拉斯金·邦德/文　青閏/譯

There was but one tree in the street—an ancient banyan which had grown through the cracks of an abandoned mosque—and little Alis kite had caught in its branches.

街上只有一棵樹——一棵從廢棄清真寺的裂縫中生長(zhǎng)出來的老榕樹——小阿里的風(fēng)箏就卡在了老榕樹的枝上。

The boy， barefoot and clad only in a torn shirt， ran along the cobbled stones of the narrow street to where his grandfather sat nodding dreamily in the sunshine of their back courtyard.

男孩光著腳丫子，只穿一件破襯衫，沿著鋪有鵝卵石的狹窄街道跑去找爺爺，只見爺爺坐在他們家的后院曬著太陽，迷迷糊糊地打著盹。

“Grandfather？” shouted the boy. “The kite has gone！”

“爺爺？”男孩喊道，“風(fēng)箏飛跑了！”

The old man woke from his daydream with a start.

老人猛地從白日夢(mèng)中驚醒。

“Did the twine break？” he asked. “I know that kite-twine is not what it used to be.”

“繩斷了嗎？”他問，“我知道風(fēng)箏線不再是以前那樣了?！?/p>

“No， grandfather， the kite is stuck in the banyan tree.”

“沒斷，爺爺，是風(fēng)箏卡在榕樹上了?！?/p>

The old man chuckled. “You have yet to learn how to fly a kite properly， my child. And I am too old to teach you， thats the pity of it. But you shall have another.” He had just finished making a new kite from bamboo， paper and thin silk， and it lay in the sun， firming up. It was a pale pink kite， with a small green tail. The old man handed it to Ali， and the boy raised himself on his toes and kissed his grandfathers hollowed-out cheek.

老人輕聲笑道：“孩子，你還沒學(xué)會(huì)怎么正確放風(fēng)箏。我年紀(jì)太大，教不了你了，真可惜，但你還會(huì)有一個(gè)風(fēng)箏的。”他剛剛用竹子、紙和薄綢扎了一個(gè)新風(fēng)箏。這個(gè)新風(fēng)箏正躺在陽光下，漸漸曬得硬實(shí)起來。這是個(gè)淡粉色的風(fēng)箏，帶有一條綠色的小尾巴。老人把它遞給阿里，男孩踮起腳尖，吻了吻爺爺凹陷的臉頰。

“I will not lose this one，” he said. “This kite will fly like a bird.” And he turned on his heels1 and skipped out of the courtyard.

“我不會(huì)把這個(gè)放丟的?！彼f，“這個(gè)風(fēng)箏會(huì)像鳥兒一樣飛翔?！闭f完，他一轉(zhuǎn)身，蹦蹦跳跳地跑出了院子。

The old man remained dreaming in the sun. His kite-shop had gone. The premises long since sold to a junk-dealer， but he still made kites for his own amusement and for the benefit of his grandson， Ali. Not many people bought kites in these days of rockets and sputniks. Adults disdained them， and children preferred to spend their money at the movies. Moreover， there were few open spaces left for the flying of kites. The city had swallowed up the green maidan which had stretched from the old fort walls to the riverbank.

老人還在太陽下做著夢(mèng)。他的風(fēng)箏店沒了。店面很久以前就賣給了一個(gè)廢品舊貨商，但他還在為自娛自樂、為孫子阿里扎風(fēng)箏。在發(fā)射火箭和人造衛(wèi)星的時(shí)代，買風(fēng)箏的人不多了。大人們對(duì)風(fēng)箏不屑一顧，孩子們則更喜歡花錢看電影。此外，幾乎沒有開闊的空地能用來放風(fēng)箏了。城市早已吞沒從舊堡墻延伸到河岸的綠草地。

But the old man remembered a time when grown men flew kites from the maidan， the kites swerving and swooping in the sky， until the string of one was cut. Then the defeated but liberated kite would float away into the blue unknown.

不過，老人還記得，當(dāng)年有一群成年男子在草地上放風(fēng)箏，只見他們的風(fēng)箏在空中翻騰、俯沖，直到其中一個(gè)風(fēng)箏被割斷了線。接著，那個(gè)落敗卻又重獲自由的風(fēng)箏飄向了藍(lán)色的未知世界。

Kite-flying was then the sport of kings， and the old man remembered how the Nawab2 himself would come down to the riverbank with his retinue， and join in this noble pastime. There was time in those days to spend an idle hour with a gay， dancing strip of paper. Now everyone hurried， hurried in a heat of hope， and delicate things like kites and daydreams were trampled underfoot.

