那些无法抗拒的名篇14:The House on Mango Street 芒果街上的小屋(节选)
14 芒果街上的小屋
Hairs
头发
Everybody in our family has different hair. My Papa’s hair is like a broom, all up in the air. And me, my hair is lazy. It never obeys barrettes or bands. Carlos' hair is thick and straight. He doesn't need to comb it. Nenny's hair is slippery一slides out of your hand. And Kiki, who is the youngest, has hair tike fur.
我们家里每个人的头发都不一样。爸爸的头发像扫把，根根直立往上插。而我，我的头发挺懒惰。它从来不听发夹和发带的话。卡洛斯的头发又直又厚。他不用梳头。蕾妮的头发滑滑的—会从你手里溜走。还有奇奇，他最小，茸茸的头发像毛皮。
But my mother's hair, my mother's hair, like little rosettes,like little candy circles all curly and pretty because she pinned it in pincurls all day, sweet to put your nose into when she is holding you, holding you and you feel safe, is the warm smell of bread before you bake it, is the smell when she makes room for you on her side of the bed still warm with her skin, and you sleep near her, the rain outside falling and Papa snoring. The snoring, the rain, and Mama's hair that smells like bread.
只有妈妈的头发，妈妈的头发，好像一朵朵小小的玫瑰花结，一枚枚小小的糖果圈儿，全都那么卷曲，那么漂亮，因为她成天给它们上发卷。当她搂你时，把鼻子伸进去闻一闻吧，这时，你觉得是那么的安全，闻到的气味又那么香甜。是那种待烤的面包暖暖的香味，是那种她给你让出一角被窝时，和着体温散发的芬芳。你睡在她身旁，外面下着雨，爸爸打着鼾。哦，鼾声、雨声，还有妈妈那闻起来像面包的头发。
Darius & the Clouds
大流士和云
You can never have too much sky. You can fall asleep and wake up drunk on sky, and sky can keep you safe when you are sad. Here there is too much sadness and not enough sky. Butterflies too are few and so are flowers and most things that are beautiful. Still, we take what we can get and make the best of it.
你永远不能拥有太多的天空。你可以在天空下睡去，醒来又沉醉。在你忧伤的时候，天空会给你安慰。可是忧伤太多，天空不够，蝴蝶也不够，花儿也不够，大多数美的东西都不够。于是，我们取我们所能取，好好地享用。
Darius, who doesn't like school, who is sometimes stupid and mostly a fool, said something wise today, though most days he says nothing. Darius, who chases girls with firecrackers or a stick that touched a rat and thinks he's tough, today pointed up because the world was full of clouds, the kind like pillows.
大流士，不喜欢上学的他，有时很傻，几乎是个笨人，今天却说了一句聪明的话，虽然大多数日子他什么都不说。大流士，喜欢用爆竹，用碰过老鼠的小棍子去追逐女孩，自以为很了不起的他，今天却指着天空，因为那里有满天的云朵，样子像枕头的云朵。
You all see that cloud, that fat one there? Darius said, See that? Where? That one next to the one that look like popcorn. That one there. See that. That's God, Darius said. God? somebody little asked. God,he said, and made it simple.
你们都看到那朵云了吗，那朵胖乎乎的云?大流士说，看到了吗?哪里?那朵看起来像爆米花的旁边的那朵。那边那朵。看，那是上帝。大流士说。上帝?有个小点的问道。上帝。他说。简洁地说。
Four Skinny Trees
四棵细瘦的树
They are the only ones who understand me. I am the only one who understands them. Four skinny trees with skinny necks and pointy elbows like mine. Four who do not belong here but are here. Four raggedy excuses planted by the city. From our room we can hear them, but Nenny just sleeps and doesn’t appreciate these things.
它们是唯一能够懂我的。我是唯一懂得它们的人。四棵跟我一样有着细手肘的树。不属于这里但到了这里的四棵树。市政栽下这四棵残次树，只是用来充数的。从我的房间里我们可以听到它们的声音，可蕾妮只是睡觉，不能领略这些。
Their strength is secret. They send ferocious roots beneath the ground. They grow up and they grow down and grab the earth between their hairy toes and bite the sky with violent teeth and never quit their anger. This is how they keep. Let one forget his reason for being, they'd all droop like tulips in a glass, each with their arms around the other. Keep, keep, keep, trees say when I sleep. They teach.
它们的力量是个秘密，它们在地底下猛烈地生根，它们往下往上长，用头发一样的脚趾紧攘泥土，用牙齿粗暴地嘶哑天空，怒气从不懈怠。这就是它们坚持的方式。假如有一棵忘记了它存在的理由，创门就全都会像玻璃瓶里的郁金香一样聋拉下来，手挽着手。坚持，坚持，坚持。树儿在我睡着的时候说，它们教会我。
When I am too sad and too skinny to keep keeping, when I am a tiny thing against so many bricks, then it is I look at trees. When there is nothing left to look at on this street. Four who grew despite concrete. Four who reach and do not forget to reach. Four whose only reason is to be and be.
当我太悲伤、太瘦弱，无法坚持再坚持的时候，当我如此渺小却要对抗这么多砖块的时候，当街上没有别的东西可看的时候，我就会看着树儿。这四棵不畏混凝土而生长的树，从不忘记伸展的四棵树。唯一的理由是存在的四棵树。
作者介绍：
桑德拉·希斯内罗丝，1954年生，当代美国著名女诗人，30岁时凭借《芒果街上的小屋》一书成名。另著有短篇故事集《喊女溪及其他》和诗集若干。
《芒果街上的小屋》由几十个短篇组成，一个短篇讲述了一个人、一件事、一个梦想、几朵云，几棵树、几种感觉，语言清澈如流水，点缀着零落的韵脚和新奇的譬喻。所有的讲述都归于一个叙述中心:居住在芝加哥拉美移民社区芒果街上的女孩埃斯佩朗莎(埃斯佩朗莎，是西班牙语里的希望)。生就对弱的同情心和对美的感觉力，她用清澈的双眼打量周围的世界，用美丽稚嫩的语言讲述成长，讲述沧桑，讲述生命的美好与不易。
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