Julie’s Wolf Pack (Excerpt IV)《朱莉的狼群》（节选四）

琼·克雷格黑德·乔治　吴文安

Now it was spring—a spring to favor the wolves. The caribou were back. With Kapus good planning they would eat well and grow strong. No pups.

As the caribou moved north， the Avaliks moved north， stopping to feast on caribou that had died of natural causes， or on weak ones that they could isolate and fell. They put on weight. Their fur began to glisten again. They raced north slightly ahead of the great caribou herd， their heads high， their tails straight out behind them. Kapu grew in confidence， and Raw Bones dropped farther behind the young alpha.

Near the Avalik River， Kapu smelled willow， a very special willow： Willow Pup Julie. With a bound he led his pack around and in front of the browsing caribou and came into Kangik head up， tail up. His pack followed like wind dancers. Their muscles rippled under flowing fur. They ran close together， friendly， loving.

Kapu stopped a distance from Willow Pup Julie. He sought her eyes to tell her he was pleased to see her. She understood and dropped to her knees. But she was afraid for him. She warned him away. Then he saw Kapugen， the hunter. He did not smell his gun or see any aggression in his stride， so he walked toward them.

The musk oxen caught his attention. They were outside the corral where Kapugen kept them to raise and harvest their wool. An amusing wolf thought struck him. Chase them.

Off he went， telling Willow Pup Julie through body language and attitude that this was a wolf joke. She read it and smiled.

The musk oxen， after a brief panic， read the wolf message， too. They did not form a circle with their bony heads out， as they usually did when attacked by wolves. They trotted lightly， spread out， and grazed.

The avaliks romped in and out among the musk oxen until they had had enough fun and their tongues were hanging out from overheating. Then they ran off a short distance and watched Willow Pup Julie and her father disappear in the frozen mist. With his extraordinary wolf ears Kapu tracked them back to Kangik. Faintly he heard the door of their green house close.

A quick glance at his pack said， “Follow me，” and the Avaliks jogged back toward the caribou now thundering into view. Julies wolves heard their bleating voices and snorting noses， and they saw the antlers of the females ride above the mass of bodies like a forest of dead sticks.

現在春天来了，春天对狼群有利。北美驯鹿会回来。卡普早就计划妥当，春天里他们会吃得饱饱的，长得壮壮的。不要狼崽儿。

北美驯鹿北迁的时候，阿瓦里克河的狼群也会往北，这样他们就可以沿途拿自然死亡的北美驯鹿美餐一番，或者将孱弱的驯鹿隔离出来杀掉。他们长得膘肥体壮。他们的毛发又开始闪闪发亮。他们一路疾驰往北，稍稍领先北美驯鹿的大部队一点点。他们高昂着头，尾巴直直地拖在身后。卡普信心倍增，而生骨越发比不上这个年轻的头狼了。

在阿瓦里克河附近，卡普闻到了柳树，一种非常特殊的柳树：就是柳树娃朱莉。卡普跳起来转了个身，带领狼群调转方向，经过正在吃草的北美驯鹿，径直来到坎吉克镇。他们昂首挺胸，尾巴高举，兴高采烈的样子。狼群紧跟着卡普，仿佛风中的舞者。在飘逸的毛发之下，他们健硕的肌肉起伏跃动。跑动中，他们彼此靠近，十分友好，互示爱意。

在离柳树娃朱莉还有一段距离的地方，卡普停了下来。卡普搜寻着朱莉的眼睛，告诉她自己很高兴见到她。朱莉明白，俯身到地上来回应。但朱莉替卡普害怕。朱莉提醒卡普必须离开。然后，卡普看见了卡普根，那个猎人。卡普没有闻到他的枪，也没有看到他的步伐中带有敌意，于是朝他们走了过去。

麝牛引起了卡普的注意。麝牛待在围栏之外。卡普根一般都在围栏里饲养麝牛并收获牛毛。这时卡普突然有了一个有趣的想法。追麝牛去。

卡普朝着麝牛飞奔而去。同时卡普用身体语言和态度告诉朱莉这不过是一个狼群惯用的玩笑。朱莉看懂了，不禁微笑。

麝牛群一开始有些惊慌，但过了一会儿也读懂了狼群的意图。他们没有围成一圈，并把长角的头朝外，像往常遭遇狼群袭击那样。他们小跑着四散开来，然后继续吃草。

阿瓦里克河狼群在麝牛群里高兴地跑来跑去，直到玩够了，身体过热舌头伸了出来。然后他们跑到不远处，看柳树娃朱莉和她的父亲消失在冰冷的雾气中。卡普用自己非同寻常的狼耳朵追踪他们，听到他们回到了坎吉克。还隐约听到他们将温室的门关上。

卡普快速地扫视了一下狼群，意思是“跟我来”，然后阿瓦里克河狼群跟随他朝着北美驯鹿跑去。远处，北美驯鹿正奔腾而至。朱莉的狼群听到了驯鹿的鸣叫和响鼻，还看到了母驯鹿的鹿角高扬在鹿群之上，仿佛一片枯枝构成的森林。

【背景知识】这是一大段对阿瓦里克河狼群的描写。正值春天，他们意气风发膘肥体壮，在大草原上恣意奔跑和娱乐。他们追逐着北美驯鹿，却又跟随头狼去看望一下好友柳树娃。他们故意追逐麝牛取乐，连猎物都懂得他们的心思，毫不畏惧。这一生态和谐的景象恰是作者的理想境界。

【第一段】译文的最后一句使用了叠词“饱饱的”“壮壮的”，以增加趣味和文学性。

【第二段】原文的描写生动形象，简洁有力。译文也力求活泼多姿，再现原文的特色。

【第三段】第二句的最后短语“head up， tail up”的隐含意义是“狼群因为要去见老友而高兴”。在此，译文采取了明晰化方法，添加了“兴高采烈的样子”。该段最后三句是精彩的描写，其中使用了明喻和暗喻手法。“风中的舞者”是直译，读者可以想见狼群风中奔跑时优雅的姿态。而ripple一词较难翻译，译文使用了“起伏躍动”，希望可以传递原文的动态形象。

【第四段】短语dropped to her knees字面意思是“跪倒在地”，其实是朱莉采用狼的姿态，在地上爬行，因此译文模糊化为“附身到地上”。这里卡普极为大胆。他判断出卡普根并没有敌意，竟然直接走了过去。

【第五段】作者采用了全知视角，从卡普的角度解读环境，并且突然有了恶搞的念头。

【第六段】只有深谙狼群心理的朱莉才能看懂狼群的玩笑。她不禁莞尔。

【第七段】真正猎杀的狼群与蓄意玩闹的狼群截然不同。连麝牛群也做出了判断，不再理睬胡闹的狼群。他们对此视若无物，继续吃草。

【第八段】狼群自己玩累了，就此作罢。朱莉与父亲早已走远，但卡普仍然能觉察他们的动向。

【第九段】又是传神的动态描写。其中动词thunder不容易找到对应词，译文使用了“奔腾”，力图体现驯鹿群奔跑时的壮观场景。最后一句话既是如实的描绘，同时也暗示着鹿角带来的死亡风险。

【小结】这一选段取景状物，煞是精彩。具体的翻译难度不是很大，要传递原文大意也不难。但是原文意象繁复文采飞扬，译文不宜过于直白和朴素，也应适当铺陈才是。