英語故事:蜘蛛之絲 The Spider's Thread (下)

Kandata was floating and sinking along with the other sinners in the Lake of Blood at the bottom of Hell. It was pitch black no matter which way he looked, and the occasional glimpse of light that he would see in the darkness would turn out to be just the glint of the terrible Mountain of Needles. How lonely he must have felt! All about him was the silence of the grave, the only occasional sound being a faint sigh from one of the damned. Those who were so evil as to be sent to this place were tired by its various torments, and left without even the strength to cry out. Even the great thief Kandata could only squirm like a dying frog as he choked in the Lake of Blood.

這邊廂犍陀多正和其他罪人，在地獄底層的血池裏載沉載浮。不論朝哪兒望去，處處都是黑魆魆暗幽幽的，偶爾影影綽綽，暗中懸浮着什麼，原來是陰森可怕的刀山劍樹，讓人看了膽戰心驚。尤其是四周一片死寂，如在墓中。間或聽到的，也僅是罪人懨懨的嘆息聲。凡落到這一步的人，都已受盡地獄的折磨，衰憊不堪，恐怕連哭出聲的氣力都沒有了。所以，恁是大盜犍陀多，也像只瀕死的青蛙，在血池裏，惟有一面嚥着血水，一面苦苦掙扎而已。

But one day, raising up his head and glancing at the sky above the lake, in the empty darkness Kandata saw a silver spider's thread being lowered from the ceiling so far, far away. The thread seemed almost afraid to be seen, emitting a frail, constant light as it came down to just above Kandata's head. Seeing this, Kandata couldn't help but clap his hands in joy. If he were to cling to this thread and climb up it, he may be able to climb out of Hell! Perhaps he could even climb all the way to Paradise! Then he would never be chased up the Mountain of Needles, nor drowned in the Lake of Blood again.

偶然間，犍陀多無心一擡頭，向血池上空望去，在闃然無聲的黑暗中，但見一縷銀色的蛛絲，正從天而降。彷彿怕人看到似的，細細一線，微光閃爍，恰在自己頭上筆直垂落下來。犍陀多一見，喜不自勝，拍手稱快。倘抓住蜘蛛絲，攀援而上，準保能脫離苦海。不特此也，僥倖的話，興許還能爬進極樂世界哩。如此，再不會驅之上刀山，也庶免沉淪血池之苦了。

Thinking so, he firmly grasped the spider's thread with both hands and began to climb the thread, higher and higher. Having once been a great thief, he was used to tasks such as this. But the distance between Hell and Paradise is tens of thousands of miles, and so it would seem that no amount of effort would make this an easy journey. After climbing for some time Kandata tired, and couldn't climb a bit higher. Having no other recourse, he hung there from the thread, resting, and while doing so looked down below.

這樣一想，犍陀多趕緊伸出雙手，死死攥住蛛絲，一把一把，拼命往上攀去。原本是大盜，手並足抵，區區小事一樁而已。可是，地獄與淨土之間，何止千萬裏！不論犍陀多怎樣心焦氣躁，要想爬出地獄，真談何容易。爬了一程，終於筋疲力盡，哪怕伸手往上再升一級，也難以爲役了。一籌莫展之下，只好住手，先歇會兒喘口氣，便吊在蛛絲上，懸在半空中，一面放眼向下望去。

He saw that he had made a good deal of progress. The Lake of Blood that he had been trapped in was now hidden in the dark below, and he had even climbed higher than the dimly glowing Mountain of Needles. If he could keep up this pace, perhaps he could escape from Hell after all. Kandata grasped the thread with both hands, and laughingly spoke in a voice that he hadn't used in the many years since he had come here, "I've done it! I've done it!"

