WE WATCH him come around the corner and mount the steps. He does not look at us."You ready?" he says.
"If you're hitched(套住,勾住) up," I say. I say "Wait." He stops,looking at pa. Vernon spits,without moving. He spits with decorous(端庄得体的,厚重的) and deliberate(蓄意的，从容的) precision into the pocked dust below the porch❶. Pa rubs his hands slowly on his knees. He is gazing out beyond the crest(山顶) of the bluff(峭壁), out across the land. Jewel watches him a moment,then he goes on to the pail(桶) and drinks again.
我们看着他绕过屋角，登上台阶，他没有看我们。
“你们准备如何?”他问。
“就等你把车套上了，”我说。
我又说:“等一等。”
他停住脚，望着老爹。付农站着没动，吐了口痰，动作从容淡定，却又异常精准，直直射入廊道下一个小坑的尘土中。老爹(孩子爸)两手放在膝盖上，来回慢慢搓。他的目光越过崖顶，越过田地。朱尔看了他一眼，走到桶边去又喝了一些水。
"I mislike undecision as much as ere(在……之前) a man," Pa says.
"It means three dollars," I say. The shirt across pa's hump(隆背) is faded lighter than the rest of it. There is no sweat stain(色斑,污渍) on his shirt. I have never seen a sweat stain on his shirt. He was sick once from working in the sun when he was twenty-two years old,and he tells people that if he ever sweats,he will die. I suppose he believes it.
“人前一样，我也讨厌犹豫不决。”老爹说。
“能拿到三块钱。”我说。老爹隆起的背部，衬衫颜色比别的地方淡一些。他衬衫上没有汗渍。我从未见过他衬衫有汗渍。他二十二岁时，有一次在烈日下干活犯病，他跟人说要是出汗他会死。我寻思，他自己也相信这样的鬼话。
"But if she dont last until you get back," he says."She will be disappointed."
Vernon spits into the dust. But it will rain before morning.
"She's counted on it," pa says."She'll want to start right away. I know her. I promised her I'd keep the team here and ready,and she's counting on it."
“不过要是她撑不到你们回来，”他说，“她会失望的。”
付农又朝那坑里吐了口痰。不过，天亮前会下雨。
“她牵挂着这事。”老爹说，“她巴不得立刻办。我懂她。我许诺过她，把队伍备好等着，她一直牵挂这事。”
"We'll need that three dollars then, sure," I say. He gazes out over the land, rubbing his hands on his knees. Since he lost his teeth his mouth collapses(崩溃,折叠,晕倒) in slow repetition when he dips. The stubble(胡茬) gives his lower face that appearance that old dogs have."You'd better make up your mind soon,so we can get there and get a load on before dark," I say.
“我们将更需要那三块钱了，真的。”我说。老爹眼光越过田野，两手放在膝盖上继续搓着。自从他牙齿掉了之后，他一吸鼻烟，嘴巴就慢慢往里陷。胡茬使他下半脸形象，看上去像只老狗。“你最好快点拿主意，这样我们就能在天黑前，赶到那装车货”我说。
"Ma aint that sick," Jewel says."Shut up,Darl."
"That's right," Vernon says."She seems more like herself today than she has in a week. Time you and Jewel get back,she'll be setting up."
“老妈没病得这么厉害，”朱尔说，“别说了，代尔。”
“对的，”付农说，“一个星期以来，她就今天精神最好。等你和朱尔回来，她就可以坐起来。”
"You ought to know," Jewel says."You been here often enough looking at her. You or your folks." Vernon looks at him. Jewel's eyes look like pale wood in his high-blooded face. He is a head taller than any of the rest of us,always was. I told them that's why ma always whipped(鞭笞) him and petted him more. Because he was peakling around the house more. That's why she named him Jewel I told them❷.
