雙語全文 ● 魯迅——明　天

Tomorrow

 

“Not a sound—What’s wrong with the kid？”

 

A bowl of yellow wine in his hands， Red-nosed Gong jerked his head towards the next house as he spoke. Blue-skinned Awu set down his own bowl and punched the other hard in the back.

 

“Bah ...” he growled thickly. “Going sentimental again！”

 

Being so out-of-the-way， Luzhen was rather old-fashioned. Folk closed their doors and went to bed before the first watch sounded. By midnight there were only two households awake： Prosperity Tavern where a few glut­tons guzzled merrily round the bar， and the house next door where Fourth Shan’s Wife lived. For， left a widow two years earlier， she had nothing but the cotton-yarn she spun to support herself and her three-year-old boy； this is why she also slept late.

 

It was a fact that for several days now there had been no sound of spin­ning. But since there were only two households awake at midnight， Old Gong and the others were naturally the only ones who could notice if there was any sound from Fourth Shan’s Wife’s house， and the only ones to notice if there was no sound.

 

After being punched， Old Gong—looking quite at his ease—took a great swig at his wine and piped up a folk tune.

 

Meanwhile Fourth Shan’s Wife was sitting on the edge of her bed，Bao’er—her treasure—in her arms， while her loom stood silent on the floor. The murky lamplight fell on Bao’er’s face， which showed livid beneath a feverish flush.

 

“I’ve drawn lots before the shrine，” she was thinking.“I’ve made a vow to the gods， he’s taken the guaranteed cure. If he still doesn’t get better， what can I do？ I shall have to take him to Dr. Ho Xiaoxian. But maybe Bao’er’s only bad at night； when the sun comes out tomorrow his fever may go and he may breathe more easily again. A lot of illnesses are like that.”

 

明　天

 

“沒有聲音，——小東西怎了？”

 

紅鼻子老拱手里擎了一碗黃酒，說著，向間壁努一努嘴。藍(lán)皮阿五便放下酒碗，在他脊梁上用死勁的打了一掌，含含糊糊嚷道：

 

“你……你你又在想心思……。”

 

原來魯鎮(zhèn)是僻靜地方，還有些古風(fēng)：不上一更，大家便都關(guān)門睡覺。深更半夜沒有睡的只有兩家：一家是咸亨酒店，幾個酒肉朋友圍著柜臺，吃喝得正高興；一家便是間壁的單四嫂子，他自從前年守了寡，便須?？恐约旱囊浑p手紡出棉紗來，養(yǎng)活他自己和他三歲的兒子，所以睡的也遲。

 

這幾天，確鑿沒有紡紗的聲音了。但夜深沒有睡的既然只有兩家，這單四嫂子家有聲音，便自然只有老拱們聽到，沒有聲音，也只有老拱們聽到。

 

老拱挨了打，仿佛很舒服似的喝了一大口酒，嗚嗚的唱起小曲來。

 

這時候，單四嫂子正抱著他的寶兒，坐在床沿上，紡車靜靜的立在地上。黑沉沉的燈光，照著寶兒的臉，緋紅里帶一點青。單四嫂子心里計算：神簽也求過了，愿心也許過了，單方也吃過了，要是還不見效，怎么好？——那只有去診何小仙了。但寶兒也許是日輕夜重，到了明天，太陽一出，熱也會退，氣喘也會平的：這實在是病人常有的事。

 

Fourth Shan’s Wife was a simple woman， who did not know what a fearful word “but” is. Thanks to this “but，” many bad things turn out well，many good things turn out badly. A summer night is short. Soon after Old Gong and the others stopped singing the sky grew bright in the east； and presently through the cracks in the window filtered the silvery light of dawn.

 

Waiting for the dawn was not such a simple matter for Fourth Shan’s Wife as for other people. The time dragged terribly slowly： each breath Bao’er took seemed to last at least a year. But now at last it was bright. Clear day­light swallowed up the lamplight. Bao’er’s nostrils quivered as he gasped for breath.

