A Rose For Emily(中英对照版)

A Rose For Emily

福克纳的短篇小说纪念爱米丽的一朵玫瑰花>讲述的是一个孤癣、傲慢的南方贵族后

裔的人生悲剧.从社会心理学角度分析其悲剧成因有二:一,南方贵族的末落和留给后裔的负

担;二,未婚夫荷默?伯隆的背叛--贵族虚荣的彻底叛碎,进而试图论证爱米丽的去世是'倒下的

南方贵族纪念碑'这一深远主题意义.作品同时隐含着对人类自身悲剧的深入思考和揭露,以

及对人类未来的震憾和启发.

When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral: the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to see the inside of her house, which no one save an old manservant---a combined gardener and cook-had seen in at least ten years.

It was a big, squarish frame house that had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome style of the seventies, set on what had once been our most select street. But arages and cotton gins had encroached and obliterated even the august names of that neighborhood; only Miss Emily's house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps-an eyesore among eyesores. And now Miss Emily had gone to join the representatives of those august names where they lay in the cedarbemused cemetery among the ranked and anonymous graves of Union and Confederate soldiers who fell at the battle of Jefferson.

爱米丽·格里尔生小姐过世了！全镇的人都去送丧，男子们是出于敬慕之情！因为一个

纪念碑倒下了，妇女们呢！则大多数出于好奇心！想看看她屋子的内部。除了一个花匠兼厨

师的老仆人之外！至少已有十年光景谁也没进去看看这幢房子了。

那是一幢过去漆成白色的四方形大木屋！坐落在当年一条最考究的街道上！还装点着有

十九世纪七十年代风味的圆形屋顶、尖塔和涡形花纹的阳台！带有浓厚的轻盈气息。可是汽

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车间和轧棉机之类的东西侵犯了这一带庄严的名字！把它们涂抹得一干二净。只有爱米丽小

姐的屋子岿然独存！四周簇拥着棉花车和汽油泵。房子虽已破败！却还是执拗不驯！装模作

样！真是丑中之丑。现在爱米丽小姐已经加入了那些名字庄严的代表人物的行列！他们沉睡

在雪松环绕的墓园之中！那里尽是一排排在南北战争时期杰斐逊战役中阵亡的南方和北方的

无名军人墓。

Alive, Miss Emily had been a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town, dating from that day in 1894 when Colonel Sartoris, the mayor-he who fathered the edict that no Negro woman should appear on the streets without an apron-- remitted her taxes, the dispensation dating from the death of her father on into perpetuity. Not that Miss' Emily would have accepted charity. Colonel Sartoris invented an involved tale to the effect that Miss Emily's father had loaned money to the town, which the town, as a matter of business, preferred this way of repaying. Only a man of Colonel Sartoris' generation and thought could have invented it, and only a woman could have believed it.

When the next generation, with its more modem ideas, became mayors and aldermen, this arrangement created some little dissatisfaction. On the first of the year they mailed her a tax notice. February came, and here was no reply. They wrote her a formal letter, asking her to call at the sheriff s office at her convenience. A week later the mayor wrote her himself, offering to call or to send his car for her, and received in reply a note on paper of an archaic shape, in a thin, flowing calligraphy in faded ink, to the effect that she no longer went out at all.The tax notice was also enclosed, without comment.

They called a special meeting of the Board of Aldermen. A deputation waited upon her, knocked at the door through which no visitor had passed since she ceased giving china-painting lessons eight or ten years earlier. They were admitted by the old Negro into a dim hall from which a staircase mounted into still more shadow. It smelled of dust and disuse-a close, dank smell. The Negro led them into the parlor. It was furnished in heavy, leather-covered furniture. Then the Negro opened the blinds of one window, they could see that the leather was cracked; and when they sat down, a faint dust rose sluggisl7dv about their thighs, spinning with slow motes in the single sunray. On a tarnished gilt easel before the fireplace stood a crayon portrait of Miss Emily's father.

