黑莓醬的故事

黑莓醬的故事

　                                                                                                                                           　By Donna Teller

　　                                                                                                                                                      堂娜•特勒

　　"....and the weekend promises sunshine and southerly breezes. Make the most of it!"

　　「……周末預計會陽光明媚，並颳起徐徐的南風。盡情享受吧。」

　　The weatherman's cheery voice came from the TV, precariously perched on a pile of books, the only way she'd yet found for its cable to reach the socket. Piles of books, papers, magazines had always been a feature of Maggie's lived-in kitchen and they had grown in the dark days since January. But recent weeks had found her more able to cope with her situation and a measure of organization had returned to her life.

　　氣象員愉悅的播報聲從電視機中傳來，只見這台電視放在一堆書上，搖搖欲墜，這樣放是因為唯有如此她才能將電視插銷接到插座上。瑪吉的廚房就沒有閑置過，它有一個特色，那就是永遠堆滿了成疊的書、報紙和雜誌，而從一月開始，這些東西在那些暗無天光的日子裡越積越多。可最近幾個禮拜，她可以更好地適應自己的處境了，生活又恢復了一些條理。

　　But, like the TV, it was a delicate balance. To the outside world, she seemed cool and collected; inside she felt deeply vulnerable. Strategies had been adopted for coping, new routines found, places that would stir painful memories strictly avoided.

　　不過，就像放電視機一樣，這是一種微妙的平衡。在別人看來，她似乎是淡漠而又鎮靜的；可內心當中，她卻感到極其脆弱。她想方設法來適應，培養了一些新習慣，對那些引發傷感回憶的地方是堅決避而不去的。

　　However, this was a small town and some places could not be ignored. Like the moor which looked down on her every timeshe opened her front door. Over the years, she and Mike had spent many hours walking on it, marking the changing seasons, content in each other's company.

　　可是，這是一個小鎮，有些地方是迴避不了的。就好比她每次打開前門都會看到高聳的高沼地。很多年來，她和邁克一年四季都會在高沼地上花上很多時間來散步，兩個人相互陪伴很是愜意。

　　Late summer had always been a busy time as they followed in the footsteps of countless couples before them and gathered in the harvest for jam.

　　昔日的晚夏時節總是一個忙碌的季節，他們會跟隨著無數夫婦的腳步，在豐收來臨之時前去採摘，為製作果醬做準備。

　　The forecast helped Maggie to make up her mind. Despite misgivings, the attraction of the moor in the late summer sun was too strong. It had to be faced one day ①on her own; it was too beautiful to stay away forever. The time had come to lay this ghost to rest and picking a few berries would keep her mind occupied. Decision made, Maggie turned off the TV and went to help with homework.

　　天氣預報幫瑪吉下定了決心。儘管有顧慮，但在晚夏陽光的照耀下，高沼地的誘惑太大了。早晚有一天她需要獨自面對；那兒太美了，不可能永遠將其置於身外。是時候來做個了斷了，而且採摘漿果可以使她忘卻一切。下定了決心的瑪吉關上電視，輔導孩子做功課去了。

　　Saturday dawned bright and clear. Resisting the desire to turn back, Maggie drove along the familiar lanes that lead to the parking bay at the foot of the hill. The walk to the top seemed longer, steeper. She was out of breath, her legs ached and her heart pounded.

　　星期六的黎明，天空晴朗而又明亮。抑制住返回去的衝動，瑪吉開著車，沿著熟悉的小路一直行駛到山腳的停車場。通向山頂的路似乎變得更長、更陡。她上氣不接下氣，腿部作痛，心砰砰直跳。

　　But at last the path emerged from the trees and stretched away in the sun. On either side, the brambles clambered over heather and gorse, ②laden with clusters of fruit, ripe for picking; a riot of black and green, purple and yellow.

　　但是，路終於從樹林中顯露出來，筆直向前，直至消失在陽光中。路的兩邊，樹莓攀附在石南花和金雀花之上，掛滿了串串果實，果子已經熟透，就待採摘了；黑色和綠色，紫色和黃色，編織成一片繽紛色彩。

　　She need not have worried. The moor seemed to welcome her back like a long-lost friend and her spirits rose. Taking a deep breath of the clear air, Maggie deftly took a bag from her pocket and started to pick, stopping every now and then to straighten her back and enjoy the familiar view. With stained fingers and scratched hands to show for her efforts, the bag slowly filled with the dark, plump fruit.

　　她本不需要擔心的。高沼地似乎就像對待一位久未謀面的老朋友一樣歡迎她的歸來，而她的情緒也高漲起來。瑪吉先是在清新的空氣中深深地吸了一口氣，然後熟練地從口袋裡掏出一個袋子，開始採摘，她時不時地會停一下，挺挺腰，欣賞一番這熟悉的景緻。她的努力有了結果——手指變得污跡斑斑、雙手出現了划痕，而袋子也漸漸放滿了這種色黑肉厚的果子。

　　Horse riders and walkers exchanged greetings as they passed. After a while, a solitary figure appeared on the path behind her, pausing and stooping occasionally, yet catching up quickly.

