Julie’s Wolf Pack (Excerpt VIII) 《朱莉的狼群》（節選八）

瓊·克雷格黑德·喬治

The border check went on for weeks. The more Kapu scent marked his territory， the stronger he felt and the more peaceful the pack became. Slowly Kapu was healing the devastating loss of the great Avalik alpha male wolf Amoraq. Social harmony was being restored as Kapu developed leadership skills. When he was truly in charge， Raw Bones would not be able to challenge him.

That glorious moment was not yet in sight. Raw Boness disposition worsened. Unable to dethrone Kapu， he began to nip at Sweet Fur Amy. Her keen sense of smell had raised her to a rank above him. She had become a second beta， equal to Zing. As father of the pups-to-be Raw Bones deeply resented this. If he could not be alpha， he must certainly be beta. At every opportunity he bared his teeth and wrinkled his forehead to threaten her into battle. But Sweet Fur Amy would not fight back， and this rendered Raw Bones annoyingly helpless.

Sweet Fur Amys talent developed. She learned to recognize sick animals not only by scent but by subtle limps， the tilt of a head， and the droop of eyes. She no longer wasted the packs time on the healthy. When she picked out a feeble animal， she signaled the news to Kapu and he let her take the lead， much to Raw Boness displeasure.

In daylight and shadow， whenever the opportunity arose， the resentful Raw Bones gave Sweet Fur Amy a painful smack with his rear end. She controlled her desire to fight. He was bigger and older. She could not possibly win.

But she did not like it. When the pack was resting， she strengthened her neck muscles by thrashing heavy caribou hides from side to side. She strengthened her leg muscles chasing the fleet-footed Zing. She ate often. Her black fur reflected blue lights， and her body grew hard and muscular. Raw Bones with all his nastiness was forcing her to become a more powerful wolf than he.

The sun stayed up longer and longer. From twelve hours above and twelve hours below the horizon at the March equinox， it was up all but a few hours in late April. During this time Sweet Fur Amys ability to find weak and sick animals dramatically increased the Avaliks hunting success. It rose from one try in ten to one in five. With abundant food they put on muscle and weight.

In the second week of May the sun stayed up night and day. Without trickle or sound most of the tundra snow vanished in vapor. The birds returned to their grassy nesting grounds by the tens of thousands. The Avaliks ran in constant sunlight. They split caribou herds into smaller groups by running through them. They checked each individual， noted the pregnant females and those with calves. They noted the healthy and pinpointed the sick and old for harvesting at some later date.

邊界檢查持續了幾個星期?？ㄆ沼米约簹馕稑擞浀念I地越多，就越覺得自己強大，而狼群也愈加平靜。慢慢地，卡普正在彌補阿瓦里克河狼群毀滅性的損失，就是頭狼阿馬羅克的去世?？ㄆ罩饾u學會了領導技巧，隨之狼群中的和諧秩序得以恢復?？ㄆ照嬲瓶匾磺械臅r候，生骨就不能挑戰他了。

但那個輝煌的時刻仍然沒有到來。生骨的脾氣越來越差。他既然不能掀翻卡普，就開始擠壓香毛艾米。香毛艾米靈敏的嗅覺使得她地位高于生骨。香毛艾米成了副頭狼，跟津的地位一樣。然而生骨是即將出生的狼崽的父親，他為此憤憤不平。他如果做不了頭狼，那必須是副頭狼。他一有機會就朝著香毛艾米齜牙咧嘴、怒目圓睜，挑釁她來決斗。但香毛艾米不愿意反擊，這使得生骨無可奈何，又很煩惱。

香毛艾米的天賦又多了些新功能。她不僅學會了通過氣味辨別生病的動物，還學會了通過其他方式來辨別，比如行走不便、頭顱歪斜和眼睛低垂等。在她的指引下，狼群不再在健壯的獵物身上浪費時間。一旦香毛艾米發現了虛弱的動物，就告訴卡普，卡普就讓她帶領大家狩獵。這讓生骨很不爽。

