瓊·克雷格黑德·喬治

The herd was quite close， and Julie could see the difference between the males and the females. The females were smaller， and their horns did not meet on their brows， as did those of the males. Both sexes had large eyes that protruded from their heads several inches. With these eyes they could see to the sides， the front， and the rear， and they could see in the dark as well as in the painful light of ice glare. The uminmaks are creatures honed by darkness， sun， and intense cold.

Kapugen moo-grunted.

A female left the group and came toward him. She hesitated when she saw Julie. Kapugen walked slowly up to her making soft sounds. When she was close， he reached out and scratched her head.

“This is Siku， Miyax，” he said. “I found her on the tundra. Her mother had just been killed by a wolf pack. Siku was moving inside her. I opened the belly and lifted this little musk ox onto the ice—the siku; then I wrapped her in a caribou skin and took her home.

“I fed her on a bottle， and she lived and gave me the idea to raise musk oxen.”

“Is it hard to raise them？” Julie asked.

“Not too hard，” Kapugen replied. “Once， not too long ago， when the caribou were scarce， the people of Kangik， Wainwright， and Barrow raised reindeer. Malek was a herder. I met him and told him of my dream. He came to Kangik to join me. The state of Alaska gave us several more oxen to go with Siku. In time we had a herd and gathered qiviut.” Julie reached slowly out and touched Siku. The large eyes rolled her way， but the cow did not move.

“Siku，” he said， laughing and rubbing her head roughly. “You started it all.” She snorted and went back to the herd. The uminmaks had broken their fortress circle and were cropping grass.

“How many musk oxen do you have， Aapa？” Julie asked.

“Four bulls and seven females and yearlings. Not many， but the herd is growing. There will be four little calves in May or June if the wolves do not get them.” He looked directly into her eyes.

Julie did not speak. She was thinking of that day on the tundra when an airplane came out of the mist and， with the burst of gunfire， killed Amaroq， the intelligent and kindly leader of her wolf pack.

She turned away from Kapugen’s gaze. He was telling her he had killed the wolf to protect these musk oxen. He was thinking of his people， his eyes said， and they added that he would do it again if he had to.

Julie was terrified for Kapu and his pack. Wherever the caribou were， she fervently hoped her wolves were with them.

牛群離得很近，朱莉能夠看清公牛和母牛的區(qū)別。母牛體型略小，牛角不像公牛那樣在眉毛上方聚攏。公牛和母牛都有一對大眼睛，凸出在頭上，高約幾英寸。這樣凸出的眼睛讓它們可以看到側(cè)面、前面和后面。在黑暗中以及刺眼的冰雪反光中它們也能看得清。尤敏麥克這種動物就是由黑暗、陽光和嚴寒鍛造出來的。

卡普根哞地叫了一聲。

一只母麝牛離開了牛群朝他走來。這頭母?？吹搅酥炖蛴知q豫不前?？ㄆ崭贿呡p聲呼喚著，一邊慢慢地走近她。母?？拷臅r候，卡普根伸手撓了撓她的頭。

“這是司庫，米婭克斯，”卡普根說，“我在凍原上找到的她。那時候她的母親剛剛被一群狼殺死。司庫在母親的肚子里亂動。我切開母牛肚子把這個小小的麝牛放到冰上——就是司庫;然后我用一張北美馴鹿皮包好她帶回了家。

“我用奶瓶喂她，她活了下來。這讓我有了飼養(yǎng)麝牛的想法?！?/p>

“飼養(yǎng)麝牛很難嗎？”朱莉問。

“不太難，”卡普根回答，“不久以前，北美馴鹿不多的時候，坎吉克、韋恩賴特以及巴羅鎮(zhèn)的人都飼養(yǎng)馴鹿。馬利克就是一個飼養(yǎng)馴鹿的人。我碰到他并告訴了他我的夢想。他來到坎吉克跟我一起干。阿拉斯加州又給了我們幾頭麝牛，跟司庫一起飼養(yǎng)。我們終于有了一群麝牛，可以剪麝牛絨了。”朱莉慢慢地伸出手去撫摸司庫。司庫的大眼睛朝著朱莉轉(zhuǎn)了轉(zhuǎn)，身子卻沒有動。