 

Fourth Shan’s Wife smothered a cry， for she knew that this boded ill. But what could she do？ she wondered. Her only hope was to take him to Dr. Ho. She might be a simple woman， but she had a will of her own. She stood up， went to the cupboard， and took out her entire saving—thirteen small sil­ver dollars and a hundred and eighty coppers in all. Having put the whole lot in her pocket， she locked the door and carried Bao’er as fast as she could to Dr. Ho’s house.

 

Early as it was， there were already four patients sitting there. She produced forty silver cents for a registration slip， and Bao’er was the fifth to be seen. Dr. Ho stretched out two fingers to feel the child’s pulses. His nails were a good four inches long， and Fourth Shan’s Wife marvelled inwardly，thinking， “Surely my Bao’er must be fated to live！” She could not help feeling anxious all the same， and could not stop herself asking nervously：

 

“What’s wrong with my Bao’er， doctor？”

 

“An obstruction of the digestive tract.”

 

“Is it serious？ Will he ...？”

 

“Take these two prescriptions to start with.”

 

“He can’t breathe， his nostrils are twitching.”

 

“The element of fire overpowers that of metal....”

 

單四嫂子是一個粗笨女人，不明白這“但”字的可怕：許多壞事固然幸虧有了他才變好，許多好事卻也因為有了他都弄糟。夏天夜短，老拱們嗚嗚的唱完了不多時，東方已經(jīng)發(fā)白；不一會，窗縫里透進(jìn)了銀白色的曙光。

 

單四嫂子等候天明，卻不像別人這樣容易，覺得非常之慢，寶兒的一呼吸，幾乎長過一年?，F(xiàn)在居然明亮了；天的明亮，壓倒了燈光，——看見寶兒的鼻翼，已經(jīng)一放一收的扇動。

 

單四嫂子知道不妙，暗暗叫一聲“阿呀！”心里計算：怎么好？只有去診何小仙這一條路了。他雖然是粗笨女人，心里卻有決斷，便站起身，從木柜子里掏出每天節(jié)省下來的十三個小銀元和一百八十銅錢，都裝在衣袋里，鎖上門，抱著寶兒直向何家奔過去。

 

天氣還早，何家已經(jīng)坐著四個病人了。他摸出四角銀元，買了號簽，第五個便輪到寶兒。何小仙伸開兩個指尖按脈，指甲足有四寸多長，單四嫂子暗地納罕，心里計算：寶兒該有活命了。但總免不了著急，忍不住要問，便局局促促的說：

 

“先生，——我家的寶兒什么病呀？”

 

“他中焦塞著。”

 

“不妨事么？他……”

 

“先去吃兩帖。”

 

“他喘不過氣來，鼻翅子都扇著呢。”

 

“這是火克金……”

 

Leaving this sentence unfinished， Dr. Ho closed his eyes， and Fourth Shan’s Wife did not like to say any more. Opposite the doctor sat a man in his thirties， who had now finished making out the prescription.

 

“The first is Infant Preserver Pills，” he told her， pointing to the characters in one corner of the paper. “You can get those only at the Jia family’s Salvation Shop. ”

 

Fourth Shan’s Wife took the paper， and walked out thinking as she went. She might be a simple woman， but she knew Dr. Ho’s house， Salvation Shop and her own home formed a triangle； so of course it would be simpler to buy the medicine first before going back. She hurried as fast as she could to Salvation Shop. The assistant raised his long fingernails too as he slowly read the prescription， then slowly wrapped up the medicine. With Bao’er in her arms， Fourth Shan’s Wife waited. Suddenly Bao’er stretched up a little hand and tugged at his loose tuft of hair. He had never done this before， and his mother was terrified.

 

The sun was fairly high now. With the child in her arms and the pack­age of medicine to carry， the further she walked the heavier she found her load. The child kept struggling too， which made the way seem even longer. She had to sit down on the doorstep of a big house by the roadside to rest for a while； and presently her clothes lay so clammy against her skin that she re­alized she had been sweating. But Bao’er seemed fast asleep. When she stood up again to walk slowly on， she still found him too heavy. A voice be­side her said：

 

“Let me take him for you， Fourth Shan’s Wife！”It sounded like Blue­skinned Awu.

 

When she looked up， sure enough it was Awu， who was following her with eyes still heavy from sleep.

