《鄰居羅西基》（節選二）

文/ 薇拉·凱瑟 譯析/曹明倫

病人呵呵一笑。“家可不是男人待的地方。我不喜歡一個大男人整天就圍著鍋臺轉。說到我老伴兒，她自己也沒少操勞。”

2“這就是了，你可以稍稍幫幫她呀。說真的，羅西基，在我認識的人當中，沒幾個能有你那樣一個家，舒適溫馨，和和睦睦，從不吵架，而且孩子們對你都好。我希望你多活幾年，好好享享福。”

3“唉，這話不假。他們都是些好孩子。”羅西基贊同道。

4醫生給他開了張處方，然后問起他大兒子魯道夫的近況，因為魯道夫春天剛結了婚，婚后便另立門戶，租了塊地自己耕種。“波莉還好吧？我開始還擔心瑪麗不喜歡有個美國媳婦呢，可現在看來似乎都挺好的。”

5“是呀，波莉是個好姑娘。她那個守寡的母親把幾個女兒都調教得挺懂事的。波莉有股子勇氣，也有點時尚。這挺好，年輕人就該時尚點嘛。”羅西基豪爽地點了點頭，說話的聲音和眨眼微笑都充滿了對他那個兒媳婦的喜愛和贊賞。

6“這天看上去像要下雪，你最好趕在雪下來之前回家。開車來的？”伯利醫生邊問邊站起身來。

7“不，趕車來的。家里有了五個小伙子，坐那輛福特車兜風的機會也就少了。但我也不太喜歡汽車，真不喜歡。”

8“好吧，去你家的路還算好走，但我不希望你老在馬車上顛來顛去。記住，別再干耙草的活兒了！”

9羅西基裝出一副漫不經心的樣子，一邊眼望別處，一邊小心地把診費放到了桌上的電話機后面，然后戴上長毛絨帽子，穿上有羊皮領子的燈芯絨外套，出了診所。

10醫生皺起眉頭盯著隨手拿起的聽診器，仿佛是那個玩意兒惹得他不高興。他真希望剛才談論的是另一個人的心臟，那個人告別時不會用心照不宣的目光盯著他，也不會向他伸出一只黝黑而溫暖的大手。在離開家鄉去讀醫學院之前，伯利醫生曾是個鄉下窮孩子，他自打記事起就認識羅西基，而且對羅西基太太也懷有一份深情。

11就在上一個冬天，他在羅西基家吃過一頓香噴噴的早飯，而當時他正饑腸轆轆，因之前他在湯姆·馬歇爾家忙碌了一整夜，為難產的馬歇爾太太接生。馬歇爾家有個富有的大農場，有滿圈牲畜，有滿倉糧食，還有許多價格不菲的新式農機具，可就是沒有家的舒適溫馨。馬歇爾太太有太多的孩子，干太多的活兒，但她并不善于持家。當那個嬰兒終于墜地，被來幫忙的女鄰居接過手，母親也受到適當處置之后，伯利醫生拒絕了早餐，匆忙離開了那幢邋遢的房子。當晚雪太深，沒法開車，他趕著馬車走了八英里路，直奔安東·羅西基家。他從不曾見過另一戶農家對客人的歡迎是那樣熱情，端上的奶油咖啡是那樣濃香。難怪那老家伙不肯戒掉咖啡！

His patient chuckled.“It ain’t no place fur a man. I don’t like no old man hanging round the kitchen too much. An’ my wife, she’s a awful hard worker her own self.”

2“That’s it; you can help her a little.My Lord, Rosicky, you are one of the few men I know who has a family he can get some comfort out of; happy dispositions, never quarrel among themselves, and they treat you right. I want to see you live a few years and enjoy them.”

3“Oh, they’re good kids, all right,”Rosicky, assented.

4The Doctor wrote him a prescription and asked him how his oldest son, Rudolph, who had married in the spring,was getting on. Rudolph had struck out for himself, on rented land. “And how’s Polly? I was afraid Mary mightn’t like an American daughter-in-law, but it seems to be working out all right.”

5“Yes, she’s a fine girl. Dat widder woman bring her daughters up very nice. Polly got lots of spunk, an’ she got some style, too. Da’s nice, for young folks to have some style.” Rosicky inclined his head gallantly. His voice and his twinkly smile were an affectionate compliment to his daughter-in-law.

6“It looks like a storm, and you’d better be getting home before it comes.In town in the car?” Doctor Burleigh rose.

