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盛開在油墨香裏的大蒜花:狼媽與虎媽的較量

(2020-10-25 09:59:41) 下一個

(十一)狼媽與虎媽的較量

195812月,為醞釀寫作曆史劇《蔡文姬》,郭沫若讀了《胡笳十八拍》。他發現曆史上對這首出色的長詩究竟是否為蔡文姬所作有很多爭辯。他仔細地研究了一番這篇作品,聯想到自己也有類似的慘痛人生經曆,標明了自己的看法:“我倒要替《胡笳十八拍》呼籲一下。務必請大家讀它一兩遍,那是多麽深切動人的作品嗬!那象滾滾不盡的海濤,那象噴發著融岩的活火山,那麽用整個的靈魂吐訴出來的絕叫。我是堅決相信那一定是蔡文姬作的,沒有那種親身經曆的人,寫不出那樣的文字來……”他甚至說:“但我覺得就是李太白也擬不出,他還沒有那樣的氣魄,沒有那樣沉痛的經驗。”“像《胡笳十八拍》,無論從形式或內容上,那種不羈而雄渾的氣魄,滾滾怒濤一樣不可遏抑的悲憤,絞腸滴血般的痛苦,絕不是六朝人乃至隋、唐人所能企及的。”

作為一位已過不惑之年、曾在人生的浪潮裏沉沉浮浮苦苦掙紮的母親,我在翻譯《科利奧蘭納斯》中伏倫妮婭的最經典的長白時,竟然產生了與郭沫若相類似的共鳴。第五幕第三場,科利奧蘭納斯和昔日的敵人塔勒斯·奧菲狄烏斯一道進攻羅馬,所有前去求和的人都遭到了拒絕。最後,他的母親和妻兒親自出麵,母親伏倫妮婭在敵軍陣營前跪求兒子,發出了“用整個的靈魂吐訴出來的絕叫”,現奉上部分經典片段:

 

科利奧蘭納斯:

“奧菲狄烏斯,還有你們這些伏爾斯人,到這兒來。我不會私下聽來自羅馬的任何言語。您想要什麽?”

CORIOLANUS

Aufidius, and you Volsces, mark; for we’ll

Hear nought from Rome in private. Your request?

伏倫妮婭:

“即使我們沉默不語,我們的服飾和身體狀況,也泄露了自你遭放逐後,我們過著怎樣的生活。請你想一想,我們到這兒來,比世間所有的女人們都不幸。因為我們看見了你,本該眼裏洋溢著喜悅,心中跳躍著欣慰,現在卻痛苦流淚,因恐懼悲傷而顫栗。母親、妻子和孩子,看著她的兒子、她的丈夫和他的父親親手撕裂他的祖國的腑髒。你的敵意是可憐的我們最大的死罪,你使我們不能向神明祈禱,這本是我們唯一的安慰。我們該怎樣,哎,我們該怎樣為自己的祖國祈禱呢?如果你贏了,我們該去哪裏呢,我們該去哪裏呢?哎,我們要麽失去我們的國家,我們親愛的保姆,要麽失去你,我們在國內的安慰。雖然我們有自己的願望,無論哪一方獲勝,我們都將不可避免地麵臨悲劇:或者是你這個叛徒戴著鐐銬走過我們的大街,或者是你趾高氣揚地踐踏在祖國的廢墟上,雙手沾著妻兒的鮮血。至於我自己,孩子,我不打算由戰爭來決定命運。如果我不能說服你為雙方達成一個互利的協定,使你放棄徹底毀滅一方,那麽我絕不讓你侵犯你的國家相信我,你絕不可以- 除非你從親生母親的身子踐踏過去。”

VOLUMNIA

Should we be silent and not speak, our raiment

And state of bodies would bewray what life

We have led since thy exile. Think with thyself

How more unfortunate than all living women

Are we come hither: since that thy sight,

which should

Make our eyes flow with joy, hearts dance

with comforts,

Constrains them weep and shake with fear and sorrow;

Making the mother, wife and child to see

The son, the husband and the father tearing

His country’s bowels out. And to poor we

Thine enmity’s most capital: thou barr’st us

Our prayers to the gods, which is a comfort

That all but we enjoy; for how can we,

Alas, how can we for our country pray.

Whereto we are bound, together with thy victory,

Whereto we are bound? alack, or we must lose

The country, our dear nurse, or else thy person,

Our comfort in the country. We must find

An evident calamity, though we had

Our wish, which side should win: for either thou

Must, as a foreign recreant, be led

With manacles thorough our streets, or else

triumphantly tread on thy country’s ruin,

And bear the palm for having bravely shed

Thy wife and children’s blood. For myself, son,

I purpose not to wait on fortune till

These wars determine: if I cannot persuade thee

Rather to show a noble grace to both parts

Than seek the end of one, thou shalt no sooner

March to assault thy country than to tread—

Trust to’t, thou shalt not—on thy mother’s womb,

That brought thee to this world.

