現(xiàn)代英文選評(píng)：Man and Woman 男與女

Man and Woman 男與女

Erskine Caldwell (1903—1987)

歐司金·考特威爾生于美國(guó)喬治亞州。他是美國(guó)當(dāng)代大小說(shuō)家之一，曾與海明威、?？思{、司坦培克等齊名，描寫(xiě)美國(guó)南部（尤其是喬治亞州）貧窮沒(méi)落的農(nóng)村生活，最擅勝場(chǎng)。

這里所選的一篇短篇小說(shuō)，篇幅無(wú)多，文字十分簡(jiǎn)單，幾乎無(wú)需注解。然而其深刻動(dòng)人之處，卻耐人尋味。其描寫(xiě)結(jié)構(gòu)都值得我國(guó)短篇小說(shuō)作家的參考。

本文采自The Pocket Book of Erskine Caldwell Stories。

They came slowly up the road through the colorless dawn like shadows left behind by the night. There was no motion in their bodies, and yet their feet scuffed up dust that settled behind them as quickly as it was raised. They lifted their eyes with each step they took, peering toward the horizon for the first red rays of the sun.

● 第一段點(diǎn)出小說(shuō)的時(shí)間和地點(diǎn)。時(shí)間是黑夜已過(guò)，旭日未升，地點(diǎn)是公路上。人物只是模模糊糊的They。有多少人呢？是些什么人呢？這里尚未說(shuō)明，但標(biāo)題是“男與女”，我們可以暫且假定是一男一女。他們的身形我們還看不清楚，他們只是像“黑夜所遺留下來(lái)的影子”。他們的動(dòng)作我們也看不見(jiàn)，只是他們的腳步拖起（scuffed up）了灰塵，腳步步步向前，灰塵也在他們身后旋起旋落（settled）。

● scuffed本是不及物動(dòng)詞，解作“拖著腳步走路”，這里是及物動(dòng)詞。peering：瞇著眼睛看。

● 描寫(xiě)文最難運(yùn)用的是形容詞，以及由形容詞轉(zhuǎn)化出來(lái)的副詞。本文形容詞用得很少，都很簡(jiǎn)單。這一段里可以說(shuō)只有兩個(gè)形容詞是用作描寫(xiě)的，一個(gè)是colorless (dawn)，一個(gè)是red (rays)，都很傳神而有力量。描寫(xiě)黎明景色，中英文都有很多濫調(diào)，如“天空露出魚(yú)肚白色”，“美麗的朝霞”等，這種美麗的字眼，比之本文的兩個(gè)簡(jiǎn)單的形容詞，到底哪一種更為妥貼，哪一種更能顯出作者煉字的功夫，請(qǐng)讀者自己下判斷吧。同樣的，slowly是個(gè)很簡(jiǎn)單的副詞，但這里用這么一個(gè)字也夠了，作者可說(shuō)是惜墨如金也。slowly前面的came，是從讀者的立場(chǎng)而言：假定讀者看他們往前走“來(lái)”。用了went，就變成愈走愈遠(yuǎn)，came則表示愈走愈近。

The woman held her lower lip clamped tightly between her teeth. It hurt her to do that, but it was the only way she could urge herself forward step after step. There was no other way to drag her feet one behind the other, mile after mile. She whimpered occasionally, but she did not cry out.

It's time to stop and rest again, Ring said.

She did not answer him.

They kept on.

● The woman：我們猜想一男一女在趕路，果然有一個(gè)女人，我們大約是猜對(duì)了。（下文Ring said，Ring是那男人的名字。）clamp：作名詞用，解作“螺釘夾”；作動(dòng)詞用，解作“像螺絲釘那樣地夾著”。這里是過(guò)去分詞，作形容詞用。

● It hurt her：她并不覺(jué)得好受。可是她已筋疲力盡，非咬緊牙關(guān)，無(wú)法再繼續(xù)前進(jìn)，咬痛嘴唇，在所不惜了。

● one behind the other=one foot behind the other foot。

● mile after mile：天沒(méi)亮就在趕路，可能是他們剛剛出門(mén)，但是由這一段文章看來(lái)，他們已經(jīng)趕了不少路了。

● whimpered：低聲嗚咽。

At the top of the hill, they came face to face with the sun. It was a quarter of the way up, cut like a knife by the treeless horizon. Down below them was a valley lying under a cover of mist that was rising slowly from the earth. They could see several houses and farms, but most of them were so far away they were almost indistinguishable in the mist. There was smoke rising from the chimney of the first house.

