the-chrysanthemums-菊花(中英对照)

(完整版)thechrysanthemums菊花(中英对照)(完整版)thechrysanthemums菊花(中英对照)(完整版)thechrysanthemums菊花(中英对照)Thehighgrey—flannelfogofwinterclosedofftheSalinasValleyfromtheskyandfromalltherestoftheworld。Oneverysideitsatlikealidonthemountainsandmadeofthegreatvalleyaclosedpot。Onthebroad，levellandfloorthegangplowsbitdeepandlefttheblackearthshininglikemetalwheretheshareshadcut。OnthefoothillranchesacrosstheSalinasRiver，theyellowstubblefieldsseemedtobebathedinpalecoldsunshine,buttherewasnosunshineinthevalleynowinDecember。Thethickwillowscrubalongtheriverflamedwithsharpandpositiveyellowleaves。飘荡在半空中的冬雾呈现出灰法兰绒色，将萨利纳斯山谷严实地罩了起来；同时也把它与外界分隔开.雾气锁着山头，四面象顶盖子，而山谷则成了一口盖得严严实实的深锅。农民在宽阔平坦的土地上深耕，犁铧过处，黑色的土地闪着金属的光泽.在横卧萨利纳斯河的丘陵地上，农场里的茬地泛着黄色，象是沐浴在冷冷的苍白日光下；不过,现在时至腊月，山谷里没什么阳光.河边上密密麻麻的柳丛上的黄叶颜色鲜浓,象着了火似的。Itwasatimeofquietandofwaiting.Theairwascoldandtender.Alightwindblewupfromthesouthwestsothatthefarmersweremildlyhopefulofagoodrainbeforelong；butfogandraindonotgotogether。这是一个安静，叫人等待的季节。空气凉凉的，柔柔的。从西南方向吹来一阵轻风,农民们隐隐地感到不久会有一场及时雨，但雨和雾是不一起来的。Acrosstheriver，onHenryAllen’sfoothillranchtherewaslittleworktobedone，forthehaywascutandstoredandtheorchardswereploweduptoreceivetheraindeeplywhenitshouldcome。Thecattleonthehigherslopeswerebecomingshaggyandrough—coated。河对岸亨利•埃伦家位于丘陵上的农场里已经没什么活计了：干草都收割过并存放了起来,果园业已深翻过，好等到有雨的时候浇个透底墒。高处山坡上的牛变得毛皮杂乱粗糙。ElisaAllen,workinginherflowergarden，lookeddownacrosstheyardandsawHenry,herhusband,talkingtotwomeninbusinesssuits。Thethreeofthemstoodbythetractorshed,eachmanwithonefootonthesideofthelittleFordson.Theysmokedcigarettesandstudiedthemachineastheytalked.伊利莎•埃伦正在花园里干活儿，穿过院子朝远处望时,她看见丈夫亨利正在与两个身着工作服的人交谈。三个人都站在拖拉机棚边上,一只脚蹬在那辆小型福特牌拖拉机的一侧。说话的时候,他们边抽着烟，边打量拖拉机。Elisawatchedthemforamomentandthenwentbacktoherwork。Shewasthirty-five。Herfacewasleanandstrongandhereyeswereasclearaswater.Herfigurelookedblockedandheavyinhergardeningcostume,aman'sblackhatpulledlowdownoverhereyes，clod-hoppershoes，afiguredprintdressalmostcompletelycoveredbyabigcorduroyapronwithfourbigpocketstoholdthesnips，thetrowelandscratcher,theseedsandtheknifesheworkedwith.Sheworeheavyleatherglovestoprotectherhandswhilesheworked.伊利莎看了他们一会儿，又继续忙自己的活儿。她今年三十五岁，脸庞瘦俏并透着坚毅，一双眼睛清澈如水。由于穿着园艺工作服，她显得鼓囊囊的、有点儿笨拙.她头上戴着一顶男式的黑帽子,拉得很低，直到她的眼睛.脚上是一双粗笨的鞋子。下面穿的印花裙子几乎全给那个大号的灯心绒围裙遮盖了起来。围裙上有四个大口袋，用来放她干活时用的剪刀、泥铲、刮管器、种子和刀。干活时她戴着厚厚的皮手套,免得弄伤手。Shewascuttingdowntheoldyear'schrysanthemumstalkswithapairofshortandpowerfulscissors。Shelookeddowntowardthemenbythetractorshednowandthen.Herfacewaseagerandmatureandhandsome;evenherworkwiththescissorswasover-eager，over—powerful.Thechrysanthemumstemsseemedtoosmallandeasyforherenergy.她这会儿正用一把锋利的小剪子把去年的菊花枝剪短，还不时朝站在拖拉机棚边上的三个男人望一望。她的脸上充满着渴望，看起来成熟漂亮——甚至连她拿着剪刀干活的样子都显得那么有力，饱含期待,以至于那些菊花的枯杆相比之下都显得纤细柔弱，容易收拾了。Shebrushedacloudofhairoutofhereyeswiththebackofherglove,andleftasmudgeofearthonhercheekindoingit。Behindherstoodtheneatwhitefarmhousewithredgeraniumsclose-bankedarounditashighasthewindows。