| 目 录 上一节 下一节 
汤姆时常看见这个步伐轻快,忙个不停的小女孩。她像一缕阳光,一阵轻风,不会在一个地方停留,而且她能让你看一眼后就对她留下深刻印象。 Her form was the perfection of childish beauty, without its usual chubbiness and squareness of outline. There was about it an undulating and aerial grace, such as one might dream of for some mythic and allegorical being. Her face was remarkable less for its perfect beauty of feature than for a singular and dreamy earnestness of expression, which made the ideal start when they looked at her, and by which the dullest and most literal were impressed, without exactly knowing why. The shape of her head and the turn of her neck and bust was peculiarly noble, and the long golden-brown hair that floated like a cloud around it, the deep spiritual gravity of her violet blue eyes, shaded by heavy fringes of golden brown,--all marked her out from other children, and made every one turn and look after her, as she glided hither and thither on the boat. Nevertheless, the little one was not what you would have called either a grave child or a sad one. On the contrary, an airy and innocent playfulness seemed to flicker like the shadow of summer leaves over her childish face, and around her buoyant figure. She was always in motion, always with a half smile on her rosy mouth, flying hither and thither, with an undulating and cloud-like tread, singing to herself as she moved as in a happy dream. Her father and female guardian were incessantly busy in pursuit of her,--but, when caught, she melted from them again like a summer cloud; and as no word of chiding or reproof ever fell on her ear for whatever she chose to do, she pursued her own way all over the boat. Always dressed in white, she seemed to move like a shadow through all sorts of places, without contracting spot or stain; and there was not a corner or nook, above or below, where those fairy footsteps had not glided, and that visionary golden head, with its deep blue eyes, fleeted along. 她的体态非常标致,丝毫没有儿童常有的那种胖胖乎乎的轮廓。她举止优雅、飘逸,仿佛从天而降,和神话或寓言故事中的天使一样。尽管她的五官长得非常完美,但使她如此超凡脱俗的却是她那梦幻般的纯真表情。理想主义者见了这种气质会连声称奇,即使凡夫俗子见了,也会感到难以忘怀。她的头部、颈部和胸部都长得极为高贵典雅,上面缠绕着的金棕色长发如浮云一般。她的眼睛呈紫罗兰色,目光深邃,充满灵气--所有这些使她显得和别的孩子极为不同,惹来众人关注的目光。人们也许会说这孩子过于严肃和忧郁了,可她并非如此。相反,那稚气的脸庞和轻盈的体态使她流露出一股天真无邪的劲儿,好像夏天树叶的影子忽隐忽现。当她没有停下来的时候,总是脚步轻盈,像一片云彩似的飞来飞去。玫瑰色的嘴唇上总是挂着微笑,自顾哼着歌曲,仿佛在快乐的梦境中一般。她的父亲和女监护人到处追逐她,可抓住她后,她又像夏日的一片云彩轻轻地溜走。不管她做什么,都没有受到过半句责备,所以她在船上由着性子到处游荡。她总是一身洁白,像个影子一般无处不在,浑身上下一尘不染。轮船上的每个角落都被她那轻盈的脚步踏过,每个地方都出现过她那金晃晃的小脑袋。 The fireman, as he looked up from his sweaty toil, sometimes found those eyes looking wonderingly into the raging depths of the furnace, and fearfully and pityingly at him, as if she thought him in some dreadful danger. Anon the steersman at the wheel paused and smiled, as the picture-like head gleamed through the window of the round house, and in a moment was gone again. A thousand times a day rough voices blessed her, and smiles of unwonted softness stole over hard faces, as she passed; and when she tripped fearlessly over dangerous places, rough, sooty hands were stretched involuntarily out to save her, and smooth her path. 