● 第一段第一句里說(shuō)slowly up the road，看到這里，我們知道他們?cè)瓉?lái)是在登山。

● a quarter of the way up：太陽(yáng)尚未全部露面，只有四分之一升在地平線上。地平線上沒(méi)有樹(shù)，太陽(yáng)好像被刀切似的。腳下有谷，谷中霧氣冉冉上升，把山谷蓋了起來(lái)。

● so far away：后面照語(yǔ)法規(guī)矩應(yīng)接that一字，但近代作家有把這個(gè)that省掉的。indistinguishable：房屋農(nóng)田在霧中看不清楚。

● smoke：景物朦朧，單提出“炊煙”一事，引起下面文章。the first house：最接近他們的那座房屋。

Ruth looked at the man beside her. The red rays of the sun began to color his pale face like blood. But still his eyes were tired and lifeless. He looked as if he were balancing himself on his two feet with great effort, and as if the next moment he might lose his balance and fall to the ground.

● 女人的名字叫做Ruth，在這里點(diǎn)出。

● color是動(dòng)詞不定式：著色，初升的陽(yáng)光，把男人蒼白的臉照得血紅。

● balancing himself：費(fèi)了好大的勁，兩條腿才站得穩(wěn)。lose his balance：失掉平穩(wěn)，腳站不住。the next moment：現(xiàn)在雖然勉強(qiáng)站穩(wěn)，但是似乎一不小心，隨時(shí)都可以倒下地去。

We'll be able to get a little something to eat at that first house, she said, waiting minute after minute for him to reply.

We'll get something there, she said, answering for him, "We will."

● 上一段已經(jīng)描寫(xiě)那男人面色蒼白，雙目無(wú)神，步履不穩(wěn)，這一段里他連口都不開(kāi)了。女人提議到前面那家人家去討些東西吃。她等了好久（minute after minute），男人默不作聲。最后還是女人自己替他回答（answering for him）。

● We will：我們“一定”討得到東西的。這個(gè)will應(yīng)該重讀（有些語(yǔ)法家主張這里應(yīng)該用shall的）。

The sun came up above the horizon, fast and red. Streaks of gray clouds, like layers of wood smoke, swam across the face of it. Almost as quickly as it had risen, the sun shrank into a small fiery button that seared the eyes until it was impossible to look at it any longer.

● streaks：絲，條。layers：層。wood smoke：柴木的煙。shrank：縮小。太陽(yáng)升離地平線以后，很快地就顯得縮小了，現(xiàn)在看上去只像是一顆“火一般的小鈕子”。seared：炙傷。until：這一個(gè)字表示他們兩人一直在看著太陽(yáng)，剛才那個(gè)男的不理會(huì)女人的說(shuō)話，大約是看太陽(yáng)看得出神了，但是現(xiàn)在陽(yáng)光熾烈，他們不能再看了。

Let's try, anyway, Ruth said.

Ring looked at her in the clear daylight, seeing her for the first time since the sun had set the night before. Her face was paler, her cheeks more sunken.

● anyway：不管怎樣。

● Ring不看太陽(yáng)，望望他身邊的女人。since the sun had set：昨晚日落以后，他還沒(méi)有仔細(xì)看過(guò)那女人的臉?？赡芩麄儍扇艘呀?jīng)趕了一夜的路——可是為什么呢？他們要往哪兒去呢？這是個(gè)悶葫蘆，作者故弄玄虛，要到最后方始把謎底揭穿。讀者的興趣已被引起，非往下讀不可，這也是小說(shuō)家的手法。

Without words, he started forward down the hill. He did not turn his head to see if she was following him, but went down the road drawing one foot from behind and hurling it in front of him with all his might. There was no other way he could move himself over the ground.