Itwasahard-sweptlookinglittlehousewithhard—polishedwindows,andacleanmud—matonthefrontsteps.她用手套的背部将眼前的一绺乌发抹开，一点污渍就留在了她的脸颊上。她身后是整洁的白色农舍，红色的天竺葵紧紧地簇拥着,直到窗户附近.看得出这座不大的屋子好好打扫过,窗户也曾细心地擦拭过，就连前面台阶上的擦鞋垫都收拾得干干净净。Elisacastanotherglancetowardthetractorshed。ThestrangersweregettingintotheirFordcoupe。Shetookoffagloveandputherstrongfingersdownintotheforestofnewgreenchrysanthemumsproutsthatweregrowingaroundtheoldroots.Shespreadtheleavesandlookeddownamongtheclose-growingstems.Noaphidswerethere，nosowbugsorsnailsorcutworms。Herterrierfingersdestroyedsuchpestsbeforetheycouldgetstarted.伊利莎又朝拖拉机棚的方向看了一眼,那些陌生人正钻进他们的福特牌小客车里。她脱掉一只手套,将自己有力的手指伸到从老的菊花根部新生的一丛幼苗里，然后分开叶子,在长得郁郁葱葱的幼苗里查看。里面蚜虫、潮虫、蜗牛、毛虫什么的都没有.如果真有的话，她那犀利无比的手指也会在这些害虫逃跑之前就将它们消灭。Elisastartedatthesoundofherhusband'svoice。Hehadcomenearquietly,andheleanedoverthewirefencethatprotectedherflowergardenfromcattleanddogsandchickens.听到丈夫的声音，伊利莎吃了一惊。原来他已经悄悄地走到了她的旁边，从铁丝栅栏那边俯过身来。铁丝栅栏把她的花园圈了起来，免得牛呀，狗呀，鸡呀这些家畜糟蹋。”Atitagain，"hesaid。”You’vegotastrongnewcropcoming.”Elisastraightenedherbackandpulledonthegardeninggloveagain:"Yes.They'llbestrongthiscomingyear。”Inhertoneandonherfacetherewasalittlesmugness."You'vegotagiftwiththings,"Henryobserved。"Someofthoseyellowchrysanthemumsyouhadthisyearwereteninchesacross.Iwishyou'dworkoutintheorchardandraisesomeapplesthatbig。”Hereyessharpened。”MaybeIcoulddoit,too。I’veagiftwiththings，allright。Mymotherhadit。Shecouldstickanythinginthegroundandmakeitgrow。Shesaiditwashavingplanters'handsthatknewhowtodoit。””Well，itsureworkswithflowers，"hesaid."Henry，whowerethosemenyouweretalkingto？””Why,sure,that’swhatIcametotellyou.TheywerefromtheWesternMeatCompany.Isoldthosethirtyheadofthree—year-oldsteers.Gotnearlymyownprice,too."“又侍弄你的花儿啦，”他说，“它们今年长势好啊。”听到丈夫搭话,伊利莎直起身，顺手把那只手套又戴上：“对,今年长势会很好。”不管是言语中还是脸上都洋溢着得意.“你干活儿很有一手,"亨利说，“你今年种的黄菊花中有的有十英寸那么大，真希望你去侍弄果园，也结出那么大的苹果来.”她的眼睛一亮。“或许我也能。我的确在种植方面有一手，我妈妈也是那样.她随便把什么东西往地下一插，就能活。她说是因为有了庄稼人的手才知道怎么去种植.”“嗯，种花也是这样的，”他说.“亨利，刚才同你说话的那些人是谁呀？”“啊，对了,我正要跟你说呢。他们是西部肉制品公司的。我把那三十头三岁的菜牛卖给他们,差不多是我要的价格.””Good，"shesaid."Goodforyou.""AndIthought,"hecontinued，"Ithoughthowit’sSaturdayafternoon,andwemightgointoSalinasfordinneratarestaurant,andthentoapictureshow－tocelebrate，yousee.””Good,"sherepeated。”Oh,yes。Thatwillbegood。”Henryputonhisjokingtone。”There'sfightstonight.How’dyouliketogotothefights？”"Oh,no,”shesaidbreathlessly."No，Iwouldn'tlikefights.""Justfooling,Elisa.We’llgotoamovie。Let'ssee。It’stwonow.I'mgoingtotakeScottyandbringdownthosesteersfromthehill.It’lltakeusmaybetwohours。We’llgointownaboutfiveandhavedinnerattheCominosHotel.Likethat?"”OfcourseI'lllikeit。It'sgoodtoeatawayfromhome."”Allright，then.I’llgogetupacoupleofhorses。”Shesaid，"I'llhaveplentyoftimetotransplantsomeofthesesets，Iguess。”“太好了，”她说，“真有你的。"“我想，"他接着说，“现在是周六下午,我们可以去萨利纳斯的一家饭店吃顿饭，再去看场电影，庆祝一下，你看怎么样。”“太好了，"她重复道。“真是好极了。”亨利接着开玩笑说，“今天晚上有拳击赛，你愿意看吗?”“不，”她紧张地说，“我可不喜欢拳击赛。”“骗你哪,伊利莎。我们去看电影。让我想一下，现在是下午两点，我去叫斯哥迪,把牛赶下山。这大概要两个钟头.我们会在五点钟到城里，去克民诺斯酒店吃晚饭.你觉得怎么样？”“当然可以，在外面吃饭好。”“那好，我去准备几匹马。”“我想我会有充裕的时间把这些苗儿种上的。"