諾貝爾文學經典:《寵兒》第1章Part 19

Sethe started to turn over on her stomach but changed her mind. She did not want to call Paul D'sattention back to her, so she settled for crossing her ankles.
But Paul D noticed the movement as well as the change in her breathing. He felt obliged to tryagain, slower this time, but the appetite was gone. Actually it was a good feeling — not wantingher. Twenty-five years and blip! The kind of thing Sixo would do — like the time he arranged ameeting with Patsy the Thirty-Mile Woman. It took three months and two thirty-four-mile roundtrips to do it. To persuade her to walk one-third of the way toward him, to a place he knew. Adeserted stone structure that Redmen used way back when they thought the land was theirs. Sixodiscovered it on one of his night creeps, and asked its permission to enter. Inside, having felt whatit felt like, he asked the Redmen's Presence if he could bring his woman there. It said yes and Sixopainstakingly instructed her how to get there, exactly when to start out, how his welcoming orwarning whistles would sound. Since neither could go anywhere on business of their own, andsince the Thirty-Mile Woman was already fourteen and scheduled for somebody's arms, the dangerwas real. When he arrived, she had not. He whistled and got no answer. He went into the Redmen's deserted lodge. She was not there. He returned to the meeting spot. She was not there. He waitedlonger. She still did not come. He grew frightened for her and walked down the road in thedirection she should be coming from. Three or four miles, and he stopped. It was hopeless to go onthat way, so he stood in the wind and asked for help. Listening close for some sign, he heard awhimper. He turned toward it, waited and heard it again. Uncautious now, he hollered her name.
She answered in a voice that sounded like life to him — not death. "Not move!" he shouted.
"Breathe hard I can find you." He did. She believed she was already at the meeting place and wascrying because she thought he had not kept his promise. Now it was too Late for the rendezvous tohappen at the Redmen's house, so they dropped where they were. Later he punctured her calf tosimulate snakebite so she could use it in some way as an excuse for not being on time to shakeworms from tobacco leaves. He gave her detailed directions about following the stream as ashortcut back, and saw her off. When he got to the road it was very light and he had his clothes inhis hands. Suddenly from around a bend a wagon trundled toward him. Its driver, wide-eyed,raised a whip while the woman seated beside him covered her face. But Sixo had already meltedinto the woods before the lash could unfurl itself on his indigo behind.
He told the story to Paul F, Halle, Paul A and Paul D in the peculiar way that made them cry-laugh. Sixo went among trees at night. For dancing, he said, to keep his bloodlines open, he said.

塞絲本想翻個身趴着，臨了又改變了主意。她不想再引起保羅·D的注意，所以只把雙腳疊了起來。
但保羅·D注意到了這個動作，還有她呼吸的變化。他覺得有責任再試一遍，這回慢一點，然而慾望消失了。實際上這是一種很好的感覺———不想要她。二十五年咔嚓一下!西克索才幹得出那種事———就像那回，他安排了同“三十英里女子”帕特茜的會面。他花了整整三個月時間和兩次三十四英里路來回，去說服她朝他這邊走三分之一的路程，到一個他知道的地方。那是一座被遺棄的石頭建築，很久以前紅種人認爲這塊土地屬於他們時使用過它。西克索在他的一次夜半溜號中間發現了它，並請求它允許他進入。在裏面，他與紅種人的精靈靈犀相通，向它請示能否把他的女人帶來。它說可以。西克索就費了牛勁指導她怎麼到那兒，究竟什麼時刻出發，如何分辨他表示迎接和警告的口哨聲。由於誰都不許跑出去幹自己的事，再加上“三十英里女子”已經十四歲並且許配了人，所以危險可是真格的。他到的時候，她還沒到。他吹了口哨，卻沒有得到迴應。他走進紅種人遺棄的舊屋。她不在那兒。他回到相會的地點。她不在那兒。他又等了一會兒。她還是沒來。他越來越毛骨悚然，就沿着大路朝她該來的方向走下去。走了有三四英里路，他停下腳步。再走下去沒有什麼希望，於是他站在風中向天求助。他仔細地捕捉着信號，聽到了一聲嗚咽。他轉向它，等了一會兒，又聽見了。他不再警惕了，大叫她的名字。
她回答的聲音在他聽來彷彿生命———而非死亡。“別動!”他嚷道。
“使勁喘氣，我能找着你。”他找到了。她以爲自己已經到了那個相會的地點，正在爲他的失信而哭泣呢。這時候再去紅種人的房子裏幽會已經來不及了，於是他們就地倒下。事後，他刺傷她的小腿以冒充蛇咬，這樣她沒有準時去給菸葉打蟲子就有了藉口。他詳細地指導她沿小溪抄近路回去，並目送她消失。上路的時候天已大亮，他把衣服拿在手裏。突然，一輛大車從轉彎處向他隆隆駛來。趕車的怒目圓睜，舉起鞭子；坐在他身旁的女人一下子捂住了臉。可是鞭梢還沒抽上西克索靛青的屁股，他早已溶進了樹林。
他以獨特的方式把故事講給保羅·F、黑爾、保羅·A和保羅·D，讓他們笑出了眼淚。夜裏西克索漫步林間。是去跳舞，他說，爲了讓他的血統後繼有人，他說。