[作文50+6] No. 32: 「花開了」是誰？

「花開了」是誰？

我有幸先後得到坤泰與玉媛贈送三本書。其一是景仰名城的「北京二三事」，另兩本是坤泰以「花開了」的筆名翻譯的短篇小說：楚門˙柯波帝的「歡度生日的小孩」和瓦拉迪米˙納布可夫的「飛爾他的春天」。

其下是我節錄「歡度生日的小孩」的結尾文字與原文的對照。

Billy Bob was still in the garden picking roses; by now he had enough for a bonfire, and their smell was as heavy as wind.  Preacher stared at him until he lifted his head.  As they looked at each other the rain began again, falling fine as sea spray and colored by a rainbow.  Without a word, Preacher went over and started helping Billy Bob separate the roses into two giant bouquets: together they carried them to the curb.  Across the street there were bumblebees of talk, but when Miss Bobbit saw them, two boys whose flower-masked faces were like yellow moons, she rushed down the steps, her arms outstretched.  You could see what was going to happen; and we called out, our voices like lightning in the rain, but Miss Bobbit, running toward those moons of roses, did not seem to hear.  That is when the six-o’clock bus ran over her.

比利巴布還在花園裡摘玫瑰，這時手上已有一火炬那麼大把，香氣濃得像陣風。普利屈凝視著他，直到他把頭抬起。他們對望時，雨又開始下了，輕柔的下著，有如海面的水霧，映出一道彩虹。一句話也沒說，普利屈走向前，開始幫忙比利巴布把玫瑰拆成兩個巨大的花束：肩並肩，他們抱著它們，走到路緣。街道對面，儘是鬧哄哄如蜂窩般的講話聲，但是，當芭比小姐看到他們，看到這兩個滿臉是花、彷彿兩個黃色月亮的男孩，她衝下樓梯，張開雙臂。你可以看到即將發生什麼事：我們大聲喊叫，聲音似雨中的閃電，但是芭比小姐，飛奔向這兩個玫瑰構成的月亮，似乎並沒聽見。就在這時，六點那班巴士從她身上輾過去。

坤泰已經離世快兩年了，好人總是令人難忘。

人說與故人神遊，我喜歡一字一句，細細的比較坤泰的翻譯與原文，臆想他如何斟酌每個用字。

弔坤泰


年智 2017.11.19