 

Though Fourth Shan’s Wife had been longing for an angel to come to her rescue， she had not wanted her champion to be Awu. But there was something of the gallant about Awu， for he absolutely insisted on helping her； and at last， after several refusals she gave way. As he stretched his arm between her breast and the child， then thrust it down to take over Bao’er， she felt a wave of heat along her breast. She flushed right up to her ears.

 

何小仙說了半句話，便閉上眼睛；單四嫂子也不好意思再問。在何小仙對面坐著的一個三十多歲的人，此時已經(jīng)開好一張藥方，指著紙角上的幾個字說道：

 

“這第一味保嬰活命丸，須是賈家濟(jì)世老店才有！”

 

單四嫂子接過藥方，一面走，一面想。他雖是粗笨女人，卻知道何家與濟(jì)世老店與自己的家，正是一個三角點；自然是買了藥回去便宜了。于是又徑向濟(jì)世老店奔過去。店伙也翹了長指甲慢慢的看方，慢慢的包藥。單四嫂子抱了寶兒等著；寶兒忽然擎起小手來，用力拔他散亂著的一綹頭發(fā)，這是從來沒有的舉動，單四嫂子怕得發(fā)怔。

 

太陽早出了。單四嫂子抱了孩子，帶著藥包，越走覺得越重；孩子又不住的掙扎，路也覺得越長。沒奈何坐在路旁一家公館的門檻上，休息了一會，衣服漸漸的冰著肌膚，才知道自己出了一身汗；寶兒卻仿佛睡著了。他再起來慢慢地走，仍然支撐不得，耳朵邊忽然聽得人說：

 

“單四嫂子，我替你抱勃羅！”似乎是藍(lán)皮阿五的聲音。

 

他抬頭看時，正是藍(lán)皮阿五，睡眼朦朧的跟著他走。

 

單四嫂子在這時候，雖然很希望降下一員天將，助他一臂之力，卻不愿是阿五。但阿五有點俠氣，無論如何，總是偏要幫忙，所以推讓了一會，終于得了許可了。他便伸開臂膊，從單四嫂子的乳房和孩子中間，直伸下去，抱去了孩子。單四嫂子便覺乳房上發(fā)了一條熱，剎時間直熱到臉上和耳根。

 

They walked along， two and a half feet apart. Awu made some re­marks， most of which were left unanswered by Fourth Shan’s Wife. They had not gone far when he gave the child back to her， saying he had arranged yesterday to have a meal at this time with a friend. Fourth Shan’s Wife took Bao’er back. Luckily it wasn’t far now： already she could see Ninth Aunt Wang sitting at the side of the street， calling out to her：

 

“Fourth Shan’s Wife， how’s the child？... Did you get to see the doctor？”

 

“We saw him.... Ninth Aunt Wang， you’re old and you’ve seen a lot. Will you look him over for me， and say what you think？”

 

“Um.”

 

“Well...？”

 

“Ummm....”

 

When Ninth Aunt Wang had examined Bao’er， she nodded her head twice， then shook it twice.

 

By the time Bao’er had taken his medicine it was after noon. Fourth Shan’s Wife watched him closely， and he did seem a good deal quieter. In the afternoon he suddenly opened his eyes and called， “Ma！” Then he closed his eyes again and seemed to be sleeping. He had not slept long before his forehead and the tip of his nose were beaded with sweat， which， when his mother felt it， stuck to her fingers like glue. In a panic she felt his chest， then burst out sobbing.

 

After quieting down， his breathing had stopped completely. After sob­bing， she started wailing. Soon groups of people gathered： inside the room Ninth Aunt Wang， Blue-skinned Awu and the like； outside others like the landlord of Prosperity Tavern and Red-nosed Gong. Ninth Aunt Wang de­creed that a string of paper coins should be burnt； then， taking two stools and five articles of clothing as security， she borrowed two dollars for Fourth Shan’s Wife to prepare a meal for all those who were helping.