光天化日之下，或在暗處，只要有機會，滿腔憤恨的生骨就會用自己的臀部狠狠地撞擊香毛艾米。艾米強忍住疼痛和反擊的沖動。生骨畢竟體型更大、年歲更長。她不一定能贏。

但香毛艾米不喜歡如此。狼群休息的時候，她就把沉重的北美馴鹿皮翻過來翻過去，借此增強頸部的肌肉力量。她追逐腳步如飛的津，借此增強腿部的力量。她進食次數也比以前多。慢慢地，香毛艾米變得更加健壯，黑色毛發閃著藍光，身體更結實，肌肉更發達。卑劣的生骨逼迫香毛艾米必須變得比生骨更強壯才行。

太陽在空中停留的時間越來越長。3月春分那天，太陽有12個小時在地平線之上，12個小時在地平線之下;現在是4月末，太陽大部分時間都在空中。這段時間里，香毛艾米追蹤病弱動物的能力大大提高，極大地增加了阿瓦里克河狼群狩獵的成功率，從十分之一提高到了五分之一。食物充足，因此群狼肌肉和體重都在增加。

到了5月的第二周，太陽停留在空中日夜不落。沒有滴水也沒有聲響，凍原上的大部分積雪就蒸發得無影無蹤。成千上萬的鳥兒回來了，在茂密的草叢里筑巢。阿瓦里克河狼群在永晝的光芒下奔跑。他們穿插進北美馴鹿群，把鹿群分割為小的群體。他們對鹿群逐一檢查，區分出懷孕的母鹿和帶崽兒的母鹿。他們還區分出強健的馴鹿，并且特別留意那些老弱病殘，以備來日捕獵后者。

【背景知識】狼群里有關地位的爭斗永無止息。生骨是外來戶，年長、有力，不甘心屈服于年輕的卡普和其他狼，總是在找機會提高自己的地位。他斗不過卡普，就轉而欺負香毛艾米。香毛艾米也不甘示弱，努力讓自己強壯。食物充足的夏季，狼群一邊享受著大自然的賜予，一邊進行著內部斗爭。

【第一段】第三句原文使用了介詞短語后置修飾的方式，譯文也使用了補充說明的方式，說明阿馬羅克的身份。第四句中的social harmony（社會和諧）不能直譯，譯文轉化為“狼群中的和諧秩序”。

【第二段】第三句中的dethrone（掀下王座）不宜直譯，簡單化為“掀翻”。而nip at（小口咬）的譯文也被轉譯為“擠壓”。

【第三段】第二句譯文添加了范疇詞“方式”，以總括后面的列舉成分。第三句根據全句的意思，譯文添加了“在她的指引下”。而she signaled the news to Kapu（她把這個消息向卡普示意）如直譯顯得過于啰唆，譯文簡化為“告訴”。

【第四段】原文painful smack（令人疼痛的撞擊），譯文也沒有直譯，轉化為“狠狠地撞擊”，等于變換了描述對象，因為中文里很難把主體和客體合理地融入到一個句子中。而“疼痛”的概念被轉移到了下一句中：“艾米強忍住疼痛?！?/p>

【第五段】第二句和第三句是排比句式，但譯文都調整了語序，使之更符合中文習慣。而原文短句she ate often（她經常吃飯）的譯文不宜也用短句，這樣將無法理解。譯文增譯為“她進食次數也比以前多”。第五句的譯文添加了“慢慢地，香毛艾米變得更加健壯”，等于補出原因，使得上下文更連貫，讀者才會明白香毛艾米為什么“黑色毛發閃著藍光”。

【第六段】第二句的最后部分是it was up all but a few hours in late April（四月末除了幾個小時之外太陽都在空中），譯文反譯為“太陽大部分時間都在空中”，更加簡潔一點。譯文還把原文的倒數第二句并入上一句，使之更連貫。最后一句的譯文補出了邏輯詞“因此”，讓中文更順暢。

【第七段】譯文最后一句“They noted the healthy and pinpointed the sick and old for harvesting at some later date.”中的harvesting（收獲）不能直譯，譯文避開了這一隱喻，明晰化為“他們還區分出強健的馴鹿，并且特別留意那些老弱病殘，以備來日捕獵后者”。

【小結】這一選段的練習重點是詞語以及短語的適度調整和部分語序的調整。文學翻譯當中，由于中外語言的不同，很多原文的詞語和短語都不能簡單直譯，需要適度變通才能保證譯文質量。原文中隱含的邏輯，在譯文中可適當補出，讓譯文更連貫流暢。? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?□