第11章 GRACE DARLING 亲爱的格蕾丝

[Grace darling was a daughter of the lighthouse keeper on Longstone, the largest of the Fame Islands, a group of bare and desolate rocks off the coast of Northumberland. On a dark and stormy night in September 1838, the steamer Forfarshire way wrecked between these islands and the coast; and the fore part, to which some dozen poor wretches clung, was impaled upon a rock. At dawn the next morning, Grace Darling, then a slight maid of twenty-two, descried the fragment of the wreck, and prevailed upon her father to go out with her in the open boat to rescue the survivors. Nine persons were got safely into the boat and landed on the island. Grace at once became one of the most famous of women. She died of consumption in 1841.]

A maiden gentle, yet, at duty's call,

Firm and unflinching as the Lighthouse reared

On the Island-rock, her lonely dwelling-place;

Or like the invincible Rock itself that braves,

Age after age, the hostile elements,

As when it guarded holy Cuthbert's cell.

All night the storm had raged, nor ceased, nor paused,

When, as day broke, the Maid, through misty air,

Espies far off a Wreck, amid the surf,

Beating on one of those disastrous isles; —

Half of a Vessel, half—no more; the rest

Had vanished, swallowed up with all that there

Had for the common safety striven in vain,

Or thither thronged for refuge. With quick glance

Daughter and Sire through optic-glass discern,

Clinging about the remnant of this Ship,

Creatures—how precious in the Maiden's sight!

For whom, belike, the old man grieves still more

Than for their fellow-sufferers engulfed

Where every parting agony is hushed,

And hope and fear mix not in further strife.

“But courage, Father! let us out to sea—

A few may yet be saved.” The Daughter's Words,

Her earnest tone, and look beaming with faith,

Dispel the Father's doubts: nor do they lack

The noble-minded Mother's helping hand

To launch the boat; and with her blessing cheered,

And inwardly sustained by silent prayer,

Together they put forth, Father and Child!

Each grasps an oar, and struggling on they go—

Rivals in effort; and, alike intent

Here to elude and there surmount, they watch

The billows lengthening, mutually crossed

And shattered, and re-gathering their might;

As if the tumult, by the Almighty's will,

Were, in the conscious sea, roused and prolonged,

That woman's fortitude—so tried, so proved—

May brighten more and more!

True to the mark.

They stem the current of that perilous gorge,

Their arms still strengthening with the strengthening heart

Though danger, as the Wreck is neared, becomes

More imminent—Not unseen do they approach;

And rapture, with varieties of fear

Incessantly conflicting, thrills the frames

Of those who, in that dauntless energy,

Foretaste deliverance. But the least perturbed

Can scarcely trust his eyes, when he perceives

That of the pair—tossed on the waves to bring

Dope to the hopeless, to the dying, life—

One is a Woman, a poor earthly sister;

Or, be the Visitant other than she seems,

A guardian Spirit sent from pitying Heaven,

In woman's shape. But why prolong the tale,

Casting weak words amid a host of thoughts

Armed to repel them? Every hazard faced

And difficulty mastered, with resolve

That no one breathing should be left to perish,

This last remainder of the crew are all

Placed in the little boat, then o'er the deep

Are safely borne, landed upon the beach,

And, in fulfilment of God's mercy, lodged

Within the sheltering Lighthouse.

Shout, ye Waves!

Send forth a song of triumph. Waves and Winds,

Exult in this deliverance wrought through faith

In Him whose providence your rage hath served!

Ye screaming Sea-mews, in the concert join!

And would that some immortal Voice—a Voice

Fitly attuned to all that gratitude

Breathes out from floor or couch, through pallid lips

Of the survivors—to the clouds might bear—

Blended with praise of that parental love

Beneath whose watchful eye the Maiden grew

Pious and pure, modest and yet so brave,

Though young so wise, though meek so resolute—

Might carry to the clouds and to the stars

Yea, to celestial Choirs, GRACE DARLING'S name!

—WILLIAM WORDSWORTH.

Words

beaming,globing.

belike,probably.

blended,mingled.

celestial,heavenly.

Conflicting,struggling.

dauntless,fearless.

deliverance,safety.

descried,discovered.

disastrous,calamitous.

elude,evade.

engulfed,swallowed.

exult,glory.

fortitude,endurance.

fragment,remnant.

fulfillment,accomplishment.

immortal,deathless.

incessantly,constantly.

invincible,unsociable.

pallid,death-like.

perturbed,disquieted.

rapture,delight.

resolute,steadfast.

sustained,upheld.

unflinching,stanch.

vanished,disappeared.

