Springtime春天

蘭斯頓·休斯　青閏/譯

“I wish that spring would come more often now that it is here，” said Simple.

“既然春天已經來了，我就希望它能多來幾次。”桑普勒說。

“How could it come more often？”

“它怎么能多來幾次呢？”

“It could if God had made it that-a-way，” said Simple. “I also wish it would last longer.”

“要是上帝讓它這樣做，它就能。”桑普勒說，“我還希望它能持續更久。”

“It looks as if you would prefer spring all the year around.”

“看來你好像更喜歡一年四季都是春天。”

“Just most of the year，” said Simple. “As it is now， summer comes too soon and winter lasts too long. I do not like real hot weather， neither cold. I like spring.”

“希望一年的大部分時間是。”桑普勒說，“現在的情況是，夏天來得太早，冬天持續太久。我既不喜歡真正的熱天，也不喜歡冷天。我喜歡春天。”

“Spring is too changeable for me—sometimes hot， sometimes cold.”

“在我看來，春天變化無常——時熱時冷。”

“I am not talking about that kind of spring，” said Simple. “I mean June-time spring when it is just nice and mellow—like a cool drink.”

“我說的不是那種春天。”桑普勒說，“我是說六月的春天，美妙芳醇，就像一杯清涼的飲料。”

“Of what？”

“什么飲料？”

“Anything，” said Simple. “Anything that is strong as the sun and cool as the moon. But I am not talking about drinking now. I am talking about spring. Oh， it is wonderful！ It is the time when flowers come out of their buds， birds come out of their nests， bees come out of their hives， Negroes come out of their furnished rooms， and butterflies out of their cocoons.”

“什么都好，”桑普勒說，“像太陽一樣強烈、像月亮一樣清涼的任何東西。不過，我現在說的不是喝什么。我說的是春天。噢，太棒了！現在正是花朵從花蕾里開出來、鳥兒從窩里飛出來、蜜蜂從蜂巢里鉆出來、黑人從帶家具的出租房里走出來、蝴蝶從繭里拱出來的時候。”

“Also snakes come out of their holes.”

“也是蛇出洞的時候。”

“They are little young snakes，” said Simple， “else big old sleepy snakes that aint woke up good yet till the sun strikes them. That is why I do not like summer， because the sun is so hot it makes even a cold snake mad. Spring is my season. Summer was made to give you a taste of what hell is like. Fall was made for the clothing-store people to coin money because every human has to buy an overcoat， muffler， heavy socks， and gloves. Winter was made for landladies to charge high rents and keep cold radiators and make a fortune off of poor tenants. But spring！ Throw your overcoat on the pawnshop counter， tell the landlady to kiss your foot， open your windows， let the fresh air in. Me， myself， I love spring！

“那些是小蛇，”桑普勒說，“其他又大又老又貪睡的蛇，直到太陽照到身上才會完全醒來。這就是我不喜歡夏天的原因，因為太陽太熱了，連一條冷冰冰的蛇也會瘋狂。春天是我的季節。夏天是為了讓你嘗嘗地獄的滋味。秋天是服裝店賺錢的季節，因為人人都得買大衣、圍巾、厚襪和手套。冬天是為了讓女房東收取高租金卻始終不把暖氣燒熱，從窮房客身上狠敲一筆。春天就不一樣了！你可以把大衣扔在當鋪的柜臺上，讓女房東想方設法討好你，打開窗戶，放新鮮空氣進來。我，我本人，我愛春天！

“Why， if I was down home now， daddy-o， I would get out my fishing pole and take me a good old Virginia ham sandwich and go set on the banks of the river all day and just dream and fish and fish and dream. I might have me a big old quart bottle of beer tied on a string down in the water to keep cool， and I would just fish and dream and dream and fish.”

“唉，老伙計，要是當下在家里，我會拿出自己的釣魚竿，帶上一個美味可口的老式弗吉尼亞火腿三明治，去河岸上待一整天，做做夢、釣釣魚，釣釣魚、做做夢。我說不定還會把一大瓶舊式夸脫瓶裝的啤酒綁在繩子上，浸到水里冰一冰，然后就釣釣魚、做做夢，做做夢、釣釣魚。”

“You would not have any job？” I asked.

