The Opposites Game

譯者: 至磊Zi Le 黃Ng 審譯者: Bruce Sung

"The Opposites Game"

〈反義詞遊戲〉

For Patricia Maisch

給佩翠西亞．梅許

This day my students and I play the Opposites Game

這天我和學生們玩反義詞遊戲

with a line from Emily Dickinson. My life had stood

這句出自艾蜜莉 · 狄金森的詩

「我生命中曾立著一把上膛的槍。」

a loaded gun, it goes and I write it on the board,

我寫在黑板上

pausing so they can call out the antonyms –

暫停，使他們可以說出反義詞──

My Your

我的、你的

Life Death

生命、死亡

Had stood ? Will sit

曾立著、將坐著

A Many

一、很多

Loaded Empty

上膛的、空的

Gun ?

槍？

Gun.

槍

For a moment, very much like the one between

有一段時間

就像在閃電與雷聲之間的空檔

lightning and its sound, the children just stare at me,

孩子們只是盯著我

and then it comes, a flurry, a hail storm of answers –

然後來了，一陣暴風、 一陣冰雹般的答案──

Flower, says one. No, Book, says another. That's stupid,

「花！」一個人說

「不，是書！」另一人說

「那太愚蠢了！」第三人喊說

cries a third, the opposite of a gun is a pillow. Or maybe

「槍的反義詞是枕頭，或可能是擁抱

a hug, but not a book, no way is it a book. With this,

但不是書，不可能是書。」

就這樣，其他人理出了頭緒

the others gather their thoughts

and suddenly it’s a shouting match. No one can agree,

也加入了戰局

互不同意

for every student there’s a final answer. It's a song,

每個學生都有一個最終的答案

應該是一首歌、一次祈禱，

a prayer, I mean a promise, like a wedding ring, and

我是說一個承諾，像是結婚戒指

later a baby. Or what’s that person who delivers babies?

然後生一個嬰兒

接生嬰兒的人是誰？

助產士嗎？

A midwife? Yes, a midwife. No, that’s wrong. You're so

是的，是助產士

不，那是錯的

wrong you’ll never be right again. It's a whisper, a star,

你大錯特錯，永遠得不到正解

答案應是一句耳語，一顆星星

it's saying I love you into your hand and then touching

答案是對你的手說「我愛你」

然後觸摸某人的耳朵

someone's ear. Are you crazy? Are you the president

你瘋了嗎？你是愚蠢國的總統嗎？

of Stupid-land? You should be, When's the election?

你很有資格。什麼時候要選舉？

It’s a teddy bear, a sword, a perfect, perfect peach.

答案是一隻泰迪熊、一把劍、 一顆十分完美的桃子

Go back to the first one, it's a flower, a white rose.

回到第一個答案

是一朵花，一朵白玫瑰

When the bell rings, I reach for an eraser but a girl

當鐘聲響起，我拿起板擦

但一個女孩把它從我手中搶走

snatches it from my hand. Nothing's decided, she says,

「還沒完呢！」她說 「我們尚未完成。」

We’re not done here. I leave all the answers

我將所有的答案留在黑板上

on the board. The next day some of them have

隔天他們有人不跟彼此說話

stopped talking to each other, they’ve taken sides.

他們壁壘分明

There's a Flower club. And a Kitten club. And two boys

有一個花朵俱樂部

一個小貓俱樂部

還有兩個男孩自稱「雪球」

calling themselves The Snowballs. The rest have stuck

其他人繼續玩原本的遊戲

with the original game, which was to try to write

something like poetry.

試著寫像詩的東西

It's a diamond, it's a dance,

是鑽石，是舞蹈

the opposite of a gun is a museum in France.

槍的反義詞是法國的美術館

It's the moon, it's a mirror,

是月亮，是鏡子

it's the sound of a bell and the hearer.

是鈴鐺的聲音和旁聽者

The arguing starts again, more shouting, and finally

爭論再度開始，更多叫喊

a new club. For the first time I dare to push them.

最後有一個新俱樂部

我首度敢於推他們一把

Maybe all of you are right, I say.

「也許你們全是對的，」我說

Well, maybe. Maybe it's everything we said. Maybe it’s

也許

也許槍的反義詞是我們講的所有東西

everything we didn't say. It's words and the spaces for words.

也許是我們沒講的所有事物

是很多言語和留給言語的空間

They're looking at each other now. It's everything in this

現在他們看著彼此

槍的反義詞是所有這間房間的事物

room

and outside this room and down the street and in the sky.

也在房間外，街道上，天空中

It's everyone on campus and at the mall, and all the people

是校園與購物中心裡的所有人

以及所有在醫院等待的人

waiting at the hospital. And at the post office. And, yeah,

和在郵局等待的人

以及，對，也是一朵花

it's a flower, too. All the flowers. The whole garden.

所有的花，整個花園

The opposite of a gun is wherever you point it.

槍的反義詞是你瞄準的任何事物

Don’t write that on the board, they say. Just say poem.

「別寫上去，」他們說

就說是詩歌吧

Your death will sit through many empty poems.

你的死亡會出現在許多空白的詩作中