrafts and coiling winds, and she loved“waiting on,”hovering above Sam until he kicked up game.Then she stooped, the wind singing in her feathers.
[4]夜晚和冬季,山姆會(huì)把“驚悚”帶到這棵巨型老樹(shù)的樹(shù)洞里?!绑@悚”待在簡(jiǎn)樸的床架上,靠著黏土火爐取暖。而春天和夏日,“驚悚”就待在屋外的棲木上,看鳥(niǎo)兒和蝴蝶飛來(lái)飛去,還有忙忙碌碌的山姆。她耐心地等待山姆帶她去打獵。那是她最高興的事兒。她熱愛(ài)天空。她熱愛(ài)上升的氣流和盤(pán)旋的山風(fēng),她熱愛(ài)“空中待命”,盤(pán)旋在高處直到山姆驚起獵物。然后她俯沖而下,任憑羽翅間風(fēng)聲呼嘯。
[5]Frightful was an excellent hunter who rarely missed.The food was shared.Their lives depended on each other.She must find Sam again now.
[5]“驚悚”是個(gè)出色的獵手,幾乎從不失手。她捉的食物跟山姆共享。他們的生活彼此依賴?,F(xiàn)在她必須再找到山姆才行。
[6]Frightful crouched to fly.She could not see.She folded her gray-blue wings to her body and straightened up.
[6]“驚悚”俯下身準(zhǔn)備起飛。但她看不見(jiàn)。于是她合攏藍(lán)灰色的翅膀,挺直了身子。
[7]Hooded and tethered, she had traveled with two strange men for several days.
[7]她戴著眼罩,系著繩索,已經(jīng)跟兩個(gè)陌生人一起走了好幾天了。
[8]One of them had taken her from the perch beside the big hemlock tree.He had a deep jerky voice and a face like a condor’s.She looked intently at him before he slipped the falconer’s hood over her head.
[8]其中一人把她從大鐵杉樹(shù)旁的棲木上取下。他的聲音低沉急促,一張臉好像兀鷲?!绑@悚”凝視著他,直到他把訓(xùn)鷹手所用的眼罩套在她頭上。
[9]Sam had begged and pleaded with the man not to take her away, but he had pushed Sam aside and carried her down the mountain to a pickup truck.A leather perch had been presented to her feet.She had stepped up on it as Sam had taught her to do.A door had closed,and she was inside a camper on the truck.The motor rumbled, and she was moving.A falcon bell tinkled nearby.A sharp-shinned hawk had shifted his feet.A prairie falcon called out a single note.They, like herself, were sensing the direction of the moving pickup—east,northeast, east, then straight north.
[9]山姆苦苦哀求這個(gè)人不要把“驚悚”帶走,但他把山姆推到一邊,帶著“驚悚”下山來(lái)到一輛皮卡貨車(chē)旁。有人給了她一塊皮棲木。她跳了上去,就像山姆教她的那樣。一扇門(mén)關(guān)上了,她來(lái)到卡車(chē)上的露營(yíng)帳篷里。馬達(dá)轟鳴,她在移動(dòng)。身邊有個(gè)游隼鈴鐺叮鈴鈴響。一只斑胸鷹挪了挪腳。一只草原隼叫來(lái)叫去只有一個(gè)音調(diào)。他們,跟“驚悚”一樣,都在感覺(jué)皮卡移動(dòng)的方向——東,東北,東,然后一直向北。
[10]Several feedings later, the second man put Frightful on a perch in the pine forest.The prairie falcon and sharpshinned hawk were there, too.She could hear their bells tinkling.Although they were birds who would readily attack her, she was not afraid of them.
[10]又喂了幾次,第二個(gè)人把“驚悚”放到松樹(shù)林里的一塊棲木上。草原隼和斑胸鷹也在那兒。“驚悚”能聽(tīng)到他們的鈴鐺在響。這兩種鳥(niǎo)兒隨時(shí)都可能攻擊她,但她不怕。
[11]Frightful was a peregrine falcon.She was faster and more agile than any other bird or beast the world around.Her long pointed wings; wide shoulders; and strong, tapered body were sculpted by the wind, the open sky, and the nature of her ancestral prey—swift birds.
