[求教][翻译]Neighbourhood Watch by Greg Egan

Neighbourhood Watch
作者：Greg Egan[澳大利亚]
翻译：本人


看原文请点
http://gregegan.customer.netspace.net.au/HORROR/NEIGHBOUR/Neighbour.html

感谢大家对我翻译的奇烂无比的"searchlight"的支持,这个是前段时间和牛姐聊天的时候我选的(天那,我好后悔啊!!!).当时她还发了一个帖子给只说不练的id,呵呵就是在下.这个翻译我加了一些东西让文章看起来比较通顺点,但是不知道是不是违反了翻译的"信"的原则,心惊胆战啊..~~
这个小说看开头还是很吸引我的,但是我也不打算翻下去了,一是由于本人水平所限制,二是由于,恩,小说看完了你就知道了.

感谢桃子（梨香）和牛牛两位的大力帮助。

靠近点儿看

（●这个原文的题目是neighbourhood watch，原文看完了，也不知道那个"neighbourhood"在哪里,只好将就下.桃子的意见是"警戒",我还在想是不是就参考这个名字)

---正文开始--

My retainers keep me on ice. Dry ice. It slows my metabolism, takes the edge off my appetite, slightly. I lie, bound with heavy chains, between two great slabs of it, naked and sweating, trying to sleep through the torment of a summer's day.

我给枷锁牢牢锁在冰块上——是干冰上。它用来减慢我的新陈代谢，降低我的食欲。固定在两块巨石之间沉重的链锁，就缠绕在我身上。我平平地躺着，尽管赤身裸体，仍然汗流浃背。这个恼人的炎夏，我一定要睡着。

They've given me the local fall-out shelter, the very deepest room they could find, as I requested. Yet my senses move easily through the earth and to the surface, out across the lazy, warm suburbs, restless emissaries skimming the sun-soaked streets. If I could rein them in I would, but the instinct that drives them is a force unto itself, a necessary consequence of what I am and the reason I was brought into being.

依照我的要求，他们给我找了当地最破的，也是能找到的房子里最深的。即使这样，我的意念仍然能轻而易举地透过土层到达地上，它穿过暖和的、让人昏昏欲睡的郊外，又马不停蹄地掠过了阳光普照的街道。如果他们在我手心里，那么我就可以任意玩弄他们一番，但是，我想要了解人类那种支配自身的本能，它是一种能反作用于自身的力量，它就是我会给变成人类的解释， 也是我最终的归宿。

（●翻译可能有很大错误，因为最后一句话根本就讲不通。）

Being, I have discovered, has certain disadvantages. I intend seeking compensation, just as soon as the time is right.


人类，我早就知道了，你们有很明显的弱点，只要时机一成熟，我自己会去拿我的那份，你们会因此付出代价。



In the dazzling, clear mornings, in the brilliant, cloudless afternoons, children play in the park, barely half a mile from me. They know I've arrived; part of me comes from each one of their nightmares, and each of their nightmares comes partly from me. It's day time now, though, so under safe blue skies they taunt me with foolish rhymes, mock me with crude imitations, tell each other tales of me which take them almost to the edge of hysterical fear, only to back away, to break free with sudden careless laughter. Oh, their laughter! I could put an end to it so quickly …

在明媚清新的早上，或者灿烂无云的午后，小家伙们会在公园玩，距离我仅半里之遥。他们都知道我来了。因为，我的一部分就属于他们的噩梦，而他们的一些梦魇又归我。但是，现在是白天，蓝天白云下，他们就敢拿可笑的童谣来冒犯我，做出生硬难看的动作模仿我。他们相互讲些有关我的故事，谁谁给我吓得屁滚尿流，只知道逃命……最后哄笑一声结束。啊？他们敢笑我？我很快就会让你们玩完的。

“Oh yeah?” David is nine, he's their leader. He pulls an ugly face in my direction. “Great tough monster! Sure.” I respond instinctively: I reach out, straining, and a furrow forms in the grass, snakes towards his bare feet. Nearly. My burning skin hollows the ice beneath me. Nearly. David watches the ground, unimpressed, arms folded, sneering. Nearly! But the contract, one flimsy page on the bottom shelf of the Mayor's grey safe, speaks the final word: No. No loophole, no argument, no uncertainty, no imprecision. I withdraw, there is nothing else I can do. This is the source of my agony: all around me is living flesh, flesh that by nature I could joyfully devour in an endless, frantic, ecstatic feast, but I am bound by my signature in blood to take only the smallest pittance, and only in the dead of night.


