（八）給我一個堅強的理由
西班牙有一句關於迷迭香的古老諺語：
“…誰經過迷迭香
而不願噴一點香
他對女人的愛不在乎，
也不會為自己而活……”
（…Who passeth by the rosemarie
And careth not to take a spraye
For woman’s love no care has he,
Nor shall he though he live for aye… ）
這句話表明對迷迭香的香氣漠不關心的男人無法給予女人真愛，對其他享樂也不敏感。
西班牙人大約於13世紀開始商業種植迷迭香，從15世紀到18世紀，它成為鹹肉的流行調味品。迷迭香已經深入到該國居民生活的方方麵麵。
英國作家喬治·鮑羅（George Borrow ）在1843年出版的遊記《西班牙聖經》（The Bible in Spain）裏講述了關於迷迭香可以辟邪的迷信，現將部分章節翻譯如下：
第三章：
“這些人中的大多數都以最大的憎惡談論牧師製度和僧侶製度，並說他們寧願選擇死亡，也不願再次屈服於之前的束縛。我非常質疑他們在這一點上是否尊重鄰居和熟人的看法，他們向我保證，在他們的西班牙邊境地區，所有人都是同一想法，他們對教皇及其僧侶的關注度幾乎和唐·卡洛斯一樣的少；因為後者是侏儒和暴君，其他人則是掠奪者和強盜。我告訴他們不要將宗教與牧師製度混為一談，盡管他們對後者深惡痛絕，也一定不要忘記向神和基督尋求救贖，他們必須時時刻刻學習聖言。他們全都表達了對基督和聖母的虔誠信仰。”(Most of these men spoke of priestcraft and the monkish system with the utmost abhorrence, and said that they should prefer death to submitting again to the yoke which had formerly galled their necks. I questioned them very particularly respecting the opinion of their neighbours and acquaintances on this point, and they assured me that in their part of the Spanish frontier all were of the same mind, and that they cared as little for the Pope and his monks as they did for Don Carlos; for the latter was a dwarf (chicotito) and a tyrant, and the others were plunderers and robbers. I told them they must beware of confounding religion with priestcraft, and that in their abhorrence of the latter they must not forget that there is a God and a Christ to whom they must look for salvation, and whose word it was incumbent upon them to study on every occasion; whereupon they all expressed a devout belief in Christ and the Virgin.
“這些人雖然在許多方麵都比周圍的農民開明，但在另外一些方麵也很矇昧。他們相信巫術和特殊魅力的功效。那天晚上風很大，大約九點鍾，我們聽到有人朝門邊疾跑，然後大聲敲門。門被打開後，衝進來一個騎在驢子上的野蠻人。他穿著一件破爛的在西班牙語裏被稱為‘砸嘛拉’的羊皮夾克 ，羊皮馬褲一直垂到膝蓋以下。他的腿是裸露的。在他的闊邊帽四周綁著大量的草藥，這些草藥在英語中被稱為迷迭香，在西班牙語中被稱為romero，在葡萄牙的鄉村俗語中被稱為alecrim，源於斯堪的納維亞ellegren一詞，表示一種小精靈植物，很可能是被汪達爾人帶到南部的。該男子似乎因恐懼而瘋狂，說女巫一直在追趕他，在他的頭上盤旋了2裏格（注：舊時長度單位，1約裏格3英裏或4.8公裏）。他來自西班牙邊遠地區，帶著飯和其他物品。他說，他的妻子緊隨其後，很快就到了。大約一刻鍾後，她出現了，也騎著一頭驢子，全身被雨水淋透了“。
（These men, though in many respects more enlightened than the surrounding peasantry, were in others as much in the dark; they believed in witchcraft and in the efficacy of particular charms. The night was very stormy, and at about nine we heard a galloping towards the door, and then a loud knocking; it was opened, and in rushed a wild-looking man mounted on a donkey; he wore a ragged jacket of sheepskin, called in Spanish zamarra, with breeches of the same as far down as his knees; his legs were bare. Around his sombrero, or shadowy hat, was tied a large quantity of the herb which in English is called rosemary, in Spanish romero, and in the rustic language of Portugal, alecrim; which last is a word of Scandinavian origin (ellegren), signifying the elfin plant, and was probably carried into the south by the Vandals. The man seemed frantic with terror, and said that the witches had been pursuing him and hovering over his head for the last two leagues. He came from the Spanish frontier with meal and other articles; he said that his wife was following him and would soon arrive, and in about a quarter of an hour she made her appearance, dripping with rain, and also mounted on a donkey.）
“我問那些走私的朋友們，為什麽他的帽子上戴著迷迭香呢？他們告訴我，這可以很好地防範女巫以及避免旅途上的壞運氣。我沒有時間去反駁這種迷信，因為第二天早上五點鍾就準備出發了，我希望充分利用短暫的時間來睡個好覺。”
(I asked my friends the contrabandistas why he wore the rosemary in his hat; whereupon they told me that it was good against witches and the mischances on the road. I had no time to argue against this superstition, for, as the chaise was to be ready at five the next morning, I wished to make the most of the short time which I could devote to sleep.)