7“No, I’m in de wagon. When you got five boys, you ain’t got much chance to ride round in de Ford. I ain’t much for cars, noway.”

8“Well, it’s a good road out to your place; but I don’t want you bumping around in a wagon much. And never again on a hay-rake, remember!”

9Rosicky placed the Doctor’s fee delicately behind the desk-telephone,looking the other way, as if this were an absent-minded gesture. He put on his plush cap and his corduroy jacket with a sheepskin collar, and went out.

10The Doctor picked up his stethoscope and frowned at it as if he were seriously annoyed with the instrument. He wished it had been telling tales about some other man’s heart, some old man who didn’t look the Doctor in the eye so knowingly, or hold out such a warm brown hand when he said good-bye.Doctor Burleigh had been a poor boy in the country before he went away to medical school; he had known Rosicky almost ever since he could remember,and he had a deep affection for Mrs.Rosicky.

11Only last winter he had such a good breakfast at Rosicky’s, and that when he needed it. He had been out all night on a long, hard confinement case at Tom Marshall’s—a big rich farm where there was plenty of stock and plenty of feed and a great deal of expensive farm machinery of the newest model, and no comfort whatever. The woman had too many children and too much work,and she was no manager. When the baby was born at last, and handed over to the assisting neighbour woman, and the mother was properly attended to,Burleigh refused any breakfast in that slovenly house, and drove his buggy—the snow was too deep for a car—eight miles to Anton Rosicky’s place. He didn’t know another farm-house where a man could get such a warm welcome,and such good strong coffee with rich cream. No wonder the old chap didn’t want to give up his coffee!

【背景知識】《鄰居羅西基》是美國女作家薇拉·凱瑟（1873—1947）于1930 年發表的一篇重要短篇小說。小說通過回憶和追述的手法，講述了波希米亞移民羅西基樸素而充實的一生，展現了拓荒者及其后代善良、樸素、勤勞、熱愛生活、眷念土地的可貴品質。小說主題深刻，結構勻稱，筆觸細膩，文字優美，人物性格刻畫清晰，翻譯時應注意描摹。

【第1 段】ain’t = isn’t，fur = for，An’ = And, a awful = an awful。不規范英語中的雙重否定仍然表示否定，甚至是加強否定，如福克納的短篇小說Dry September中就有“I aint done nothing”（我什么也沒干）這類表達。本段中的It ain’t no 和I don’t like no 就屬于這種情況。

【第2—3 段】My Lord 在句中已失去其作尊稱語（閣下，大人）的本義，此處的作用是加強語氣。把醫生口中的they 翻譯成“孩子們”也是結合語境的代詞還原。

【第4 段】由who 引導的定語從句補充說明原因（為何單問魯道夫的情況），故譯文有“因為”二字。第一代移民在身份認同上多不把自己看成美國人，故有“美國媳婦”之說。

【第5 段】Dat widder = That widow，an’ = and，Da’s = That’s。twinkly = twinkling （見Webster’s Third New International Dictionary of the English Language）。twinkly smile（眨眼微笑）是羅西基個性化的表情，后文也描寫他smiled his twinkling smile（眨巴著眼睛微笑）。

【第6—7 段】storm 可指雨、雪、冰雹等，翻譯時應根據語境選擇義項（后文講羅西基離開診所后不久天開始下雪）。 de = the，I ain’t = I am not。

【第8—9 段】Well 作為感嘆詞，譯者可根據語境選用適當的對應語。譯文將第9 段原文兩句并作一句，是因為原文兩句的主語指同一個人，省掉一個主語，譯文句子更為清爽。

【第10 段】比較一種形式上更接近原文第一句的譯法（醫生拿起他的聽診器，并朝它皺起眉頭，仿佛他被那個器械惹得十分煩惱），想想譯者為何不選擇“更忠實”的譯文。

【第11 段】last winter 指the most recent winter（上一個冬天，最近那個冬天）。小說后文告訴我們，醫生想到last winter 是在當年下第一場雪的那天，可小說并未交代是初冬還是暮冬，所以此處的last winter 宜譯成“上一個冬天”，最好不冒險譯成“去年冬天”。

【小結】講故事總有起承轉合。有的故事起始就出語不凡（如《雙城記》之開篇“那是最美好的時代，那是最糟糕的時代……”），有的故事開頭卻貌似平淡（如本篇）。翻譯后一類故事（小說），譯者（尤其是青年譯者）得學會耐住性子，像作者一樣娓娓道來，切不可盲目追求“文采飛揚”。 □