“你倒很清楚，”朱尔说，“你总来看她，来得真够勤，你和你一家子。”付农瞪眼看他。朱尔的脸充血，涨得通红，眼睛白森木然。他比我们所有人都高出一个头，一直都高。我跟大家说过，就因为这，老妈喜欢打他，也更宠爱他。我也告诉过大家，因为他又痩又弱，老在屋子周围转，老妈这才给他起名朱宝(宝儿)。
"Shut up,Jewel," pa says,but as though he is not listening much. He gazes out across the land,rubbing his knees.
"You could borrow the loan of Vernon's team and we could catch up with you," I say."If she didn't wait for us."
“闭嘴，朱尔，”老爹说。不过，好像他也没听。老爹眼睛越过田野，摩挲着双膝。“要是她等不及我们，”我说，“你可以先借付农的车用，我们会赶上来。”
"Ah,shut your goddamn mouth," Jewel says.
"She'll want to go in ourn," pa says. He rubs his knees."Dont ere a man mislike it more."
"It's laying there,watching Cash whittle(切，削) on that damn..." Jewel says.“
He says it harshly(严厉,苛刻),savagely(野蛮，粗鲁),but he does not say the word. Like a little boy in the dark to flail(鞭打，抽打) his courage and suddenly aghast(惊呆，吓呆) into silence by his own noise.
“唉，闭上你的臭嘴，”朱尔说。
“她就是想用我们自己的车拉，”爹说着，一边搓着双膝，“没有比这更烦人了。”
“躺在那，看卡什敲那口该死的……”朱尔说。他语气硬邦邦、恶狠狠，可没把那两字说出来。就像一个在黑暗里的小男孩，原想显露一下勇气，结果却被自己的叫喊吓住，反而不敢出声。
"She wanted that like she wants to go in our own wagon," pa says."She'll rest easier for knowing it's a good one,and private. She was ever a private woman. You know it well."
“她自己想那样，就像她非要用自家车拉，”老爹说，“知道自己人打好寿材，躺在里面踏实，自家的嘛，她一向爱用自家东西。你们都知道的。”
"Then let it be private," Jewel says."But how the hell can you expect it to be-" he looks at the back of pa's head, his eyes like pale wooden eyes.
"Sho(可靠的，稳当的)," Vernon says,"she'll hold on till it's finished. She'll hold on till everything's ready,till her own good time. And with the roads like they are now,it wont take you no time to get her to town."
“那就让自己人打，”朱尔说，“可是你他妈又怎知道啥时候——”他盯着老爹的后脑勺，两只眼白森森，木然无神。
“没问题，”付农说，“她能撑到你们把事情办完。她能撑到一切准备就绪，直到大限来临。再说沿着大路，就像这样，要不了多久，你们就可以把她送到城里。”
"It's fixing up to rain," pa says."I am a luckless man. I have ever been." He rubs his hands on his knees."It's that durn (责难,诽谤,贬责)doctor,liable(有责任的，有义务的) to come at any time. I couldn't get word to him till so late. If he was to come tomorrow and tell her the time was nigh(接近地,附近地),she wouldn't wait,I know her. Wagon or no wagon,she wouldn't wait. Then she'd be upset(难过的,失望的,沮丧的),and I wouldn't upset her for the living world❸. With that family burying-ground in Jefferson and them of her blood waiting for her there,she'll be impatient. I promised my word me and the boys would get her there quick as mules(骡子) could walk it,so she could rest quiet." He rubs his hands on his knees."No man ever misliked it more."❹
“天要下雨，”老爹说，“我这人运气不好，一向不好。”他把手放双膝上摩挲。“都怪那该死的大夫，他任何时候都有义务来，尽管让人捎话叫他来有点迟了。如果他明天才来，告诉她大限到来，她恐怕不愿等。我懂她。有没有大车，她都不愿等。不过，她会失望。在这最后时刻，我真不想让她失望。她娘家墓地在杰弗生，她的亲人都躺在那等她，她会不耐烦。我亲口答应她，我和孩子们一定用骡子尽最快速度送她去那，好让她安息。”他又在双膝上搓手，边搓边说：“没有比这更让人心烦了。”
"If everybody wasn't burning hell to get her there," Jewel says in that harsh, savage voice."With Cash all day long right under the window,hammering and sawing at that-"
"It was her wish," pa says."You got no affection nor gentleness for her. You never had. We would be beholden(有责任有义务的,感激的) to no man," he says,"me and her. We have never yet been,and she will rest quieter for knowing it and that it was her own blood sawed out the boards and drove(驾驶) the nails(钉子). She was ever one to clean up after herself."
