文/謝默斯·奧凱利 譯/劉仲良 審訂/任東升

Mary had spent many days gathering wool from the whins on the headland2headland 原義為“岬角”，這里可以理解成“草地邊上”，上面壘著灰石頭（whins）。.They were the bits of wool shed by the sheep before the shearing.When she had got a fleece that fitted the basket she took it down to the canal and washed it.When she had done washing it was a soft, white, silky fleece.She put it back in the brown sally basket, pressing it down with her long, delicate fingers.She had risen to go away, holding the basket against her waist, when her eyes followed the narrow neck of water that wound through the bog.

好幾天來，瑪麗都在草地邊上的灰石頭堆里撿羊毛，那全是些未剪前掉落的小毛球。拾滿籃子，她便提到運(yùn)河邊浣洗。洗畢，羊毛變得柔軟潔白，光亮絲滑。她把洗好的羊毛裝回棕色的柳條籃子里，用修長(zhǎng)的手指壓實(shí)后，便直起身，打算離去。她拎上籃子挎在腰間，目光順著狹長(zhǎng)的河渠望向遠(yuǎn)處。這河渠蜿蜒曲折，穿過了泥炭地。

2天色將暮，日光漸暗，渠中河水泛黃，遠(yuǎn)處已看不清楚。艾倫沼澤向四周平平地延伸開來，霧似輕紗，籠罩在這片沼澤上。朦朦朧朧中，狹窄的河渠里，一艘小舟若隱若現(xiàn)。起初，瑪麗瞧著那船還在老遠(yuǎn)開外，好似自云中而來。霞光萬丈，柔和地照耀在小船上，給船鍍上了一層暗金色。暮色中，一匹馬拉著船緩緩而來，像傳說中的金舟。一頭棕發(fā)的瑪麗微微側(cè)過頭，看著船徐徐前行。馬很有耐心，不慌不忙，步子堅(jiān)實(shí)有力，頭跟著步伐上下擺動(dòng)。泥炭地里，一只白鶴飛了起來，脖子伸得很長(zhǎng)，悠閑地?fù)]動(dòng)翅膀，飛過了船艄在河中留下的尾紋，消失在薄霧中。

2She could not follow the neck of yellow water very far.The light of day was failing.A haze hung over the great Bog of Allen3艾倫沼澤，位于利菲（Liffey）河和香農(nóng)（Shannon）河之間，面積約958 平方公里，大規(guī)模開采泥炭以供電廠作燃料，挖掘泥炭后的土地用來放牧。that spread out level on all sides of her.The boat loomed out of the haze on the narrow neck of the canal water.It looked, at first, a long way off, and it seemed to come in a cloud.The soft rose light that mounted the sky caught the boat and burnished it like dull gold.It came leisurely, drawn by the one horse looking like a Golden Barque in the twilight.Mary put her brown head a little to one side as she watched the easy motion of the boat.The horse drew himself along deliberately, the patient head going up and down with every heavy step.A crane rose from the bog, flapping two lazy wings across the wake of the boat,and reaching its long neck before it, got lost in the haze.

3The figure that swayed by the big arm of the tiller on The Golden Barque was vague and shapeless at first, but Mary felt her eyes following the slow movements of the body.Mary thought it was very beautiful to sway every now and then by the arm of the tiller, steering a Golden Barque through the twilight.

3起初，金舟長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的舵柄旁，有個(gè)身影起伏搖擺，隱隱約約，若有若無，但瑪麗察覺到自己的目光跟隨那個(gè)身影緩慢的動(dòng)作移動(dòng)著。她心想，暮色初上，駕駛金舟，站在舵柄旁隨波蕩漾，蕩來蕩去，真是美妙極了。

4Then she realised suddenly that the boat was much nearer than she had thought.She could see the figures of the men plainly, especially the slim figure by the tiller.She could trace the rope that slackened and stretched taut as it reached from the boat to the horse.Once it splashed the water, and there was a little spout of silver.She noted the whip looped under the arm of the driver.Presently she could count every heavy step of the horse, and was struck by the great size of the shaggy fetlocks.But always her eyes went back to the figure by the tiller.

