【正文】 er make a mistake. They39。re with the plant. Do you see? Your fingers and the plant. You can feel that, right up your arm. They know. They never make a mistake. You can feel it. When you39。re like that you can39。t do anything wrong. Do you see that? Can you understand that? She was kneeling on the ground looking up at him. Her breast swelled passionately. The man39。s eyes narrowed. He looked away selfconsciously. Maybe I know, he said. Sometimes in the night in the wagon there －她停了下來，好像有點(diǎn)兒不知所措?！按虬臅r(shí)候最需要好好照看，”她欲言又止地說。“我不知道該怎么對你說。”她凝視著他的眼睛，好像在尋找什么。她的嘴微微張著，象是傾聽什么回答。“我給你講講看，”她說?！澳懵犝f過莊稼里手嗎？”“我想沒有，夫人?！薄澳敲矗抑荒芙o你說說那是什么感覺。那是在你摘掉那些多余花蕾的時(shí)候。一切都聚集到你的手指里，你看著自己手指的活計(jì)。它們在自己干著活兒，你能感覺到那是怎么一回事兒。它們在不停地摘著，摘著，不出一點(diǎn)兒差錯(cuò)。它們與莊稼是天生的搭檔，你明白嗎？莊稼和手指間。你可以感覺到，一直到你的手臂。它們知道該怎么做，從不出錯(cuò)。你可以感覺到。只要這樣，你就不會出什么錯(cuò)。你明白嗎？你聽懂了嗎?”她跪在那里，朝上看著他，胸脯激動(dòng)得漲了來。那個(gè)男人瞇起了眼。好像自己意識到什么，朝遠(yuǎn)處看了看。“或許我理解，”他說?！坝袝r(shí)候，晚上，在馬車?yán)铩盓lisa39。s voice grew husky. She broke in on him, I39。ve never lived as you do, but I know what you mean. When the night is dark － why, the stars are sharppointed, and there39。s quiet. Why, you rise up and up! Every pointed star gets driven into your body. It39。s like that. Hot and sharp and － lovely. Kneeling there, her hand went out toward his legs in the greasy black trousers. Her hesitant fingers almost touched the cloth. Then her hand dropped to the ground. She crouched low like a fawning dog. He said, it39。s nice, just like you say. Only when you don39。t have no dinner, it ain39。t. She stood up then, very straight, and her face was ashamed. She held the flower pot out to him and placed it gently in his arms. Here. Put it in your wagon, on the seat, where you can watch it. Maybe I can find something for you to do. At the back of the house she dug in the can pile and found two old and battered aluminum saucepans. She carried them back and gave them to him. Here, maybe you can fix these.伊利莎的聲音變得有些沙啞，她打斷他說，“我從沒象你那樣生活過，但我知道你的意思。天黑的時(shí)候——啊，群星亮閃閃的，周遭一片寂靜。你覺得自己愈來愈高，每一顆亮閃閃的星星都融入自己身體里。就是那樣。熱熱的，亮亮的——美極了?！彼蛟谀莾?，她的手朝他穿著臟兮兮的黑褲子的腿伸了去。她遲疑不決的手指幾乎碰到了他的褲子。接著她的手垂了下去。她蜷縮在地上,象只搖尾乞憐的狗。他說，“對，就象你說的，那很美。只要不是沒有晚飯吃?！甭牭竭@些她站了起來。腰挺得很直，臉上有些羞愧。她將花盆抱出來，輕輕地放在他的懷里?！昂?，放在你的車上，放到座位上，這樣你就可以看著它。或許我能找些東西來你修一下。”她在屋后的罐子堆里很找了一通，找到了兩個(gè)破舊的鋁燉鍋。她拿著它們回來交給他?！拔?，或許你可以把這些東西修一下?！盚is manner changed. He became professional. Good as new I can fix them. At the back of his wagon he set a little anvil, and out of an oily tool box dug a small machine hammer. Elisa came through the gate to watch him while he pounded out the dents in the kettles. His mouth grew sure and knowing. At a difficult part of the work he sucked his lip. You sleep right in the wagon? Elisa asked. Right in the wagon, ma39。am. Rain or shine I39。m dry as a cow in there. It must be nice, she said. It must be very nice. I wish women could do such things. It ain39。t the right kind of a life for a woman. Her upper lip raised a little, showing her teeth. How do you know? How can you tell? she said. I don39。t know, ma39。am, he protested. Of course I don39。t know. Now here39。s your kettles, done. You don39。