沉默的歌手

  Every year at this time, the peasants began their long religious pilgrimage to Geed-leh, to visit the church there, and to pray for God's help. They walked or rode in wagons; they crowded the roads leading to the holy town, for Geed-leh was famous in Poland as a place where God did miracles. The cool autumn days also brought many beggars to Geed-leh. The peasants gave away more of their money on such a religious holiday as this. Some of the beggars were blind, some had no feet or arms. Some were very old and seemed like lost children looking for their mothers.    每年这个时候，农民们都开始前往Geed-leh的朝圣之旅，去拜访那儿的教堂，并祈祷上帝的庇护。他们或是走路或是乘车，人们挤满了通往圣城的道路，因为Geed-leh在波兰非常有名，那是一个上帝昭显神迹的地方。清冷的秋天也将很多乞丐赶到Geed-leh。农民们在这样的宗教节日会多施舍些钱。有些乞丐是瞎子，有些人没有了脚或胳膊，有些乞丐很老，看上去就像走失的孩子在寻找他们的母亲。    There was one among them who was called "the Mute Singer". He was given this name because he could not speak. There was a time when he was able to sing, while playing his guitar. But he lost his voice. Now he played the guitar and sang, but no sounds came from his throat. His lips just moved with the music.    乞丐之中有个人叫做“沉默的歌手”，人们之所以这样叫他，因为他不能说话。曾有一段时间他能边弹吉他，边唱歌。但是他后来哑了。现在他也弹奏吉他、唱歌，但是嗓子里不能发出声音，嘴唇却随着音乐张合。 　The Mute Singer was a tall, strange-looking man. His face and hands were brown, like the color of copper. He had white hair and a white beard: he looked like one of the wise men you read about in the Bible.   “沉默的歌手”是个高个，面色有些古怪。他的脸和手都是棕色的，就像是铜的颜色。他有着白发和白色的胡须，他看起来就像你在圣经中读到过的智者。    Early one morning I saw the Mute Singer washing himself at the river. He smiled and touched the ground with his hand, meaning that I should sit down. Then, he pointed his finger straight up, to tell me that he had a surprise for me.    一天上午的早些时候，我看见沉默的歌手在河边洗漱。他微笑着并用手轻触着地面，示意我坐下。然后他竖起手指，示他要给我个惊喜。      Suddenly, he put his hand into the water and rubbed two of his fingers together, making a strange sound, exactly like the sound of a croaking frog. He did it many times, then he lightly hit the top of the water, sending little ripples of waves across the water to the other side.     他突然将手放进手中，摩擦着2个手指，发出奇怪的声音，就像是哇哇叫的青蛙发出的声音。他这样做了很多次，然后轻轻击打水面，将荡起的涟漪传到河岸的另一侧。      Suddenly, everything around us seemed to be moving. I could not believe that it was real. Thousands of frogs came racing toward us, jumping, and swimming...under the water and on top of the water. I began to shake with excitement.     突然间，我们周围的一切仿佛都在移动，我甚至无法相信那是真的。成千只青蛙向我们蹦来，跳啊，游啊……在水里，在水面。我开始兴奋地颤抖。 　The frogs crowded around us, I could see their heads and eyes showing above the top of the water.     青蛙围拢在我们周围，我可以看见它们露出水面的头和眼睛。     The Mute Singer found some snails and cut them into small pieces and began to feed the frogs. They came closer and closer, and the Mute Singer started to play his guitar. As he did so, the frogs became quiet and listened. And then they, too, started to sing. Young frogs, old frogs...every one of them began to sing. I never heard anything like it. Not a frog moved: they all just sat and sang.     他发现了一些蜗牛，便将蜗牛切成小片喂青蛙。青蛙靠得越来越近，沉默的歌手开始弹奏吉他，这时青蛙突然变得安静下来，静静地听着。青蛙也开始唱起歌来。年轻的，年老的，每只青蛙都唱起歌来，我从未听见过这样的歌声。没有一只青蛙移动，它们都坐在那里唱歌。 　No one ever saw the Mute Singer at night. Nobody even knew where he slept. But during the day he could be found at the same place, sitting near the church and playing his guitar while his lips moved silently with the music.    从未有人在晚上看见过沉默的歌手，没人知道他睡在哪里。但是白天，总能在同样的地方看到他，他坐在教堂附近，弹着吉他，嘴唇随着音乐张合。 　Everybody liked the Mute Singer-the peasants as much as the beggars. People threw their pennies into the cups of the beggars sitting on the ground, asking for help. But not so with the Mute Singer. Into his cup, they dropped their pennies gently. He used the shell of a turtle as a cup. He got much more money than the others, but this did not trouble any of the beggars.    大家都喜欢沉默的歌手——农民们和乞丐都喜欢他。人们将钱扔进那些坐在地上乞求帮助的乞丐的罐中。但对沉默的歌手不是这样，他们总是轻轻地将钱放进去。他把龟壳当作罐，他得的钱总是比其他人多，但这并不影响到其他乞丐。 　At the end of the day, the beggars crowded around the Mute Singer in front of the church. He took a clean white handkerchief from the pocket of his old coat, and put it smoothly on the ground. He made it seem like a religious ceremony. Then he put all his money on the clean white cloth, he made all the beggars an equal share of the money but kept nothing for himself.       在一天结束的时候，乞丐围在站在教堂前的“沉默的歌手”身旁，他从旧衣服中掏出一条白手帕，轻轻地放到地面。