諾貝爾文學經典:《寵兒》第13章Part 1
Baby Suggs talked as little as she could get away with because what was there to say that the rootsof her tongue could manage? So the whitewoman, finding her new slave excellent if silent help,hummed to herself while she worked.
When Mr. Garner agreed to the arrangements with Halle, and when Halle looked like it meantmore to him that she go free than anything in the world, she let herself be taken 'cross the river. Ofthe two hard thingsstanding on her feet till she dropped or leaving her last and probably only livingchild — she chose the hard thing that made him happy, and never put to him the question she putto herself: What for? What does a sixty-odd-year-old slavewoman who walks like a three-leggeddog need freedom for? And when she stepped foot on free ground she could not believe that Halleknew what she didn't; that Halle, who had never drawn one free breath, knew that there wasnothing like it in this world. It scared her.
Something's the matter. What's the matter? What's the matter?she asked herself. She didn't know what she looked like and was not curious. But suddenly she sawher hands and thought with a clarity as simple as it was dazzling, "These hands belong to e my hands." Next she felt a knocking in her chest and discovered something else new: herown heartbeat. Had it been there all along? This pounding thing? She felt like a fool and began tolaugh out loud. Mr. Garner looked over his shoulder at her with wide brown eyes and smiledhimself. "What's funny, Jenny?"
She couldn't stop laughing. "My heart's beating," she said.
And it was true.
貝比·薩格斯儘量少說話，以免惹麻煩，在她的舌頭根底下又有什麼可說的呢？這樣，那個白女人發現她的新奴隸是個沉默的好幫手，就一邊幹活一邊自己哼歌兒。
加納先生同意了黑爾的安排，再說，在這個世界上似乎沒有什麼東西比讓她獲得自由對黑爾更有意義了，於是她就自願被運過了河。在兩件棘手的事情中——是一直站着，直到倒下；還是離開她最後的、恐怕也是唯一活着的孩子——她選擇了讓他高興的那件難事，從來沒問他那個常常令她自己困惑的問題：爲什麼？一個混到六十歲、走起路來像三條腿的狗似的女奴要自由幹什麼？當她雙腳踏上自由的土地時，她不能相信黑爾比自己知道得更多；不能相信從沒呼吸過一口自由空氣的黑爾，居然懂得自由在世界上無可比擬。她被嚇着了。
出了點問題。出了什麼問題？出了什麼問題？她問自己。她不知道自己是什麼模樣，也不好奇。可是突然間她看見了自己的雙手，同時，頭腦中清晰的思緒既簡單又炫目："這雙手屬於我。這是我的手。"緊接着，她感到胸口一聲捶擊，發現了另一樣新東西：她自己的心跳。它一直存在嗎？這個怦然亂撞的東西？她覺得自己像個傻瓜，就放聲大笑起來。加納先生扭過頭，睜大棕色的眼睛看着她，也不禁笑了。"有什麼好笑的，珍妮？"
她仍然笑個不停。"我的心在跳。"她說。
而這是真的。
