英语美文与传神翻译：死海求生（连载7）
Solo Sailor in Peril
文 | 英语和翻译实践者
引言
托尼·布利莫尔是一位世界级的帆船运动员。他最爱的一个是妻子，一个是大海。他渴望永远和妻子幸福地生活在一起，而大海却要扼杀他的这个梦想。
正文
7 Watery Coffin
Finally the storm has passed. I can tell because the rocking of the boat isnt so violent. Im getting used to the darkness and the strange sounds. I can hear waves and the tap ... tap ... tap of the tangled rigging banging against the side.
Every so often, I hear a louder bang and a scraping sound. I start imagining that the boom or a broken mast is battering a hole through the side of the hull, and at any moment water will come gushing in.
I have a lot of time to think, up on my shelf. I remember that on the day the race started, I made out a will for the first time in my life. I got one of those simple forms you can pick up at a store, filled it out and had it witnessed by two friends. “Whats this?” asked Lal when I handed it to her.
“Its my will.”
She looked shocked. “Why are you giving me this? Youve never had one before.”
“Come on. I should have done it years ago,” I said.
“Yes, but why now? Are you worried that youre not coming back?”
“It s not that” I put my arms around her.
“I dont want your will”, she cried.” I want you to come back.” By then we were both weeping and hugging each other.
Its easy enough now to think I must have had some premonition, but I tell myself thats nonsense. I simply wanted my affairs in place before such a tough race.
I have no idea of the precise time. My wristwatch is somewhere on the bottom of the boat, and I am not going to dive for it. But I do know when it is daytime: green light begins filtering through the submerged windows. It must be Monday.
I climb down from my shelf; rip open a chocolate bar and take two bites. The chocolate tastes salty. I open an emergency container of water. I have only two left now. I will have to start using the water maker again.
Today is the day I will try the life raft again. I plunge under the icy water, push open the hatch and manage to cut the last ropes.
Pleased with my progress, I wrap my hands around the raft container and start to pull. It doesnt budge.
Come on! Why wont you move? I think. My lungs are bursting.
Then I realize whats going on: the container is pressed hard up against the boat by its own buoyancy. Two men might be able to shift it, but not one.
I swim back. Exploding up through the water into the stale air of the cabin, I gasp and slap Exide Challenger in frustration. Now I know I really am going to die.
Unable to think of what else to do, I crawl up on the shelf and try to get warm. Slowly my heart rate returns to normal and my breathing grows less ragged. I think about the little bird that I found in the cupboard. How, too weak to fly away, the poor thing had chosen somewhere dark and quiet to die. Is that what Im doing? Is this shelf going to be my final resting place?
My mind shifts to the other bird, which managed to fly away. The strong survive and the weak perish. Forget about self-pity. I have to be strong.
I decide to lash the two remaining beacons near the companionway entrance. That way I can grab them quickly if the boat starts to sink. I carry the beacons into the cabin. The water is so high that occasionally I have to hold my breath as a wave rolls inside the hull and washes over me.
With a rope in each hand and another between my teeth, I try tying knots to attach the beacons. Suddenly the boat pitches and the rope wrenches through my mouth. The pain seems to stab through my neck. I’ve lost a filling.
I retrieve the rope and start again. As I try to untangle a section of rope with my knife, the blade slips and drives into the palm of my hand.
I think I might have to stitch the bleeding wound. I have an elaborate first-aid kit in the engine room. Its got everything from bandages to morphine. When I go to the box, the key is missing. I suppose that has also been sucked into the abyss. I try prying the lock open with my knife, but my hands feel like clumsy lumps of wood.
After 20 minutes, I give up. Even if I could bandage my hand, the cloth would get sodden and fall off. And I dont want to use the drugs. I need to keep my wits about me. After a few minutes my hand stops bleeding.
Then—God, Im hungry!
I grab the can of baked beans Ive been saving—saving for what? I wonder—and punch a knife through the top. I use my knife to scoop out the beans. There isnt enough room on the shelf, so I stand in water up to my chest to eat my feast.
I still have some control over my own destiny, I think. I make a silent agreement with myself not to think about dying, at least for another day.