“司庫，”卡普根一邊笑著，一邊撫摸著司庫的頭說，“是你開了個好頭?！彼編齑蛄藗€響鼻又走回牛群去了。尤敏麥克組成的防護圈子散開了，然后各自吃草。

“阿爸，你現(xiàn)在有多少麝牛呢？”朱莉問。

“四頭公牛、七頭母牛和小牛。不太多，但牛群還在擴大。到五月或六月還會添加四頭小牛犢，如果狼群不殺死它們的話?！笨ㄆ崭⒅炖虻难劬φf。

朱莉沒有說話。她想到了凍原上的那一天，有一架飛機突然從大霧中出現(xiàn)，一陣槍彈襲來，殺死了阿馬羅克——她所屬狼群的聰明又善良的頭狼。

朱莉轉(zhuǎn)過頭，避開了卡普根的逼視?？ㄆ崭窃诟嬖V她，他之所以殺死那頭狼是為了保護麝牛。他的眼睛在說，他想到的是他的小鎮(zhèn)居民，而且如果必要，他還會那么做。

朱莉為卡普和他的狼群感到害怕。她多么希望北美馴鹿到哪里，她的狼群就跟隨到哪里。

【背景知識】朱莉的父親卡普根接受了白人的價值觀，認為人與自然是利用和被利用的關(guān)系，于是飼養(yǎng)麝牛，獵殺狼群。而朱莉仍然相信人與自然應(yīng)該和諧相處。父女倆之間的矛盾沖突在這一選段里集中顯現(xiàn)。

【第一段】第三句開頭的短語both sexes如直譯為“兩個性別的麝牛”會顯得奇怪，譯文改為“公牛和母?！薄６ㄕZ從句that protruded from their heads several inches的譯文也不好處理（從頭上凸出幾英寸），譯文添加了“高約”。短語in the painful light of ice glare也不宜直譯，譯文轉(zhuǎn)化為“刺眼的冰雪反光”。

【第二段】第一句中原文使用了象聲詞moo，譯文加以保留譯為“哞”。第四句中的making soft sounds（發(fā)出柔和的聲音）譯文明晰化為“輕聲呼喚著”，更明白易懂。

【第三段】愛斯基摩語中的siku是“冰”的意思。所以司庫指出生在冰上的麝牛。而fed her on a bottle指用奶瓶喂小牛，不是一般的瓶子。

【第四段】單詞herder意思是“放牧人”，此處為飼養(yǎng)馴鹿的人?！八編斓拇笱劬Τ炖蜣D(zhuǎn)了轉(zhuǎn)”意指司庫看了看朱莉，譯文保留了原文的描述方式，這樣更有趣味。

【第五段】句子“You started it all.”直譯應(yīng)該是“你啟動了這一切?！?，是過于現(xiàn)代的表達，譯文選取了更口語化的方式：是你開了個好頭。短語broken their fortress circle（打破了他們的防護圈）實指麝牛群不像一開始那樣圍著弱小的牛犢轉(zhuǎn)圈以起到保護作用，而是自由散開吃草了。

【第六段】短語seven females and yearlings按照字面意義是“七頭母牛和一歲的小?！保@樣稍顯啰唆，譯文省略了修飾語“一歲的”，譯文更簡潔。

【第七段】原文第二句是較為復(fù)雜的英語句式，中文譯文前半句采取了流水句式，后半句使用補語的形式，補充說明阿馬羅克的身份。

【第八段】這一段描寫朱莉的心理，是朱莉?qū)Ω赣H眼神和表情的解讀。短語his people如直譯為“他的人民”不妥，因為卡普根不是國王也不是行政領(lǐng)導(dǎo)，他只是為小鎮(zhèn)居民著想，所以譯為“他的小鎮(zhèn)居民”。

【第九段】句子she fervently hoped（她熱切地希望）按照中文常見的句式譯為“她多么希望”。如果狼群跟著北美馴鹿走，就不會獵殺麝牛，也就不會被卡普根殺死。所以朱莉渴望狼群能一直跟隨北美馴鹿。

【小結(jié)】這一選段表面上翻譯難度不大，但還有好多語段需要用心斟酌。原文里的愛斯基摩語要傳譯到位，譯文同時應(yīng)該反映出源語文化特色。原文一些特殊的表達方式則需要在翻譯中加以變通，使之符合中文習(xí)慣、更加明白易懂。