放佛在进行着某种宗教仪式。他将讨来的钱放在感情的白布上，将钱均分给其他乞丐，但自己却不要一分钱。 　Sadly, he looked around at the beggars, covered with dirt and disease. The sun was sinking fast and the peasants had all left the church area. The Mute Singer lowered his head and started to pray; the beggars were on their knees, joining him in prayer.    他难过地看着周围的乞丐，他们身上满是泥土，都身患疾病。太阳西沉，农民们都已经离开了教堂。沉默的歌手低下头开始祈祷，乞丐们也跪下来一起祈祷。 　Then the Mute Singer began to play his guitar, moving his lips with the music. The beggars sat still and listened. The music cut deep into their hearts. It cut through their years of pain and suffering and loss of hope. It made them feel human again. Many of them cried, and with dried old hands wiped away their tears.    沉默的歌手开始谈起吉他，嘴唇随着音乐张合。乞丐们静静地坐着，倾听。音乐触及到他们的心灵。穿过多年的痛苦和希望的丧失。音乐使乞丐们再次感觉到自己是人。很多人哭了，用苍老的手抹去眼泪。 　I heard a beggar say the Mute Singer was not a human being, but God dressed as a beggar. "If that is true," another answered, "he would not come as a beggar, but as a priest..."     我听说有个乞丐说“沉默的歌手”不是人而是乔装的上帝，“如果这是真的”，另一个乞丐说“他不应该是乞丐，而应试神父……” 　One day, hundreds of new peasants entered the city. They were welcomed at the church by its religious leaders who dropped water on their heads and blessed them. Religious singing and church bells felled the air, as did the cried of the beggars asking for help.    一天，很多新农民来到城里，他们来到教堂接受洗礼和赐福。教堂的歌声和钟声弥漫在空气中，乞丐乞求帮助的声音也充斥在空气中。 　As the peasants came out of the church, the Mute Singer began to play. The peasants crowded around him and dropped pennies into his cup. Suddenly, his fingers hit the wrong strings. He threw his arms into the air. His guitar fell to the ground and broke. One of the beggars caught the Mute Singer as he fell and held his beautiful head on his knees.    当农民们从教堂里出来的时候，沉默的歌手开始弹奏。农民们聚拢在他的周围，将钱扔进罐中。土人，他的手指弹错了弦。他扑倒了，吉他落到地上碎了。有个乞丐在他摔倒的时候接住了他，将他的头放在膝盖上。 　We carried him into my mother's empty barn and put him down gently. I held his hand and he slept a little, then opened his eyes and smiled weakly. He looked like a lost child.    我们将他抬进我妈妈的空谷仓中，轻轻将他放下。我握住他的手，他小睡了一会儿，然后睁开眼睛，虚弱地笑了小。他看上去就像走失的孩子。 　The Mute Singer pointed to his chest and made the sign of the cross. A beggar said, "He wants me to give him the last rites. Can you get me a piece of bread?"      沉默的歌手指着胸膛，做了个交叉的手势。有个乞丐说道“他想让我给他进行最后的仪式。你能给我片面包吗？” 　"But you are not a priest," I said.    “但你不是神父，”我说道。 　"This is something any man would be glad to do for him it is an emergency. But I am dirty, my clothes are dirty. Hurry, get some bread and a white shirt." “这是每个人都乐意为他做的时，事情紧急。但是我很脏，我的衣服也很脏,快点，拿点面包和一件白色的法衣” 　　I ran out and got some bread. Next to my house was a synagogue, and in the dark I saw the rabbi's finest white shirt hanging to be dried. I took the shirt and hurried to the side of the dying Mute Singer.       我跑了出去，去拿了些面包。挨着我房子的是犹太教会堂，黑暗中我看到教士最好的白色法衣挂在哪里晾干。我拿起法衣，飞奔到奄奄一息的“沉默的歌手”身旁。 　　The beggar put on the white shirt, and gave me a candle to hold. Then he got down close to the Mute Singer and said:        乞丐穿上白色法衣，给我一只蜡烛让我握着。然后他来到歌手近前说道： 　　"Hear me, my brother! Open your eyes if you can, so that you may see the sign of the cross made over you. Here is your Last Communion, a beggar's Communion of black bread."   “听我说，我的兄弟！如果你能就请睁开双眼，那样你就能看到为你而造的十字架。这是你的最后圣餐，一个乞丐的黑面包圣餐。 　　The dying man looked at the beggar, smiled weakly and left us forever....         奄奄一息的歌手看了看乞丐，虚弱地笑了笑，永远地离开了我们。        That night I had very strange dreams. In one dream, I saw something white moving slowly toward me. It was like a flog. But when it got very close it changed into the shape of a man. It was the Mute Singer still holding his guitar. Then two angles floated out of the dark into my dream: they fell to their knees before the Mute Singer, kissing his hands while he gently touched their heads. It was like what I had often seen in old religious paintings.       那天晚上我做了个奇怪的梦。在梦里，我看见有个白色的东西缓缓向我移动，看上去像只青蛙。但当它走到近前是，它变成了人性。原来是沉默的歌手，他依然拿着吉他。两个甜食从黑暗中进入到我的梦里，他们在沉默的歌手前跪到，亲吻着他的手，而歌手轻轻地摸着他们的头。就像我在古老的教堂油画里看到的一样。 　　I slept badly. I felt something heavy, and it was hurting me. I awoke and saw that I was holding too hard against my chest, the shell of a turtle. It was the turtle shell which the Mute Singer used as a beggar's cup for money. He gave it to me while he lay dying.        我睡得很沉。我感到有个沉东西，它弄疼了我。我醒来，看到我贴近胸膛紧紧握着龟壳。那是沉默的歌手用来讨钱的罐子。当他奄奄一息时，他将那给了我。