諾貝爾文學經典:《寵兒》第4章Part 4
"We got a old nigger girl come by our place. She don't know nothing. Sews stuff for Mrs. Buddy— real fine lace but can't barely stick two words together. She don't know nothing, just like you.
You don't know a thing. End up dead, that's what. Not me. I'm a get to Boston and get myself somevelvet. Carmine. You don't even know about that, do you? Now you never will. Bet you nevereven sleep with the sun in your face. I did it a couple of times. Most times I'm feeding stock beforelight and don't get to sleep till way after dark comes. But I was in the back of the wagon once andfell asleep. Sleeping with the sun in your face is the best old feeling. Two times I did it. Once whenI was little. Didn't nobody bother me then. Next time, in back of the wagon, it happened again anddoggone if the chickens didn't get loose. Mr. Buddy whipped my tail.
Kentucky ain't no good placeto be in. Boston's the place to be in. That's where my mother was before she was give to Mr. Buddy. Joe Nathan said Mr. Buddy is my daddy but I don't believe that, you?"
Sethe told her she didn't believe Mr. Buddy was her daddy.
"You know your daddy, do you?"
"No," said Sethe.
"Neither me. All I know is it ain't him." She stood up then, having finished her repair work, andweaving about the lean-to, her slow-moving eyes pale in the sun that lit her hair,
she sang: "'Whenthe busy day is done And my weary little one Rocketh gently to and fro; When the night windssoftly blow, And the crickets in the glen Chirp and chirp and chirp again; Where "pon the hauntedgreen Fairies dance around their queen, Then from yonder misty skies Cometh Lady Button Eyes."
Suddenly she stopped weaving and rocking and sat down, her skinny arms wrapped around herknees, her good good hands cupping her elbows. Her slow-moving eyes stopped and peered intothe dirt at her feet. "That's my mama's song. She taught me it."
“我們那兒有一個黑鬼老太太，她啥都不懂。給巴迪太太做針線———織得一手好花邊，可是幾乎不能連着說出兩個詞兒來。她啥都不懂，跟你似的。
你一點兒事也不省。死了就拉倒了，就是那樣。我可不是。我要去波士頓給自己弄點天鵝絨。胭脂色的。你連聽都沒聽說過，對吧？你以後也不可能見到了。我敢打賭你甚至再也不會在陽光底下睡覺了。我就睡過兩回。平時我是在掌燈之前喂牲口，天黑以後好長時間才睡覺。可有一次我在大車上躺下就睡着了。在太陽底下睡覺是天底下最美的事了。我睡了兩回。第一回我還小吶。根本沒人打擾我。第二回，躺在大車上，我又睡着了，真倒黴，小雞崽要不丟纔怪呢。巴迪先生抽了我的屁股。
肯塔基不是個人待的地方。波士頓纔是人待的地方呢。我媽媽被送給巴迪先生之前就住在那兒。喬·南森說巴迪先生是我爹，可我不信，你呢？”
塞絲告訴她，她不相信巴迪先生是她爹。
“你認得你爹，對吧？”
“不認得。”塞絲答道。
“我也不認得。我只知道不是他。”幹完了修補工作後，她站起身來，開始在這間披屋裏轉來轉去。在陽光裏，她的頭髮閃亮，遲緩的眼睛變得迷離；
她唱道：忙碌的一天過去了，我的疲倦的小寶寶，搖籃裏面搖啊搖；晚風輕輕吹，幽谷裏的小蟋蟀，一刻不停吵又吵。青青草地成仙境，仙女繞着仙后把舞跳。天邊茫茫迷霧裏，釦子眼睛太太就來到。
忽然，她停止晃悠，坐下來，細胳膊摟住膝蓋，那麼好的好手抱着雙肘。她慢吞吞的目光定在腳丫裏的泥巴上。“那是我媽媽的歌兒。她教給我的。”