4驀地，回過神來，瑪麗才驚覺船其實(shí)離自己很近。船員的身形依稀可辨，舵柄旁修長(zhǎng)的身材尤其突出。她的眼睛順著纖繩，從船頭延伸到馬身上。纖繩時(shí)而松，時(shí)而緊，偶爾落入水中，濺起一團(tuán)銀色的水花。她看到馬鞭子繞成圈，夾在馬夫腋下。沒多久，馬噠噠的步子都能數(shù)清楚了?，旣惪吹今R蹄子上的毛濃密蓬亂，著實(shí)有點(diǎn)受驚。即便如此，她的目光還是落在那個(gè)掌舵人身上。

5瑪麗后退幾步，看著金舟駛過。它來自奇異的遠(yuǎn)方，穿過沼澤地，向另一個(gè)不可知的世界駛?cè)?。船頭坐著一個(gè)紅臉人，睡眼惺忪?，旣愋χ蛩c(diǎn)頭，可他并沒有理會(huì)。他沒看見，也許是睡著了。走在馬旁邊的馬夫低頭看著地面，經(jīng)過瑪麗時(shí)也沒有抬頭?，旣惪吹侥侨俗齑皆趧?dòng)，聽到嘴里嘀咕，或許是在祈禱。他身材矮小，佝僂駝背，一步一步地跟著馬，在沼澤上前行。不過瑪麗隱約感到舵邊那個(gè)男子正注視自己，便抬起頭來。

5She moved back a little way to see The Golden Barque pass.It came from a strange, far-off world, and having traversed the bog went away into another unknown world.A red-faced man was sitting drowsily on the prow.Mary smiled and nodded to him, but he made no sign.He did not see her; perhaps he was asleep.The driver who walked beside the horse had his head stooped and his eyes on the ground.He did not look up as he passed.Mary saw his lips moving, and heard him mutter to himself; perhaps he was praying.He was a shrunken, misshaped little figure and kept step with the brute in the journey over the bog.But Mary felt the gaze of the man by the tiller upon her.She raised her eyes.

6光線模糊，帽檐的影子映在他臉上，看不清臉的樣子。但能感覺到他身材剛健，活力四射?，旣愄ь^的瞬間，他笑了笑，隱約露出白白的牙齒。船從身旁駛過，瑪麗并未回以微笑，只是退后一步，靜靜地站著。那人曾一度回頭，不好意思地扶了扶帽子，可瑪麗沒做任何回應(yīng)。

6The light was uncertain and his peaked cap threw a shadow4throw a shadow 原義為“投下陰影”，這里表示帽檐遮住了光線，看不清臉。over his face.But the figure was lithe and youthful.He smiled as she looked up, for she caught a gleam of his teeth.Then the boat had passed.Mary did not smile in return.She had taken a step back and remained there quietly.Once he looked back and awkwardly touched his cap,but she made no sign.

7船駛過很遠(yuǎn)了，瑪麗便在岸上坐下來，將羊毛籃子放在身旁，望著金舟緩緩而去，消失在茫茫暮色之中。沼澤一片寂靜，她獨(dú)坐良久，思緒飄蕩，久久不能回歸。終于，她起身了，底下的運(yùn)河清冷冰涼。放眼望去，新月朦朧，孤掛天際，映在水中。

7When the boat had gone by some way she sat down on the bank, her basket of wool beside her, looking at The Golden Barque until it went into the gloom.She stayed there for some time,thinking long in the great silence of the bog.When at last she rose, the canal was clear5這里clear 既指水面如鏡，又指河上已經(jīng)沒有船。and cold beneath her.She looked into it.A pale new moon was shining down in the water.

8瑪麗經(jīng)常倚在草地邊的小屋門前，觀望過往船只。它們像黑色的蝸牛，在沼澤間狹窄的河渠里爬行。此刻，不全是蝸牛了，其中就有一條是金舟。無論何時(shí)，只要看到金舟，她總會(huì)露出微笑，眼睛盯著舵柄旁站著的那個(gè)身影。

8Mary often stood at the door of the cabin on the headland watching the boats that crawled like black snails over the narrow streak of water through the bog.But they were not all like black snails now.There was a Golden Barque among them.Whenever she saw it she smiled, her eyes on the figure that stood by the shaft of the tiller.