爱米丽小姐在世时！始终是一个传统的化身！是义务的象征！也是人们关注的对象。打

一八九四年某日镇长沙多里斯上校——也就是他下了一道黑人妇女不系围裙不得上街的命

令——豁免了她一切应纳的税款起！期限从她父亲去世之日开始！一直到她去世为止！这是

全镇沿袭下来对她的一种义务。这也并非说爱米丽甘愿接受施舍！原来是沙多里斯上校编造

了一大套无中生有的话！说是爱米丽的父亲曾经贷款给镇政府！因此！镇政府作为一种交易！

宁愿以这种方式偿还。这一套话！只有沙多里斯一代的人以及像沙多里斯一样头脑的人才能

编得出来！也只有妇道人家才会相信。

等到思想更为开明的第二代人当了镇长和参议员时！这项安排引起了一些小小的不满。

那年元旦！他们便给她寄去了一张纳税通知单。二月份到了！还是杳无音信。他们发去一封

公函！要她便中到司法长官办公处去一趟。一周之后！镇长亲自写信给爱米丽！表示愿意登

门访问！或派车迎接她！而所得回信却是一张便条！写在古色古香的信笺上！书法流利！字

迹细小！但墨水已不鲜艳！信的大意是说她已根本不外出。纳税通知附还！没有表示意见。

参议员们开了个特别会议！派出一个代表团对她进行了访问。他们敲敲门！自从八年或

者十年前她停止开授瓷器彩绘课以来！谁也没有从这大门出入过。那个上了年纪的黑人男仆

把他们接待进阴暗的门厅！从那里再由楼梯上去！光线就更暗了。一股尘封的气味扑鼻而来！

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空气阴湿而又不透气！这屋子长久没有人住了。黑人领他们到客厅里！里面摆设的笨重家具

全都包着皮套子。黑人打开了一扇百叶窗！这时！便更可看出皮套子已经坼裂(等他们坐了

下来！大腿两边就有一阵灰尘冉冉上升！尘粒在那一缕阳光中缓缓旋转。壁炉前已经失去金

色光泽的画架上面放着爱米丽父亲的炭笔画像。

They rose when she entered-a small, fat woman in black, with a thin gold chain descending to her waist and vanishing into her belt, leaning on an ebony cane with a tarnished gold head. Her skeleton was small and spare; perhaps that was why what would have been merely plumpness in another was obesity in her. She looked bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water, and of that pallid hue. Her eyes, lost in the fatty ridges of her face, looked like two small pieces of coal pressed into a lump of dough as they moved from one face to another while the visitors stated their errand.

She did not ask them to sit. She just stood in the door and listened quietly until the spokesman came to a stumbling halt. Then they could hear the invisible watch ticking at the end of the gold chain.

Her voice was dry and cold. 'I have no taxes in Jefferson. Colonel Sartoris explained it to me. Perhaps one of you can gain access to the city records and satisfy yourselves.' but we have. We are the city authorities. Miss Emily. Didn't you get notice from the sheriff, signed by him?'

'I received a paper, yes,' Miss Emily said. 'Perhaps he considers he self the sheriff... I have no taxes in Jefferson.”

'But there is nothing on the books to show that, you see. We must go, by the-'

'See Colonel Sartoris. I have no taxes in Jefferson.”

'But, Miss Emily---'

'See Colonel Sartoris.' (Colonel Sartoris had been dead almost ten years.) I have no taxes in Jefferson. Tobe!” The Negro appeared. 'Show these gentlemen out.”

她一进屋！他们全都站了起来。一个小模小样！腰圆体胖的女人！穿了一身黑服！一条

细细的金表链拖到腰部！落到腰带里去了！一根乌木拐杖支撑着她的身体！拐杖头的镶金已

经失去光泽。她的身架矮小！也许正因为这个缘故！在别的女人身上显得不过是丰满！而她

却给人以肥大的感觉。她看上去像长久泡在死水中的一具死尸！肿胀发白。当客人说明来意

时！她那双凹陷在一脸隆起的肥肉之中！活像揉在一团生面中的两个小煤球似的眼睛不住地

移动着！时而瞧瞧这张面孔！时而打量那张面孔。

她没有请他们坐下来。她只是站在门口！静静地听着！直到发言的代表结结巴巴地说完！

他们这时才听到那块隐在金链子那一端的挂表嘀嗒作响。

她的声调冷酷无情。“我在杰斐逊无税可纳。沙多里斯上校早就向我交代过了。或许你

们有谁可以去查一查镇政府档案！就可以把事情弄清楚。”

“我们已经查过档案！爱米丽小姐！我们就是政府当局。难道你没有收到过司法长官亲

手签署的通知吗；”

“不错！我收到过一份通知！”爱米丽小姐说道！“也许他自封为司法长官……可是我在

杰斐逊无税可交。”

“可是纳税册上并没有如此说明！你明白吧。我们应根据……”

“你们去找沙多里斯上校。我在杰斐逊无税可交。”

“可是！爱米丽小姐——”

“你们去找沙多里斯上校！？沙多里斯上校死了将近十年了，我在杰斐逊无税可纳。托比？”

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黑人应声而来。“把这些先生们请出去。”

II

So she vanquished them, horse and foot, just as she had vanquished their fathers thirty years before about the smell. That was two years after her father's death and a short time after her sweetheart--the one we believe( would marry her-had deserted her. After her father's death she went out very little; after her sweetheart went away, people hardly saw her at an. A few of the ladies had the temerity to call, but were not received, and th4 only sign of life about the place was the Negro man-a young man then--going in and out with a market basket.