“好像谁都火急火燎地要把她送到那去烧，”朱尔用他那刺耳的、粗狂的嗓音说，“卡什整天在她窗子底下，又敲又锯，在做那口——”
“那也是她的意思嘛，”老爹说，“你对她没有关心，没有感情。你一向没有。我们不愿欠人情，”他说，“我和你娘都如此。我们一向不愿欠谁人情，她懂卡什，懂得是自己亲骨肉在锯木板和钉钉子，只会安息得更好。她一直把自己料理得清楚明白，死后也一样。”
"It means three dollars," I say.
"Do you want us to go,or not?" Pa rubs his knees."We'll be back by tomorrow sundown."
"Well..." pa says. He looks out over the land,awry-haired,mouthing(装腔作势地嚼,心不在焉地喃喃地说) the snuff(鼻烟，气息) slowly against,his gums❺.
"Come on," Jewel says. He goes down the steps. Vernon spits neatly into the dust.
"By sundown,now," pa says."I would not keep her waiting."
“拉车货就挣三块钱，”我说。
“你到底要不要我们拉?”老爹又在搓他的膝盖了，“明天太阳下山前，我们能回来。”
“这个……”老爹喃喃地说。他向远处望去，目光越过田野，头发蓬乱，一边慢慢地嚼着嘴里的鼻烟。
“快说呀，”朱尔说着走下台阶。付农利落地吐了口痰。
“太阳下山前一定回来，”老爹说，“现在，我不愿让她多等。”
Jewel glances back,then he goes on around the house. I enter the hall, hearing the voices before I reach the door. Tilting a little down the hill,as our house does,a breeze draws through the hall all the time,upslanting❻. A feather dropped near the front door will rise and brush along the ceiling, slanting backward,until it reaches the down-turning current at the back door: so with voices. As you enter the hall,they sound as though they were speaking out of the air about your head.
朱尔扭头瞥了一眼，接着，他往前绕过屋角。我走进大厅，还没进门就听到了说话声。我们的房子顺着山下倾，所以，总有一股微风直直穿过门厅，斜斜地往这吹。掉在前门附近的一根羽毛，会浮起来沿着天花板斜着往后飘，直到给卷进后门口那股往下走的气流。声音也一样。你一进大厅，就好像听见有人在你头顶半空说话。
It was the sweetest thing I ever saw. It was like he knew he would never see her again,that Anse Bundren was driving him from his mother's death bed,never to see her in this world again. I always said Darl was different from those others.
这真是我见过的最感人的事。好像他知道自己再也见不到老娘了，好像安斯正在逼他从母亲临终的床前离开，使他这辈子再也看不见老妈。我总说代尔和别人不同。
I always said he was the only one of them that had his mother's nature,had any natural affection. Not that Jewel,the one she labored so to bear and coddled(娇惯，细心照料) and petted(宠爱，爱抚) so and him flinging(恣意，放纵) into tantrums(突然发怒，发脾气) or sulking(生气) spells,inventing devilment to devil her until I would have trailed(拖，磨蹭) him time and time. Not him to come and tell her goodbye. Not him to miss a chance to make that extra three dollars at the price of his mother's goodbye kiss.
我总说他是孩子中唯一性情像妈的人，只有他有点人情味。朱尔就不同了，虽然她怀朱尔的时候最辛苦，对他最溺爱最娇养，可是，朱尔不是发脾气就是生闷气，还想出各种恶作剧来耍母亲，到后来连我也看不下去，不得不一次次拖住他。朱尔是绝不会来和母亲告别的，他绝不会因为和母亲吻别，而丧失赚三块钱的机会。
A Bundren through and through,loving nobody,caring for nothing except how to get something with the least amount of work. Mr Tull says Darl asked them to wait. He said Darl almost begged them on his knees not to force him to leave her in her condition.
