有一個傳說,說的是有那么一只鳥兒,它一生只唱一次歌,那歌聲比世上任何其他生靈的歌聲都更加優美動聽。從離開巢窩的那一刻起,它就在尋找著荊棘樹,直到如愿以償,才肯歇息下來。然后,它把自己的身體扎進最長、最尖的荊棘,在尖銳的枝條間放開了歌喉。在最后奄奄一息的時刻,它超脫了自身的痛苦,而那歌聲竟然使云雀和夜鶯都黯然失色。這是一支無比美好的歌,曲終而命竭。然而,整個世界都在靜靜地諦聽著——因為最美好的東西只能用最深痛的巨創來換 取……這就是荊棘鳥的傳說。

世界經典名著《荊棘鳥》是澳大利亞當代著名女作家Colleen Mccullough(考琳·麥卡洛,1937— )的長篇代表作之一,自1977年問世以來,迅速成為風靡全球的國際暢銷小說,并先后被改編成影視劇,是20世紀80年代最佳暢銷書之一。小說情節曲折生動,結構嚴密精巧,文筆清新婉麗,被譽為“澳大利亞的《飄》”。

小說進述的是克利里家族傳奇式的家世史。故事開始于20世紀初葉,結束于 60年代末70年代初,從帕迪·克利里應無兒無女的姐姐貴夫人瑪麗·卡森之召,攜妻子和七個子女從新西蘭遷居澳大利亞的德羅海達牧羊場,到帕迪惟一幸存的孫輩——才華橫溢的演員朱絲婷(梅吉與相貌酷似拉爾夫神父的剪毛工盧克·奧尼爾結婚后所生的女兒)在遙遠的異國他鄉確定了自己的人生道路和愛情歸宿,講述了克利里家整整三代人的人生經歷和情感歷程,其中最主要的是女主人公梅吉與拉爾夫神父之間那場刻骨銘心的愛情。年富力強的神父拉爾夫一心向往羅馬教廷的權力,但他卻愛上了牧主克利里的女兒——美麗絕倫的少女梅吉,內心處于權力與愛情之間深刻的矛盾之中,從而引發出一連串感人至深的故事。

本文節選自該小說的第19章。

When Meggie came into the room 1)Cardinal Ralph hardly knew her. It was thirteen years since he had last seen her; she was fifty-three and he was seventy-one. Both of them had aged now. Her face hadn’t changed so much as settled, and into a mold unlike the one he had given her in his imagination. Substitute a 2)trenchant 3)incisiveness for sweetness, 4)a touch of 5)iron for softness; she resembled a vigorous, aging, 6)willful 7)martyr rather than the 8)resigned, contemplative saint of his dreams. Her beauty was as striking as ever, her eyes still that clear silvery grey, but both had hardened, and the once 9)vivid hair had faded to a 10)drab 11)beige. Most disconcerting of all, she wouldn’t look at him for long enough to satisfy his eager and loving curiosity. Unable to greet this Meggie naturally, he stiffly indicated a chair. “Please sit down.”

當梅吉走進房間時,拉爾夫紅衣主教簡直不認得她了。自他最后一次見到她,已過了13年;她已經53歲,而他已經71歲了。現在,他們兩人都上了年紀。她的面容并沒大變,只是隨歲月“積淀”了下來,變成了并非他在想象中賦予她的那個樣子。一種極為深邃的神態代替了甜美,幾分剛強代替了溫柔;她更像一位老而彌堅、一意孤行的殉道士,而非他心中那順從靜思的圣徒。她還是一如以往地美麗動人,她的雙眼還是那種清澈的銀灰色,但卻都變得冷酷了;那曾經光亮的秀發已經褪色成暗啞的淡棕色。最令人尷尬不安的是,她不太愿意花上一定的時間把目光停留在他身上與他對視,枉他滿心急切,盡是關愛和疑惑。他無法神態自若地迎接這個梅吉,只拘謹地指了指一把椅子?！罢堊??！?/p>

“Thank you,” she said, equally 12)stilted. It was only when she was seated and he could gaze down upon her whole person that he noticed how visibly swollen her feet and ankles were. “Meggie! Have you flown all the way through from Australia without breaking your journey? What’s the matter?”

“謝謝你?！彼f道,同樣顯得不自然。只有當她坐了下來,他能俯看到她整個人的時候,他才注意到她的腳和腳踝全都腫起來了?！懊芳?你是從澳大利亞一路飛過來,中途連歇都沒歇嗎?怎么回事?”

“Yes, I did fly straight through,” she said. “For the past twenty-nine hours I’ve been sitting in planes between 13)Gilly and Rome, with nothing to do except stare out the window at the clouds, and think.” Her voice was harsh, cold.

“是的,我是直飛過來的,”她說道,“在剛過去的29個小時里,我就一直坐在從基利到羅馬的飛機里,除了看著窗外云彩左思右想之外,什么也沒有做?！彼锹曇粲舶畎?冷冰冰的。

“What’s the matter?” he repeated impatiently, anxious and fearful. She lifted her gaze from her feet and looked at him steadily. There was something awful in her eyes; something so dark and chilling that the skin on the back of his neck 14)crawled and automatically he put his hand up to 15)stroke it.

“怎么回事?”他不耐煩地重復了一遍,又焦急又恐懼。她不再盯著自己的腳,抬起頭,堅定地望著他。在她的眼睛里有某種可怕的東西——陰郁冰冷到讓他覺得頸后直起雞皮疙瘩,他下意識地抬起手摩挲頸后。