當(dāng)時(shí)，放風(fēng)箏是權(quán)貴們的娛樂活動(dòng)，老人還記得納瓦布本人及其隨從來到河邊參加這項(xiàng)貴族娛樂活動(dòng)的場(chǎng)景。那時(shí)候有的是時(shí)間，人們會(huì)花上一小時(shí)，跟一張歡快舞動(dòng)的紙條度過一段閑暇時(shí)光?，F(xiàn)在，每個(gè)人都匆匆忙忙的，滿懷熱望地匆忙，像風(fēng)箏和白日夢(mèng)這樣精致的東西都被踩在了腳下。

He， Mahmood the kitemaker， had in the prime of his life been well-known throughout the city. Some of his more elaborate kites sold for as much as three or four rupees. Upon the request of the Nawab he had once made a very special kind of kite， unlike any that had been seen in the district. It consisted of a series of small， very light paper discs， trailing on a thin bamboo frame.

他是扎風(fēng)箏的馬哈茂德，風(fēng)華正茂時(shí)在全城赫赫有名。他扎的風(fēng)箏里，稍微精致一點(diǎn)的售價(jià)高達(dá)三四盧比。他曾經(jīng)應(yīng)納瓦布的要求，扎了一個(gè)非常特殊的風(fēng)箏，與當(dāng)?shù)啬芤姷降乃酗L(fēng)箏都不一樣。那個(gè)風(fēng)箏由一串又小又輕的紙盤扎成，拖在一個(gè)細(xì)竹架上。

To the extremity of each disc he fixed a sprig of grass， forming a balance on both sides. The surface of the foremost disc was slightly convex， and a fantastic face was painted on it， having two eyes made of small mirrors. The disc， decreasing in size from head to tail， assumed an undulatory form. It required great skill to raise this cumbersome device from the ground， and only Mahmood could manage it.

他在每個(gè)紙盤的末端固定一小枝草，讓兩邊達(dá)成平衡。最前端的紙盤表面微微凸起，上面畫著一張奇異的臉，臉上的兩只眼睛由小鏡子制成。紙盤從頭到尾逐漸變小，呈波浪形。要把這個(gè)笨重的風(fēng)箏從地面放飛，需要高超的技巧，只有馬哈茂德能做到。

Everyone had of course heard of the “Dragon Kite” that Mahmood had built， and word went round that it possessed supernatural powers. A large crowd assembled on the maidan to watch its first public launching in the presence of the Nawab. At the first attempt it refused to leave the ground.

當(dāng)然，每個(gè)人都聽說過馬哈茂德扎的這個(gè)“龍風(fēng)箏”，傳說它具有超自然的力量。一大群人聚集在草地上，觀看它在納瓦布面前首次公開放飛。第一次嘗試放飛，“龍風(fēng)箏”拒絕離開地面。

And then the wind came from the right direction， and the Dragon Kite soared into the sky， wriggling the way higher and higher， with the sun still glinting in its devil-eyes. And when it went very high， it pulled fiercely on the twine， and Mahmoods young sons had to help him with the reel; but still the kite pulled， determined to be free， to break loose， to live a life of its own. And eventually it did so.

隨后，風(fēng)從正確的方向吹來，“龍風(fēng)箏”扶搖直上，扭動(dòng)著越飛越高，而太陽在它惡魔般的眼睛里閃閃發(fā)光?！褒堬L(fēng)箏”飛到很高很高的天空中，使勁拽著風(fēng)箏線，馬哈茂德年幼的兒子們不得不幫他拉住線軸，但“龍風(fēng)箏”還是拽著線，決心要自由，決心要掙脫，決心要過自己的生活。最后，它終于做到了。

The twine snapped， the kite leapt away toward the sun， sailed on heavenward until it was lost to view. It was never found again. He did not make another like it， but instead he presented the Nawab with a musical kite， one that made a sound like the veena3 when it rose in the air.

風(fēng)箏線突然繃斷了，“龍風(fēng)箏”猛地朝太陽飛去，朝天空飛去，直到從人們的視野中消失。后來，人們?cè)僖矝]找到這個(gè)風(fēng)箏。馬哈茂德也沒再扎一個(gè)類似的風(fēng)箏，而是呈給納瓦布一個(gè)音樂風(fēng)箏——這個(gè)風(fēng)箏飛在空中能發(fā)出類似維那琴的聲音。

Yes， those were more leisurely， more spacious days. But no one knew Mahmood now， or asked his name and occupations.

是的，那時(shí)的日子更悠閑、地方更寬敞，而現(xiàn)在沒人知道馬哈茂德，也沒人問起他的名字和職業(yè)。

When he was younger and had fallen sick， everyone in the neighborhood had come to ask after his health; but now， when his days were drawing to a close， no one visited him. True， most of his old friends were dead; his sons had grown up.

