0909翻譯：孤獨之旅（曹文軒）
0909翻譯：孤獨之旅（曹文軒）
Translation: A Lonesome Journey (Cao Wenxuan)
(translated by: alexcwlin; edited by: Adam Lam)
油麻地家底最厚實的一戶人家，就是杜小康家，
The richest household in You Ma Di was Du Xiaokang』s family.
但它竟在一天早上，忽然一落千丈，跌落到了另一番境地里，
But its fortune plummeted in one morning to a completely different state.
杜家的獨生子杜小康失學了，只好跟著父親去放鴨。
Du family』s lone son had to quit school and accompany his father to herd ducks.
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小木船趕著鴨子，不知行駛了多久，
The small wooden boat was herding the ducks, and it had travelled for such a long distance that nobody knew how far.
當杜小康回頭一看，已經不見油麻地時，他居然對父親說：我不去放鴨了，
When Du Xiaokang looked back and couldn』t see You Ma Di, he unexpectedly said to his father: 「I don』t want to herd ducks anymore.
我要上岸回家……
All I want is to get back on shore and go home.」
他站在船上，向後眺望，
He stood on the boat and tried to look back as far as he could.
除了朦朦朧朧的樹煙，就什麼也沒有了。
But other than hazy mist over tree tops, there was nothing else.
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杜雍和沉著臉，絕不回頭去看一眼。
Du Yonghuo』s face sank but wouldn』t look back once.
他對杜小康帶了哭腔的請求，置之不理，只是不停地撐著船，將鴨子一個勁趕向前方。
He brushed off Du Xiaokang』s teary request and kept sculling the boat to drive the ducks forward doggedly.
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鴨群在船前形成一個倒置的扇面形，奮力向前推進，
The flock of ducks was in a reverse fan-shape formation in front of the boat and strived to push forward.
同時，造成了一個扇面形水流。
The formation also set off a stream of fan-shape water current.
每隻鴨子本身，又有著自己用身體分開的小扇面形水流。
Each individual duck triggered a small fan-shape water current with its own body.
它們在大扇面形水流之中，織成了似乎很有規律性的花紋。
Within the grand fan-shape water current formation, these small water currents together had weaved a systematic pattern.
無論是小扇面形水流，還是大扇面形水流，都很急促有力。
These flows of water currents, big or small, were quick-tempo and impetuous.
船首是一片均勻的、永恆的水聲。
The front of the boat was filled with steady, perpetuating sounds of splashing water.
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杜雍和現在只是要求它們向前游去，不停頓地游去，不肯給他們一點覓食或嬉鬧的機會。
All Du Yonghuo wanted at that moment was for the ducks to keep swimming forward uninterruptedly without an opportunity to break for food or play.
彷彿只要稍微慢下一點來，他也會像他的兒子一樣突然地對前方感到茫然和恐懼，從而也會打消離開油麻地的主意。
It seemed any slow-down would cast doubt and fear on him respecting what was ahead just like his son, and that could cause him to give up on the idea of leaving You Ma Di.
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前行是純粹的。
Going forward was the only option.
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熟悉的樹木、村莊、橋樑……都在不停地後退，成為杜小康眼的的遙遠之物。
All those familiar trees, villages, bridges, etc. continued to back off and turn into distant objects under the eyes of Du Xiaokang.
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終於已經不可能再有回頭的念頭了。
Finally the last bit of desire to turn back had dissipated.
杜雍和這才將船慢慢停下。
Then Du Yonghuo slowly stopped the boat.
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已經是陌生的天空和陌生的水面。
Over at that location, both the sky and water were unfamiliar sights.
偶然行過去一隻船，那船上的人已是杜雍和杜小康從未見過的面孔了。
Intermittently a boat would pass by, but the face on the boat was unacquainted to both Du Yonghuo and Du Xiaokang.
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鴨們不管，它們只要有水就行。
The ducks did not care less so long as there was water.
