愚人金

The gathering procession was solemn, for they sensed the importance of this day, and any children who showed a tendency to scuffle, to scream, to cry out, to steal hats and rumple hair, were hissed to silence by their elders.

聚集起來的隊伍很莊嚴，因為他們感覺得到這一天的重要；任何想扭打、尖叫、大喊、搶帽子、弄亂別人頭髮的孩子，都被大人噓聲制止。

So important was this day that an old man came to see, riding on the stalwart shoulders of his nephew.

這一天重要到連一個老人都來看了，騎在他姪子結實的肩膀上。

The procession left the brush huts and entered the stone and plaster city, where the streets were a little wider and there were narrow pavements beside the buildings.

隊伍離開樹枝屋，進入石頭灰泥之城，那裡的街道寬一點，房子旁邊有窄窄的人行道。

And as before, the beggars joined them as they passed the church; the grocers looked out at them as they went by; the little saloons lost their customers and the owners closed up shop and went along.

跟上次一樣，他們經過教堂時乞丐加入了；雜貨店老闆看著他們走過；小酒館的客人都跑了，老闆乾脆關店跟著去。

And the sun beat down on the streets of the city and even tiny stones threw shadows on the ground.

太陽毒辣地照在城裡的街道上，連小小的石子都在地上投下影子。

The news of the approach of the procession ran ahead of it, and in their little dark offices the pearl buyers stiffened and grew alert.

隊伍逼近的消息跑在隊伍前面，珠商們在他們陰暗的小辦公室裡全身一緊，提高了警覺。

They got out papers so that they could be at work when Kino appeared, and they put their pearls in the desks, for it is not good to let an inferior pearl be seen beside a beauty.

他們拿出文件，好讓奇諾出現時自己正在工作；他們把自己的珍珠收進抽屜，因為讓劣等的珍珠擺在美人旁邊被看見，可不是好事。

And word of the loveliness of Kino’s pearl had come to them.

奇諾那顆珍珠有多美，他們已經聽說了。

The pearl buyers’ offices were clustered together in one narrow street, and they were barred at the windows, and wooden slats cut out the light so that only a soft gloom entered the offices.

珠商的辦公室都擠在一條窄街上，窗戶裝著鐵條，木條擋住了光線，只有一片柔和的幽暗透進辦公室。

A stout slow man sat in an office waiting.

一個胖胖的、動作慢吞吞的男人坐在一間辦公室裡等著。

His face was fatherly and benign, and his eyes twinkled with friendship.

他的臉像父親一樣慈祥和藹，眼睛閃著友善的光。

He was a caller of good mornings, a ceremonious shaker of hands, a jolly man who knew all jokes and yet who hovered close to sadness, for in the midst of a laugh he could remember the death of your aunt, and his eyes could become wet with sorrow for your loss.

他是那種會跟人道早安、會很有禮節地握手的人，一個什麼笑話都知道的快活人，卻又總是徘徊在悲傷邊緣——因為他可以笑到一半，想起你姑媽過世了，眼睛就為你的喪親之痛而濕潤。

This morning he had placed a flower in a vase on his desk, a single scarlet hibiscus, and the vase sat beside the black velvet-lined pearl tray in front of him.

今天早上，他在桌上的花瓶裡插了一朵花，一朵鮮紅的扶桑花，花瓶就擺在他面前那個襯著黑絲絨的珍珠托盤旁邊。

He was shaved close to the blue roots of his beard, and his hands were clean and his nails polished.

他的鬍子刮得極乾淨，刮到發青的根部，他的手很乾淨，指甲修得光亮。

His door stood open to the morning, and he hummed under his breath while his right hand practised legerdemain.

他的門朝著早晨敞開，他低聲哼著歌，右手在練習戲法。

He rolled a coin back and forth over his knuckles and made it appear and disappear, made it spin and sparkle.

他讓一枚硬幣在指節上來回翻滾，讓它出現又消失，讓它旋轉、閃閃發亮。

The coin winked into sight and as quickly slipped out of sight, and the man did not even watch his own performance.

