諾貝爾文學經典:《寵兒》第14章Part9

"Remember Aunt Phyllis? From out by Minnoveville? Mr. Garner sent one a you all to get her foreach and every one of my babies. That'd be the only time I saw her. Many's the time I wanted toget over to where she was. Just to talk. My plan was to ask Mrs. Garner to let me off atMinnowville whilst she went to meeting. Pick me up on her way back. I believe she would a donethat if I was to ask her. I never did, 'cause that's the only day Halle and me had with sunlight in itfor the both of us to see each other by. So there wasn't nobody. To talk to, I mean, who'd knowwhen it was time to chew up a little something and give it to em. Is that what make the teeth comeon out, or should you wait till the teeth came and then solid food? Well, I know now, becauseBaby Suggs fed her right, and a week later, when I got here she was crawling already. No stoppingher either. She loved those steps so much we painted them so she could see her way to the top."Sethe smiled then, at the memory of it. The smile broke in two and becamea sudden suck of air,but she did not shudder or close her eyes. She wheeled.
"I wish I'd a known more, but, like I say, there wasn't nobody to talk to. Woman, I mean. So I triedto recollect what I'd seen back where I was before Sweet Home. How the women did there. Ohthey knew all about it. How to make that thing you use to hang the babies in the trees — so youcould see them out of harm's way while you worked the fields. Was a leaf thing too they gave emto chew on. Mint, I believe, or sassafras. Comfrey, maybe. I still don't know how they constructedthat basket thing, but I didn't need it anyway, because all my work was in the barn and the house,but I forgot what the leaf was. I could have used that. I tied Buglar when we had all that pork tosmoke. Fire everywhere and he was getting into everything. I liked to lost him so many times. Once he got up on the well, right on it. I flew. Snatched him just in time. So when I knew we'd berendering and smoking and I couldn't see after him, well, I got a rope and tied it round his ankle. Just long enough to play round a little, but not long enough to reach the well or the fire. I didn'tlike the look of it, but I didn't know what else to do. It's hard, you know what I mean? by yourselfand no woman to help you get through. Halle was good, but he was debt-working all over theplace. And when he did get down to a little sleep, I didn't want to be bothering him with all that.
Sixo was the biggest help. I don't spect you rememory this, but Howard got in the milk parlor and Red Cora I believe it was mashed his hand. Turned his thumb backwards. When I got to him, shewas getting ready to bite it. I don't know to this day how I got him out. Sixo heard him screamingand come running. Know what he did? Turned the thumb right back and tied it cross his palm tohis little finger. See, I never would have thought of that. Never. Taught me a lot, Sixo."

"記得菲莉絲大媽麼？從米諾村來的那個？每一回我生孩子，加納先生都派你們去請她來幫我。只有那時候我才能見到她。有好多回，我都想到她那兒去一趟。就去說說話。我本來打算去求加納太太，讓她去做禮拜的時候在米諾村放下我。回家的路上再接我。我相信，要是求她她會答應的。我從來沒問過，因爲只有那天黑爾和我才能在陽光底下看見對方。所以再沒有什麼人了。能去說說話的，我是說，誰能知道我什麼時候該開始嚼點東西喂他們。是因爲嚼東西才長牙呢，還是應該等牙長出來再喂乾糧？唉，現在我明白了，因爲貝比·薩格斯喂她喂得特別好，一個星期之後，我到這裏的時候，她已經在爬了。攔都攔不住。她那麼喜歡那些樓梯磴，於是我們塗上油漆，好讓她看着自己一路爬到頂。" 回想起那件事，塞絲笑了。微笑戛然而止，變成猛的一抽氣，可她沒哆嗦也沒閉眼睛。她轉着圈子。
"我希望多知道些，可是，我說了，那地方沒有個能說說話的人。女人，我是說。所以我試着回憶我在-甜蜜之家-以前見過的。想想那裏的女人是怎麼做的。噢她們什麼都懂。怎麼做那種把娃娃吊在樹上的東西——這樣，你在田裏幹活兒的時候，就會看到他們沒有危險。她們還給過他們一種樹葉讓他們嚼。薄荷，我想是，要麼就是黃樟。也可能是雛菊。我至今還是不明白她們怎麼編的那種籃子，幸虧我用不着它，因爲我所有的活兒都在倉庫和房子裏，不過我忘了那種葉子是什麼。我本來可以用那個的。我們要薰好多豬肉時，我就把巴格勒拴起來。到處都是火，他又什麼地方都去。有好多回我差點兒丟了他。有一回他爬到井上，正好在井口上。我躥了過去，剛好及時抓住了他。於是我明白了，我們在熬豬油、薰豬肉的時候不能看着他，沒法子，我就拿一根繩子拴住他的腳脖子。繩子的長度只夠在周圍玩玩的，可是挨不到井架或是爐火。我並不喜歡他那個樣子，可我沒有別的辦法。挺糟心的，你明白我的意思吧？全靠你自己，沒有別的女人幫你熬過去。黑爾好是好，可他還到處有還債的活兒要幹。他好不容易停下來睡一會兒的時候，我不想用那些爛事打擾他。
西克索可幫了我大忙。我估計你記不得這個了，可是那回霍華德進了牛奶房，肯定是紅科拉①踩壞了他的手，把他的大拇指扭到了後面。我趕到的時候，它正要咬他呢。我至今不知道我是怎麼把他弄出來的。西克索聽見他的尖叫聲就跑過來了。知道他是怎麼弄的嗎？一下子就把他的大拇指掰了回來，在手掌上把它和小拇指綁到了一起。你瞧，我怎麼也不會想到那個法子。怎麼也想不到。教了我好多東西呢，西克索。"