The Kitemaker扎風箏的人

拉斯金·邦德/文　青閏/譯

There was but one tree in the street—an ancient banyan which had grown through the cracks of an abandoned mosque—and little Alis kite had caught in its branches.

街上只有一棵樹——一棵從廢棄清真寺的裂縫中生長出來的老榕樹——小阿里的風箏就卡在了老榕樹的枝上。

The boy， barefoot and clad only in a torn shirt， ran along the cobbled stones of the narrow street to where his grandfather sat nodding dreamily in the sunshine of their back courtyard.

男孩光著腳丫子，只穿一件破襯衫，沿著鋪有鵝卵石的狹窄街道跑去找爺爺，只見爺爺坐在他們家的后院曬著太陽，迷迷糊糊地打著盹。

“Grandfather？” shouted the boy. “The kite has gone！”

“爺爺？”男孩喊道，“風箏飛跑了！”

The old man woke from his daydream with a start.

老人猛地從白日夢中驚醒。

“Did the twine break？” he asked. “I know that kite-twine is not what it used to be.”

“繩斷了嗎？”他問，“我知道風箏線不再是以前那樣了?！?/p>

“No， grandfather， the kite is stuck in the banyan tree.”

“沒斷，爺爺，是風箏卡在榕樹上了?！?/p>

The old man chuckled. “You have yet to learn how to fly a kite properly， my child. And I am too old to teach you， thats the pity of it. But you shall have another.” He had just finished making a new kite from bamboo， paper and thin silk， and it lay in the sun， firming up. It was a pale pink kite， with a small green tail. The old man handed it to Ali， and the boy raised himself on his toes and kissed his grandfathers hollowed-out cheek.

老人輕聲笑道：“孩子，你還沒學會怎么正確放風箏。我年紀太大，教不了你了，真可惜，但你還會有一個風箏的?！彼麆倓傆弥褡?、紙和薄綢扎了一個新風箏。這個新風箏正躺在陽光下，漸漸曬得硬實起來。這是個淡粉色的風箏，帶有一條綠色的小尾巴。老人把它遞給阿里，男孩踮起腳尖，吻了吻爺爺凹陷的臉頰。

“I will not lose this one，” he said. “This kite will fly like a bird.” And he turned on his heels1 and skipped out of the courtyard.

“我不會把這個放丟的?！彼f，“這個風箏會像鳥兒一樣飛翔?！闭f完，他一轉身，蹦蹦跳跳地跑出了院子。

The old man remained dreaming in the sun. His kite-shop had gone. The premises long since sold to a junk-dealer， but he still made kites for his own amusement and for the benefit of his grandson， Ali. Not many people bought kites in these days of rockets and sputniks. Adults disdained them， and children preferred to spend their money at the movies. Moreover， there were few open spaces left for the flying of kites. The city had swallowed up the green maidan which had stretched from the old fort walls to the riverbank.

老人還在太陽下做著夢。他的風箏店沒了。店面很久以前就賣給了一個廢品舊貨商，但他還在為自娛自樂、為孫子阿里扎風箏。在發射火箭和人造衛星的時代，買風箏的人不多了。大人們對風箏不屑一顧，孩子們則更喜歡花錢看電影。此外，幾乎沒有開闊的空地能用來放風箏了。城市早已吞沒從舊堡墻延伸到河岸的綠草地。

But the old man remembered a time when grown men flew kites from the maidan， the kites swerving and swooping in the sky， until the string of one was cut. Then the defeated but liberated kite would float away into the blue unknown.

不過，老人還記得，當年有一群成年男子在草地上放風箏，只見他們的風箏在空中翻騰、俯沖，直到其中一個風箏被割斷了線。接著，那個落敗卻又重獲自由的風箏飄向了藍色的未知世界。

Kite-flying was then the sport of kings， and the old man remembered how the Nawab2 himself would come down to the riverbank with his retinue， and join in this noble pastime. There was time in those days to spend an idle hour with a gay， dancing strip of paper. Now everyone hurried， hurried in a heat of hope， and delicate things like kites and daydreams were trampled underfoot.