水就是它們永遠的故鄉。
Water was their eternal home.
它們開始覓食。
They started to look for food.
覓食之後，忽然有了興緻，就朝著這片天空叫上幾聲。
After feeding, they would quack toward the sky when they were in the mood.
沒有其他聲音，
There were no other sounds.
天地又如此空曠，因此，這叫聲既顯得寂寞，又使人感到振奮。
The space between sky and earth was so vast that the quacking sounded forlorn yet uplifting.
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杜小康已不可能再去想他的油麻地。
There was no way Du Xiaokang would still be thinking about his You Ma Di.
現在，佔據他心靈的全部是前方：還要走多遠？
At that moment, all that occupied his mind was what was ahead, particularly how much further they had to go?
前方是什麼樣子？
What was it like ahead of them on the way?
前方是未知的。
It was unknown what was in store further down the waterway.
未知的東西，似乎更能撩逗一個少年的心思。
The unknown was particularly thought-provoking for a youth.
他盤腿坐在船頭上，望著一片茫茫的水。
He was sitting cross-legged at the bow of the boat and staring at the vast stretch of water.
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四周只是草灘或凹地，已無一戶人家。
Only patches of grass and sunken ground were in the surrounding but no household was in sight.
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黃昏，船艙里的小泥爐，飄起第一縷炊煙，
At nightfall, the first wisp of smoke came up from the mud cooking stove.
它是這裡的惟一的炊煙。
It was the only cooking smoke around.
它們在晚風中向水面飄去，然後又貼著水面，慢慢飄散。
Strands of smoke, carried by evening breeze towards and close to water surface, scattered slowly in all directions.
當鍋中的飯已經煮熟時，河水因曬了一天太陽而開始飄起炊煙一樣的熱氣。此時，熱氣與炊煙，就再也無法分得清楚了。
When the rice in the pot was fully cooked, steam from the solar-heated river water commingled well with the cooking smoke and it could no longer tell which was which.
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月亮從河的東頭升上空中時，杜雍和父子倆已經開始吃飯。
When the moon rose to the sky from the east, Du Yonghuo and his son had started dinner.
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鴨們十分乖巧。
The ducks were well-behaved.
也正是在夜幕下的大水上，它們才忽然覺得自己已成了無家的漂游者了。
On the massive water under the night, suddenly they felt they had become homeless drifters.
它們將主人的船團團圍住，唯恐自己與這隻惟一的使它們感到還有依託的小船分開。
They circled around their masters』 boat for fear that they could be separated from the small boat—the one and only thing which they could depend on.
它們把嘴插在翅膀里，一副睡覺絕不讓主人操心的樣子。
They buried their beaks inside their wings looking like they were sleeping without burdening their masters with worries over their well-being.
有時，它們會將頭從翅膀里拔出，看一眼船上的主人。
Sometimes they would take their heads out from the wings to peek at their masters on the boat.
知道一老一小都還在船上，才又將頭重新插回翅膀里。
Upon knowing the old and young masters were still on the boat, they would then return their heads inside their wings.
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父子倆都不想很快地去睡覺。
Both father and son did not want to go to sleep right away.
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杜小康想聽到聲音，牛叫或者狗吠。然而，這不可能。
Du Xiaokang wanted to hear some noises, such as the mooing of cows or the barking of dogs, but that would be impossible.
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等杜小康終於有了倦意，躺到船艙里的席子上。
At last Du Xiaokang felt tired and lay down on the mat inside the boat cabin.
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以後的幾天，都是這一天的重複。
That day』s routine was repeated in each of the following several days.
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這一天，他們終於到達了目的地。
One day they finally arrived at the destination.
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這才是真正的蘆盪。是杜小康從未見過的蘆盪。
That was a real reed marshland—a sea of reeds which Du Xiaokang had never seen before.
到達這裡時，已是傍晚。
It was evening when they arrived.