● 男人還是不說(shuō)話，恐怕是疲憊已極。

● 他一直往前走，也不回頭看看女的是不是在后面跟著。他走起路來(lái)，用全力（with all his might）把后腳拖過(guò)來(lái)，再用力踏到前面去。hurling原意是“投”或“擲”，他的腳步跨出去要用這么大的勁，其步履之不穩(wěn)可想而知。

● way：方法。不用這么大的勁，他是沒(méi)法往前走了。

He had stopped at the front of the house, looking at the smoke that floated overhead, when she caught up with him at last.

I'll go in and try, she said. "You sit down and rest, Ring."

● 作者對(duì)于這一男一女的描寫(xiě)，很是經(jīng)濟(jì)，他們的服飾、籍貫、身材、年齡等，一概置之不理，他只是強(qiáng)調(diào)他們的疲乏和衰弱，還有一點(diǎn)就是他們的視線。他們看太陽(yáng)，互相看對(duì)方的蒼白的臉，看山谷下的田莊民房，現(xiàn)在男的又在看飄在頭頂上的炊煙——想必是十分饑餓了吧？

● caught up with：追上。at last：男的走路已如此費(fèi)力，可是女的走路還要慢，好容易才把他追上。

He opened his mouth to say something, but his throat became choked and no words came. He looked at the house, with its worn doorstep and curtain-filled windows and its smoke-filled chimney, and he did not feel like a stranger in a strange country as long as he kept his eyes upon those things.

● 這一段又是描寫(xiě)那男人的視覺(jué)，他的情感也輕輕地提了一筆。

● choked（過(guò)去分詞）：塞住。

● doorstep：臺(tái)階；worn：磨舊了的。curtain-filled：窗簾拉滿(mǎn)的。

● 這些東西使他聯(lián)想起自己的家，他的眼睛老看著這些東西，他就不覺(jué)得是“身在異鄉(xiāng)為異客”了。

Ruth went through the gate, and around the side of the house, and stopped at the kitchen door. She looked behind her and saw Ring coming across the yard from the road.

Someone was watching them from behind a curtain at the window.

● gate：園門(mén)，和屋子不相聯(lián)屬的。kitchen door：廚房門(mén)，后門(mén)。

● Someone：本文的第三個(gè)人物，可是此人的態(tài)度是猜疑的、不友善的、慢客的，此人只是在窗簾后面窺望。那一男一女看見(jiàn)這種舉動(dòng)，怎么會(huì)不覺(jué)得自己是a stranger in a strange country呢？

Knock, Ring said.

She placed the knuckles of her right hand against the side of the house and rapped on the clapboards until her hand began to hurt.

She turned around and glanced quickly at Ring, and he nodded his head.

● knuckles：手指骨節(jié)。rapped：拍擊。clapboards：木屋墻上的橫條木板。（此字的p不發(fā)音，第一音節(jié)重讀，第二音節(jié)的母音輕音。）hurt：覺(jué)得痛。

● She turned around：他們兩人一起趕路，互相關(guān)切，女的打門(mén)的時(shí)候還要轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)頭來(lái)看男的，男的頷首贊可。作者對(duì)于這種小地方不肯錯(cuò)過(guò)。

Presently the kitchen door opened a few inches and a woman's head could be seen through the crack. She was middle-aged and brown-faced and had a scar on her forehead.

Go away, she told them.

● Presently：不久。crack：縫。scar：疤痕。

● Go away：疲乏的旅人受到逐客令。作者盡量避免情感的描寫(xiě)，可是讀者自然而然地對(duì)于小說(shuō)中一男一女的命運(yùn)發(fā)生關(guān)切之感。屋中人的態(tài)度想必很不客氣，這里短短兩個(gè)字，不借任何描寫(xiě)，已使讀者如聞其聲，如見(jiàn)其人了。

We won't bother you, Ruth said as quickly as she could. "All we wanted was to ask you if you could give us a little something to eat. Just a potato, if you have any, or bread, or something."

I don't know what you are doing here, the woman said. "I don't like to have strange people around my house."

She almost closed the door, but in a moment the crack widened, and her face could be seen once more.