他年輕的時(shí)候如果生了病，住在附近的每個(gè)人都會(huì)來噓寒問暖；而現(xiàn)在他的人生漸漸接近尾聲，卻沒人探望過他。確切地說，他的老朋友大都過世了，而他的兒子們都已長(zhǎng)大。

The children who had bought kites from him ten years ago， they were grown men， struggling for a living; they did not have time for the old man and his memories. They had grown up in a swift-changing， competitive world， and looked at the old kitemaker with the same indifference as they looked at the banyan tree.

十年前從他那里買風(fēng)箏的孩子們已長(zhǎng)大成人，他們?yōu)樯?jì)奔波操勞，無暇顧及老人和他的回憶。他們?cè)谒蚕⑷f變、競(jìng)爭(zhēng)激烈的世界中長(zhǎng)大，看著扎風(fēng)箏的老人就像看著那棵老榕樹一樣漠不關(guān)心。

Mahmood was like the banyan， his hands gnarled and twisted like the roots of the ancient tree. All was like the young mimosa planted at the end of the courtyard. In two years both he and the tree would acquire the strength and confidence of their early youth.

馬哈茂德就像那棵老榕樹，他的雙手像那棵老樹的樹根一樣粗糙彎曲。一切都像院子盡頭種下的含羞樹苗。兩年后，他和那棵老樹都將獲得他們年輕時(shí)的力量和信心。

The voices in the street grew fainter， and Mahmood wondered if he was going to fall asleep and dream， as he so often did， of a kite so beautiful and powerful that it would resemble the great white bird of the Hindus， Garuda4. He would like to make a wonderful new kite for little Ali. He had nothing else to leave the boy.

大街上的聲音越來越微弱，馬哈茂德不知道自己會(huì)不會(huì)倒頭睡去，會(huì)不會(huì)夢(mèng)見他經(jīng)常夢(mèng)見的那個(gè)風(fēng)箏——它是那么美麗、那么有力，就像印度教中的大白鳥揭路荼。他想給小阿里扎一個(gè)漂亮的新風(fēng)箏。他沒有別的東西可以留給孩子了。

He heard Alis voice in the distance， but did not realize that the boy was calling to him. The voice seemed to come from very far away.

他聽到遠(yuǎn)處傳來阿里的聲音，但沒有意識(shí)到孩子在呼喚他。那聲音好像來自十分遙遠(yuǎn)的地方。

Ali was at the courtyard door， asking if his mother had as yet returned from the bazaar. When Mahmood did not answer， the boy came forward， repeating his question. The sunlight was slanting across the old mans head， and a small white butterfly was perched on his flowing beard. Mahmood was silent， and when Ali put his small brown hand on the old mans shoulder， he met with no response. The boy heard a faint sound， like the rubbing of marbles in his pocket.

阿里站在院子門口，問他的母親是不是已經(jīng)從集市回來了。馬哈茂德沒有回答，男孩走上前來，又問了一遍。陽光斜照在老人的頭上，一只白色小蝴蝶落在他飄逸的胡須上。馬哈茂德沉默不語，阿里把棕色小手搭在老人的肩上，也沒有得到任何回應(yīng)。男孩聽到一個(gè)微弱的聲音，像是他口袋里的彈珠相互摩擦的聲音。

Suddenly afraid， Ali turned and moved to the door， and then ran down the street shouting for his mother.

阿里突然感到害怕，轉(zhuǎn)身走到門口，然后沿街奔跑，呼喊母親。

The butterfly left the old mans beard and flew to the mimosa tree. And in the banyan tree， a sudden gust of wind caught the torn kite and lifted it into the air， carrying it far above the city， into the azure-blue sky.

蝴蝶飛離了老人的胡須，落到那棵含羞樹上。一陣風(fēng)突然抓住榕樹上那個(gè)撕破的風(fēng)箏，把它拋向空中，遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)地送向城市上空，送向蔚藍(lán)的天空。

*本名宋金柱，焦作大學(xué)學(xué)術(shù)委員會(huì)委員，河南省作家協(xié)會(huì)會(huì)員。

1 turn on ones heel突然轉(zhuǎn)身；急向后轉(zhuǎn)。? 2 nawab納瓦布，印度莫臥兒帝國時(shí)代省級(jí)地方行政長(zhǎng)官的稱號(hào)，后演變?yōu)橐环N尊稱。

3 維那琴是印度傳統(tǒng)弦樂器，有七根琴弦。維那琴以豐富又舒緩的音色而聞名，是印度古典音樂不可分割的一部分。

4 揭路荼在印度教神話中占有重要地位，代表力量和勇氣。揭路荼的形象半人半鳥，鳥的部分類似雄鷹或風(fēng)箏。他有金色的軀干、紅色的翅膀、白色的臉，而且體型巨大，飛在空中可遮住太陽。