硬幣一眨眼出現，又一眨眼不見，那人連看都不看自己的表演。

The fingers did it all mechanically, precisely, while the man hummed to himself and peered out the door.

手指機械而精準地完成這一切，那人則自顧自哼著歌，往門外張望。

Then he heard the tramp of feet of the approaching crowd, and the fingers of his right hand worked faster and faster until, as the figure of Kino filled the doorway, the coin flashed and disappeared.

接著他聽見人群逼近的沉重腳步聲，右手的手指越動越快，直到奇諾的身影塞滿門口的那一刻，硬幣一閃，消失了。

“Good morning, my friend,” the stout man said.

「早安，我的朋友。」胖子說。

“What can I do for you?”

「有什麼可以為你效勞的？」

Kino stared into the dimness of the little office, for his eyes were squeezed from the outside glare.

奇諾盯著小辦公室裡的昏暗，因為外面的強光讓他的眼睛瞇了起來。

But the buyer’s eyes had become as steady and cruel and unwinking as a hawk’s eyes, while the rest of his face smiled in greeting.

可是珠商的眼睛已經變得像鷹眼一樣沉穩、殘酷、一眨也不眨，臉的其他部分則在微笑著打招呼。

And secretly, behind his desk, his right hand practised with the coin.

而在桌子後面，他的右手偷偷地繼續玩著那枚硬幣。

“I have a pearl,” said Kino.

「我有一顆珍珠。」奇諾說。

And Juan Tomás stood beside him and snorted a little at the understatement.

胡安．托馬斯站在他旁邊，聽到這麼輕描淡寫的說法，忍不住哼了一聲。

The neighbours peered around the doorway, and a line of little boys clambered on the window bars and looked through.

鄰居們在門口探頭探腦，一排小男孩爬上窗戶的鐵條往裡看。

Several little boys, on their hands and knees, watched the scene around Kino’s legs.

還有幾個小男孩趴在地上，從奇諾的腿邊看著這一幕。

“You have a pearl,” the dealer said.

「你有一顆珍珠。」珠商說。

“Sometimes a man brings in a dozen.

「有時候一個人一次帶十幾顆來。

Well, let us see your pearl.

好吧，讓我們看看你的珍珠。

We will value it and give you the best price.”

我們會估價，給你最好的價錢。」

And his fingers worked furiously with the coin.

他的手指瘋狂地玩著那枚硬幣。

Now Kino instinctively knew his own dramatic effects.

奇諾本能地懂得製造戲劇效果。

Slowly he brought out the leather bag, slowly took from it the soft and dirty piece of deerskin, and then he let the great pearl roll into the black velvet tray, and instantly his eyes went to the buyer’s face.

他慢慢拿出皮袋，慢慢從裡面取出那塊又軟又髒的鹿皮，然後讓那顆大珍珠滾進黑絲絨托盤，同時眼睛立刻盯住珠商的臉。

But there was no sign, no movement, the face did not change, but the secret hand behind the desk missed in its precision.

可是沒有任何跡象、任何動靜，那張臉毫無變化——可是桌子後面那隻祕密的手，失了準頭。

The coin stumbled over a knuckle and slipped silently into the dealer’s lap.

硬幣絆在一個指節上，無聲地滑落到珠商的腿上。

And the fingers behind the desk curled into a fist.

桌子後面的手指蜷成了拳頭。

When the right hand came out of hiding, the forefinger touched the great pearl, rolled it on the black velvet; thumb and forefinger picked it up and brought it near to the dealer’s eyes and twirled it in the air.

等右手從藏身處出來，食指碰了碰那顆大珍珠，讓它在黑絲絨上滾動；拇指和食指把它拈起來，湊到珠商眼前，在空中轉動。

Kino held his breath, and the neighbours held their breath, and the whispering went back through the crowd.

奇諾屏住呼吸，鄰居們也屏住呼吸，耳語一路往人群後面傳。

“He is inspecting it—No price has been mentioned yet—They have not come to a price.”

「他在檢查——還沒開價——他們還沒談到價錢。」

Now the dealer’s hand had become a personality.

這時珠商的手已經變成了一個有個性的東西。

The hand tossed the great pearl back in the tray, the forefinger poked and insulted it, and on the dealer’s face there came a sad and contemptuous smile.

