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小驼背1 荷叶/译 众所周知，喀什葛尔王国位于大鞑靼边境。从前，这里住着一个裁缝和他的妻子，这对夫妻很恩爱。一天，裁缝正忙于工作。一个小驼背走过来，他坐在裁缝店门口，打起了手鼓，唱起了歌。驼背的动作很滑稽，裁缝想把他带回家，逗妻子开心。驼背同意了，裁缝关了店门，两个人一起回家。 他们到家时，发现晚饭已摆在桌子上。几分钟后，三个人就坐在了裁缝妻子亲手烹制的美味的鱼前。但是，不幸的是，驼背不慎吞下了一条大鱼刺，尽管裁缝和妻子竭尽全力想帮他，他还是在顷刻之间窒息而死。除了对可怜的驼背感到遗憾外，裁缝夫妇非常害怕。因为如果警察听到风声，这对可敬的夫妻就会因故意杀人而冒被投入监狱的危险。为了防止这种可怕的灾难发生，他俩开始想方设法把怀疑引向别人头上。最后他们决定没有比选住在附近的犹太医生做替罪羊更合适的了。于是，裁缝抓起驼背的头，他妻子抓起他的脚，把他抬到医生家。然后，开始敲门，这家门口紧挨着很陡的楼梯。很快，一个仆人出现了，她摸黑走下楼梯，问他们要干什么。 “告诉你的主人，”裁缝说：“我们带来了一个危重病人，请他医治。”他手里举着一些钱，继续说：“这些先预付给他，以免他觉得自己在浪费时间。”仆人重新爬上楼梯，去给医生送信。她刚一离开视线，裁缝夫妇就抬着尸体迅速跟上去，把它架在楼梯口，迈开大步，飞快地跑回家。 这个医生很年轻，没有多少病人。现在听说有病人，他欣喜若狂。 “拿上灯，”他吩咐仆人：“尽快跟我来！”他冲出房间，朝楼梯跑去。在楼梯口，他差点被驼背伴倒，他不知道这是什么，踢了一脚，他一下子滚到楼梯底，差点把医生也带下去。“拿灯，拿灯！”他又喊道。当拿来灯，他看明白自己做了什么后，他几乎吓呆了。 “神圣的摩西！”他大声喊道：“我为什么不等到把灯拿来呢？我杀害了他们送来的病人。如果神圣的蠢驴埃斯德拉斯不来帮忙的话，我就完了！不久，我就会被作为谋杀犯而被投入监狱。” 他虽然很烦躁，但还是很理智，没有忘记关上门，免得让别人有机会看到发生了什么。然后，他把尸体搬到妻子的房间，差点把她吓疯。 “这下我们完了！”她哀嚎道：“如果我们找不到办法把这尸体弄出去，明天太阳一出来，就无法隐藏了！你怎么会犯下如此可怕的罪行？”
“别想那些了，”医生回答道：“问题是要想出一个办法来。” 有很长一段时间，他俩都在思索逃脱的办法，却一筹莫展。最后医生放弃了，无可奈何地等着接受不幸对他的惩罚。 但是，头脑比他聪明一半的妻子突然大叫：“我想到了一个办法！我们把这个尸体抬到屋顶，从我们那个伊斯兰教徒邻居的烟囱放下去。”现在这个伊斯兰教徒正效力于苏丹王，他的餐桌上摆满了油脂和黄油。他房子有一部分是个大仓库，里面的仓鼠和老鼠纵情狂欢。 听到妻子的计划，医生跳了起来。他们扶起驼背，在他腋窝里放了根绳子，把他放进承办商的卧室里，他们如此小心翼翼，这个尸体好像是靠在墙上。当他们感觉触到地面时，抽出绳子，离开了他。 他们刚到家，承办商就进了家门。这天晚上，他去参加了一个婚礼宴会，现在手里提着个灯笼。在昏暗的灯光下，他见烟囱那儿站着个人，非常吃惊。但生性勇敢的他，抄起根棍子，直奔他认为的小偷而去。“啊！”他喊道：“偷我黄油的原来是你，不是仓鼠和老鼠。我有责任让你再也不想回来！” 说着，他打了几棍。尸体倒在了地板上，但他只是加倍地抽打。直到最后他突然感到奇怪，小偷怎么会如此安静地躺着，不做任何抵抗？随后，他发现这个人死了，突然害怕起来。“我这个可怜虫，”他说：“我杀死了一个人。啊，我的报复过头了。没有阿拉的帮忙我就完了。该诅咒的货物把我引向了毁灭。”他已经感觉绳索套在了自己脖子上。 附：原文 The Little Hunchback 1 In the kingdom of Kashgar, which is, as everybody knows,situated on the frontiers of Great Tartary, there lived long ago a tailor and his wife who loved each other very much. One day, when the tailor was hard atwork, a little hunchback cameand sat at the entrance of the shop, and began to sing and play his tambourine. The tailor was amused with the antics of the fellow, andthought he would take him home to divert his wife. The hunchback having agreedto his proposal, the tailor closed his shop and they set off together. When they reachedthe house they found the table ready laid for supper, and in a very few minutesall three were sitting before a beautiful fish which the tailor's wife had cooked with her own hands. But unluckily, the hunchback happened to swallow alarge bone, and, in spite of all the tailor and his wife could do to help him,died of suffocation in aninstant. Besides being very sorry for the poor man, the tailor and his wife were very much frightened on their own account, for if the police came to hearof it the worthy couple ran the risk of being thrown into prison for wilful murder. In order to prevent this dreadful calamity they both set about inventing some plan which wouldthrow suspicion on some one else, and at last they made up their minds that they could do no better than select a Jewish doctor who lived close by as theauthor of the crime. So the tailor picked up the hunchback by his head whilehis wife took his feet and carried him to the doctor's house. Then they knocked at the door, which opened straight on to a steep staircase. A servant soonappeared, feeling her way down the dark staircase and inquired what theywanted. "Tell your master," said the tailor, "that we have brought a very sick manfor him to cure; and," he added, holding out some money, "give himthis in advance, so that he may not feel he is wasting his time." Theservant remounted the stairs to give the message to the