【亲爱的格蕾丝是法姆群岛中最大岛屿的长石滩上面灯塔瞭望员的女儿。法姆群岛是由诺森伯兰郡一些光秃而荒弃的石岛组成的。在1838年9月一个风高夜黑的晚上，蒸汽船福尔法希尔号在这些石岛和海岸中间触礁，船的前部，也就是十几个穷人在的位置，被一块礁石触穿了。第二天黎明的时候，亲爱的格蕾丝，当时不过22岁的姑娘，描述了沉船的场景，并说服她父亲和她一同乘船去拯救幸存者。有九个人被救到了船上，然后在岛上登陆。格蕾丝马上成为家喻户晓的名字之一，她于1841年死于肺痨。】

那姑娘，温柔然而，在职责的召唤下，

坚定而不可动摇，在灯塔向后照耀在

岛屿上，她孤单在家。

或者就像坚不可摧的石头一样，

年复一年，战胜危险的因素，

当它守护着神圣的卡斯波特的牢房的时候。

暴风雨呼啸了一整夜未终止，也未停歇，

天亮的时候，这姑娘穿越雾气弥漫，

到达远处的沉船地，在浪涛中间，

浪涛拍打着那可怕的岛屿；

只剩下半条船，半条，再也没有什么了，剩下的

消失不见，被吞噬掉了，

即使曾经徒劳挣扎过，

或者在对岸寻求庇护之所。用望远镜快速看上一眼，

看清是一个女儿和她父亲，

紧紧抓住船剩余的部分，

生命啊，在姑娘的眼中是多么弥足珍贵啊！

和她一样，老人也感到忧伤，

但这种忧伤要逊色于姑娘对被海水吞噬的船员的忧伤，

在那里，所有分离的忧伤都寂然无声，

希望和恐惧不再交融在未来的挣扎中。

“拿出勇气来吧，父亲！咱们一起出海去，

还能再救上几个来。”这是那位女儿的话，

她声音真挚，脸上满是坚贞的神色，

这打消了她父亲的疑虑，他们不缺

那有崇高思想的母亲的帮忙，

把船推下水，在她的祝福的欢呼声中，

那沉默的祈祷深沉而内敛，

他们一起将船向前推，父亲和他的孩子！

俩人各自抓起船桨，奋力向前滑动，

像竞争者一样用力；同样都想

在这里逃脱在那里越过，他们看到

巨浪翻滚，彼此穿越，

彼此击打，重新积蓄着能量；

好像在上帝的意愿下，这骚乱，

在有意识的大海上，发生而延续，

而那姑娘的坚毅——她是如此努力，如此坚定——

会变得愈加光彩夺目！

坚定要到达目的地。

他们趟过水流湍急的危险海峡，

他们的臂膀跟随着坚毅的心在用力滑动着，

虽然危险重重，沉船就在眼前，一切变得

更加迫近——他们靠近的时候没有人不看见。

破裂和各种各样的恐惧，

不断交错，惊吓着那些人，

也就是用无穷无尽体力的人的身体，

让他们提前知道什么是救赎。但那内心较为淡定的人

也几乎不敢相信自己的双眼，当他看到

那对父女来到跟前。他们踏过风浪将

希望带给绝望的人，带给快要死去的人生命。

其中有一个是女人，一个可怜的人世间的姐妹；

或者，比她看起来更像的，是人世间的过客，

悲悯的上天派来的守护者的精神，

在这个女人的身体里萌发。但为什么这个故事这么长，

在这一连串的思绪中加入这么多羸弱的词语，

将这些思绪击退吗？每一次面对的危险，

每一次战胜的困难，用意志力战胜，

没有一个活着的人被留在那里死去，

最后船员中幸存的人都

被安置在这小船上，然后在深深的大海上

有了安全感，他们向着海滩登陆，

而在上帝的仁慈下，到达了

庇护他们的灯塔。

嚎叫吧，浪涛！

发出胜利的歌唱。狂风巨浪，

在信念的锻造下，为这救赎欢欣！

为你的愤怒得到宽恕的上帝而欢欣！

大海的嘶叫声，加入到这欢庆之中！

会不会有那永恒的声音，那声音

是所有感恩声音的融汇

从地上或沙发上的人口中呼出，

问问幸存者苍白的双唇间吐出，对着那云说，

歌颂那在父母的怜爱之下，

在他们关切的眼神下成长的姑娘，

如此虔诚而纯洁，谦逊却又勇敢，

虽然年轻却如此聪慧，虽然温和却如此坚毅。

这歌颂声可能会传到云端，传到星星那里，

是的，传到天庭的唱诗班，那亲爱的格蕾丝的名字！

——威廉·华兹华斯