第十三章（第7/19页）

Connie thought it sounded as if even the spring bloomed by act of Parliament. An English spring! Why not an Irish one? Or Jewish? The chair moved slowly ahead, past tufts of sturdy bluebells that stood up like wheat and over grey burdock leaves. When they came to the open place where the trees had been felled, the light flooded in rather stark. And the bluebells made sheets of bright blue colour, here and there, sheering off into lilac and purple. And between, the bracken was lifting its brown curled heads, like legions of young snakes with a new secret to whisper to Eve. Clifford kept the chair going till he came to the brow of the hill; Connie followed slowly behind. The oak-buds were opening soft and brown. Everything came tenderly out of the old hardness. Even the snaggy craggy oak-trees put out the softest young leaves, spreading thin, brown little wings like young bat-wings in the light. Why had men never any newness in them, any freshness to come forth with! Stale men!

康妮感觉克利福德好像是说，甚至连春花绽放都需得到国会法令的允许。英格兰的春天！为何不是爱尔兰的春天？或者犹太的？轮椅缓缓前行，轧过一簇簇如麦秆般强韧的风铃草，碾过牛蒡草的灰色叶片。当两人来到那块树木伐尽的空旷所在，阳光充溢，晃晃显显。风铃草碧蓝如席，随处可见，其间点缀着姹紫嫣红的花朵。花丛中，欧洲蕨扬着纠结缠绕的棕色脑袋，像成百上千条小蛇，争先恐后地想要向夏娃吐露新的秘密。克利福德驱动轮椅，径直驶到山脊处，康妮则慢悠悠地跟在后面。橡树棕色的嫩芽温柔地吐露。万物复苏，辞旧迎新。甚至连残干横生、皱皱巴巴的老橡树，也吐出最柔嫩的新芽，伸出纤细娇小的褐色枝条，像是日光中闪闪发亮的蝙蝠翼翅。为何人类从不自我更新，只会安于现状，固步自封！腐朽的人类！

Clifford stopped the chair at the top of the rise and looked down. The bluebells washed blue like flood-water over the broad riding, and lit up the downhill with a warm blueness.

克利福德在坡顶止住轮椅，向下眺望。风铃草如同碧蓝的潮水，将宽阔的马道湮没，给整个山坡着上温暖的蓝色。

"It's a very fine colour in itself," said Clifford, "but useless for making a painting." "Quite!" Said Connie, completely uninterested.

“这颜色本身的确美丽，”克利福德评价道，“但若用来作画就一无是处了。”“有道理！”康妮应付着，提不起半点兴趣。

"Shall I venture as far as the spring?" Said Clifford.

“我来冒回险怎样，驾着轮椅驶到泉水那边？”克里福德提议说。

"Will the chair get up again?" She said.

“轮椅还能攀得上这山坡吗？”她问。

"We'll try; nothing venture, nothing win!”

“我们不妨试试看，不入虎穴，焉得虎子！”

And the chair began to advance slowly, joltingly down the beautiful broad riding washed over with blue encroaching hyacinths. O last of all ships, through the hyacinthian shallows! O pinnace on the last wild waters, sailing in the last voyage of our civilization! Whither, O weird wheeled ship, your slow course steering. Quiet and complacent, Clifford sat at the wheel of adventure: in his old black hat and tweed jacket, motionless and cautious. O Captain, my Captain, our splendid trip is done! Not yet though! Downhill, in the wake, came Constance in her grey dress, watching the chair jolt downwards.

轮椅开始缓缓下行，颠簸在美丽开阔的马道上，摇摆在漫山遍野的蓝色风信子间。噢，横越风信子浅滩的末班船！噢，汹涌波涛上，有轻舟一叶，扬帆出海，做最后的远航，探寻我们的文明！噢，奇异的轮之船，你缓慢的航程通往何方？克利福德志得意满，从容地掌握着探险的航向，头戴破旧黑帽，身穿花呢上衣，坐在那里，动也不动，倍加小心。噢，船长，噢，我的船长，我们壮丽的航程将要收尾！虽然尚未告终！康斯坦斯身穿灰色裙装，沿着轮痕走下山坡，目睹着轮椅颠簸而下。