I'll feed the girl, she said finally, "but I can't let the man have anything. I don't have enough for both of you, anyway."

● bother you：麻煩你。

● All we wanted：我們所需要的（不過(guò)是）。這句話的動(dòng)詞都用過(guò)去式，表示她拍墻叫門(mén)時(shí)候所需要的是什么東西。

● I can't let the man have anything：?jiǎn)紊砟信宄吭谏揭伴g趕路，是惹人疑心的，屋中人不肯施舍給那男的，不是沒(méi)有道理。又從I'll feed the girl一句看來(lái)，那個(gè)女人年齡想必很輕。

Ruth turned quickly around, her heels digging into the sandy earth. She looked at Ring. He nodded his head eagerly.

He could see the word forming on her lips even though he could not hear it. She shook her head.

Ring went several steps toward her.

We'll try somewhere else, she said.

No, he said. "You go in and eat what she'll give you. I'll try the next house we come to."

She still did not wish to go into the house without him. The woman opened the door a foot or more, and waited for her to come up the steps.

Ring sat down on a bench under a tree.

I'm going to sit here and wait until you go in and get something to eat for yourself, he said.

● digging：轉(zhuǎn)身時(shí)腳后跟（heels）在沙土上鉆了一下。

● the word：大約是“no”字。forming on her lips：嘴唇已經(jīng)圓起來(lái)，預(yù)備說(shuō)這個(gè)字了。She shook her head：又是簡(jiǎn)單的敘述，可是包含很深的情感：何忍自己得食，而見(jiàn)那男人被擯諸門(mén)外呢？她預(yù)備到別家人家去試試。

● opened the door a foot or more：呼應(yīng)前面的opened a few inches。

Ruth went up the steps slowly to the porch and entered the door. When she was inside, the woman pointed out a chair by a table, and Ruth sat down.

There were potatoes, warmed over from the night before, and cold biscuits. These were put on the table in front of her, and then the woman poured a cup of hot coffee and set it beside the plate.

● steps：臺(tái)階。porch：門(mén)的入口處，上面通常有屋檐蓋住。

● warmed over：昨夜所煮的馬鈴薯，早晨再熱一次。

Ruth began to eat as quickly as she could, sipping the hot black coffee and chewing the potatoes and bread while the brown-faced woman stood behind her at the door, where she could watch Ring and her by turns.

Twice Ruth managed to slip pieces of bread into her blouse, and finally she got half a potato into the pocket of her skirt. The woman eyed her suspiciously when she was not watching Ring in the yard outside.

● sipping：啜飲。bread：即上文提到的biscuits（軟餅，非英國(guó)式的餅干）。

● watch：監(jiān)視。by turns：輪流的；一下子看著屋內(nèi)的女人，一下子看著屋外的男人。

● managed：設(shè)法。slip：滑下去；輕輕地放進(jìn)去，由面包自動(dòng)落下。blouse：女裝的上衣，腰間有帶拴住，東西放在里面，不會(huì)掉出來(lái)的。skirt：裙子。blouse和skirt是西洋女子普通的服裝。這個(gè)女人的服裝本文開(kāi)始時(shí)并未描寫(xiě)，這里假如她不演出一幕“陸郎懷桔”的故事，作者恐怕仍舊要略而不提的。

● eyed這個(gè)字當(dāng)動(dòng)詞用，有“監(jiān)視”或“冷眼旁觀”的意思。suspiciously：猜疑地，用猜疑的眼光。

Going far? the woman asked.

Yes, Ruth answered.

Come far? the woman asked.

Yes, Ruth said.

Who is that man with you?

He's my husband, Ruth told her.

The woman looked out into the yard again, then back at Ruth. She did not say anything more for a while.

● 很簡(jiǎn)潔的一段對(duì)白。可是屋主人的猜疑，乞食女人的無(wú)意對(duì)答，已活躍紙上。如多用文字描寫(xiě)，恐怕反而要減少這場(chǎng)面的緊張和尷尬了。

● 本文一開(kāi)始就描寫(xiě)那一男一女的視線，現(xiàn)在這幾段所著力描寫(xiě)的也是那屋主人的眼光；她來(lái)回地看那一男一女。

Ruth tried to put another piece of potato into her skirt pocket, but by then the women was watching her more closely than ever.