　　騎馬者和路人在相遇后互致著問候。過了一會兒，一個孤單的身影出現在她身後的小道上，時而駐足，時而彎腰，可是又總能快速地跟上來。

　　"Do you want to add these, then?"

　　「那你還想要這些嗎？」

　　The voice startled her, quieter than before but unmistakable. She hardly felt the pain of the brambles ③tearing into her hand as she jerked upright.

　　這個聲音嚇了她一跳，雖然聲音比原來更加輕柔，但肯定是那個聲音。當她猛地站起來，她幾乎都沒感到樹莓勒疼了她的手。

　　"What on earth are you doing here?"

　　「你在這裡到底要幹什麼？」

　　"Thought I'd find you here, first weekend in September. Do you want these?" He ④held out a handful of berries, then tipped them into her bag. "Perfect day - are there any bilberries?"

　　「我想，在9月的第一個周末，我能在這裡找到你。你想要這些嗎？」他拿出一把漿果，然後把它們倒入了她的袋子里。「美好的一天啊……這兒有越桔嗎？」

　　How could he be so calm, so casual, when anger was ⑤welling up inside her? She wanted to rage at him for spoiling her perfect day, but the words in her head wouldn't come out.

　　在她怒火中燒的時候，他怎麼能如此冷靜、如此隨意呢？她想沖他發火，因為他破壞了她美好的一天，可是，腦子中想著的那些話卻怎麼也說不出來。

　　"I - I haven't looked."

　　「我……我還沒找呢。」

　　"Let me have a bag, I'll go see." Mike made his way across the heather to the dense, low-lying bushes and started to move the leaves aside to seek out the hidden fruit.

　　「給我一個袋子吧。我去找找。」邁克跨過石南花，朝濃密低矮的灌木叢走去，開始撥開樹葉尋找隱藏的果實。



　　Maggie turned away, her thoughts racing, her peace shattered. She thought about retreating to the safety of her car. But having come so far she was determined not to turn back. She ambled along the path, picking the occasional berry, enthusiasm gone.

　　瑪吉把身子轉了過去，思緒萬千，心境煩亂。do*過濾*ent.write("");ad_dst = ad_dst+1;她想逃回車裡，找回安全的依託。但是，都走了這麼遠的路了，所以她決定不回去了。她沿著小路緩慢前行，不時採摘著一些漿果，但興緻已然全無。

　　He gathered slowly, moving backwards and forwards through the bushes, but always keeping up with her. After a while, he came back to the path. She answered his questions - the children, her job, her parents - but always skirted round the main issue.

　　他慢慢地採摘著，在灌木叢中前後移動著，但是卻總能跟上她的腳步。過了一會兒，他回到小路上。她回答了他的問題——孩子、她的工作、她的家人——但總是避而不談關鍵問題。

　　At last, they reached the point where all the moorland paths crossed. Maggie was glad of an opportunity to rest. Seating herself at one end of the bench, she stretched her legs in front of her. Mike sat down as well a little way along and stared, like her, at the patchwork of fields that lay beneath them. She couldn't recall the number of times they had come to this spot and shared a picnic lunch. Maggie had been looking forward to this moment, but hunger had deserted her. His nearness unsettled her even more; why couldn't he sit somewhere else.

　　最後，他們來到了高沼地中小路的交匯處。瑪吉很高興可以有機會歇一歇了。她在一張長椅的一端坐了下來，向前伸直了雙腿。邁克也在相隔不遠的地方坐了下來，與她一樣，眼睛盯著他們身下那雜亂拼湊在一起的田野。她已記不清他們曾多少次來到這裡來共享野外午餐了。瑪吉一直期待著這一時刻的到來，可她已經沒有了胃口。與他咫尺相近更加使她煩躁不安；他為什麼就不能坐到別的地方去呢？

　　"Are you on your own?" Stupid question. No sooner was it said than Maggie wished she had phrased it differently or thought about it more. But it was the question that she had been wanting to ask and there seemed little point in ⑥dressing it up with more words.

　　「你是一個人嗎？」愚蠢的問題。話已出口，可瑪吉真想能再修飾一下或再深入地想一想啊。不過，這個問題就是她一直想問的，而且似乎在言語上再多加修飾也沒什麼意義。

　　"Yes. ⑦In every way." He kept his eyes on the fields. Maggie didn't speak, waiting for him to go on. "It didn't last into the Spring. She moved on."

　　「是的。完全是。」他的眼睛一直沒有離開田野。瑪吉沒有說話，等著他說下去。「沒堅持到開春。她就離開了。」

　　For the first time that day, Maggie turned and really looked at her husband. His eyes were deeper, his hair greyer, his face more lined, and his expression more worn. A sad face. Somewhere deep inside she wanted to pull him close, to tell him that everything was fine, to make those eyes smile again. But the pain that he'd caused could not be erased by a hug, even in this place, and she looked away.

