雙語暢銷書《我是馬拉拉》第1章1:生死邊緣

Prologue: The Day my World Changed

序章　那一天，我的世界轟然改變

I COME FROM a country which was created at midnight. When I almost died it was just after midday.

我來自一個國家，這個國家在午夜建立。而我在生死邊緣徘徊的時刻，剛過正午。

One year ago I left my home for school and never returned. I was shot by a Taliban bullet and was flown out of Pakistan unconscious. Some people say I will never return home but I believe firmly in my heart that I will. To be torn from the country that you love is not something to wish on anyone.

一年前，我離家去學校，沒曾想，卻再也沒能回去。我被塔利班分子開槍擊中，失去意識，然後就被帶離了我的國家——巴基斯坦。有些人說我永遠都不會返回故鄉了，但我堅信，總有一天，我一定會回去的。沒有人願意離開自己心愛的祖國。

Now, every morning when I open my eyes, I long to see my old room full of my things, my clothes all over the floor and my school prizes on the shelves. Instead I am in a country which is five hours behind my beloved homeland Pakistan and my home in the Swat Valley. But my country is centuries behind this one. Here there is any convenience you can imagine. Water running from every tap, hot or cold as you wish; lights at the flick of a switch, day and night, no need for oil lamps; ovens to cook on that don’t need anyone to go and fetch gas cylinders from the bazaar. Here everything is so modern one can even find food ready cooked in packets.

現在，每天清晨，當我睜開雙眼，都期盼着能回到自己的舊房間。屋裏擺滿了我的東西，滿地都是衣服，架子上擺滿了我獲得的獎狀。而事實上，我卻身在一個離我的故鄉——巴基斯坦的斯瓦特河谷有五小時時差的國家。巴基斯坦與之相比，感覺像是落後了幾個世紀。這裏的便利條件遠超你的想象：每個水龍頭擰開，都有自來水流出，冷熱水可以自由選擇；無論白天或黑夜，只需按一按鈕，燈光亮起，不需要點油燈；有燃氣可以直接煮食物，而不用先去市場搬煤氣。這裏的一切都非常現代，甚至只要打開包裝袋，就有熟食可以吃。

When I stand in front of my window and look out, I see tall buildings, long roads full of vehicles moving in orderly lines, neat green hedges and lawns, and tidy pavements to walk on. I close my eyes and for a moment I am back in my valley – the high snow-topped mountains, green waving fields and fresh blue rivers – and my heart smiles when it looks at the people of Swat. My mind transports me back to my school and there I am reunited with my friends and teachers. I meet my best friend Moniba and we sit together, talking and joking as if I had never left.

我站在窗邊，能看到外面的高樓大廈。長長的公路上車水馬龍、井然有序。樹木和草皮都修葺得很整齊，還有平坦的人行道供路人行走。閉上眼睛，有那麼一瞬間，我彷彿回到了我的故鄉——頂峯白雪皚皚的高山、綠意盎然的原野，還有碧藍的河水。一想到斯瓦特的人民，我的心就會愉快地微笑。我彷彿又回到了學校，和我的老師和同學們在一起，和我最好的朋友莫妮巴在一起，開心地談談笑笑，彷彿從未離開過。

Then I remember I am in Birmingham, England.

然後，我猛然醒悟，我是在伯明翰，在英國。

The day when everything changed was Tuesday, 9 October 2012. It wasn’t the best of days to start with as it was the middle of school exams, though as a bookish girl I didn’t mind them as much as some of my classmates.

2012年10月9日，星期二那天發生的事情，改變了一切。那天原本要大考，對學生們來說算不上太美好的日子。但和大多數同學不一樣，我號稱“小書蟲”，感覺考試並不是什麼大事。

That morning we arrived in the narrow mud lane off Haji Baba Road in our usual procession of brightly painted rickshaws, sputtering diesel fumes, each one crammed with five or six girls. Since the time of the Taliban our school has had no sign and the ornamented brass door in a white wall across from the woodcutter’s yard gives no hint of what lies beyond.

那天早上，我們一如既往地搭着被漆得五顏六色、噴着廢氣的三輪車——每輛車上只能搭載五六個女生——來到狹窄泥濘的哈吉巴巴路。自從塔利班控制該地區以後，我們的學校不能再有任何標誌。隔着伐木場的白牆裏，銅質的大門上沒有任何裝飾，不能讓外界看出圍牆裏的狀況。

For us girls that doorway was like a magical entrance to our own special world. As we skipped through, we cast off our head-scarves like winds puffing away clouds to make way for the sun then ran helter-skelter up the steps. At the top of the steps was an open courtyard with doors to all the classrooms. We dumped our backpacks in our rooms then gathered for morning assembly under the sky, our backs to the mountains as we stood to attention. One girl commanded, ‘Assaan bash! ’ or ‘Stand at ease!’ and we clicked our heels and responded, ‘Allah.’ Then she said, ‘Hoo she yar!’ or ‘Attention!’ and we clicked our heels again. ‘Allah.’

對女孩子們來說，這道門就像是通往魔法世界的大門，引領我們去往專屬於我們自己的世界。我們依次進入後，便會揭開面紗。我們依次走上樓梯，樓梯盡頭有一個和各間教室相連的開放式庭院，我們將書包留在教室裏，然後回到庭院進行早禱。我們背對着羣山恭謹站立。一個女孩高呼：“Assaan bash！”意思是：“稍息！”我們便輕釦鞋跟，應道：“真主安拉。”接着她喊：“Hoo she yar！”也就是“注意！”我們便再次鞋跟輕釦，應答道：“真主安拉。”