當杜小康一眼望去，看到蘆葦如綠色的浪潮直涌到天邊時，他害怕了
When Du Xiaokang』s looked as far as he could, he was frightened by the reeds which were like series of green waves, surging to the edge of sky.
——這是他出門以來第一回真正感到害怕。
That was the first time he really felt terrified after he left home.
蘆盪如萬重大山圍住了小船。杜小康有一種永遠逃不走的感覺。
The reeds, seemed like thousands of layers of mountains encircling the small boat, imposed on Du Xiaokang a sense of inescapability.
他望著父親，眼中露出了一個孩子的膽怯。
In looking at his father, his timid side as a child was showing through his eyes.
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父親顯然也是有所慌張的。
It was apparent the father was taken aback as well.
但他在兒子面前，必須顯得鎮靜。
But he had to stay calm in front of his son.
告訴杜小康，蘆葦叢里有蘆雁的窩，明天，他可以去撿蘆雁的蛋；
He told Du Xiaokang there were nests of reed geese in the growth of reeds, and on the next day they could go there to search for their eggs.
有兔子，
There were rabbits as well.
這裡的兔子，毛色與蘆葦相似，即使它就在你眼前蹲著，你也未必能一眼發現它；……
The rabbits』 fur over there was much like the reeds in color, and even if a rabbit was crouching in front of you, you might not be able to detect it at a glance.
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吃完飯，杜小康才稍稍從恐慌中靜定下來。
After supper, Du Xiaokang calmed down somewhat from his jumpiness.
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這裡的氣味，倒是很好聞的。
The air over there smelled good.
萬頃蘆葦，且又是在夏季青森森的一片時，空氣里滿是清香。
Tenths of thousands of acres of dark green reeds in summertime filled the atmosphere with a refreshingly sweet scent.
蘆葦叢中還有一種不知名的香草，一縷一縷地攙雜在蘆葉的清香里，
In the bush of reeds was a type of no-name fragrant grass which wisps of aroma permeated the sweet smell of reeds.
使杜小康不時地去用勁嗅著。
Du Xiaokang couldn』t help but took deep sniffs at the mix of scents from time to time.
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水邊的蘆葉里，飛著無數螢火蟲。
Countless fireflies were flying over the reed leaves at edge of the water.
有時，它們幾十隻幾百隻地聚集在一起時，居然能把水面照亮，使杜小康能看見一隻水鳥正浮在水面上。
Sometimes when tenths or hundreds of them congregated together, they could actually illuminated water surface so much so Du Xiaokang could see a water fowl floating on top.
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但，這一切無論如何也不能完全驅除杜小康的恐慌。
But all these could not drive away Du Xiaokang』s dread.
夜裡睡覺時，他緊緊地挨著父親，並且遲遲不能入睡。
During bedtime, he would snuggle right up to his father and could not fall asleep for a long until very late into the night.
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第二天，父子倆登上了蘆葦灘，找了一個合適的地方，
The next morning, both father and son went ashore the reed beach and found a suitable spot.
用鐮刀割倒一大片蘆葦，然後將它們紮成把，。
They used sickles to cut down lots of reeds and then tied them into bundles.
忙了整整一天，給鴨們圍了一個鴨欄，也為他們自己搭了一個小窩棚。
After a whole day』s work, they had built an enclosed duck coop for the ducks and a shack for themselves.
從此，他們將以這裡為家，在這一帶蘆盪放鴨，直到明年春天。
From then on, they would settle in there as their home and raise ducks in the reeds marshland until spring of the following year.
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日子一天一天地過去了，父子倆也一天一天地感覺到他們最大的敵人，也正在一步一步地向他們逼近：它就是孤獨。
As days passed by, both father and son felt their greatest enemy, which closed in oppressively day by day, was loneliness.
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與這種孤獨相比，杜小康退學後將自己關在紅門裡面產生的那點孤獨，簡直就算不得什麼了。
In comparison, the type of loneliness experienced by Du Xiaokang from locking himself behind red door after quitting school was nothing compared to this.