　　那天瑪吉第一次轉了過來，正視著她的丈夫。他的眼睛陷得更深了，他的頭髮更加灰白了，他臉上的皺紋更多了，而他的表情也更加倦怠了。一張悲愴的面龐。內心深處的某個念頭使她想把他拉得更近，告訴他一切都還好，使那雙眼眸再次充滿喜悅。但是，他造成的傷痛不是一個擁抱就可以消除的，即使在這個地方也不可以，所以她把臉轉了過去。

　　After a while, she stood up. Despite the sunshine, there was a chill in the air.

　　過了一會兒，她站了起來。雖然陽光明媚，但空氣中還是劃過一絲寒意。

　　"I'd better be going now." She didn't know what else to do or say, but nothing would be achieved by sitting on a bench. "Here, let me take that." He took the bag and they made their way in silence. Maggie wondered what he was thinking, were his thoughts as much of a jumble as hers?

　　「我現在該走了。」她不知道還能做點什麼或說些什麼，但是坐在長椅上是不會有什麼進展的。「來，讓我提著那個吧。」他拿過袋子，然後他們便默默走了起來。瑪吉想知道他正在想些什麼，是否他的思緒也跟她的一樣是一團糟？

　　At last, the cars came into view.

　　最後，汽車進入了視野。

　　"How did you get here?" she asked as she fumbled in her pocket for her keys.

　　「你怎麼來的？」她一邊在口袋裡摸索著鑰匙一邊問道。

　　"Train to Tonechester, then bus to here. There's a bus back to Tonechester this evening."

　　「坐火車到通徹斯特，然後再換公交車到這兒來。今晚有一趟返回通徹斯特的公交車。」

　　She resisted the sudden urge to offer a lift to the station. But perhaps there was a middle way.

　　她抑制住了突然想要送他到車站的衝動。但是，可能還有一個折中的方法吧。

　　"You've time for a cup of tea before you go?" She hoped it sounded more like a question than an order.

　　「在你走之前，有時間喝杯茶嗎？」她希望這更像是一句問話而不是一個命令。

　　"And would there be scones and blackberry jam?"

　　「有烤餅和黑莓醬嗎？」

　　Maggie laughed, relaxing for the first time since hearing his voice.

　　瑪吉笑了，從聽到他的聲音開始，這是她第一次放鬆了下來。

　　"You're pushing your luck! Is that all you've come back for?" She didn't give him time to reply. "No scones, but I've fresh bread which is just as good."

　　「你得寸進尺了吧！你回來就是為了這些嗎？」她就沒給他答覆的時間。「沒有烤餅，但我有一些新鮮的麵包，也是同樣不錯的。

　　And after tea, she drove him to the bus stop. Getting out of the car, he turned, "Will you be out next week?"

　　喝過茶之後，她開車送他到了公交車站。從車中走出來后，他轉過身，「你下禮拜出去嗎？」

　　"Possibly, if the weather holds."

　　「可能吧，如果天氣還這樣持續下去。」

　　A brief nod, and he joined the others waiting for the evening bus.

　　他迅速地點了一下頭，然後就與其他人一起在等候晚班車的到來了。

　　She didn't wait. Making her way home, she chose the longer route that twisted along the foot of the moor. They had a long way to go, but, like the weather, maybe the outlook was promising.

　　她沒有等下去。在回家的路上，她選擇了一條繞遠的路線，一條在高沼地底部邊緣蜿蜒前行的道路。他們還有一段漫長的路要走，但是，就像天氣一樣，前景也許是充滿希望的。

　　Comments

　　Blackberry Jam is a moving story about moors, home cooking and separation. The story centres on a female character, Maggie, and her coming to terms with a failed marriage. The author reveals this gradually to the reader by way of hints. The opening scene of a disarrayed kitchen, the reference to 'dark days' and the moors and eventually the chance meeting with her estranged husband, let the reader become gradually aware of the background to the events of the story.

　　《黑莓醬的故事》是一個以曠野、家常菜和分離為內容的感人故事。這個故事以一名女性人物——瑪吉為主人公，主要講述了她向其失敗婚姻妥協的經歷。作者以暗示的方式慢慢地將這一脈絡向讀者揭示出來。以凌亂廚房的場景來開篇，后又提及「暗無天日的日子」和高沼地，到最後描寫她偶然與離她而去的丈夫相遇，這一切使讀者對這個故事中的事件背景漸漸清晰起來。

　　The story has a strong sense of hope. It seems that the couple will try to start again. This sense of hope is reinforced by the reference to the 'outlook' for the weather, which is used to open and close the story.

　　這個故事中彌散著一種強烈的希望感。這對夫婦似乎想試著重新開始。故事以天氣來開篇，又以天氣來結尾，而天氣的「前景」更是加強了這種希望感。

Excellent translating, thanks!

the outlook was promising.

漸漸的吸引了我