兰斯顿·休斯　青闰/译

“I wish that spring would come more often now that it is here，” said Simple.

“既然春天已经来了，我就希望它能多来几次。”桑普勒说。

“How could it come more often？”

“它怎么能多来几次呢？”

“It could if God had made it that-a-way，” said Simple. “I also wish it would last longer.”

“要是上帝让它这样做，它就能。”桑普勒说，“我还希望它能持续更久。”

“It looks as if you would prefer spring all the year around.”

“看来你好像更喜欢一年四季都是春天。”

“Just most of the year，” said Simple. “As it is now， summer comes too soon and winter lasts too long. I do not like real hot weather， neither cold. I like spring.”

“希望一年的大部分时间是。”桑普勒说，“现在的情况是，夏天来得太早，冬天持续太久。我既不喜欢真正的热天，也不喜欢冷天。我喜欢春天。”

“Spring is too changeable for me—sometimes hot， sometimes cold.”

“在我看来，春天变化无常——时热时冷。”

“I am not talking about that kind of spring，” said Simple. “I mean June-time spring when it is just nice and mellow—like a cool drink.”

“我说的不是那种春天。”桑普勒说，“我是说六月的春天，美妙芳醇，就像一杯清凉的饮料。”

“Of what？”

“什么饮料？”

“Anything，” said Simple. “Anything that is strong as the sun and cool as the moon. But I am not talking about drinking now. I am talking about spring. Oh， it is wonderful！ It is the time when flowers come out of their buds， birds come out of their nests， bees come out of their hives， Negroes come out of their furnished rooms， and butterflies out of their cocoons.”

“什么都好，”桑普勒說，“像太阳一样强烈、像月亮一样清凉的任何东西。不过，我现在说的不是喝什么。我说的是春天。噢，太棒了！现在正是花朵从花蕾里开出来、鸟儿从窝里飞出来、蜜蜂从蜂巢里钻出来、黑人从带家具的出租房里走出来、蝴蝶从茧里拱出来的时候。”

“Also snakes come out of their holes.”

“也是蛇出洞的时候。”

“They are little young snakes，” said Simple， “else big old sleepy snakes that aint woke up good yet till the sun strikes them. That is why I do not like summer， because the sun is so hot it makes even a cold snake mad. Spring is my season. Summer was made to give you a taste of what hell is like. Fall was made for the clothing-store people to coin money because every human has to buy an overcoat， muffler， heavy socks， and gloves. Winter was made for landladies to charge high rents and keep cold radiators and make a fortune off of poor tenants. But spring！ Throw your overcoat on the pawnshop counter， tell the landlady to kiss your foot， open your windows， let the fresh air in. Me， myself， I love spring！

“那些是小蛇，”桑普勒说，“其他又大又老又贪睡的蛇，直到太阳照到身上才会完全醒来。这就是我不喜欢夏天的原因，因为太阳太热了，连一条冷冰冰的蛇也会疯狂。春天是我的季节。夏天是为了让你尝尝地狱的滋味。秋天是服装店赚钱的季节，因为人人都得买大衣、围巾、厚袜和手套。冬天是为了让女房东收取高租金却始终不把暖气烧热，从穷房客身上狠敲一笔。春天就不一样了！你可以把大衣扔在当铺的柜台上，让女房东想方设法讨好你，打开窗户，放新鲜空气进来。我，我本人，我爱春天！

“Why， if I was down home now， daddy-o， I would get out my fishing pole and take me a good old Virginia ham sandwich and go set on the banks of the river all day and just dream and fish and fish and dream. I might have me a big old quart bottle of beer tied on a string down in the water to keep cool， and I would just fish and dream and dream and fish.”

“唉，老伙计，要是当下在家里，我会拿出自己的钓鱼竿，带上一个美味可口的老式弗吉尼亚火腿三明治，去河岸上待一整天，做做梦、钓钓鱼，钓钓鱼、做做梦。我说不定还会把一大瓶旧式夸脱瓶装的啤酒绑在绳子上，浸到水里冰一冰，然后就钓钓鱼、做做梦，做做梦、钓钓鱼。”

“You would not have any job？” I asked.