他简直是一个地道的安斯，不爱任何人，不关心任何事，除了挖空心思盘算，怎么花最小力气得到点什么。屠尔先生说代尔求他们等一会。他说代尔几乎要跪下，求他们别在这种情况下，逼自己离开老妈。
But nothing would do but Anse and Jewel must make that three dollars. Nobody that knows Anse could have expected different,but to think of that boy,that Jewel,selling all those years of self-denial(否认，拒绝，剥夺权力) and downright(露骨的，直截了当的) partiality(偏爱，偏心)-they couldn't fool me: Mr Tull says Mrs Bundren liked Jewel the least of all,but I knew better. I knew she was partial to him,to the same quality in him that let her put up with Anse Bundren when Mr Tull said she ought to poisoned him-for three dollars,denying his dying mother the goodbye kiss.
可是怎么说也没用，安斯和朱尔非要赚那三块钱。没人指望安斯有不同想法。但是，想想那孩子——朱尔，他把母亲这么些年来的自我牺牲和明显的偏爱，全都出卖了——他们骗不了我:屠尔先生说老妈最不喜朱尔，可是我知道得更多。我知道她是偏爱朱尔，偏爱朱尔身上那种品质，正是同一品质使她容忍安斯。按屠尔先生说法，她本该毒死安斯——就为了三块钱，朱尔居然放弃母亲临终时的吻别权利。
Why(int.哎呀，哟),for the last three weeks I have been coming over every time I could, coming sometimes when I shouldn't have,neglecting my own family and duties so that somebody would be with her in her last moments and she would not have to face the Great Unknown without one familiar face to give her courage. Not that I deserve credit(赢得好感) for it: I will expect the same for myself. But thank God it will be the faces of my loved kin(亲属),my blood and flesh(肉体，肌肤),for in my husband and children I have been more blessed than most,trials(磨难，审讯) though they have been at times.
哎，最后三星期，我一有空就上这边。甚至有时我本不该来，因为，我把自家事情撂一边，一心想让她临终时，身边有个熟悉的面孔，给她勇气。这倒不是说我为此赢得好感；轮到我时，我也是希望有人照顾我。可是，苍天保佑，伺候我的一定得是我自家的脸——我的亲骨肉，因为这一点，我比大多数人都有福气。我的丈夫和孩子们都爱我，虽然他们有时候也挺磨人。
She lived,a lonely woman,lonely with her pride,trying to make folks believe different,hiding the fact that they just suffered her,because she was not cold in the coffin before they were carting(费力运送) her forty miles away to bury her,flouting(愚弄,嘲笑) the will of God to do it. Refusing to let her lie in the same earth with those Bundrens.
她是个孤独的女人，孤傲地活着，还得在人前装出日子过得很美满，掩盖着他们全都折磨她的真相。因为，棺材里身体还没变冷，他们就要把她装上大车，拉到四十里外去埋了，这样做完全是蔑视老天。他们居然拒绝让她和安斯家的人葬一起。
"But she wanted to go," Mr Tull said."It was her own wish to lie among her own people."
"Then why didn't she go alive?”
I said."Not one of them would have stopped her,with even that little one almost old enough now to be selfish and stone-hearted like the rest of them❼."
“不过，那确实是她想去，”屠尔先生说，“和娘家人葬在一起，是她的意愿。”
“那她活着时候，为什么不去?”我说，“没人会拦她，连那小儿子也不会。现在，小儿子马上长大了，也会变得像另外几个一样，自私自利、铁石心肠。”
"It was her own wish," Mr Tull said."I heard Anse say it was."
"And you would believe Anse,of course," I said."A man like you would. Dont tell me."
"I'd believe him about something he couldn't expect to make anything off of me by not telling," Mr Tull said.