'Just as if a man-any man-could keep a kitchen property,' the ladies said; so they were not surprised when the smell developed. It was another link between the gross, teeming world and the high and mighty Griersons A neighbor, a woman. complained to the mayor, judge Stevens, eighty years old.

'But what will you have me do about it, madam?' he said.

'Why, send her word to stop it,' the woman said. 'Isn't there a law?'

'I'm sure that won't be necessary,' judge Stevens said. -It's probably just a snake or a rat that nigger of hers killed in the yard. I'll speak to him about it.'

她就这样把他们“连人带马”地打败了！正如三十年前为了那股气味的事战胜了他们的父

辈一样。那是她父亲死后两年！也就是在她的心上人——我们都相信一定会和她结婚的那个

人——抛弃她不久的时候。父亲死后！她很少外出(心上人离去之后！人们简直就看不到她

了。有少数几位妇女竟冒冒失失地去访问过她！但都吃了闭门羹。她居处周围唯一的生命迹

象就是那个黑人男子拎着一个篮子出出进进！当年他还是个青年。

“好象只要是一个男子！随便什么样的男子！都可以把厨房收拾得井井有条似的。”妇女

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们都这样说。因此！那种气味越来越厉害时！她们也不感到惊异！那是芸芸众生的世界与高

贵有势的格里尔生家之间的另一联系。 邻家一位妇女向年已八十的法官斯蒂芬斯镇长抱怨。

“可是太太！你叫我对这件事又有什么办法呢；”他说。 “哼！通知她把气味弄掉！”那位妇

女说。“法律不是有明文规定吗；” “我认为这倒不必要！”法官斯蒂芬斯说。“可能是她用的

那个黑鬼在院子里打死了一条蛇或一只老鼠。我去跟他说说这件事。”

The next day he received two more complaints, one from a man who came in diffident deprecation. 'We really must do something about it judge. I'd be the last one in the world to bother Miss Emily, but we've got to do something.' That night the Board of Aldermen met-three gray-beard and one younger man, a member of the rising generation.

'It's simple enough,' he said. 'Send her word to have her place cleaned up. Give her a certain time to do it in, and if she don't. . .'

'Dammit, sir,' judge Stevens said, 'will you accuse a lady to her face of smelling bad?'

So the next night, after midnight, four men crossed Miss Emily's lawn and slunk about the house like burglars, sniffing along the base of the brickwork and at the cellar openings while one of them performed a regular sowing motion with his hand out of a sack stung from his shoulder. They broke open the cellar door and sprinkled lime there, and in all the outbuildings. As they recrossed the lawn, a window that had been dark was lighted and Miss Emily sat in it, the light behind her, and her upright torso motionless as that of an idol. They crept quietly across the lawn and into the shadow of the locusts that lined the street. After a week or two the smell went away.

第二天！他又接到两起申诉！一起来自一个男的！用温和的语气提出意见。“法官！我

们对这件事实在不能不过问了。我是最不愿意打扰爱米丽小姐的人！可是我们总得想个办

法。”那天晚上全体参议员——三位老人和一位年纪较轻的新一代成员在一起开了个会。

“这件事很简单！”年轻人说。“通知她把屋子打扫干净！限期搞好！不然的话……”

“先生！这怎么行；”法官斯蒂芬斯说！“你能当着一位贵妇人的面说她那里有难闻的气

味吗；”

于是！第二天午夜之后！有四个人穿过了爱米丽小姐家的草坪！像夜盗一样绕着屋子潜

行！沿着墙角一带以及在地窖通风处拚命闻嗅！而其中一个人则用手从挎在肩上的袋子中掏

出什么东西！不断做着播种的动作。他们打开了地窖门！在那里和所有的外屋里都撒上了石

灰。等到他们回头又穿过草坪时！原来暗黑的一扇窗户亮起了灯，爱米丽小姐坐在那里！灯

在她身后！她那挺直的身躯一动不动像是一尊偶像一样。他们蹑手蹑脚地走过草坪！进入街

道两旁洋槐树树荫之中。一两个星期之后！气味就闻不到了。

That was when people had begun to feel really sorry for her. . People in our town, remembering how old lady Wyatt, her great-aunt, had gone completely crazy at last, believed that the Griersons held themselves a little too high for what they really were. None of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily and such. We had long thought of them as a tableau; Miss Emily a slender figure in white in the background, her father a spraddled silhouette in the foreground, his back to her and clutching a horsewhip, the two of them framed bv the back-flung front door. So when she got to be thirty and was still single, we were not pleased exactly, but vindicated; even with insanity in the family she wouldn't have turned down all of her chances if they had really materialized. When her father died, it got about that the house was all that was left to her; and in a way, people were glad. At last they could pity Miss Emily. Being left alone, and a pauper, she had become humanized. Now she too would know the old thrill and the old