by John Boyne
本文節(jié)選自愛(ài)爾蘭新銳作家約翰·伯恩2006年出版的小說(shuō)——《穿條紋睡衣的男孩》。反映二戰(zhàn)題材的書(shū)籍有不少,或激烈,或偏執(zhí),視角各異,有的以宏大著稱(chēng),有的以奇詭出位,但是以一個(gè)孩童的視角來(lái)引領(lǐng)讀者再次審視那次戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)的書(shū)籍,可謂沒(méi)有之一。書(shū)中講述一個(gè)8歲男孩布魯諾一家隨著納粹軍官父親的一紙調(diào)令,由柏林遷至鄉(xiāng)下。失去朋友們的布魯諾很快對(duì)新家附近的“農(nóng)莊”產(chǎn)生興趣,那里有一群身穿“條紋睡衣”的人終日忙碌。布魯諾的舉止讓母親暗暗擔(dān)憂,但納粹父親制止家中任何懷疑既定政策的行為。布魯諾偷偷結(jié)識(shí)了鐵絲網(wǎng)另一邊的同齡男孩希姆爾,在緊張的家庭氛圍和姐姐向成人世界的變化中,希姆爾是布魯諾惟一的朋友。某日布魯諾決定去鐵絲網(wǎng)的另一邊,換上“條紋睡衣”以便幫助希姆爾找到父親,不料卻釀造了一場(chǎng)悲劇。
這部圍繞著奧斯維辛猶太人集中營(yíng)的文學(xué)作品在出版后立馬引起轟動(dòng),它不但成為《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》書(shū)榜的暢銷(xiāo)書(shū),并且榮登歐洲許多國(guó)家的暢銷(xiāo)書(shū)排行榜的首位。而小說(shuō)先后獲得的獎(jiǎng)項(xiàng)更是遍布多個(gè)國(guó)家,并被翻譯成20多種文字在世界各地上市。約翰·伯恩的這部作品更是在2008年被導(dǎo)演馬克·赫曼改編為同名電影《穿條紋睡衣的男孩》,通過(guò)鏡頭再現(xiàn)了那些殺戮和令人難以直視的鮮血,而那一切殘酷在孩子的眼中卻被折射得如此光陸怪離和有趣,但越是被如此掩蓋,就越是讓人心血尤滴!
Bruno was late arriving at the place in the fence where he met Shmuel everyday, but as usual his new friend was sitting 3)crosslegged on the ground waiting for him.
“Im sorry Im late,” he said, handing some of the bread and cheese through the wire—the bits that he hadnt already eaten on the way when he had grown a little 4)peckish after all. “I was talking to Maria.”
“Whos Maria?” asked Shmuel, not looking up as he gobbled down the food hungrily.
“Shes our maid,” explained Bruno. “Shes very nice although Father says shes 5)overpaid. But she was telling me about this man Pavel who 6) chops our vegetables for us and waits on table. I think he lives on your side of the fence.”
Shmuel looked up for a moment and stopped eating. “On my side?” he asked.
“Yes. Do you know him? Hes very old and has a white jacket that he wears when hes serving dinner. Youve probably seen him.”
“No,” said Shumel, shaking his head. “I dont know him.”
“But you must,” said Bruno irritably, as if Shmuel were being 7)deliberately difficult.“Hes not as tall as some adults and he has grey hair and 8)stoops over a little.”
布魯諾來(lái)到每天他探望希姆爾的那個(gè)柵欄時(shí)比平常晚了,而他的新朋友則一如往常地盤(pán)著腿坐在地上等他。
“很抱歉我來(lái)晚了,”他說(shuō)著,把一些面包和奶酪從鐵絲網(wǎng)遞了過(guò)去——雖然路上他有點(diǎn)餓,還好沒(méi)把這點(diǎn)兒東西給吃掉?!拔腋旣悑I聊了一會(huì)兒?!?/p>
“誰(shuí)是瑪麗婭?”希姆爾問(wèn),他狼吞虎咽地吃著,顧不得抬頭。
“她是我們家的女仆,”布魯諾解釋道?!八浅:?,雖然父親說(shuō)她的薪水過(guò)高了。但是,她告訴了我關(guān)于帕維爾的事,帕維爾是一個(gè)來(lái)我們家廚房打下手,伺候上菜的人。我想他也住在你們那一邊?!?/p>
希姆爾不吃東西了,抬起頭看了一會(huì)兒?!霸谖覀冞@一邊?”他問(wèn)。
“是的。你認(rèn)識(shí)他嗎?他很老,在餐桌旁服務(wù)的時(shí)候穿一件白色的夾克。你可能見(jiàn)過(guò)他?!?/p>
“沒(méi)有,”希姆爾說(shuō),搖搖頭?!拔也徽J(rèn)識(shí)他。”
“但是你肯定認(rèn)識(shí)的,”布魯諾生氣地說(shuō),好像是希姆爾故意在和他頂嘴似的?!八幌褚话愦笕四菢痈?,一頭銀灰色的頭發(fā),有點(diǎn)駝背。”
“I dont think you realize just how many people live on this side of the fence,” said Shumel. “There are thousands of us.”
