The sky was already turning faintly light, its glow seeping through the curtains to illuminate the windowsill and bedside. Lübeck had slept poorly all night. Today was the day of the public execution of the rebels. Regardless of their crimes, ending so many lives without any casualties among the security forces felt fundamentally wrong to him—a moral unease gnawing at his conscience.
天色已经蒙蒙发亮,透过窗帘的缝隙照亮窗台,床头.吕贝克一晚并没有睡好,因为今天是公开处决叛乱罪犯的日子,不管什么罪行,在没有治安队员伤亡的情况下,结束那么多的生命,他总觉得不对等,良知上的不安.
Emma beside me was still fast asleep, her slumber so profound that even as dawn broke, she remained deeply engrossed in her dreams. Her breath rose and fell rhythmically, faintly revealing the veins beneath her fair skin. Her full breasts, supple skin, and thick, lustrous hair all radiated the vitality of youth and life.
身边的艾玛依然在熟睡,她的睡眠就是那么的好,尽管已经天色渐明,她依然睡得那么深沉.起伏的呼吸,隐约可以看到她胸前白皙皮肤下的血管,丰满的乳房,弹性的皮肤,浓密的秀发,无不散发着青春与生命的活力.
From the kitchen just outside the door, the faint sound of Ruth beginning to prepare breakfast reached their ears. Lübeck tucked the quilt snugly around Emma's shoulders, dressed himself, and stepped out of the room.
隐约听到门外的厨房里,露丝已经在开始准备早饭了,吕贝克给艾玛压好肩头的被子,自己穿好衣服,走出房间.
The gaze swept through the living room toward the kitchen. In the morning light streaming through the window, a faint mist seemed to linger within the living room, slowly swirling and rising through the space. It was unclear whether this was convection caused by the rising temperature as sunlight filled the room, or air currents forming from the gradually warming stove in the kitchen. Yet its gentle, quiet movement seemed to freeze this momentary snapshot of the early morning, interwoven into the decades Ruth and Lübeck had walked together.
视线穿过起居室,望向厨房,透过窗子的晨光里,起居室内似乎有淡淡的烟雾缭绕,在室内的空间里缓缓翻滚,上升,也不知道是光线照进室内温度升高形成的对流还是厨房那里炉火渐渐升起形成的气流.只是它的平缓安静,仿佛凝固了清晨的这一片刻时光剪影,穿插在了几十年露丝与吕贝克共同走过的岁月.
吕贝克拉了一把椅子到厨房,拉着露丝坐在自己怀里,
"Take a break. Don't just stand there waiting," Lübeck said, putting his arm around Ruth.
"休息一下吧,不要站在那里等,"吕贝克搂着露丝说,
Ruth said nothing, merely resting her head against Lübeck's shoulder. Lübeck took her fingertips—they felt a little cold—and tucked her hand into his coat pocket.
露丝没有说话,只是把头靠在了吕贝克的肩膀,吕贝克握住她的指尖,有点凉,就把她的手插进了自己的怀里,
A few days ago, Miller asked me to help adopt two girls whose father died in battle and whose mother plans to remarry. I refused then, but now I think—why not adopt them as your daughters? That way, when you're old, you'll have someone to take care of you.
"前些天米勒曾经跟我说帮忙收养两个女孩,她们的爸爸战死了,妈妈要改嫁,我拒绝了,但是现在我想,要不就收养她们给你做女儿吧,等你老了那一天也好有人照料你."
Ruth leaned against Lübeck's embrace, lifted her head, and smiled at him as she said,
"How old is the child?"
露丝靠在吕贝克怀里,抬起头,微笑看着他说,
"多大的孩子啊?"
"One is three years old, and the other is five."
"一个三岁,一个五岁,"
"Oh, it's not like they don't have their own mothers. Even if they're raised by others, they won't be close to them anyway."
"哦,她们又不是没有亲妈,养大了也不亲啊,"
"Oh,"
"哦,"
"If my little sister can be relied upon, I'll count on her and the child she bears with you," Lü Beck understood she was referring to Emma, a kind-hearted girl. Yet he feared that when faced with her own mother, her child might inevitably harbor private feelings, preventing them from being treated equally.
"要是我这个小妹妹能靠得住,我就指望她和她跟你生的孩子吧,"吕贝克明白她指的是艾玛,那是一个善良的姑娘,只是他担心面对亲妈,她的孩子难免会有私心,不能平等地对待她们.
"Well then, I'll tell my child to honor you just as he honors his mother."
"嗯,那我就嘱咐我的孩子要像孝敬他的妈妈一样孝敬你,"
Hearing this, Ruth laughed.
