The Battle of the Red and the Black Ants　紅螞蟻大戰黑螞蟻

亨利·戴維·梭羅　張白樺

One day when I went out to my wood-pile， or rather my pile of stumps， I observed two large ants， the one red， the other much larger， nearly half an inch long， and black， fiercely contending with one another. Having once got hold they never let go， but struggled and wrestled and rolled on the chips incessantly. Looking farther I was surprised to find that the chips were covered with such combatants， that it was not a “duellum” but a “bellum，” a war between two races of ants， the red always pitted against the black， and frequently two red ones to one black. The legions of these Myrmidons covered all the hills and vales in my woodyard， and the ground was already strewn with the dead and dying， both red and black. It was the only battle which I have ever witnessed， the only battlefield I ever trod while the battle was raging; internecine war; the red republicans on the one hand and the black imperialists on the other hand. On every side they were engaged in deadly combat， yet without any noise that I could hear， and human soldiers never fought so resolutely.

I watched a couple that were fast locked in each others embraces in a little sunny valley amid the chips; now at noonday prepared to fight till the sun went down， or life went out. The smaller red champion had fastened himself like a vise on his adversarys front， and through all the tumblings on that field never for an instant ceased to gnaw at one of his feelers near the root， having already caused the other to go by the board; while the stronger black one dashed him from side to side， and， as I saw on looking nearer， had already divested him of several of his members. They fought with more pertinacity than bulldogs. Neither manifested the least disposition to retreat. It was evident that their battle-cry was “Conquer or die.”

In the meanwhile there came along a single red ant on the hillside of this valley， evidently full of excitement， who either had dispatched his foe， or had not yet taken part in the battle; probably the latter， for he had lost none of his limbs; whose mother had charged him to return with his shield or upon it. He drew near with rapid pace till he stood on his guard within half an inch of the combatants; then， watching his opportunity， he sprang upon the black warrior， and commenced his operations near the root of his right foreleg， leaving the foe to select among his own members; and so there were three united for life， as if a new kind of attraction had been invented which put all other locks and cements to shame. I should not have wondered by this time to find that they had their respective musical bands stationed on some eminent chip， and playing their national airs the while， to excite the show and cheer the dying combatants. I was myself excited somewhat even as if they had been men. The more you think of it， the less the difference.

有一天，我出門到我的木材堆那兒去，更確切地說，是樹根堆。我看見了兩只大螞蟻在爭斗，一只紅的，另一只是黑的，比紅的大許多，差不多有半英寸那么長。雙方一交手，就誰也不肯放松，搏斗著，扭打著，在木片上不停地滾來滾去。再向遠處看去，我驚嘆不已，木材堆上這樣廝殺的勇士四處可見，看來不是“單挑”，而是“群架”，是一場發生在兩個螞蟻族群之間的戰爭。紅螞蟻總是挑戰黑螞蟻，通常是兩只紅螞蟻對一只黑螞蟻。我的堆木場上所有木料堆出的山丘上和山谷中四處可見這些能征善戰的彌爾彌冬軍團，地上躺滿已死的和瀕死的螞蟻，有紅螞蟻，也有黑螞蟻。這是我親眼目睹的唯一一場戰役，是我第一次踏上正在酣戰中的戰地。這一場兩敗俱傷的生死對決，一方是紅色的共和黨，一方是黑色的保皇派。雙方都在進行殊死搏斗，盡管耳畔不聞嘶吼，我卻從來沒有看到人類的士兵這樣奮不顧身。

在一片陽光燦爛的木片小山谷里，一對螞蟻死死地抱住了對方，此時正值正午，艷陽高照，它們準備戰斗到日落，或者戰斗到生命的最后一刻。那體型較小的紅色勇士像老虎鉗一樣緊緊咬住死敵的額頭不放。雙方在戰場上滾來滾去，紅色勇士在咬斷對方的一根觸須以后，又咬定了對手另一根觸須的根部，一刻也不肯放松。而更強壯的黑螞蟻則把對手甩過來甩過去。我湊近了看個仔細，發現紅螞蟻的身體有幾個部位已經被黑螞蟻扯掉了。它們比斗牛犬斗得還要頑強。雙方都沒有一絲一毫退卻的表現，顯然他們的戰爭口號是“不成功便成仁”。

在小山谷的山腰上出現了一只紅螞蟻獨行俠，顯而易見，它斗志昂揚，要么是剛剛置一個對手于死地，要么就是剛剛投入戰斗。大概是后者，因為它的四肢健全完好。它的母親命令它要么手持盾牌勝利歸來，要么躺在盾牌上被抬回來。它沖了過來，與對手拉開約半英寸的距離，等時機一到，就向黑武士撲了上去，一下咬住對方的右前腿，完全不顧對手會在自己身上哪個部位反咬一口。所以，此時是三只螞蟻黏在一起生死搏命，好像產生出一種新的迷人的黏合劑似的，讓所有的鎖鏈和水泥都自愧不如。這時，如果我看到它們各自的軍樂隊在突起的木片上演奏國歌來助陣，鼓舞那些奄奄一息的斗士，也不會感到驚奇。甚至我自己都已經血脈僨張，把它們視為人類了。你越想就越會覺得它們和人類沒有什么不同。

1中國比較文學學會翻譯研究會理事，上海翻譯家協會會員，內蒙古作家協會會員，現任內蒙古工業大學外國語學院英語系副教授。本文選自《西南聯大英文課》（有聲珍藏版）（陳福田主編，中譯出版社，2019年4月）。