"Thank you for your support. Thank you. Thank you for supporting me," Lü Beck said, composing himself. He paused for a long moment. The crowd before him gradually quieted down, noticing the serious expression on his face. They seemed to understand he was about to say something important.
"感谢你们的支持,谢谢,感谢你们对我的支持,"说着,吕贝克平复了一下自己的心情,停顿了好长一段时间,眼前的人群也渐渐平静下来,人们也注意到了他脸上的严肃面容,似乎明白了他要说什么重要的事情.
Today, I, as the supreme administrator of the Sanctuary, grant a pardon to all death row inmates. Having spoken, Lübeck turned and scanned each person wearing a noose around their neck.
"今天,我,作为庇护之地的最高行政长官,特赦所有死刑犯,"说完,吕贝克回头,目光扫过头戴绞索的每一个人,
A murmur of whispers rippled through the crowd of onlookers, but Lübeck paid no heed, continuing,
"But you cannot remain here any longer, for you have broken the law of this land."
只听围观的人群中一阵骚动交头接耳的声音,吕贝克并没有理会,继续说,
"但是你们不能再留在这里了,因为你们违反了这里的法律,"
A flurry of murmurs and whispers rippled through the audience.
台下又一阵窸窸窣窣的交头接耳,
"I will return you to the land of the German people, your homeland," Lübeck said, turning back to face the crowd.
"You may choose freely whether to follow them back. Consider carefully—returning with them means facing many challenges together."
Lübeck raised the newspaper in his hand.
"我会把你们送回德意志民族的土地,你们的家属,"说着吕贝克转回头面向围观群众,
"你们自愿选择,是否跟随他们回去,你们想好,跟随他们回去意味着要一同经历很多挑战,"说着吕贝克举起了手中的报纸,
"I'll post these newspapers here shortly for you to look at."
"一会儿我会把这些报纸张贴在这里,你们可以看一下,"
Lübeck lowered his hand and gazed at the bustling crowd before him.
放下手,吕贝克注视着眼前熙熙攘攘的人群,
My brothers and sisters, those of you still living in the sanctuary, please cherish every person around us. With that, he turned and slowly descended the execution platform. Halfway down, he suddenly remembered something. Standing on the stairs, he looked back toward the platform where staff were removing the nooses from them and escorting them back to the prison van. Lübeck shouted at them,
"我的兄弟姐妹们,还依然生活在庇护之地的兄弟姐妹们,请爱护我们身边的每一个人."说完,转身慢慢走下行刑台,走到一半他突然想起了什么,站在楼梯上回头望向行刑台面,工作人员正在给他们解下绞索,押送回囚车,吕贝克朝着他们大喊,
Schmidt, Bauer, when you return to German soil, stop fighting each other," he said, then walked down the stairs without looking back.
"施密特,鲍尔,当你们回到德意志的土地上,不要再相互打斗了,"然后头也不回地走下了楼梯.
Suddenly, a woman ran toward him. The guard checked that she was unarmed and let her in, followed by two small children.
这时突然一个女人朝着他跑了过来,卫兵检查了她没有武器就放了进来,她的身后还跟着两个小孩子.
She rushed to Lübeck's side, dropped to her knees with a thud, and was about to kiss his feet when Lübeck hurriedly pulled her up with both hands.
只见她跑到吕贝克面前扑通一下双膝跪倒就要亲吻他的脚,吕贝克急忙双手把她拉了起来,
Mayor Lübeck, please take in my two children. My husband is dead, and I cannot support them. Having said this, she took Lübeck's hand and looked at her with pleading eyes.
"吕贝克市长,请你收留我的两个孩子,我的丈夫死了,我没有能力抚养她们,"说完拉着吕贝克的手,用哀求的眼光望着她,
Lübeck recalled the matter discussed with Town Hall Secretary Miller days earlier, and only then did he grasp the plight of the woman before him. She was petite and clearly incapable of performing any farm labor.
吕贝克想起了几天前市政厅秘书米勒和他讨论的事情,他这才明白眼前这个女子的处境,她长得很娇小,很显然无法从事什么农活生产,
At that moment, the two children approached—clearly girls, the older one holding her sister's hand. Lübeck scanned the crowd. Those in the front rows were staring at him, and in the corner, Miller was watching him too.
这时那两个孩子也走近了,明显是女孩,那个大一点的拉着妹妹的手.吕贝克环视了一下围观群众,前排的人都在注视着自己,在角落里,米勒也在看着自己,
Lübeck met Miller's gaze, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly. He instantly realized it might have been Miller who'd suggested the idea to that woman.
