諾貝爾文學經典:《寵兒》第1章Part 31

"White? Maybe it was my bedding dress. Describe it to me." "Had a high neck. Whole mess ofbuttons coming down the back.""Buttons. Well, that lets out my bedding dress. I never had a button on nothing.""Did Grandma Baby?"Sethe shook her head. "She couldn't handle them. Even on her shoes. What else?"
"A bunch at the back. On the sit-down part.""A bustle? It had a bustle?""I don't know what it's called.""Sort of gathered-like? Below the waist in the back?""Um hm.""A rich lady's dress. Silk?""Cotton, look like.""Lisle probably. White cotton lisle. You say it was holding on tome. How?""Like you. It looked just like you. Kneeling next to you whileyou were praying. Had its arm around your waist.""Well, I'll be.""What were you praying for, Ma'am?"
"Not for anything. I don't pray anymore. I just talk.""What were you talking about?""You won't understand, baby.""Yes, I will.""I was talking about time. It's so hard for me to believe in things go. Pass on. Some things just stay. I used to think it wasmy rememory. You know. Some things you forget. Other things you never do. But it's not. Places,places are still there. If a house burns down, it's gone, but the place — the picture of it — stays,and not just in my rememory, but out there, in the world. What I remember is a picture floatingaround out there outside my head. I mean, even if I don't think it, even if I die, the picture of what Idid, or knew, or saw is still out there. Right in the place where it happened." "Can other people seeit?" asked Denver.

“白的？也許是我的睡裙。給我形容一下。”“有個高領。一大堆釦子從背上扣下來。”“釦子。那麼說，不是我的睡裙。我的衣裳都不帶扣子。”“貝比奶奶有嗎？”塞絲搖搖頭。“她扣不上釦子。連鞋帶都系不上。還有什麼？”
“後面有個鼓包。在屁股上。”“裙撐？有個裙撐？”“我不知道那叫什麼。”“有點掐腰嗎？就在後腰下邊？”“呃，對。”“一個闊太太的裙子。綢子的？”“好像是棉布的。”“可能是萊爾線。白棉萊爾線。你說它摟着我？怎麼回事？”“像你。它看上去就像是你。你禱告時就跪在你旁邊。它的胳膊繞着你的腰。”“啊，我的天。”“你爲什麼禱告，太太？”
“不爲什麼。我已經不再禱告了。我只是說話。”“那你說什麼呢？”“你不會懂的，寶貝。”“不，我懂。”“我在說時間。對於我來說，時間太難以信任了。有些東西去了，一去不回頭。有些東西卻偏偏留下來。我曾經覺得那是我重現的記憶。你聽着。有些東西你會忘記。有些東西你永遠也忘不了。可是不然。地點，地點始終存在。如果一座房子燒燬，它就沒了，但是那個地點———它的模樣———留下來，不僅留在我重現的記憶裏，而且就存在着，在這世界上。我的記憶是幅畫，漂浮在我的腦海之外。我的意思是，即使我不去想它，即使我死了，關於我的所做、所知、所見的那幅畫還存在。還在它原來發生的地點。”“別人看得見嗎？”丹芙問。