It was summer. The hot， still days were followed by evenings of a lovely sultry2 peacefulness scented with mown hay， dog-roses and clover. The river， day and night， looked as if it slept between its rows of still， luscious green reeds.

盛夏時節(jié)，炎熱寂靜的白晝過后，是悶熱而又平靜怡人的傍晚，到處散發(fā)著割下的牧草、犬薔薇和三葉草的清香。日日夜夜，那條河流仿佛都在熟睡，安臥在靜止于兩岸的翠綠蘆葦叢之間。

Two old friends since youth， Will and Matthew， would often on such evenings walk out together as far as the woods， across the cornfields， along to the edge of the marshes or by the river. They were widowers and all the time talked tenderly of the past， deploring the present and recalling wistfully memories of early days.

威爾和馬修，兩個自小結(jié)交的老友，經(jīng)常在這樣的傍晚一道外出散步。他們有時一直走到樹林，有時穿過一塊塊麥田，還有時順著沼澤地的邊緣走或者沿河而行。這兩個鰥夫，一路上說個不停，深情地聊著昔日往事，哀怨地議論當(dāng)今世態(tài)，眷戀地回顧早年歲月。

When they walked by the river， sat on the towing-path3 gates or leaned over the bridge they talked of fishing. They talked， as well， of otter-chasing， of snipe， wild-duck， kingfishers and reed-pipers， of the strange cries of meadow-crakes and owls， of all those things in their lives which were now no more than memories.

每當(dāng)兩人沿河而行，每當(dāng)他們坐在纖道門欄上或者倚著橋欄桿，就不禁說起釣魚。他們還會說起捉水獺；說起沙錐鳥、野鴨子、翠鳥和吹蘆笛的人；說起岸邊草地里的秧雞和貓頭鷹叫聲古怪；說起他們生活中所有如今僅存于回憶的東西。

On the bridge one evening， as they watched the flies dancing over the clear， dark surface of the stream and the water flapping sleepily against the reeds and willow-roots， Will pointed and said：

一天傍晚，他倆站在橋上，注視著蠅子飛舞在清澈幽暗的河面上。河水慵懶地拍擊著蘆葦和柳樹根，威爾指著那邊說：

‘Under that willow I’ve caught scores of eels.’

“在那棵柳樹下，我釣過幾十條鰻鱺?！?/p>

‘I’ve been with you，’ said Matthew， shaking his head， ‘often and often.’

“我總是跟你一起釣。”馬修搖著頭說，“釣過很多很多次?！?/p>

‘Used to lay the lines overnight，’ went on the other. ‘Every summer.’

“經(jīng)常在前一天夜里布下釣線?！蓖柪^續(xù)說?！懊磕晗奶於既ァ！?/p>

‘And then come in the morning before it was daylight.’

“然后在凌晨天亮前回來?！?/p>

‘Yes， come in the morning before it was daylight， and take the eels.’

“沒錯，凌晨天亮前，回來取鰻鱺?！?/p>

This brief， wistful reflection made them silent. It was between sunset and the summer darkness. Under the bridge the water looked already black and oily， but on Matthew’s watch-chain a medal he had won for fishing still gleamed brightly and the air was still intoxicating and full of warmth.

這陣短暫而感傷的回憶令兩人安靜下來。時值夏季日落和天黑之間。橋下的河水已經(jīng)變得黢黑油亮，但扣在馬修懷表鏈子上的那枚垂釣比賽獎?wù)乱廊婚W爍著耀眼的光芒，周遭的空氣依然暖烘烘的，令人陶醉。

In the heavy stillness their voices were a dull murmur.

在沉寂的氛圍里，他們的交談變成一陣沉悶的輕聲絮語。

‘What times we had！ How many times I’ve been on my belly under that tree！’

“咱倆有過怎樣的時光喲！多少回我趴在那棵柳樹下啊！”

They kept glancing up at the willow-tree. A flock of birds went over， heading for the green sky above the sunset. Everywhere was silent.

他倆頻頻仰臉掃視那棵柳樹。一群鳥兒掠過樹梢，飛向落日之上的綠色天宇。周遭一片寂靜。

And then suddenly Matthew exchanged a glance with Will， dropped his gaze to the river again and said：

驀地，馬修與威爾交換了一個眼神，目光復(fù)又俯視河面。他說道：

‘Could we catch eels now？’

“咱們現(xiàn)在能釣到鰻鱺嗎？”

Without a pause Will exclaimed： ‘Catch eels！ There’s nothing in it.4’

威爾不假思索地說：“釣鰻鱺！小菜一碟?！?/p>

‘I’ve been thinking—’

“我一直在尋思——”

‘You just give me an eel-line and I’ll peg it with my eyes shut—and there’d be fish too， mind you.’

