雙語故事連載:沉默的歌手 The Mute Singer(下篇)

　No one ever saw the Mute Singer at night. Nobody even knew where he slept. But during the day he could be found at the same place, sitting near the church and playing his guitar while his lips moved silently with the music.
從未有人在晚上看見過沉默的歌手，沒人知道他睡在哪裏。但是白天，總能在同樣的地方看到他，他坐在教堂附近，彈着吉他，嘴脣隨着音樂張合。

Everybody liked the Mute Singer-the peasants as much as the beggars. People threw their pennies into the cups of the beggars sitting on the ground, asking for help. But not so with the Mute Singer. Into his cup, they dropped their pennies gently. He used the shell of a turtle as a cup. He got much more money than the others, but this did not trouble any of the beggars.
大家都喜歡沉默的歌手——農民們和乞丐都喜歡他。人們將錢扔進那些坐在地上乞求幫助的乞丐的罐中。但對沉默的歌手不是這樣，他們總是輕輕地將錢放進去。他把龜殼當作罐，他得的錢總是比其他人多，但這並不影響到其他乞丐。

At the end of the day, the beggars crowded around the Mute Singer in front of the church. He took a clean white handkerchief from the pocket of his old coat, and put it smoothly on the ground. He made it seem like a religious ceremony. Then he put all his money on the clean white cloth, he made all the beggars an equal share of the money but kept nothing for himself.
在一天結束的時候，乞丐圍在站在教堂前的“沉默的歌手”身旁，他從舊衣服中掏出一條白手帕，輕輕地放到地面。放佛在進行着某種宗教儀式。他將討來的錢放在感情的白布上，將錢均分給其他乞丐，但自己卻不要一分錢。

Sadly, he looked around at the beggars, covered with dirt and disease. The sun was sinking fast and the peasants had all left the church area. The Mute Singer lowered his head and started to pray; the beggars were on their knees, joining him in prayer.
他難過地看着周圍的乞丐，他們身上滿是泥土，都身患疾病。太陽西沉，農民們都已經離開了教堂。沉默的歌手低下頭開始祈禱，乞丐們也跪下來一起祈禱。

Then the Mute Singer began to play his guitar, moving his lips with the music. The beggars sat still and listened. The music cut deep into their hearts. It cut through their years of pain and suffering and loss of hope. It made them feel human again. Many of them cried, and with dried old hands wiped away their tears.
沉默的歌手開始談起吉他，嘴脣隨着音樂張合。乞丐們靜靜地坐着，傾聽。音樂觸及到他們的心靈。穿過多年的痛苦和希望的喪失。音樂使乞丐們再次感覺到自己是人。很多人哭了，用蒼老的手抹去眼淚。

I heard a beggar say the Mute Singer was not a human being, but God dressed as a beggar. "If that is true," another answered, "he would not come as a beggar, but as a priest..."
我聽說有個乞丐說“沉默的歌手”不是人而是喬裝的上帝，“如果這是真的”，另一個乞丐說“他不應該是乞丐，而應試神父……”

One day, hundreds of new peasants entered the city. They were welcomed at the church by its religious leaders who dropped water on their heads and blessed them. Religious singing and church bells felled the air, as did the cried of the beggars asking for help.
一天，很多新農民來到城裏，他們來到教堂接受洗禮和賜福。教堂的歌聲和鐘聲瀰漫在空氣中，乞丐乞求幫助的聲音也充斥在空氣中。

As the peasants came out of the church, the Mute Singer began to play. The peasants crowded around him and dropped pennies into his cup. Suddenly, his fingers hit the wrong strings. He threw his arms into the air. His guitar fell to the ground and broke. One of the beggars caught the Mute Singer as he fell and held his beautiful head on his knees.
當農民們從教堂裏出來的時候，沉默的歌手開始彈奏。農民們聚攏在他的周圍，將錢扔進罐中。土人，他的手指彈錯了弦。他撲倒了，吉他落到地上碎了。有個乞丐在他摔倒的時候接住了他，將他的頭放在膝蓋上。

We carried him into my mother's empty barn and put him down gently. I held his hand and he slept a little, then opened his eyes and smiled weakly. He looked like a lost child.
我們將他擡進我媽媽的空谷倉中，輕輕將他放下。我握住他的手，他小睡了一會兒，然後睜開眼睛，虛弱地笑了小。他看上去就像走失的孩子。

The Mute Singer pointed to his chest and made the sign of the cross. A beggar said, "He wants me to give him the last rites. Can you get me a piece of bread?"
沉默的歌手指着胸膛，做了個交叉的手勢。有個乞丐說道“他想讓我給他進行最後的儀式。你能給我片面包嗎？”

"But you are not a priest," I said.
“但你不是神父，”我說道。

"This is something any man would be glad to do for him it is an emergency. But I am dirty, my clothes are dirty. Hurry, get some bread and a white shirt."
“這是每個人都樂意爲他做的時，事情緊急。但是我很髒，我的衣服也很髒,快點，拿點麪包和一件白色的法衣”

I ran out and got some bread. Next to my house was a synagogue, and in the dark I saw the rabbi's finest white shirt hanging to be dried. I took the shirt and hurried to the side of the dying Mute Singer.
我跑了出去，去拿了些麪包。挨着我房子的是猶太教會堂，黑暗中我看到教士最好的白色法衣掛在哪裏晾乾。我拿起法衣，飛奔到奄奄一息的“沉默的歌手”身旁。

The beggar put on the white shirt, and gave me a candle to hold. Then he got down close to the Mute Singer and said:
乞丐穿上白色法衣，給我一隻蠟燭讓我握着。然後他來到歌手近前說道：

"Hear me, my brother! Open your eyes if you can, so that you may see the sign of the cross made over you. Here is your Last Communion, a beggar's Communion of black bread."
“聽我說，我的兄弟！如果你能就請睜開雙眼，那樣你就能看到爲你而造的十字架。這是你的最後聖餐，一個乞丐的黑麪包聖餐。

The dying man looked at the beggar, smiled weakly and left us forever....
奄奄一息的歌手看了看乞丐，虛弱地笑了笑，永遠地離開了我們。

That night I had very strange dreams. In one dream, I saw something white moving slowly toward me. It was like a flog. But when it got very close it changed into the shape of a man. It was the Mute Singer still holding his guitar. Then two angles floated out of the dark into my dream: they fell to their knees before the Mute Singer, kissing his hands while he gently touched their heads. It was like what I had often seen in old religious paintings.
那天晚上我做了個奇怪的夢。在夢裏，我看見有個白色的東西緩緩向我移動，看上去像只青蛙。但當它走到近前是，它變成了人性。原來是沉默的歌手，他依然拿着吉他。兩個甜食從黑暗中進入到我的夢裏，他們在沉默的歌手前跪到，親吻着他的手，而歌手輕輕地摸着他們的頭。就像我在古老的教堂油畫裏看到的一樣。

I slept badly. I felt something heavy, and it was hurting me. I awoke and saw that I was holding too hard against my chest, the shell of a turtle. It was the turtle shell which the Mute Singer used as a beggar's cup for money. He gave it to me while he lay dying.
我睡得很沉。我感到有個沉東西，它弄疼了我。我醒來，看到我貼近胸膛緊緊握着龜殼。那是沉默的歌手用來討錢的罐子。當他奄奄一息時，他將那給了我。