 

…….

 

科利奧蘭納斯:

 看見孩子和女人的臉,容易生出婦人之仁。我已經坐得太久了。”(起立。)

CORIOLANUS

Not of a woman’s tenderness to be,

Requires nor child nor woman’s face to see.

I have sat too long.

 

He rises.

伏倫妮婭:

“ 不,不要這樣離開我們。如果我們請求你為了拯救羅馬人而毀滅了你所臣事的伏爾斯人,那麽你可以譴責我們毒害了你的信譽。不,我們隻是請求你為雙方和解,伏爾斯人可以說,‘我們已經表示了慈悲’,羅馬人可以說,‘我們收到了恩典’,雙方同時向你致敬歡呼,‘祝福你締結和平!’ 你知道,我的偉大的兒子,戰爭的結果是不能確定的,可是這一點是確定的:如果你征服了羅馬,你所得到的利益,就是一個不斷被重複詛咒的罵名,史書上將要記載,‘這個人本來是很偉大的,可是他在最後一次的行動裏親手塗抹去了他的英名,毀滅了他的國家,他的名字永遭後世的憎惡。’ 同我說話吧,兒子。你渴望得到極高的榮譽,就應該效仿神的恩典,雖然用雷聲撕裂了雲層,卻隻用閃電劈開一棵橡樹。你為什麽不說話呢?你以為對自己受過的委屈耿耿於懷是一個高尚人的美好的品行嗎?兒媳,你說話呀,他不在乎你的哭泣呢。你也說話呀,孩子,也許你的天真會比我們的理由更令他感動。世上沒有一個男人和母親的關係這樣親密,可是他現在卻讓我像一個戴著腳枷的囚犯一樣絮絮叨叨。你從來不曾對你親愛的母親表示過一點尊敬,她卻像隻愛著自己的頭胎雛兒的可憐的母雞似的,咕咕叫著送你上戰場,看你滿載榮譽安全歸家。如果我的請求是不正當的,你可以輕蔑地打發我回去;否則你就是不誠實的,諸神將要懲罰你,因為你沒有對你的母親盡義務。他轉身去了,女士們,跪下來,讓我們用屈膝羞辱他。他的科利奧蘭納斯的姓氏上更多的是驕傲,而沒有對我們的一點憐憫。跪下來,完了,這是我們最後的哀求。我們現在要回到羅馬去,和我們的鄰人們死在一起。不,等一下,這個孩子不知道自己要什麽,隻是陪著我們下跪舉手,這給我們的請願提供的力量多過你有勇氣否認的。來,我們走吧。這個家夥有一個伏爾斯的母親,他的妻子在科利奧裏,他的孩子也許像他一樣。給我們一個答複:我要等我們的城市在大火中焚燒以後才會停止發聲,那時候我沒什麽好說的了。”

VOLUMNIA

Nay, go not from us thus.

If it were so that our request did tend

To save the Romans, thereby to destroy

The Volsces whom you serve, you might condemn us,

As poisonous of your honour: no; our suit

Is that you reconcile them: while the Volsces

May say ‘This mercy we have show’d;’ the Romans,

This we received;’ and each in either side

Give the all-hail to thee and cry ‘Be blest

For making up this peace!’ Thou know’st, great son,

The end of war’s uncertain, but this certain,

That, if thou conquer Rome, the benefit

Which thou shalt thereby reap is such a name,

Whose repetition will be dogg’d with curses;

Whose chronicle thus writ: ‘The man was noble,

But with his last attempt he wiped it out;

Destroy’d his country, and his name remains

To the ensuing age abhorr’d.’ Speak to me, son:

Thou hast affected the fine strains of honour,

To imitate the graces of the gods;

To tear with thunder the wide cheeks o’ the air,

And yet to charge thy sulphur with a bolt

That should but rive an oak. Why dost not speak?

Think’st thou it honourable for a noble man

Still to remember wrongs? Daughter, speak you:

He cares not for your weeping. Speak thou, boy:

Perhaps thy childishness will move him more

Than can our reasons. There’s no man in the world

More bound to ’s mother; yet here he lets me prate

Like one i’ the stocks. Thou hast never in thy life

Show’d thy dear mother any courtesy,

When she, poor hen, fond of no second brood,

Has cluck’d thee to the wars and safely home,

Loaden with honour. Say my request’s unjust,

And spurn me back: but if it be not so,

Thou art not honest; and the gods will plague thee,

That thou restrain’st from me the duty which

To a mother’s part belongs. He turns away:

Down, ladies; let us shame him with our knees.

