左半邊子爵

By Italo Calvino

《分成兩半的子爵》是意大利當代著名作家伊塔洛·卡爾維諾于20世紀50年代創作的《我們的祖先》三部曲中的第一部。故事講述了17世紀的貴族梅達多子爵在奧土戰爭中被土耳其的炮彈劈成兩半：極惡的一半和極善的一半。右半邊子爵無惡不作，左半邊子爵善良如神。兩邊都愛上了牧羊姑娘帕米拉，帕米拉答應兩邊都嫁，于是右半邊子爵和左半邊子爵決定以決斗的方式解決爭端。在決斗中兩半合二為一，又變成一個善惡渾然一體但卻毫無性格的完整的人。

無論是極善還是極惡的半邊，他們都認為自己殘缺的時候才能更加深刻地理解這個世界，體會人類的痛苦，而完整的人卻迂腐、麻木、乏味。但村民們既恨無惡不作的右半邊子爵，也很難忍受善良如圣徒的左半邊子爵，反而還是習慣兩半合起來的善惡混合的子爵。

Now news of Medardos double nature began coming from various sources. Children lost in the woods were approached to their terror by the half-man with a crutch（拐杖）who led them home by the hand and gave them figs（無花果）and flowers and sweets； poor widows were helped across brooks（小河，小溪）by him； dogs bitten were tended（照料）， mysterious gifts were found on thresholds（門檻）and window-sills（窗臺）of the poor， fruit trees torn up by the wind were straightened and put back into their sockets（樹坑）before their owners had put a nose outside the door.

At the same time， though， appearances of the Viscount half wrapped in his black cloak（斗篷）were also a signal for dire（可怕的，悲慘的）events. Children were kidnapped and later found imprisoned in caves blocked by stones； branches broke off and rocks rolled on to old women； newly ripe pumpkins were slashed to pieces from wanton（荒唐的，放肆的）malice（惡意）.

For some time the Viscounts crossbow（弩）had been used only against swallows（燕子）， and in such a way as not to kill but only wound and stun（打昏）them. But now were seen in the sky swallows with legs bandaged and tied to splints（石膏夾板）， or with wings stuck together or waxed（打過蠟的）； a whole swarm of swallows so treated were prudently（謹慎地）flying about together， like convalescents（康復中的病人）from a bird hospital； and there was an incredible rumor that Medardo was their doctor.

Once a storm caught Pamela in a wild and distant spot， together with her goat and duck. She knew that nearby was a cave， very small， a kind of hollow（洞）in the rock， and towards that she went. Sticking out of it she saw a tattered（破爛的）and patched（打補丁的）boot. Inside was huddling（縮成一團） the half-body wrapped in its black cloak. She was just going to run away， but the Viscount had already seen her， came out under the pouring rain and said to her： ‘Come， girl， take refuge（躲避）here.

‘No， Im not taking any refuge there， said Pamela， ‘as theres scarcely（幾乎沒有）any room for one， and you want to squeeze up to me.

‘Dont be alarmed， said the Viscount， ‘I will stay outside and you take ease in there， with your goat and your duck too.

‘The goat and duck can get wet.

‘Theyll take refuge too， youll see.

Pamela， who had heard tell of strange impulses（沖動）of goodness by the Viscount， said to herself， ‘Well just see， and crouched down（蹲伏） inside the cave， tight against her goat and duck. The Viscount stood up in front and held his cloak there like a tent so that neither goat nor duck got wet either. Pamela looked at the hand holding the cloak， remained for a moment deep in thought， began looking at her own hands， compared them with each other， then burst into a roar of laughter.

‘Im glad to see you so jolly（快樂的）， girl， said the Viscount. ‘But why are you laughing， if I may ask？

‘Im laughing because Ive understood what is driving all my fellow villagers quite mad.

‘What is that？

‘That you are in part good and in part bad. Now its all obvious.

‘Whys that？

‘Because Ive realized that you are the other half. The Viscount living in the castle， the bad one， is one half. And youre the other， who was thought lost in the war but has now returned and its a good half.

‘Thats nice of you. Thank you.

‘Oh， its the truth， not a compliment.

After having told Pamela his story， the good half of the Viscount asked the shepherd girl（牧羊女）to tell him hers. Pamela explained how the bad Medardo was laying siege to（努力追求）her and how she had fled from home and was now wandering in the woods. At Pamelas account（闡述，解釋）the good Medardo was moved， his pity divided between the goat girls persecuted virtue（受迫害的美德）， the bad Medardos hopeless desolation（孤寂）， and the solitude（孤獨，寂寞）of Pamelas parents.

