【導讀】

特拜厄斯·伍爾夫(Tobias Wolff, 1945~ )是美國當代最著名的短篇小說家之一。從20世紀80年代以來，伍爾夫筆耕不綴，佳作不斷，其作品多次入選《美國年度最佳短篇小說集》和《歐·亨利短篇小說獎獲獎作品集》等選集。

《隔壁》發表于1982年，是伍爾夫第一部為其獲得聲譽的短篇小說集《在北美殉道士的花園》(In the Garden of the North American Martyrs)的開篇之作，也是伍爾夫被各類小說選集收錄最多的作品之一。小說的情節非常簡單：第一人稱敘事者“我”和妻子半夜被隔壁夫婦的爭吵鬧醒，于是“我們”或坐在床上，或站在窗旁，開始對鄰居進行偷聽或偷窺。后來，在隔壁夫婦的大聲爭吵中，“我們”開始觀看一部名叫《厄爾多拉多》的電影。這個電影是關于尋寶探險的，一群尋寶人在一個瞎子的帶領下，歷經千辛萬苦，即將到達藏寶之城，此時他們開始自相殘殺，最后只有瞎子只身闖入藏寶地，卻因為雙眼失明而不知道自己身處何地?？措娪暗倪^程中，鄰居夫婦開始安靜下來，“我”妻子也睡著了，而“我”則無法入睡，開始思考人生并得出結論：我們對自己習慣的事情熟視無睹，這樣的生活很可怕。接著，“我”給《厄爾多拉多》構想了一個不同的結局：那些人沒有自相殘殺，他們躺在一個鮮花覆蓋的草地上睡覺，然后，“太陽升起來。他們站起身，高舉手臂，就像人跡罕至的土地上生長的白樹”。

I wake up afraid. My wife is sitting on the edge of my bed, shaking me. “They're at it again,” she says.

I go to the window. All their lights are on, upstairs and down, as if they have money to burn. He yells, she screams something back, the dog barks. There is a short silence, then the baby cries, poor thing.

我驚醒過來。妻子坐在我的床邊，推搡著我，說：“他們又開始了。”

我走近窗邊。他們的燈都亮著，不管樓上還是樓下，似乎他們有的是錢可以燒。他大吼，她尖聲回應，狗也跟著吠叫。短暫的寂靜過后，嬰兒哭聲乍起，可憐的東西。

[2] “Better not stand there,” says my wife. “They might see you.” I say, “I'm going to call the police,” knowing she won't let me.

“Don't,” she says.

She's afraid that they will poison our cat if we complain.

[2]“最好別站在那兒，”妻子說，“他們會發現你的。”我說：“我去叫警察?！毙牡字浪遣粫屛胰サ?。

“別去。”她說。

她擔心，如果我們報警，他們會毒死我們的貓。

[3] Next door the man is still yelling, but I can't make out what he's saying over the dog and the baby. The woman laughs, not really meaning it, “Ha! Ha! Ha!,” and suddenly gives a sharp little cry. Everything goes quiet.

“He struck her,” my wife says. “I felt it just the same as if he struck me.”

[3] 隔壁男人還在吼叫，不過聽不清他對狗和嬰兒吼什么。女人在笑，但不是真笑，“哈!哈!哈!”，然后突然短促地尖叫了一聲。一切都靜了下來。

“他揍她了，”妻子說，“我感覺就像揍我一樣。”

[4] Next door the baby gives a long wail and the dog starts up again. The man walks out into his driveway and slams the door.

“Be careful,” my wife says. She gets back into her bed and pulls the covers up to her neck.

The man mumbles to himself and jerks at his fly. Finally he gets it open and walks over to our fence. It's a white picket fence, ornamental more than anything else. It couldn't keep anyone out. I put it in myself, and planted honeysuckle and bougainvillea all along it.

[4] 隔壁嬰兒發出一陣長長的哭號，狗又開始吠叫。那男人出門走到車道上，砰地關上門。

“小心點?！逼拮诱f。她回到自己的床上，扯起被子，一直蓋到脖子上。

那男人自個兒嘟噥著，使勁兒拉褲襠拉鏈。終于拉開后，他走到我們的籬笆旁邊?；h笆是白色尖樁籬柵，完全是裝飾，攔不住任何人。我自己立的這籬柵，沿柵還種了些金銀花和九重葛。

[5] My wife says, “What's he doing?”

“Shh,” I say.

He leans against the fence with one hand and with the other he goes to the bathroom on the flowers. He walks the length of the fence like that, not missing any of them. When he's through he gives Florida1 a shake, then zips up and heads back across the driveway. He almost slips on the gravel but he catches himself and curses and goes into the house, slamming the door again.

[5] 妻子問道：“他在干嗎?”

