A Tent in Agony 痛苦的帐篷

斯蒂芬·克莱恩

Four men once came to a wet place in the roadless forest to fish. They pitched their tent fair upon the brow1 of a pine-clothed ridge of riven2 rocks whence a bowlder3 could be made to crash through the brush4 and whirl past the trees to the lake below. On fragrant hemlock boughs5 they slept the sleep of unsuccessful fishermen， for upon the lake alternately the sun made them lazy and the rain made them wet. Finally they ate the last bit of bacon and smoked and burned the last fearful and wonderful hoecake.

Immediately a little man volunteered to stay and hold the camp while the remaining three should go the Sullivan county miles to a farmhouse for supplies. They gazed at him dismally. “Theres only one of you—the devil make a twin，” they said in parting malediction6， and disappeared down the hill in the known direction of a distant cabin. When it came night and the hemlocks began to sob7 they had not returned. The little man sat close to his companion， the campfire， and encouraged it with logs. He puffed fiercely at a heavy built brier8， and regarded a thousand shadows which were about to assault him. Suddenly he heard the approach of the unknown， crackling the twigs and rustling9 the dead leaves. The little man arose slowly to his feet， his clothes refused to fit his back， his pipe dropped from his mouth， his knees smote10 each other. “Hah！” he bellowed hoarsely in menace. A growl replied and a bear paced into the light of the fire. The little man supported himself upon a sapling11 and regarded his visitor.

The bear was evidently a veteran and a fighter， for the black of his coat had become tawny12 with age. There was confidence in his gait and arrogance in his small， twinkling eye. He rolled back his lips and disclosed his white teeth. The fire magnified the red of his mouth. The little man had never before confronted the terrible and he could not wrest13 it from his breast. “Hah！” he roared. The bear interpreted this as the challenge of a gladiator. He approached warily. As he came near， the boots of fear were suddenly upon the little mans feet. He cried out and then darted around the campfire. “Ho！” said the bear to himself， “this thing wont fight—it runs. Well， suppose I catch it.” So upon his features there fixed the animal look of going—somewhere. He started intensely around the campfire. The little man shrieked and ran furiously. Twice around they went.

The hand of heaven sometimes falls heavily upon the righteous. The bear gained.

In desperation the little man flew into the tent. The bear stopped and sniffed at the entrance. He scented the scent of many men. Finally he ventured in.

The little man crouched in a distant corner. The bear advanced， creeping， his blood burning， his hair erect， his jowls14 dripping. The little man yelled and rustled clumsily under the flap at the end of the tent. The bear snarled awfully and made a jump and a grab at his disappearing game15. The little man， now without the tent， felt a tremendous paw grab his coat tails. He squirmed16 and wriggled out of his coat like a schoolboy in the hands of an avenger. The bear bowled triumphantly and jerked the coat into the tent and took two bites， a punch and a hug before he discovered his man was not in it. Then he grew not very angry， for a bear on a spree17 is not a black-haired pirate. He is merely a hoodlum18. He lay down on his back， took the coat on his four paws and began to play uproariously with it. The most appalling， blood-curdling19 whoops20 and yells came to where the little man was crying in a treetop and froze his blood. He moaned a little speech meant for a prayer and clung convulsively21 to the bending branches. He gazed with tearful wistfulness22 at where his comrade， the campfire， was giving dying flickers and crackles. Finally， there was a roar from the tent which eclipsed23 all roars; a snarl which it seemed would shake the stolid24 silence of the mountain and cause it to shrug its granite25 shoulders. The little man quaked26 and shrivelled27 to a grip and a pair of eyes. In the glow of the embers28 he saw the white tent quiver and fall with a crash. The bears merry play had disturbed the center pole and brought a chaos of canvas upon his head.

Now the little man became the witness of a mighty scene. The tent began to flounder29. It took flopping30 strides in the direction of the lake. Marvellous sounds came from within—rips and tears， and great groans and pants31. The little man went into giggling hysterics.

The entangled monster failed to extricate32 himself before he had walloped33 the tent frenziedly to the edge of the mountain. So it came to pass that three men， clambering34 up the hill with bundles and baskets， saw their tent approaching. It seemed to them like a white-robed phantom pursued by hornets. Its moans riffled35 the hemlock twigs.

The three men dropped their bundles and scurried36 to one side， their eyes gleaming37 with fear. The canvas avalanche38 swept39 past them. They leaned， faint and dumb， against trees and listened， their blood stagnant. Below them it struck the base of a great pine tree， where it writhed40 and struggled. The three watched its convolutions41 a moment and then started terrifically for the top of the hill. As they disappeared， the bear cut loose with a mighty effort. He cast one dishevelled42 and agonized look at the white thing， and then started wildly for the inner recesses of the forest.