I don't believe he is your husband, the woman said.

Well, Ruth answered, "he is."

I wouldn't call him much of a husband to let you walk through the country begging food like you did just a little while ago.

He's been sick, Ruth said quickly, turning in the chair to face the woman. "He was sick in bed for five weeks before we started out."

Why didn't you stay where you were, instead of making tramps out of yourselves? Can't he hold a job, or don't he want to work?

● by then的by=at or before (a specified limit)。by now與by then的用法很常見(jiàn)，now或then在這里是名詞，作賓語(yǔ)用。單用then，只表示“那時(shí)”，by then有雙重意思：“在那個(gè)時(shí)候”，或者“甚至在那個(gè)時(shí)候以前”。Ruth又要伸手偷馬鈴薯，可是“到了那個(gè)時(shí)候”，屋主人監(jiān)視得更嚴(yán)了。

● I wouldn't call比I will not call客氣，用了would（虛擬式），態(tài)度比較多保留、少武斷。much of a husband：夠得上做丈夫。to let作形容詞用，大約是形容him。做丈夫的讓妻子在山野間走路，登門(mén)乞食，還算得上是丈夫嗎？

● like應(yīng)作as。英美人教育程度不夠的，說(shuō)起話來(lái)，常用like代替as。did即walked through the country begging food。

● turning in the chair to face the woman：那個(gè)女人本來(lái)又饑又倦，又要想法偷藏食物，無(wú)意多說(shuō)話?？墒乾F(xiàn)在那男的受到誣蔑，她不得不嚴(yán)辭辯駁，因此她的話說(shuō)得快了，身子也轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)來(lái)了，臉也沖著那個(gè)多疑的主人了。雖然沒(méi)有用indignantly這類(lèi)的字，其神情已可想而見(jiàn)。

● stay where you were：相當(dāng)于“留住在家鄉(xiāng)”，但是“以前所住的地方”不一定就是“家鄉(xiāng)”——你們?yōu)槭裁床涣糇≡谀銈兊睦系胤侥兀?

● tramps：流浪人。making tramps out of yourselves：把自己化為流浪人。instead of普通英漢字典解作“代替”，但是這一個(gè)“介詞短語(yǔ)”的意義很多，在這里的意思，約相當(dāng)于你們?yōu)槭裁础胺炊背鰜?lái)流浪呢？

● hold a job：守住一項(xiàng)職業(yè)，保持飯碗。don't：按照語(yǔ)法規(guī)矩，應(yīng)該說(shuō)doesn't的。

Ruth got up, dropping the bread in her hand.

Thank you for the breakfast, she said. "I am going now."

If you take my advice, the woman said, "you'll leave that man the first chance you get. If he won't take a job, you'll be a fool…."

He had a job, but he got sick with a kind of fever.

I don't believe you. I'd put you down for lying about him.

● dropping the bread in her hand：Ruth想必是不愿再聽(tīng)那人嘮嘮叨叨的話，站了起來(lái)，拿在手里的面包也掉了下來(lái)，（本來(lái)也許還想多吃一點(diǎn)呢）。

● you'll leave that man the first chance you get：一有機(jī)會(huì)，就同那個(gè)男人分手。the first chance是副詞短語(yǔ)，you get是定語(yǔ)從句，形容chance。

● If he won't take a job：屋主人一口咬定那個(gè)男人是游手好閑之徒。

● fever：發(fā)燒。那個(gè)男人的臉容蒼白，步履維艱，前文已一再言之，其故為何，現(xiàn)在要逐步地揭穿了。

● I'd=I would; put down=reckon（認(rèn)為）。我可要認(rèn)為你是在替他撒謊。

Ruth went to the door, opened it herself, and went outside. She turned around on the porch and looked at the woman who had given her something to eat.

If he was sick in bed, like you said, the woman asked, following her past the door, "why did he get up and start tramping like this with nothing for you and him to eat?"

