marrakech课文翻译.docx

marrakech课文翻译.docx

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marrakech课文翻译

marrakech课文翻译

　　Marrakech

　　GeorgeOrwell

　　Asthecorpsewentpasttheflieslefttherestauranttableinacloudandrushedafterit,buttheycamebackafewminuteslater.

　　Thelittlecrowdofmourners--allmenandboys,nowomen--threadedtheirwayacrossthemarketplacebetweenthepilesofpomegranatesandthetaxisandthecamels,wallingashortchantoverandoveragain.Whatreallyappealstothefliesisthatthecorpseshereareneverputintocoffins,theyaremerelywrappedinapieceofragandcarriedonaroughwoodenbierontheshouldersoffourfriends.Whenthefriendsgettotheburying-groundtheyhackanoblongholeafootortwodeep,dumpthebodyinitandflingoveritalittleofthedried-up,lumpyearth,whichislikebrokenbrick.Nogravestone,noname,noidentifyingmarkofanykind.Theburying-groundismerelyahugewasteofhummockyearth,likeaderelictbuilding-lot.Afteramonthortwonoonecanevenbecertainwherehisownrelativesareburied.

　　3Whenyouwalkthroughatownlikethis--twohundredthousandinhabitantsofwhomatleasttwentythousandownliterallynothingexcepttheragstheystandupin--whenyouseehowthepeoplelive,andstillmorehoweasilytheydie,itisalwaysdifficulttobelievethatyouarewalkingamonghumanbeings.Allcolonialempiresareinrealityfoundeduponthisfact.Thepeoplehavebrownfaces--besides,therearesomanyofthem!

Aretheyreallythesamefleshasyourself?

Dotheyevenhavenames?

Oraretheymerelyakindofundifferentiatedbrownstuff,aboutasindividualasbeesorcoralinsects?

Theyriseoutoftheearth，theysweatandstarveforafewyears,andthentheysinkbackintothenamelessmoundsofthegraveyardandnobodynoticesthattheyaregone.Andeventhegravesthemselvessoonfadebackintothesoil.Sometimes,outforawalkasyoubreakyourwaythroughthepricklypear,younoticethatitisratherbumpyunderfoot,andonlyacertainregularityinthebumpstellsyouthatyouarewalkingoverskeletons.

　　Iwasfeedingoneofthegazellesinthepublicgardens.

　　Gazellesarealmosttheonlyanimalsthatlookgoodtoeatwhentheyarestillalive,infact,onecanhardlylookattheirhindquarterswithoutthinkingofamintsauce.ThegazelleIwasfeedingseemedtoknowthatthisthoughtwasinmymind,forthoughittookthepieceofbreadIwasholdingoutitobviouslydidnotlikeme.Itnibblednibbledrapidlyatthebread,thenlowereditsheadandtriedtobuttme,thentookanothernibbleandthenbuttedagain.Probablyitsideawasthatifitcoulddrivemeawaythebreadwouldsomehowremainhanginginmid-air.

　　AnArabnavvyworkingonthepathnearbyloweredhisheavyhoeandsidledslowlytowardsus.Helookedfromthegazelletothebreadandfromthebreadtothegazelle,withasortofquietamazement,asthoughhehadneverseenanythingquitelikethisbefore.FinallyhesaidshylyinFrench:

"Icouldeatsomeofthatbread."

　　Itoreoffapieceandhestoweditgratefullyinsomesecretplaceunderhisrags.Thismanisanemployeeofthemunicipality.

　　WhenyougothroughtheJewishQuartersyougathersomeideaofwhatthemedievalghettoeswereprobablylike.UndertheirMoorishrulerstheJewswereonlyallowedtoownlandincertainrestrictedareas,andaftercenturiesofthiskindoftreatmenttheyhaveceasedtobotheraboutovercrowding.Manyofthestreetsareagooddeallessthansixfeetwide,thehousesarecompletelywindowless,andsore-eyedchildrenclustereverywhereinunbelievablenumbers,likecloudsofflies.Downthecentreofthestreetthereisgenerallyrunningalittleriverofurine.

　　InthebazaarhugefamiliesofJews,alldressedinthelongblackrobeandlittleblackskull-cap,areworkingindarkfly-infestedboothsthatlooklikecaves.Acarpentersitscrossleggedataprehistoriclathe,turningchairlegsatlightningspeed.Heworksthelathewithabowinhisrighthandandguidesthechiselwithhisleftfoot,andthankstoalifetimeofsittinginthispositionhisleftlegiswarpedoutofshape.Athissidehisgrandson,agedsix,isalreadystartingonthesimplerpartsofthejob.

　　Iwasjustpassingthecoppersmiths'boothswhensomebodynoticedthatIwaslightingacigarette.Instantly,fromthedarkholesallround,therewasafrenziedrushofJews,manyofthemoldgrandfatherswithflowinggreybeards,allclamouringforacigarette.Evenablindmansomewhereatthebackofoneoftheboothsheardarumourofcigarettesandcamecrawlingout,gropingintheairwithhishand.InaboutaminuteIhadusedupthewholepacket.Noneofthesepeople,Isuppose,workslessthantwelvehoursaday,andeveryoneofthemlooksonacigaretteasamoreorlessimpossibleluxury.