吕贝克和他一对眼光,嘴角微微一翘,立刻意识到了可能是他给那个女人出的主意,
Her gaze shifted back to the present, where the woman was still staring at her expectantly. Seeing her look back, the woman hurriedly added,
视线移回到眼前,那个女人依然在眼巴巴地望着自己,看自己又看着她,急忙又补充说,
"Please take them in. Let them be your maids—they'll do anything for you,"
Lübeck chuckled inwardly. How many years would it take to train them to do housework? But how could he expose her plight to her face? So he told her,
"请你收留她们吧,让她们做你的女仆,为你做什么都行,"
吕贝克心中暗自好笑,我得养她们多少年才能做家务,但是又怎么能当面拆穿深陷逆境的她呢,于是便告诉她说,
"Rest assured, I'll raise them until they marry."
"你放心,我会抚养她们长大直到嫁人,"
"Mayor Lübeck, I don't know how to thank you," she said, curtsying before him. Then, cradling his hands in hers, she kissed them. Behind her, the residents of Sanctuary cheered the moment—clearly, people cared deeply about such acts of kindness toward the vulnerable.
"吕贝克市长,我不知道要怎么感谢你,"说着,她向吕贝克屈膝行礼,然后双手捧起他的手亲吻,同时她身后的庇护之地居民也欢呼了这一时刻,显然人们很在意这些对弱者帮助的善举.
What are their names?
"她们叫什么名字?"
Clara, Ida,
"克拉拉,艾达,"
"Alright, I'll take them back today. Once you're settled, please register your address at City Hall so we can contact you to arrange visits with your children. What's your name?"
"Doris," she replied, curtsying once more in gratitude.
"好的,我今天就带她们回去,你什么时候安顿好了,到市政厅留个地址,便于联系探望你的孩子,你的名字是?"
"多丽丝,"说着,她再次行屈膝礼表达感谢,
Upon returning home, Ruth was taken aback to see Lübeck had brought two little girls back with him. She was surprised that he had simply done what he'd casually mentioned earlier—it felt so out of character for him.
回到家中,露丝看到吕贝克带了两个小女孩回来,有些吃惊,吃惊于他只是闲谈说过的事情,今天他就这样做了,这让露丝觉得很不符合他的行事风格.
Seeing her look of surprise, Lübeck hastened to explain,
"Their father passed away tragically during the previous rebellion. Today, their mother publicly pleaded with me to take them in."
见她有些惊异的表情,吕贝克急忙解释,
"她们的父亲在之前的叛乱中不幸走了,今天她们的妈妈当众恳求我收留她们,"
"Oh," Ruth understood upon hearing this, and smiled faintly. It was another offer she couldn't refuse, though she knew the peaceful life she'd enjoyed all these years would be altered to some extent by these two new additions.
"哦,"露丝听到这明白了,微微一笑,又是一个难以拒绝,只是这么多年来的平静生活要被这两个新成员多少改变了.
"So what should we do? Let's put them in the room we prepared for your son first. I'll go tidy up that room," Ruth asked.
"那么怎么办呢?先把她们安排到给你儿子准备的房间吧,我去收拾一下那个房间,"露丝问,
"Alright, thank you for your help," Lübeck said, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling Ruth close. He kissed her lips gently, then whispered softly into her ear,
"From now on, take the time to guide them. See how it goes—gradually have them help you shoulder some of the workload."
"好吧,有劳你了,"说着吕贝克搂着她的腰,把露丝拉进怀里,轻轻亲吻了她的嘴唇,趴在她的耳边轻声说,
"以后你费心带带她们吧,看行不行,逐步让她们帮你分担一些工作,"
"Alright, I'll see how things go."
"好吧,我看情况吧,"
It seems a new order always requires some chaos before it can take shape. After dinner, Emma called Ida over to play with her son—after all, she was still young, only three years old. Meanwhile, Clara was summoned by Ruth to the kitchen to help wash dishes. As they scrubbed, Ruth explained how dangerous the stove and hot water were, emphasizing that Clara must never enter the kitchen alone without her present.
似乎新的秩序总需要一些混沌之后才能形成,晚饭之后,艾玛把艾达叫去和儿子一起玩了,毕竟她还小,只有三岁.克拉拉则被露丝叫去厨房试着一起刷盘子,一边刷还一边给她讲,厨房里面的火和热水危险,没有露丝在场她自己不可以来厨房.
Lübeck seemed momentarily lost in thought as he stood in the middle of the living room, glancing toward Emma's bedroom and then toward Ruth in the kitchen. Suddenly, the house felt livelier, filled with a greater sense of family warmth. If he were to go on another mission, they wouldn't be left alone in such a cold, empty house as before. At that moment, Lübeck himself felt a weight lift from his shoulders.