“你不工作了？”我問。

“I would respect work just like I respected my mother and not hit her a lick. I would be far away from all this six A.M. alarm-clock business， crowded subways， gulping down my coffee to get to the mans job in time， and working all day shut up inside where you cant even smell the spring—and me still smelling ether and worried about my winter hospital bill. If I was down home， buddy-o， I would pull off my shoes and let my toes air and just set on the riverbank and dream and fish and fish and dream， and I would not worry about no job.”

“我會尊重工作，就像我尊重母親、不會問她要錢一樣。我會遠離早上六點響鬧鈴的這些事，遠離擁擠的地鐵，不必為了準時上班而匆忙吞下咖啡，不必整天閉門工作而連春天的氣息都聞不到——可我現在還聞著乙醚的氣味，擔心著自己冬季的醫院賬單。老伙計，要是在家里，我會脫下鞋子，讓腳趾透透氣，就坐在河邊，做做夢、釣釣魚，釣釣魚、做做夢，不會擔心有沒有工作。”

“Why didnt you stay down home when you were there？”

“你為什么不留在南方老家呢？”

“You know why I didnt stay，” said Simple. “I did not like them white folks and they did not like me. Maybe if it wasnt for white folks， I wouldve stayed down South where spring comes earlier than it do up here. White folks is the cause of a lot of inconveniences in my life.”

“你知道我為什么沒有留下來。”桑普勒說，“我不喜歡那些白人，他們也不喜歡我。要不是因為白人，我也許會一直待在南方，那里的春天比這里來得早。白人給我的生活帶來了很多不便。”

“Theyve even driven you away from an early spring.”

“他們甚至把你從早春趕跑了。”

“It do not come as early in Harlem as it does down South，” said Simple， “but it comes. And there aint no white folks living can keep spring from coming. It comes to Harlem the same as it does downtown， too. Nobody can keep spring out of Harlem. I stuck my head out the window this morning and spring kissed me bang in the face. Sunshine patted me all over the head. Some little old birds was flying and playing on the garbage cans down in the alley， and one of them flew up to the Third Floor Rear and looked at me and cheeped， ‘Good morning！

“哈勒姆區的春天來得不像南方那么早，”桑普勒說，“但它還是會來的。白人阻擋不了春天的到來。它來到哈勒姆區，就像來到市中心一樣。誰也阻擋不了哈勒姆區的春天。今天早上，我把頭伸出窗外，春天恰好吻上我的臉。陽光輕柔灑滿我頭頂。幾只可愛的小鳥在小巷里的垃圾桶上飛動嬉戲，其中一只飛到三樓后面，看著我，嘰喳叫道：‘早上好！

“I said， ‘Bird， howdy-do？

“我說：‘鳥兒，你好嗎？

“Just then I heard my next-door roomer come out of the bathroom so I had to pull my head in from that window and rush to get to the toilet to wash my face before somebody else got there because I did not want to be late to work this morning since today is payday. New York is just rush， rush， rush！ But， oh， brother， if I were down home.”

“就在這時，我聽見隔壁室友從浴室出來，我只好從窗戶里把頭縮回去，趕在別人來之前去衛生間洗臉，因為我不想今天早晨上班遲到，今天是發薪日。紐約就是匆匆、匆匆又匆匆！可是，兄弟啊，我要是在老家就好了。”

“I know—you would just fish and dream and dream and fish.”

“我知道——你就會釣釣魚、做做夢，做做夢、釣釣魚。”

“And dream and fish and fish and dream！” said Simple. “If spring was to last forever， as sure as my name is Jess， I would just fish and dream.”

“就是做做夢、釣釣魚，釣釣魚、做做夢！”桑普勒說，“要是春天能永遠持續下去，就像我名叫杰斯一樣肯定，我就永遠地釣釣魚、做做夢。”