他在监牢里是非常凄凉的——这在什么时候才能结束呢?他没有犯罪而却受到损害的痛苦——这就是他的命运!在这个世界上为什么他该是这样呢?他现在有时间来思索这个问题了。为什么他有这样的遭遇呢?“这只有在等待着我的那个‘来生’里才可以弄清楚。”当他住在那个穷苦渔人的茅屋里的时候,这个信念就在他的心里生了根。在西班牙的豪华生活和太阳光中,这个信念从来没有在他父亲的心里照耀过,而现在在寒冷和黑暗中,却成了他的一丝安慰之光——上帝的慈悲的一个标记,而这是永远不会欺人的。
The spring storms began to blow. The rolling and moaning of the North Sea could be heard for miles inland when the wind was blowing,and then it sounded like the rushing of a thousand waggons over a hard road with a mine underneath. Jurgen heard these sounds in his prison,and it was a relief to him. No music could have touched his heart as did these sounds of the sea—the rolling sea,the boundless sea,on which a man can be borne across the world before the wind,carrying his own house with him wherever he goes,just as the snail carries its home even into a strange country.
春天的风暴开始了。只要风暴略微平静一点,西海的呼啸在内地许多英里路以外都可以听到,它像几百辆载重车子,在崎岖不平的路上奔腾。雨尔根在监牢里听到这声音——这对于他说来也算是寂寞生活中的一点变化。什么古老的音乐也比不上这声音可以直接引起他心里的共鸣——这个呼啸的、自由的海。你可以在它上面到世界各地去,乘风飞翔,你可以带着你自己的房子,像蜗牛背着自己的壳一样,又走到它上面去。即使在生疏的国家里,一个人也永远是在自己的家乡。
He listened eagerly to its deep murmur and then the thought arose “Free! Free! How happy to be free,even barefooted and in ragged clothes!” Sometimes,when such thoughts crossed his mind,the fiery nature rose within him,and he beat the wall with his clenched fists.
他静听着这深沉的呼啸,他心中泛起了许多回忆——“自由!自由!哪怕你没有鞋穿,哪怕你的衣服破烂,有自由你就是幸福的!”有时这种思想在他的心里闪过,于是他就握着拳头,向墙上打去。
Weeks,months,a whole year had gone by,when Niels the thief,called also a horsedealer,was arrested; and now better times came,and it was seen that Jurgen had been wrongly accused.
好几个星期,好几个月,一整年过去了。有一个恶棍——小偷尼尔斯,别名叫“马贩子”——也被抓进来了。这时情况才开始好转;人们可以看出,雨尔根蒙受了多么大的冤枉。
On the afternoon before Jurgens departure from home,and before the murder,Niels the thief,had met Martin at a beerhouse in the neighbourhood of Ringkjobing. A few glasses were drank,not enough to cloud the brain,but enough to loosen Martins tongue. He began to boast and to say that he had obtained a house and intended to marry,and when Niels asked him where he was going to get the money,he slapped his pocket proudly and said:那桩谋杀事件是在雨尔根离家后发生的。在头一天的下午,小偷尼尔斯在林却平湾附近一个农人开的啤酒店里遇见了莫尔登。他们喝了几杯酒——还不足以使任何人头脑发昏,但却足够使莫尔登的舌头放肆。他开始吹嘘起来,说他得到了一幢房子,打算结婚。当尼尔斯问他打算到哪里去弄钱的时候,莫尔登骄傲地拍拍衣袋。
“The money is here,where it ought to be.” This boast cost him his life,for when he went home Niels followed him,and cut his throat,intending to rob the murderedmurder v.谋杀n.谋杀,凶杀 man of the gold,which did not exist.
“钱在它应该在的地方,就在这儿。”他回答说。这种吹嘘使他丧失了生命。他回到家里来的时候,尼尔斯就在后面跟着他,用一把刀子刺进他的咽喉里去,然后劫走了他身边所有的钱。
All this was circumstantially explained; but it is enough for us to know that Jurgen was set free. But what compensation did he get for having been imprisoned a whole year,and shut out from all communicationcommunication n.传达,信息,交通,通讯 with his fellow creatures? They told him he was fortunate in being proved innocent,and that he might go. The burgomaster gave him two dollars for travelling expenses,and many citizens offered him provisions and beer—there were still good people,they were not all hard and pitiless. But the best thing of all was that the merchant Bronne,of Skjagen,into whose service Jurgen had proposed entering the year before,was just at that time on business in the town of Ringkjobing. Bronne heard the whole story,he was kindhearted,and understood what Jurgen must have felt and suffered. Therefore he made up his mind to make it up to the poor lad,and convince him that there were still kind folks in the world.
这件事情的详细经过后来总算是水落石出了。就我们说来,我们只需知道雨尔根获得了自由就够了。不过他在牢狱和寒冷中整整受了一年罪,与所有的人断绝来往,有什么可以赔偿他这种损失呢?是的,人们告诉他,说他能被宣告无罪已经是很幸运的了,他应该离去。市长给了他10个马克,作为旅费,许多市民给他食物和平酒——世界上总算还有些好人!并非所有的人都是把你“叉住、剥皮、放在锅里炒”!不过最幸运的是斯卡根的一个商人布洛涅——雨尔根一年以来就一直想去帮他工作——这时却为了一件生意到林却平来了。他听到了这整个案情。这人有一个好心肠,他知道雨尔根吃过了许多苦头,因此就想帮他一点忙,使他知道,世界上还有好人。
So Jurgen went forth from prison as if to paradise,to find freedom,affection,and trust. He was to travel this path now,for no goblet of life is all bitterness,no good man would pour out such a draught for his fellowman,and how should He do it,Who is love personifiedpersonify vt.赋予……以人性,使人格化?
从监狱里走向自由,仿佛就是走向天国,走向同情和爱。他现在就要体验到这种心情了。生命的酒并不完全是苦的,没有一个好人会对他的同类倒出这么多的苦酒,代表“爱”的上帝又怎么会呢?
“Let everything be buried and forgotten.” said Bronne,the merchant,“Let us draw a thick line through last year: we will even burn the almanack. In two days we will start for dear,friendly,peaceful Skjagen. People call it an outoftheway corner,but it is a good warm chimneycorner,and its windows open toward every part of the world.”
“把过去的一切埋葬掉和忘记掉吧!”商人布洛涅说,“把过去的一年划掉吧。我们可以把日历烧掉。两天以后,我们就可以到那亲爱的、友善的、平和的斯卡根去。人们把它叫做一个脾气的角落,然而它是一个温暖的、有火炉的角落,它的窗子开向广阔的世界。”
What a journey that was. It was like taking fresh breath out of the cold dungeon air into the warm sunshine. The heather bloomed in pride and beauty,and the shepherdboy sat on a barrow and blew his pipe,which he had carved for himself out of a sheep bone. Fata Morgana,the beautiful aerial phenomenonphenomenon n.现象 of the wilderness,appeared with hanging gardens and waving forests,and the wonderful cloud called “Lokeman driving his sheep” also was seen.
这才算得是一次旅行呢!这等于又呼吸到新鲜的空气——从那阴冷的地牢中走向温暖的太阳光!荒地上长满了盛开的石楠和无数的花朵,牧羊的孩子坐在坟丘上吹着笛子——他自己用羊腿骨雕成的短笛。海市蜃楼,沙漠上的美丽的天空幻象,悬空的花园和摇动的森林都在他面前展露开来,空中奇异的漂流——人们把它叫做“赶着羊群的湖人”——也同样地出现了。