伊利莎说。SheheardherhusbandcallingScottydownbythebarn.Andalittlelatershesawthetwomenrideupthepaleyellowhillsideinsearchofthesteers.Therewasalittlesquaresandybedkeptforrootingthechrysanthemums.Withhertrowelsheturnedthesoiloverandover,andsmootheditandpatteditfirm。Thenshedugtenparalleltrenchestoreceivethesets。Backatthechrysanthemumbedshepulledoutthelittlecrispshoots，trimmedofftheleavesofeachonewithherscissorsandlaiditonasmallorderlypile。继而,她听到丈夫在谷仓那儿叫斯哥迪.又过了一会儿，她看见他们两个骑着马，走上灰黄的山坡找菜牛。花园里有一块四四方方的沙地，是用来种菊花幼苗的。她用泥铲把土翻了又翻，又弄平，再拍结实。然后又挖了十道平行的小沟，好栽种菊苗.她从菊花园里拔了些脆嫩的幼苗,用剪刀剪掉叶子,然后整齐地放在一起。Asqueakofwheelsandplodofhoofscamefromtheroad。Elisalookedup。Thecountryroadranalongthedensebankofwillowsandcottonwoodsthatborderedtheriver，andupthisroadcameacuriousvehicle，curiouslydrawn。Itwasanoldspring-wagon，witharoundcanvastoponitlikethecoverofaprairieschooner.Itwasdrawnbyanoldbayhorseandalittlegrey—and-whiteburro。Abigstubble—beardedmansatbetweenthecoverflapsanddrovethecrawlingteam。Underneaththewagon，betweenthehindwheels,aleanandrangymongreldogwalkedsedately.Wordswerepaintedonthecanvas，inclumsy，crookedletters。"Pots，pans，knives，scissors，lawnmowers。Fixed."Tworowsofarticles，andthetriumphantlydefinitive"Fixed"below。Theblackpainthadrundowninlittlesharppointsbeneatheachletter.路边这时传来了车轮的吱嘎声和马蹄的声响。伊利莎抬起了头.河边上密密麻麻的柳树和杨树旁是条乡间小路，沿着这条路来了一辆奇怪的车，走的样子很怪。那是一辆老式的带弹簧的四轮马车，上面的帆布圆顶子象是拓荒者用的大篷车的顶篷。拉着它的是匹栗色的马和一头灰白的小毛驴。在车顶盖的下面坐着个胡子拉碴的人，赶着这辆车往前爬行.在马车后轮之间，一条瘦骨嶙峋的长腿杂种狗不声不响地跟着。车蓬的上面歪歪扭扭地写着“修理锅、罐、刀、剪子、割草机”。修理的器皿写了两行,“修理”两个字在下面，显得很自信。写字用的黑色颜料在每个字母下面都流成了一个个小尖头.Elisa，squattingontheground,watchedtoseethecrazy,loose—jointedwagonpassby.Butitdidn'tpass。Itturnedintothefarmroadinfrontofherhouse,crookedoldwheelsskirlingandsqueaking.Therangydogdartedfrombetweenthewheelsandranahead.Instantlythetworanchshepherdsflewoutathim。Thenallthreestopped,andwithstiffandquiveringtails，withtautstraightlegs,withambassadorialdignity，theyslowlycircled，sniffingdaintily。ThecaravanpulleduptoElisa'swirefenceandstopped.Nowthenewcomerdog,feelingout-numbered,loweredhistailandretiredunderthewagonwithraisedhacklesandbaredteeth.伊利莎蹲在地上，看着这辆怪模怪样、松松垮垮的马车驶过去。但它并没有从她的眼前过去，而是弯上了经过她家门前的农场小路，破旧的车轮吱嘎吱嘎尖厉地响着。车下面轮子间的那条瘦骨嶙峋的长腿狗冲到了马车的前面，马上，两条牧羊犬朝着它冲了上去。于是,三条狗都站住了，尾巴直竖着、颤抖着，绷紧了腿，带着外交官般的庄重神情。它们互相围着打转,挑剔地嗅着对方。大篷车在伊利莎家的铁丝栅栏边上停了下来。那条初来乍到的狗这时感觉到数量上的众寡悬殊，垂下尾巴，退回到车下，脖子上的毛竖着，牙齿露在外面。Themanonthewagonseatcalledout，"That’sabaddoginafightwhenhegetsstarted。"Elisalaughed.”Iseeheis。Howsoondoeshegenerallygetstarted?”Themancaughtupherlaughterandechoeditheartily."Sometimesnotforweeksandweeks,”hesaid。Heclimbedstifflydown,overthewheel。Thehorseandthedonkeydroopedlikeunwateredflowers。Elisasawthathewasaverybigman。Althoughhishairandbeardweregreying,hedidnotlookold。Hiswornblacksuitwaswrinkledandspottedwithgrease.Thelaughterhaddisappearedfromhisfaceandeyesthemomenthislaughingvoiceceased.Hiseyesweredark,andtheywerefullofthebroodingthatgetsintheeyesofteamstersandofsailors。