方纔是不顧死活往上攀，總算沒白費力氣，片刻前自己還沉淪在內的血池，不知何時，竟已隱沒在黑暗的地底。那寒光閃閃，令人毛骨悚然的刀山劍樹，也已在自己腳下。如果一直這樣往上爬，要逃出地獄，也許並非難事。犍陀多將兩手繞在蛛絲上，開懷大笑起來：“這下好啦！我得救啦！”那吼聲，自打落進地獄以來多年不曾得聞的。

Looking down, however, what did he see but an endless queue of sinners, intently following him up the thread like a line of ants! Seeing this, surprise and fear kept Kandata hanging there for a time with mouth open and eyes blinking like a fool. How could this slender spider's web, which should break even under just his weight, support the weight of all these other people? If the thread were to snap, all of his effort would be wasted and he would fall back into Hell with the others! That just would not do. But even as he thought these thoughts, hundreds more, thousands more of the damned came crawling up from the Lake of Blood, forming a line and scurrying up the thread. If he didn't do something fast, surely the thread would snap in the middle and he would fall back down.

可是，他留神一看，蛛絲的下端，有數不清的罪人，簡直像一行螞蟻，跟在自己後面，正一意在攀登上來。見此情景，犍陀多又驚又怕，有好一忽兒傻不愣登張着嘴，眨巴着眼睛。這樣細細一根蜘蛛絲，負擔自家一人尚且發發可危，那麼多人的重量，怎禁受得住？萬一半中間斷掉，就連好傢伙我，千辛萬苦才爬到這裏，豈不也要一頭朝下，重新掉進地獄裏去麼？那一來，可乖乖不得了！這工夫，成百上千的罪人蠢蠢欲動，從黑洞洞的血池底下爬將上來，一字兒沿着發出一縷細光的蜘蛛絲，不暇少停，拼命向上爬。不趁早想辦法，蛛絲就會一斷二截，自己勢必又該掉進地獄去了。

Kandata shouted out, "Hey! You sinners! This thread is mine! Who said you could climb up it? Get off! Get off!"

於是，犍陀多暴喝一聲：“嘿，你們這幫罪人，這根蛛絲可是咱家我的！誰讓你們爬上來的？快滾下去！滾下去！”

Though the thread had been fine until just then, with these words it snapped with a twang right where Kandata held it. Poor Kandata fell headfirst through the air, spinning like a top, right down through the darkness. The severed end of the silver thread hung there, suspended from heaven, shining with its pale light in that moonless, starless sky.

說時遲，那時快，方纔還好端端的蜘蛛絲，竟噗哧一聲，從吊着犍陀多的地方突然斷裂。這回有他好受的了。霎時間，犍陀多像個陀螺，滴溜溜翻滾着，唆地一頭栽進黑暗的深淵。此時，惟有極樂淨土的蜘蛛絲，依然細細的，閃着一縷銀光，半短不長的，飄垂在沒有星月的半空中。

The Buddha stood in Paradise at the edge of the lotus pond, silently watching these events. After Kandata sank like a stone to the bottom of the Lake of Blood, he continued his stroll with a sad face. He must have been surprised that even after such severe punishment Kandata's lack of compassion would lead him right back into Hell.

佛世尊佇立在寶蓮池畔，始終凝視着事情的經過。當犍陀多倏忽之間便石頭般沉入血池之底，世尊面露悲憫之色，又重新踱起步來。犍陀多隻顧自己脫離苦海，毫無慈悲心腸，於是受到應得的報應，又落進原先的地獄。在世尊眼裏，想必那作爲是過於卑劣了。

Yet the lotus blossoms in the lotus ponds of Paradise care nothing about such matters. Their jewel-like white flowers waved about the feet of the Buddha, and each flower's golden center continuously filled the place with their indescribably wondrous fragrance. It was almost noon in Paradise.

不過，極樂蓮池裏的蓮花，並不理會這等事。那晶白如玉的花朵，掀動着花萼在世尊足畔款擺，花心之中金蕊送香，其香勝妙殊絕，普薰十方。極樂世界大約已近正午時分。

(16 April 1918)

（一九一八年四月） 艾蓮 譯