第24章 雨山之路

    The Way to Rainy Mountain

    雨山之路

    Scott Momaday/司各特·蒙马戴

    A single knoll rises out of the plain in Oklahoma，north and west of the Wichita Range.For my people，the Kiowas，it is an old landmark，and they gave it the name Rainy Mountain.The hardest weather in the world is there.Winter brings blizzards，hot tornadic winds arise in the spring，and in summer the prairie is an anvil‘s edge.The grass turns brittle and brown，and it cracks beneath your feet.There are green belts along the rivers and creeks，linear groves of hickory and pecan，willow and witch hazel.

    一座单独的山墩在俄克拉荷马州大平原兀然隆起，位于威奇托山脉的西北方向。在我的种族基奥瓦人看来，这座山墩是一个古老的座标，他们给它取名为“雨山”。天下最险恶的气候就在那儿。冬天带来了暴风雪，炎热的龙卷风似的大风竟在春天刮起，夏天大平原就像铁砧的边缘。青草变得脆硬枯黄，走在脚下会发出噼啪噼啪的声音。沿着河流溪涧有绿化地带，山核和美洲山核、柳树和金缕梅形成了直线性的树丛。

    At a distance in July or August the steaming foliage seems almost writhe in fire.Great green and yellow grasshoppers are everywhere in the tall grass，popping up like corn to sting the flesh，and tortoises crawl about on the red earth，going nowhere in the plenty of time.Loneliness is an aspect of the land.All things in the plain was isolate；there is no confusion of objects in the eye，but one hill or one tree or one man.To look upon that landscape in the early morning，with the sun at your back，is to lose the sense of proportion.Your imagination comes to life，and this，you think，is where Creation was begun.

    七八月里远处望去，冒着热气的树叶仿佛在大火中扭曲。绿黄色的大蚱蜢在高高的草丛里举目皆是，如同玉米似地突然冒出来刺痛皮肤，乌龟在红土上四处爬行，好半天也没爬多远。孤寂是这片土地的一个特色。平原上万物都是形单影只的；视线里景物不会纷然杂呈，只有一座小山一棵树或是一个人；一大清早观望那里的风光，犹如丧失了分寸感，因为朝阳还在你的背后。你的想像力活跃起来了，你会联想到，这里就是上帝开始创造天地的地方。（未完待续）