諾貝爾文學經典:《寵兒》第3章Part 4

"I never saw you in no earrings," said Denver. "Where are they now?"
"Gone," said Sethe. "Long gone," and she wouldn't say another word. Until the next time when allthree of them ran through the wind back into the house with rainsoaked sheets and petticoats. Panting, laughing, they draped the laundry over the chairs and table. Beloved filled herself withwater from the bucket and watched while Sethe rubbed Denver's hair with a piece of toweling.
"Maybe we should unbraid it?" asked Sethe.
"Oh uh. Tomorrow." Denver crouched forward at the thought of a fine-tooth comb pulling her hair.
"Today is always here," said Sethe. "Tomorrow, never."
"It hurts," Denver said.
"Comb it every day, it won't."
"Ouch."
"Your woman she never fix up your hair?" Beloved asked.
Sethe and Denver looked up at her. After four weeks they still had not got used to the gravellyvoice and the song that seemed to lie in it. Just outside music it lay, with a cadence not like theirs.

"我從來沒見你戴過耳環，"丹芙說，"它們現在在哪兒呢？"
"沒了，"塞絲說。"早沒了。"然後她不再說一個字。再開口要等到下一回，當她們三個抱着淋透的牀單和襯裙、頂着大風跑回家時。她們喘着，笑着，把漿洗的衣物搭在桌椅上。寵兒用桶裏的水把自己灌了個飽，看塞絲用一塊浴巾擦乾丹芙的頭髮。
"我們是不是該把辮子解開？"塞絲問道。
"呃呃。明天吧。"丹芙想到一把篦子揪着她的頭髮，就蜷起身子。
"今天的事今天完，"塞絲說，"明天，那可不行。"
"疼。"丹芙說。
"天天梳就不疼了。"
"哎喲。"
"你的女人她從來不給你梳頭嗎？"寵兒問。
塞絲和丹芙擡頭看着她。四個星期過去了，她們仍然沒有習慣那低沉的嗓音，以及似乎是躺在裏面的歌聲。它就躺在音樂之外，調子與她們的不同。