凱特·湯普森(Kate Thompson, 1956~),愛爾蘭作家,擅長(zhǎng)創(chuàng)作兒童文學(xué)。凱特出生于英國(guó)約克郡,從1984年開始定居愛爾蘭,她書中的許多故事都發(fā)生在這里。她是一位非常多產(chǎn)的作家,其代表作有《誘騙者》(The Beguilers)、《煉金術(shù)士的學(xué)徒》(The Alchemist's Apprentice)、《安南水》(Annan Water)和《尋找時(shí)間的人》(The New Policeman)等。這四部小說(shuō)都獲得了愛爾蘭比斯托文學(xué)獎(jiǎng),這使她成為有史以來(lái)唯一一位四度獲此殊榮的作家。凱特還是一位非常出色的小提琴手,她對(duì)愛爾蘭傳統(tǒng)音樂懷有極大的興趣,在《尋找時(shí)間的人》中就出現(xiàn)了許多與愛爾蘭音樂相關(guān)的元素。這本小說(shuō)是凱特最為成功的作品之一,曾榮獲愛爾蘭圖書獎(jiǎng)、《衛(wèi)報(bào)》兒童小說(shuō)獎(jiǎng)和科斯塔圖書獎(jiǎng)等多項(xiàng)大獎(jiǎng),并入圍卡內(nèi)基文學(xué)獎(jiǎng)。
書中講述了出身于音樂世家的15歲男孩吉吉(J.J.)的故事。在愛爾蘭的小鎮(zhèn)肯瓦拉(Kinvara),時(shí)間似乎被誰(shuí)偷走了,大家都覺得時(shí)間越來(lái)越不夠用。為了實(shí)現(xiàn)媽媽的生日愿望——得到更多的時(shí)間,吉吉在鄰居安妮(Anne)的指引下由一個(gè)密室來(lái)到了特納奧格(Tír na n'óg)。這里被稱為“永生之地”,沒有時(shí)間的概念,人們?cè)谝魳返呐惆橄逻^(guò)著閑適自得、輕松快樂的生活。吉吉便在這里開始了一段奇妙的旅程……
下文節(jié)選自小說(shuō)第二章第四節(jié),講述了吉吉?jiǎng)傔M(jìn)入特納奧格這個(gè)神奇世界之后的所見所聞。
精彩片段
J.J. woke with a start1). It felt to him as though he had slept for hours, but when he looked at his watch barely five minutes had passed. He'd only had forty winks2).
He stretched out luxuriantly3), a thing he hadn't done for years, and turned over onto his side to have another little snooze4). He didn't need it, though. He was rested enough, and he was ready to get on with the business in hand. The sky was still blindingly bright, and he was looking forward to having a stroll5) around. There was never weather like this at home. Or perhaps there was, but everyone was too stressed out to enjoy it. A bit of sunshine; another commodity6) to be exploited7)—to make hay8), or to get the house painted or to grab a quick swim on the way back from the supermarket.
He took off his jacket, slung9) it over his shoulder, and began to walk toward the village. Now that he was on the move, he discovered that this world was not nearly as similar to his own as he had first thought. There were fewer houses here, for one thing, and those there didn't really look like houses at all. They had an irregular, organic appearance, as though they had been hewn10) out of chunks of rock, or been pushed up from beneath the ground by some gentle movement of the earth's crust11). No people anywhere, not yet, though all the houses he passed had open doors and one had a small ginger12) cat sitting on its doorstep. There were, however, some rather strange bits of evidence that people did exist.
Socks.
When he passed the first one hanging from the hedgerow13), J.J. paid it no attention. He'd often seen bits of clothing tangled14) up in hedges15) at home; it wasn't that unusual. But when he walked around a bend16) and found three more lying in the deep grass of the verge17), and yet another one dangling18) from a branch a few meters farther on, he began to wonder about it.
There were more trees and bushes here, and more birds in them. There were fields, but their boundaries were ragged19); their walls fallen down and their hedges full of gaps. The few cattle and horses he saw were fat and sleek20), and wandered, as far as he could tell, wherever they pleased. Apart from them there was no sign of any kind of agriculture. There were no tractors, no black bales21), no people out managing the land.
Where was everybody? And what kind of people lived in Tír na n'óg anyway? Fairies? Leprechauns22)? Gods? He experienced a little shiver23) of apprehension24), but it didn't swell25) into fear. The sun was too warm and bright, and besides, there were the socks. He was coming across them every hundred meters or so. One here, two or three there. There were tiny baby socks with cartoon characters or teddy bears on them; there were children's socks and adult socks, argyle26) socks and tartan27) socks and spotted socks, woollen socks and cotton socks and nylon socks. There were socks of every color and texture under the sun, and not a pair among them. Whoever they belonged to, J.J. decided, could not be too frightening.