“那是她的意愿，”屠尔先生说，“我听安斯说的。”
“当然了，你信安斯的，”我说，“只有你这种男人才会信他。不过，别告诉我，我不信。”
“有些事，就算他不说，也占不到我便宜，这时，我才信他。”屠尔先生说。
"Dont tell me," I said."A woman's place is with her husband and children, alive or dead. Would you expect me to want to go back to Alabama and leave you and the girls when my time comes, that I left of my own will to cast(扔，抛，挑选，描述) my lot with yours for better and worse,until death and after?"
"Well,folks are different," he said.
“别跟我说，我不信，”我说，“女人，就该和丈夫、孩子守在一起，不论生死。这是女人的本分。难道你希望我临死时回亚拉巴马州去，把你和丫头们撂这吗？难道我没在婚礼时发誓，要和你有福同享有难共当，至死不渝吗?”
“好吧，人跟人不一样，”他说。
I should hope so. I have tried to live right in the sight of God and man,for the honor and comfort of my Christian husband and the love and respect of my Christian children. So that when I lay me down in the consciousness of my duty and reward I will be surrounded by loving faces,carrying the farewell kiss of each of my loved ones into my reward. Not like Addie Bundren dying alone, hiding her pride and her broken heart. Glad to go.
我想事情本如此。为了我本分丈夫的荣誉安康，也为了我本分孩子们的爱与自尊，我一直按老天和正常人标准，堂堂正正做人，老老实实生活。这样，在我躺下来时，自知责任已尽酬谢在望，围绕我的将是一张张充满爱意的脸，我可以把每一个亲人的告别吻，加到酬谢里。而不像安迪(老妇自己)那样，在孤独中死去，把骄傲与哀伤藏得严严实实。我会高兴地离开人世。
Lying there with her head propped up so she could watch Cash building the coffin,having to watch him so he would not skimp(克扣，节省) on it,like as not,with those men not worrying about anything except if there was time to earn another three dollars before the rain come and the river got too high to get across it. Like as not,if they hadn't decided to make that last load,they would have loaded her into the wagon on a quilt and crossed the river first and then stopped and give her time to die what Christian death they would let her.
她躺在那，把头支起来，看着卡什打棺材。好像不这样，卡什就会偷工减料。而那帮男人，其他事不操心，只惦记着下雨涨水前赚三块钱。要是他们决定不去拉货，很可能用被子一裹，把她扔进大车先过河，然后让她在那等死，这也是她可能面对的某种死亡。
Except Darl. It was the sweetest thing I ever saw. Sometimes I lose faith in human nature for a time; I am assailed(袭击，攻击) by doubt. But always the Lord restores my faith and reveals to me His bounteous(无尽的) love for His creatures. Not Jewel,the one she had always cherished, not him. He was after that three extra dollars.
只有达尔不一样。这真是我所见最最感人的事。有时候，我会对人性短暂失去信心。我会让怀疑击倒。可是老天总恢复我的信念，向我展示他对万物有着无尽的爱。朱尔不这样,他一直受尽她的宠爱，却只想挣那三块钱。
It was Darl,the one that folks say is queer,lazy,pottering(闲逛) about the place no better than Anse,with Cash a good carpenter and always more building than he can get around to,and Jewel always doing something that made him some money or got him talked about,and that near-naked girl always standing over Addie with a fan so that every time a body tried to talk to her and cheer her up,would answer for her right quick,like she was trying to keep anybody from coming near her at all.
只有代尔不一样，人们说他脾气古怪，懒惰，终日闲逛，和艾琳差不多。卡什是个好木匠，总是在忙着盖房。朱尔，总在干活给自己捞钱，或是惹得大家说闲话。还有那个几乎疯癫的姑娘，一直站在老妈身边摇扇子，每逢有人想和她妈说话和让她妈高兴，姑娘总是抢着回答，倒像是存心不让别人挨近她。
It was Darl. He come to the door and stood there,looking at his dying mother. He just looked at her,and I felt the bounteous love of the Lord again and His mercy. I saw that with Jewel she had just been pretending,but that it was between her and Darl that the understanding and the true love was. He just looked at her,not even coming in where she could see him and get upset, knowing that Anse was driving him away and he would never see her again. He said nothing,just looking at her.
