克蘇魯翻譯：月光下之物 The Thing in the Moonlight

原文連結：

https：//www。

hplovecraft。com/writing

s/texts/fiction/tm。aspx

Morgan is not a literary man； in fact he cannot speak English with any degree of coherency。 That is what makes me wonder about the words he wrote， though others have laughed。

摩根不是文化人，事實上他英語都說不利索。這就是讓我對他寫的文字感到好奇的原因，儘管其他人都笑了。

He was alone the evening it happened。 Suddenly an unconquerable urge to write came over him， and taking pen in hand he wrote the following：

那件事情發生的時候，他是一個人。突然，一股無法抑制的寫作衝動湧上心頭，他拿起筆，寫下了這些文字。

My name is Howard Phillips。 I live at 66 College Street， in Providence， Rhode Island。 On November 24， 1927—for I know not even what the year may be now—， I fell asleep and dreamed， since when I have been unable to awaken。

我的名字叫霍華德·菲利普斯，住在羅德島州普羅維登斯大學街66號。1927年11月24日，我甚至都不知道現在是哪一年，我睡著了，開始做夢，從那時起我沒法醒來。

My dream began in a dank， reed-choked marsh that lay under a gray autumn sky， with a rugged cliff of lichen-crusted stone rising to the north。 Impelled by some obscure quest， I ascended a rift or cleft in this beetling precipice， noting as I did so the black mouths of many fearsome burrows extending from both walls into the depths of the stony plateau。

我的夢境始於一處潮溼的、長滿蘆葦的沼澤，秋季的天空灰濛濛的，北部的崎嶇不平的懸崖長滿了苔蘚。在一股無名的追求的驅使下，我爬上了突出的懸崖的裂口或者隘口。在攀爬的時候，我發現許多可怕洞穴的開口，從兩邊的巖壁延伸到了石頭平原的深處。

At several points the passage was roofed over by the choking of the upper parts of the narrow fissure； these places being exceeding dark， and forbidding the perception of such burrows as may have existed there。 In one such dark space I felt conscious of a singular accession of fright， as if some subtle and bodiless emanation from the abyss were engulfing my spirit； but the blackness was too great for me to perceive the source of my alarm。

在好幾個地方，狹窄裂隙上部合攏將通道覆蓋，這些地方尤其黑暗，導致這裡的很多洞口都看不見。在一個如此的黑暗地帶，我感到了一股恐懼油然而生，好像來自深淵的什麼微妙的、沒有形體的力量正在包裹我的精神，但是實在太黑了，我看不見引發警覺的源頭。

At length I emerged upon a tableland of moss-grown rock and scanty soil， lit by a faint moonlight which had replaced the expiring orb of day。 Casting my eyes about， I beheld no living object； but was sensible of a very peculiar stirring far below me， amongst the whispering rushes of the pestilential swamp I had lately quitted。

最後我來到一處高地，這裡到處是長滿苔蘚的岩石，土壤很稀少，微弱的月光照亮了這裡，取代了正在消失的落日。我環顧四周，沒有發現活物，但是感受到了下面的一股奇特的擾動，我剛離開的瘟疫沼澤正在竊竊私語。

After walking for some distance， I encountered the rusty tracks of a street railway， and the worm-eaten poles which still held the limp and sagging trolley wire。 Following this line， I soon came upon a yellow， vestibuled car numbered 1852—of a plain， double-trucked type common from 1900 to 1910。 It was untenanted， but evidently ready to start； the trolley being on the wire and the air-brake now and then throbbing beneath the floor。 I boarded it and looked vainly about for the light switch—noting as I did so the absence of the controller handle， which thus implied the brief absence of the motorman。 Then I sat down in one of the cross seats of the vehicle。 Presently I heard a swishing in the sparse grass toward the left， and saw the dark forms of two men looming up in the moonlight。 They had the regulation caps of a railway company， and I could not doubt but that they were conductor and motorman。 Then one of them

sniffed

with singular sharpness， and raised his face to howl to the moon。 The other dropped on all fours to run toward the car。