“哦，是么？”九岁的大卫是他们的头儿，他把那张丑脸别向我，“多厉害的怪物啊，真的啊！”我几乎是下意识地做出了回应：探出了身子，绷紧肌肉，蜿蜒蛇行向他赤裸的小脚，在地上压出了一条小沟。近了。我灼热的皮肤已经把身下的干冰熔了一个窟窿了。更近了。大卫却还敢叉着腰，毫无反应地看着地面。就在眼前了。但是，那该死的契约，那薄薄的一张纸，放在市长灰色保险柜里底层，它就定下了最终裁决： 不行。 没有漏洞，没有争议，一切不明确或者不精确的条款都不存在。这样，我xxx只能放弃了，我根本就做不了什么！这就是让我痛苦的原因：即使在我周围都是鲜活的血肉，我可以尽情饕餮大快朵颐，但是就因为我用血签下了这契约限制，我仅仅能填饱肚皮，只能在死气沉沉的夜里外出！！

For now.

Well, never mind, David. Be patient. All good things take time, my friend.

从 现 在 开 始。

没什么大不了的，大卫。耐心点，好东西都值得耐心点等，小朋友。

“No fucking friend of mine!” he says, and spits into the furrow. His brother sneaks up from behind and, with a loud shout, grabs him. They roar at each other, baring their teeth, arms spread wide, fingers curled into imitation claws. I must watch this, impassive. Sand trickles in to fill the useless furrow. I force the tense muscles of my shoulders and back to relax, chanting: be patient, be patient.

“去你的‘朋友’吧！”他大叫一声，往沟里吐了口唾沫。他弟弟，这时悄悄地从他背后探起身子，大吼一声抓住了他的后背。然后两个人就相互大吼大叫，露出牙齿，张开双臂，弯曲手指做爪子样。我却不得不忍受着一切，细沙一点点流入了小沟里。我强迫自己肩头的肌肉松弛开，反反复复念叨着：忍耐，忍耐……


Only at night, says the contract. After eleven, to be precise. Decent people are not out after eleven, and decent people should not have to witness what I do.

Andrews is seventeen, and bored. Andrew, I understand. This suburb is a hole, you have my deepest sympathies. What do they expect you to do around here? On a warm night like this a young man can grow restless. I know; your dreams, too, shaped me slightly (my principal creators did not expect that). You need adventure. So keep your eyes open, Andrew, there are opportunities everywhere.

契约规定，只能在夜间外出。再准确点，就是过了夜里11点。一般人这个时候不会出门，当然也就不可能会看到我会干出什么来。

安得鲁，17岁，心里正烦躁不安。安得鲁，我了解你。郊外，就是一个深渊，有我最强大的感召力量。人家会猜你在这里干什么呢？这么热的晚上，年轻人都会变得这样烦躁。我对你的梦一清二楚，因为我就是在梦里出生长大的（创造了我的那几个人可没有想到过这个。）你渴望冒险。睁大眼睛，安得鲁，这样的机会无处不在。


The sign on the chemist's window says no money, no drugs, but you are no fool. The back window's frame is rotting, the nails are loose, it falls apart in your hands. Like cake. Must be your lucky night, tonight.

The cash drawer's empty (oh shit!) and you can forget about that safe, but a big, glass candy jar of valium beats a handful of Swiss health bars, doesn't it? There are kids dumb enough to pay for those, down at the primary school.


药店门口挂的是“无药品也无财物”，但是你这么聪明，怎么会相信呢？屋后的窗户框已经朽了，钉子也松了。很快，在你的手里，变成了饼干一样的碎片。今夜，一定是你的幸运夜。

收现金的抽屉居然是空的（他娘的！）那个保险柜也还是放弃吧，但是装了安定药片的大玻璃糖罐，还不是用瑞典健康棒敲上两下就解决了？ （此句翻译有严重问题！！●）那些小学校里小屁孩会给这一切买单的。


Only those who break the law, says the contract. A list of statutes is provided, to be precise. Parking offences, breaking the speed limit and cheating on income tax are not included; decent people are only human, after all. Breaking and entering is there, though, and stealing, well, that dates right back to the old stone tablets.

No loophole, Andrew. No argument.


