【荆棘鸟】第二章 24

At first opportunity Frank seized the paper and read the feature hungrily, drinking in its jingoistic¹ prose, his eyes glowing eerily². "Daddy, I want to go!" he said as he laid the paper down reverently³ on the table.

  Fee's head jerked around as she slopped stew⁴ all over the top of the stove, and Paddy stiffened⁵ in his Windsor chair, his book forgotten. "You're too young, Frank," he said.

  "No, I'm not! I'm seventeen, Daddy, I'm a man! Why should the Huns and Turks slaughter⁶ our men like pigs while I'm sitting here safe and sound? It's more than time a Cleary did his bit."

  "You're under age, Frank, they won't take you."

  "They wilt⁷ if you don't object," Frank countered quickly, his dark eyes fixed⁸ on Paddy's face.

  "But I do object. You're the only one working at the moment and we need the money you bring in, you know that."

  "But I'll be paid in the army!"

  Paddy laughed. "The "soldier's shilling' eh? Being a blacksmith in Wahine pays a lot better than being a soldier in Europe."

  "But I'll be over there, maybe I'll get the chance to be something better than a blacksmith! It's my only way out, Daddy."

  "Nonsense! Good God, boy, you don't know what you're saying. War is terrible. I come from a country that's been at war for a thousand years, so I know what I'm saying. Haven't you heard the Boer War chaps talking? You go into Wahine often enough, so next time listen. And anyway, it strikes me that the blasted English use Anzacs as fodder⁹ for the enemy guns, putting them into places where they don't want to waste their own precious troops. Look at the way that saber-rattling Churchill sent our men into something as useless as Gallipoli! Ten thousand killed out of fifty thousand! Twice as bad as decimation.

  "Why should you go fighting old Mother England's wars for her? What has she ever done for you, except bleed her colonies white? If you went to England they'd look down their noses at you for being a colonial. En Zed isn't in any danger, nor is Australia. It might do old Mother England the world of good to be defeated; it's more than time someone paid her for what she's done to Ireland. I certainly wouldn't weep any tears if the Kaiser ended up marching down the Strand¹⁰."

 

弗兰克一有空就抓起报纸，贪婪地读着那些特辑，沉浸在他的好战的无聊议论之中，眼中闪动着可怕的光芒。

　　"爸，我想去！"他一边恭恭敬敬地把报纸放在桌子上，一边说道。

　　菲猛地转过头来，炖着的食物溅了一炉顶，帕迪从他那把温莎椅中直起腰来，连书都忘记了。

　　"你还太小，弗兰克。"他说道。

　　"不，我不小了！我都17岁了，爸，我是个男子汉了！为什么当德国鬼子和土耳其人像宰猪似地残杀我们的人的时候，我却稳坐在这里？这是一个克利里家的人尽点本份儿的时候了。"

　　"你不够岁数，弗兰克，他们不会要你的。"

　　"如果你不反对的话，他们会要的。"弗兰克马上反驳着，他那双黑色的眼睛盯着帕迪的脸。

　　"可是我极力反对，眼下，你是家里唯一干活儿的人，我们需要你挣来的钱，这你是知道的。"

　　"可在军队里他们会付我饷金的！"

　　帕迪大笑起来："兵老爷挣的钱吗？在韦汉当个铁匠比在欧洲当兵挣的钱多得多啊。"

　　"可是我会升上去的，也许我能有机会干得比一个铁匠更有出息呢！爸，这是我唯一的出路。"

　　"扯淡！老天爷呀，孩子，你不知道你净在说些什么。战争是可怕的。我是从一个经战千年的国家来的，所以我知道我正在说些什么，你听到过人家谈起过布尔战争吗？你到韦汉镇去得够多的了，下次听着点儿。不管怎么讲，我有这样的印象，那些该死的英国人利用澳新军团当炮灰，送到敌人的枪口下，放到他们不想浪费他们自己的宝贵军队的地方去。看看穷兵黩武的丘吉尔是怎样把咱们的战士送到象加利波利那种无济于事的地方去的吧！五万人中间阵亡了一万！是十个人中阵亡一个人的两倍啊。

　　

　　"你干嘛要替老祖国英格兰打仗去呢？她除了叫殖民地的白人移民去流血送命之外，她给了你些什么？要是你去英国的话，他们会因为你是个移民而看不起你的。安·扎隆没有什么危险，澳大利亚也没有危险。胜利了也许对老祖国有很大的好处；但现在是有人为它对爱尔兰的所作所为而给它点儿颜色看看的时候了。要是德国皇帝一直打到河滨街去，我保准连一滴眼泪也不会掉。"

1 jingoistic   

adj.强硬外交政策的，侵略分子的

参考例句：

• In tackling this issue, both governments must deal with national pride and jingoistic media. 要解决这种事端，两国政府在事端的处理中必须要维护国家荣誉，并采取强硬外交手腕。 来自互联网

2 eerily   

adv.引起神秘感或害怕地

参考例句：

• It was nearly mid-night and eerily dark all around her. 夜深了，到处是一片黑黝黝的怪影。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译
• The vast volcanic slope was eerily reminiscent of a lunar landscape. 开阔的火山坡让人心生怪异地联想起月球的地貌。 来自辞典例句

3 reverently   

adv.虔诚地

参考例句：

• He gazed reverently at the handiwork. 他满怀敬意地凝视着这件手工艺品。
• Pork gazed at it reverently and slowly delight spread over his face. 波克怀着愉快的心情看着这只表，脸上慢慢显出十分崇敬的神色。

4 stew   

n.炖汤，焖，烦恼；v.炖汤，焖，忧虑

参考例句：

• The stew must be boiled up before serving.炖肉必须煮熟才能上桌。
• There's no need to get in a stew.没有必要烦恼。

5 stiffened   

加强的

参考例句：

• He leaned towards her and she stiffened at this invasion of her personal space. 他向她俯过身去，这种侵犯她个人空间的举动让她绷紧了身子。
• She stiffened with fear. 她吓呆了。

6 slaughter   

n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀

参考例句：

• I couldn't stand to watch them slaughter the cattle.我不忍看他们宰牛。
• Wholesale slaughter was carried out in the name of progress.大规模的屠杀在维护进步的名义下进行。

7 wilt   

v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱

参考例句：

• Golden roses do not wilt and will never need to be watered.金色的玫瑰不枯萎绝也不需要浇水。
• Several sleepless nights made him wilt.数个不眠之夜使他憔悴。

8 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

9 fodder   

n.草料；炮灰

参考例句：

• Grass mowed and cured for use as fodder.割下来晒干用作饲料的草。
• Guaranteed salt intake, no matter which normal fodder.不管是那一种正常的草料，保证盐的摄取。

10 strand   

vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地）

参考例句：

• She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears.她把一缕散发夹到了耳后。
• The climbers had been stranded by a storm.登山者被暴风雨困住了。