“只要給我一根釣鰻鱺的線，我閉著眼睛也能把它拴好，到時就會有魚兒上鉤啦！說真的?！?/p>

Another and even more murmurous， wistful silence came over the river after these words. Then Matthew spoke：

這番交談之后，另一陣更加朦朧、更加感傷的寂靜籠罩河面。然后，馬修開了口。

‘I’ve been wondering whether we shouldn’t lay a few lines under that willow-tree，’ he said.

“我一直尋思咱們是否應(yīng)該在那棵柳樹下布幾根釣線。”他說。

‘Give me a line， I say， and I’ll peg it and there’ll be fish.’

“給我一根線，我說，我把它拴好就能釣到魚啦?！?/p>

‘Shall we？’

“我們要釣嗎？”

‘You give me a line.’

“你給我一根線?！?/p>

Will seemed to gaze into the cool sky with longing. Matthew said： ‘Let’s go， then. Up in my old loft there’s a few lines hanging.’

威爾似乎滿懷期待地凝視著涼爽的夜空。馬修說：“那我們快走吧。我的舊廄房里掛著幾根釣線吶?！?/p>

But for a moment they did not go. In silence they remained watching the twilight creeping over the water， over the meadows， over the sky itself， turning the reeds to black tapers， making the river gleam like quicksilver. And to both the thought of setting eel-lines， coming down before dawn and taking out the fish was for a moment too entrancing5 to be true.

然而，片刻間兩人并未挪步。他們依舊默默地看著暮色漸漸漫過水面、草地、天空，把蘆葦變成一根根黑色的細(xì)長蠟燭，使眼前的這條河像水銀似的閃著微光。一時間，布下釣線，再待黎明前來此釣上鰻鱺的想法，對兩人而言似乎過于美妙，如同夢幻一般。

Presently， however， they did go. In the river， as they crossed the bridge， Matthew’s shadow was curved， with a white top， and though Will’s was straighter and stiff， like a drumstick， it too was white at the head.

然而，不久他們還是走開了。過橋之際，馬修在河里投下蜷曲的身影，頂著一個白色腦袋；威爾的身影雖說直挺一些，形似一根鼓槌，但腦袋也是白的。

Going up into the village between thick rows of hawthorn and elder， a smell of honeysuckle reached them.

走進(jìn)夾在一排排茂密山楂樹和接骨木之間的村子時，他們嗅到了一股忍冬的氣味。

‘It’s best to get there by four o’clock，’ Matthew kept saying.

“最好四點鐘之前到那兒?！瘪R修不住地說。

‘We will. That’s the best time; I know it is.’

“我們會到的。那是最好的時間，我知道?！?/p>

‘If only my old lines don’t break！’

“但愿我的幾根舊線沒斷！”

As they entered the village， came to Matthew’s house， got out the lines and examined them， it seemed to both that they were about to do once again something splendid， adventurous and full of joy. They dug out worms.

他倆走進(jìn)村子，來到馬修家，取下幾根釣線后檢查一番。兩人都依稀覺得他們將再次做一件美妙、冒險、充滿歡樂的事情。他們還挖出了幾條蚯蚓。

When they returned it was still not late， though Matthew’s watch-chain， the sky， the dog-roses all shone fainter than before. Only the smell of honeysuckle seemed stronger and mouA6haYWQ5ug5PZk8EyU3Og==re intoxicating.

兩人返回河邊時還不算很晚，盡管馬修的表鏈、天空和犬薔薇的光芒暗淡了下來。只有忍冬的香氣似乎越發(fā)濃郁、越發(fā)醉人。

The river looked more like dark oil than ever. The reeds， the water-grass and the willow-tree had turned quite black. Matthew kept stumbling over hoof-marks.

河水比以往任何時候都更加黢黑油亮。蘆葦、水草和柳樹都已變得黑乎乎的。馬修時不時地被牲口蹄印絆得踉踉蹌蹌。

As Will knelt down， stretched on his belly and began to drop the lines into the water， he thought： ‘The grass seems damp.’ Matthew， on kneeling beside him， thought so too. But they said nothing to each other.

