諾貝爾文學經典:《寵兒》第12章Part 4

Baby Suggs' three (maybe four) pies grew to ten (maybe twelve). Sethe's two hens became fiveturkeys. The one block of ice brought all the way from Cincinnati — -over which they pouredmashed watermelon mixed with sugar and mint to make a punch — became a wagonload of icecakes for a washtub full of strawberry shrug, 124, rocking with laughter, goodwill and food forninety, made them angry. Too much, they thought. Where does she get it all, Baby Suggs, holy?
Why is she and hers always the center of things? How come she always knows exactly what to do and when? Giving advice; passing messages; healing the sick, hiding fugitives, loving, cooking,cooking, loving, preaching, singing, dancing and loving everybody like it was her job and hersalone.
Now to take two buckets of blackberries and make ten, maybe twelve, pies; to have turkey enoughfor the whole town pretty near, new peas in September, fresh cream but no cow, ice and sugar,batter bread, bread pudding, raised bread, shortbread — it made them mad. Loaves and fishes wereHis powers — they did not belong to an ex slave who had probably never carried one hundredpounds to the scale, or picked okra with a baby on her back. Who had never been lashed by a tenyear-old whiteboy as God knows they had. Who had not even escaped slavery — had, in fact, beenbought out of it by a doting son and driven to the Ohio River in a wagon — free papers foldedbetween her breasts (driven by the very man who had been her master, who also paid herresettlement fee — name of Garner), and rented a house with two floors and a well from theBodwins — the white brother and sister who gave Stamp Paid, Ella and John clothes, goods andgear for runaways because they hated slavery worse than they hated slaves.
It made them furious. They swallowed baking soda, the morning after, to calm the stomachviolence caused by the bounty, the reckless generosity on display at 124. Whispered to each otherin the yards about fat rats, doom and uncalled-for pride.
The scent of their disapproval lay heavy in the air. Baby Suggs woke to it and wondered what itwas as she boiled hominy for her grandchildren. Later, as she stood in the garden, chopping at thetight soil over the roots of the pepper plants, she smelled it again. She lifted her head and lookedaround. Behind her some yards to the left Sethe squatted in the pole beans. Her shoulders weredistorted by the greased flannel under her dress to encourage the healing of her back. Near her in abushel basket was the three-week-old baby. Baby Suggs, holy, looked up. The sky was blue andclear. Not one touch of death in the definite green of the leaves.
She could hear birds and, faintly,the stream way down in the meadow. The puppy, Here Boy, was burying the last bones fromyesterday's party. From somewhere at the side of the house came the voices of Buglar, Howard andthe crawling girl. Nothing seemed amiss — yet the smell of disapproval was sharp. Back beyondthe vegetable garden, closer to the stream but in full sun, she had planted corn. Much as they'dpicked for the party, there were still ears ripening, which she could see from where she stood.

貝比·薩格斯的三個（也許四個）餡餅變成了十個（也許十二個）。塞絲的兩隻母雞變成了五隻火雞。大老遠從辛辛那提一路運來的一塊方冰——爲了摻進他們用搗碎的西瓜拌上糖和薄荷做成的潘趣酒——變成了摻進一澡盆草莓酒的一大車冰塊。124號被笑聲、誠意和九十人的饕餮搖動着，讓他們生氣。太過分了，他們想。憑什麼都讓她佔全了，聖貝比·薩格斯？憑什麼她和她的一切總是中心？
憑什麼她總是知道什麼時候恰好該幹什麼？又出主意；又傳口信；治病人，藏逃犯，愛，做飯，做飯，愛，佈道，唱歌，跳舞，還熱愛每一個人，就好像那是她獨有的職業。
如今，又拿兩桶黑莓做了十個或者十二個餡餅，吃掉了足夠整個城鎮吃的火雞、九月的新鮮豌豆，不養牛卻吃到了新鮮奶油，又是冰又是糖，還有奶油麪包、麪包布丁、發酵麪包、起酥麪包——這把他們氣瘋了。麪包和魚是上帝的權力——它們不屬於一個大概從來沒有往磅秤上搬過一百磅的重物，恐怕也沒揹着嬰兒摘過秋葵的解放的奴隸。她從來沒捱過一個十歲大的白崽子的皮鞭，可上帝知道，他們捱過。甚至沒有逃脫過奴隸制——其實是被一個孝順兒子買出來，再被一輛大車運到俄亥俄河邊的——解放證書折放在雙乳之間（恰恰是她的主人運送的她，還給了她安家費——名字叫加納），從鮑德溫家租了帶二層樓外加一眼水井的一幢房子——是這對白人兄妹爲斯坦普·沛德、艾拉和約翰提供了逃犯們用的衣服、物品和工具，因爲他們比恨奴隸更恨奴隸制。
這使他們怒不可遏。第二天早晨，他們靠吞食小蘇打來平息肚子裏的翻江倒海，這純粹是124號那場大方、輕率的慷慨表演造成的。他們在院子裏互相嘀咕着肥耗子、報應以及多此一舉的驕傲。
濃重的非難氣味在空中凝滯。貝比·薩格斯在給孫兒們煮玉米粥的時候注意到它，不明白是怎麼一回事。過了一會兒，她站在菜園裏爲胡椒秧搗碎硬土時，又聞到了那氣味。她擡起頭四面張望。在她身後向左幾碼遠的地方，塞絲正蹲在豆角中間。她的肩膀被墊在裙子下面輔助治療後背的塗了油膏的法蘭絨弄得變了形。她近旁的一隻蒲式耳籮筐裏是三個星期大的嬰兒。聖貝比·薩格斯舉頭仰望。天空湛藍而晴朗。樹葉明晰的綠色中沒有一點死亡的跡象。
她能聽見鳥叫，還能隱約聽見遠處小溪流過草地的潺潺聲。小狗"來，小鬼"正在啃昨天宴會剩下的最後幾塊骨頭。房子附近什麼地方傳來巴格勒、霍華德和那都會爬了的女孩的聲音。似乎什麼都沒出毛病——然而非難的味道異常刺鼻。在菜園後面更遠的地方，離小溪更近、不過陽光充足的地方，她種下了玉米。儘管他們爲宴會摘下了那麼多，那兒仍有一穗穗玉米在成熟，她站在那裏就可以看得見。