當時，放風箏是權貴們的娛樂活動，老人還記得納瓦布本人及其隨從來到河邊參加這項貴族娛樂活動的場景。那時候有的是時間，人們會花上一小時，跟一張歡快舞動的紙條度過一段閑暇時光?，F在，每個人都匆匆忙忙的，滿懷熱望地匆忙，像風箏和白日夢這樣精致的東西都被踩在了腳下。

He， Mahmood the kitemaker， had in the prime of his life been well-known throughout the city. Some of his more elaborate kites sold for as much as three or four rupees. Upon the request of the Nawab he had once made a very special kind of kite， unlike any that had been seen in the district. It consisted of a series of small， very light paper discs， trailing on a thin bamboo frame.

他是扎風箏的馬哈茂德，風華正茂時在全城赫赫有名。他扎的風箏里，稍微精致一點的售價高達三四盧比。他曾經應納瓦布的要求，扎了一個非常特殊的風箏，與當地能見到的所有風箏都不一樣。那個風箏由一串又小又輕的紙盤扎成，拖在一個細竹架上。

To the extremity of each disc he fixed a sprig of grass， forming a balance on both sides. The surface of the foremost disc was slightly convex， and a fantastic face was painted on it， having two eyes made of small mirrors. The disc， decreasing in size from head to tail， assumed an undulatory form. It required great skill to raise this cumbersome device from the ground， and only Mahmood could manage it.

他在每個紙盤的末端固定一小枝草，讓兩邊達成平衡。最前端的紙盤表面微微凸起，上面畫著一張奇異的臉，臉上的兩只眼睛由小鏡子制成。紙盤從頭到尾逐漸變小，呈波浪形。要把這個笨重的風箏從地面放飛，需要高超的技巧，只有馬哈茂德能做到。

Everyone had of course heard of the “Dragon Kite” that Mahmood had built， and word went round that it possessed supernatural powers. A large crowd assembled on the maidan to watch its first public launching in the presence of the Nawab. At the first attempt it refused to leave the ground.

當然，每個人都聽說過馬哈茂德扎的這個“龍風箏”，傳說它具有超自然的力量。一大群人聚集在草地上，觀看它在納瓦布面前首次公開放飛。第一次嘗試放飛，“龍風箏”拒絕離開地面。

And then the wind came from the right direction， and the Dragon Kite soared into the sky， wriggling the way higher and higher， with the sun still glinting in its devil-eyes. And when it went very high， it pulled fiercely on the twine， and Mahmoods young sons had to help him with the reel; but still the kite pulled， determined to be free， to break loose， to live a life of its own. And eventually it did so.

隨后，風從正確的方向吹來，“龍風箏”扶搖直上，扭動著越飛越高，而太陽在它惡魔般的眼睛里閃閃發光?！褒堬L箏”飛到很高很高的天空中，使勁拽著風箏線，馬哈茂德年幼的兒子們不得不幫他拉住線軸，但“龍風箏”還是拽著線，決心要自由，決心要掙脫，決心要過自己的生活。最后，它終于做到了。

The twine snapped， the kite leapt away toward the sun， sailed on heavenward until it was lost to view. It was never found again. He did not make another like it， but instead he presented the Nawab with a musical kite， one that made a sound like the veena3 when it rose in the air.

風箏線突然繃斷了，“龍風箏”猛地朝太陽飛去，朝天空飛去，直到從人們的視野中消失。后來，人們再也沒找到這個風箏。馬哈茂德也沒再扎一個類似的風箏，而是呈給納瓦布一個音樂風箏——這個風箏飛在空中能發出類似維那琴的聲音。

Yes， those were more leisurely， more spacious days. But no one knew Mahmood now， or asked his name and occupations.

是的，那時的日子更悠閑、地方更寬敞，而現在沒人知道馬哈茂德，也沒人問起他的名字和職業。

When he was younger and had fallen sick， everyone in the neighborhood had come to ask after his health; but now， when his days were drawing to a close， no one visited him. True， most of his old friends were dead; his sons had grown up.

