評論
打印
For a moment the two men looked at each other nakedly. Then Morton turned his back on the man and said quietly, "Come on, let's get out of here." He walked awkwardly, almost limping with self-consciousness, to the sandbox. He stooped and lifted Larry and his shovel out.
兩個男人四目對峙了片刻。然后莫頓轉過身，背對著那個男人，輕輕地說：“來吧，我們離開這里。”他走向沙箱，步態很不自然，因為尷尬都有點一瘸一拐了。他彎下腰，把拉里和他的鏟子一起抱了起來。
Larry began to kick and cry. "I don't want to go home, I want to play better." It became a chant as they walked, pulling their child between them, his feet dragging on the ground. In order to get to the exit gate they had to pass the bench where the man sat sprawling again. She was careful not to look at him. With all the dignity she could summon, she pulled Larry's sandy, perspiring little hand, while Morton pulled the other. Slowly and with head high she walked with her husband and the child out of the playground. "
拉里開始又踢又喊。“我不想回家，我還想玩。”夫妻倆拽著孩子，拉里一路上不停地哭喊，雙腳拖在地上。要走到公園出口，他們得經過那張長椅，那個男人又四仰八叉地坐在上面。她的目光小心翼翼地避開他，盡量保持著尊嚴，牽著拉里一只沾滿沙子的汗津津的小手，莫頓牽著拉里的另一只手。她昂著頭，和丈夫孩子一起慢慢地走出了那個游樂場。
A fight wouldn't have proved anything," Morton muttered through his teeth as they came into the street.
“打斗證明不了什么，”走到街上時莫頓從牙縫里咕噥道。
Her first feeling was one of relief that the fight had been avoided, that no one was hurt. Yet beneath it there was a layer of something else, something heavy and inescapable. She sensed that it was more than just an unpleasant incident, more than defeat of reason by force. She thought, if there had been something to fight for. ... But what else could Morton possibly have done? Allow himself to be beaten? Attempt to educate the man? Call a policeman? "Officer, there's a man in the park who won't stop his child from throwing sand on mine. ..." The whole thing was as silly as that, and not worth thinking about. She quickened her step. She wanted only to get home and to busy herself with her familiar tasks.
她首先感到的是一種寬慰，打斗得以避免，也沒有人受傷。然而，在這種寬慰之下涌起某種沉重且不可回避的東西。她感到這不僅僅是一件令人不快的小事，也不僅僅是理智對武力的妥協。她想，如果當時有某種值得去爭取的東西……莫頓又能做些什么呢？讓自己挨打？試圖教育那個男人？報警？“警官，有個人的孩子在公園向我的孩子揚沙子，他卻不去阻止……”整件事荒謬至極，不值得深思。她加快了腳步。她只想回家，去忙她的家務活。