第四章：
“我四點鍾起床，吃了一些點心後，下了樓，發現那個陌生的男人和他的妻子在煙囪一角睡覺，火堆仍在燃燒。他們很快醒來，開始準備早餐，其中包括鹽沙丁魚，在餘燼上烤著。那個女人演唱了一段在西班牙很流行的動聽的讚美詩，是這樣開頭的：
‘很早以前有一座山，牧羊人徹夜不眠，
在伯利恒的聖塔附近，他們在深夜裏守著羊群。
他們繞著樹幹朝一棵巨大的燃燒的橡木點頭，
劈啪作響的火焰從那裏升起，清除了黑暗。’
得知我即將離開時，她說：‘送給您一些我丈夫的迷迭香，使您遠離危險，防止任何不測。’我很愚蠢地讓她把一些迷迭香戴在我的帽子上。趕騾子的人到了，我向友善的女主人道別，和我的仆人一起上了騾車。”
（I rose at four, and after having taken some refreshment, I descended and found the strange man and his wife sleeping in the chimney corner by the fire, which was still burning. They soon awoke, and began preparing their breakfast, which consisted of salt sardinhas, broiled upon the embers. In the mean time the woman sang snatches of the beautiful hymn, very common in Spain, which commences thus:—
“Once of old upon a mountain, shepherds overcome with sleep,
Near to Bethlehem’s holy tower, kept at dead of night their sheep;
Round about the trunk they nodded of a huge ignited oak,
Whence the crackling flame ascending bright and clear the darkness broke.”
On hearing that I was about to depart, she said, “You shall have some of my husband’s rosemary, which will keep you from danger, and prevent any misfortune occurring.” I was foolish enough to permit her to put some of it in my hat; and, the man having by this time arrived with his mules, I bade farewell to my friendly hostesses, and entered the chaise with my servant.）
“我當時評論了一句，說拉著我們的一群騾子是我見過的最好的;最大的那隻可能接近十六手掌那麽高；趕車人用蹩腳的法語告訴我，他愛這些騾子勝過愛他的妻子和孩子。我們轉過修道院的拐角，然後沿著通往西南大門的街道行駛。車夫在一座大房子的門前停下來，下車後說，還很早，他不敢冒然前行，我們很可能會被打劫，而他本人也會被強盜殺死，因為住在鎮上的強盜會擔心他認出他們。住在這所房子裏的一家人正要去裏斯本，大約在一刻鍾後出發，與他們結伴通行可避免危險，我們可利用他們隨帶的士兵保駕護航。我告訴他我一點也不害怕，並命令他繼續前進。他不答應，把我們留在街上。我們等了一個小時，有兩輛馬車駛到房屋門口，但這一家人似乎還沒有準備好，於是車夫也下車走了。大約半小時後，這家人出來了，整理好行李後，他們去叫車夫，但找不著他。他們到處尋他不見，又花了一個多小時，才雇到了另一個車夫。但護兵尚未露麵，一位仆人被兩次派往營房，他們這才姍姍來遲。終於一切準備就緒，他們出發了。”
（I remarked at the time, that the mules which drew us were the finest I had ever seen; the largest could be little short of sixteen hands high; and the fellow told me in his bad French that he loved them better than his wife and children. We turned round the corner of the convent and proceeded down the street which leads to the south-western gate. The driver now stopped before the door of a large house, and having alighted, said that it was yet very early, and that he was afraid to venture forth, as it was very probable we should be robbed, and himself murdered, as the robbers who resided in the town would be apprehensive of his discovering them, but that the family who lived in this house were going to Lisbon, and would depart in about a quarter of an hour, when we might avail ourselves of an escort of soldiers which they would take with them, and in their company we should run no danger. I told him I had no fear, and commanded him to drive on; but he said he would not, and left us in the street. We waited an hour, when two carriages came to the door of the house, but it seems the family were not yet ready, whereupon the coachman likewise got down and went away. At the expiration of about half an hour the family came out, and when their luggage had been arranged they called for the coachman, but he was nowhere to be found. Search was made for him, but ineffectually, and an hour more was spent before another driver could be procured; but the escort had not yet made its appearance, and it was not before a servant had been twice despatched to the barracks that it arrived. At last everything was ready, and they drove off.）