“But this ones name is Pavel,” insisted Bruno. “When I fell off my swing he cleaned out the cut so it didnt get 9)infected and put a bandage on my leg. Anyway, the reason I wanted to tell you about him is because hes from Poland too. Like you.”
“Most of us here are from Poland,” said Shmuel. “Although there are some from other places too, like Czechoslovakia and—”
“Yes, but thats why I thought you might know him. Anyway, he was a doctor in his hometown before he came here but hes not allowed to be a doctor any more and if Father had known that he had cleaned my knee when I hurt myself then there would have been trouble.”
“The soldiers dont normally like people getting better,” said Shmuel, 10)swallowing the last piece of bread. “It usually works 11)the other way round.”
“我想你不知道柵欄這邊住著多少人,”希姆爾說(shuō)?!俺汕先f(wàn)呢?!?/p>
“但是,他有名字,帕維爾!”布魯諾堅(jiān)持說(shuō)?!爱?dāng)我從秋千上掉下來(lái)的時(shí)候,是他幫我清洗傷口以免感染,還給我的腿綁了繃帶。不管怎樣,我跟你說(shuō)他,是因?yàn)樗彩遣ㄌm人。像你一樣?!?/p>
“這里的絕大多數(shù)人都是波蘭人,”希姆爾說(shuō)。“雖然也有波蘭以外其他地方來(lái)的,例如捷克斯洛伐克,還有——”
“是的,但是正因?yàn)檫@樣,我才以為你可能認(rèn)識(shí)他。不管怎樣,他在他家鄉(xiāng)的時(shí)候,是一名醫(yī)生,但是來(lái)到這里以后,就不準(zhǔn)他行醫(yī)了。如果我父親知道是他幫我處理膝蓋上的傷口,那么就麻煩了?!?/p>
“士兵們一般不喜歡普通人過(guò)好日子,”希姆爾說(shuō),吞下最后一口面包。“反過(guò)來(lái),平民往往對(duì)士兵倒是友善的?!?img src="https://cimg.fx361.com/images/2018/07/08/qkimagesfkyyfkyy201305fkyy20130517-3-l.jpg"/>
Bruno nodded, even though he didnt quite know what Shmuel meant, and gazed up into the sky. After a few moments he looked through the wire and asked another question that had been praying on his mind.
“Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?” he asked.
“Yes,” said Shmuel. “I want to work in a zoo.”
“A zoo?” asked Bruno.
“I like animals,” said Shmuel quietly.
“Im g o i n g to be a soldier,”said Bruno in a determined voice.“Like Father.”
“I wouldnt like to be a soldier,”said Shmuel.
“I dont mean one like Lieutenant Kotler,” said Bruno quickly. “Not one who 12)strides around as if he owns the place and laughs with your sister and whispers with your mother. I dont think hes a good soldier at all. I mean one like Father. One of the good soldiers.”
“There arent any good soldiers,” said Shmuel.
“Of course there are,” said Bruno.
“Who?”
“Well, Father, for one,” said Bruno.“Thats why he has such an impressive uniform and why everyone calls him Commandant and does whatever he says. The Fury has big things in mind for him because hes such a good soldier.”
“There arent any good soldiers,” repeated Shmuel.
“Except Father,” repeated Bruno, who was hoping that Shmuel wouldnt say that again because he didnt want to have to argue with him. After all, he was the only friend he had here at 13)Out-With. But Father was Father, and Bruno didnt think it was right for someone to say something bad about him.
Both boys stayed very quiet for a few minutes, neither one wanting to say anything he might regret.
“You dont know what its like here,” said Shmuel eventually in a low voice, his words barely carrying across to Bruno.
“You dont have any sisters, do you?” asked Bruno quickly, pretending he hadnt heard that because then he wouldnt have to answer.
“No,” said Shmuel, shaking his head.
“Youre lucky,” said Bruno. “Gretels only twelve and she thinks she knows everything but shes a Hopeless case really. She sits looking out of her window and when she sees Lieutenant Kotler coming she runs downstairs into the hallway and pretends that she was there all along. The other day I caught her doing it and when he came in she jumped and said, ‘Why, Lieutenant Kotler, I didnt know you were here, and I know for a fact that she was waiting for him. ”
布魯諾點(diǎn)點(diǎn)頭,雖然他不是很明白希姆爾的話,他抬頭看著天空。過(guò)了一會(huì)兒,他看著鐵絲網(wǎng)的那一邊,問(wèn)了一個(gè)心中躊躇已久的問(wèn)題。
“你知道你長(zhǎng)大了以后想做什么嗎?”他問(wèn)。
“知道,”希姆爾說(shuō)?!拔蚁朐趧?dòng)物園里工作?!?/p>
“動(dòng)物園?”布魯諾問(wèn)。
“我喜歡動(dòng)物。”希姆爾平靜地說(shuō)。
“我要成為一名士兵,”布魯諾堅(jiān)定地說(shuō)?!跋窀赣H一樣?!?/p>
“我不想成為士兵,”希姆爾說(shuō)。
“我并不是想成為像柳特倫特·科特勒那樣的士兵,”布魯諾馬上說(shuō)。“不是那種到處走來(lái)走去好像是他占著地盤(pán),跟你的姐姐說(shuō)笑,跟你的母親說(shuō)悄悄話的那種士兵。我想他根本就不是個(gè)好士兵。我是說(shuō)我想成為父親那樣的士兵,一名好士兵?!?/p>
“沒(méi)有好士兵?!毕D窢栒f(shuō)。
“當(dāng)然有。”布魯諾說(shuō)。
“誰(shuí)?”