 

The first problem was the coffin. Fourth Shan’s Wife still had a pair of silver earrings and a silver hairpin plated with gold， which she gave to the landlord of Prosperity Tavern so that he would go surety for her and buy a coffin half for cash， half on credit. Bule-skinned Awu raised his hand to volunteer to help， but Ninth Aunt Wang would not hear of it. All she would let him do was carry the coffin the next day. “Old bitch！” he cursed， and stood there grumpily pursing his lips. The landlord left， coming back that evening to report that the coffin would have to be specially made， and would not be ready till nearly morning.

 

他們兩人離開了二尺五寸多地，一同走著。阿五說些話，單四嫂子卻大半沒有答。走了不多時候，阿五又將孩子還給他，說是昨天與朋友約定的吃飯時候到了；單四嫂子便接了孩子。幸而不遠(yuǎn)便是家，早看見對門的王九媽在街邊上坐著，遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)地說話：

 

“單四嫂子，孩子怎了?——看過先生了么？”

 

“看是看了。——王九媽，你有年紀(jì)，見的多，不如請你老法眼看一看，怎樣……”

 

“唔…….”

 

“怎樣……？”

 

“唔……”王九媽端詳了一番，把頭點了兩點，搖了兩搖。

 

寶兒吃下藥，已經(jīng)是午后了。單四嫂子留心看他神情，似乎仿佛平穩(wěn)了不少；到得下午，忽然睜開眼叫了一聲“媽！”又仍然合上眼，像是睡去了。他睡了一刻，額上鼻尖都沁出一粒一粒的汗珠，單四嫂子輕輕一摸，膠水般粘著手；慌忙去摸胸口，便禁不住嗚咽起來。

 

寶兒的呼吸從平穩(wěn)變到?jīng)]有，單四嫂子的聲音也就從嗚咽變成號咷。這時聚集了幾堆人：門內(nèi)是王九媽藍(lán)皮阿五之類，門外是咸亨的掌柜和紅鼻子老拱之類。王九媽便發(fā)命令，燒了一串紙錢；又將兩條板凳和五件衣服作抵，替單四嫂子借了兩塊洋錢，給幫忙的人備飯。

 

第一個問題是棺木。單四嫂子還有一副銀耳環(huán)和一支裹金的銀簪，都交給了咸亨的掌柜，托他作一個保，半現(xiàn)半賒的買一具棺木。藍(lán)皮阿五也伸出手來，很愿意自告奮勇；王九媽卻不許他，只準(zhǔn)他明天抬棺材的差使，阿五罵了一聲“老畜生”，怏怏的努了嘴站著。掌柜便自去了；晚上回來，說棺木須得現(xiàn)做，后半夜才成功。

 

By the time the landlord came back the other helpers had finished their meal. And Luzhen being rather old-fashioned， they all went home to sleep before the first watch. Only Awu leant on the bar of Prosperity Tavern drinking， while Old Gong croaked a song.

 

Meanwhile Fourth Shan’s Wife was sitting on the edge of the bed cry­ing， Bao’er lay on the bed， and the loom stood silent on the floor. After a long time， when Fourth Shan’s Wife had no more tears to shed， she opened wide her eyes， and looked around in amazement. All this was impossible！“This is only a dream，” she thought.“It’s all a dream. I shall wake up tomor­row lying snug in bed， with Bao’er sleeping snugly beside me. Then he’ll wake and call， ‘Ma！’ And jump down like a young tiger to play.”

 

Old Gong had long since stopped singing， and the light had gone out in Prosperity Tavern. Fourth Shan’s Wife sat staring， but could not believe all that had happened. A cock crew， the sky grew bright in the east， and through the cracks in the window filtered the silvery light of dawn.

 

By degrees the silvery light of dawn turned copper， and the sun shone on the roof. Fourth Shan’s Wife sat there staring till someone knocked， when she gave a start and ran to open the door. A stranger was there with some­thing on his back， and behind him stood Ninth Aunt Wang.

 

Oh， it was the coffin he’d brought！

 

Not till that afternoon was the lid of the coffin put on， because Fourth Shan’s Wife would keep crying， then taking a look， and could not bear to have the lid closed down. Luckily， Ninth Aunt Wang grew tired of waiting，hurried indignantly forward and pulled her aside. Then they hastily closed it up.