It ought to have taken him at least half an hour to walk to the village from where he started out, but when he got to the main road his watch was still saying five thirty-five. He shook it and held it up to his ear. Silence. A single tick. More silence. He pressed all the buttons, trying all the different time zones, pulling and pushing on the tiny dials28) that set the hands and the alarm. Nothing made any difference. He could see the second hand29) moving, but absurdly slowly; a single, jerky30) step, then nothing, then another one. J.J. tried to work up31) some annoyance at it, but he couldn't. What did it matter if his watch had stopped? What was the rush, anyway?
He walked on, and arrived at the edge of the village. His village. It was certainly Kinvara, but at the same time it wasn't.
...
J.J. listened. There was no wind. He caught glimpses of the sea as he passed the side streets that ran down to it at right angles to the main street, but he couldn't hear it. Its surface was like glass. The air was too still for there to be any waves. But he could, or he imagined he could, hear something else. The faint strains32) of music drifting up the street toward him.
吉吉猛然驚醒過(guò)來(lái)。他覺得自己好像已經(jīng)睡了幾個(gè)小時(shí),但一看手表,才過(guò)了不到五分鐘。原來(lái)他只是打了個(gè)盹兒。
他愜意地伸了個(gè)懶腰,自己已經(jīng)好多年沒有這樣過(guò)了,然后翻了個(gè)身側(cè)躺著,打算再瞇一小會(huì)兒,盡管他并不需要這樣做。他已經(jīng)休息夠了,準(zhǔn)備好要去繼續(xù)干手頭上的正事了。天空依然陽(yáng)光明媚,非常炫目。他期待著去四處走走看看。他家那邊從來(lái)都沒有過(guò)這樣的好天氣?;蛟S也曾有過(guò),但人人都?jí)毫μ?,無(wú)暇享受這樣的好天氣。但凡有一縷陽(yáng)光,人們都會(huì)把它視為又一件有用的物品,想充分利用起來(lái)——曬點(diǎn)兒草料、刷刷房子,或在從超市回家的路上抓緊時(shí)間游一會(huì)兒泳。
他脫下上衣搭在肩膀上,然后開始朝村子走去。他走動(dòng)起來(lái)才發(fā)現(xiàn),這個(gè)世界并非如自己原本料想的那樣,與自己所在的那個(gè)世界并非相差無(wú)幾。這里一方面沒有那么多房子,而且它們看上去真的一點(diǎn)都不像房子。它們的外觀不規(guī)則且原生態(tài),就好像是從大塊巖石上開鑿出來(lái)的,又好像是由于地殼的某種緩慢運(yùn)動(dòng)從地表之下拱出來(lái)的。雖然他所經(jīng)過(guò)的所有房子都敞開著大門,而且其中一棟房子的門口還蹲著一只姜黃色的小貓,但哪兒都沒有人,至少到現(xiàn)在為止還沒有。不過(guò),某些非常奇怪的蛛絲馬跡表明這里的確有人存在。