9One evening she was walking by the canal when The Golden Barque passed.The light was very clear and searching.It showed every plank, battered and tarstained, on the rough hulk, but for all that it lost none of its magic for Mary.The little shrunken driver, head down,the lips moving, walking beside the horse.She heard his low mutters as he passed.The red-faced man was stooping over the side of the boat, swinging out a vessel tied to a rope, to haul up some water.He was singing a ballad in a monotonous voice.A tall, dark, spare man was standing by the funnel, looking vacantly ahead.Then Mary’s eyes travelled to the tiller.

9一天傍晚，金舟經(jīng)過時(shí)，她正走在河渠邊。此時(shí)光線很亮，一切盡收眼中。船身陳舊，上面的條板破爛不堪，沾滿了柏油污漬。即便如此，瑪麗依然認(rèn)為它魔力十足。那瘦小的馬夫低頭走在馬旁，嘴唇不停在動(dòng)。經(jīng)過瑪麗時(shí)，她聽到了低低的喃喃聲。紅臉的家伙彎腰趴在船邊，用吊桶在渠里打水，嘴里唱著山歌，聲音單調(diào)極了。一個(gè)高大黝黑的瘦子站在煙囪旁，茫然地望著遠(yuǎn)方。最后，瑪麗的眼睛移到了舵手身上。

10看到那張臉，瑪麗羞澀中不由后退了幾步，退到一株山楂樹下。山楂樹孤零零地長(zhǎng)在河渠旁的堤壩上，鮮花正盛，經(jīng)她這一碰，白色的花瓣從空中灑落，落得她身邊到處都是，有些掛在發(fā)絲上，宛若花環(huán)。男子舉起帽子微微一笑。瑪麗沒想到，那張臉是那么熱切激動(dòng)，又那么稚氣可掬。她終于窘迫地笑了，而男子頓時(shí)容光煥發(fā)，又伸手碰了碰帽子。

10Mary stepped back with some embarrassment when she saw the face.She backed into a hawthorn that grew all alone on the canal bank.It was covered with bloom.A shower of the white petals fell about her when she stirred the branches.They clung about her hair like a wreath.He raised his cap and smiled.Mary did not know6這里did not know 表示“沒想到”，表達(dá)心里的那種激動(dòng)之情。the face was so eager, so boyish.She smiled a little nervously at last.His face lit up, and he touched his cap again.

11The red-faced man stood by the open hatchway going into the hold, the vessel of water in his hand.He looked at Mary and then at the figure beside the tiller.

“Eh, Michael,” the red-faced man said quizzically.The youth turned back to the boat, and Mary felt the blush spreading over her face.

11紅臉人拎著水桶，站在船艙口。先看了看瑪麗，又看了看舵柄旁的那個(gè)人。

“啊哈，邁克爾。”他調(diào)侃地叫了一聲。那小伙子轉(zhuǎn)頭看向船上，瑪麗感覺自己的臉紅到了耳根。

12“邁克爾！”

12“Michael!”

Mary repeated the name a little softly to herself.The gods7這里gods 應(yīng)為愛爾蘭古時(shí)的神，不是基督教的神。had delivered up one of their great secrets.

瑪麗喃喃自語，念叨著那個(gè)名字。諸神總算泄露了些許天機(jī)。

13She watched The Golden Barque until two square slits in the stern that served as port holes looked like two little Japanese eyes.Then she heard a horn blowing.It was the horn they blew to apprise lock-keepers of the approach of a boat.But the nearest lock was a mile off.Besides, it was a long,low sound the horn made, not the sharp,commanding blast they blew for lockkeepers.Mary listened to the low sound of the horn, smiling to herself.Afterwards the horn always blew like that whenever The Golden Barque was passing the solitary hawthorn.

13她望著金舟離去，兩個(gè)方孔舷窗逐漸縮小，最后成了一對(duì)瞇縫著的眼睛。接著她聽到了汽笛聲。通常船只在靠近水閘時(shí)才會(huì)鳴笛告知管閘人?？墒亲罱乃l也在一英里開外，這又是為何？再說，這汽笛聲舒緩悠長(zhǎng)，不是催促開閘的那種尖銳短促的聲音。瑪麗聽著這低沉的鳴笛，會(huì)心地笑了。往后，只要金舟經(jīng)過那株孤零零的山楂樹，總會(huì)鳴同樣的笛聲。

14Mary thought it was very wonderful that The Golden Barque should be in the lock the one day that she was travelling with her basket to the market in the distant village.She stood a little hesitantly by the lock.Michael looked at her, a welcome in his eyes.

