他们已不再变老（2018）

那种破坏是我无法想象的
‘The devastation was something I never could have imagined.
到处都给人一种恐怖的感觉
The whole place gave one a most eerie sensation.’
有些矮树被炮火炸成碎片
‘There were stunted trees torn to shreds with shellfire
弹孔遍布各处
and there were shell holes all over the place.’
我们正在接28师的班
‘We were relieving men of the 28th Division
当他们经过时 我们会问”上面是什么样”
and, as they passed us, we would say, “What’s it like up there?”
他们的回答总是”可怕极了 兄弟”
The reply invariably came back, “Bloody awful, mate.”‘
那些回来的老伙计尾巴都翘起来了
‘The old sweats coming back had got their tails up all right,
但我不知道我能期待什么 毫无头绪
but I didn’t know what to expect, just hadn’t a clue.’
这场战争太致命了
‘It was deadly warfare.
你的敌人是德国人
You were facing the Germans.’
跟着我
Follow me!
你收到了命令 装弹
‘You got the order: load.
你往弹匣里装九颗子弹 上膛
You put nine in your magazine and one up the spout
打开保险
and you put your safety catch on
你要在上前线之前
and you always went into the line
做好立即开枪的准备
prepared to use your rifle immediately.’
此时你会收到严格命令
‘That’s when you got rigid orders.
无论如何不准说话 把头低下
“No talking whatsoever! Keep your head down!
一列纵队 不准抽烟
Single file! No smoking!”
队长会直接把你带到前线战壕里面去
The captain would then direct you right to the front trenches.’
当一个人走进战壕
‘When a man goes into the trenches,
他总是会在自己的武器和行李旁
he usually carries a roll of barbed wire or bag of bombs,
带上一卷带刺的铁丝或一袋炸♥弹♥
beside his own equipment.
他们就是这样把物资带到前线的
That’s the way they get the stuff up to the front line.’
现在就会派出先遣兵
‘Now a guide would always be sent out.’
把这部分战壕延长到那边
Extend this part of the trench over there.
-什么 那边吗 -对
– What, that way? – That’s it.
法国的战壕就像迷宫一样
‘The trenches in France were a maze.
如果没有向导 你很快就会迷路
If you didn’t have a guide, you could soon get lost.’
笑笑 这样你妈妈才会觉得我有在照顾你
Smile so your mother thinks I’m looking after you.
跑快点 加把劲
Now up you go. Double up! Double up!
战壕不是在一条直线上的
‘The trenches weren’t in one straight line.
它们建立在所谓的导线系统上
They were built on what they call the traverse system.
导线可以分散战火
The traverse would break up the shellfire
防止战火沿战壕一路燃烧
and stop it spreading right along the trench.’
战壕会有第一道
‘There was a front line of trenches,
还有第二道
and then there was a second line of trenches.’
援线设立在前线
‘The support line would be about
50码(45米)以外的地方
50 yards or more behind the front line.
在二者之间还有通讯战壕
In between, there would be communication trenches
这样一旦前线告急
so that they could move through
他们就可以穿过去了
if the front line was under jeopardy.’
我看到战壕的第一反应就是
‘The first impression I got of the trenches was
这好像他们的家一样
they were very much lived in.’
我们既来之则安之
‘We had to take ’em as we found ’em.’
你能看到挂在木桩上的大衣
‘You would see an overcoat hanging from a wooden peg.
你能看到装茶叶的罐子
You would see a mess tin with some tea in it.
防空洞里铺着一块毯子
A dugout which had a piece of blanket in it.
用沙袋搭建的床
A bed made of sandbags.’
我们的世界被铁幕一般的无人区隔开
‘Our world was divided by no-man’s-land, a sort of iron curtain
在铁幕那边
beyond which were bogeymen who would
是见人杀人见鬼杀鬼的妖怪
kill you if they ever saw you.’
透过瞄准镜你能看到
‘As you looked through your periscope
满眼疮痍 到处都是弹孔
all you could see were hundreds of shell holes,
交战双方的铁丝网
your barbed wire and the German barbed wire.’
你能看到铁丝网上挂着的尸体
‘You could see dead bodies hanging on the barbed wire
他们可能已经在那里挂了很久
and they may have been there for a long, long time.’
这里是世界上最荒凉的地方之一
‘It was one of the most desolate-looking places in the world.
生灵涂炭
You never saw a sign of life
但你内心非常清楚 肉眼可及的范围内
and yet you knew very well that, within shouting range,
有数不清的人
there were hundreds and hundreds of men.’
一个大约50人的排
‘A platoon of about 50 men would have
会负责大约
about 100 yards of frontline trenches,
50码的战壕
their responsibility.