他們一連十多天遇不到一個人。
For over ten days, they had not run into another soul.
杜小康只能與父親說說話。
Du Xiaokang could only talk to his father.
奇怪的是，他和父親之間的對話，變得越來越單調，越來越乾巴巴的了。
Strangely dialogues between his father and him became increasingly simple and dry.
除了必要的對話，他們幾乎不知道再說些什麼，
Other than absolute necessity to converse, they didn』t know what else to say.
而且，原先看來是必要的對話，現在也可以通過眼神或者乾脆連眼神都不必給予，雙方就能明白一切。
Over time in lieu of those previously necessary conversations, they were able to get messages across through eye contacts, or simply mutual understanding.
言語被大量的省略了。
Words were much abbreviated.
這種省略，只能進一步強化似乎滿世界都注滿了的孤獨。
This abbreviation, however, seemed to be reinforcing loneliness a step further which seemingly the entire world was plagued with similar loneliness.
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杜小康開始想家，並且日甚一日地變得迫切，
Du Xiaokang started to miss home and it was getting worse as days wore on.
直至夜裡做夢看到母親，
Until one night he dreamed about mother.
哇哇大哭起來，將父親驚醒。
He started bawling out loud and woke up his father in surprise.
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「我要回家……」
He cried: 「I want to go home.」
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杜雍和不再亂髮脾氣。
Du Yonghuo no longer blew up indiscriminately.
他覺得自己將這麼小小年紀的一個孩子，就拉進他這樣一個計劃里，未免有點殘酷了。
He felt it was a bit cruel for him to drag a child at such a young age into his plan.
他覺得對不住兒子。
He felt regretful towards his son.
但他現在除了用大手去撫慰兒子，也別無他法。
But then other than comforting his son by stroking him with his big hands, there was really nothing he could do.
他對杜小康說：「明年春天之前就回家，柳樹還沒有發芽時就回家……」
He said to Du Xiaokang: 「Next year before spring and budding of willows, we will go home.」
他甚至向兒子保證，「我要讓你讀書，無憂無慮地讀書……」
He even promised his son: 「I will let you study without a worry in the world….」
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後來，父子倆都在心裡清楚了這一點：他們已根本不可能迴避孤獨了。
Afterwards, both father and son had made peace with reality that they could not avoid loneliness.
這樣反而好了。
Things had gone better this way.
時間一久，再面對天空一片浮雲，再面對這浩浩蕩蕩的蘆葦，再面對這一縷炊煙，就不再忽然地恐慌起來。
As time lingered on, they were no longer apprehensive about facing nothing but drifting clouds in the sky, massive reeds in marshland, and wisps of cooking-smoke in the shack.
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鴨子在這裡長得飛快。很快就有了成年鴨子的樣子。
Ducks grew with amazing speed, and before long they looked fully grown.
當它們全部浮在水面上時，居然已經是一大片了。
They covered a large area when they were floating on water surface.
杜小康註定了要在這裡接受磨難。而磨難他的，正是這些由他和父親精心照料而長得如此肥碩的鴨子。
Du Xiaokang was destined to be toughened up there, and what had been toughening him up were those big and fat ducks which his father had taken so much care into looking after.
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那天，是他們離家以來所遇到的一個最惡劣的天氣。
One day the weather was the worst since they left home.
一早上，天就陰沉下來。天黑，河水也黑，蘆葦成了一片黑海。杜小康甚至覺得風也是黑的。
Early in the morning the sky was overcast and everything turned dark—the sky, the river, the reeds, and even the wind felt by Du Xiaokang.
臨近中午時，雷聲已如萬輛戰車從天邊滾動過來，
When midday approached, rumbling thunder, like tenths of thousands of charging war chariots, rolled towards their direction from edge of the sky.
過不一會，暴風雨就歇斯底里地開始了，
Before long, torrential storm started hysterically.