“那期間我一直沒有看到我們的那位車夫，我完全以為他徹底拋棄了我們。幾分鍾後，我看到醉醺醺的他在街上蹣跚走著，試圖唱馬賽曲。我什麽也不說，而是坐著觀察他。他站著盯了騾子一陣子，用法語說著不連貫的廢話。最後他說：‘我沒那麽醉，我可以駕車。’然後他拉著騾子朝大門進發。出城時，他做了幾次徒勞的嚐試，試圖爬上那隻上了鞍子的最小的騾子。他終於成功了，並立即開始以驚人的速度衝刺。我們到達了一條狹窄的石頭小路的分叉處，走這條小路可以避免繞著城牆走一大圈 – 通常這是前去位於東北方向的通往裏斯本的道路的必經之途;他說：‘我要走這條路，我們將在一分鍾內趕上那家人 ’；於是我們走了那條路，路幾乎不夠寬，無法容納騾車，而且陡峭曲折。我們繼續前行，時而爬坡時而下坡，車輪裂了，車身劇烈晃動，以至於我們有隨時被拋出車外之虞。我意識到如果我們留在車廂裏，車子必將裂成碎片，因為我們的重量足以使其毀損。我用葡萄牙語讓他停下來，但他愈發鞭打並刺激這些動物。我雇來的這個人懇請我看在上帝的份上同他講法語，那是唯一可以安撫他的方式。我照做了，懇求他讓我們下車自己走，直到走出這條危險的道路。這正是安東尼奧期待的結果。他立刻停了下來，說道：‘先生，您是主人，您隻需下令，我就會服從。’ 我們下了車，一直走，走到了大路上，然後又坐回車子裏。”
All this time I had seen nothing of our own coachman, and I fully expected that he had abandoned us altogether. In a few minutes I saw him staggering up the street in a state of intoxication, attempting to sing the Marseillois hymn. I said nothing to him, but sat observing him. He stood for some time staring at the mules and talking incoherent nonsense in French. At last he said, “I am not so drunk but I can ride,” and proceeded to lead his mules towards the gate. When out of the town he made several ineffectual attempts to mount the smallest mule which bore the saddle; he at length succeeded, and instantly commenced spurring at a furious rate down the road. We arrived at a place where a narrow rocky path branched off, by taking which we should avoid a considerable circuit round the city wall, which otherwise it would be necessary to make before we could reach the road to Lisbon, which lay at the north-east; he now said, “I shall take this path, for by so doing we shall overtake the family in a minute”; so into the path we went; it was scarcely wide enough to admit the carriage, and exceedingly steep and broken; we proceeded; ascending and descending, the wheels cracked, and the motion was so violent that we were in danger of being cast out as from a sling. I saw that if we remained in the carriage it must be broken in pieces, as our weight must insure its destruction. I called to him in Portuguese to stop, but he flogged and spurred the beasts the more. My man now entreated me for God’s sake to speak to him in French, for, if anything would pacify him, that would. I did so, and entreated him to let us dismount and walk, till we had cleared this dangerous way. The result justified Antonio’s anticipation. He instantly stopped and said, “Sir, you are master, you have only to command and I shall obey.” We dismounted and walked on till we reached the great road, when we once more seated ourselves.
“那家人大約在我們前方四分之一英裏處，我們剛剛坐回車子，他快騾加鞭試圖趕上；他的鬥篷從肩膀上掉了下來，為了重新整理好，他把牽著大騾子的韁繩從手上放開，繩子纏住了那隻可憐的動物的腿，它重重地倒下，掙紮了片刻，然後橫躺在路上，車軸壓在了身上。我朝前飛去，摔倒了泥土裏，那個醉醺醺的車夫跌落在被殺死的騾子屍體上。
我大怒，尖叫道：‘你這個酒鬼叛徒，羞於講自己國家的語言，您毀壞了賴以生存的事物，去餓死吧。’ ‘帕西恩西亞’，他說，開始踢騾子的腦袋，試圖讓它站起來。但是我把他推下來，拿起從他的口袋裏落下來的刀，割斷了綁在騾車上的帶子。但它已經沒有生氣了，死亡蒙住了它的雙眼。
那個家夥仍處於醉醺醺的狀態，一開始似乎輕描淡寫地形容他的損失，說：‘ 騾子死了，這是上帝的意願，她應該死，還能說些什麽？ 帕西恩西亞。’ 同時，我打發安東尼奧去鎮上租用騾子，並從車上拿下行李，在路邊等他來”。
（The family were about a quarter of a mile in advance, and we were no sooner reseated, than he lashed the mules into full gallop for the purpose of overtaking it; his cloak had fallen from his shoulder, and, in endeavouring to readjust it, he dropped the string from his hand by which he guided the large mule, it became entangled in the legs of the poor animal, which fell heavily on its neck, it struggled for a moment, and then lay stretched across the way, the shafts over its body. I was pitched forward into the dirt, and the drunken driver fell upon the murdered mule.
