0449翻译夜莺的歌声

0449翻译：夜莺的歌声（谢尔盖·叶赛宁）

Translation: Singing of Nightingale (Sergey Yesenin)

(translated by: alexcwlin; edited by: Adam Lam)

战斗刚刚结束，一小队德国兵进了村庄。

Shortly after a battle was over, a small detachment of German soldiers entered a village.

大道两旁全是黑色的碎瓦。

Scattered on both sides of a road were tile debris (2).

空旷的花园里，烧焦的树垂头丧气地弯着腰。

Inside a deserted garden, fire-charred trees were standing crooked listlessly.

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夜莺的歌声打破了夏日的沉寂。

Singing of nightingale broke silence ona summer day.

这歌声停了一会儿，接着又用一股新的劲头唱起来。

The singing paused for a few moments, and then started again with renewed zeal.

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土兵们和军官注意听着，开始注视周围的灌木丛和挂在道旁的白桦树枝。

Soldiers and officers listened attentively and began to pay attention to the surrounding shrub bushes and birch branches hanging by the side of the road.

他们发现就在很近很近的地方，有个孩子坐在河岸边上，搭拉着两条腿。

They found at a very close-by place a boy was sitting by riverbank and dangling his two legs.

他光着头，穿一件颜色跟树叶差不多的绿上衣，

He was baldheaded in a green jacket that was more or less the same color as tree leaves.

手里拿着一块木头，不知在削什么。

In his hand was a piece of wood and he was shaving something.

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―喂。你来！‖军官叫那个孩子。

―Hey you, come over here,‖ an officer called the little bo y.

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孩子赶紧把小刀放到衣裳里，抖了抖衣服上的木屑，

The boy quickly put the small knife away inside his clothing and dust off the wood chips on his clothes.走到军官跟前。

Then he walked up to the officer.

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―呶，让我看看！‖军官说。

―Hmm, let me take a look!‖ said the officer.

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孩子从嘴里掏出一个小玩艺儿，递给他，

The boy took out a small gadget from his mouth and handed it to the officer.

用快活的蓝眼睛望着他。

Then he looked at the officer with his joyous blue eyes.

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那是个白桦树皮做的口哨。

It was a whistle made from birch bark.

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―挺巧！小孩子，

―That is real neat, little boy.

你做得挺巧哇。‖军官点了点头。

You did a good job in making it!‖ the officer nodded.

转眼间，他那阴沉的脸上闪出一种冷笑的光，―谁教你这样吹哨子的？‖

Suddenly a grin flashed from his gloomy face and he said: ―Who taught you to whistle like that?‖

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―我自己学的。

―I teach myself.

我还会学杜鹃叫呢。‖

I also know how to chirp like a cuckoo.‖

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孩子学了几声杜鹃叫。

The boy imitated cuckoo to chirp a few notes.

接着又把哨子塞到嘴里吹起来。

Then he put the whistle in his mouth and started blowing.

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―村子里就剩下你一个了吗？‖军官继续盘问他。

―Are you the only one left in the village?‖ the officer continued his interrogation.

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―怎么会就剩下我一个？

―Why would I be the only one left?

这里有麻雀、乌鸦、猫头鹰，多着呢。

Here there are sparrows, crows, owls, and many others.

夜莺倒是只有我一个！‖

Well, I am the only nightingale.‖

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―你这个坏家伙！‖军官打断孩子的话，―我是问你这里有没有人。‖

―You rascal!‖ the officer interrupted the boy‘s talking, ―I‘m asking you if there are other people around.‖----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

―人哪?

―Do you mean people?

战争一开始这里就没有人了。‖小孩不慌不忙地回答，

Once war started all the people were gone,‖ the little boy sai d unhurriedly.

―刚刚一开火，村子就着火，

―When bullets started flying, the village started burning.

大家都喊：?野兽来了，野兽来了‘——就都跑了。‖

Everybody screamed: ?Beasts are coming! Beasts are coming!‘and they all ran away.‖

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―蠢东西！‖军官想着，轻蔑地微笑了一下。

―Stupid fella!‖ the officer thought a bit and smiled disdainfully.