[11]“驚悚”是一只游隼。她比世界上任何一種鳥(niǎo)獸都更快、更敏捷。她又長(zhǎng)又尖的翅膀、寬闊的肩膀、強(qiáng)有力的錐形軀體,都并非毫無(wú)來(lái)由,那是呼嘯的山風(fēng)、開(kāi)闊的天空以及世代相傳的獵物——迅疾的鳥(niǎo)兒——千百年來(lái)共同塑造而成。
【背景知識(shí)】《獵鷹的山林》是《我的山林》(My Side of the Mountain)和《遠(yuǎn)方山林》(On the Far Side of the Mountain)的續(xù)篇,從獵鷹“驚悚”的視角描述世界。獵鷹被迫離開(kāi)山姆,獨(dú)自遷徙、求偶、育雛,慢慢融入游隼的大家庭,但她始終忘不了那片養(yǎng)育她的山林和親如父母的山姆,于是她一次次回來(lái)與山姆相伴。
【第一段】這里有一個(gè)時(shí)間狀語(yǔ)不太好安排,即as he carried her to the ground,譯文分開(kāi)處理,用“帶到地面上”和“下來(lái)時(shí)”重復(fù)敘述,以求更好地連接句子。
【第二段】為了更清楚地表達(dá),譯文把her mother明確為“鷹媽媽”。
【第三段】名詞perch意思為“鳥(niǎo)類(lèi)歇腳處,棲息處”,這里具體化為“棲木”。倒數(shù)第二句如果直譯會(huì)是“她對(duì)父母的記憶被推到了腦后”,這樣顯得有翻譯腔,于是轉(zhuǎn)譯為“已經(jīng)完全忘記了自己的游隼父母”。
【第四段】該段文字雖樸素?zé)o華卻熱情洋溢、充滿詩(shī)意。動(dòng)詞perch和sit在中文里都譯為“待”,因?yàn)橹形睦锖苌僬f(shuō)鳥(niǎo)兒“坐著”。“看著鳥(niǎo)兒和蝴蝶”后面添加了“飛來(lái)飛去”,這樣句子更完整。
【第五段】這一段夾雜了冷靜的描寫(xiě)和“驚悚”的心理活動(dòng)。說(shuō)“驚悚”是出色的獵手是旁觀者的評(píng)價(jià),而接下來(lái)是“驚悚”的內(nèi)心活動(dòng),渴望去找尋山姆。
【第六段】這里又是冷靜的旁觀式描述?!绑@悚”想飛出去,才想起自己看不見(jiàn),只好收回翅膀繼續(xù)待著。譯文添加了“但”“于是”,把隱含的邏輯明示出來(lái)。
【第八段】這里描寫(xiě)偷獵者長(zhǎng)得像“兀鷲”,是假意從獵鷹的視角來(lái)看,以增加趣味。
【第九段】該段文字都是從獵鷹的視角敘述的,而且是戴著眼罩僅靠聽(tīng)覺(jué)感知世界的鳥(niǎo)兒視角。文字簡(jiǎn)練但妙趣橫生。
【第十段】“驚悚”通過(guò)聽(tīng)覺(jué)判斷周?chē)€有其他的鳥(niǎo)兒。她想到可能會(huì)受攻擊,但她不怕。
【第十一段】這里的第三句翻譯難度較大,需要分析句子結(jié)構(gòu)和梳理語(yǔ)義,然后再重新組織譯文。為了聯(lián)系上下文,使得句子意義連貫,譯文添加了“都并非毫無(wú)來(lái)由”,這也是把原文隱含的邏輯明晰化。
【小結(jié)】作為《我的山林》和《遠(yuǎn)方山林》的續(xù)篇,《獵鷹的山林》敘述視角有所改變,是全知視角和獵鷹視角的結(jié)合,相對(duì)而言,更加冷靜客觀,也增加了很多趣味。語(yǔ)言方面,也許作者是在模擬獵鷹的思維,句子簡(jiǎn)短,有時(shí)情緒飽滿、詩(shī)意盎然,有時(shí)點(diǎn)到為止、大音希聲,特色極為鮮明。譯文應(yīng)當(dāng)盡力再現(xiàn)這些特點(diǎn)。