諾貝爾文學經典:《寵兒》第5章Part 1

When they reached the woods it took her no time to find the path through it because big-cityrevivals were held there regularly now, complete with food-laden tables, banjos and a tent. The oldpath was a track now, but still arched over with trees dropping buckeyes onto the grass below.
There was nothing to be done other than what she had done, butSethe blamed herself for Baby Suggs' collapse. However many times Baby denied it, Sethe knewthe grief at 124 started when she jumped down off the wagon, her newborn tied to her chest in theunderwear of a whitegirl looking for Boston.
Followed by the two girls, down a bright green corridor of oak and horse chestnut, Sethe began tosweat a sweat just like the other one when she woke, mud-caked, on the banks of the Ohio.
Amy was gone. Sethe was alone and weak, but alive, and so was her baby. She walked a waysdownriver and then stood gazing at the glimmering water. By and by a flatbed slid into view, butshe could not see if the figures on it were whitepeople or not. She began to sweat from a fever shethanked God for since it would certainly keep her baby warm. When the flatbed was beyond hersight she stumbled on and found herself near three coloredpeople fishing — two boys and an olderman. She stopped and waited to be spoken to. One of the boys pointed and the man looked over hisshoulder at her — a quick look since all he needed to know about her he could see in no time.
Noone said anything for a while. Then the man said, "Headin' 'cross?"
"Yes, sir," said Sethe.
"Anybody know you coming?"

到達那片樹林後，她沒費一點時間就找到了穿行的小路，因爲如今那裏定期舉行大城市信仰復興活動，豐盛的餐桌、班卓琴、帳篷，一應俱全。過去的羊腸小道如今已經被踏成了一條路，不過仍然有繁茂的樹在上面搭出拱頂，把橡子掉在下面的草葉上。
塞絲已經盡力而爲了，可她還是不能不爲貝比·薩格斯的崩潰而怪罪自己。儘管貝比一次次地否認，塞絲仍舊清楚地知道，124號的悲哀就是從那一刻開始的：她跳下大車，新生兒裹在一個尋找波士頓的白人姑娘的內衣裏，系在她胸前。
領着兩個姑娘，穿過了一道橡樹和七葉樹織成的明亮的綠色長廊，塞絲開始冒汗，那情形酷似另一次：她在俄亥俄河岸上汗津津地醒來，泥漿已經在她身上結了痂。
愛彌走了。塞絲孤單而虛弱，卻還活着，她的嬰兒也活着。她沿河向下遊走了一段，然後站在那裏，凝望着波光粼粼的河水。一隻平底船不時划進視線，但她看不清站在上邊的是不是白人。由於發燒，她開始出汗，也因此感謝上帝，因爲這樣當然能讓她的嬰兒暖和。她看不見平底船了，就跌跌撞撞地向前走去，發現自己走近了三個打魚的黑人———兩個男孩和一個男人。她停下來，等着他們跟她說活。一個男孩朝這邊指了指，男人越過他的肩膀看了她一眼———不過是迅速的一瞥，因爲他只需一眼就知道她究竟是怎麼回事。
有一會兒工夫誰都沒說話。然後男人道：“想過河嗎？”
“是，先生。”塞絲說。
“有人知道你來嗎？”