Thecallousedhandsherestedonthewirefencewerecracked,andeverycrackwasablackline。Hetookoffhisbatteredhat.坐在车上的男人喊道，“这条狗打架受惊时不是条好狗。"伊利莎笑道，“我看是的，它一般要多久就会受惊？"那人被伊利莎的笑声感染，也大声地笑了起来。“有时好几周也不会,”他说.说着，他生硬地从车轮上爬下车。那匹马和那头毛驴耷拉着脑袋,象缺了水的花。伊利莎看得出他是个大块头,虽然头发胡子都白了，却并不显老。褴褛的黑色西装皱皱巴巴的，还有星星点点的油渍。笑声一停，他眼角眉梢的笑容也顿时没了。他双眼乌黑，充满忧郁，这种眼神通常只出现在卡车司机或水手的眼里。他放在铁丝栅栏上的手打满了老茧,裂着一条条黑乎乎的口子。他脱下了那顶破烂的帽子。"I'moffmygeneralroad，ma'am，”hesaid."DoesthisdirtroadcutoveracrosstherivertotheLosAngeleshighway?"Elisastoodupandshovedthethickscissorsinherapronpocket."Well，yes，itdoes,butitwindsaroundandthenfordstheriver.Idon'tthinkyourteamcouldpullthroughthesand."Herepliedwithsomeasperity，”Itmightsurpriseyouwhatthembeastscanpullthrough.”"Whentheygetstarted？"sheasked。Hesmiledforasecond。"Yes.Whentheygetstarted.""Well，”saidElisa,”Ithinkyou'llsavetimeifyougobacktotheSalinasroadandpickupthehighwaythere."Hedrewabigfingerdownthechickenwireandmadeitsing.”Iain’tinanyhurry，ma’am.IgofromSeattletoSanDiegoandbackeveryyear。Takesallmytime.Aboutsixmonthseachway.Iaimtofollowniceweather。”“夫人，我走岔路了，"他说，“沿这条土路过河上得了去洛山矶的公路吗？”伊利莎站了起来，把那把大剪子放到围裙口袋里。“啊，上得了.不过，这条路要绕很远,然后还要从水中蹚过河，我想你很难走过那片沙滩.”他粗暴地回答,“要是你知道这些家伙都走过什么样的地方，或许会吃惊的。"“一旦它们受惊吗？”她问。他笑了一笑。“是的，一旦它们受惊。”“嗯,”伊利莎说，“我想，要是你拐回去到萨利纳斯的路，再从那儿上公路，会省些时间.”他用一个大手指弹了一下栅栏,它响了起来。“我一点儿都不着急，夫人。我每年从西雅图走到圣地亚哥，再回来,总是不慌不忙.一趟大概半年光景，哪儿的天气好我就往哪儿走。”Elisatookoffherglovesandstuffedthemintheapronpocketwiththescissors。Shetouchedtheunderedgeofherman’shat,searchingforfugitivehairs.”Thatsoundslikeanicekindofawaytolive,”shesaid.Heleanedconfidentiallyoverthefence。"Maybeyounoticedthewritingonmywagon。Imendpotsandsharpenknivesandscissors.Yougotanyofthemthingstodo?”"Oh,no,"shesaidquickly."Nothinglikethat."Hereyeshardenedwithresistance.”Scissorsistheworstthing,”heexplained.”Mostpeoplejustruinscissorstryingtosharpen‘em,butIknowhow.Igotaspecialtool.It’salittlebobbitkindofthing，andpatented。Butitsuredoesthetrick.""No.Myscissorsareallsharp。”"Allright,then.Takeapot，”hecontinuedearnestly，"abentpot,orapotwithahole.Icanmakeitlikenewsoyoudon’thavetobuynonewones.That'sasavingforyou。"”No,”shesaidshortly."ItellyouIhavenothinglikethatforyoutodo。”伊利莎脱下手套，把它们放在装着剪子的围裙口袋里。她碰了碰自己那顶男式帽子的底沿，看有没有头发从里面跑出来。“听起来很不错的活法，”她说。他把身子弯向栅栏里面,显出很亲密的样子,说，“或许你看到了我马车上的那些字，我修理锅，磨剪子磨菜刀。你有什么东西要修吗？"“哦，没有，”她忙说。“没什么要修的。”她的眼神坚定起来，透出拒绝的神情。“剪子是最难对付的东西，”他解释说。“大部分人只知道拼命磨它，结果却糟蹋了它,可我知道怎么能把剪子磨快又不糟蹋它。我有专门的工具，是一件小玩意儿，还取得了专利，好用得很。"“不过，我的剪子都很快。”“那好吧。"他继续劝说着,“拿口锅修修吧，不管是瘪了的还是有洞的，我都能修得象新的一样，这样你就不用买新锅了。这你不是省钱了吗？”“不用，”她简短地答道。“我告诉过你我没什么要修的东西。"Hisfacefelltoanexaggeratedsadness。Hisvoicetookonawhiningundertone。"Iain’thadathingtodotoday。MaybeIwon’thavenosuppertonight.YouseeI'moffmyregularroad.IknowfolksonthehighwayclearfromSeattletoSanDiego.TheysavetheirthingsformetosharpenupbecausetheyknowIdoitsogoodandsavethemmoney。””I'msorry,”Elisasaidirritably.”Ihaven'tanythingforyoutodo.”Hiseyesleftherfaceandfelltosearchingtheground。Theyroamedaboutuntiltheycametothechrysanthemumbedwhereshehadbeenworking。"