CHAPTER XVII MORTUUS PATER FILIUM MORITURUM EXPECTAT





Marius dashed out of the barricade, Combeferre followed him. But he was too late. Gavroche was dead. Combeferre brought back the basket of cartridges; Marius bore the child.



"Alas!" he thought, "that which the father had done for his father,he was requiting to the son; only, Thenardier had brought back his father alive; he was bringing back the child dead."



When Marius re-entered the redoubt with Gavroche in his arms,his face, like the child, was inundated with blood.



At the moment when he had stooped to lift Gavroche, a bullet had grazed his head; he had not noticed it.



Courfeyrac untied his cravat and with it bandaged Marius' brow.



They laid Gavroche on the same table with Mabeuf, and spread over the two corpses the black shawl. There was enough of it for both the old man and the child.



Combeferre distributed the cartridges from the basket which he had brought in.



This gave each man fifteen rounds to fire.



Jean Valjean was still in the same place, motionless on his stone post. When Combeferre offered him his fifteen cartridges, he shook his head.



"Here's a rare eccentric," said Combeferre in a low voice to Enjolras. "He finds a way of not fighting in this barricade."



"Which does not prevent him from defending it," responded Enjolras.



"Heroism has its originals," resumed Combeferre.



And Courfeyrac, who had overheard, added:



"He is another sort from Father Mabeuf."



One thing which must be noted is, that the fire which was battering the barricade hardly disturbed the interior. Those who have never traversed the whirlwind of this sort of war can form no idea of the singular moments of tranquillity mingled with these convulsions. Men go and come, they talk, they jest, they lounge. Some one whom we know heard a combatant say to him in the midst of the grape-shot:"We are here as at a bachelor breakfast." The redoubt of the Rue de la Chanvrerie, we repeat, seemed very calm within. All mutations and all phases had been, or were about to be, exhausted. The position, from critical, had become menacing, and, from menacing, was probably about to become desperate. In proportion as the situation grew gloomy, the glow of heroism empurpled the barricade more and more. Enjolras, who was grave, dominated it, in the attitude of a young Spartan sacrificing his naked sword to the sombre genius, Epidotas.



Combeferre, wearing an apron, was dressing the wounds: Bossuet and Feuilly were making cartridges with the powder-flask picked up by Gavroche on the dead corporal, and Bossuet said to Feuilly: "We are soon to take the diligence for another planet"; Courfeyrac was disposing and arranging on some paving-stones which he had reserved for himself near Enjolras, a complete arsenal, his sword-cane, his gun, two holster pistols, and a cudgel, with the care of a young girl setting a small dunkerque in order. Jean Valjean stared silently at the wall opposite him. An artisan was fastening Mother Hucheloup's big straw hat on his head with a string, "for fear of sun-stroke," as he said. The young men from the Cougourde d'Aix were chatting merrily among themselves, as though eager to speak patois for the last time. Joly, who had taken Widow Hucheloup's mirror from the wall, was examining his tongue in it. Some combatants, having discovered a few crusts of rather mouldy bread, in a drawer, were eagerly devouring them. Marius was disturbed with regard to what his father was about to say to him.







十七　"死去的父亲等待将死的孩子"①





①为拉丁文mortuus　pater　filium　mo－riturum　expectat。　



马吕斯冲出街垒。公白飞跟着他。但太迟了。伽弗洛什已经死去。公白飞捧回了那篮子弹，马吕斯抱回了孩子。



唉！他心中想，那个父亲为他父亲所做的，他要在儿子身上报答，可是德纳第救回了他活的父亲，他呢，他抱回来的是死孩子。



当马吕斯抱着伽弗洛什走进棱堡时，他象那孩子一样，脸上也是鲜血淋淋。



他正弯腰抱伽弗洛什时，一颗子弹擦伤了他的头盖骨，他并没有觉察到。



公白飞解下他的领带包扎马吕斯的额头。



大家把伽弗洛什放在停放马白夫的那张桌子上，并用一块黑纱盖住两个身子，一老一少刚够用。



公白飞把他取回的篮子里的子弹发给大家。



这样每人得到了十五发。



冉阿让仍待在老地方，一动不动地坐在他的界石上。当公白飞递给他十五发子弹时，他摇摇头。



"这儿有个少见的古怪人，"公白飞低声对安灼拉说，"他居然在街垒中不作战。"



"这并不妨碍他保卫街垒。"安灼拉说。



"有一些奇怪的英雄。"公白飞回答。



古费拉克听见后，添了一句：



"他跟马白夫老爹不是一类的。"



有件事值得指出，向街垒射来的火力对内部影响很小。没有经历过这种旋风式战斗的人，不能理解在这种紧张气氛中，还能有宁静的时刻。人们走来走去，随意聊天，开着玩笑，松松散散。有一个我们认识的人听见一个战士在霰弹声中向他说："我们好象是单身汉在进午餐。"麻厂街的棱堡，我们再重复一遍，内部看起来的确很镇定。一切演变和各个阶段都已经完成或即将结束，处境已从危急转为可怕，从可怕大概要演变成绝望。随着处境逐渐变得惨淡，英雄们的光芒把街垒映得越来越红。安灼拉严肃地坐镇街垒，他的姿势正如一个年轻的斯巴达人，他立誓要把光秃秃的剑奉献给忧郁的天才埃比陀达斯。



公白飞腰间围着围腰，在包扎伤员，博须埃和弗以伊用伽弗洛什从排长尸体上取来的火药罐里的火药在做子弹。博须埃对弗以伊说："我们不久就要坐上公共马车到另一个星球去了。"古费拉克象一个少女在仔细整理她的针线盒一样，在几块他拾来放在安灼拉旁边的铺路石上安放排列一整套军械：他的剑杖、他的枪、两支马枪和一支手枪。冉阿让默不作声，望着他对面的墙。一个工人用细绳把于什鲁大妈的大草帽拴在头上，他说："免得中暑。"艾克斯苦古尔德地方的年轻人愉快地在闲谈，好象急着要最后一次说说家乡的土话似的。若李把于什鲁寡妇的镜子从钩子上取下来察看自己的舌头。几个战士在抽屉中找到了一些几乎发霉的面包皮，贪婪地吃着。马吕斯在发愁，他的父亲会对他说些什么呢。
关键字:Les Miserables,悲惨世界Volume 5 Jean Valjean
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