(原创:灵隐士)
康拉德的忧伤我的忧伤(5)——那忧伤的成功
(The brown current ran swiftly out of the heart of darkness, bearing us down towards the sea with twice the speed of our upward progress; and Kurtz's life was running swiftly too, ebbing, ebbing out of his heart into the sea of inexorable time. The manager was very placid, he had no vital anxieties now, he took us both in with a comprehensive and satisfied glance: the 'affair' had come off as well as could be wished.)
作人直接点,直接翻译如下:
“棕黑的水流迅捷无比地逃离出这片黑暗的心脏地带,携带着我们顺流而下奔向大海,这速度比起来的时候可要快多了,嗯,我看得有两倍速度。库尔茨的生命也在迅速地流失,就像潮水要退离海岸一般,从他的心脏之内抽身而退,拔腿就走,大步流星迈向永恒的时间之大海,如此意向坚决不可挽留。虽然他的身体到了这个份儿上,可是领队的经理看上去非常淡定,从容。也难怪他,时至现在一切麻烦事儿都摆平了,所以无事也就一身轻,心里面便不再怀有生死攸关的焦虑。他的目光望着我俩,脸上表现出一种对我俩理解,对我俩满意的神态,似乎在对我俩说:“终于,这么棘手的事情马上就要搞定了,好险没出啥岔子,跟当初所希望的一模一样,出乎意料的完美。”
(Kurtz discoursed. A voice! a voice! It rang deep to the very last. It survived his strength to hide in the magnificent folds of eloquence the barren darkness of his heart. Oh, he struggled! he struggled! The wastes of his weary brain were haunted by shadowy images now--images of wealth and fame revolving obsequiously round his unextinguishable gift of noble and lofty expression. My Intended, my station, my career, my ideas--these were the subjects for the occasional utterances of elevated sentiments. The shade of the original Kurtz frequented the bedside of the hollow sham, whose fate it was to be buried presently in the mold of primeval earth. But both the diabolic love and the unearthly hate of the mysteries it had penetrated fought for the possession of that soul satiated with primitive emotions, avid of lying fame, of sham distinction, of all the appearances of success and power.”)
继续作人痛痛快快,直接翻译如下:
“库尔茨开口了。有声音,是声音!就像一口钟在坚持要鸣放到最后一刻。他的力气在延续,他想用自己那舌灿莲花的口才,去遮挡,去包装,去隐藏自己内心之中的黑暗,那片荒芜,荒凉的无明之地。哦,他在挣扎!在奋力挣扎着!在他疲惫不堪的大脑某处,盛满了无用的垃圾,现在变成影子一般的图像萦来绕去——有财富,有声名,一起谄媚地绕着他转圈圈,包围住他原本就有的,无法抹灭的天生特质——那是举手投足之间,一种高尚,尊贵,超人一等的神态。那些冠冕堂皇的,诸如我的未来打算,我的贸易驿站,我的毕生追求,我的人生理想——所有一切只不过是情感升腾之下偶尔爆发而出,为了思考人生而设定的课题而已,终究离他远去。只有那个原本的库尔茨,才会像幽影一般时常出现在他的床边,看望着这具躺平,中空,虚伪的躯壳。而此时这具躯壳的命运,将会是被埋进原始泥土所铸造的墓穴之中。对于这片执意侵入的神秘之地,他的爱恋如此魔魔怔怔,他的仇恨如此灭绝人寰,两者总是不停在交锋,都想占据那个没有野心,仅仅满足于自己原生感情的灵魂,逼迫着他去追逐那用谎言编织而成的名誉,那虚幻无比的卓越,以及所有那些成功与权力所催生的附加表象。黑暗竟如此神奇,如此蛊惑。”
(Sometimes he was contemptibly childish. He desired to have kings meet him at railway-stations on his return from some ghastly Nowhere, where he intended to accomplish great things. 'You show them you have in you something that is really profitable, and then there will be no limits to the recognition of your ability,' he would say. 'Of course you must take care of the motives--right motives--always.' The long reaches that were like one and the same reach, monotonous bends that were exactly alike, slipped past the steamer with their multitude of secular trees looking patiently after this grimy fragment of another world, the forerunner of change, of conquest, of trade, of massacres, of blessings. I looked ahead--piloting. 'Close the shutter,' said Kurtz suddenly one day; 'I can't bear to look at this.' I did so. There was a silence. 'Oh, but I will wring your heart yet!' he cried at the invisible wilderness.)