那隻手把大珍珠丟回托盤，食指戳著它、侮辱它，珠商臉上浮現一抹悲傷而輕蔑的微笑。

“I am sorry, my friend,” he said, and his shoulders rose a little to indicate that the misfortune was no fault of his.

「很遺憾，我的朋友。」他說，肩膀微微聳起，表示這個不幸不是他的錯。

“It is a pearl of great value,” Kino said.

「這是一顆非常值錢的珍珠。」奇諾說。

The dealer’s fingers spurned the pearl so that it bounced and rebounded softly from the side of the velvet tray.

珠商的手指輕蔑地彈了一下珍珠，它在絲絨托盤的邊緣輕輕彈跳、反彈。

“You have heard of fool’s gold,” the dealer said.

「你聽說過愚人金吧。」珠商說。

“This pearl is like fool’s gold.

「這顆珍珠就像愚人金。

It is too large.

它太大了。

Who would buy it?

誰會買？

There is no market for such things.

這種東西沒有市場。

It is a curiosity only.

它只是一件稀奇古怪的東西。

I am sorry.

很遺憾。

You thought it was a thing of value, and it is only a curiosity.”

你以為它很值錢，它其實只是一件稀奇古怪的東西。」

Now Kino’s face was perplexed and worried.

這時奇諾的臉上滿是困惑和憂慮。

“It is the Pearl of the World,” he cried.

「它是世界之珠！」他大喊。

“No one has ever seen such a pearl.”

「從來沒有人見過這樣的珍珠。」

“On the contrary,” said the dealer, “it is large and clumsy.

「正好相反，」珠商說，「它又大又笨拙。

As a curiosity it has interest; some museum might perhaps take it to place in a collection of sea-shells.

當作一件奇物，它還有點意思；也許哪家博物館會收去，放在貝殼收藏裡。

I can give you, say, a thousand pesos.”

我可以給你，嗯，一千披索。」

Kino’s face grew dark and dangerous.

奇諾的臉變得陰沉而危險。

“It is worth fifty thousand,” he said.

「它值五萬。」他說。

“You know it.

「你知道的。

You want to cheat me.”

你想騙我。」

And the dealer heard a little grumble go through the crowd as they heard his price.

珠商聽見人群聽到他的出價時，一陣低聲的抱怨傳開。

And the dealer felt a little tremor of fear.

珠商感到一絲恐懼的顫慄。

“Do not blame me,” he said quickly.

「別怪我。」他很快地說。

“I am only an appraiser.

「我只是一個估價的人。

Ask the others.

去問問別人。

Go to their offices and show your pearl—or better let them come here, so that you can see there is no collusion.

到他們的辦公室去給他們看你的珍珠——或者更好的是，讓他們到這裡來，這樣你就能看到我們沒有串通。

Boy,” he called.

小廝！」他喊。

And when his servant looked through the rear door: “Boy, go to such a one, and such another one and such a third one.

等他的僕人從後門探頭進來：「小廝，去找某某人，還有某某人，還有第三個某某人。

Ask them to step in here and do not tell them why.

請他們過來一趟，別跟他們說為什麼。

Just say that I will be pleased to see them.”

就說我很樂意見見他們。」

And his right hand went behind the desk and pulled another coin from his pocket, and the coin rolled back and forth over the knuckles.

他的右手伸到桌子後面，從口袋裡又掏出一枚硬幣，硬幣又在指節上來回翻滾。

Kino’s neighbours whispered together.

奇諾的鄰居們交頭接耳。

They had been afraid of something like this.

他們早就怕會發生這種事。

The pearl was large, but it had a strange colour.

珍珠是很大，可是顏色有點怪。

They had been suspicious of it from the first.

他們從一開始就懷疑它了。

And after all, a thousand pesos was not to be thrown away.

再說，一千披索也不是可以隨便丟掉的。

It was comparative wealth to a man who was not wealthy.

對一個不富有的人來說，那已經算是一筆財富了。

And suppose Kino took a thousand pesos.