代尔不一样。他来到门口站在那，看着奄奄一息的母亲。他只是看着她，可我却感到老天无尽的爱和他的怜悯。我懂了，艾迪对朱尔的感情是装的，只有跟代尔之间，才有理解和真正的感情。他仅仅看着她，甚至不用走进房间，免得她见到自己难受。他懂得艾琳正催他走，这是最后一次看她，再也没机会了。他什么也没说，只是定定看着她。
"What you want,Darl?" Dewey Dell said,not stopping the fan,speaking up quick,keeping even him from her. He didn't answer. He just stood and looked at his dying mother,his heart too full for words.
“你要什么，代尔?”杜尔(女儿)说，手里的扇子不停，口气急促，甚至连他也不让靠近。他没有回答，他只是站在那，看着奄奄一息的老娘，他心里话太多。
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作者：福克纳
译者：黄思明
按：
❶He spits with decorous and deliberate precision into the pocked dust below the porch.译为“(付农站着没动)，吐了口痰，动作从容淡定，却又异常精准，直直射入廊道下一个小坑的尘土中。”decorous是“端庄得体的，厚重的”意思，deliberate是“蓄意的，从容的，淡定的”意思，这里的一口痰都被作者描写得这么详细，可能是作者用来表现付农等待时的一种状态和态度。
❷Because he was peakling around the house more. That's why she named him Jewel I told them,译为“因为他又痩又弱，老在屋子周围转，老妈这才给他起名朱宝(宝儿)”，英语里面Jewel本来就是“宝石，宝贝”的意思，中文“朱宝儿”正好也谐音“宝贝，珠宝”，简称为“朱尔”。
这里面，我们插一句。文中可以看出来，朱尔和母亲的感情是又爱又恨，甚至恨多过爱。母亲打他最多，但是以爱之名，所以，小说中也说朱尔把母亲的偏爱和自我牺牲，全部给出卖了。倒是代尔，却和母亲有着那种最诚挚的感情，一个眼神，就足以互相理解了。
看来，不仅中国，美国也一样。我们家也有好几个孩子，我、阿慧姐和小雨都和老娘关系不太好。大体上，也可能是朱尔与杜尔等几个和母亲类似的亲子关系，我弟则和代尔一样，和母亲关系好很多。我甚至怀疑，我们家将来会不会也是小说中的一样结局，这让我多少有些不安。
福克纳写的是美国文化下的亲子关系图像，为何中国至今也还是脱不了这种关系模式，这让我啧啧称奇同时，对自己原生家庭也是感受和感悟都更深入了一步。
❸Then she'd be upset(难过的,失望的,沮丧的),and I wouldn't upset her for the living world,我意译为“不过，她会失望。在这最后时刻，我真不想让她失望”。这一段，父亲不让让妻子失望，才说了这句话，毕竟老妇人都想葬回娘家。我们不妨推测，老妇人一生在夫家没有获得应有的尊敬，不然为啥不是留着和丈夫葬一起呢？诚然，也是安斯家拒绝葬在丈夫这边。
否则，下文中的“我”(仍然指老妇人)不会那么说“难道我没在婚礼时发誓，要和你有福同享有难共当，至死不渝吗?”Would you expect me to want to go back to Alabama and leave you and the girls when my time comes, that I left of my own will to cast(扔，抛，挑选，描述) my lot with yours for better and worse,until death and after?