直接翻译如下:
“其实有时候他这个人幼稚得真够可以的,很难让人不笑话不鄙视。他呢期望会有那么一天,国王们会站在火车的站台接见他,而他刚从一个阴森可怖,不知在哪的地方回来——他正打算在哪儿干些大事。“你面对着那些高贵的人,对他们表示你的肚子里正有些好货,你的想法绝对可以赚到大钱,接着那些人一定会对你的能力大加赞赏,把你夸到天上去,”这就是他的原话。“当然你不能掉以轻心,一定要留意这些话背后的动机,真实的动机,人永远要小心点儿。”其实呢,人生就像河上行舟,无论多远的地方,到了以后也不过只是一个地方而已,跟别的地方大同小异,船总是随着河岸单调乏味地弯过来弯过去,极为相似。你看这布满两岸的树木,俗气无比地按照间距重复着,一棵棵从汽船的身边轻轻一溜而过。这些原始的树木,此时非常耐心地留意着这艘来自另一个世界,外表看上去肮脏无比的钢铁块块,以及呆在里面的这群开路先锋们,在改变,在征服,在贸易,在屠杀,在祈祷祝福。而我在看着前方的远处——在领航。“关上窗帘,”有一天库尔茨突然发话了:“眼睛看着这些真让我受不了。”我照做了。接下来房间一阵沉默。“哈~,就算这样,我还是要在你的心头之上拧个几把!”他叫喊着,对着那片自己已经看不见的荒野。”
(His was an impenetrable darkness. I looked at him as you peer down at a man who is lying at the bottom of a precipice where the sun never shines.)
直接翻译如下:
“他的心里也有一片荒野,暗黑至极,光线永远无法穿透。我看着他,就像是你俯视一个躺在峭壁底部的人,在那里永远没有阳光照射得到,可怜至极。
(One evening coming in with a candle I was startled to hear him say a little tremulously, 'I am lying here in the dark waiting for death.' The light was within a foot of his eyes. I forced myself to murmur, 'Oh, nonsense!' and stood over him as if transfixed.)
照旧,直接翻译如下:
“一天傍晚,我手里拿着蜡烛走进屋里,听到他抖抖艾艾地说了几句,顿时吓了一大跳。“我现在躺在这儿,黑灯瞎火的,纯粹就是等死。”此时的烛光距离他的眼睛不超过一英尺。一下子我心有所触,逼着自己憋着内心的负面情绪,低下声念叨了他两句,“哦,你呀别胡说了!”之后就站在他的面前,静静的一动也不动,好像自己被钉在了地上。”
(Anything approaching the change that came over his features I have never seen before, and hope never to see again. Oh, I wasn't touched. I was fascinated. It was as though a veil had been rent. I saw on that ivory face the expression of somber pride, of ruthless power, of craven terror--of an intense and hopeless despair. Did he live his life again in every detail of desire, temptation, and surrender during that supreme moment of complete knowledge? He cried in a whisper at some image, at some vision,--he cried out twice, a cry that was no more than a breath--
“The horror! The horror!”)
直接翻译如下:
“他的神情举止起了一些变化,其中任何一种都是我以前所没有见过的,也希望我以后再也不需要见到。嗯——我不是被他感动的。相反,我是被他迷惑到了。感觉就像他以前总在脸上蒙着一层面纱。此时,在那张象牙白的脸上,我看到了异常复杂的神情,有骄傲,凝重忧伤的骄傲,有权欲,残酷无情的权欲,有恐惧,胆小怯懦的恐惧——也有一种强烈无比,失去了希望的绝望。人死如灯灭,一切俱明了,在这个庄严神圣的时刻,他会不会人生犹如跑马灯,再次回顾生命所经历的林林总总,从最初的欲望到眼前的诱惑,从眼前的诱惑到背叛初心的投降?他在呼喊着,低声的呼喊着,对着眼前的图像,眼前的幻象——他叫喊了两声,其实叫喊不过是在一呼一吸之间——
“恐怖!好恐怖!””
是啊,人终究一死,人死一灯灭。大江东去浪淘尽,纵使千古风流人物。库尔茨是一个让人如此忧伤的成功者。他原本是一名记者,有理想。为了自己的梦想独身一人来到大洋彼岸的非洲,抱着功成名就才还乡的人生哲学。面对着陌生的黑暗,如此的真实与血淋淋,他变了。黑暗改变着他,改变着他的心,改变着他的梦想,让他学会了适应黑暗,融入黑暗。黑暗之中,那洁白的象牙如此神圣,美艳不可方物!他凝视着,如此投入像失了魂一般,忘记了其它一切。他的眼神如此热切,整个身体如此战栗,而心肠如此铁石,手段如此狠辣——一切为了象牙,我那新的梦想。他大杀四方,终成一方豪强,为万人所仰慕。在大众的眼里,库尔茨是乱世巨星,救世教主,光芒炫目,倾人倾心。每个人听闻着他的传奇,仰望着他的身姿,跪下来膜顶崇拜。可是无人想要靠近他去接触他的内心,那如冥界一般黑暗,阴冷,苦与痛纠结不已的内心。感受不到那冰与火的折磨,听不到人生之尾万念俱灰之下,那句无比失落,无比忧伤的人生感慨。
——“在我人生最后一个关头,四下里却一片黑暗,如此的黑暗,周围没有人,那个她,鲜花一般的人儿也不在,我俩之间隔着万水千山,好远啊。。。。。。也不知道她现在会怎么样?”
——“我的人生真是一句TM的笑话,上帝的一句笑话,而已。”
——“永别了——我爱的人,永别了——爱我的人,也永别了——恨我的人。”
——“人生终究一切回归为零。吾归去也,自此再无风雨再无情。”
——“只是,现在这当下,为什么我的心,分明是如此的迷乱不堪,如此的失落不已,为什么会那么在乎、在意一些东西,一个人?”
——“好怕,我真的好怕。。。。。。”
——“有谁能够行行好救救我。。。请救救我呢?”