那就是襪子。
當(dāng)吉吉經(jīng)過(guò)掛在灌木樹籬上的第一只襪子時(shí),他并沒有在意。在他家那邊,他也會(huì)經(jīng)??匆娙藗儼讶齼蓛傻囊挛镫S意掛在樹籬上,這并沒有多么不尋常。但當(dāng)他拐了個(gè)彎,發(fā)現(xiàn)在路邊的草叢里還躺著三只襪子,而幾米開外的一根樹枝上也掛著一只時(shí),他開始對(duì)此覺得好奇。
這里的樹和灌木要多一些,林間的鳥兒也更多。這里有農(nóng)田,但田地之間的界線并不那么規(guī)整分明;圍墻倒塌在地,樹籬上全是豁口。雖然他在這里見到的牛馬并不多,但它們膘肥體壯,皮毛油亮光滑,而且據(jù)他判斷,它們?cè)敢馊ツ膬壕腿ツ膬?。除此之外,這里沒有任何形式的農(nóng)耕跡象。這里沒有拖拉機(jī),沒有用黑色塑料膜包好的干草捆,也沒有人在田間耕作。
人們都到哪兒去了?住在特納奧格的究竟都是些什么樣的人?精靈?小矮妖?還是神?他感覺自己忐忑不安地微微打了個(gè)顫,但這一絲不安并沒有擴(kuò)散成恐懼。陽(yáng)光是如此溫暖而明亮,況且還有這些襪子呢。他每走100米左右就會(huì)碰上幾只襪子。一只在這兒,兩三只在那兒。既有上面有卡通人物或泰迪熊圖案的小嬰兒襪,也有兒童襪和成人襪;花紋既有多色菱形的、方格的,也有圓點(diǎn)的;材質(zhì)既有羊毛的、棉制的,也有尼龍的。太陽(yáng)底下曬著各種顏色和質(zhì)地的襪子,而且沒有一雙是成對(duì)的。不管這些襪子屬于誰(shuí),吉吉都認(rèn)定它們的主人不會(huì)太嚇人。
從他出發(fā)的地方走到村子本應(yīng)至少用了半個(gè)小時(shí),可當(dāng)他走到主路時(shí),他的手表卻仍顯示是5點(diǎn)35分。他晃了晃手表,然后把它拿到耳邊。沒有聲音。一聲滴答之后,又沒有聲音了。他把所有的按鈕都按了一遍,試著把時(shí)間調(diào)到其他所有時(shí)區(qū),還對(duì)調(diào)時(shí)和定時(shí)的小旋鈕又是拽又是摁的,但還是一點(diǎn)變化都沒有。他能看到秒針在動(dòng),但速度卻出奇的慢;每一步都走得顫顫悠悠的,然后停下不動(dòng),接著又顫顫悠悠地再走一步。吉吉試圖沖手表發(fā)點(diǎn)脾氣,但卻做不到。就算他的表停了又有什么關(guān)系呢?話說(shuō)回來(lái),有什么好著急的呢?
他繼續(xù)前行,來(lái)到了村邊。這是他所居住的村子。這肯定是肯瓦拉,但又不是。
……
吉吉駐足聆聽。沒有風(fēng)聲。當(dāng)他經(jīng)過(guò)那些與主路垂直并通往大海的小路時(shí),他能瞥見大海的影子,但卻聽不見海的聲音。海面平靜如鏡。由于空氣紋絲不動(dòng),海上一點(diǎn)波浪都沒有。但他能聽到,或許是他想象自己能聽到,一些別的聲音。微弱的音樂聲正沿著街道朝他悠悠飄來(lái)。
1.start [stɑ?t] n. (因驚訝或恐懼引起的)突然一驚
2.forty winks: [復(fù)] (尤指在白天)小睡,打盹
3.luxuriantly [l?ɡ????ri?ntli] adv. (尤指身體活動(dòng))舒適愉快地
4.snooze [snu?z] n. (尤指在白天)小睡,打盹
5.stroll [str??l] n. 散步;溜達(dá);閑逛
6.commodity [k??m?d?ti] n. 有用的東西;有使用價(jià)值的事物
7.exploit [?k?spl??t] vt. 有效地利用
8.hay [he?] n. (用作飼料的)干草,草料
9.sling [sl??] vt. (隨便地)扔,丟
10.hew [hju?] vt. 砍成;劈出
11.crust [kr?st] n. 【地】地殼
12.ginger [?d??nd??(r)] adj. 姜黃色的
13.hedgerow [?hed?r??] n. 灌木樹籬
14.tangle [?t??ɡl] vt. 使纏結(jié)在一起;使亂成一團(tuán)