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―呶，你认识往苏蒙塔斯村去的路吗？

―Yo, do you know t he way to Sumengtasi Village?

那个村子大概是叫这个名字吧？‖

I suppose that was the name of the village.‖

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―怎么会不认识！‖孩子很有信心地回答，

―How could I not know it,‖ the boy replied confidently.

―我和叔叔常到磨坊那儿的堤坝上去钓鱼。

―My uncle and I always went to the dam by the mill to fish.

那儿的狗鱼可凶呢，能吃小鹅！‖

The pikes there are ferocious and could swallow little ducklings.‖

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―好啦，好啦，带我们去吧。

―Alright, take us there.

要是你带路带得对，我就把这个小东西送给你。‖军官说着，指了指他的打火机，

If you show us the right way, I‘ll give you this little thing,‖ the officer said and pointed to his lighter.―要是你把我们带到别处去，我就把你的脑袋拧下来。

―If you take us somewhere else, I‘ll twist your head off.

听懂了吗？‖

Do you understand me?‖

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队伍出发了，行军灶打头，

The troop started on its trip with kitchen privates leading the way.

跟着就是小孩和军官，俩人并排着走。

They were followed by the little boy and the officer walking side by side.

小孩有时候学夜莺唱，有时候学杜鹃叫，

At times the little boy imitated the singing of nightingale and other times he chirped like cuckoo.

胳膊一甩一甩地打着路旁的树枝，

His arms were swinging around and brushing tree branches by roadside.

有时候弯下腰去拾球果，还用脚把球果踢起来。

Sometimes he bent down to pick up pine cones and then kicked them up with his feet.

他好像把身边的军官完全忘了。

It seemed he had completely forgotten about the presence of the officer beside him.

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森林越来越密。

The forest was getting denser as they moved forward.

弯弯曲曲的小路穿过密密的白桦树林，穿过杂草丛生的空地，

The meandering footpath passed through thick birch woods and weed-overgrown open field.

又爬上了长满古松的小山。

Then it went up a small hill covered with a rich growth of aged pine trees.

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―你们这里有游击队吗?‖军官突然问。

―Are there guerillas here?‖ the officer suddenly asked.

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―你说的是一种蘑菇吗？

―Do you mean a type of mushroom?

没有，我们这里没有这种蘑菇。

No, we do not have this kind of mushroom here.

这里只有红蘑菇、白蘑菇，还有洋蘑菇。‖孩子回答。

Around this place we only have red mushroom, white mushroom and meadow mushroom,‖ the boy answered.

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军官觉得从孩子嘴里什么也问不出来，就不再问了。

The officer felt he could get nothing out of the mouth of this boy and so he did not ask anymore questions. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

树林深处，有几个游击队员埋伏在那里，树旁架着冲锋枪。

Deep inside the forest several guerrillas were lying in wait with submachine guns set up beside trees.

他们从树枝缝里往外望，能够看见曲折的小路。

They looked out through gaps of tree branches and could see the winding trail.

他们不时说几句简单的话，

Every now and then they would say a few simple words.

小心地拨开树枝，聚精会神地盯着远方。

Then they would push aside tree branches and focus on watching the distance.

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―你们听见了吗？‖一个游击队员突然说。

―Can you hear?‖ a guerrilla suddenly said.

他伸直了腰，

He straightened his body.

好像有什么鸟的叫声，透过树叶的沙沙声，模模糊糊地传来。

It seemed the chirping of some bird was coming vaguely through the rustling sounds of tree branches.

他侧着头，往叫声那边仔细听，―夜莺！‖

In tilting his head, he tried to listen carefully from the direction of the sound.

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―没听错吗？‖另一个游击队员说。

―Are you sure you didn‘t hear it wrong?‖ another guerrilla said.

他紧张起来，仔细听，可又什么也听不见了。

He got tense and listened carefully but could not hear a thing.

他从大树桩下边掏出四个手榴弹，放在眼前以防万一。

From the tree stump he took out four grenades and put them in front of him just in case.