被风暴打翻的“伊格赛德挑战者号”（澳大利亚海军图片）
试译
7 海上的墓棺
风暴终于过去了，因为船的摇晃不那么剧烈了。我已经适应这里的黑暗和奇怪的音响。我可以听见波涛声和杂乱的索具敲击船帮的声音——“咣啷啷，咣啷啷……”
我时不时地听到较大的撞击声和磨擦声。我想是张帆杆或折断的桅杆正在船帮上戳窟窿，海水随时有可能冒进来。
我蜷曲在隔架上，有大量的时间来思考。我记得比赛开始那天，我有生以来第一次立了个遗嘱。我拿了一张任何商店都有的那种简单表格，填完后又请两位朋友做了证人。我把表格递给莱尔时，她问道：“这是啥？”
“这是我的遗嘱。”
她被吓了一跳。“你为什么给我这个？你以前从未立过遗嘱。”
“快拿着，我本来几年前就应该写好的。”我说道。
“可你为什么现在给我？你是担心不能回来？”
“不是那意思。”我搂住她说。
“我不要你的遗嘱。”她哭着说。“我要你平安地回来。”我俩拥抱在一起，都哭了。
现在极容易让人想到，我那时一定有某种预感，可我对自己说那是瞎说八道。我只是想在这种极富挑战性的比赛前，把我的事务安顿好。
我不知道准确的时间。我的手表掉进水里了，我不想潜入水中去找。但我知道什么时候是白天：绿色的光透过水下的玻璃窗折射进来。该是星期一了。
我从隔架上爬下来，扯开一块巧克力咬了两口。巧克力吃起来很咸。我打开一桶应急水。现在只剩2桶了。我得再次起用制水设备。
今天又该去弄那只救生筏了。我钻入冰冷的水中，推开舱门，坚持把最后的绳子割断。
带着喜悦，我用手臂挽住救生筏的包装箱开始拉。它一点也不动。
快点吧，你咋不动呢？我心里说。我的肺胀得生疼。
此时，我才知道是怎么回事：包装箱被它自身的浮力紧紧地压在船底。两个人也许可以挪动它，一个人绝对不行。
我游回来，猛地钻出水面，进入污浊的舱内空气中。我大口大口地喘着气，失望地拍打着“伊格赛德挑战者号”。现在，我真的死定了。
也不知道该做什么，我爬上隔架先暖和一会儿。慢慢地，我的心跳恢复正常，粗急的呼吸也变缓了。我想起了那只在橱架上发现的小鸟。一个虚弱得飞不走的可怜小东西怎么还会选择一个安静、黑暗的地方去死呢？我是不是也在这样做？这个隔架是不是我最后的长眠之所？
我的思绪又转向另一只小鸟，他不余遗力地飞走了。强者生存，弱者灭亡。忘记自怜自哀。我必须坚强。
我决定把剩下的两个信标绑在过道口处，那样一旦船开始下沉，我就能很快抓起它们。我把信标拿到主舱。水面很高了，有时一个浪头盖过来时，我不得不憋住气。
我一手拿着一条绳子，嘴里还咬着一条。我正给信标打结，船突然颠簸了一下，绳子在我嘴里猛甩了一下。我疼得好像有东西刺透了我的脖子。一颗牙齿的填补料掉了。
我捞起绳子重新开始。当我用刀子想挑开团在一起的一条绳子时，刀子滑脱失控，刺进我的手心里。
我想我得把流血的伤口缝一缝。我有完整的一套急救箱放在机房里。里面从绷带到止痛吗啡，什么都有。我赶过去时，钥匙却没有了。我想它肯定也被吸入那个无底洞里去了。我想用刀子把锁橇开，可我的手臂使唤起来像一根木头。
20分钟后，我放弃努力。即使缠上绷带，它也会弄湿而脱落。我也不想使用麻醉药，我需要保持清醒的头脑。几分钟后，我的手不再流血。
这时候，我的天啊，我感到饥饿难忍。
我抓过那听一直留着的油炸蚕豆（留着干啥？我问自己），用刀子捅开上盖。我用刀子把蚕豆扒进嘴里。隔架上没有那么多的地方，我就站在齐胸深的水里吃我的美味佳肴。
我对自己的命运依然有所掌握，我想。我默默地和自己达成协议，不去想死的事情，至少一天之内不要去想。
（未完待续，后面更精彩）
译者简介：从事英汉口译和笔译39年，译审，全国第一届和第二届“韩素音青年翻译奖”竞赛一等奖获得者；已出版译著8部，最新译著有《携火奔月》和《我的两次月球之旅》（上海交通大学出版社）。
重温登月惊险之路
欣赏翻译传神之美
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