假如奇諾收下一千披索。

Only yesterday he had nothing.

昨天他還一無所有呢。

But Kino had grown tight and hard.

可是奇諾已經變得緊繃而強硬。

He felt the creeping of fate, the circling of wolves, the hover of vultures.

他感覺到命運在悄悄逼近，狼群在繞圈，禿鷹在盤旋。

He felt the evil coagulating about him, and he was helpless to protect himself.

他感覺到邪惡正在他周圍凝結，而他無力保護自己。

He heard in his ears the evil music.

他耳中聽見了惡的音樂。

And on the black velvet the great pearl glistened, so that the dealer could not keep his eyes from it.

黑絲絨上，那顆大珍珠閃閃發亮，亮得珠商的眼睛離不開它。

The crowd in the doorway wavered and broke and let the three pearl dealers through.

門口的人群晃動、散開，讓三個珠商進來。

The crowd was silent now, fearing to miss a word, to fail to see a gesture or an expression.

人群現在安靜了，生怕漏聽一個字、漏看一個手勢或表情。

Kino was silent and watchful.

奇諾沉默而警覺。

He felt a little tugging at his back, and he turned and looked in Juana’s eyes, and when he looked away he had renewed strength.

他感覺到背後被輕輕拉了一下，他轉頭看進胡安娜的眼睛，等他把眼光移開時，他又有了新的力量。

The dealers did not glance at one another nor at the pearl.

珠商們既不看彼此，也不看珍珠。

The man behind the desk said: “I have put a value on this pearl.

桌子後面的人說：「我已經替這顆珍珠估了價。

The owner here does not think it fair.

這位物主覺得不公道。

I will ask you to examine this—this thing and make an offer.

我想請各位檢查一下這個——這個東西，出個價。

Notice,” he said to Kino, “I have not mentioned what I have offered.”

注意，」他對奇諾說，「我沒有說我出了多少。」

The first dealer, dry and stringy, seemed now to see the pearl for the first time.

第一個珠商又乾又瘦，好像現在才第一次看見那顆珍珠。

He took it up, rolled it quickly between thumb and forefinger, and then cast it contemptuously back into the tray.

他把它拿起來，在拇指和食指之間很快地搓了搓，然後輕蔑地丟回托盤。

“Do not include me in the discussion,” he said dryly.

「別把我算進來。」他冷冷地說。

“I will make no offer at all.

「我根本不出價。

I do not want it.

我不要。

This is not a pearl—it is a monstrosity.”

這不是珍珠——這是個怪物。」

His thin lips curled.

他薄薄的嘴唇撇了撇。

Now the second dealer, a little man with a shy soft voice, took up the pearl, and he examined it carefully.

接著第二個珠商——一個聲音羞怯柔和的小個子——拿起珍珠仔細檢查。

He took a glass from his pocket and inspected it under magnification.

他從口袋裡拿出一個放大鏡，放大了檢查。

Then he laughed softly.

然後他輕聲笑了。

“Better pearls are made of paste,” he said.

「人造的假珍珠都比這個好。」他說。

“I know these things.

「這種東西我懂。

This is soft and chalky, it will lose its colour and die in a few months.

這個又軟又像粉筆，幾個月後就會褪色、死掉。

Look——.”

你看——」

He offered the glass to Kino, showed him how to use it, and Kino, who had never seen a pearl’s surface magnified, was shocked at the strange-looking surface.

他把放大鏡遞給奇諾，教他怎麼用；奇諾從來沒看過放大的珍珠表面，被那奇怪的表面嚇了一跳。

The third dealer took the pearl from Kino’s hands.

第三個珠商從奇諾手裡拿走珍珠。

“One of my clients likes such things,” he said.

「我有一個客人喜歡這種東西。」他說。

“I will offer five hundred pesos, and perhaps I can sell it to my client for six hundred.”

「我出五百披索，也許我可以用六百賣給我的客人。」

Kino reached quickly and snatched the pearl from his hand.

奇諾飛快地伸手，從他手裡搶回珍珠。

He wrapped it in the deerskin and thrust it inside his shirt.

他用鹿皮把它包起來，塞進襯衫裡。