t have to buy no new ones. How much? Oh, fifty cents39。ll do. I keep my prices down and my work good. That39。s why I have all them satisfied customers up and down the highway.他的樣子為之一變，顯得很專業(yè)?！拔視阉鼈冃薜酶碌囊粯??！彼隈R車的后面支起了一個(gè)鐵砧，然后從一個(gè)油乎乎的工具箱里鼓搗出一個(gè)小機(jī)錘。伊利莎走出大門，看他將鍋上的凹痕敲平。他的嘴巴顯得自信，躊躇滿志?；顑翰缓酶傻臅r(shí)候，他就咬著下嘴唇?！澳憔驮隈R車?yán)锼X嗎？”伊利莎問?！熬驮隈R車?yán)?，夫人。下雨也好，天晴也好，我身上都不會濕?！薄澳强隙ê馨?，”她說?！翱隙罉O了。我希望女人也能這樣生活。”“這種生活不適合女人?！彼纳洗捷p輕地一揚(yáng)，露出了牙齒?！澳阍趺粗溃磕阍趺茨苓@樣說？”她說?！拔也恢?，夫人?！彼粷M地說?！碑?dāng)然我不知道。好，你的鍋好了，你不用買新的了?！薄岸嗌馘X？”“啊，五十美分好了。我的要價(jià)一向很低，但活兒是高質(zhì)量的。所以沿途的客戶對我都很滿意?！盓lisa brought him a fiftycent piece from the house and dropped it in his hand. You might be surprised to have a rival some time. I can sharpen scissors, too. And I can beat the dents out of little pots. I could show you what a woman might do. He put his hammer back in the oily box and shoved the little anvil out of sight. It would be a lonely life for a woman, ma39。am, and a scarey life, too, with animals creeping under the wagon all night. He climbed over the singletree, steadying himself with a hand on the burro39。s white rump. He settled himself in the seat, picked up the lines. Thank you kindly, ma39。am, he said. I39。ll do like you told me。 I39。ll go back and catch the Salinas road. Mind, she called, if you39。re long in getting there, keep the sand damp. Sand, ma39。am?...sand? Oh, sure. You mean around the chrysanthemums. Sure I will. He clucked his tongue. The beasts leaned luxuriously into their collars. The mongrel dog took his place between the back wheels. The wagon turned and crawled out the entrance road and back the way it had e, along the river.伊利莎從屋里拿了五十美分放到他手里?！叭绻惆l(fā)現(xiàn)自己有個(gè)對手可能會大吃一驚。我也能讓剪子鋒利起來。而且我也能弄平小鍋上的凹痕。我可以讓你見識一下一個(gè)女人能干些什么?！彼彦N子放回了那個(gè)油乎乎的工具箱，然后胡亂把那個(gè)小鐵砧放到看不見的地方。“夫人，對于一個(gè)女人來說，每天晚上都躺在馬車上，下面蜷縮著牲畜，這種生活太寂寞而且叫人害怕。”他爬到馬車前的橫木上，一只手放在毛驢白色的屁股上，讓自己坐穩(wěn)。他把自己安頓到座位上，拿起韁繩?！胺浅８兄x，夫人，”他說?！拔視茨憬淮业娜プ??；厝ド纤_利納斯的公路?！薄坝浿?，”她喊道，“要是到那兒時(shí)間很久，要保持沙土濕潤?！薄吧惩?，夫人？……沙土？哦，當(dāng)然。你是說菊花根部吧，我肯定會的?！彼纳囝^發(fā)出咯咯的聲音。那兩匹牲口舒服地在它們的軛上靠著。那條雜種狗站在兩個(gè)后輪間。馬車調(diào)了頭，慢慢地從來的入口徐徐出去，上了來時(shí)沿河的那條路。Elisa stood in front of her wire fence watching the slow progress of the caravan. Her shoulders were straight, her head thrown back, her eyes halfclosed, so that the scene came vaguely into them. Her lips moved silently, forming the words Goodbye － goodbye. Then she whispered, That39。s a bright direction. There39。s a glowing there. The sound of her whisper startled her. She shook herself free and looked about to see whether anyone had been listening. Only the dogs had heard. They lifted their heads toward her from their sleeping in the dust, and then stretched out their chins and settled asleep again. Elisa turned and ran hurriedly into the house. 伊利莎站在鐵柵欄前，看著大篷車慢慢走遠(yuǎn)。她直起身子，頭往后仰著，雙眼微微閉著，眼前的景色也因此變得模模糊糊。她的雙唇無聲地動(dòng)著，說“再見——再見”。然后她低聲道，“那邊霞光萬丈，多么 亮啊?！边@聲音嚇了她一跳。她搖搖頭讓自己清醒過來，四處看看是不是有人在聽。只有那幾條狗聽見了，它們睡在地上，朝伊利莎抬起頭，伸長了下巴，然后又倒下睡了。伊利莎轉(zhuǎn)過身，匆匆跑進(jìn)了屋里。In the kitchen she reached behind the stove and felt the water tank. It was full of hot water from the noonday cooking. In the bathroom she tore of