最近看了一本书，名叫Never Cry Wolf。作者是加拿大的生物学家，或者说博物学家，Farley Mowat。
算下来这是我读过的第二部关于狼的书。第一部叫《狼王洛波》，是本小说。作者也是加拿大人。在《狼王洛波》中，狼是一群凶猛而异常聪明的动物，会绕开捕狼陷阱，会在月圆之夜集体对着月亮长嚎。《狼王洛波》让我间接地了解了狼性，并对生活在广袤天地的狼产生了亲切感。
如果说《狼王洛波》来自于虚构，Never Cry Wolf却完全来源于现实，是作者对狼的科学观察，讲述的是生活在次北极地区的狼的真实生活。
刚开始看前几页的时候，我以为它可能就像常规论文或著作一样，里面充斥着客观描写和数据分析。但看了六十多页以后，却发现，作者的文字越来越有文学味，不似科学报告，更像描写生动，包含心理分析的小说。尤其令我爱不释手的是，作者在描写的过程中似乎不经意地就秀出了大段大段的幽默！让我看着看着就禁不住想笑。
Never Cry Wolf主要描写的是一对野狼，公狼被作者命名为George，母狼为Angeline。公狼的名字很普通，母狼的名字则明显来自于“天使”。在书中作者自己承认，他也不知道为什么这样给母狼命名，但后来他发现，自己还真的好喜欢她，以至于，完成这部作品之后，作者真诚地在扉页上题写了这样一行字：献给安吉琳——天使！
下面，我打算从书中择取一些精彩片段，供热爱英语和文学的人和我一起欣赏：
1. I discovered that,although wolves reputedly devoured several hundred people in the Arctic Zone every year, they will always refrain from attacking a pregnant Eskimo. (P24)
这段文字告诉我们，狼有狼道，它们不会攻击怀孕的爱斯基摩女人。
2. My head came slowly over the crest — and there was my quarry. He was lying down, evidently resting after his mournful singsong, and his nose was about six feet from mine. We stared at one another in silence. I do not know what went on in his massive skull, but my head was full of the most disturbing thoughts. I was peering straight into the amber gaze of a fully grown arctic wolf, who probably weighed more than I did, and who was certainly a lot better versed in close-combat techniques than I would ever be.(p54)
本段描写的是作者第一次与狼遭遇的场面，有紧张，但不血腥，其结果甚至有些令人意外：狼被人吓跑了！
3. When they reached the bottom they separated, shook the sand out of their hair, and stood panting heavily, almost nose to nose. Then the female reared up and quite literally embraced the male with both fore paws while she proceeded to smother him in long-tongues kisses. (p 65)
这一段描写的是公狼和母狼嬉戏后的情景，其中，母狼的那种与可爱的女人别无二致的矫媚之态，不仅跃然纸上，更是让旁观者和读者心生暖意。
4. They appeared to be quite relaxed and comfortable, as if they had been sitting there behind my back for hours. The big male seemed a trifle bored; but the female’s gaze was fixed on me with what I took to be an expression of unabashed and even prurient curiosity.
...
“Shoo!” I screamed at them. “What the hell do you think you are at, you... you...peeping Toms! Go away, for heaven’s sake!”
The wolves were startled. They sprang to their feet, glanced at each other with a wild surmise, and then trotted off, passed down a draw, and disappeared in the direction of the esker. They didn’t once look back. (P71)
上面两段文字描写的是作者守在离狼窝不远的地方观察狼，观察了很久一无所获，最后松懈下来，准备收拾东西回住处的时候，突然一转身，发现几条狼就站在自己身后不远处，而且，显然已经站了很长时间，正漫不经心地观察着“我”。
“巨大的公狼似乎已经厌倦了，而母狼还在盯着我，目光里透出一种在我看来不加掩饰的满是淫欲的好奇。”
5. It must have been a show. When I got myself straightened out and glanced back up the esker, it was to see three adult wolves ranged side by side like spectators in the Royal Box, all peering down at me with expressions of incredulous delight.(75)
这段文字出现在作者观察狼崽之后。由于过于专注，作者根本就没发觉几条成年狼已经回来，而且发现了自己。在母狼一声嚎叫之后，狼崽都警惕地跑进了洞里，而作者也吓得不得了，转身就往蛇丘下跑。当他跑出一段距离，停下来向后看，让他意外的是，几条成年狼竟然静静地站在高处，仿佛在看他丑陋的表演，眼里露出的是掺杂着疑惑的开心！
看到这里我禁不住笑起来，心想，这几条狼一定是觉得这家伙太好玩了，自己把自己吓成那熊样！
6. Quite by accident I had pitched my tent within ten yards of one of the major paths used by the wolves when they were going to, or coming from, their hunting grounds to the westward; and only a few hours after I had taken up residence one of the wolves came back from a trip and discovered me and my tent. He was at the end of a hard night’s work and was clearly tired and anxious to go home to bed. He came over a small rise fifty yards from me with his head down, his eyes half-closed, and a preoccupied air about him. Far from being the preternaturally alert and suspicious beast of fiction, this wolf was so self-engrossed that he came straight on to within fifteen yards of me, and might have gone right past the tent without seeing it at all, had I not banged my elbow against the teakettle, making a resounding clank. The wolf’s head came up and his eyes opened wide, but he didn’t stop or falter in his space. One brief, sidelong glance was all the wolf vouchsafed to me as he continued on his way. (P80)
这一段描写的是公狼打猎回家的样子。有些疲惫，缺乏警惕，就那么低着头一路向前，即便遇到了人，即便听到了茶炊的声响，也丝毫不放慢脚步，更没有恐惧地后退。
读这段文字，我觉得作者不是在写狼，而是在写他的一个忙碌了一天，正慢慢回家的邻居。很亲切，很人性化。
—— 真想知道，狼当时在想什么呢，怎么变成了一副灰头土脸的样子。呵呵……
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