‘As for them， said Pamela， ‘my parents are just a pair of old rogues（流氓，無賴）. Theres no point in your pitying them.

‘Oh， but just think of them， Pamela， how sad theyll be in their old home at this hour， without anyone to look after them and work the fields and do out the stall（幫忙照料牲畜）.

‘It can fall on their heads， can the stall， for all I care！ said Pamela. ‘Im beginning to realize that youre a bit too soft， and instead of attacking that other half of yours for all the swinish（卑鄙的）things he does， you seem almost to pity him as well.

‘Of course I do！ I know what it means to be half a man， and of course I pity him.

‘But youre different； youre a bit daft（癲狂的，愚笨的）too， but good.”

Then the good Medardo said， ‘Oh， Pamela， thats the good thing about being halved； that one understands the sorrow of every person and thing in the world at its own incompleteness. I was whole and I did not understand， and moved about deaf and unfeeling amid the pain and sorrow all round us， in places where as a whole person one would least think to find it. Its not only me， Pamela， who am a split being（分裂的人）， but you and everyone else too. Now I have a fellowship（交情）which I did not understand， did not know before， when whole； a fellowship with all the mutilated（殘缺不全的）and incomplete things in the world. If you come with me， Pamela， youll learn to suffer with everyones ills， and tend your own by tending theirs.

‘That sounds all very fine， said Pamela， ‘but Im in a great pickle（處于困境）with that other part of you being in love with me and my not knowing what he wants to do with me.

My uncle let fall his cloak， as the storm was over.

‘Im in love with you too， Pamela.

Pamela jumped out of the cave， ‘What fun！ Theres the sign of the whale in the sky1 and Ive a new lover！ This ones halved too， but has a good heart.

They were walking under branches still dripping， through paths all mud. The Viscounts half mouth was curved in a sweet， incomplete smile.

‘Well， what shall we do？ said Pamela.

‘Id say you ought to go back to your parents， poor things， and help them a bit in their work.

‘You go if you want to， said Pamela.

‘I do indeed want to， my dear， exclaimed（呼喊）the Viscount.

‘Ill stay here， said Pamela， and stopped with her duck and goat.

‘Doing good together is the only way to love.

‘A pity. I thought there were other ways.

‘Goodbye， my dear. Ill bring you some honey cake.

And he hopped off（離開）on his stick along the path.

‘What dyou say， goatee？ What dyou say， duckling dear？ exclaimed Pamela when alone with her pets. ‘Why must all these oddities（稀奇古怪的事情）come to me？

Ambling（漫行）through the thickets（灌木叢）on his gaunt（枯瘦的）horse， the Bad ‘Un（即one）thought over his stratagem（計謀）； if Pamela married the Good ‘Un then by law she would be wife to Medardo of Terralba， his wife， that is. By this right the Bad ‘Un would easily be able to take her from his rival， so meek（溫順的）and unaggressive（沒有攻擊性的）.

Then he met Pamela， who said to him， ‘Viscount， I have decided that well marry if you are willing.

‘You and who？ exclaimed the Viscount.

‘Me and you， and Ill come to the castle and be the Viscountess.

The Bad ‘Un had not expected this at all， and thought， ‘Then its useless to arrange all the play-acting（表演）of getting her married to my other half； Ill marry her myself and thatll be that.

So he said， ‘Right.

Pamela said， ‘Arrange things with my father.

A little later Pamela met the Good ‘Un on his mule（騾子）.

‘Medardo， she said， ‘I realize now that Im really in love with you and if you wish to make me happy you must ask for my hand in marriage.

The poor man， who had made that great renunciation（放棄）for love of her， sat open-mouthed. ‘If shes happy to marry me， I cant get her to marry the other one any more， he thought， and said， ‘My dear， Ill hurry to see about the ceremony.

‘Arrange things with my mother， do， she said.

1. The sign of whale in the sky： 指古希臘神話中的鯨魚座（Cetus）。埃塞俄比亞國王的女兒安德洛美達因母親炫耀其美貌而觸怒海神，被綁在海邊的礁石上祭海獸刻托（Ceto）。勇士珀耳修斯（Perseus）用美杜沙的腦袋把刻托變為石頭并救出少女。后來宙斯把珀耳修斯升為天空中的英仙座，安德洛美達為仙女座，而海獸刻托則變成了鯨魚座。書中當帕米拉聽說左半邊子爵也愛上了她時，感覺自己就像那個祭海獸的少女：正當她陷入邪惡的右半邊子爵的魔爪時，善良的左半邊子爵來救她了，就像珀耳修斯救出了安德洛美達。