薯田流水记之

一地荆棘

一地荆棘

Fingersmith最终由台湾的小知堂出了中文版，名为《荆棘之城》，据闻乃从日文版书名，真是不知所谓，Maud的名字译做玛黛，想怕也是从的日文？封面画着美少女头像，这书不知开版多大，若是袋装size，和粉色系列贴纸和有可爱图案（比如Hello Kitty）的文具放在一起，一定衬到绝。

书名封面不说了，小知堂网站上试读的选材，更是吓死活人——选段竟是第一部最后一章的结尾，不但一上来就把风景煞尽，把包袱也抖得口齿不清。

译文如下：

隔天她一如往常，仍然不吃早餐的蛋和肉，但如今我也無法下嚥；我幫她更衣時並未看她，因為我很清楚她的身體，她仍然穿著那件沾有污泥的舊衣服，我則穿著那件漂亮的絲質衣服，雖然我知道衣服會弄皺，但她不讓我將它換下，即使是要外出。 　

我想穿著這件衣服回到自治區，我不敢相信，天黑前我就可以回家和薩克比太太相聚。

接下來我幫她打包，我緩緩地包著，幾乎感覺不到我觸摸的東西，我在其中一個袋裡放進她的衣物、拖鞋、安眠藥、無邊呢帽以及梳子，這些都是讓她帶到精神病院用的，另外一個袋子則裝進其他東西，是要讓我帶走的，只有那只白色手套──我想我已經提過，我把它放到一旁，最後當袋子裝滿後，我小心翼翼地將手套放進我的胸衣裡，靠在我的心口上。

馬車來了，而我們也準備妥當，克林姆太太送我們到門口，瑪黛戴著面紗，抓住我的手臂，讓我扶著她從那道傾斜的樓梯下來。當我們走出農舍，她抓得更緊了，因為有超過一週的時間，她都待在裡面，她畏懼看到天空和那間黑色教堂，即使透過她的面紗，她似乎也能清楚地的感覺到輕柔的空氣拂過臉頰，彷彿有人在打她耳光。

我牽著她的手。

當紳士付錢後，克林姆太太喊：「老天保佑妳！夫人。」她站在那兒看著我們，第一天牽馬的男孩為我們送行，其他男孩也跑出來看，他們拉著車門上面漆成黑色的金色舊紋飾，馬車夫輕揮手中的鞭子將他們驅離，將我們的袋子綁在車頂上，然後放下踏板，紳士攙扶瑪黛上車，他看著我，帶點警告意味地說： 　　

「好了、好了，沒時間多愁善感了。」

紳士坐在瑪黛身邊，我則坐在他們對面，門上並沒有手把，只有像保險箱一樣的鑰匙──當馬車夫關上門後，紳士將門拉緊，再將鑰匙放進自己的口袋。

「我們要多久才會到？」瑪黛問。 　　

他回答：「一個小時。」

但路程似乎比一個小時長，似乎像一生的時間；天氣很溫暖，太陽照著馬車的玻璃，讓車廂變得很熱，但車窗已被固定，根本無法打開──讓精神病患沒有機會跳出去；最後紳士關上百葉窗，我們坐在悶熱黑暗中，不發一語地顛簸著。我漸漸開始暈車，看見瑪黛頭倚座位的靠墊不斷搖晃，但我不知道她的眼睛是張或是閉，她一直將雙手放在面前緊握著。

紳士則顯得坐立不安，一會兒放鬆他的衣領，一會兒看著手錶，又一會兒拉著他的袖口，有兩、三次他拿出手帕擦拭額頭；而每當馬車減速慢行時，他就會傾身靠向窗戶，透過百葉窗看著外面。

「我們快到了。」馬車開始轉彎，他又看了看窗外，坐直綁緊領帶。

瑪黛轉頭看他，馬車再次減速，我拉開控制百葉窗的細繩，我們行駛在綠意盎然的道路上，前方橫跨著一座拱門，拱門下有一扇鐵門，一個男人正將鐵門拉開，馬車搖晃了一下，然後向前行駛，到了盡頭的房子前才停下來；這棟房子和荊棘山莊一樣，但較小而且較乾淨，房子的窗戶前都有窗架，我看著瑪黛，想知道她會有什麼反應，她已經掀開面紗，眼神一如往常，呆滯地看著窗外，但之中似乎摻雜了一種認知或恐懼。

「別怕。」紳士說。

他只說了這句話，我不知道他是對誰說，後來馬車又轉了一個彎，然後就停住了。葛瑞夫醫生和克里斯提醫生在那裡等候，旁邊還站著一個高大壯碩的女人，她將袖子拉到手肘，衣服上則覆蓋了一條帆布圍巾，活像一個肉販。克里斯提醫生向這邊走來，他有一把和紳士一樣的鑰匙，他從外面將門打開，瑪黛對開鎖的聲音感到很畏懼，所以紳士將手放到她肩膀上。

克里斯提醫生行了一個禮。

（以下涉及关键内容恕不摘抄）

再看看原文：

Next day she put her breakfast of eggs and meat aside, as usual; but even I could not eat it. I dressed her without looking at her. I knew every part of her. She wore the old gown still, that was stained with mud, and I wore the handsome silk one. She would not let me change out of it, even for travelling, though I knew it would crease.