"Well, I don't expect much from other people's kids. If I can count on my little sister, that's good enough. Besides, who knows? Maybe I'll even get there before you do?"
听他这么说,露丝笑了,
"哎,别人的孩子我就不指望了,我这个小妹妹能指望上就不错了.再说没准,我还能走到你前面了呢?"
Don't say such unlucky things. We'll all live to be a hundred, okay?
"别说这样不吉利的话,我们都长命百岁,好吗?"
"Alright," Ruth nodded with a smile.
"好,"露丝笑着点头,
Though the thought of Ruth walking ahead of him brought its own kind of sorrow, Lübeck felt that being there for her final moments would be his way of repaying her for all the years of devoted companionship she had given him. He couldn't bear to imagine how she would face the loneliness of life without him.
虽然说露丝走在自己前面这样的假设有些分别的苦楚,但是吕贝克觉得自己若能送别她的最后时刻,也算是对这么多年来露丝对自己深情的陪伴的报答,真不敢想象没了自己她要怎样面对孤独的人生.
The beauty of the morning light carried with it a slightly heavy atmosphere as Lübeck rode by carriage to the execution ground on the outskirts of the city. Since the founding of the Sanctuary, only common thieves and violent criminals had been punished here; capital punishment, especially hanging, had never been carried out. By the time Lübeck arrived, the area was already packed with ordinary onlookers, including the criminal's family members. Numerous soldiers maintained order, as this large-scale public execution was intended to serve as a warning.
晨光的美好却载着略微沉重的早晨,吕贝克乘坐马车赶往市郊刑场.自从庇护之地建立以来,这里只有惩罚过一般的偷盗,伤人的罪犯,还从来没有执行过死刑,尤其是绞刑.吕贝克到达的时候这里已经围满了普通围观群众,当然也有罪犯家属,大量士兵在维持秩序,之所以大规模公开处刑是想要起到警示作用.
Lübeck's carriage entered the execution ground from another direction. He located the head of the security squad overseeing the execution, inquired about today's execution procedures, then spoke briefly with the judge and Sheriff Trudy present, exchanging views.
吕贝克的马车从另一个方向进入刑场,找到了治安队执刑负责人问了今天的行刑程序,然后找在场的法官和治安官特鲁迪谈了一会儿,沟通了意见.
By then the sun had risen high, the weather warm and humid, and the busy planting season was fast approaching. Yet despite the momentous events unfolding in the Sanctuary, crowds of people still gathered to watch.
这时太阳已经升高,天气温暖湿润,较快要到播种农忙的季节了,但是在庇护之地发生了这么大的事情,还是有很多民众前来观看.
As the town hall clock struck the hour, the first group of criminals destined for the gallows were led to the execution platform. Lübeck observed the proceedings from behind. These initial prisoners were the masterminds behind the rebellion—their plans and incitement had sparked the large-scale brawl that resulted in numerous casualties. Upon the scaffold, the judge was reading aloud their crimes and sentences.
随着市政厅那边的整点钟声,第一批将要被执行绞刑的罪犯被押上了绞刑架.吕贝克在后方观看着过程,首批是这起叛乱事件的谋划人员,由于他们的计划和指使,发生了这样大规模的械斗,造成了大量人员伤亡.在行刑台上,法官正在宣读他们的罪行以及判决.
Lübeck glanced at the prisoners still awaiting execution inside the transport vehicle. Some peered toward the scaffold, wondering what would happen next; others huddled in corners; and still others gazed through the gaps between the gallows' supporting pillars at the crowd below, perhaps searching for the faces of their loved ones.
吕贝克留意了一下那些仍然在囚车中等待执行的囚犯,有的在张望行刑台上将要发生什么,有的蜷缩在角落里,也有人在通过绞刑架下方的支柱间的空隙望向围观人群,或许是在寻找家人的身影.
Lübeck rose and walked along the path beside the execution platform to the front. The crimes had already been read aloud, and the prisoners were being identified one by one. Just as he stepped onto the platform via the wooden steps, the command was already being shouted:
"Prepare to execute."
吕贝克这时起身沿着行刑台一边的小路走到前面,台上已经宣读完了罪行,正在逐个犯人验明正身,正当他踩着模板台阶走上行刑台的时候,那边已经在喊口令,
"准备执行."
At this moment, a single command would be enough to pull the footboard from beneath the prisoners' feet, sending them plummeting to their deaths with their necks snapped. A deathly silence hung over the scene, the sound of Lübeck's boots on the wooden execution platform echoing as if it could reach the ears of the very last spectators in the back row.