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―这回你听见了没有？‖

―This time around couldn‘t you hear it?‖

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夜莺的歌声越来越响了。

The nightingale singing was getting louder.

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那个最先听见夜莺叫的凝神地站着，好像钉在那里似的。

The person who first caught the sound of the nightingale stood in full attention as if he were frozen stiff.他注意数着一声一声的鸟叫：―一，二，三，四……‖

He focused on counting the number of bird chirrups: ―One, two, three, four…‖

一边数一边用手打着拍子。

While he was counting, he tapped the beats with his hands.

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夜莺的叫声停止了。

The nightingale chirps halted.

―32个鬼子……‖那个人说。

―Thirty-two devils in all,‖ the person said.

只有游击队员才知道这鸟叫的意思。

Only guerrilla members knew the meaning of these bird sounds.

接着传来两声杜鹃叫。

Then two cuckoo tweets were heard.

―两挺机关枪。‖他又补充说。

―There are two machine guns.‖ he added.

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―对付得了！‖一个满脸胡子的汉子端着冲锋枪说。

A full-beard man holding a submachine gun said: ―We could handle that!‖.

他理了理挂在腰间的子弹袋。

Then he straightened up the cartridge belt hanging from his waist.

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―应该对付得了！‖听鸟叫的那个人回答，

―We should be able to handle that!‖ the person listening to the bird sounds responded.

―我和斯切潘叔叔把他们放过去，

―Uncle Stephan and I will let them walk past us.

等你们开了火，我们在后边加油。

When you open fire, we‘ll spray bullets from the back.

如果我们出了什么事，你们可不要忘了小夜莺……‖

If something happens t o us, don‘t forget Little Nightingale.‖

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过了几分钟，德国兵在松树林后边出现了。

After a few minutes, the German soldiers appeared behind the pine forest.

夜莺还是兴致勃勃地唱着，

Nightingale was still singing enthusiastically.

但是对藏在寂静森林里的人们来说，那歌声已经没有什么新鲜的意思了。

But for those people who were hiding inside the quiet forest, the singing had no fresh meanings.

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德国兵走到林中空地上的时候，突然从松树林里发出一声口哨响，像回声一样回答了孩子。When the German soldiers walked to an open space in the forest, suddenly a whistle came out from the pine forest as if it was a reverberation in response to the child.

孩子突然站住，转了个身，钻到树林里不见了。

The child suddenly halted, turned around and slipped out of sight in the forest.

枪声打破了林中的寂静。

Gunshots broke the silence among the trees.

军官还没来得及抓起手枪，就滚到了路边的尘埃里。

Before the officer had a chance to grab his pistol, he rolled to the dirt by the side of the road.

被冲锋枪打伤的德国兵一个跟一个地倒下。

German soldiers hit by submachine gunfire fell down one by one.

呻吟声、叫喊声、断断续续的口令声充满了树林。

Moaning, screaming, and intermittent commands filled the forest.

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第二天，在被烧毁的村子的围墙旁边，在那小路分岔的地方，孩子又穿着那件绿上衣，坐在原来那河岸边削什么东西，并且不时回过头去，望望那通向村子的几条道路，好像在等谁似的。

The next day, beside an enclosure wall of a torched village where a small road forked out, the child was wearing the same green overcoat and sitting at the original river bank. He was shaving something and often turned his head to look at the several roads leading to the village as if he was waiting for somebody. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

从孩子的嘴里飞出宛转的夜莺的歌声。

Mel odious nightingale singing came out from the child‘s mouth.

这歌声，即使是听惯了鸟叫的人也觉察不出跟真夜莺的有什么两样。

Even people who were used to listening to bird sounds would not be able to tell this singing apart from that of a real nightingale.

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附注:

(1)名字翻译可能不准确。

(2)―debris‖ – singular or plural noun

Debris is a collective noun (such as group, police, etc.) which could take a singular or plural form depending on whether you are referring to the pieces forming the ―debris‖ (therefore plural) or the ―debris‖ as a single entity (therefore singular).

In this case, the pieces are referred to and therefore the linking verb ―were‖ is used agreeing to the plural form o f the noun ―debris‖ in the predicate.