“噓——小點兒聲?！蔽艺f。

他一只手倚著籬笆，另一只開始幫著在花上小便。就這樣，他從籬笆的這頭走到那頭，一朵花也沒放過。撒完尿，他抖了抖他的佛羅里達，拉好褲子拉鏈，回頭穿過車道。在礫石路上，他差點兒滑倒，但他穩住身子，詛咒著，進了房間，又砰地一聲把門關上。

[6] When I turn around my wife is leaning forward, watching me. She raises her eyebrows. “Not again,” she says.

I nod.

“Number one or number two?”

“Number one.”

“Thank God for small favors,” she says, settling back. “Between him and the dog it's a wonder you can get anything to grow out there.”

[6] 我轉過頭時，妻子正探身向前，盯著我。她揚起眉毛，說：“不會又干那事吧。”

我點點頭。

“小的還是大的?”

“小的?！?/p>

“感謝上帝的小恩惠。”她說著，直起腰來，“有了他和那條狗，你能在那個地方種出東西來才怪呢?！?/p>

[7] I read somewhere that human pee has a higher acid content than animal pee, but I don't mention that. I would rather talk about something else. It depresses me, thinking about the flowers. They are past their prime, but still. Next door the woman is shouting. “Listen to that,” I say.

“I used to feel sorry for her,” my wife says. “Not any more. Not after last month.”

[7] 我在什么地方讀過，說人尿的酸含量比動物尿的要高，但我沒提這個。我寧愿說點別的。想起那些花，我就難受。雖然它們鮮艷不再，但還是很不錯的。隔壁女人在大喊大叫?！奥犅牥?。”我說。

“我原來還同情她呢，”妻子說，“現在不了，上個月后就不了?！?/p>

[8] “Ditto,” I say, trying to remember what happened last month to make my wife not feel sorry for the woman next door. I don't feel sorry for her either, but then I never have. She yells at the baby, and excuse me, but I'm not about to get all excited over someone who treats a child like that. She screams things like “I thought I told you to stay in your bedroom!” and here the baby can't even speak English yet.

As far as her looks, I guess you would have to say she's pretty. But it won't last. She doesn't have good bone structure. She has a soft look to her, like she has never eaten anything but donuts and milk shakes. Her skin is white. The baby takes after her, not that you would expect it to take after him, dark and hairy. Even with his shirt on you can tell that he has hair all over his back and on his shoulders, thick and springy like an Airedale's.

[8]“我也是。”我說，心里努力回憶上個月發生了什么事讓妻子不再同情隔壁女人。我也不同情她，但我是從來都沒同情過她。她對著嬰兒大喊大叫，說實話，我可真不喜歡這樣對待孩子的人。她常常吼什么“我說過要你待在自己臥室的!”之類的話，可那嬰兒連話都還不會說呢。

單看長相，你得說她挺漂亮，但她的漂亮不會長久。她骨架不好，肌肉松軟，好像除了油炸圈餅和奶昔之外就沒吃過別的東西一樣。她皮膚白皙，孩子長得像她，而不是大家期待的像他那樣黝黑而多毛。即使他穿著襯衫，你也可以看出他的背部和肩膀到處都是毛，又厚又有彈性，像條艾爾谷犬似的。

[9] Now they're all going at once over there, plus they've got the hi-fi turned on full blast. One of those bands. “It's the baby I feel sorry for,” I say.

My wife puts her hands over her ears. “I can't stand another minute of it,” she says. She takes her hands away. “Maybe there's something on TV.” She sits up. “See who's on Johnny.”

[9] 現在，他們兩個同時都在吼叫，還把音響開足了音量，里面播放著某個樂隊的曲子?！拔彝榈氖悄莻€孩子。”我說。

妻子雙手捂住耳朵，說：“我一刻也受不了啦?！敝螅职咽謴亩淠瞄_?！耙苍S電視有好看的節目，”她坐直身子，“看看都有誰上了約翰尼的節目?！?/p>

[10] I turn on the television. It used to be down in the den but I brought it up here a few years ago when my wife came down with an illness. I took care of her myself – made the meals and everything. I got to where I could change the sheets with her still in the bed. I always meant to take the television back down when my wife recovered from her illness, but I never got around to it. It sits between our beds on a little table I made. Johnny is saying something to Sammy Davis, Jr. Ed McMahon is bent over laughing. He is always so cheerful. If you were going to take a really long voyage you could do worse than bring Ed McMahon along.

“Sammy,” says my wife. “Who else is on besides Sammy?”

[10] 我打開電視。它原本放在樓下小房間里，但幾年前妻子染病后我就把它搬上來了。那時我親自照顧她——煮飯燒菜全都做，連她躺在床上不動我都能換床單。妻子病愈后，我總想把電視搬回原處，但從未真去干。我的床和她的床之間有張小桌子，我做的，電視機就擱在上面。約翰尼正和小薩米·戴維斯說著什么，埃德·麥克馬洪笑彎了腰。他總是那么開心，如果你打算長途出行，帶上埃德·麥克馬洪可能會快樂些。

“薩米，”妻子說，“除了薩米，還有誰上了節目?”

（轉第二頁）

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