目 录 上一节 下一节 
别说了,乔治少爷,这样说使我不安!你不要这样想,他并没有真正伤害过我,他只不过替我打开了天国的大门而已!" At this moment, the sudden flush of strength which the joy of meeting his young master had infused into the dying man gave way. A sudden sinking fell upon him; he closed his eyes; and that mysterious and sublime change passed over his face, that told the approach of other worlds. 这时,见到小主人的快乐而突然在这将要死去的人身上产生的一股力量渐渐消失了,他闭上了眼睛,很快就不行了,脸上出现了那神秘而庄严的变化,说明另一个世界快要到来了。 He began to draw his breath with long, deep inspirations; and his broad chest rose and fell, heavily. The expression of his face was that of a conqueror. 他艰难地喘息着,宽阔的胸膛缓缓起伏,一丝笑意浮现在他的脸上,仿佛洋溢着胜利者的骄傲和愉悦。 "Who,--who,--who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" he said, in a voice that contended with mortal weakness; and, with a smile, he fell asleep." 有谁--谁--谁能够把基督的仁爱从我们心中夺去呢?"他喃喃地说道。这声音如此衰弱,显然是他那衰竭的躯体中能够发出的最后的音节,即使他竭力抗争也无济于事。他含笑长辞 George sat fixed with solemn awe. It seemed to him that the place was holy; and, as he closed the lifeless eyes, and rose up from the dead, only one thought possessed him,--that expressed by his simple old friend,--"What a thing it is to be a Christian!" 乔治静默地坐着,神色肃重,满怀敬畏。这间小屋在他心中已成为圣地。"做一个基督徒,是多么伟大呀!"他合上了亡者那双失去光泽的眼睛,从他身边站起身来,心中只是激荡着这一信念。这正是他的老朋友、纯朴的汤姆所坚守的信念。 
乔治转过身来,发现烈格雷站在他背后,脸色阴沉。 Something in that dying scene had checked the natural fierceness of youthful passion. The presence of the man was simply loathsome to George; and he felt only an impulse to get away from him, with as few words as possible. 汤姆大叔的小屋中笼罩着浓重的哀伤情绪,使乔治的愤慨不至于突然迸发出来。烈格雷的出现仅仅使他厌恶,但尚未引燃他刚强猛烈的本性。他只是感觉胸中激荡不已,想远远地避开烈格雷,不与他说话。 Fixing his keen dark eyes on Legree, he simply said, pointing to the dead, "You have got all you ever can of him. What shall I pay you for the body? I will take it away, and bury it decently." 他指着汤姆的尸体,乌黑的眼眸锋芒犀利,直刺向烈格雷,简短地说:"你已经榨尽了他的血汗,这具尸体你要我付多少钱?我要带走他厚葬。" "I don't sell dead niggers," said Legree, doggedly. "You are welcome to bury him where and when you like." 烈格雷固执地回答道:"我可不卖死了的黑鬼,不过我很乐意你把他埋起来,随时随地都可以。" "Boys," said George, in an authoritative tone, to two or three negroes, who were looking at the body, "help me lift him up, and carry him to my wagon; and get me a spade."" 伙计们,"乔治威严地吩咐两三个看着死者的黑人,"帮我把他抬起来,安置在我的马车里;再给我找一把铁鍬。" 
有个黑人跑去拿铁鍬,另外两个人帮乔治把汤姆的躯体抬上马车。 George neither spoke to nor looked at Legree, who did not countermand his orders, but stood, whistling, with an air of forced unconcern. He sulkily followed them to where the wagon stood at the door. 乔治没有搭理烈格雷,甚至不屑于再看他一眼。烈格雷对乔治的命令未加阻挡,只是冷冷地站在那儿吹口哨,一副不以为然的神态;他阴沉着脸,一直跟随他们走到门前的马车旁边。 George spread his cloak in the wagon, and had the body carefully disposed of in it,--moving the seat, so as to give it room. Then he turned, fixed his eyes on Legree, and said, with forced composure, 乔治把自己的外套铺在车里,然后小心翼翼地抱起汤姆的身体放在外套上。接着,他移动一下座位,使汤姆的空间更大一些。他这才转过身来,逼视着烈格雷,用平稳的口吻说道: "I have not, as yet, said to you what I think of this most atrocious affair;--this is not the time and place. But, sir, this innocent blood shall have justice. I will proclaim this murder. I will go to the very first magistrate, and expose you."" 我还没有告诉你,对于这起残暴事件我是什么看法--眼下还不是时机,也不是合适的场所。可是,先生,无辜者终究会得到公正的裁决,我将宣布这一凶杀案,并且诉诸于首席法官对你进行指控。" "Do!" said Legree, snapping his fingers, scornfully. "I'd like to see you doing it. Where you going to get witnesses?--how you going to prove it?--Come, now!"" 你尽管去控告吧!"烈格雷轻蔑地打着响指,"我很愿意看见你这样做。可你到哪儿去找证人呢?--你有什么证据?--你去告呀!现在就去!" 