I was in a great rage, and cried, “You drunken renegade, who are ashamed to speak the language of your own country, you have broken the staff of your existence, and may now starve.” “Paciencia,” said he, and began kicking the head of the mule, in order to make it rise; but I pushed him down, and taking his knife, which had fallen from his pocket, cut the bands by which it was attached to the carriage, but life had fled, and the film of death had begun to cover its eyes.
The fellow, in the recklessness of intoxication, seemed at first disposed to make light of his loss, saying, “The mule is dead, it was God’s will that she should die, what more can be said? Paciencia.” Meanwhile, I despatched Antonio to the town for the purpose of hiring mules, and, having taken my baggage from the chaise, waited on the roadside until he should arrive.）
“酒氣開始從這個家夥的大腦中散發出來。他握緊雙手，大聲喊道：‘聖母瑪利亞保佑，我該怎麽辦？我該如何養活自己？我去哪裏找另一隻騾子！我的騾子，我最好的騾子死了，她在路上跌倒，突然死了！我去過法國和其他國家，見過各種各樣的動物，但我從未見過這樣的騾子。但是她死了，我的騾子死了，她在路上跌倒，突然死了！ ’ 他在這種壓力下持續了很久，他的哀歎始終是：‘我的騾子死了，她在路上跌倒，突然死了。’最後，他從死騾的脖子上摘下項圈，戴在另一隻騾子的脖子上，有些吃力地擺好車軸。
從鎮子的方向出來了一個大約十三歲的漂亮男孩，以野兔般的速度沿著道路奔跑：他在死騾前停下來，淚流滿麵：他是安東尼奧 的兒子，剛剛從父親那兒聽說了這個事故。可憐的家夥受不了了，跑到男孩跟前，說：‘別哭了，我們的麵包沒了，但這是上帝的旨意。 騾子死了！’ 然後，他撲向地麵，發出可怕的哭聲。他說：‘我本來可以承受自己的損失的，可是我看到自己的孩子哭了，我就變成了傻瓜。’我給他兩三枚皇冠（crown, 英國硬幣），並說了一些安慰話。安慰他說，我絲毫不懷疑，如果他戒酒，萬能的上帝會同情他並挽回他的損失。最後，他鎮定下來，將行李放在車上，我們回到了小鎮，我發現了兩匹出色的騾子在旅館等著我。我沒有看到那位西班牙女士，不然我會告訴她迷迭香在這種情況下根本沒什麽用”。
（The fumes of the liquor began now to depart from the fellow’s brain; he clasped his hands and exclaimed, “Blessed Virgin, what is to become of me? How am I to support myself? Where am I to get another mule! For my mule, my best mule is dead, she fell upon the road, and died of a sudden! I have been in France, and in other countries, and have seen beasts of all kinds, but such a mule as that I have never seen; but she is dead—my mule is dead—she fell upon the road and died of a sudden!” He continued in this strain for a considerable time, and the burden of his lamentation was always, “My mule is dead, she fell upon the road, and died of a sudden.” At length he took the collar from the creature’s neck, and put it upon the other, which with some difficulty he placed in the shafts.
A beautiful boy of about thirteen now came from the direction of the town, running along the road with the velocity of a hare: he stopped before the dead mule and burst into tears: it was the man’s son, who had heard of the accident from Antonio. This was too much for the poor fellow: he ran up to the boy, and said, “Don’t cry, our bread is gone, but it is God’s will; the mule is dead!” He then flung himself on the ground, uttering fearful cries. “I could have borne my loss,” said he, “but when I saw my child cry, I became a fool.” I gave him two or three crowns, and added some words of comfort; assuring him I had no doubt that, if he abandoned drink, the Almighty God would take compassion on him and repair his loss. At length he became more composed, and placing my baggage in the chaise, we returned to the town, where I found two excellent riding mules awaiting my arrival at the inn. I did not see the Spanish woman, or I should have told her of the little efficacy of rosemary in this instance.）
這本書講述了作者於1835年至1838年（第一次卡洛斯戰爭期間）作為聖經推銷員在西班牙的旅行經曆。此書讓作者聲名鵲起，得到了金錢和認可，多次再版，並翻譯成法文和德文。色彩爛漫的文字、生動的描述、起承轉合的經曆，無不讓讀者陶醉於爛漫的西班牙風情。
我並沒有在網站上發現這部小說的中文譯本，也許此書並未被介紹到中國。我們這一代70後對西班牙的最初了解大多來自於三毛的作品。她的文字既溫柔又狂野，活力四射，她曾說過一句：“一個人至少擁有一個夢想，有一個理由去堅強。心若沒有棲息的地方，到哪裏都是在流浪。”
讀經典和寫花草，已讓我足夠快樂和強大，這就是我堅強的理由。
