牛津書蟲系列 威廉·莎士比亞 10 退居斯特拉福鎮(zhèn)

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　　‘You're losing your hair，Will，’I said to him one day.

　　‘We're both getting old，Toby，’he said.‘There's no escape from it.Old and tired.’

　　‘Don't talk like that，’I said.‘You're only forty-seven.There's still some life in you yet.And another twenty plays!’

　　‘No，’he said slowly.‘No，I think the poetry is nearly finished.I'm getting tired，Toby.I need a rest.I think The Tempest is going to be my last play.I'm saying goodbye to the stage.Times are changing，and people want a different kind of play now.There are lots of new，younger writers，who know how to please the playgoer.I'm not modern any more.

　　He never usually talked like this，and I didn't like it.

　　‘There's only one Will Shakespeare，’I said，‘and he'll always be modern.Now，I must get on.I've got to go out and buy all the cloth for the new costumes in The Tempest.Why did you have to put it on an island?When the ship goes down，the actors all have to come on stage in wet clothes.It takes a day to dry the costumes，so that means two lots of clothes for everyone—wet and dry!’

　　That brought him back to life.‘Can't you read?’he said crossly.‘If you look at Gonzalo's words in Act 2，Toby，you'll see that it's a magic island一and their clothes stay dry all the time.So they'll only need one lot.’

　　I laughed，and then he laughed too.

　　But it was true，he was tried.I could see it，and others could see it too.But the company was always wanting new plays，and we had two theatres now.There was the Globe，and now we had the Blackfriars theatre.Plays in the Globe were in the open air and always had to be in daylight，but the Blackfriars was a building with a roof.We could put on plays in the evenings and in any weather.It also made more money，because every playgoer had a seat and paid ashilling for it.In the Globe they paid a penny to stand.

　　In February 1612 Will's brother Gilbert died in London，and just a year later his brother Richard died in Stratford.That was in February，too.Will was the oldest brother，and he was the only one still alive.We spent most of our time in Stratford these days.Will didn't act in plays now.He went to rehearsals for his new plays，of course，but he was always happy to hurry home again.

　　We were riding back to Stratford in the spring of 1613 and Stopped for the night at theCrown Inn in Oxford.Will was very friendly with the landlord John Davenant and his wife Jane.The next morning，when we left，their little son，William，came running out to say goodbye to his good friend Mr Shakespeare.He was a bright boy，about seven years old，with much the same colour hair and eyes as Will.Will talked with him for a few minutes，then gave him a penny.

　　Later，when we were riding along the road，I said，‘The last time we were in Oxford，I heard some talk in the town.Someone said that you were the father of Jane Davenant's son.

　　Will laughed，‘Well，well，’he said，‘People say that，do they?What will they say next?’

　　‘Jane's a nice-looking woman.’I looked at him out of the corner of my eye.‘Isn't she?’

　　‘Come on，Toby.You know that Jane is a good wife to John.’He was still smiling.‘You mustn't listen to stories like that.’

　　I never believed that story myself.But many years after Will died，William Davenant told a lot of people that he was Shakespeare's son.But how did he know?His mother wouldn't tell him!

　　Will was happy to get home，to see his daughters and John Hall，and little Elizabeth，who was just five then.He was happy to see Anne，I think.He never said much to her，nor she to him.But after more than thirty years together，you've already said everything，haven't you?

　　I think Judith was Will's favourite daughter.Susanna was brighter and cleverer，but Judith was Hamnet's twin，and Will still remembered his son.He wanted a son，or a grandson，so much.Judith was twenty-eight now，and still no husband.But Will told her not to hurry.She must find the right man first.

　　Will worked hard all his life，and I think it was all for his family.I remember some lines from his play The Tempest，when Prospero is talking to his daughter Miranda.

　　I have done nothing but in care of thee，

　　Of thee，my dear one，thee my daughter…

　　10 退居斯特拉福鎮(zhèn)

　　“威爾，你掉頭發(fā)啦。”一天，我對他說道。

　　“我們倆都老了，托比，”他說，“誰也躲避不了，又老又不中用了。”

　　“別這么說，”我說，“你才47歲，日子還長著呢，還可以再寫20部戲劇!”