● opened it herself：來(lái)不及等人家來(lái)替她開(kāi)門(mén)了。

● turned around…and looked at her：既然她想趕快奪門(mén)而出，不愿再多停留，為什么又要轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)身來(lái)，豈是言有未盡嗎？

● like you said應(yīng)作as you said。屋主人還要追出來(lái)，問(wèn)這么一句話。這個(gè)悶葫蘆非打破不可，套一句金圣嘆批《水滸》的筆法：“我亦欲問(wèn)”。

Ruth saw Ring sitting on the bench under the tree, and she was not going to answer the woman, but she could not keep from saying something.

The reason we started out walking like this was because my sister wrote and told me that our baby had died. When my husband first got sick, I sent the baby to my sister's. Now we're going to see the grave where she's buried.

● not going to answer the woman：那個(gè)男的想必是不堪饑餓了，何況他們趕路要緊，那種嘮嘮叨叨的話何必置答，但是話到嘴邊，不說(shuō)又不能（could not keep from…）。

● we started out walking like this為名詞性從句，前面省掉一個(gè)連接詞why。

● to my sister's=to my sister's house。這種用法很常見(jiàn)，如“在王先生家里”，英文單說(shuō)“at Mr. Wang's”即可。

● 這一男一女有這么一段悲慘的經(jīng)歷，可是作者描寫(xiě)時(shí)仍舊不帶半點(diǎn)情感，文字簡(jiǎn)單之至，“赤裸裸”的事實(shí)就有感動(dòng)人的力量，何必多說(shuō)傷感的話呢？

● where she's buried：照一般習(xí)慣，baby的代名詞可用it，但是那是不知嬰孩是男是女時(shí)才用。身為父母者，一定知道自己的孩子是男是女的，所以這里仍用she。

She ran down the steps and walked across the yard as rapidly as she could. When she reached the corner of the house, Ring got up and followed her to the road. Neither of them said anything, but she could not keep from looking back at the house, where the woman was watching them through the crack in the door.

After they had gone a hundred feet or more, Ruth unfastened her blouse and pulled out the pieces of bread she had carried there. Ring took them from her without a word. When he had eaten all there was, she gave him the potato. He ate it hungrily, talking to her with his eyes while he chewed and swallowed.

● through the crack in the door：從門(mén)板的裂縫里（張望）。

● unfastened：解開(kāi)，打開(kāi)。走了一百多尺之后，屋中人應(yīng)該看不見(jiàn)他們的行動(dòng)了，她才把“私貨”拿出來(lái)。

● all there was的there was是定語(yǔ)從句，關(guān)系代名詞that省掉：所有的東西，私藏面包的全部。potato：那是藏在裙子口袋里的。

● talking to her with his eyes：用眼睛說(shuō)話，嘴是忙不過(guò)來(lái)了。hungrily：很傳神的副詞，可解作“狼吞虎咽狀地”。

They had walked for nearly half an hour before either of them spoke again.

She was a mean old woman, Ruth said. "If it hadn't been for that food, I'd have got up and left before I ate what she gave me."

Ring did not say anything for a long time.

Ruth choked back a sob.

How much farther is it, Ring?

About thirty or forty miles.

Will we get there tomorrow?

He shook his head.

The day after?

I don't know.

● mean原意為“卑鄙，小氣”，這里可解作“可惡”。

● I'd=I would。

● choked back a sob：想哭出來(lái)，可是用力忍住了。

Maybe if we get a ride, we might get there tonight? she asked, unable to hold back any longer the sobs that choked her throat and breast.

Yes, he said. "If we could get a ride, we would get there a lot sooner."

He turned his head and glanced down the road behind them, but there was nothing in sight. Then he looked down at the ground he was walking on, counting the steps he took with his right foot, and then his left.

● get a ride：有車(chē)子坐。

● choked：此字與上段的choked意義略有不同。這里解作“塞住”。

● glanced down the road behind them：看看后面有沒(méi)有車(chē)子來(lái)，可以順便搭乘的。

● he was walking on：定語(yǔ)從句。counting the steps：二人重上征程。長(zhǎng)途漫漫，這樣一步一步地?cái)?shù)著走，哪一天才走得到呢？