月亮和六便士 第五十七章(4)

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looking at his works with sightless eyes, and seeing, perhaps, more than he had ever seen in his life before. 他用一对失明的眼睛望着自己的作品，也许他看到的比他一生中看到的还要多。

Ata told me that he never complained of his fate, he never lost courage. 爱塔告诉我，他对自己的命运从来也没有抱怨过，他从来也不沮丧。

To the end his mind remained serene¹ and undisturbed. 直到生命最后一刻，他的心智一直是安详、恬静的。

But he made her promise that when she had buried him— 但是他叫爱塔作出诺言，在她把他埋葬以后——

did I tell you that I dug his grave with my own hands, for none of the natives would approach the infected house, 我告诉你没有，他的墓穴是我亲手挖的，因为没有一个土人肯走近这所沾染了病菌的房子，

and we buried him, she and I, sewn up in three pareos joined together, under the mango-tree— 我们俩把他埋葬在那株芒果树底下，我同爱塔，他的尸体是用三块帕利欧缝在一起包裹起来的——

he made her promise that she would set fire to the house and not leave it till it was burned to the ground and not a stick remained." 他叫爱塔保证，放火把房子烧掉，而且要她亲眼看着房子烧光，在每一根木头都烧掉以前不要走开。”

I did not speak for a while, for I was thinking. Then I said: 半天半天我没有说话；我陷入沉思中，最后我说：

"He remained the same to the end, then." “这么说来，他至死也没有变啊。”

"Do you understand? I must tell you that I thought it my duty to dissuade² her." “你了解吗？我必须告诉你，当时我觉得自己有责任劝阻她，叫她不要这么做。”

"Even after what you have just said?" “后来你真是这样说了吗？”

"Yes; for I knew that here was a work of genius, and I did not think we had the right to deprive³ the world of it. “是的。因为我知道这是一个伟大天才的杰作，而且我认为，我们是没有权利叫人类失去它的。

But Ata would not listen to me. 但是爱塔不听我的劝告。

She had promised. 她已经答应过他了。

I would not stay to witness the barbarous deed, and it was only afterwards that I heard what she had done. 我不愿意继续待在那儿，亲眼看着那野蛮的破坏活动。只是事情过后我才听人说，她是怎样干的。

She poured paraffin on the dry floors and on the pandanus-mats, and then she set fire. 她在干燥的地板上和草席上倒上煤油，点起一把火来。

In a little while nothing remained but smouldering embers, and a great masterpiece existed no longer. 没过半晌，这座房子就变成了焦炭，一幅伟大的杰作就这样化为灰烬了。”

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