I thought of wearing it back in the Borough. I could not believe that I would be at home again, with Mrs Sucksby, before it was dark.

I packed her bags. I did it slowly, hardly feeling the things I touched. Into one bag went her linen, her slippers, her sleeping-drops, a bonnet, a brush—that was for her to take to the madhouse. Into the other went everything else. That was for me. Only that white glove I think I have mentioned, did I keep to one side; and when the bags were filled I put it, neatly, inside the bodice of my gown, over my heart.

The coach came, and we were ready. Mrs Cream saw us to the door. Maud wore a veil. I helped her down the tilting staircase, and
she gripped my arm. When we stepped out of the cottage she gripped it tighter. She had kept to her room for more than a week. She flinched from the sight of the sky and the black church, and seemed to feel the soft air hard upon her cheek, even through her veil, like a hand that slapped her.

I put my fingers over hers.

'God bless you, ma'am!' cried Mrs Cream, when Gentleman had paid her. She stood and watched us. The boy who had taken our horse, that first night, now appeared again, to see us leaving; and one or two other boys also came to stare, and to stand at the side of the coach, pickingat the doors, where an old gold crest had been painted out black. The driver flicked his whip at them. He fastened our bags upon the roof, then let the steps down. Gentleman handed Maud in, drawing her fingers from mine. He caught my eye.

'Now, now,' he said, in a warning sort of way. 'No time for sentiment.'

She sat and leaned her head back, and he sat beside her. I sat opposite. There were no handles to the doors, only a key, like the key to a safe: when the driver closed them Gentleman made them fast, then put the key in his pocket.

'How long will we travel?' asked Maud.
He said, 'An hour.'

It seemed longer than an hour. It seemed like a life. The day was a warm one. Where the sun struck the glass it made the carriage very hot, but the windows had been fixed not to open—I suppose, so a lunatic should not have the chance to leap out. At last Gentleman pulled a cord to make the blinds close, and we sat jolting in the heat and the darkness, not speaking. In time I began to grow sick. I saw Maud's head rolling against the padding of the seat, but could not see if her eyes were open or closed. She kept her hands before her, clasped.

Gentleman fidgeted, however, loosening his collar, looking at his watch, plucking at his cuffs. Two or three times he took out his handkerchief and wiped off his brow. Every time the coach slowed, he leaned close to the window to peer through the louvres. Then it slowed so hard it came almost to a stop, and began to turn: he looked again, sat straight and tightened his neck-tie.

'We are almost there,' he said.

Maud turned her head to him. The coach slowed again. I pulled the cord that moved the blinds. We were at the start of a green lane, with a stone arch across it and, beneath that, iron gates. A man was drawing them back. The coach gave a jerk, and we drove along the lane until we reached the house at the end. It was just like at Briar, though this house was smaller, and neater. Its windows had bars on them. I watched Maud, to see what she would do. She had put back her veil and was gazing from the window in her old dull way; but behind the dullness I thought I saw a rising kind of knowledge or dread.

'Don't be afraid,' said Gentleman.

That was all he said. I don't know if he said it to her, or to me. The coach made another turn, and stopped. Dr Graves and Dr Christie were there, waiting for us, with beside them a great stout woman, her sleeves pushed up to her elbows and her gown covered over with an apron of canvas, like a butcher's. Dr Christie came forward. He had a key like Gentleman's, and let up the lock from his side. Maud flinched at the sound. Gentleman put his hand upon her. Dr Christie made a bow.

译得满口沙。请想象小苏的口吻，说“我幫她更衣時並未看她，因為我很清楚她的身體”，“呆滯地看著窗外，但之中似乎摻雜了一種認知或恐懼”，“雖然我知道衣服會弄皺，但她不讓我將它換下，即使是要外出”？莫说风格，错漏夹生的句子也照写不误。

叫人怎么说，用个电脑翻译软件一按电钮，修改修改，也不过如此。可怜华特斯的浅白流畅，到他手里只落得一地荆棘，接下来他还要“《轻舔丝绒》”，真是情何以堪！

2006年9月3日