頓時，天昏地暗，彷彿世界已到了末日。
Suddenly the sky and earth turned pitch dark as if the end of the world had descended.
四下里，一片呼呼的風聲和千萬支蘆葦被風撅斷的咔嚓聲。
All around, the air was filled with sounds of screeching wind and snapping reeds.
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鴨欄忽然被風吹開了，
All of a sudden, the duck coop was blown open by the wind.
等父子倆一起撲上去，企圖修復它時，一陣旋風，幾乎將鴨欄卷到了天上。
When father and son rushed up in an attempt to repair it, a whirlwind almost took the duck coop up the sky in a spiral.
杜雍和大叫了一聲「我的鴨子」，幾乎暈倒在地上。
Du Yonghuo screamed out loud: 「Oh my ducks,」 and almost fainted.
因為他看到，鴨群被分成了無數股，一下子就在他眼前消失了。
In front of his very eyes he saw the ducks were separated into many groups by the wind and disappeared in a flash.
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杜小康忘記了父親，朝一股鴨子追去。
Du Xiaokang ignored his father and chased after a group of ducks.
這股鴨子大概有六七十隻。它們在轟隆隆的雷聲中，倉皇逃竄著。
There were sixty to seventy fowls in the group and they were scrambling around to escape amid booming thunder sounds.
他緊緊地跟隨著它們。他不停地用手撥著眼前的蘆葦。
He followed them closely while brushing aside the reeds as he went.
即使這樣，臉還是一次又一次地被蘆葦葉割破了。
Even so, his face was cut by reed-blades times and times again.
他感到腳鑽心地疼痛。他顧不得去察看一下。
At a sole, he felt a sharp pain but he didn』t bother to check.
他知道，這是頭年的蘆葦舊茬兒戳破了他的腳。
He knew it was an old wound to his foot impaled by reeds last year.
他一邊追，一邊呼喚著他的鴨子。
He was calling for his ducks while he was chasing.
然而這群平時很溫順的小東西，今天卻都瘋了一樣，只顧沒頭沒腦的亂竄。
But on this day, these normally tame little things were running around like crazy as if they were chickens without their heads.
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到暴風雨將歇時，還有十幾隻鴨沒被找回來。
Shortly before the storm blew over, there were still over ten ducks missing.
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杜雍和望著兒子一臉的傷痕和烏得發紫的雙唇，說：「你進窩棚里歇一會，
Du Yonghuo, at seeing his son』s scratched-up face and purple lips, said: 「You go inside the shack to take a rest.
我去找。」
Let me go and find them.」
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杜小康搖搖頭：「還是分頭去找吧。」
Du Xiaokang shook his head and said: 「Let』s break up to look for them.」
說完，就又走了。
Then he took off.
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天黑了。空手回到窩棚的杜雍和沒有見到杜小康，
When night fell, Du Yonghuo came back to the shack empty-handed but couldn』t find Du Xiaokang.
他就大聲叫起來。
He shouted for his son.
但除了雨後的寂靜之外，沒有任何回應。
Other than silence after rain, there was no response.
他就朝杜小康走去的方向，尋找過去。
He went toward the direction where Du Xiaokang was heading to look for him.
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杜小康找到了那十幾隻鴨，但在蘆盪里迷路了。
Du Xiaokang found those ten and some odd ducks but couldn』t find his way out in the reed marshland.
一樣的蘆葦，一樣重重疊疊無邊無際。
All those reeds looked the same and the reach of layers and layers of them seemed boundless.
鴨們東鑽西鑽，不一會工夫就使他失去了方向。
The ducks were running all over the place and it didn』t take long for him to lose his direction.
眼見著天黑了。他停住了，大聲地呼喊著父親。
When the sky turned dark, he stopped and shouted out loud for his father.
就像父親聽不到他的回應一樣，他也聽到父親的回應。
He couldn』t hear a response, just like his father couldn』t hear his response.