doctor, and the moments he was out of sight the tailor and his wife carried the body swiftly after her,propped it up at the top of the staircase, and ran home as fast as their legscould carry them. Now the doctor was so delighted at the news of a patient (for he was young, and had not many ofthem), that he was transported with joy. "Get a light,"he called to the servant, "and follow me as fast as you can!" andrushing out of his room he ran towards the staircase. There he nearly fell over the body of the hunchback, and without knowing what it was gave it such a kickthat it rolled right to the bottom, and very nearly dragged the doctor afterit. "A light! a light!" he cried again, and when it was brought and he saw what he had done he was almost beside himself with terror. "Holy Moses!" he exclaimed, "why did I not wait for the light? I have killed the sick man whom they brought me; and if the sacred Ass of Esdras does notcome to my aid I am lost! It will not be long before I am led to jail as a murderer." Agitated though he was, and with reason, the doctor did not forget to shut the house door, lest some passers-by might chance to see what had happened. He then took up thecorpse and carried it into his wife's room, nearly driving her crazy withfright. "It is all over with us!" she wailed, "if we cannot find some means of getting the body out of the house. Once let the sun rise and we can hide it no longer! How were you driven to commit such a terrible crime?" "Never mindthat," returned the doctor, "the thing is to find a way out ofit." For a long whilethe doctor and his wife continued to turn over in their minds a way of escape,but could not find any that seemed good enough. At last the doctor gave it up altogether and resigned himself to bear the penalty of his misfortune. But his wife, whohad twice his brains, suddenly exclaimed, "I have thought of something!Let us carry the body on the roof of the house and lower it down the chimney of our neighbour the Mussulman." Now this Mussulman was employed by theSultan, and furnished his table with oil and butter. Part of his house wasoccupied by a great storeroom, where rats and mice held high revel. The doctor jumped at his wife's plan, and they took up the hunchback, and passing cords under his arm pits they let him down into the purveyor'sbed-room so gently that he really seemed to be leaning against the wall. Whenthey felt he was touching the ground they drew up the cords and left him. Scarcely had theygot back to their own house when the purveyor entered his room. He had spentthe evening at a wedding feast, and had a lantern in his hand. In the dim light it cast he was astonished to see a man standing in his chimney, but being naturally courageous he seized a stick and made straight for the supposed thief. "Ah!" he cried, "so it is you, and not the rats and mice,who steal my butter. I'll take care that you don't want to comeback!" So saying he struckhim several hard blows. The corpse fell on the floor, but the man only redoubled his blows, till at length it occurred to him it was odd that the thief should lie so still and make no resistance. Then, finding he was quited ead, a cold fear took possession of him. "Wretch that I am," saidhe, "I have murdered a man. Ah, my revenge has gone too far. Without the help of Allah I am undone! Cursed be the goods which have led me to my ruin." And already he felt the rope round his neck. | 
发表于 2014-6-18 21:23:08
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