契约规定，只能对触犯法律的人下手。准确点，法律条文列了一大堆呢。违章停车，驾车超速，逃所得税……这些还都不算。再怎么说，都是普通人。但是，非法闯入，盗窃财物就要算在其中了，这些事情从用石板记事的时代就算上了！ （此句翻译有严重问题！！●）

条件完全符合，没有任何漏洞。安得鲁。也没有任何争议。

Andrew has a flick knife, and a death's head tattoo. He's great in a fight, our Andrew. Knows some karate, once did a little boxing, he has no reason to be afraid. He walks around like he owns the night. Especially when there's nobody around.


安得鲁有把弹簧刀，身上文着骷髅头，打起架来很凶。哦，我们的安得鲁，懂点空手道，打过几次拳击。因而他有什么好害怕的呢？他四处胡乱绕着圈子，好象整个夜晚归他所有，即使周围根本没半个人挡住他。

So what's that on the wind? Sounds like someone breathing, someone close by. Very even, slow, steady, powerful. Where is the bastard? You can see in all directions, but there's no one in sight. What, then? Do you think it's in your head? That doesn't seem likely.


哦？ 风里有什么声音？听上去怎么像人在喘气？声音很近，缓慢、平稳而有力。这个鬼东西在哪儿？你四处张望，却一无所获。该是什么？你认为是你的幻想么？但似乎不大可能啊。

Andrew stands still for a moment. He wants to figure this out for himself, but I can't help giving him hints, so the lace of his left sand-shoe comes undone. He puts down the jar and crouches to retie it.

The ground, it seems, is breathing.

安得鲁呆呆地站了一会儿，他想要搞明白是怎么回事。我得给他点提示，于是他左脚的鞋带就开了。他蹲下来，把罐子搁地上，动手系鞋带。

感觉上，是大地在喘息？

Andrew frowns. He's not happy about this. He puts one ear against the footpath, then pulls his head away, startled by the sound's proximity. Under that slab of paving, he could swear.

他皱了皱眉头，并不满意这个结论，于是把他的耳朵贴在地上，结果给声音吓了一跳。有什么声音就在地砖下！他敢打赌！

A gas leak! Fuck it, of course. A gas leak, or something like that. Something mechanical. An explanation. Pipes, water, gas, pumps, shit, who knows? Yeah. There's a whole world of machinery just below the street, enough machinery to explain anything. But it felt pretty strange for a while there, didn't it？

是管道漏气！操，就是差不多这么一回事！可以理解，机械一类，比如水管子、煤气管子，水泵。他娘的，谁知道？地下世界差不多就是个完完全全的机械世界，够说的通这一切了。不过，在这儿还是感觉挺怪的，是吧？

He picks up the jar. The paving slab vibrates. He plants a foot on it, to suggest that it stays put, but it does not heed his weight. I toss it gently into the air, knocking him aside into somebody's ugly letter box.
他把罐子捡了起来。地砖有点晃动，他就伸出脚睬上面去，试探下砖头稳当不稳当。但是我把砖头轻轻地抛向天空，砖头把安得鲁砸得摔向了一边（此句子我就没理解！●）然后砸进了什么人的破邮箱里。


The contract is singing to me now. Ah, blessed, beautiful document! I hear you. Did I ever truly resent you? Surely not! For to kill with you as my accomplice, even once, is sweeter by far than the grossest bloodbath I can dream of, without your steady voice, your calm authority, your proud mask of justice. Forgive me! In the daylight I am a different creature, irritable and weak. Now we are in harmony, now we are in blissful accord. Our purposes are one. Sing on!
契约又在召唤我了。啊，美丽的文件啊，神灵保佑的文件啊，我已听见你的召唤。我曾对你有过什么不满吗？当然没有！没有你安详的声音，骄傲的代表公正的面具，我更喜欢和你一同展开杀戮，这比在鲜血中沐浴更让人兴奋！ 原谅我吧！现在的我不同于白天的弱小，现在我们目的一致，协调一致，高歌吧！

Andrew comes forward cautiously, sniffing for gas, a little uneasy but determined to view the comprehensible cause. A deep, black hole. He squats beside it, leans over, strains his eyes but makes out nothing.
安得鲁小心翼翼地向前挪了几步，吸进了几口煤气。虽然不太容易，但是他仍然想要理解是怎么，一回事。深深的黑洞，他在旁边蹲下，前倾身子，睁大双眼，却还是看不出个所以然。

I inhale.
我吸下了一口气。
____________________

（未完无后续）
这里仅仅是原文的1/5，我觉得后面也没什么意思了，翻译告一段落。我看我还得回去好好看英文——逞强害死人啊！！
再次感谢桃子和牛姐的大力支持。^_^