牛津書蟲系列 威廉·莎士比亞 02 艾汶河畔的斯特拉福鎮(zhèn)

　　2 Stratford-upon-Avon

　　It was a sunny day in October 1579 when I first met Will，just outside Stratford，near a big field of apple trees.I saw a boy up in one of the trees.He had red hair and looked about two years older than me.

　　‘What are you doing up there?’I called.

　　‘Just getting a few apples，’he said，smiling

　　‘Those are Farmer Nash's apples，I said，‘and he'll send his dogs after you if he sees you.’

　　‘Mr Nash has gone to market，’the boy said.‘Come on!They're good apples.’

　　The next minute I was up the tree with him.But Will was wrong.Farmer Nash wasn't at the market，and a few minutes later we saw his angry red face above the wall on the far side of the field.

　　Will and I ran like the wind and only stopped when we reached the river.We sat down to eat our apples.

　　Will was fifteen，and lived in Henley Street，he told me.His father was JohnShakespeare，and he had a sister，Joan，and two younger brothers，Gilbert and Richard.There was another sister who died，I learnt later.And the next year he had another brother，little Edmund—the baby of the family.

　　‘Now，what about you?’he asked.

　　‘There's only me and my sister，’I said.‘My parents are dead，and we live with my mother's brother：He's a shoe-maker in Ely Street and I work for him.What do you do?’

　　‘I go to Mr Jenkins' school in Church Street，’Will said.‘Every day，from seven o'clock until five o'clock.Not Sundays，of course.’

　　I was sorry for him.‘Isn't is boring?’I asked.

　　‘Sometimes.Usually it's all right.’He lay back and put his hands behind his head.‘But we have to read and learn all these Latin writers.I want to read modern writers，and Eng-lish writers，like Geoffrey Chaucer.Can you read?’he asked.

　　‘Of course I can read!’I said.‘I went to school.’

　　Will sat up and began to eat another apple.‘I want to be a writer，’he said.‘A poet.I want that more than anything in the world.’

　　We were friends from that day，until the day he died.We met nearly every day，and he taught me a lot about books and poetry and writers.He always had his nose in a book.

　　When Will left school，he worked for his father in Henley Street.John Shakespeare was a glove-maker，and he had other business too，like buying and selling sheep.But Will wasn't interested.

　　‘What are we going to do，Toby?’he said to me one day.‘We can't spend all our lives making shoes and gloves!’

　　‘Well，’I said，‘we could run away to sea and be sailors.Sail round the world，like Francis Drake.

　　Drake sailed back to Plymouth in 1581，after his three-year journey round the world，but we were still in Stratford.We made lots of plans，but nothing ever came of them.

　　Will was still reading a lot and he was already writing poems himself.He sometimes showed them to me，and I said they were very good.I didn't really know anything about poetry then，but he was my friend.

　　Will was not happy with his writing.‘I've got so much to learn，Toby，’he said.‘So much to learn.’

　　Poor Will.He had a lot to learn about women，too.One day in October 1582 he came to my house with a long face.

　　‘I'll never leave Stratford.’he said.

　　‘Why not?’I asked.‘We'll get away one day.You'll see.’

　　‘Perhaps you will，’he said，‘but I'm going to be married in a few weeks' time.To Anne Hathaway.’

　　My mouth fell open and stayed open.‘Married!To Anne Hathaway?Is that the Hathaways over at Shottery?’

　　‘Yes，’Will said.I was working on some shoes on the table，and Will picked one up and looked at it.

　　‘Well，er，she's a fine girl，of course，’I said uncomfort-ably.‘But…but，Will，she's twenty-six and you're only eighteen!’

　　‘I know，’Will said.‘But I've got to marry her.’

　　‘Oh no!’I said.‘You mean，she's…’

　　‘That's right，’said Will.‘In about six months' time I'm going to be a father.’

