黑白往昔

标　题：UO书籍翻译：“丛林野女”—商人何理斯著— 
时　间：Fri Jun 21 17:57:31 2002  

  The wild girl of the forest
    -by Horace the trader-                 背景音乐：jungle(UO)

Her name was Leyla, she said, and   她说，她的名字是蕾拉，她的乱发上纠
her hair was braided wild with      结爬藤和刺。我讶异它们没有伤到她，
creepers and thorns. I marveled     但我问她时，她只耸耸肩并将目光飘移
that they did not hurt her, but     到森林里。我的手被她的绳子牢牢绑着
when I asked, she but shrugged and  ，不然我是很想伸手去梳那又脏又乱又
let her eyes roam once more across  有很多叶子落在上面的金色乱发。
the woods. Though I had my hands
securely fastened by her ropes, I
itched to reach out and comb that
unruly golden mane, dirtied and
leaf-ridden.
Her provenance, she told me over    在营火照明的几天夜晚中，她告诉我她
nights illuminated by campfires,    曾待过崔林希克城。她说她被半兽人掳
was once the city of Trinsic. She   走并扶养长大，我认为她说的是不可能
claimed to have been kidnapped and  的事，因为大家都知道半兽人喜欢吃正
raised by orcs, which I judged an   派人类的肉。当我和她说这想法，她放
unlikely tale, for all know orcs    声狂笑，并高兴地承认她没多正派，因
delight in eating the meat of       为她常常偷脱队者的东西，趁人家不知
honest folk. When I told her this,  不觉的时候。
she laughed a fey laugh, and gaily
admitted that honest she was not,
for oft had she stolen folk away
from caravans to loot their
possessions from an unconscious
body!
At this, I began to fear for my     听到这里，我开始担心我的生命安全，
life, and her smile seemed full of  并且她好像用满嘴人类不该有的尖牙微
teeth sharper than a human ought    笑着，那个被半兽人养大的说词也让我
to have, for the tale of orcish     脊骨发凉。
raising had struck fear into the
marrow of my bones.
"Wil thou eat me?" I asked,         ‘你会吃了我吗？’我发抖着问，害怕
a-tremble, fearing the answer. And  一语中的。而她抬头看着我，像只野生
she cocked her head at me, like a   动物面对着它听不懂的话一样，她的眼
wild animal facing a word that it   神里仍有来自地狱深渊的闪光。但她最
dost not understand, and the fixity 后咕哝道：‘不’，用一种会让我想起
in her eyes was a glimpse into the  小孩的声音。
deeper reaches of the Abyss. But
she finally grunted, and said
"Nay," in a voice that recalled to
me a child.
"Nay," she said, "for thou dost     ‘不’，她说，‘因为你让我想起某个
remind me of a boy I knew once,     以前认识的男生，当时我还是个在有巨
when I was a girl who played in a   砂石城墙城市玩耍的小女生，在我被抓
city of great sandstone walls,      走前。他有像你一样的棕发，而且我小
before I was taken. He had sandy    时候梦想和他手牵手并一起分享加香料
hair like thee, and I dreamt as a   的冰。他的名字是杰斐斯。’
child of holding his hand and
sharing flavored ice. His name was
Japheth.
The next morning she let me go,     第二天早上她放我走，并且卸下我的袋
stripped of my pouch and clothes,   子和衣服，并吩咐我跑出森林，并且小
and bade me run through the woods,  心再被抓，因为她确定下一次不会再心
and to fear recapture, for surely   软。那是个充满恐惧的逃脱，我到达往
her heart would not soften again.   紫杉城的道路时，因狂奔搞的我的皮肤
'Twas a fearful run, and I came to  上都是撞伤和擦伤，但从此以后我再也
the road to Yew with welts and      没有见到她。
scratches run rampant crost my
skin, but I did not see her again.
Oft have I wondered of the boy      我常想到那个叫杰斐斯的男孩，是否他
named Japheth, and whether he       还记得那位曾待过砂石墙之城的女孩。
remembers a girl who lived in       我唯一认得的杰斐斯是圣骑士工会的领
sandstone walls. The only Japheth   袖，而且去年死在对抗半兽人的战役之
I know is the Guildmaster of        中，他的确是有一头棕发，但我无法将
Paladins who died last year         他和吃过人肉的蛮女联想在一块。
warring amidst the orcs, and
though he had indeed sandy hair, I
cannot picture him side by side
with a feral girl whose tongue has
tasted of human flesh.
Yet the paths of fate are strange   命运的轨迹实在诡异，我认为那位圣骑
indeed, and I suppose 'tis          士可能为了守护他回忆中的那女士的荣
possible that this paladin died     誉而死，却不晓得是死在她称作父亲的
defending his remembered lady's     半兽人手下。
honor, unknowingly struck down by
the orc that she called father.

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这个类似狼女（1920在印度发现被狼养大的孩子）的故事，可能是为了要让玩家
深入思考UO中的不同种族生物间的关系。在现实世界中，狼女的真实故事也吸引
许多人去研究，丰富了教育或心理学等领域的知识。会吃人的狼和半兽人居然会
养育人类的孩子，那代表狼或是半兽人也是有感情和知觉的生物。物种与物种之
间，并不是只存在着弱肉强食的关系，还有一些感情的联系是被很多坚持弱肉强
食者所忽略的。像人类也是会为了非食用的目的饲养宠物，而且照顾过什么动物
就很难再去吃那种动物…例如爱狗的人大概不会吃狗肉，喜欢猫的不会吃猫肉，
台湾传统的种田人家一般都不愿意食用牛肉，长期照顾过兔子的不太可能吃兔肉
。在这里，我发现人和其他异种生命之间的联系。但是，人和他所吃的生命一定
任何情感关系也不可能存在吗？我记得我做过一个怪梦…我被 ABE里面的红色四
脚凶暴食用生物（Scrabs）追赶，有人叫我让它吃了，我就等在那里让它吃，眼
前的是很亮的正午太阳…它好像吃我吃得很高兴的样子，我想这样也不赖…XD。
搞不好我其实根本不是人类h2，而是以前某个在海边游荡的螃蟹、某棵站在田里
晒太阳越晒越爽的稻子、某条见识过北海冰山横越大洋的鱼、某只四处找虫子吃
在山里走跳的鸡、某朵老是想散布胞子的香菇、还是某粒嗜好拷问的蛋…
虽然成为人类以后不太可能立刻变成别的，一百年后还是有机会变成老鼠肝还是
蟑螂脚之类的异物，老是当人也太没趣了一点。无聊的时候会想像碗中的食物以
前经历过怎样的生活…，过一会它们就会变成我…


（本文欢迎转载不用翻译者我同意，有误请来信通知更正）


 
 
 
 
文章出处：巴哈姆特 
文章作者：原译者：h2