【文章內(nèi)容簡介】 d himself had shaped them with a certain style. From the other side of the car es a short, stocky man. Hair is all over his head a foot long and hanging from his chin like a kinky mule tail. I hear Maggie suck in her breath. “Uhnnnh,” is what it sounds like. Like when you see the wriggling end of a snake just in front of your foot on the road. “Uhnnnh.”陽光強(qiáng)烈，難以看清他們。但只第一眼瞥見從車?yán)锟绯龅耐龋揖椭朗堑弦?。她的腳看上去總是很精致，好像是上帝親自塑造的那么有型。車的另一側(cè)走出一位矮矮胖胖的男子，頭發(fā)蓋住了整個(gè)腦袋，足有一英尺長，從下巴那兒垂下，像卷曲的騾子尾巴。我聽到瑪吉深吸了口氣，發(fā)出類似“呃”的聲音，若在路上看見一條蛇尾巴在你腳前蠕動，你也會發(fā)出這樣的聲音：“呃?！盵2]Dee next. A dress down to the ground, in this hot weather. A dress so loud it hurts my eyes. There are yellows and oranges enough to throw back the light of the sun. I feel my whole face warming from the heat waves it throws out. Earrings gold, too, and hanging down to her shoulders. Bracelets dangling and making noises when she moves her arm up to shake the folds of the dress out of her armpits. The dress is loose and flows, and as she walks closer, I like it. I hear Maggie go “Uhnnnh” again. It is her sister’s hair. It stands straight up like the wool on a sheep. It is black as night and around the edges are two long pigtails that rope about like small lizards disappearing behind her ears.[2]接著就看到迪伊了。這大熱天，她身著接地長裙，裙子俗艷刺眼，各種黃色和橙色反射陽光，發(fā)出的熱浪讓我感覺整個(gè)臉都發(fā)燙。還有金耳環(huán)，直垂到肩膀。當(dāng)她抬起手臂抖開腋窩處的裙子褶皺時(shí)，手鐲懸蕩，發(fā)出響聲。她的裙子寬大、飄逸，當(dāng)她走近時(shí)，我喜歡上了那裙子。我聽見瑪吉又“呃”了一聲，這次是沖她姐姐的頭發(fā)：它們直挺挺的，像綿羊身上的絨毛，顏色烏黑，頭兩側(cè)扎有兩條長長的辮子，像小蜥蜴一樣消失在耳后。[3]“WasuzoTeano!” she says, ing on in that gliding way the dress makes her move. The short stocky fellow with the hair to his navel is all grinning and he follows up with Asalamalakim, my mother and sister! He moves to hug Maggie but she falls back, right up against the back of my chair. I feel her trembling there and when I look up I see the perspiration falling off her chin.[3]“姆媽早！”她身隨裙動，邊說邊飄了過來。那個(gè)頭發(fā)垂到肚臍的矮胖男人滿臉堆笑，跟著說：“真主保佑，我的媽媽，我的妹妹！”他上前擁抱瑪吉，但瑪吉直往后縮，緊緊抵住了我的椅子背。我感覺她在發(fā)抖，抬頭看見汗水順著她下巴滴下來。[4]“Don’t get up,” says Dee. Since I am stout it takes something of a push. You can see me trying to move a second or two before I make it. She turns, showing white heels through her sandals, and goes back to the car. Out she peeks next with a Polaroid. She stoops down quickly and lines up picture after picture of me sitting there in front of the house with Maggie cowering behind me. She never takes a shot without making sure the house is included. When a cow es nibbling around the edge of the yard she snaps it and me and Maggieandthe house. Then she puts the Polaroid in the back seat of the car, and es up and kisses me on the forehead.