吕贝克似乎一时被遗忘了,他站在起居室中间,一边望望艾玛的卧室,一边望望厨房的露丝,忽然觉得这个家里似乎更热闹了,更多了一些家庭的温馨.如果自己再出任务,她们独自在家也不会像之前那么冷清,此刻吕贝克自己仿佛也觉得轻松了许多.
With an unprecedented sense of ease and joy, Lübeck stepped out of his home and walked alone along the path. The night sky was clear, with a few scattered white clouds drifting overhead. Bathed in the pale blue glow of the nebulae, they faintly illuminated his house and the earth beneath his feet.
怀着从未有过的轻松愉悦心情,吕贝克走出了家门,在小路上独自散步.夜空晴朗,稀疏的几朵白云飘在头顶,被夜空中的星云染成了淡青色,同时也依稀照亮自己的房屋和脚下的大地.
The gentle breeze carrying the scent of warm, moist air swept toward him. Lübeck knew that more than half of this planet was covered by oceans. Though it had never been mapped, every time he sailed out and returned, he could always see the planet's full panorama from high above.
迎面的和风夹杂着温润的水汽的气息,吕贝克知道这个星球的一多半是海洋,虽然没有测绘过,但是每次出航往返,在高空他总能够看到这颗星球的全景.
In the stillness of the night, his thoughts inexplicably drifted back to that encounter with the child Ruth. Though Ruth was right beside him now, Lübeck somehow felt a new, deeper longing for that tiny figure.
寂静的夜里的思绪不知为何,又回到了自己面对孩童时候的露丝的那一场相见.明明露丝就陪伴在自己身边,可是吕贝克不知怎的,心中从此更添一丝对那个小小身影的惦念.
Returning home once more, the living room lights had long since been extinguished. Lübeck quietly finished his ablutions and returned to Ruth's side. He embraced her waist from behind and, finding she hadn't fallen asleep, asked,
"Did you just lie down?"
再次回到家中,起居室的灯火早已熄灭,吕贝克蹑手蹑脚地洗漱完毕,回到露丝的身边.吕贝克从背后搂着她的腰,发现她并没有睡,便问,
"你才躺下吗?"
"Yes, I was wondering if the you who went back to visit would still become a captain when you grew up," Ruth said, turning around and leaning into Lübeck's embrace.
"是啊,我在想你回去访问的那个你,长大了还会不会是当船长,"说着露丝转过身,靠进吕贝克怀里,
"Hmm, I don't know either. Anyway, whatever we do, as long as we stay together."
"嗯,我也不知道,反正不管做什么,我们俩不分开就好,"
Ruth smiled and corrected,
"Aren't we together? It's them two."
露丝露出了笑容,纠正说,
"我们俩不是在一起吗?是他们俩,"
Oh, that's true. How things turn out between them isn't really up to us anyway.
"哦,也是啊,他们俩怎么发展,我们似乎也说了不算,"
"I don't think I'll ever leave you," Ruth murmured, pressing her face against Lübeck's chest.
"我想我不会离开你,"说着,露丝把脸贴在了吕贝克的胸前,
Lübeck stroked her silky hair and said,
"What about next lifetime?"
吕贝克抚摸着她的秀发说,
"那下辈子呢?"
"Not in a million years."
"下辈子也不,"
"Then how did you find me?"
"那你怎么找到我呢?"
"Hmm," Ruth pondered for a moment before saying,
"You have a son, don't you? I'll be your granddaughter. We'll still be family."
"嗯,"露丝想了想说,
"你不是有儿子吗?我来做你的孙女,我们还是一家人,"
"Well, by then I'll be so old, and soon we'll be parted again. What are we to do?" Lübeck said, caressing her slender body.
"那,到时候我都那么老了,很快我们就又分离了,怎么办,"吕贝克抚摸着她纤细的身体说,
"Easy enough—just come back and be my son again."
"好办啊,你再来做我的儿子,"
Oh, must we always be the one to see the other off?
"哦,我们总是要一个人把另一个人送走吗?"
Ruth smiled and said,
"What else did you expect? Are you sure you wouldn't choose another girl to be your wife? Then there'd be no place for me."
露丝笑了,说,
"不然你想怎么样?你确定你不会选择别的女孩做你的妻子?到时候就没有我的份了,"
Oh, that's true. But with all these timing conflicts, when will we ever get to be together like this again?
"哦,也是啊,只是,总是这样的时间错位,什么时候我们才能还像这样在一起?"
"Well, there's another way. Like Clara, I could become your foster daughter, and when I grow up, I'll marry you."
"嗯,那还有一个办法,就像克拉拉这样,我来做你的养女,等我长大了嫁给你."