15.hedge [hed?] n. 樹籬
16.bend [bend] n. (尤指道路或河流的)拐彎,彎道
17.verge [v??d?] n. 路邊,路肩
18.dangle [dangl] vi. 懸掛;懸垂
19.ragged [?r?ɡ?d] adj. (輪廓線或邊緣)參差不齊的;不規(guī)則的
20.sleek [sli?k] adj. (頭發(fā)、皮毛)油亮光滑的,有光澤的
21.bale [be?l] n. 大包,大捆(的干草、紙等)
22.leprechaun [?lepr?k??n] n. (愛爾蘭民間傳說(shuō)中像小矮人的)魔法精靈;矮妖
23.shiver [???v?(r)] n. (因寒冷或恐懼引起的)顫抖;戰(zhàn)栗
24.apprehension [??pr??hen?n] n. (對(duì)行將出現(xiàn)的危險(xiǎn)等的)憂慮;擔(dān)心;恐懼
25.swell [swel] vi. 逐漸增加;逐漸擴(kuò)大
26.argyle [ɑ??ɡa?l] adj. (尤指短襪、領(lǐng)帶等織品)有多色菱形花紋的
27.tartan [?tɑ?tn] adj. 方格花紋(或圖案)的
28.dial [?da??l] n. 調(diào)節(jié)器;控制器
29.second hand: (鐘表的)秒針
30.jerky [?d???ki] adj. 忽動(dòng)忽停的;斷斷續(xù)續(xù)的
31.work up: 請(qǐng)參見P47注釋8
32.strain [stre?n] n. (常用作復(fù)數(shù))旋律;樂曲;曲調(diào)
賞析
在15歲男孩吉吉·利迪的家鄉(xiāng)愛爾蘭肯瓦拉小鎮(zhèn),時(shí)間似乎總是不夠用。所有的公共汽車都在晚點(diǎn),每個(gè)人都行色匆匆忙著趕路,孩子們也不似從前那般悠閑自在地在鄉(xiāng)間玩耍。在生日即將到來(lái)之際,吉吉的媽媽海倫只想要一件禮物——時(shí)間。吉吉將這個(gè)看似荒謬的心愿銘記于心,一段尋找時(shí)間的非凡之旅也因此而展開……
從吉吉的曾外祖父開始,利迪家族就一直是小鎮(zhèn)上很有影響力的音樂世家,頗具天賦的吉吉在母親的影響下,也毫無(wú)意外地成為一名狂熱的音樂愛好者。在每個(gè)月的第二個(gè)周六,利迪家都會(huì)舉行一場(chǎng)舞會(huì)。雖然小鎮(zhèn)流傳著吉吉的曾祖父因?yàn)橐恢坏炎又\殺了神父的流言,但利迪家已經(jīng)延續(xù)了幾代的舞會(huì)卻并未受到影響??稍谶@個(gè)周六,舞會(huì)的小提琴手吉吉卻不見了,而幾乎與此同時(shí),小鎮(zhèn)上出現(xiàn)了一位神秘的新警察拉里。
特納奧格,這就是失蹤的吉吉所前往的地方——這是一個(gè)猶如世外桃源般的存在,雖然看上去與人類社會(huì)并無(wú)兩樣,但不同的是,這里沒有時(shí)間;換言之,特納奧格是一個(gè)永生之地。在這里,房屋和桌椅從土地之中生長(zhǎng)出來(lái),人們可以把棕色的山羊變成羊皮鼓來(lái)敲打。在這里,金錢像廢紙一樣毫無(wú)用處,遍地都是在愛爾蘭童話里才會(huì)出現(xiàn)的調(diào)皮精靈。最重要的是,這里有音樂,不懂焦慮的人們最喜歡做的事情就是聚在一起演奏或欣賞音樂。吉吉很快便融入到這種悠閑怡然的氛圍之中,還學(xué)會(huì)了好多首美妙的曲子。
但現(xiàn)在,特納奧格卻面臨著前所未有的危機(jī):時(shí)間越來(lái)越快地從人類世界泄露過(guò)來(lái),可泄漏點(diǎn)卻一直未被找到。結(jié)果,這里的太陽(yáng)也開始稍稍西沉,甚至還出現(xiàn)了死蒼蠅!這也從另一方面解釋了為何肯瓦拉小鎮(zhèn)上的所有人都如此匆忙。人們無(wú)法看見、聽見或聞到的時(shí)間像流水一樣通過(guò)隱形的時(shí)間之膜滲入到了另一個(gè)世界。少年吉吉決定和小提琴手安格斯·奧格(Aengus óg,凱爾特神話中象征著愛與浪漫的神)以及一只受傷的獵狼犬布萊恩一起去尋找時(shí)間的泄漏點(diǎn)。