14有一天，瑪麗提著籃子上遠(yuǎn)處村莊的市場(chǎng)去，路過水閘時(shí)，恰逢金舟，瑪麗覺得真巧。在水閘旁，她約略躊躇，停下腳步。邁克爾望著她，眼里滿是歡喜。

15“Going to Bohermeen?” the redfaced man asked.

“Ay, to Bohermeen,” Mary answered.

Mary hesitated, as he held out a big hand to help her to the boat.He saw the hesitation and turned to Michael.

“NOW.Michael.” he said.

15“要去波赫曼嗎？”紅臉人問道。

“嗯，去波赫曼。”瑪麗回答說。

那人伸出大手要拉她上船，瑪麗猶豫了?？吹浆旣惻e棋不定，他便轉(zhuǎn)身對(duì)邁克爾說：

“邁克爾，你來吧?！?/p>

16Michael came to the side of the boat, and held out his hand.Mary took it and stepped on board.The red-faced man laughed a little.She noticed that the dark man who stood by the crooked funnel never took his eyes from the stretch of water before him.The driver was already urging the horse to the start on the bank.The brute was gathering his strength for the pull, the muscles standing out on his haunches.They glided out of the lock.

16邁克爾走到船邊，伸出手，瑪麗拉住，上到船上。紅臉人笑了?，旣惌h(huán)顧四周，看見彎曲的煙囪旁，那個(gè)黑漢子目不斜視，望著前方的水域。馬夫已經(jīng)在岸上趕馬動(dòng)身。馬鼓足了勁，后股的肌肉都凸了起來。他們駛過水閘。

17It was half a mile from one lock to another.Michael had bidden her stand beside him at the tiller.Once she looked up at him and she thought the face shy but very eager, the most eager face that ever came across the bog from the great world.

17兩座水閘相距半英里。邁克爾讓瑪麗挨著自己站在舵柄邊。她曾抬頭看了一眼邁克爾的臉。那張臉雖然羞色外露，卻也不乏熱情。在所有經(jīng)過這片沼澤地的外鄉(xiāng)青年中，唯有那張面孔最為熱烈。

18Afterwards, whenever Mary had the time, she would make a cross-cut through the bog to the lock.She would step in and make the mile journey with Michael on The Golden Barque.Once when they were journeying together,Michael slipped something into her hand.It was a quaint trinket, and shone like gold.

“From a strange sailor I got it,” Michael said.

18從那以后，只要瑪麗有時(shí)間，都會(huì)抄捷徑穿過泥炭地去水閘邊。她在那里登上金舟，陪邁克爾在水中劃上一英里。有一次，他們一起航行時(shí)，邁克爾偷偷往她手里塞了件東西。那是一件別致的首飾，金光閃閃。

“從一個(gè)陌生水手那里弄來的?！边~克爾說。

19Another day that they were on the barque, the blinding sheets of rain that often swept over the bog came upon them.The red-faced man and the dark man went into the hold.Mary looked about her, laughing.But Michael held out his great waterproof for her.She slipped into it and he folded it about her.The rain pelted them, but they stood together, Michael holding the big coat folded about her.She laughed a little nervously.

19有一日，他們?cè)诖蠒r(shí)，沼澤地常見的暴雨不期而至，打得睜不開眼睛。紅臉人和黑漢子躲進(jìn)了船艙?，旣愋χ纯此闹?。邁克爾把自己的大雨衣給了她?，旣愩@進(jìn)雨衣，邁克爾替她裹好。雨打在身上，他們依然站在一起，邁克爾緊緊抱著裹在瑪麗身上的雨衣，她羞怯地笑了。

20“You will be wet,” she said.

20“你會(huì)淋濕的?！彼f。

Michael did not answer.She saw the eager face coming down close to hers.She leaned against him a little and felt the great strength of his arms about her.They went sailing away together in The Golden Barqut through all the shining seas of the gods.

邁克爾沒有吭聲。她看到他熱切的臉低下來，與她的挨近了。她又向他靠了靠，感覺環(huán)繞她的臂膀是那么強(qiáng)勁有力。他們像是駕駛仙舟在神圣光亮的海上航行，駛向遠(yuǎn)方。

21“邁克爾，”瑪麗開口問道，“真美啊，是不是？”

21“Michael,” Mary said once, “is it not lovely?”