战壕上到处都是标志
There were signs all over the trenches:
皮卡迪利广场和摄政街
Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street,
就像那种地名
and all that sort of thing,
会指引你去哪里取水
telling you where the water points were,
哪里是会有狙击手瞄准的
and which was the most dangerous part
高危地段
of land with regard to snipers.’
你必须非常小心
‘You had to be extremely careful because
因为子弹会非常轻易地穿过一层沙袋
a bullet would go through one layer of sandbags quite easily.’
我在和一个小伙子说话 砰的一声
‘I was talking to a bloke one clay and plop!
他的头就像鸡蛋一样被打碎了
His head was smashed in like an egg.
他只是刚好站在了
He just happened to be in a place
狙击手能瞄准的地方
where a sniper could get an aim on him.’
我们过去会在战壕里待四天
‘We used to do a four-day stint in the line.
会带足够让我们撑过四天的干粮
We took with us sufficient food to last the four days.’
-有酒吗 -待会见
– Got any grog? – See you later on.
祝福德国佬
My best to Jerry.
照顾好自己 就行了
Mind yourselves. That’s it.
你的一天会在日出之前就开启
Your day would start before dawn,
军士们会走遍方圆100码
when NCOs would go round this 100 yards
确认没有人丧命
to make sure everybody was alive.’
在战壕中的一天 作战两小时休息四小时
‘Of a day in the trenches, you had two hours on, four off.’
三分之一的人放哨
‘A third of the people on sentry duty,
三分之一在工作 三分之一在睡觉
a third working and a third sleeping.’
-醒醒 -我们就席地而睡
– Wake y-wake y! – We just slept where we were.
没有床 就直接躺在地上
No beds, just flopped down on the ground.’
拍到你了兄弟
You’re in the pictures, mate.
战壕很潮湿 只要能避开水洼的地方
‘The trench was very wet and, wherever possible,
我们都会试试
we would try and get above the water.’
在两小时战四小时休的间隙
‘We were able to dig out a side of the trench
我们才能忙里偷闲睡个觉
and that was when we used to steal our
还要挤时间挖开战壕一侧
sleep on the two-on four-off stretch.’
然后你就又能得到几个小时
‘Then you’d have your couple of hours
可以趴在矮墙上睡觉了
on the parapet and then rest again.’
如果一切顺利
‘If nothing untoward happened, there would be perhaps
整个连队前就会有两三个哨兵队
two or three sentry groups in the whole company’s front.’
保持清醒是你的工作
‘It was a job to keep awake and woe
如果你睡觉被抓你就要倒大霉
betide you if you were caught asleep.’
如果你真的很累 你站着就能睡
‘If you are so tired, you can sleep standing up,
我经常这么做
which I’ve done many times.’
你走上前线应该做的的第一件事
‘The first thing you did when you got
就是喝杯啤酒
into the line was to have a brew up.’
维氏枪有一个特点
‘There was one thing about the Vickers gun,
它是水冷式武器
it being a water-cooled weapon,
你持续射击后
if you were continuously firing,
就会发现水被烧开了
you’d find that the water’d be boiling.
你可以把管子断开 然后泡一杯茶
You could disconnect the tube and make a cup of tea.’
水被装在两加仑的汽油罐里
‘The water came up in two-gallon petrol cans.’
我们能从里面尝到汽油味儿
‘And we could taste the petrol in it,
因为汽油罐很难全部清理干净
cos they couldn’t wash it completely out.’
每一个战壕里面都有一个小壁炉
‘In every bay was a little fireplace.’
我们把它点起来
Let’s get this lit.
你应该用一小条一小条的木柴
‘You used tiny slivers of wood because,
因为一旦前线有烟冒出来
if you made smoke in the front line,
-就会引来一顿轰炸 -我想来一杯
over would come a shell.’ I fancy a brew.
你会省下一点儿茶用来洗脸
‘You’d save a drop of that tea to shave with.’
即使在前线 我们也要刮脸
‘Because we had to shave in the front line.’
下雨时我们会在矮墙上放很多罐子
‘We used to put a lot of tins out on the parapet if it rained.
你不会想碰别的水
You dare’t touch any of the other water.’
我们从弹坑里舀水
‘We were scooping water off shell holes.
但水里可能会有尸体
There might have been dead bodies underneath.
只要把水煮足够长的时间
As long as we boiled it for a long time,
所有绿色的东西都会从里面冒出来
all the green stuff’d come off the top.’
做得好
Nice and gentle.
不管怎样 我们用这水来泡茶喝
‘Anyway, we made tea with it.’
如此我喝下了通向痢疾的地狱之水
‘That’s how I got my dose of dysentery.’