 

掌柜回來的時候，幫忙的人早吃過飯；因為魯鎮(zhèn)還有些古風(fēng)，所以不上一更，便都回家睡覺了。只有阿五還靠著咸亨的柜臺喝酒，老拱也嗚嗚的唱。

 

這時候，單四嫂子坐在床沿上哭著，寶兒在床上躺著，紡車靜靜的在地上立著。許多工夫，單四嫂子的眼淚宣告完結(jié)了，眼睛張得很大，看看四面的情形，覺得奇怪：所有的都是不會有的事。他心里計算：不過是夢罷了，這些事都是夢。明天醒過來，自己好好的睡在床上，寶兒也好好的睡在自己身邊。他也醒過來，叫一聲“媽”，生龍活虎似的跳去玩了。

 

老拱的歌聲早經(jīng)寂靜，咸亨也熄了燈。單四嫂子張著眼，總不信所有的事。——雞也叫了；東方漸漸發(fā)白，窗縫里透進(jìn)了銀白色的曙光。

 

銀白的曙光又漸漸顯出緋紅，太陽光接著照到屋脊。單四嫂子張著眼，呆呆坐著；聽得打門聲音，才吃了一嚇，跑出去開門。門外一個不認(rèn)識的人，背了一件東西；后面站著王九媽。

 

哦，他們背了棺材來了。

 

下半天，棺木才合上蓋：因為單四嫂子哭一回，看一回，總不肯死心塌地的蓋上；幸虧王九媽等得不耐煩，氣憤憤的跑上前，一把拖開他，才七手八腳的蓋上了。

 

Fourth Shan’s Wife had really done all she could for her Bao’er—noth­ing had been forgotten. The previous day she had burned a string of paper coins， this morning she had burned the forty-nine books of the Incantation of Great Mercy， and before putting him in the coffin she had dressed him in his newest clothes and set by his pillow all the toys he like best—a little clay fig­ure， two small wooden bowls， two glass bottles. Though Ninth Aunt Wang reckoned carefully on her fingers， even then she could not think of anything they had forgotten.

 

Since Blue-skinned Awu did not turn up all day， the landlord of Pros­perity Tavern hired two porters for Fourth Shan’s Wife at 210 large coppers each， who carried the coffin to the public graveyard and dug a grave. Ninth Aunt Wang helped her prepare a meal to which everyone who had lifted a finger or opened his mouth was invited. Soon the sun made it clear that it was about to set， and the guests unwittingly made it clear that they were about to leave—home they all went.

 

Fourth Shan’s Wife felt dizzy at first， but after a little rest she quietened down. At once， though， she had the impression that things were rather strange. Something which had never happened to her before， and which she had thought never could happen， had happened. The more she thought， the more surprised she felt， and another thing that struck her as rather strange was the fact that the room had suddenly grown too silent.

 

She stood up and lit the lamp， and the room seemed even more silent. She groped her way over to close the door， came back and sat on the bed，while the loom stood silent on the floor. She pulled herself together and looked around， feeling unable either to sit or stand. The room was not only too silent， it was far too big as well， and the things in it were far too empty. This over-large room hemmed her in， and the emptiness all around her bore hard on her， till she could hardly breathe.

 

She knew now her Bao’er was really dead； and， not wanting to see this room， she blew out the light and lay down to cry and think. She remem­bered how Bao’er had sat by her said when she spun， eating peas flavoured with aniseed. He had watched her hard with his small black eyes and thought. “Ma！” He suddenly said. “Dad sold bun dun. When I’m big I’ll sell bun dun too， and make lots and lots of money—and I’ll give it all to you.”