“你不工作了？”我问。

“I would respect work just like I respected my mother and not hit her a lick. I would be far away from all this six A.M. alarm-clock business， crowded subways， gulping down my coffee to get to the mans job in time， and working all day shut up inside where you cant even smell the spring—and me still smelling ether and worried about my winter hospital bill. If I was down home， buddy-o， I would pull off my shoes and let my toes air and just set on the riverbank and dream and fish and fish and dream， and I would not worry about no job.”

“我会尊重工作，就像我尊重母亲、不会问她要钱一样。我会远离早上六点响闹铃的这些事，远离拥挤的地铁，不必为了准时上班而匆忙吞下咖啡，不必整天闭门工作而连春天的气息都闻不到——可我现在还闻着乙醚的气味，担心着自己冬季的医院账单。老伙计，要是在家里，我会脱下鞋子，让脚趾透透气，就坐在河边，做做梦、钓钓鱼，钓钓鱼、做做梦，不会担心有没有工作。”

“Why didnt you stay down home when you were there？”

“你為什么不留在南方老家呢？”

“You know why I didnt stay，” said Simple. “I did not like them white folks and they did not like me. Maybe if it wasnt for white folks， I wouldve stayed down South where spring comes earlier than it do up here. White folks is the cause of a lot of inconveniences in my life.”

“你知道我为什么没有留下来。”桑普勒说，“我不喜欢那些白人，他们也不喜欢我。要不是因为白人，我也许会一直待在南方，那里的春天比这里来得早。白人给我的生活带来了很多不便。”

“Theyve even driven you away from an early spring.”

“他们甚至把你从早春赶跑了。”

“It do not come as early in Harlem as it does down South，” said Simple， “but it comes. And there aint no white folks living can keep spring from coming. It comes to Harlem the same as it does downtown， too. Nobody can keep spring out of Harlem. I stuck my head out the window this morning and spring kissed me bang in the face. Sunshine patted me all over the head. Some little old birds was flying and playing on the garbage cans down in the alley， and one of them flew up to the Third Floor Rear and looked at me and cheeped， ‘Good morning！

“哈勒姆区的春天来得不像南方那么早，”桑普勒说，“但它还是会来的。白人阻挡不了春天的到来。它来到哈勒姆区，就像来到市中心一样。谁也阻挡不了哈勒姆区的春天。今天早上，我把头伸出窗外，春天恰好吻上我的脸。阳光轻柔洒满我头顶。几只可爱的小鸟在小巷里的垃圾桶上飞动嬉戏，其中一只飞到三楼后面，看着我，叽喳叫道：‘早上好！

“I said， ‘Bird， howdy-do？

“我说：‘鸟儿，你好吗？

“Just then I heard my next-door roomer come out of the bathroom so I had to pull my head in from that window and rush to get to the toilet to wash my face before somebody else got there because I did not want to be late to work this morning since today is payday. New York is just rush， rush， rush！ But， oh， brother， if I were down home.”

“就在这时，我听见隔壁室友从浴室出来，我只好从窗户里把头缩回去，赶在别人来之前去卫生间洗脸，因为我不想今天早晨上班迟到，今天是发薪日。纽约就是匆匆、匆匆又匆匆！可是，兄弟啊，我要是在老家就好了。”

“I know—you would just fish and dream and dream and fish.”

“我知道——你就会钓钓鱼、做做梦，做做梦、钓钓鱼。”

“And dream and fish and fish and dream！” said Simple. “If spring was to last forever， as sure as my name is Jess， I would just fish and dream.”

“就是做做梦、钓钓鱼，钓钓鱼、做做梦！”桑普勒说，“要是春天能永远持续下去，就像我名叫杰斯一样肯定，我就永远地钓钓鱼、做做梦。”