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7. His attitude of fatigue vanished and was replaced by a look of bewilderment. Cautiously he extended his nose and sniffed at one of my marked bushes. He didn’t seem to know what to make of it or what to do about it. After a minute of complete indecision he backed away a few yards and sat down. And then, finally, he looked directly at the tent and at me. It was a long, thoughtful, considering sort of look. (P 83)
作者为了密切观察狼的习性和生活,在离狼窝不远的地方支起了帐篷,并且按照狼的习性,在离帐篷不远的地方做了一些标志(通过撒尿留下气味)。结果,当晚就发现,打猎回来的狼本来正疲惫不堪地走着,突然发觉了作者留下来的标志( marked 你这是)。立刻,疲态尽失,一脸茫然,而后,异常谨慎地走近作者留下的标志,嗅嗅:
“他不知道怎么回事,也不知道该怎么办。在经过足足一分钟的犹豫之后,他向后退了两步,蹲下来。最后,他把目光直接投向了帐篷,投向了我。他看了很长时间,满是打量和思索。”
这样的描写不只呈现了动态,更重要的是反映了被描写者的心理变化:疲惫—谨慎—犹豫—思索—怀疑。这样的文字,既能让读者有亲眼目睹的快感,又能有深入狼的内心世界,体会狼的茫然、谨慎、疑惑的愉悦,从而使文字充满文学表达的魅力,让读者产生强烈的阅读欲望。
8. ... unlike dogs, who have adopted many of the habits of their human owners, wolf bitches mate with only a single male, and mate for life.
这段文字讲述的内容有些出人意料。因为,在人类的有限知识范围内,狼和狗是一类属性,狼基本就是没有被驯化的狗。但通过上述文字我们发现,狼在某些方面与狗有着明显的不同。狗是杂交动物,没有爱,只有本能。狼则不然:
“母狼只跟一头公狼做爱,终身如此。”
也因此,作者接下来发出了这样的感叹:
9. Whereas the phrase “till death us do part” is one of the more amusing mockeries in the nuptial arrangements if a large proportion of the human race, with wolves it’s a simple fact. (P 93)
在这段文字中,作者明显是借题发挥,以狼的忠贞讽刺人类的不忠,甚至,虚伪:
“‘直教生死相许’不过是婚姻组合中非常滑稽的讽刺语罢了。”
10. The days passed and the mystery deepened. To make the problem even more inscrutable, the wolves seemed reasonably well fed; and to baffle me to the point of near insanity, the two male wolves went off hunting every night and returned every morning, but never appeared to bring anything home. (P 101)
由于鹿群已经迁移,狼不再能打到鹿,以至于,公狼每天只能空手而归。但是,狼崽子却没有因此而闹腾,更没有很快消瘦下去,反过来,狼崽子依旧营养充足,无忧无虑。这种状态令作者摸不着头脑。
当然,也令读者摸不着头脑。
不过,迷底很快就揭开了。原来,狼不只吃鹿,也吃老鼠和鱼,而且,捕鱼的技能不比熊差。
他们虽然是空手而归,但肚子里却已经收获了很多,回到家,把半消化的东西吐出来,就是狼崽的美食。
11. “Eskimo thinks if man eat mice his parts get small like mice,” he explained reluctantly. “But if man eat eggs everything cones out all right.” (p 117)
作者为了体验狼的生活,后来也动手逮起了老鼠,把老鼠皮扒了煮吃。
当爱斯基摩人知道作者竟然吃老鼠之后,首先表现出惊讶,然后表现了极大的担忧。因为,在爱斯基摩人的文化里,吃老鼠会使人整个儿缩小!当然,也有解救办法,就是吃鸡蛋;吃鸡蛋可以使缩小的身体恢复正常。
12. ... he told me that as a child of about five years he had been taken to a wolf den by his father, a shaman of repute, and had been left there for twenty-four hours, during which time he made friends with and played on terms of equality with the wolf pups, and was sniffed at but otherwise unmolested by the adult wolves. (P 119-120)
这一段讲述了爱斯基摩人与狼的共生关系。他们彼此不是敌人,有时候简直就是人类之间或狼类之间的邻居。也因此,爱斯基摩人的孩子可以去狼窝与狼崽玩耍,而不用担心遭到成年狼的袭击。
13. ... George, who had been sleeping on the crest of the esker, suddenly sat up, cocked his ears forward and pointed his long muzzle toward the north. After a minute or two he threw back his head and howled; a long, quavering howl which started low and ended on the highest note my ears would register.
Ootek grabbed my arm and broke into a delighted grin.
“Caribou are coming; the wolf says so!”
(P 131)
这一段讲述了狼语。
远处的狼发来了信号,说驯鹿正在经过它那儿的领地,作者密切观察的公狼George听到了,然后把该信号转发给其他狼群。
当时,陪作者观察的爱斯基摩人Ootek也听懂了,以至于笑着跟作者说:驯鹿来了;狼说的。
14. A human baby put in a wolf den would die, he said, not because the wolves wished it to die, but simply because it would be incapable, by virtue of its inherent helplessness, of living as a wolf. (P 148)
这段文字带有知识性和科学性:没有,也不可能有,狼孩之说。人可以用人奶喂狼,人类的婴儿在狼窝里却绝对无法存活。
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