　　AstheJewsliveinself-containedcommunitiestheyfollowthesametradesastheArabs,exceptforagriculture.Fruitsellers,potters,silversmiths,blacksmiths,butchers,leather-workers,tailors,water-carriers,beggars,porters--whicheverwayyoulookyouseenothingbutJews.Asamatteroffacttherearethirteenthousandofthem,alllivinginthespaceofafewacres.AgoodjobHitletwasn'there.Perhapshewasonhisway,however.YouheartheusualdarkrumoursaboutJews,notonlyfromtheArabsbutfromthepoorerEuropeans.

　　"Yesmonvieux,theytookmyjobawayfrommeandgaveittoaJew.TheJews!

They'retherealrulersofthiscountry,youknow.They’vegotallthemoney.Theycontrolthebanks,finance--everything."

　　"But",Isaid,"isn'titafactthattheaverageJewisalabourerworkingforaboutapennyanhour?

"

　　"Ah,that'sonlyforshow!

They'reallmoneylendersreally.They'recunning,theJews."

　　Injustthesameway,acoupleofhundredyearsago,pooroldwomenusedtobeburnedforwitchcraftwhentheycouldnotevenworkenoughmagictogetthemselvesasquaremeal.squaremeal

　　Allpeoplewhoworkwiththeirhandsarepartlyinvisible,andthemoreimportanttheworktheydo,thelessvisibletheyare.Still,awhiteskinisalwaysfairlyconspicuous.InnorthernEurope,whenyouseealabourerploughingafield,youprobablygivehimasecondglance.Inahotcountry,anywheresouthofGibraltaroreastofSuez,thechancesarethatyoudon'tevenseehim.Ihavenoticedthisagainandagain.Inatropicallandscapeone'seyetakesineverythingexceptthehumanbeings.Ittakesinthedried-upsoil,thepricklypear,thepalmtreeandthedistantmountain,butitalwaysmissesthepeasanthoeingathispatch.Heisthesamecolourastheearth,andagreatdeallessinterestingtolookat.

　　ItisonlybecauseofthisthatthestarvedcountriesofAsiaandAfricaareacceptedastouristresorts.NoonewouldthinkofrunningcheaptripstotheDistressedAreas.Butwherethehumanbeingshavebrownskinstheirpovertyissimplynotnoticed.WhatdoesMoroccomeantoaFrenchman?

AnorangegroveorajobinGovernmentservice.OrtoanEnglishman?

Camels,castles,palmtrees,ForeignLegionnaires,brasstrays,andbandits.Onecouldprobablylivethereforyearswithoutnoticingthatfornine-tenthsofthepeopletherealityoflifeisanendlessback-breakingstruggletowringalittlefoodoutofanerodedsoil.

　　MostofMoroccoissodesolatethatnowildanimalbiggerthanaharecanliveonit.Hugeareaswhichwereoncecoveredwithforesthaveturnedintoatreelesswastewherethesoilisexactlylikebroken-upbrick.Neverthelessagooddealofitiscultivated,withfrightfullabour.Everythingisdonebyhand.Longlinesofwomen,bentdoublelikeinvertedcapitalLs,worktheirwayslowlyacrossthefields,tearingupthepricklyweedswiththeirhands,andthepeasantgatheringlucerneforfodderpullsitupstalkbystalkinsteadofreapingit,thussavinganinchortwooneachstalk.Theploughisawretchedwoodenthing,sofrailthatonecaneasilycarryitonone'sshoulder,andfittedunderneathwitharoughironspikewhichstirsthesoiltoadepthofaboutfourinches.Thisisasmuchasthestrengthoftheanimalsisequalto.Itisusualtoploughwithacowandadonkeyyokedtogether.Twodonkeyswouldnotbequitestrongenough,butontheotherhandtwocowswouldcostalittlemoretofeed.Thepeasantspossessnoharrows,theymerelyploughthesoilseveraltimesoverindifferentdirections,finallyleavingitinroughfurrows,afterwhichthewholefieldhastobeshapedwithhoesintosmalloblongpatchestoconservewater.Exceptforadayortwoaftertherarerainstormsthereisneverenoughwater.Alongtheedgesofthefieldschannelsarehackedouttoadepthofthirtyorfortyfeettogetatthetinytrickleswhichrunthroughthesubsoil.

　　Everyafternoonafileofveryoldwomenpassesdowntheroadoutsidemyhouse,eachcarryingaloadoffirewood.Allofthemaremummifiedwithageandthesun,andallofthemaretiny.Itseemstobegenerallythecaseinprimitivecommunitiesthatthewomen,whentheygetbeyondacertainage,shrinktothesizeofchildren.Onedaypoorcreaturewhocouldnothavebeenmorethanfourfeettallcreptpastmeunderavastloadofwood.Istoppedherandputafive-soupiece（alittlemorethanafarthing）intoherhand.Sheansweredwithashrillwail,almostascream,whichwaspartlygratitudebutmainlysurprise.Isupposethatfromherpointofview,bytakinganynoticeofher,Iseemedalmosttobeviolatingalawofnature.Sheacceptedherstatusasanoldwoman,thatistosayasabeastofburden.Whenafamilyistravellingitisquiteusualtoseeafatherandagrown-upsonridingaheadondonkeys,andanoldwomanfollowingonfoot,carryingthebaggage.

　　Butwhatisstrangeaboutthesepeopleistheirinvisibility.Forseveralweeks,alwaysataboutthe