What'sthemplants,ma’am?”TheirritationandresistancemeltedfromElisa’sface。"Oh,thosearechrysanthemums，giantwhitesandyellows.Iraisethemeveryyear，biggerthananybodyaroundhere.”"Kindofalong-stemmedflower?Lookslikeaquickpuffofcoloredsmoke？"heasked。"That'sit.Whatanicewaytodescribethem。””Theysmellkindofnastytillyougetusedtothem，”hesaid.”It'sagoodbittersmell,"sheretorted，”notnastyatall。"Hechangedhistonequickly。”Ilikethesmellmyself。""Ihadten-inchbloomsthisyear,”shesaid。他的脸顿时变得一种夸张的痛苦,就连声音也变得呜咽了.“我今天一件活儿都没干成,或许今晚饭都吃不上。你看我走错了路，我认识从西雅图到圣地亚歌沿途所有的人,他们都把那些坏的家伙放起来等我来修，因为他们知道我活儿干得好，给他们省钱。"“对不起,”伊利莎有些着恼.“我没什么东西好让你修。”他的目光离开了她的脸，落到了地上，四处瞥了瞥,最后停到伊利莎忙碌着的那片菊花地上。“夫人，那些是什么呀？"听到这话，伊利莎脸上的恼怒和拒绝缓和了.“啊，那是菊花，巨白菊和黄菊。我每年都种，开起来比方圆左近的人种的都大。”“是一种长茎花吗？看起来象是一朵彩色烟雾？"他问。“正是，你这样比喻太恰当了.”“要是不习惯它的香味，闻起来有点儿难受，”他说.“那是一种好闻的苦香，"她反驳道，“一点儿也不难受。”他马上改了口。“我就很喜欢那种香味。”“我今年有直径十英寸那么大的花，”她说。Themanleanedfartheroverthefence.”Look.Iknowaladydowntheroadapiece，hasgotthenicestgardenyoueverseen.Gotnearlyeverykindofflowerbutnochrysanthemums。LasttimeIwasmendingacopper—bottomwashtubforher（that’sahardjobbutIdoitgood),shesaidtome,'IfyoueverrunacrosssomenicechrysanthemumsIwishyou'dtrytogetmeafewseeds.'That'swhatshetoldme.”Elisa'seyesgrewalertandeager。”Shecouldn'thaveknownmuchaboutchrysanthemums.Youcanraisethemfromseed,butit’smucheasiertorootthelittlesproutsyouseethere.”"Oh,”hesaid。”Is’poseIcan’ttakenonetoher，then。"”Whyyesyoucan,”Elisacried."Icanputsomeindampsand,andyoucancarrythemrightalongwithyou.They’lltakerootinthepotifyoukeepthemdamp.Andthenshecantransplantthem.””She’dsureliketohavesome，ma'am。Yousaythey’reniceones？””Beautiful，”shesaid。”Oh，beautiful.”Hereyesshone.Shetoreoffthebatteredhatandshookoutherdarkprettyhair。"I'llputtheminaflowerpot,andyoucantakethemrightwithyou。Comeintotheyard.”那人又朝栅栏里边靠了靠。“喂，我认识下面离这儿不远的一位太太，从没见过那么好的花园，里面几乎什么花儿都有,就是没有菊花。我上次给她修了一个铜底洗衣盆。那可是件棘手的活儿，不过我干得很好。她跟我说，‘如果你能碰上什么好的菊花，希望你能给我带点儿种子来。’她这么跟我说。”伊利莎眼睛一亮，变得热切起来.”她不可能知道很多关于菊花的知识.你可以下种,但插幼苗的方法更容易，就是你在那边看到的那些.”“啊，”他叫道.“这样的话，我估计一棵也给她带不去了.”“为什么不能？你可以，”伊利莎大声说，“我可以把幼苗种在湿的沙土里，你就可以随身带着了.只要保持沙土不干，这些幼苗就会在花盆里生根，然后她就可以移栽它们了。”“她肯定很高兴有这些菊花，夫人。它们是很漂亮的菊花，对吧?”“漂亮，”她说，“啊，非常漂亮。”她的双眼这会儿炯炯有神。她一把拉下了那顶破旧的帽子，乌黑漂亮的头发散了开来。“我把它们栽到一个花盆里，你再带走。到院里来吧。”WhilethemancamethroughthepicketgateElisaranexcitedlyalongthegeranium—borderedpathtothebackofthehouse.Andshereturnedcarryingabigredflowerpot.Thegloveswereforgottennow。shekneeledonthegroundbythestartingbedanddugupthesandysoilwithherfingersandscoopeditintothebrightnewflowerpot.Thenshepickedupthelittlepileofshootsshehadprepared.Withherstrongfingersshepressedthemintothesandandtampedaroundthemwithherknuckles。Themanstoodoverher."I’lltellyouwhattodo,”shesaid。”Youremembersoyoucantellthelady."”Yes,I'lltrytoremember.””Well,look。Thesewilltakerootinaboutamonth。Thenshemustsetthemout,aboutafootapartingoodrichearthlikethis,see？”Sheliftedahandfulofdarksoilforhimtolookat."They’llgrowfastandtall.Nowrememberthis：InJulytellhertocutthemdown，abouteightinchesfromtheground."”Beforetheybloom?"heasked."Yes,beforetheybloom。”