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杜小康突然感到他累極了，
Suddenly Du Xiaokang felt dead tired.
將一些蘆葦踩倒，躺了下來。
He stomped some reeds flat and lay down.
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那十幾隻受了驚的鴨，居然寸步不離地挨著主人蹲了下來。
Those ten and some odd shaken-up ducks surprisingly crouched down and snuggled right up to their master.
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杜小康聞到了一股鴨身上的羽絨氣味。
Du Xiaokang could smell scent of the duck』s down.
他把頭歪過去，幾乎把臉埋進了一隻鴨的蓬鬆的羽毛里。
He turned his head aside and almost buried his face into the fluffed up feather of a duck.
他哭了起來，但並不是悲哀。他說不明白自己為什麼想哭。
He cried, not from sadness, but for reasons which even he could not explain.
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雨後天青，天空比任何一個夜晚都要明亮。
The sky cleared up after the rain and it was brighter than any other nights.
杜小康長這麼大，還從未見過藍成這樣的天空。而月亮又是那麼明亮。
In all his years, Du Xiaokang had never seen such a blue sky and bright moon.
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杜小康順手摳了幾根白嫩的蘆葦根，在嘴裡嚼著，
He dug up a few strands of white, tender reed-roots right next to him and chewed them in his mouth.
望著謁鄉的天空，心裡不免又想起母親，想起桑桑和許多油麻地的孩子。
In looking at the sky which reminded him of his hometown, he couldn』t help but thought about his mother, his friend Sangsang and many other kids in You Ma Di.
但他沒有哭。
He did not cry.
他覺得自己突然地長大了，堅強了。
Suddenly he felt he had matured and toughened up.
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第二天早晨，杜雍和找到了杜小康。當時杜小康正在蘆葦上靜靜地躺著。
The next morning Du Yonghuo found Du Xiaokang lying quietly on reeds.
不知是因為太困了，還是因為他又餓又累堅持不住了，杜雍和居然沒有能夠將他叫醒。
Whether the boy was overly exhausted, or had collapsed from hunger and fatigue, Du Yonghuo actually could not wake him up.
杜雍和背起了疲軟的兒子，朝窩棚方向走去。
The father carried the limp body of his son on his back and headed towards the direction of the shack.
杜小康的一隻腳板底，還在一滴一滴地流血，血滴在草上，滴在父親的腳印里，也滴在跟在他們身後的那群鴨的羽毛上……
The bottom of a Du Xiaokang』s foot was still dripping blood—on the grass, on his father』s footprints, and on feather of the flock of ducks following them.
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鴨們也長大了，長成了真正的鴨。
The ducks had grown up and become honest-to-goodness ducks.
它們的羽毛開始變得鮮亮，並且變得稠密，一滴水也不能潑進了。
Their feathers were shiny and densely waterproof.
公鴨們變得更加漂亮，
The drakes looked increasingly handsome.
深淺不一樣的藍羽、紫羽，在陽光下猶如軟緞一樣閃閃發光。
Their blue and purple feathers of various shades glittered under the sun like satin.
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八月的一天早晨，杜小康打開鴨欄，讓鴨們走到水中時，
One morning in August, Du Xiaokang opened the gate of the duck coop to let the ducks out into the water.
他突然在草里看到了一顆白色的東西，
Suddenly he saw a white object in the grass.
他驚喜地跑過去撿起，然後朝窩棚大叫：「蛋！爸！
In surprise he picked it up and shouted to the shack: 「Egg, Dad.
鴨蛋！
It』s a duck』s egg.
鴨下蛋了！」
A duck has laid an egg.」
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杜雍和從兒子手中接過還有點溫熱的蛋，嘴裡不住地說：「下蛋了，
Du Yonghuo took the slightly warm egg from his son』s hand and said repeatedly: 「Egg』s been laid.
下蛋了……」
Egg』s been laid.」
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