这里把“我”的矛盾心情表现出来了，难免让读者阅读时产生困惑，所以，这几段我也是反复读了很多遍。
在这里，我们重新来理清人物之间的关系，小说女主叫艾琳Addie Bundren，也就是临死前躺在病床上的这位老妇人，也就是文中的“我”，曾经当过小学教员。
大儿子叫卡什Cash，性格直爽，在老妈床头旁，很认真刻板地给老妇人做棺材。最后还在运送老娘棺材时，卡什丢了一只腿。书中特别强调卡什，他小时候拿着平底锅去装满粪便，拿给老妈种花，这些举止，和他又敲又钉棺材形成照明对照。
老二叫代尔Darl，和老妈感情最好，甚至一个眼神一个手势，两人就“心有灵犀”，无需多言。这大概也是最后老二进入疯人院的原因，只是他太重感情了。
老三叫朱尔Jewel，对母亲又爱又恨，甚至半途想赚三块钱丢下老妈不管。小时候，朱尔挨最多的打，被最大的期待，被人(比如屠尔先生)认为是老妈的最爱。实际上可能并不是，最后他也失去了心爱的马儿。
女儿杜尔(Dewey Dell)，就是开篇说的假小子和男人婆的那个女孩，老妇人甚至认为她疯疯癫癫。在老妈临死前，她不停给老妈摇扇子，好像做着一个孝顺的闺女，却是阻止所有人接近老妇，举止也“疯疯癫癫”，为老妇所不喜。
此外，文中还有一个付农Vernon，其实就是那位Mr Tull，是艾琳家的乡邻，全名叫Vernon Tull，原文在不同位置用不同表达，我也就给他译成了两个不同的叫法，颇为令人头大。这就好比中国人以前有名与字。我们发现，他用Mr Tull时，多是很尊敬和严肃的时刻；用Vernon就比较随便，譬如付农吐痰的时候。
最后，我们看这重要的一个“Anse Bundren”，也就是女主的丈夫，译为“安斯”，这个家伙可谓最讨人厌，连同把三子Jewel也带着一起令人讨厌。
其实女主艾琳还有一个小儿子，截止目前，女主有提到，也就是这句Not one of them would have stopped her,with even that little one almost old enough now to be selfish and stone-hearted like the rest of them，详细解释见注释❼。这里面，小说暂时还没有交代名字，我们也就暂时忽略他。
❹He rubs his hands on his knees."No man ever misliked it more，译为“他又在双膝上搓手，边搓边说：“没有比这更让人心烦了。”老父亲不停搓手，这个动作，小说中出现了好几次，有一次是摩擦膝盖。这句话，正好就是表现他对妻子要求的不满了。
❺"Well..." pa says. He looks out over the land,awry-haired,mouthing the snuff slowly against,his gums，译为“'这个……'老爹喃喃地说。他向远处望去，目光越过田野，头发蓬乱，一边慢慢地嚼着嘴里的鼻烟。”
❻Tilting a little down the hill,as our house does,a breeze draws through the hall all the time,upslanting，译为“我们的房子顺着山下倾，所以，总有一股微风直直穿过门厅，斜斜地往这吹。”
这一段描写房子依山而建，下面还写那根羽毛可以随风飘荡进入房里，这却是为了写站在房门就能听到声音，隔音效果自然是不好的。
❼Not one of them would have stopped her,with even that little one almost old enough now to be selfish and stone-hearted like the rest of them，译为“没人会拦她，连那个小儿子也不会，现在，小儿子马上长大了，也会变得像另外几个一样，自私自利、铁石心肠。”
这是躺在床上的艾迪的悲观想法，因此才有这么一句。为何活着不走呢？偏要死了要回娘家合葬。又像是临死之人的自问自答，读来颇为心酸。
总之，这本小说不好读，有很多自问自答，甚至会读得很压抑。但是，人都到了最后一刻了，如何健康积极呢？福克纳毕竟不是米奇·阿尔博姆，他不是一个局外人，他是小说的作者，他就不得不沉浸在故事本身当中，他甚至完全当自己就是艾琳了。
而《相约星期二》不一样，作者米奇是个局外人，并不是弥留之际的莫里教授，所以他能够超脱写出积极向上走乐观豁达的《星期二》。两本都是写“弥留之际”，一本悲观厌世，令一本超脱乐观，这是不一样的阅读体验。
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