The three fear-stricken individuals ran to the rebuilt fire. The little man reposed by it calmly smoking. They sprang43 at him and overwhelmed him with interrogations. He contemplated darkness and took a long， pompous puff. “Theres only one of me—and the devil made a twin，” he said.                     ■

一次，四个男子来到无路可循的森林里的一处湿地捕鱼。他们把帐篷稳稳地搭在山岭上地势较高的地方。山岭长满了松树，到处是裂开的岩石，从山顶一个圆石块能横冲直撞地穿过灌木丛，旋转翻滚着绕过树木，落进下面的湖里。四个人就在芳香的铁杉树枝上睡觉，捕鱼时不是被日头晒得懒洋洋的，就是被突如其来的雨水淋得湿漉漉的，结果一无所获。终于，他们吃掉了仅剩的一点儿培根，吸着烟，最后一张玉米饼还给烤糊了，味道糟糕，但他们吃得很香。

不一会儿，他们中的小个子男人主动提出留下守着营地，让另外三人穿越沙利文县，走很远的路，到一处农舍拿补给品。三人阴恻恻地看着他。“这里就只剩下你一个人了——不过，魔鬼会和你做伴哟。”他们离开时用诅咒的口吻说道，然后朝着远处一座小木屋的已知方向走去，最后消失在下山路上。夜晚来临，铁杉树开始被风吹得沙沙作响，那三个人还没回来。小个子男人坐在陪伴他的篝火旁，不断添着木头，以便让火烧得更旺。他狠狠地吸着由欧石楠根部制成的粗大烟斗，盯着似乎要向他扑来的上千个影子。突然，他听到有不明物体正在靠近——小树枝噼啪作响，地上的枯叶发出窸窸窣窣的声音。小个子男人慢慢站起身来，披着的衣服不自觉地滑落，嘴里叼着的烟斗也掉落下来，双膝打颤。“哈！”他沙哑地吼叫一声想吓唬对方。回应他的是一声咆哮，与此同时，火光中出现了一头熊的身影。小个子男人靠在一颗小树上才没摔倒，他打量着这位不速之客。

这头熊黑色的皮毛已随着年龄的增长变成了黄褐色，显然是个好斗的猎捕老手了。它步伐自信，闪烁的小眼睛露出傲慢的神情。它双唇咧开，白牙尽现，嘴巴在火光的映照下显得更红了。小个子男人之前从未面对过如此可怕的场景，他无法克服心中的恐惧。“哈！”他大喊道。熊将此解读为一名角斗士向它发出挑战，它开始警惕地向小个子男人靠近。随着熊的靠近，恐惧让小个子男人突然脚下生风，他大叫一声，开始绕着篝火飞奔起来。“嚯！”熊暗想，“这东西不会打架，只会跑。好吧，那就看看我能不能抓住它。”熊的脸上露出目标既定的神情，绕着篝火起兴地追上来。小个子男人一边尖叫，一边狂跑。他们俩就这样绕着篝火跑了两圈。

上天有时也会对正义一方下狠手，熊，就快要追上了。

在绝望之际，小个子男人飞身钻进了帐篷。熊停下了脚步，在帐篷入口嗅著气味，它闻到帐篷里有许多人的气味。终于，它还是冒险钻了进去。

小个子男人蜷缩在帐篷最里的一个角落里。熊一步一步缓缓地向里靠近，它血脉偾张，毛发竖起，口水从下颌滴落。小个子男人惊呼着，要从帐篷一端的门帘下钻出去，毛手毛脚地把帘布弄得沙沙作响。熊咆哮一声，跳起来抓住了这个想要逃跑的猎物。没有了帐篷的掩护，小个子男人现在感觉到一只巨大的熊掌抓住了他的外套下摆。他像一个被复仇者抓在手里的小学生一样，扭动着身体，从外套中挣脱了出来。熊得意地一捞，把外套猛拽进帐篷，咬了两口，然后重重一击，紧接着又是一个熊抱，然后才发现它的猎物并不在这件外套里。但它没有特别生气，一只正在兴头上的熊并不会像是穷凶极恶的海盗，它顶多是个恶棍。它仰面躺下，用它的四个熊掌抓起外套玩耍起来，肆意吼叫着。小个子男人正躲在外面一棵树的树梢上哭喊，听到这令人胆寒的吼叫声，吓得魂飞魄散。他死死抓住弯曲的树枝，手都快抽筋了，呻吟般念叨着什么，像是在祈祷。他眼含泪光，依依不舍地凝视着他的伙伴——那堆篝火，它忽明忽暗地闪烁着，噼啪作响，即将熄灭。最终，帐篷里发出一声咆哮，这声音足以盖过世上一切吼叫，似乎要打破大山的沉寂，让大山刚毅的肩膀晃动起来。小个子男人颤抖着，缩成一团，似乎只剩下紧紧握住树枝的手和眼睛。借着篝火余烬的微光，他看到白色帐篷抖动着砸落在地上。熊的欢乐玩耍弄倒了帐篷中央的竿子，帆布乱作一团，罩在了熊的头上。