　　2 艾汶河畔的斯特拉福鎮(zhèn)

　　我第一次遇見威爾是在1579年10月的一天。那天，陽光明媚，就在斯特拉福鎮(zhèn)外一座大蘋果園附近，我看見有棵蘋果樹上坐著一位小男孩，長著紅棕色頭發(fā)，看模樣大概大我兩歲。

　　“你在上邊干什么?”我叫道。

　　“摘蘋果。”他笑著答道。

　　“那可是納什農(nóng)場主的蘋果，”我說，“如果他發(fā)現(xiàn)了，就要放狗咬你的。”

　　“納什先生去集市了，”男孩說道，“來吧!蘋果不錯。”

　　一會兒我也上了樹。但是威爾錯了，納什先生并沒去集市，幾分鐘后我們看見果園那端墻頭露出一張氣得發(fā)紅的臉。

　　威爾和我見勢撒腿就跑，一口氣跑到河邊才坐下來吃蘋果。

　　威爾告訴我，他15歲，住在亨里街。家中有父親約翰·莎士比亞，妹妹瓊和兩個弟弟，吉爾伯特和理查。我后來聽說他另有一位姐姐死了。第二年他又添了一個弟弟——威爾家的赤子小埃德蒙。

　　“那么你呢?”他問道。

　　“家里只有我和姐姐，”我說，“父母死后我們住在舅舅家。他是埃利街的一個鞋匠，我為他打工。你現(xiàn)在干什么?”

　　“我在教堂街詹金斯先生的學(xué)校就讀，”威爾說，“每天從上午7點到下午5點上學(xué)，當(dāng)然不包括星期天。”

　　我真為他難過。“這難道不乏味嗎?”我問道。

　　“偶爾有這種感覺，不過通常覺得學(xué)校的生活也不錯。”他仰身躺下，雙手枕著頭，“在學(xué)校，我們不得不學(xué)習(xí)所有那些拉丁作家的作品。可我只想閱讀現(xiàn)代作家和英國作家的作品，比如杰弗利·喬叟。你會看書嗎?”他問道。

　　“當(dāng)然會啦!”我說，“我上過學(xué)。”

　　威爾坐起來又吃了一個蘋果。“我想成為作家，”他繼續(xù)說道，“詩人。世上再沒有比這更令我神往的。”

　　自那天起我們就成了莫逆之交，直到他過世。我們幾乎每天見面，他教了我許多書本和文學(xué)上的知識。他總是埋頭博覽群書。

　　威爾離開學(xué)校后就在亨里街幫助父親料理生意。約翰·莎士比亞是一位手套工匠，同時經(jīng)營其他生意，如羊的買賣生意。但威爾對做生意卻不感興趣。

　　“托比，接下來你有何打算?”有一天他問我。“我們不能一輩子都做鞋和做手套吧!”

　　“對呀，”我說，“我們跑到海上當(dāng)海員會，像弗朗西斯·杜雷克一樣環(huán)繞地球航行。”

　　杜雷克在環(huán)繞地球航行三年后于1581年回到普利茅斯，可我們還是呆在斯特拉福鎮(zhèn)。盡管也制定了種種計劃，但始終未付諸行動。

　　這段時間威爾依然博覽群書并開始自己寫詩，偶爾給我看他寫的詩。雖然嘴上我都說他的詩寫得好，實際上我對詩歌是一竅不通。只不過他是我的好友我才這么說而已。

　　威爾對自己的詩歌并不滿意。“托比，我要學(xué)的東西太多了。”他說，“實在太多了。”

　　可憐的威爾。他還得學(xué)會了解每個人。1582年10月的一天他來到我的住處，神情沉郁。

　　“我永遠(yuǎn)不能離開斯特拉福鎮(zhèn)了。”他說。

　　“為什么不能?”我問道，“總有一天我們會離開此地。你等著瞧。”

　　“或許你還行，”他說，“但過幾個星期我就要結(jié)婚了。同安·哈瑟維結(jié)婚。”

　　一聽此言我張著嘴愣了好久。“結(jié)婚。同安·哈瑟維結(jié)婚?你是說肖特雷鄰鄉(xiāng)哈瑟維家的女兒?”

　　“沒錯，”威爾說。當(dāng)時我在做鞋，威爾拿起桌上一支鞋，看看。

　　“當(dāng)然，嗯，她是個好姑娘，”我同情地說道，“不過……不過，威爾，她已經(jīng)26歲了，你才18歲呀!”

　　“我知道，”威爾說，“但是我非娶她不行。”

　　“哦，不可能這樣吧!”我說，“你是說，她已經(jīng)……”

　　“你猜對了，”威爾說道，“再過6個月我就要當(dāng)爸爸了。”