汗流浃背的司炉工偶尔抬起头时,会发现她正用好奇的目光看着炉子里的熊熊火焰,接着掉转眼睛带着害怕和怜悯望着他,好像他正处于某种可怕的危险境地之中。不一会儿,舵手又看见她那张美丽的小脸蛋在驾驶舱的窗前飘忽而过,舵手们不禁停住手,朝她微笑,可一眨眼的功夫,她又消失了。只要她从人前走过,一定会有人用粗粗的声音向她致以祝福,那些严肃的面孔上也会出现难得一见的笑容。每天这样的事情会发生无数次。假若她不知深浅地跨过某个危险地带,准会有人伸出粗黑的手去救她,或是帮她清除路上的障碍。 Tom, who had the soft, impressible nature of his kindly race, ever yearning toward the simple and childlike, watched the little creature with daily increasing interest. To him she seemed something almost divine; and whenever her golden head and deep blue eyes peered out upon him from behind some dusky cotton-bale, or looked down upon him over some ridge of packages, he half believed that he saw one of the angels stepped out of his New Testament. 汤姆具有黑种人那种温柔善良的天性,他对人的善良纯朴和儿童的天真无邪有种本能的依恋,所以他每天都留意这个小女孩,并且对她的兴趣是越来越浓。在他看来,这个小女孩简直就是来自仙境,每当她从黑洞洞的棉花包后探出小脑袋,用深蓝色的眸子瞅他时,或是站在货包顶上向下注视他时,他都觉得她就是天使,而且是从他的《新约》中跑出来的。 Often and often she walked mournfully round the place where Haley's gang of men and women sat in their chains. She would glide in among them, and look at them with an air of perplexed and sorrowful earnestness; and sometimes she would lift their chains with her slender hands, and then sigh wofully, as she glided away. Several times she appeared suddenly among them, with her hands full of candy, nuts, and oranges, which she would distribute joyfully to them, and then be gone again. 她经常从赫利买来的那些拴着铁链的黑奴们身边走过,脸上带着忧愁的神色。有时,她还溜到他们中间,恳切地注视他们,显得忧伤而困惑。她用那纤细的小手拾起铁链,然后哀伤地叹息一声,又飘然离去。好几回她突然手捧糖果和桔子来到他们面前,兴高采烈地把食物分给大家,随后又离开。 
汤姆在试图和小姑娘交朋友之前,已经观察了很久,然后才敢做点试探。他有好多吸引孩子的花样儿,这次他决定好好施展一番。他会将樱桃核雕刻成精致的小篮子,在胡桃木上刻出各种奇形怪状的鬼脸,或是在接骨木的木髓上刻出许多活灵活现的古怪小人。他不光会做这些,他还会做各种大大小小的哨子。他简直就是播恩的化身。他的口袋里满是日积月累下来的用来吸引孩子们的小玩意,那时他常用这些东西去逗弄主人家的孩子。现在,他把它们一个一个地拿出来,试图用它们去认识一个新朋友,发展一份新友情。 The little one was shy, for all her busy interest in everything going on, and it was not easy to tame her. For a while, she would perch like a canary-bird on some box or package near Tom, while busy in the little arts afore-named, and take from him, with a kind of grave bashfulness, the little articles he offered. But at last they got on quite confidential terms. 这个小女孩尽管忙个不停,对什么事情都感兴趣,却非常害羞,要想和她熟稔并不容易。当汤姆展示那些小手艺的时候,她常蹲在一个箱子或货包上看着他,像一只栖息在那儿的金丝雀。当汤姆将小玩意儿递给她时,她羞怯地接了过去,并且神情严肃。不过他们最终还是变得无话不说了。 "What's little missy's name?" said Tom, at last, when he thought matters were ripe to push such an inquiry." 你叫什么名字,小姐?"汤姆觉得问这个问题的时机成熟了。 "Evangeline St. Clare," said the little one, "though papa and everybody else call me Eva. Now, what's your name?"" 伊万杰琳·圣克莱尔,可爸爸和其他人都叫我伊娃。那你叫什么名字?" "My name's Tom; the little chil'en used to call me Uncle Tom, way back thar in Kentuck."" 我叫汤姆,在肯塔基老家,孩子们都爱叫我汤姆大叔。" 
那我也这么喊你吧,因为我喜欢你,知道吗?那么,汤姆大叔,你这是上哪儿去呀?" "I don't know, Miss Eva."" 我不知道,伊娃小姐。" "Don't know?" said Eva." 你不知道?" "No, I am going to be sold to somebody. I don't know who."" 不知道。我将被卖给某个人,但我不知道他会是谁。" "My papa can buy you," said Eva, quickly; "and if he buys you, you will have good times. I mean to ask him, this very day."" 我爸爸可以买你,"伊娃说:"如果他买下你,你就会有好日子过了。我?????? 