Herfacewastightwitheagerness。”They’llgrowrightupagain.AboutthelastofSeptemberthebudswillstart.”那男人进了尖木桩做的大门，而伊利莎兴奋地沿着两边都是天竺葵的小路跑到房子后面，回来的时候抱着一个大个儿的红花盆.手套已经不知道扔哪儿去了。她跪在苗床旁的地上,用手指挖些沙土，然后捧到那个新的红花盆里。接着她捡起准备好的一小捆苗，用自己有力的手指将它们插到沙子里，然后再用指节在周围拍了拍。男人低头看着她。“我会告诉你怎么做的，”她说。“你得记着，好告诉那位太太。"“好的,我尽力记住。"“那好，记着,这些幼苗会在一个月左右扎根。然后她就得把它们移栽出来，移到象这样肥沃的土壤里，每隔一英尺种一棵，你明白吗？”她抓起一满把黑色的土壤让他看。“它们会长得很快很高。你记着：告诉她七月的时候把它们剪短，剪到距地面大概八英寸高."“在它们开花前吗?”他问。“是的,在开花前。”她的脸因为兴奋绷得紧紧的.“它们很快就会长起来；九月末就开始打花骨朵了。”Shestoppedandseemedperplexed."It'sthebuddingthattakesthemostcare，"shesaidhesitantly。"Idon’tknowhowtotellyou。”Shelookeddeepintohiseyes，searchingly。Hermouthopenedalittle，andsheseemedtobelistening。"I’lltrytotellyou,"shesaid。“Didyoueverhearofplantinghands？"”Can'tsayIhave,ma'am。""Well,Icanonlytellyouwhatitfeelslike.It’swhenyou'repickingoffthebudsyoudon'twant。Everythinggoesrightdownintoyourfingertips.Youwatchyourfingerswork.Theydoitthemselves.Youcanfeelhowitis.Theypickandpickthebuds.Theynevermakeamistake。They’rewiththeplant。Doyousee?Yourfingersandtheplant.Youcanfeelthat，rightupyourarm。Theyknow。Theynevermakeamistake.Youcanfeelit。Whenyou'relikethatyoucan’tdoanythingwrong。Doyouseethat?Canyouunderstandthat?"Shewaskneelingonthegroundlookingupathim.Herbreastswelledpassionately.Theman'seyesnarrowed。Helookedawayself—consciously.”MaybeIknow，"hesaid。"Sometimesinthenightinthewagonthere－”她停了下来，好像有点儿不知所措。“打苞的时候最需要好好照看，”她欲言又止地说。“我不知道该怎么对你说。”她凝视着他的眼睛，好像在寻找什么.她的嘴微微张着，象是倾听什么回答。“我给你讲讲看，”她说。“你听说过庄稼里手吗？”“我想没有,夫人.”“那么,我只能给你说说那是什么感觉。那是在你摘掉那些多余花蕾的时候。一切都聚集到你的手指里，你看着自己手指的活计。它们在自己干着活儿,你能感觉到那是怎么一回事儿。它们在不停地摘着,摘着，不出一点儿差错。它们与庄稼是天生的搭档，你明白吗？庄稼和手指间。你可以感觉到，一直到你的手臂。它们知道该怎么做，从不出错。你可以感觉到。只要这样，你就不会出什么错。你明白吗？你听懂了吗？"她跪在那里，朝上看着他,胸脯激动得涨了来。那个男人眯起了眼。好像自己意识到什么，朝远处看了看。“或许我理解,"他说。“有时候，晚上，在马车里……”Elisa’svoicegrewhusky.Shebrokeinonhim，"I’veneverlivedasyoudo,butIknowwhatyoumean.Whenthenightisdark－why，thestarsaresharp-pointed,andthere'squiet.Why，youriseupandup!Everypointedstargetsdrivenintoyourbody。It'slikethat。Hotandsharpand－lovely."Kneelingthere,herhandwentouttowardhislegsinthegreasyblacktrousers。Herhesitantfingersalmosttouchedthecloth.Thenherhanddroppedtotheground。Shecrouchedlowlikeafawningdog.Hesaid,"it'snice,justlikeyousay.Onlywhenyoudon'thavenodinner，itain't。"Shestoodupthen,verystraight,andherfacewasashamed.Sheheldtheflowerpotouttohimandplaceditgentlyinhisarms。”Here。Putitinyourwagon,ontheseat，whereyoucanwatchit.MaybeIcanfindsomethingforyoutodo.”Atthebackofthehousesheduginthecanpileandfoundtwooldandbatteredaluminumsaucepans.Shecarriedthembackandgavethemtohim。”Here，maybeyoucanfixthese。"伊利莎的声音变得有些沙哑，她打断他说，“我从没象你那样生活过，但我知道你的意思。天黑的时候——啊，群星亮闪闪的，周遭一片寂静。你觉得自己愈来愈高，每一颗亮闪闪的星星都融入自己身体里。就是那样。热热的，亮亮的-—美极了.”她跪在那儿，她的手朝他穿着脏兮兮的黑裤子的腿伸了去。她迟疑不决的手指几乎碰到了他的裤子。接着她的手垂了下去。她蜷缩在地上,象只摇尾乞怜的狗。他说，“对，就象你说的，那很美。只要不是没有晚饭吃。”听到这些她站了起来.腰挺得很直，脸上有些羞愧。她将花盆抱出来，轻轻地放在他的怀里。“好，放在你的车上，放到座位上,这样你就可以看着它.或许我能找些东西来你修一下."她在屋后的罐子堆里很找了一通，找到了两个破旧的铝炖锅。她拿着它们回来交给他。