此时只要一声令下,抽掉犯人脚下的踏板,他们就会掉下被扯断颈椎而死.现场死一样一片寂静,吕贝克的皮靴踩在模板行刑台面的脚步声仿佛能够传递到现场最后一排观众的耳中.
Lübeck stepped to the center of the stage and addressed the crowd below in a loud voice:
"Fellow villagers, fellow countrymen.
I, Lübeck, brought you all here to build this sanctuary together. For twenty years, this has been our new home. You chose to trust me, and I led you out seeking a better life." Turning to the prisoner on the gallows, Lübeck continued,
只见吕贝克走到前台正中,对着台下围观群众大声说,
"乡亲们,同胞们.
我吕贝克,把大家带到这里,我们一起建设这个庇护之地,二十年来,这就是我们新的家园.你们选择了相信我,我带你们出来,本来是为了更美好的生活,"说着,吕贝克回头看着绞刑架上的犯人,接着说,
"而不是为了把你们送上绞刑架,"说着又转回头面向观众,
Look at the situation now—many from the Bauer family have died, and many from the Schmidt family too. Why is this happening? For land? For profit? For money? For women? For power. Why, when we have food on our tables and peace in our lives, do we forget why we fled our original homes? We escaped the persecution of the Holy See, yet now we bring their slaughter to our doorstep—to this new home that should be better than the last. While some still haggle over gains, have they ever considered—" Lübeck turned, walked to the nearest prisoner, pulled a stack of newspapers from his shoulder bag, and held them before him.
"Look at this. The Black Death. While you were calculating your profits, did you ever think you'd already escaped the Black Death?"
"你们看看现在,鲍尔家死了很多人,施密特家也死了很多人,这到底是为什么?为了土地,为了利益,为了金钱,为了女人?为了权力.为什么当我们吃饱了饭,有了和平的生活,就忘记了我们逃离原来那个家园的初衷?当我们逃离了曾经迫害我们的教廷,现在却又把他们的杀戮带到我们的身边,带到我们这个新的,本应是更加美好的家园.当有些人还在计较利益的时候,可曾想到,"说着吕贝克,转回身,走到最近的犯人面前,从自己的挎包里拿出了一沓报纸,举到他面前,
"你看这个,黑死病,当你在计算你的利益的时候,是否想过,你已经逃过了黑死病,"
Lübeck then moved on to the next prisoner, showing him the newspaper.
"Look at this," he said, turning back to the audience.
"Cholera. Everyone here—we've been spared cholera."
With that, Lübeck stepped forward again, flipping through the paper.
"Look, war too, typhoid, syphilis, war, slaughter," Lübeck kept flipping through the paper in his hands, muttering loudly, seeming to have become somewhat unhinged.
吕贝克接着又走到下一个犯人,给他看了报纸,
"看这个,"说完转回头,对着观众说,
"霍乱,在场的所有人,我们已经幸免于霍乱,"说着,吕贝克又走到台前,翻着报纸,
"看看,还有战争,伤寒,梅毒,战争,屠杀,"吕贝克不停翻动着手中的报纸,嘴里大声叨念着,似乎已经有些神经质,
Comrades, I still remember the faces of many here. It was I who brought each of you to this place. I hope you will cherish your present lives, set aside petty calculations over interests, and care for your fellow countrymen. After all, it is we who are building this shared homeland together. As Lü Beck spoke, he waved his hands vigorously in the air, urging his comrades to keep pace with his vision.
"同胞们,在场的很多人,我都还记得你们的面容,是我把你们一个个带到了这里,希望你们能够珍惜现在的生活,少一些利益上的计较,也能够爱护你身边的同胞,毕竟,是我们在一起建设这个我们共同的家园," 吕贝克一边讲,一边在空中用力挥舞着双手,希望他的同胞们能够跟上自己的脚步,
Finally, the audience below began to murmur softly, followed by waves of restlessness spreading through the crowd. Suddenly, someone in the crowd raised their arms and shouted,
终于,台下的观众开始有了细细的私语,接着人群中开始一阵阵的骚动,然后忽然人群中有人振臂高呼,
Captain Lübeck, we stand with you.
"吕贝克船长,我们支持你,"
"Yes, we support you."
"对,我们支持你,"
Captain, we stand with you.
"船长,我们支持你,"
Seeing people finally react to this event and express themselves, Lübeck felt a sense of release. As he watched those familiar faces and figures—though marked by the passage of time—still dancing alongside him, his eyes welled up with tears.
看到人们终于对这一事件有了反应和自己的表达,吕贝克也终于有所释怀,看着那些自己熟悉的面孔和身影,尽管已经有了岁月的痕迹,依然在与自己一同舞动,他的眼眶也泛起了湿润.