 

但單四嫂子待他的寶兒，實在已經(jīng)盡了心，再沒有什么缺陷。昨天燒過一串紙錢，上午又燒了四十九卷《大悲咒》；收殮的時候，給他穿上頂新的衣裳，平日喜歡的玩意兒，——一個泥人，兩個小木碗，兩個玻璃瓶，——都放在枕頭旁邊。后來王九媽掐著指頭仔細(xì)推敲，也終于想不出一些什么缺陷。

 

這一日里，藍(lán)皮阿五簡直整天沒有到；咸亨掌柜便替單四嫂子雇了兩名腳夫，每名二百另十個大錢，抬棺木到義冢地上安放。王九媽又幫他煮了飯，凡是動過手開過口的人都吃了飯。太陽漸漸顯出要落山的顏色；吃過飯的人也不覺都顯出要回家的顏色，——于是他們終于都回了家。

 

單四嫂子很覺得頭眩，歇息了一會，倒居然有點平穩(wěn)了。但他接連著便覺得很異樣：遇到了平生沒有遇到過的事，不像會有的事，然而的確出現(xiàn)了。他越想越奇，又感到一件異樣的事——這屋子忽然太靜了。

 

他站起身，點上燈火，屋子越顯得靜。他昏昏的走去關(guān)上門，回來坐在床沿上，紡車靜靜的立在地上。他定一定神，四面一看，更覺得坐立不得，屋子不但太靜，而且也太大了，東西也太空了。太大的屋子四面包圍著他，太空的東西四面壓著他，叫他喘氣不得。

 

他現(xiàn)在知道他的寶兒確乎死了；不愿意見這屋子，吹熄了燈，躺著。他一面哭，一面想：想那時候，自己紡著棉紗，寶兒坐在身邊吃茴香豆，瞪著一雙小黑眼睛想了一刻，便說，“媽！爹賣餛飩，我大了也賣餛飩，賣許多許多錢，——我都給你。”那時候，真是連紡出的棉紗，也仿佛寸寸都有意思，寸寸都活著。但現(xiàn)在怎么了？現(xiàn)在的事，單四嫂子卻實在沒有想到什么。——我早經(jīng)說過：他是粗笨女人。他能想出什么呢？他單覺得這屋子太靜，太大，太空罷了。

 

At such times even every inch of yarn she spun seemed worthwhile and alive. But what now？ Fourth Shan’s Wife had not considered the present at all—as I have said， she was only a simple woman. What solution could she think of？ All she knew was that this room was too silent， too large， too empty.

 

But even though Fourth Shan’s Wife was a simple woman， she knew the dead cannot come to life again， and she would never see her Bao’er any more. She sighed and said， “Bao’er you must still be here. Let me see you in my dreams. ” Then she closed her eyes， hoping to fall asleep at once， so that she could see Bao’er. She heard her hard breathing clearly through the si­lence， the vastness and emptiness.

 

At last Fourth Shan’s Wife dozed off， and the whole room was very still. Red-nosed Gong’s folk song had long since ended， and he had staggered out of Prosperity Tavern to sing in a falsetto：

 

“Ipity you—my darling—all alone.... ”

 

Blue-skinned Awu grabbed Old Gong’s shoulder， and laughing tipsily they reeled away together.

 

Fourth Shan’s Wife was asleep， Old Gong and the others had gone， the door of Prosperity Tavern was closed. Luzhen was sunk in utter silence. Only the night， eager to change into the morrow， was journeying on in the silence；and， hidden in the darkness， a few dogs were barking.

 

Jun-20

 

但單四嫂子雖然粗笨，卻知道還魂是不能有的事，他的寶兒也的確不能再見了。嘆一口氣，自言自語的說，“寶兒，你該還在這里，你給我夢里見見罷。”于是合上眼，想趕快睡去，會他的寶兒，苦苦的呼吸通過了靜和大和空虛，自己聽得明白。

 

單四嫂子終于朦朦朧朧的走入睡鄉(xiāng)，全屋子都很靜。這時紅鼻子老拱的小曲，也早經(jīng)唱完；蹌蹌踉踉出了咸亨，卻又提尖了喉嚨，唱道：

 

“我的冤家呀！——可憐你，——孤另另的……”

 

藍(lán)皮阿五便伸手揪住了老拱的肩頭，兩個人七歪八斜的笑著擠著走去。

 

單四嫂子早睡著了，老拱們也走了，咸亨也關(guān)上門了。這時的魯鎮(zhèn)，便完全落在寂靜里。只有那暗夜為想變成明天，卻仍在這寂靜里奔波；另有幾條狗，也躲在暗地里嗚嗚的叫。

 

一九二〇年六月。