2012诺贝尔文学获得者 诺贝尔文学经典:《宠儿》第14章Part8

诺贝尔文学经典:《宠儿》第14章Part8  

So Stamp Paiddid not tell him how she flew
snatching up her children like a hawk on the wing; how her facebeaked
how her hands worked like claws
how she collected them every which way: one on hershoulder
one under her arm
one by the hand
the other shouted forward into the woodshed filledwith just Sunlight and shavings now because there wasn't any wood. The party had used it all
which is why he was chopping some. Nothing was in that shed
he knew
having been there earlythat morning. Nothing but sunlight. Sunlight
shavings
a shovel. The ax he himself took out. Nothing else was in there except the shovel — and of course the saw. "You fetting I knew herbefore
" Paul D was saying. "Back in Kentucky. When she was a girl. I didn't just make heracquaintance a few months ago. I been knowing her a long time. And I can tell you for sure: thisain't her mouth. May look like it
but it ain't." So Stamp Paid didn't say it all. Instead he took abreath and leaned toward the mouth that was not hers and slowly readout the words Paul Dcouldn't. And when he finished
Paul D said with a vigor fresher than the first time
"I'm sorry
Stamp. It's a mistake somewhere 'cause that ain't her mouth."Stamp looked into Paul D's eyes and the sweet conviction in them almost made him wonder if ithad happened at all
eighteen years ago
that while he and Baby Suggs were looking the wrongway
a pretty little slavegirl had recognized a hat
and split to the woodshed to kill her children.
"SHE WAS crawling already when I got here. One week
less
and the baby who was sitting upand turning over when I put her on the wagon was crawling already. Devil of a time keeping heroff the stairs. Nowadays babies get up and walk soon's you drop em
but enty years ago when Iwas a girl
babies stayed babies longer. Howard didn't pick up his own head till he was ninemonths. Baby Suggs said it was the food
you know. If you ain't got nothing but milk to give em
well they don't do things so quick. Milk was all I ever had. I thought teeth meant they was ready tochew. Wasn't nobody to ask. Mrs. Garner never had no children and we was the only womenthere."She was spinning. Round and round the room. Past the jelly cupboard
past the window
past thefront door
another window
the sideboard
the keeping-room door
the dry sink
the stove — backto the jelly cupboard. Paul D sat at the table watching her drift into view then disappear behind hisback
turning like a slow but steady wheel. Sometimes she crossed her hands behind her back. Other times she held her ears
covered her mouth or folded her arms across her breasts. Once in a while she rubbed her hips as she turned
but the wheel never stopped.