P. H. Newby - A Parcel for Alexandria (Excerpt) 汉译

Spearing wore his hair long even in Egypt. He had the kind of complexion the sun fired to a demonic redness and, in contrast, the hair looked whiter and silkier than it does today. Everybody knew him, by sight if not by name. He never wore a hat. You can imagine how he stood out in a crowd of Egyptians because of this flouncing mop of hair.

He was a marked man. Perhaps he felt that the extravagance of his appearance had to be matched in some way by an extravagance of conduct. In England, where he is naturally less conspicuous, Spearing has never made a lot of trouble.

Both of us were teaching at the University but I saw more of him than the rest of my colleagues did because we put up at the same pension. Accordingly, when I heard him shouting abuse in Cairo Post Office one hot afternoon I went over to see what the trouble was this time.

We were in the Parcels Department, a long dark cavern equipped with an unusually wide counter, a number of scales and a chute. Only one official seemed to be on duty that afternoon, a hard-faced little man with creased cheeks who closed his eyes when he spoke.

“If you don’t put Alexandria,” he said in English, “I won’t take it.”

Spearing was so angry that his hands visibly trembled when they gripped the edge of the counter. “Everybody knows where Sidi Gaber is, you coot! You know where Sidi Gaber is! I know where it is! He—”

史匹林的头发，哪怕是在埃及，都算是蓄得很长的。他的面孔被太阳晒得像魔鬼似的血红，与之成对照的，是他的头发却比现今更白，更为柔亮。人人都认得他，即令不晓得他的名字，也认识他的面貌。他从来不戴帽子。你不难想像他那一头蓬松的头发，站在一群埃及人当中，简直是鹤立鸡群，非常突出。他成为一个引人注目的人。也许他觉得他的放肆的样子，应该配上一些放肆的行为才对。在英国，那儿是本乡本土，他自然不会引人注目，史匹林也从未惹起过什么麻烦。

我们两人都是在大学教书，不过我比其余的同事和他见面的机会更多，因为我和他住在同一个宿舍的缘故。于是，在一个酷热的下午，当我听到他在开罗邮局大声辱骂的时候，我赶忙走过去看这次是发生什么麻烦。

我们都在邮局的包裹部门，那是一间长形的黑暗洞穴似的屋子，设有一个非常宽大的柜台，里面有天平和滑槽。那天下午好像只有一个职员在值班似的，那是一个面色可怕，面颊多皱的小个子，他说话时总是把眼睛闭上。

“如果你不写上亚历山大的字样，”他用英语说，“我不接受。”

史匹林气得两手发抖，他的两手正紧握着那柜台的边缘。“人人都晓得西提加柏在什么地方，你这笨猪！你也知道西提加柏在什么地方！我也知道它在什么地方！人家——”