乔治立刻看出了这种公然的藐视是如何有力:现场没有一个白人,而在所有南方法庭上,黑人的证据毫无价值。此时此刻,他感到自己发自内心深处的愤怒的呐喊声可以充斥整个天宇,然而这种悲哀却是多么虚弱无力! "After all, what a fuss, for a dead nigger!" said Legree." 何必呢?只不过死了一个黑奴罢了,这般小题大作!"烈格雷说。 The word was as a spark to a powder magazine. Prudence was never a cardinal virtue of the Kentucky boy. George turned, and, with one indignant blow, knocked Legree flat upon his face; and, as he stood over him, blazing with wrath and defiance, he would have formed no bad personification of his great namesake triumphing over the dragon. 这句话就像火花投进炸药库一样。谨慎从来就不是这个肯塔基青年的内在品质,他转过身来,一拳砸在烈格雷的脸上。乔治居高临下地俯视着他,满腔愤慨,那一副威武不可侵犯的神情,不禁使人联想起与他同名的英国勇士--圣·乔治。 Some men, however, are decidedly bettered by being knocked down. If a man lays them fairly flat in the dust, they seem immediately to conceive a respect for him; and Legree was one of this sort. As he rose, therefore, and brushed the dust from his clothes, he eyed the slowly-retreating wagon with some evident consideration; nor did he open his mouth till it was out of sight. 有这样一类人,挨打受挫对他们来说不无益处。如果对手勇猛地把他们击倒在地,他们反而会生出敬意。烈格雷无疑正是这种人。他从地上爬起来,抖落衣服上的尘土,望着绝尘而去的马车,脸上露出了明显的恭谨神色。他没有再说一个字,看着马车愈驶愈远,直至消失了踪影。 Beyond the boundaries of the plantation, George had noticed a dry, sandy knoll, shaded by a few trees; there they made the grave. 马车很快驶出了烈格雷的种植园地界。乔治在来途中曾留意过一个小沙丘,沙丘上土质干燥,生长着几株茂盛的树木,荫翳蔽日。他们在沙丘上挖了一个墓穴。 
先生,您的大衣要拿出来吗?"两个黑人挖好墓穴,问乔治。 "No, no,--bury it with him! It's all I can give you, now, poor Tom, and you shall have it."" 不用了,把它送给汤姆吧。可怜的汤姆,我惟一能给你的就只有这件衣服了。你拿去吧。" They laid him in; and the men shovelled away, silently. They banked it up, and laid green turf over it. 两个黑人把汤姆放在挖好的墓穴里,然后开始填土,填起一座新坟。他们把绿色的草皮移植在坟上。自始至终,这几个人都沉默着。 "You may go, boys," said George, slipping a quarter into the hand of each. They lingered about, however." 伙计们,走吧。"乔治说着,在每个黑奴手里都放了一枚两角五分的硬币。黑人们踌躇再三,不肯离去。 "If young Mas'r would please buy us--" said one." 先生,求您买下我们吧。"一个黑人说。 
另一个黑人说道:"我们一定忠心侍奉您。" "Hard times here, Mas'r!" said the first. "Do, Mas'r, buy us, please!" 第一个黑人又说道:"先生,我们在烈格雷种植园里实在不能忍受下去了,求求您买下我们吧!" "I can't!--I can't!" said George, with difficulty, motioning them off; "it's impossible!"" 我没有能力买你们。"乔治为难地挥挥手。黑奴们只好走开了。 The poor fellows looked dejected, and walked off in silence. 他们没有继续哀求,在离开的时候,脸色十分苦恼。 "Witness, eternal God!" said George, kneeling on the grave of his poor friend; "oh, witness, that, from this hour, I will do _what one man can_ to drive out this curse of slavery from my land!"" 我祈求上帝作证!"乔治跪在墓前--这里葬着他可怜的朋友,"从今以后,我将致力于铲除奴隶制,把这魔根祸胎从我们国家彻底根除!上帝为我作证!" 
没有任何纪念物来标志我们这位朋友的安息地,他根本就不需要!上帝知道他在哪里安息,当上帝在光华和荣耀中降临时,必将使他复活,使他灵魂不朽;他将与上帝同在。 Pity him not! Such a life and death is not for pity! Not in the riches of omnipotence is the chief glory of God; but in self-denying, suffering love! And blessed are the men whom he calls to fellowship with him, bearing their cross after him with patience. Of such it is written, "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." 不必可怜他吧!这样的生和死是不需要怜悯的,上帝的荣耀并不体现在万能的财富,而在于抛却对个人安危的顾念,去经受苦难的爱!上帝赐福于那些应他召集、聚在他身边的人们,赐福于那些隐忍负重、负着十字架始终追随他的人们。关于这些,《圣经》上写道:"悲痛的人受到赐福,他们将得到安慰。" For some remarkable reason, ghostly legends were uncommonly rife, about this time, among the servants on Legree's place. 不知为什么,最近这段时间里烈格雷庄园的仆人们都在传言鬼的故事。
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