“嗯,父親,就是一個(gè)?!辈剪斨Z說(shuō)?!八运艽┮簧韼洑廛娧b,每個(gè)人都稱(chēng)他為將軍,按他說(shuō)的話去做。元首(希特勒)也委派給他非常重要的任務(wù),因?yàn)樗且幻檬勘!?/p>
“沒(méi)有好士兵?!毕D窢栔貜?fù)說(shuō)。
“除了我父親?!辈剪斨Z也重復(fù)說(shuō)道,他希望希姆爾不要再說(shuō)那樣的話了,因?yàn)樗幌牒退麪?zhēng)論起來(lái)。畢竟,這是他在“外圍”的唯一的朋友。但是父親就是父親,布魯諾不想讓任何人說(shuō)他的壞話。
兩個(gè)男孩沉默了幾分鐘,誰(shuí)也不想說(shuō)會(huì)讓自己后悔的話。
“你不知道這邊是個(gè)什么樣的地方。”希姆爾最后低聲說(shuō),他的話語(yǔ)布魯諾幾乎聽(tīng)不到。
“你沒(méi)有姐姐吧?”布魯諾馬上問(wèn),假裝沒(méi)有聽(tīng)到希姆爾的話,因?yàn)樗幌肴セ卮稹?/p>
“沒(méi)有?!毕D窢栒f(shuō),搖搖頭。
“你很幸運(yùn),”布魯諾說(shuō)?!案窭滋貭栔挥惺q,但她認(rèn)為自己什么都知道,其實(shí)她只是個(gè)‘無(wú)可救藥的人。她坐在窗前,如果看到柳特倫特·科特勒來(lái)了,她就會(huì)跑到樓下的廳堂,假裝一直就在那里呆著。有一天我就看到她這么做了,當(dāng)他進(jìn)來(lái)的時(shí)候,她就跳起來(lái)說(shuō):‘哎呀,柳特倫特·科特勒,你怎么在這啊,我知道事實(shí),她其實(shí)就是在等他。”
Bruno hadnt been looking at Shmuel as he said all that, but when he looked again he noticed that his friend had grown even more pale than usual.
“Whats wrong?” he asked. “You look as if youre about to be sick.”
“I dont like talking about him,” said Shmuel.
“About who?” asked Bruno.
“Lieutenant Kotler. He scares me.”
“He scares me too a little,” admitted Bruno.“Hes a 14)bully. And he smells funny. Its all that 15)cologne he puts on.” And then Shmuel started to 16)shiver slightly and Bruno looked around, as if he could see rather than feel whether it was cold or not. “Whats the matter?” he asked. “Its not that cold, is it? You should have brought a jumper, you know. The evenings are getting 17)chillier.”
布魯諾說(shuō)這些的時(shí)候并沒(méi)有看希姆爾,不過(guò)當(dāng)他再抬眼看希姆爾的時(shí)候,發(fā)覺(jué)他的氣色比平時(shí)更差了。
“怎么了?”他問(wèn)?!澳憧雌饋?lái)快要生病了?!?/p>
“我不想談?wù)撍??!毕D窢栒f(shuō)。
“談?wù)撜l(shuí)?”布魯諾問(wèn)。
“柳特倫特·科特勒。他讓我感到害怕?!?img src="https://cimg.fx361.com/images/2018/07/08/qkimagesfkyyfkyy201305fkyy20130517-7-l.jpg"/>
“他也讓我有點(diǎn)害怕?!辈剪斨Z承認(rèn)?!八且粋€(gè)惡霸。身上有股怪味,因?yàn)樗麌娏颂嗟墓琵埶??!边@時(shí)候,希姆爾開(kāi)始輕微地發(fā)抖,布魯諾看了看四周,好像他能看到而不是靠感覺(jué)判斷天氣是不是很冷?!霸趺戳耍俊彼麊?wèn)。“并不太冷,不是嗎?你應(yīng)該帶一件短上衣,知道嗎。現(xiàn)在晚上越來(lái)越?jīng)隽?。?img src="https://cimg.fx361.com/images/2018/07/08/qkimagesfkyyfkyy201305fkyy20130517-8-l.jpg"/>