“喂,或许你可以把这些东西修一下.”Hismannerchanged.Hebecameprofessional。"GoodasnewIcanfixthem。"Atthebackofhiswagonhesetalittleanvil,andoutofanoilytoolboxdugasmallmachinehammer.Elisacamethroughthegatetowatchhimwhilehepoundedoutthedentsinthekettles.Hismouthgrewsureandknowing.Atadifficultpartoftheworkhesuckedhislip."Yousleeprightinthewagon？”Elisaasked."Rightinthewagon，ma’am.RainorshineI'mdryasacowinthere.""Itmustbenice,”shesaid。”Itmustbeverynice.Iwishwomencoulddosuchthings.”"Itain’ttherightkindofalifeforawoman."Herupperlipraisedalittle，showingherteeth。”Howdoyouknow?Howcanyoutell?”shesaid.”Idon'tknow,ma’am，”heprotested."OfcourseIdon’tknow.Nowhere'syourkettles,done.Youdon’thavetobuynonewones。"”Howmuch？"”Oh,fiftycents'lldo。Ikeepmypricesdownandmyworkgood。That’swhyIhaveallthemsatisfiedcustomersupanddownthehighway。"他的样子为之一变，显得很专业。“我会把它们修得跟新的一样。”他在马车的后面支起了一个铁砧，然后从一个油乎乎的工具箱里鼓捣出一个小机锤。伊利莎走出大门，看他将锅上的凹痕敲平.他的嘴巴显得自信，踌躇满志。活儿不好干的时候，他就咬着下嘴唇。“你就在马车里睡觉吗？”伊利莎问。“就在马车里，夫人.下雨也好，天晴也好,我身上都不会湿.”“那肯定很棒,"她说。“肯定美极了。我希望女人也能这样生活。”“这种生活不适合女人。”她的上唇轻轻地一扬，露出了牙齿。“你怎么知道？你怎么能这样说?"她说。“我不知道，夫人。"他不满地说。”当然我不知道。好，你的锅好了，你不用买新的了。”“多少钱？”“啊，五十美分好了。我的要价一向很低，但活儿是高质量的。所以沿途的客户对我都很满意。”Elisabroughthimafifty-centpiecefromthehouseanddroppeditinhishand."Youmightbesurprisedtohavearivalsometime.Icansharpenscissors,too.AndIcanbeatthedentsoutoflittlepots.Icouldshowyouwhatawomanmightdo.”Heputhishammerbackintheoilyboxandshovedthelittleanviloutofsight。”Itwouldbealonelylifeforawoman,ma'am，andascareylife，too，withanimalscreepingunderthewagonallnight.”Heclimbedoverthesingletree,steadyinghimselfwithahandontheburro’swhiterump.Hesettledhimselfintheseat,pickedupthelines.”Thankyoukindly，ma'am，”hesaid."I’lldolikeyoutoldme；I'llgobackandcatchtheSalinasroad。”"Mind,”shecalled,"ifyou’relongingettingthere,keepthesanddamp。"”Sand，ma’am？。.。sand？Oh，sure。Youmeanaroundthechrysanthemums.SureIwill。”Hecluckedhistongue.Thebeastsleanedluxuriouslyintotheircollars。Themongreldogtookhisplacebetweenthebackwheels。Thewagonturnedandcrawledouttheentranceroadandbackthewayithadcome,alongtheriver。伊利莎从屋里拿了五十美分放到他手里.“如果你发现自己有个对手可能会大吃一惊，。我也能让剪子锋利起来。而且我也能弄平小锅上的凹痕。我可以让你见识一下一个女人能干些什么。”他把锤子放回了那个油乎乎的工具箱，然后胡乱把那个小铁砧放到看不见的地方。“夫人,对于一个女人来说，每天晚上都躺在马车上，下面蜷缩着牲畜，这种生活太寂寞而且叫人害怕。”他爬到马车前的横木上，一只手放在毛驴白色的屁股上，让自己坐稳.他把自己安顿到座位上，拿起缰绳。“非常感谢,夫人，”他说。“我会按你交代我的去做。回去上萨利纳斯的公路。”“记着，”她喊道，“要是到那儿时间很久，要保持沙土湿润。”“沙土，夫人?……沙土？哦，当然。你是说菊花根部吧，我肯定会的。”他的舌头发出咯咯的声音。那两匹牲口舒服地在它们的轭上靠着。那条杂种狗站在两个后轮间。马车调了头,慢慢地从来的入口徐徐出去，上了来时沿河的那条路.Elisastoodinfrontofherwirefencewatchingtheslowprogressofthecaravan。Hershoulderswerestraight,herheadthrownback，hereyeshalf-closed,sothatthescenecamevaguelyintothem.Herlipsmovedsilently,formingthewords”Good-bye－good-bye."Thenshewhispered,”That'sabrightdirection。There’saglowingthere."Thesoundofherwhisperstartledher.Sheshookherselffreeandlookedabouttoseewhetheranyonehadbeenlistening.Onlythedogshadheard.Theyliftedtheirheadstowardherfromtheirsleepinginthedust,andthenstretchedouttheirchinsandsettledasleepagain。