他年輕的時候如果生了病，住在附近的每個人都會來噓寒問暖；而現在他的人生漸漸接近尾聲，卻沒人探望過他。確切地說，他的老朋友大都過世了，而他的兒子們都已長大。

The children who had bought kites from him ten years ago， they were grown men， struggling for a living; they did not have time for the old man and his memories. They had grown up in a swift-changing， competitive world， and looked at the old kitemaker with the same indifference as they looked at the banyan tree.

十年前從他那里買風箏的孩子們已長大成人，他們為生計奔波操勞，無暇顧及老人和他的回憶。他們在瞬息萬變、競爭激烈的世界中長大，看著扎風箏的老人就像看著那棵老榕樹一樣漠不關心。

Mahmood was like the banyan， his hands gnarled and twisted like the roots of the ancient tree. All was like the young mimosa planted at the end of the courtyard. In two years both he and the tree would acquire the strength and confidence of their early youth.

馬哈茂德就像那棵老榕樹，他的雙手像那棵老樹的樹根一樣粗糙彎曲。一切都像院子盡頭種下的含羞樹苗。兩年后，他和那棵老樹都將獲得他們年輕時的力量和信心。

The voices in the street grew fainter， and Mahmood wondered if he was going to fall asleep and dream， as he so often did， of a kite so beautiful and powerful that it would resemble the great white bird of the Hindus， Garuda4. He would like to make a wonderful new kite for little Ali. He had nothing else to leave the boy.

大街上的聲音越來越微弱，馬哈茂德不知道自己會不會倒頭睡去，會不會夢見他經常夢見的那個風箏——它是那么美麗、那么有力，就像印度教中的大白鳥揭路荼。他想給小阿里扎一個漂亮的新風箏。他沒有別的東西可以留給孩子了。

He heard Alis voice in the distance， but did not realize that the boy was calling to him. The voice seemed to come from very far away.

他聽到遠處傳來阿里的聲音，但沒有意識到孩子在呼喚他。那聲音好像來自十分遙遠的地方。

Ali was at the courtyard door， asking if his mother had as yet returned from the bazaar. When Mahmood did not answer， the boy came forward， repeating his question. The sunlight was slanting across the old mans head， and a small white butterfly was perched on his flowing beard. Mahmood was silent， and when Ali put his small brown hand on the old mans shoulder， he met with no response. The boy heard a faint sound， like the rubbing of marbles in his pocket.

阿里站在院子門口，問他的母親是不是已經從集市回來了。馬哈茂德沒有回答，男孩走上前來，又問了一遍。陽光斜照在老人的頭上，一只白色小蝴蝶落在他飄逸的胡須上。馬哈茂德沉默不語，阿里把棕色小手搭在老人的肩上，也沒有得到任何回應。男孩聽到一個微弱的聲音，像是他口袋里的彈珠相互摩擦的聲音。

Suddenly afraid， Ali turned and moved to the door， and then ran down the street shouting for his mother.

阿里突然感到害怕，轉身走到門口，然后沿街奔跑，呼喊母親。

The butterfly left the old mans beard and flew to the mimosa tree. And in the banyan tree， a sudden gust of wind caught the torn kite and lifted it into the air， carrying it far above the city， into the azure-blue sky.

蝴蝶飛離了老人的胡須，落到那棵含羞樹上。一陣風突然抓住榕樹上那個撕破的風箏，把它拋向空中，遠遠地送向城市上空，送向蔚藍的天空。

*本名宋金柱，焦作大學學術委員會委員，河南省作家協會會員。

1 turn on ones heel突然轉身；急向后轉。? 2 nawab納瓦布，印度莫臥兒帝國時代省級地方行政長官的稱號，后演變為一種尊稱。

3 維那琴是印度傳統弦樂器，有七根琴弦。維那琴以豐富又舒緩的音色而聞名，是印度古典音樂不可分割的一部分。

4 揭路荼在印度教神話中占有重要地位，代表力量和勇氣。揭路荼的形象半人半鳥，鳥的部分類似雄鷹或風箏。他有金色的軀干、紅色的翅膀、白色的臉，而且體型巨大，飛在空中可遮住太陽。