To his surname Coriolanus ’longs more pride

Than pity to our prayers. Down: an end;

This is the last: so we will home to Rome,

And die among our neighbours. Nay, behold ’s:

This boy, that cannot tell what he would have

But kneels and holds up bands for fellowship,

Does reason our petition with more strength

Than thou hast to deny ’t. Come, let us go:

This fellow had a Volscian to his mother;

His wife is in Corioli and his child

Like him by chance. Yet give us our dispatch:

I am hush’d until our city be a-fire,

And then I’ll speak a little.

(注:stock,中世紀歐洲的一種刑具,它用木樁和木板做成,中間留有孔洞,還配有鎖鏈,用來將犯人的腳踝和手腕固定在刑具上示眾。眾人可以大聲辱罵、嘲弄犯人,甚至朝犯人投擲爛蔬菜、臭雞蛋、小便啥的。犯人無法躲避,隻能眼睜睜地接受眾人的羞辱。)

 

我一邊在鍵盤上敲打著這一大段譯文,一邊默默垂淚。世上總有些文字,讓你讀到便覺心生附同,因為你們有著類似的感悟、曆練和體會。我讀懂了一位羅馬女貴族繾綣的愛子之情,赤誠的愛國之心、痛斷肝腸的哀切、慷慨赴死的決然……

科利奧蘭納斯被母親的一番話打動了,握住她的手沉默了一陣,終於下了決心:“哦,媽媽,媽媽!你做了什麽?瞧,天堂都裂開了,神明在俯視,他們在嘲笑這一場悖逆的情景。哦,我的媽媽!媽媽!你替羅馬贏得了一場開心的勝利。但是,對您的兒子來說相信我,哦,相信我,被您打敗的兒子已經處於致命的危險當中。但是,讓它來吧。奧菲狄烏斯,雖然我不能為你作戰,可是我願意為雙方斡旋和平方案。好奧菲狄烏斯,如果你處於我的位置,你會不聽母親的話?會不答應她嗎?奧菲狄烏斯。”

CORIOLANUS

O mother, mother!

What have you done? Behold, the heavens do ope,

The gods look down, and this unnatural scene

They laugh at. O my mother, mother! O!

You have won a happy victory to Rome;

But, for your son,—believe it, O, believe it,

Most dangerously you have with him prevail’d,

If not most mortal to him. But, let it come.

Aufidius, though I cannot make true wars,

I’ll frame convenient peace. Now, good Aufidius,

Were you in my stead, would you have heard

A mother less? or granted less, Aufidius?

 奧菲狄烏斯隻好無可奈何地說:“ 我心裏非常感動。”(I was moved withal.

 

於是科利奧蘭納斯停戰撤軍,羅馬人保全了國土城市,狡猾的奧菲狄烏斯氣得咬牙切齒,對幾位密謀者說:“正是,為了這一次的事情,我一定要盡全力對付他。單單憑婦人的幾滴和謊言一樣一錢不值的眼淚,他就出賣了我們在這次偉大的行動中付出的血汗和精力。他非死不可,他的沒落才會使我重新掌權。”(第五幕第六場)

There was it:

For which my sinews shall be stretch’d upon him.

At a few drops of women’s rheum, which are

As cheap as lies, he sold the blood and labour

Of our great action: therefore shall he die,

And I’ll renew me in his fall.

在奧菲狄烏斯的默許下,幾個憤怒的伏爾斯人突襲了科利奧蘭納斯,用利劍將他剁成肉醬。這個結局是科利奧蘭納斯在決定聽從母親的陣前勸告時就預料到的,可他選擇勇敢地麵對,悲劇的死亡照見了他非凡的貴族品格。

 

讀完整部作品後,我認為伏倫妮婭是古羅馬時代一位偉大的母親,她品德高尚、剛毅堅強、含辛茹苦撫育獨子,狼媽式的育子觀體現了古羅馬人尚武的傳統。她讓我想起了中國的孟母,“昔 孟 母 ,擇 鄰 處,子 不 學,斷 機 杼”,從慎始、勵誌、敦品、勉學以至於約禮、成金,數十年如一日,不但成就了孟子,還為後世的中國母親留下一套完整的教子方案。我在加拿大生活了二十多年,發現本地的很多白人父母難以理解中國虎媽們的狂熱的“名校情結”和“常春藤情結”。中國虎媽們為了讓孩子順利就讀排名靠前的小學和中學,一窩蜂地在好學區買房,還把孩子送進各種課外輔導班,時間安排得滿滿的這些無非是古時孟母故事的現代演繹罷了。反過來,中國虎媽們則很難接受西方母親的“放養式”教育法。我們可以對媽媽們的教育理念持保留態度,卻不能否認一點:每一個女人,當她成為母親之後,就意味著開始了為全家奮鬥、奉獻、犧牲的艱辛的人生曆程。能做到這些的,無論是古羅馬狼媽還是中國虎媽,都是天底下最好的母親。

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