此时，小个子男人目睹了一副场景——帐篷挣扎着、扑腾着，跌跌撞撞阔步奔向湖泊的方向。帐篷里传出各种不寻常的声音——猛烈的撕扯声以及巨大的嚎叫声和喘息声。见此场景，小个子男人发疯般地咯咯傻笑起来。

这头困兽疯狂地击打帐篷，一直折腾到山边也没能挣脱出来。就在此时，那三个男子带着包袱和篮子往山上爬，看到他们的帐篷正滚下来，向他们靠近。在他们看来，这东西就像一个被黄蜂追赶的白袍幽灵，它的低吼让周围的铁杉树枝都震颤起来。

三人丢下包袱，快跑到一边，眼里闪烁着恐惧。这个帆布幽灵以排山倒海之势从他们身边冲了过去。他们靠在树上，感到天旋地转，一时说不出话，只能用耳朵听着，血液都快凝固了。帐篷滚下去撞到一棵大松树树干根部停了下来，在那儿痛苦地扭滚挣扎。三个人呆看了一会儿那团蜷缩的怪物，才回过神飞快地跑向山顶，不见了身影。费了好大一番工夫，熊才从帐篷里脱身。熊看了一眼那团白色的东西，眼神散乱，表情痛苦，随后便疯狂跑向森林的深处。

三个被吓坏的男子跑回重新生起的篝火旁。小个子男人正坐在那里，平静地吸着烟。他们立刻向他狂轰乱炸问了很多问题。他只是凝视着黑暗，有些浮夸地长长地吸了一口烟斗，开口说道：“这里就只有我一个人——不过，刚才有魔鬼和我做伴。”                              □

（译者单位：中央民族大学外国语学院）

1 brow山顶;坡顶。  2 riven分裂的。  3 bowlder巨砾;漂石。  4 brush灌木丛。  5 bough大树枝，粗树枝。  6 malediction咒骂。

7 sob（风等）发出呜咽声。  8 = briar欧石楠（其坚硬根部可制烟斗）;（用欧石楠根制成的）烟斗。  9 rustle使（纸或树叶等）沙沙作响。  10 smite重击（某人）。  11 sapling小树，幼树。  12 tawny黄褐色的;茶色的。  13 wrest夺取。

14 jowl下颌垂肉。  15 game猎物。

16 squirm（因紧张、尴尬或疼痛）动来动去，来回扭动。  17 on a spree狂欢。  18 hoodlum恶棍。  19 blood-curdling使人毛骨悚然的。  20 whoop（尤指为表示高兴或赞同而）呐喊，大叫。  21 convulsively痉挛性地。  22 wistful伤感的;留恋的。  23 eclipse使失色。  24 stolid淡漠的。  25 granite 坚毅。  26 quake颤抖，哆嗦。  27 shrivel萎缩。  28 ember余火未尽的木块（或煤块）。

29 flounder艰苦挣扎;不知所措。  30 flop（沉重或笨拙地）落下，移动。  31 pant喘息。  32 extricate使脱离;解救。  33 wallop（尤指用手或物体）猛击，重擊。  34 clamber（手脚并用费力地）攀登，攀爬。  35 riffle拂乱;使起涟漪。  36 scurry碎步快跑。  37 gleam闪烁。  38 avalanche雪崩。  39 sweep（尤指快速有力地）移动，冲。  40 writhe（因痛苦等）扭动;蠕动。  41 convolution盘绕;蜷曲。

42 dishevelled凌乱的;不整洁的。  43 spring突如其来地做;冷不防地问。

Provoking Quotes About Moms and Mothering

The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.                —Honoré de Balzac

Never fear spoiling children by making them too happy. Happiness is the atmosphere in which all good affections grow.

—Thomas Bray

The most important thing that parents can teach their children is how to get along without them.       —Frank A. Clark