威爾跪下來，身子前傾，腹部貼地，開始將釣線逐一放入水里。他暗想：“草好像濕漉漉的?！惫蛟谒磉叺鸟R修也這樣想，不過誰也沒跟對方說什么。

One after another the lines plopped6， sank and were made secure to the edge. With their ears so close， Matthew and Will could hear the rustle of weeds and of water creeping between.

釣線啪嗒啪嗒地落在水面，繼而沉入水中，而線頭緊緊拴在河邊。馬修和威爾的耳朵緊貼著地面，能夠聽見水草的沙沙聲，以及河水在水草叢中緩緩流淌的聲音。

They got up off their knees. Still it seemed to them， as they returned stumbling along the bank， that to set eel-lines at night， wake at four， and in the fresh summer dawn take home their load of fish， was as pleasant and exciting as it had been in their youth， and they talked of all the longest eels they had ever caught.

他們從地上站起來。沿著河岸跌跌絆絆往回走的時候，兩人仍然覺得，這天夜里布下釣線，凌晨四點醒來，夏日清新的黎明時分拿著釣到的鰻鱺回家，是如同年輕時那樣快樂而興奮的事情。他們說起自己曾經(jīng)捕獲的幾條超長鰻鱺。

At Matthew’s gate they reminded each other：

回到馬修的家門口時，他們互相提醒：

‘At four， sharp. No later than four.’

“四點，準(zhǔn)時。不得遲于四點?！?/p>

And as their white old heads bobbed away from each other in the warm dark， Matthew remembered and called：

兩個蒼老的白腦瓜在暖烘烘的黑夜中猝然分開之際，馬修忽有所思，喊道：

‘Bring a basket！ Don’t forget！ …’

“帶上一只籃子！可別忘了哇！……”

In the morning， at dawn， a chill hangs over the river， the water looks cold and like steel， and the grass， the dog-roses and the honeysuckle are drenched in dew. From the east to the zenith7 a cold pink light spreads reluctantly， but there is no warmth and the leaves shiver. Now the reeds droop， looking a dirty， dishevelled8 green and with a rustling sound shudder and sway.

清晨，黎明時分，一股寒氣籠罩著河面，河水泛著冷冽的鋼灰色，青草、犬薔薇和忍冬則被露水打得透濕。一片粉紅的冷光，從東邊勉強(qiáng)擴(kuò)散到天頂，但不帶半點暖意，樹葉則打著寒顫。此時的蘆葦耷拉著，呈現(xiàn)一種臟污駁雜的綠色，發(fā)出一陣窸窸窣窣的聲響，哆嗦著、搖晃著。

Among them， in the deep water under the willow-tree， five or six empty eel-lines sway backwards and forwards， first in the grey light， then in the rose， then in the soft early sunshine pouring from the blue sky.

在蘆葦之間，那棵柳樹下的深水中，五六根空釣線前后晃蕩著。映照它們的，先是熹微的灰色晨光，繼而是玫瑰紅的，最后是從藍(lán)天灑下的、初升之日的柔和霞光。

Birds wake， cattle pass across the meadows， in the village a bell hH4C1uasjJiSoRWvJePUsQ==rings for an early service. But along the river-path nobody comes.

鳥兒蘇醒了，牛群穿過了草地，村莊里響起了早禱的鐘聲，但是河邊的小徑上卻沒人走來。

（譯者單位：揚(yáng)州大學(xué)）

1本篇出自赫伯特·歐內(nèi)斯特·貝茨的《日暮及其他故事集》（Day’ s End and Other Stories）。貝茨（1905—1974），英國著名作家，主要以短篇小說的成就馳譽(yù)文壇。他擅長用散文詩的筆觸描繪景色和抒寫胸懷。他的短篇小說文筆生動、真切、傳神，自然景物與人物心理的描寫熨帖入微，富有詩的意蘊(yùn)和韻律，在主題思想和藝術(shù)手法方面都體現(xiàn)出獨特的風(fēng)格。 2 sultry悶熱潮濕的。 3 = towpath江河兩岸纖夫挽船前進(jìn)的小路。

4 there is nothing in sth（某事）很容易。此處同there is nothing to it。

5 entrancing 使人著迷的。

6 plop撲通落下。

7 zenith頂峰；頂點。 8 dishevelled凌亂的。