Elisaturnedandranhurriedlyintothehouse。伊利莎站在铁栅栏前,看着大篷车慢慢走远。她直起身子，头往后仰着，双眼微微闭着，眼前的景色也因此变得模模糊糊。她的双唇无声地动着，说“再见——再见”.然后她低声道，“那边霞光万丈,多么亮啊。"这声音吓了她一跳.她摇摇头让自己清醒过来,四处看看是不是有人在听。只有那几条狗听见了,它们睡在地上，朝伊利莎抬起头,伸长了下巴,然后又倒下睡了。伊利莎转过身，匆匆跑进了屋里。Inthekitchenshereachedbehindthestoveandfeltthewatertank.Itwasfullofhotwaterfromthenoondaycooking。Inthebathroomshetoreoffhersoiledclothesandflungthemintothecorner.Andthenshescrubbedherselfwithalittleblockofpumice,legsandthighs,loinsandchestandarms，untilherskinwasscratchedandred.Whenshehaddriedherselfshestoodinfrontofamirrorinherbedroomandlookedatherbody。Shetightenedherstomachandthrewoutherchest。Sheturnedandlookedoverhershoulderatherback。在厨房里，她把手伸到炉子后面，摸摸水箱。里面盛满了热水,是中午做饭时烧热的。她走进浴室，脱掉脏衣服,扔到墙角；然后用一小块浮石擦洗起身子来，腿、腰、胸、胳膊，直到皮肤擦得红红的，留下一道道擦痕.她把身上的水弄干，站在卧室里的镜子前，端详着自己的身体。她收腹挺胸，然后又转过头从肩膀上看自己的后背。Afterawhileshebegantodress，slowly.Sheputonhernewestunderclothingandherniceststockingsandthedresswhichwasthesymbolofherprettiness。Sheworkedcarefullyonherhair，penciledhereyebrowsandrougedherlips。BeforeshewasfinishedsheheardthelittlethunderofhoofsandtheshoutsofHenryandhishelperastheydrovetheredsteersintothecorral.SheheardthegatebangshutandsetherselfforHenry’sarrival。Hisstepsoundedontheporch。Heenteredthehousecalling,”Elisa，whereareyou？””Inmyroom，dressing。I'mnotready.There’shotwaterforyourbath.Hurryup。It'sgettinglate。”过了一会儿她开始穿衣服，穿得很慢。她穿上自己的新内衣，最精致的长袜，还有那件象征她的美丽的裙子.她仔细地梳理着头发,描眉，涂口红。还没等她收拾好，外面传来了马蹄的得得声.亨利同他的伙计吆喝着往牲口圈里赶牛。听到大门砰的一声关上，她准备好，等着亨利过来。走廊上传来亨利的脚步声,他走到屋里喊道,“伊利莎，你在哪儿?"“在我屋里穿衣服呢，还没好呢。你洗澡的热水好了，快点儿洗，没有时间了。”Whensheheardhimsplashinginthetub,Elisalaidhisdarksuitonthebed,andshirtandsocksandtiebesideit.Shestoodhispolishedshoesonthefloorbesidethebed.Thenshewenttotheporchandsatprimlyandstifflydown。Shelookedtowardtheriverroadwherethewillow—linewasstillyellowwithfrostedleavessothatunderthehighgreyfogtheyseemedathinbandofsunshine。Thiswastheonlycolorinthegreyafternoon.Shesatunmovingforalongtime。Hereyesblinkedrarely。Henrycamebangingoutofthedoor，shovinghistieinsidehisvestashecame。Elisastiffenedandherfacegrewtight。Henrystoppedshortandlookedather。”Why－why，Elisa.Youlooksonice!”"Nice?YouthinkIlooknice？Whatdoyoumeanby'nice’?”伊利莎听到亨利在浴盆里哗啦哗啦的洗澡声,把他的黑西服放在床上，边上是他的衬衫、袜子和领带。她把擦亮的鞋子摆放在床边的地板上，然后来到走廊上，一本正经地坐在那儿，显得有些呆滞.她朝河边的路上看去,那儿的柳叶上挂着霜，依然泛着黄色，因而在半空的灰白色雾气笼罩下,这一带柳树好象是道薄薄的阳光。这是整个灰色下午唯一的色彩。她一动不动地坐了很久，很少眨眼睛。亨利出来时砰的一声关门，边走边往马甲里塞领带。伊利莎直起身子，脸也绷紧了。亨利蓦地停下来盯着她。“嘿,伊利莎，你看起来真棒!”“棒？你觉得我很棒？‘很棒’是什么意思？”Henryblunderedon."Idon’tknow.Imeanyoulookdifferent，strongandhappy。””Iamstrong?Yes,strong。Whatdoyoumean’strong’?"Helookedbewildered。”You'replayingsomekindofagame，"hesaidhelplessly."It'sakindofaplay。Youlookstrongenoughtobreakacalfoveryourknee，happyenoughtoeatitlikeawatermelon。"Forasecondshelostherrigidity。"Henry！Don’ttalklikethat.Youdidn’tknowwhatyousaid."Shegrewcompleteagain。”I'mstrong，"sheboasted。"Ineverknewbeforehowstrong.”Henrylookeddowntowardthetractorshed,andwhenhebroughthiseyesbacktoher,theywerehisownagain."I'llgeto