[4]“別起來?！钡弦琳f。因?yàn)槲冶容^胖，站起來需要借把力。旁人都會瞧見，我得先活動活動才能站起來。她轉(zhuǎn)過身，回到車旁，穿的涼鞋露出白白的腳后跟。緊接著，她拿了一部“寶麗來”相機(jī)瞄過來。她很快俯身“啪啪啪”連拍好幾張，都是我坐在房子前，瑪吉縮在我身后。她要確保每張照片都把房子拍進(jìn)去了。一頭奶牛來院子邊吃草，她就把牛、我、瑪吉連同房子一起抓拍下來。隨后，她把寶麗來放回車后座，這才走上前來親我額頭。[5]Meanwhile Asalamalakim is going through motions with Maggie’s hand. Maggie’s hand is as limp as a fish, and probably as cold, despite the sweat, and she keeps trying to pull it back. It looks like Asalamalakim wants to shake hands but wants to do it fancy. Or maybe he don’tknow how people shake hands. Anyhow, he soon gives up on Maggie.[5]此時(shí)，“真主保佑”作勢去拉瑪吉的手?，敿氖窒耵~一樣柔軟，可能也一樣冰涼，盡管在出汗。她不斷試著把手往回縮?？礃幼?，“真主保佑”是想和她握手，又想把這手握得與眾不同，或許他不知道該怎么握手。不管怎樣，他很快就放棄了。[6]“Well,” I say. “Dee.”“No, Mama,” she says. “Not ‘Dee,’ Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo!”“What happened to‘Dee’?” I wanted to know.“She’s dead,” Wangero said. “I couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me.”[6]“你好，迪伊?！蔽艺f?！安唬瑡寢?，”她說，“別叫我‘迪伊’，叫我‘萬杰蘿李萬尼卡克曼約’！”“‘迪伊’怎么啦？”我很納悶?！八呀?jīng)死了，”萬杰蘿說，“我再也受不了了，用一個(gè)欺壓我的人的名字來取名。”[7]“You know as well as me you was named after your aunt Dicie,” I said. Dicie is my sister. She named Dee. We called her “Big Dee” after Dee was born.“But who wasshenamed after?” asked Wangero.“I guess after Grandma Dee,” I said.“And who was she named after?” asked Wangero.“Her mother,” I said, and saw Wangero was getting tired. “That’s about as far back as I can trace it,” I said. Though, in fact, I probably could have carried it back beyond the Civil War through the branches.[7]“你我都很清楚，你是隨你姨媽迪西伊取名的?！蔽艺f。迪西伊是我姐姐，是她給迪伊取的名字。迪伊出生后，我們就管迪西伊叫“大迪伊”?！暗拿质请S誰取的？”萬杰蘿問。“我想是隨外婆迪伊吧?！蔽艺f。“那外婆又是隨誰取的呢？”萬杰蘿問?！八龐寢??！蔽艺f，然后看到萬杰蘿有些不耐煩了，“我只能追溯到這兒了。”但事實(shí)上，我順藤摸瓜也許能追回到內(nèi)戰(zhàn)前。[8]“Well,” said Asalamalakim, “there you are.”“Uhnnnh,” I heard Maggie say.“There I was not,” I said, “before ‘Dicie’ cropped up in our family, so why should I try to trace it that far back?”He just stood there grinning, looking down on me like somebody inspecting a Model A car. Every once in a while he and Wangero sent eye signals over my head.“How do you pronounce this name?” I asked.“You don’t have to call me by it if you don’t want to,” said Wangero.“Why shouldn’tI?” I asked. “If that’s what you want us to call you, we’ll call you.”[8]“瞧，”“真主保佑”說，“這就對了嘛”“呃。”我聽到瑪吉發(fā)出的聲音?！皩κ裁磳?，”我說，“‘迪西伊’這個(gè)名字出現(xiàn)在我們家以前還沒有我，我干嗎要追溯那么遠(yuǎn)？”他站在那里咧嘴干笑，又低頭看看我，好像誰在檢查福特A型汽車。他和萬杰蘿時(shí)不時(shí)在我頭頂上互相使著眼色。“你的名字怎么念？”我問。“如果不愿意，您可以不叫我這個(gè)名字。”萬杰蘿說?！盀槭裁床唬俊蔽覇?，“如果你想我們那樣叫你，我們就那樣叫唄?！盵9]“I know it might sound awkward at first,” said