　　“難啦，”他緩緩說道，“難啦，我發(fā)覺自己已是江郎才盡，我也感覺累了，托比。我需要休息。我想《暴風(fēng)雨》將是我最后一部戲劇。我要和舞臺告別啦。時(shí)代在變化，人們現(xiàn)在需要看些不同風(fēng)格的戲劇。更何況紛紛涌現(xiàn)出一批年輕的新劇作家，他們懂得如何博得觀眾的歡心。我再也跟不上時(shí)代了。”

　　他從來不曾這樣說過，我也不愛聽。

　　“世上只有一位威廉·莎士比亞，”我說，“他永遠(yuǎn)屬于這個時(shí)代。好啦，該干活了，我得出去購置《暴風(fēng)雨》一劇新服裝的布料。你為什么要將故事發(fā)生在一個荒島上呢?輪船下沉后，演員們只能穿著濕漉漉的衣服回到舞臺。衣服要花一天的時(shí)間才能曬干，這就意味著每人都得準(zhǔn)備兩套衣服——一件濕衣服和一件干衣服。”

　　這番話使他又恢復(fù)了生機(jī)。“你看不懂嗎?”他忿忿地說，“托比，你若是看了第二幕貢柴羅那段話，你會覺得那是一座魔島——他們的衣服一直是干的，所以只需準(zhǔn)備一套衣服。”

　　我笑了，跟著他也笑了。

　　事實(shí)的確這樣，他累了。我看得出來，別人也看得出來。不過，劇團(tuán)總需要新劇上演，況且我們現(xiàn)在有兩個劇院;“環(huán)球劇院”和“黑修士劇院”。“環(huán)球劇院”是露天劇院，戲劇通常只能白天演。“黑修士劇院”是有蓋頂?shù)膭≡?，戲劇可以在晚上以及隨便什么天氣上演，錢也賺得更多，因?yàn)槊總€觀眾花一先令可以有一個座位，但在“環(huán)球劇院”，觀眾花一便士要站著看。

　　1612年2月，威爾的弟弟吉爾伯特死于倫敦。一年后，也在2月份，他弟弟理查死于斯特拉福鎮(zhèn)。威爾是家中的長子，而今孑然一身于世上。這些日子，我們多半呆在斯特拉福鎮(zhèn)。威爾不再上臺演戲，不過他肯定趕去看新劇本的預(yù)演，然后，興致勃勃地趕回家。

　　1613年春，我們騎馬回斯特拉福鎮(zhèn)，途中在牛津的“皇冠客棧”寄宿。威爾對房東約翰·達(dá)文南特和他妻子簡非常友善。第二天早要離開時(shí)，他們的小兒子威廉跑出來向他的好朋友莎士比亞先生告別。這小孩聰明伶俐，大約7歲，發(fā)色和眼睛酷似威爾。威爾和他聊了幾分鐘，然后送給他一便士作紀(jì)念。

　　當(dāng)我們策馬上路之后，我說道，我們上次在牛津時(shí)，我在鎮(zhèn)上聽到一些閑話。有人說你是簡·達(dá)文南特兒子的父親。”

　　威爾大笑。“是嗎，是嗎，”他說，“人們這么說的，是嗎?他們還會說什么呢?”

　　“簡長得美麗動人，”我用眼角看看他，“不是嗎?”

　　“好啦，托比。簡是約翰的賢妻，你知道的。”他仍然微笑著。“你千萬不能聽信謠言。”

　　我才不會相信。但威爾死后的許多年后，威廉·達(dá)文南特卻告訴許多人，他是莎士比亞的兒子。他又怎么知道的呢?他母親絕不會告訴他。

　　威爾很高興回家看望女兒和女婿約翰·豪爾以及才5歲的小伊麗莎白。我想他也高興見到安。他從沒對她多說幾句話，她也一樣。但是30多年的相處，該說的早已說過，不是嗎?

　　我覺得威爾最寵愛珠迪絲，盡管蘇姍娜更聰明伶俐，但是珠迪絲是哈姆奈特的孿生妹妹，威爾仍在懷念愛子，他太想有個兒子或外孫了。珠迪絲現(xiàn)在28歲尚未婚嫁，但威爾勸她不必急，首先得找到中意的人。

　　威爾一生勤奮工作，我想，這全都是為了這個家。我還記得在《暴風(fēng)雨》一劇中，普洛斯彼羅對女兒米蘭達(dá)講的那幾句話：

　　凡我所做的事，無非是為你打算，

　　為了你，我的寶貝，我的女兒……