诺贝尔文学经典:《宠儿》第1章Part 31

"White? Maybe it was my bedding dress. Describe it to me." "Had a high neck. Whole mess ofbuttons coming down the back.""Buttons. Well, that lets out my bedding dress. I never had a button on nothing.""Did Grandma Baby?"Sethe shook her head. "She couldn't handle them. Even on her shoes. What else?"
"A bunch at the back. On the sit-down part.""A bustle? It had a bustle?""I don't know what it's called.""Sort of gathered-like? Below the waist in the back?""Um hm.""A rich lady's dress. Silk?""Cotton, look like.""Lisle probably. White cotton lisle. You say it was holding on tome. How?""Like you. It looked just like you. Kneeling next to you whileyou were praying. Had its arm around your waist.""Well, I'll be.""What were you praying for, Ma'am?"
"Not for anything. I don't pray anymore. I just talk.""What were you talking about?""You won't understand, baby.""Yes, I will.""I was talking about time. It's so hard for me to believe in things go. Pass on. Some things just stay. I used to think it wasmy rememory. You know. Some things you forget. Other things you never do. But it's not. Places,places are still there. If a house burns down, it's gone, but the place — the picture of it — stays,and not just in my rememory, but out there, in the world. What I remember is a picture floatingaround out there outside my head. I mean, even if I don't think it, even if I die, the picture of what Idid, or knew, or saw is still out there. Right in the place where it happened." "Can other people seeit?" asked Denver.

“白的？也许是我的睡裙。给我形容一下。”“有个高领。一大堆扣子从背上扣下来。”“扣子。那么说，不是我的睡裙。我的衣裳都不带扣子。”“贝比奶奶有吗？”塞丝摇摇头。“她扣不上扣子。连鞋带都系不上。还有什么？”
“后面有个鼓包。在屁股上。”“裙撑？有个裙撑？”“我不知道那叫什么。”“有点掐腰吗？就在后腰下边？”“呃，对。”“一个阔太太的裙子。绸子的？”“好像是棉布的。”“可能是莱尔线。白棉莱尔线。你说它搂着我？怎么回事？”“像你。它看上去就像是你。你祷告时就跪在你旁边。它的胳膊绕着你的腰。”“啊，我的天。”“你为什么祷告，太太？”
“不为什么。我已经不再祷告了。我只是说话。”“那你说什么呢？”“你不会懂的，宝贝。”“不，我懂。”“我在说时间。对于我来说，时间太难以信任了。有些东西去了，一去不回头。有些东西却偏偏留下来。我曾经觉得那是我重现的记忆。你听着。有些东西你会忘记。有些东西你永远也忘不了。可是不然。地点，地点始终存在。如果一座房子烧毁，它就没了，但是那个地点———它的模样———留下来，不仅留在我重现的记忆里，而且就存在着，在这世界上。我的记忆是幅画，漂浮在我的脑海之外。我的意思是，即使我不去想它，即使我死了，关于我的所做、所知、所见的那幅画还存在。还在它原来发生的地点。”“别人看得见吗？”丹芙问。