“大海才美呢，”邁克爾回答說，“穿過沼澤時(shí)，我總會(huì)想起大海?！?/p>

“The wide ocean is lovely,” Michael said.“I always think of the wide ocean going over the bog.”

“The wide ocean!” Mary said with awe.She had never seen the wide ocean.Then the rain passed.When the two men came up out of the hold Mary and Michael were standing together by the tiller.

22Mary did not go down to the lock after that for some time.She was working in the reclaimed ground8這里reclaimed ground 指原本荒蕪、后經(jīng)墾植適于耕種的土地。on the headland.Once the horn blew late in the night.It blew for a long time, very softly and lowly.Mary sat up in bed listening to it, her lips parted, the memory of Michael on The Golden Barque before her.She heard the sound dying away in the distance.Then she lay back on her pillow, saying she would go down to him when The Golden Barque was on the return journey.

“大海！”瑪麗驚嘆道。她可沒見過大海。雨停了。那兩人出來時(shí)，他倆還貼在一起，站在舵柄旁。

22那之后的好些日子，瑪麗都在籬笆邊新開墾的地里勞作，沒到水閘那里去。某天深夜，汽笛聲響起，響了很久，聲音低沉又柔和。瑪麗在床上坐起身，丹唇微啟，仔細(xì)傾聽，想起金舟上的邁克爾。聽著聽著，聲音漸漸消失在遠(yuǎn)處。隨后她重新躺下，心想金舟返回時(shí)要去看看邁克爾。

23The figure that stood by the tiller on the return was not Michael’s.When Mary came to the lock the red-faced man was telling out the rope, and where Michael always stood by the tiller there was the short strange figure of a man with a pinched, pock-marked face.

23返回的船上，舵柄旁站著的人不是邁克爾。瑪麗來到水閘邊，看到紅臉人正在一圈一圈地解拽纜繩。邁克爾過去經(jīng)常站的那個(gè)地方有個(gè)小矮個(gè)，一臉苦相，且有麻子。

24When the red-faced man wound the rope round the stump at the lock, bringing the boat to a stand-still, he turned to Mary.

“Michael is gone voyaging,” he said.

“Gone voyaging?” Mary repeated.

24紅臉人把纜繩繞在水閘邊的木樁上，停穩(wěn)船，轉(zhuǎn)過頭來看向瑪麗。

“邁克爾航海去了?！彼f。

“航海？”她問。

“Ay,” the man answered.“He would be always talking to the foreign sailors in the dock where the canal ends.His eyes would be upon the big masts of the ships.I always said he would go.”

“是?！蹦侨嘶卮鹫f，“在運(yùn)河終點(diǎn)的船塢，他常跟外國(guó)海員交流，眼睛里只有大桅桿。我一直說他留不住的。”

25瑪麗站在岸上，金舟停在水閘邊，看起來就像個(gè)裝在木盒子里的玩具船。

25Mary stood there while The Golden Barque was in the lock.It looked like a toy ship packed in a wooden box.

26“他上了一艘三桅大船。”紅臉人說著，準(zhǔn)備開船了，“昨晚我看到那船整裝待發(fā)，預(yù)備出海，巨帆高懸，邁克爾就站在下面。他骨子里就向往大海，向往自由闖蕩。”紅臉人是船老板，他抬眼望了望眼前狹窄的河渠。

26“A three-master he went in,” the red-faced man said, as they made ready for the start.“I saw her standing out for the sea last night.Michael is under the spread of big canvas.He had the blood in him for the wide ocean, the wild blood of the rover.” And the red-faced man, who was the boss of the boat, let his eyes wander up the narrow neck of water before him.

27Mary watched The Golden Barque moving away, the grotesque figure standing by the tiller.She stayed there until a pale moon was shining below her, turning over a little trinket in her fingers.At last she dropped it into the water.

It made a little splash, and the vision of the crescent was broken.■

27瑪麗望著金舟遠(yuǎn)去，舵柄邊立著的依舊是那個(gè)丑陋猥瑣的男子。她靜靜地站著，手里摩挲著那枚小小的首飾，一直站到水面映出一彎模糊的月影。最終，瑪麗把首飾扔進(jìn)了河里。

河中濺起一團(tuán)水花，彎彎的月影也碎了。 □