寂寞敲门声Lonely Knocks

刘小鸽

我家的對门住着一位独居的老人，她的孩子都在外地2上班，工作都很忙，过年才回来一趟3。老人不爱说话，独来独往，跟楼上楼下的邻居也很少说话。4

那天，我下楼刚好碰到5她买菜回来，就和她打了个招呼，她很是意外，高兴地拉着我的手6，告诉我她买的菜很便宜，又很新鲜。以后，我们再见面，她总是和我有说不完的话。其实，我知道，老人长期独居，内心一定很寂寞，她是很想和人说话的，只是担心自己老了，头脑糊涂，说话容易颠三倒四，遭人嫌弃。这时的我，无论多忙都会停下来和她交谈一会。老人的身体还可以，只是听力不好，和她说话的时候，一定要放大嗓门。

那天，我正在家里上网，老人来敲我家的门，在这里住了这么长时间，老人还是第一次来我家串门。老人说，好几天没见我，想和我说会儿话。我干脆关了电脑7陪着老人在客厅里交谈起来，东南西北，闲扯起来，她不时哈哈地笑，高兴得像个孩子。

我喜欢安静，平时就是在家里上上网，看看电影，聊聊天，听听歌。自打上次造访之后，我的生活就经常被老人“打断”8，打断我听音乐，打断我看电影。隔几天，见不到我她就会来敲门，然后，在我家里聊天。老人每次来，总是寻找各种各样的借口，告诉我商场里什么东西打折了，鸡蛋便宜了，大米降价了。她说的地方离我家很远，我也没时间挤公交车跑那么远的路，尽管每次我都不会照她的意思去买，但我一定会把她想说的话听完，看她高兴，也愿意被她打扰。和老人聊天已经成了我的习惯，她像我的亲人，几天见不到她，心里不免有一种牵挂。

和老人聊天的时间长了，我发现我的性格也在悄悄改变，由年轻人的争强好胜，做事急躁变得更加稳重，考虑得也更加周全。她教会了我许多生活的小窍门和为人处事的方法。我们的周围像这样的老人会越来越多。敲门的老人9就像一本厚重的历史书，她的身上总是有许多东西值得我去学习。每个人都会老，给寂寞的老人一点儿时间，陪她说说话、聊聊天，虽然会耽误你的时间，却能从她的身上吸取到宝贵的人生经验。

In the apartment across from mine lives an old lady by herself， whose children are busy with their work in other cities and join her only for the Spring Festival. A solitary figure， the lady has few words and seems to be a stranger to the residents living in the same apartment building.

One day I came across her coming back from the vegetable market on my way out， and then， I greeted her. Much surprised by my greeting， she gripped my hands and showed me the fresh and cheap vegetables she got. She seemed to be talkative every time we met since then. I knew she must be lonely for living alone so long and dying for talks with people， but she has never done so before for fear that she may incur their aversion as a nagging and muddleheaded old woman. Seeing through her mind， I would like to stop and talk to her. Actually， the old lady is quite robust except her poor hearing. I have to raise my voice when we talk.

The other day when I was surfing the Internet， she knocked at my door for the first time since I moved here. She explained that she was missing our chat so much since she did not see me for days. Then， I unplugged my computer to have a talk with her in the living room. We talked as much as we could， and she enjoyed it so much that she burst into laughter from time to time like a merry child.

I used to live a peaceful life， enjoying Internet， and watching movies， chatting and listening to music online. But it has been interrupted on a regular basis since the old lady’s first visit. It seems that I have said “see you” to my music and my movies as she will drop in on time for a chat if she didn’t see me for a couple of days. Every time she comes with a cause， such as sales promotion in the supermarket or price concession for eggs or rice. Although the supermarket she mentioned is far away from where I live， and I shall not bother myself to go there for shopping by bus， I cannot allow myself to interrupt her. I just open my arms to that kind of interruption because I know she really enjoys it. Talking with her has become part of my life， and in my eyes， she has been a member of my family， and I will miss her if I cannot see her for a while.

I have found myself blessed by such talks we hold. I am not such a person who was contentious and reckless any more. I have become trustworthy and considerate. She did teach me many useful life skills and how to get along with others. It is true that we are surrounded by more and more such lonely old people. An old lady who is forced to knock at the door of her neighbor is like a profound history book worth my time to read. Aging is a natural process of life， and that’s why we shall not leave the elderly alone but cherish them dearly in our life. Having a talk with these lonely old people may cost your time but will teach you meaningful life lessons for sure.

1文章題目采用拟人的修辞手法，用“寂寞”一词修饰“敲门声”，生动形象，抓人眼球，奠定了全文的感情基调。译文选择了lonely一词，该词强调感情上的孤独，准确地传达了原文作者和主人公的情感倾向。  2“外地”是指独居老人所住的城市以外的地方，“外地”译为in other cities。  3“才”反映了当今社会留守老人的孤独和子女忙于工作而难以与父母团聚的窘境，only置于for the Spring Festival之前，可以再现这种一年仅此一次的家庭团圆之必需和无奈。  4原文中“不爱说话”是生活语言，“独来独往”是艺术语言，“楼上楼下”表面是具化表达实则是模糊语言。三个语言风格不同的四字格交替使用，形成了独特的轻松明快的风格。译文将“不爱说话”翻译成英文中常见并且较为正式的表达sb has few words;“独来独往”并非实义动词，而是独居老人给作者乃至邻居的印象，翻译成名词a solitary figure颇有英国浪漫主义诗人华兹华斯（William Wordsworth， 1770—1850）《孤独的刈麦女》（A Solitary Reaper）之“孤”和唐代诗人柳宗元的《江雪》“独钓寒江雪”之“独”;“楼上楼下”则具化为in the same apartment building，准确而凝炼。短语seem to的增添把作者观察和猜测的过程做了“显化”处理，不仅合乎英语表达习惯，自然、流畅，而且文脉逻辑更加清晰，使得“独居老人”的境遇和形象跃然纸上。  5“刚好碰到”一词非常口语化，说明事情的发生具有偶然性，而英语里也有常见的对应表达，即词组come across，它是指机缘巧合下，某件事情发生或者某样东西被发现，这种译法再现了原文作者和主人公相遇的场景，也有助于英文受众理解原文作者的本意。

6“拉着我的手”不仅描述了“手牵手”这一动作，更是传达出“亲密”的感觉，作者主动打招呼的举动让老人震惊之余又十分开心。译文选择了grip一词，意为“紧握、抓牢”，表达了此时此刻老人内心的高兴，但也从一定程度上反映了她的孤独。  7 unplug一词是“拔出插销”的意思，该词既翻译出了关电脑的动作，又表现出原文作者关电脑的“干脆”，完整地传达出作者的本意和原文的内含，如用close一词则不够生动形象。  8原文“打断”一词加了双引号，言下之意是，对于老人的打扰，作者非但不懊恼，反而很期待。译文中，“打断我听音乐，打断我看电影”中的“打断”翻译成了see you，并添加了双引号，意思是作者要和听音乐、看电影说“再见”了，这种译法风趣、幽默，准确传达了原文作者的本意。

9译者采用增译法，将“敲门的老人”翻译成“An old lady who is forced to knock at the door of her neighbors.”，be forced to说明老人是不得已才敲开了邻居的门，表达了独居带给老人的孤独程度之深。