一路上,安格斯的介紹讓吉吉對(duì)特納奧格的了解更增添了幾分:為什么洗過(guò)的襪子經(jīng)常只剩一只?原來(lái)是洗衣機(jī)或烘干機(jī)將其中的一只甩到了這里;妖精偷換嬰兒的古老傳說(shuō)也是真的,這是因?yàn)榫`們要借助人類的時(shí)間讓自己的孩子得以長(zhǎng)大;百慕大三角洲的迷案也有了答案,那是人類的飛機(jī)誤入了特納奧格忘記關(guān)上的天門……吉吉小時(shí)候聽過(guò)的無(wú)數(shù)傳說(shuō)故事都競(jìng)相在腦海中翻涌起來(lái)。這是一個(gè)神奇的地方,也是一個(gè)與愛爾蘭血脈相連的地方。
帶領(lǐng)吉吉找到泄漏點(diǎn)的是布萊恩。當(dāng)吉吉跟隨它的叫聲來(lái)到一個(gè)山洞中的密室,看到穿著黑袍子、帶著白色牧師領(lǐng)、手握一只笛子的多蒂爾神父時(shí),他瞬間明白了事情的來(lái)龍去脈。多蒂爾神父就是傳言被吉吉曾祖父所殺害的那位神父,也是當(dāng)時(shí)極力反對(duì)利迪家舉辦舞會(huì)的頭號(hào)人物。他搶走了吉吉曾祖父的笛子,并來(lái)到了特納奧格,而時(shí)間正是從他插在時(shí)間之膜上的中空笛孔之間泄露過(guò)來(lái)的。多蒂爾神父堅(jiān)信特納奧格的妖精們用音樂、舞蹈和魔法腐蝕了愛爾蘭,而他要做的就是用時(shí)間摧毀這個(gè)永生之地。
吉吉阻止了這一切,他謊稱現(xiàn)在的愛爾蘭人已經(jīng)不再相信精靈。當(dāng)放松警惕的神父走向密室的墻壁,準(zhǔn)備通過(guò)時(shí)間之膜返回凡人的世界時(shí),吉吉沖上前去搶下了笛子。那一刻,時(shí)間終于停止了泄露,肯瓦拉的人們感覺輕松了起來(lái),海倫也終于得到了她夢(mèng)想中的生日禮物。
拯救了特納奧格的吉吉不知道在自己的世界里時(shí)間已經(jīng)過(guò)去了多久,但有那么一瞬間,他突然聽到了一陣熟悉的音樂聲,那是媽媽和妹妹彈奏六角手風(fēng)琴的聲音,仿佛在召喚著他回家。吉吉拒絕了安格斯的挽留,經(jīng)受住永生的誘惑,抱著飽受傷痛之苦的布萊恩回到了家。利迪家的舞會(huì)終于回歸,吉吉的表演更是出神入化。這一天,新警察拉里也來(lái)到利迪家,吉吉恍惚的記憶逐漸清晰起來(lái)——這個(gè)新警察就是安格斯,也是吉吉失蹤多年的外祖父。
這是一則溫暖動(dòng)人的成長(zhǎng)寓言,它以一個(gè)少年的視角重新闡釋了時(shí)間及死亡的意義;這也是獻(xiàn)給古老的愛爾蘭民族的一次禮贊,無(wú)數(shù)引人入勝的故事在其中熠熠發(fā)光;這更是對(duì)音樂、人性和愛的頌揚(yáng),所有令人快樂的、值得珍惜的所在都如同夢(mèng)境般美好。尤其是音樂,它無(wú)疑是書中最耀眼的符號(hào)。從早期凱爾特人發(fā)明的勞動(dòng)歌曲,到征服整個(gè)歐洲的近代民歌,再到如今每年都會(huì)舉辦的眾多盛大的國(guó)際音樂節(jié),音樂向來(lái)是令愛爾蘭民族無(wú)比自豪的標(biāo)簽。在這本書中,音樂更是舉足輕重,它成為溝通兩個(gè)世界的橋梁,成為維系家庭相親相愛的紐帶,也成為抵御時(shí)間無(wú)情逝去的武器。
短暫的一生中,如果能自由地感受音樂的魅力,悠閑地享用自然之美,無(wú)限地沉浸于親人之愛,衰老和死亡又何足以懼,是否永生又哪里談得上重要呢?就像受傷的布萊恩,它為了永生去往特納奧格,為了結(jié)束痛苦又選擇回到人類社會(huì),盡管最后化為了一撮黑色的塵土,但沒有人能否認(rèn),這是一種幸福的告別,它已去往另一個(gè)永恒的世界,那是我們所有人都終將去往的世界。吉吉雖然只是一個(gè)仍會(huì)與朋友吵架然后和好的少年,但在經(jīng)歷這次無(wú)與倫比的游歷之后,他好似已洞見了人生的真諦。
吉吉帶回家的魔笛一半在歷經(jīng)70年時(shí)光的洗禮之后變得灰黑破舊,另一半則在靜止的世界里锃亮如新。新與舊的碰撞,無(wú)限和有限的交織,少年吉吉就在這樣的妙不可言中完成了自己的成人禮:讓時(shí)間慢下來(lái),讓音樂響起來(lái),人生而有限,但人又生而無(wú)窮。