谢谢你。小姐"汤姆说。 The boat here stopped at a small landing to take in wood, and Eva, hearing her father's voice, bounded nimbly away. Tom rose up, and went forward to offer his service in wooding, and soon was busy among the hands. 这时,轮船在一个小码头停下来装运木材。伊娃听见父亲在喊她,便连蹦带跳地向父亲跑去。而汤姆则站起身,帮那些人搬运起木头来。 Eva and her father were standing together by the railings to see the boat start from the landing-place, the wheel had made two or three revolutions in the water, when, by some sudden movement, the little one suddenly lost her balance and fell sheer over the side of the boat into the water. Her father, scarce knowing what he did, was plunging in after her, but was held back by some behind him, who saw that more efficient aid had followed his child. 伊娃这时正和父亲一起在栏杆边看轮船离开码头。机轮在水里翻滚了两三圈,猛然一震,小女孩突然失去平衡,一下子掉进河里。她的父亲想都没想就准备往河里跳,却被身后的一个人拉住了。原来,在他之前已经有个更精干的人去救他的女儿了。 Tom was standing just under her on the lower deck, as she fell. He saw her strike the water, and sink, and was after her in a moment. A broad-chested, strong-armed fellow, it was nothing for him to keep afloat in the water, till, in a moment or two the child rose to the surface, and he caught her in his arms, and, swimming with her to the boat-side, handed her up, all dripping, to the grasp of hundreds of hands, which, as if they had all belonged to one man, were stretched eagerly out to receive her. A few moments more, and her father bore her, dripping and senseless, to the ladies' cabin, where, as is usual in cases of the kind, there ensued a very well-meaning and kind-hearted strife among the female occupants generally, as to who should do the most things to make a disturbance, and to hinder her recovery in every way possible. 小女孩掉进河里的时候,汤姆恰好站在她下面的那层甲板上。看见她在水里沉了下去,汤姆赶紧跳下水去。由于他有宽阔的胸膛,过人的臂力,所以游泳对他来说一点儿也不费劲。不一会儿,那小女孩浮出了水面,汤姆用胳膊抱住她,朝船边游过去。当汤姆把她递上船时,船上同时有几百只热切的手伸出来接她,仿佛这些手属于一个人似的。她父亲马上接过已经昏迷的孩子,把她抱进了客舱。就像在这种场合下通常会出现的情况那样,舱里的女宾客们争着表现她们的好心,尽量防止她从昏睡中苏醒过来。 It was a sultry, close day, the next day, as the steamer drew near to New Orleans. A general bustle of expectation and preparation was spread through the boat; in the cabin, one and another were gathering their things together, and arranging them, preparatory to going ashore. The steward and chambermaid, and all, were busily engaged in cleaning, furbishing, and arranging the splendid boat, preparatory to a grand entree. 第二天,天气非常闷热,轮船缓慢地驶向新奥尔良。轮船上的人们在期待中忙着收拾行李;船舱里不少人在整理东西,准备上岸;仆人们紧张地打扫、布置这艘豪华客轮,准备以隆重的形式驶入港口。
| |