走了一段距離後，我遇到了街道鐵路的生鏽的鐵軌，蟲蛀的電線杆上依然掛著燈和下垂的電車線。沿著鐵軌，我很快遇到了黃色的門廊式列車，編號1852，這是1900到1910年代常見的普通雙規型別。上面沒有乘客，但很明顯準備好了發車，列車連上了電線，空氣制動器在底盤下面不時地跳動。我上了車，四處看看，徒勞地尋找電燈開關，沒有發現控制器的手柄，這說明司機暫時不在。很快我聽見左邊稀疏的草地上傳來一陣沙沙聲，看見月光之下2個人的黑暗身形逐漸顯現。他們有鐵路公司的制式帽子，我沒有懷疑他們就是列車員和駕駛員。然後他們中的一個用異常敏銳的嗅覺嗅了嗅，抬起臉朝向月亮開始嚎叫。另一個人四肢落地奔向列車。

I leaped up at once and raced madly out of that car and across endless leagues of plateau till exhaustion forced me to stop—doing this not because the conductor had dropped on all fours， but because the face of the motorman was a mere white cone tapering to one blood-red-tentacle。 。 。 。

我一下子就跳起來，發瘋似地逃出列車，在平原上狂奔不知道多少裡，直到再也跑不動了才停下。我這樣做不是因為列車員在地上爬行，而是因為駕駛員的臉只是一個白色的圓錐，逐漸變細成為一條血紅的觸手。

I was aware that I only dreamed， but the very awareness was not pleasant。

我意識到我只是在做夢，但是這並不愉快。

Since that fearful night， I have prayed only for awakening—it has not come！

那個可怕的夜晚之後，我一直在祈禱醒來，但就是醒不來！

Instead I have found myself an

inhabitant

of this terrible dream-world！ That first night gave way to dawn， and I wandered aimlessly over the lonely swamp-lands。 When night came， I still wandered， hoping for awakening。 But suddenly I parted the weeds and saw before me the ancient railway car—and to one side a cone-faced thing lifted its head and in the streaming moonlight howled strangely！

相反的，我發現自己成了可怕夢中世界的居民！第一晚結束了，黎明到來了，我在孤獨的沼澤地漫無目的地遊蕩。當夜晚來臨，我還在遊蕩，希望能醒來。但是突然我突開了蘆葦叢，看見了古舊的列車，在一側有一個椎狀臉的東西抬起頭，在月光中奇怪地嚎叫！

It has been the same each day。 Night takes me always to that place of horror。 I have tried not moving， with the coming of nightfall， but I must walk in my slumber， for always I awaken with the thing of dread howling before me in the pale moonlight， and I turn and flee madly。

每天都是如此。夜晚總是把我帶到恐怖之地。隨著夜幕降臨，我試著不動，但是我必定在睡眠中走動了，因為我總是會醒來，發現可怕嚎叫之物就在我面前的慘白月光中，我轉身發了瘋地逃走。

God！ when will I awaken？

上帝啊？我何時才能醒來？

That is what Morgan wrote。 I would go to 66 College Street in Providence， but I fear for what I might find there。

這就是摩根寫的。我要去普羅維登斯大學街66號，但是我對可能發現的東西很害怕。

簡評：

總是關注俄烏也不是個事兒，今天換個口味，翻譯一個克蘇魯。愛手藝的作品在

http：//

hplovecraft。com

網站上全部公開了，我見這一篇還沒有翻譯，就翻譯了一下，所以不算侵權對吧（害怕）。

這是一個超短篇，故事很簡單。居住在羅德島州普羅維登斯的菲利普斯先生（就是愛手藝本人吧喂）陷入夢境世界醒不來了，意識連線到一位摩根先生身上，寫下了這篇故事，順便求救。

在我看來，這篇故事的克味比他的好多長篇更加充足。他對夢境的描寫真的能讓人感受到不可名狀的恐怖，比女巫啊、瘋狂科學家啊、復活藥水、食屍鬼什麼的愛手藝常用題材強多了。

所以作祟的是哪位？鑑於它可以操控人的夢境，可能是阿撒託斯，也有可能是尤格·索托斯，或者是奪去喬•斯萊特心智的外星人。唯一可以肯定的是這位菲利普斯先生不過是個普通人，不是傳奇調查員倫道夫·卡特，沒有銀鑰匙，睡去了就回不來了（悲）。

本人雖然是職業翻譯，但是依然感覺克蘇魯文字不簡單。翻譯這個的難度比翻譯新聞文字難多了。愛手藝喜歡使用複雜的語法結構與生僻詞彙。所以我把英文也保留了下來。如果同好們有更好的翻譯，望不吝賜教。

最後，願舊日支配者安眠。