名著精讀:《悉達多》 船伕(2)

Siddhartha laughed. "Once before, I have been looked upon today because of my clothes, I have been looked upon with distrust. Wouldn't you, ferryman, like to accept these clothes, which are a nuisance to me, from me? For you must know, I have no Money to pay your fare."
"You're joking, sir," the ferryman laughed.
"I'm not joking, friend. Behold, once before you have ferried me across this water in your boat for the immaterial reward of a good deed. Thus, do it today as well, and accept my clothes for it."
"And do you, sir, intent to continue travelling without clothes?"
"Ah, most of all I wouldn't want to continue travelling at all. Most of all I would like you, ferryman, to give me an old loincloth and kept me with you as your assistant, or rather as your trainee, for I'll have to learn first how to handle the boat."
For a long time, the ferryman looked at the stranger, searching.
"Now I recognise you," he finally said. "At one time, you've slept in my hut, this was a long time ago, possibly more than twenty years ago, and you've been ferried across the river by me, and we parted like good friends. Haven't you've been a Samana? I can't think of your name any more."
"My name is Siddhartha, and I was a Samana, when you've last seen me."
"So be welcome, Siddhartha. My name is Vasudeva." You will, so I hope, be my guest today as well and sleep in my hut, and tell me, where you're coming from and why these beautiful clothes are such a nuisance to you."
They had reached the middle of the river, and Vasudeva pushed the oar with more strength, in order to overcome the current. He worked calmly, his eyes fixed in on the front of the boat, with brawny arms. Siddhartha sat and watched him, and remembered, how once before, on that last day of his time as a Samana, love for this man had stirred in his heart. Gratefully, he accepted Vasudeva's invitation. When they had reached the bank, he helped him to tie the boat to the stakes; after this, the ferryman asked him to enter the hut, offered him bread and water, and Siddhartha ate with eager pleasure, and also ate with eager pleasure of the mango fruits, Vasudeva offered him.
Afterwards, it was almost the time of the sunset, they sat on a log by the bank, and Siddhartha told the ferryman about where he originally came from and about his life, as he had seen it before his eyes today, in that hour of despair. Until late at night, lasted his tale.
Vasudeva listened with great attention. Listening carefully, he let everything enter his mind, birthplace and childhood, all that learning, all that searching, all joy, all distress. This was among the ferryman's virtues one of the greatest: like only a few, he knew how to listen. Without him having spoken a word, the speaker sensed how Vasudeva let his words enter his mind, quiet, open, waiting, how he did not lose a single one, awaited not a single one with impatience, did not add his praise or rebuke, was just listening. Siddhartha felt, what a happy fortune it is, to confess to such a listener, to burry in his heart his own life, his own search, his own suffering.
But in the end of Siddhartha's tale, when he spoke of the tree by the river, and of his deep fall, of the holy Om, and how he had felt such a love for the river after his slumber, the ferryman listened with twice the attention, entirely and completely absorbed by it, with his eyes closed.

席特哈爾塔笑了：“我今天已經因爲這身衣服惹人注意過，讓人猜疑過了。船伕呀，你是否願意要我這身惹麻煩的衣服？因爲你要知道，我沒錢付你擺渡費呢。”
“先生是在開玩笑吧。”船伕笑道。
“我沒有開玩笑，朋友。你瞧，你曾用你的船送我渡了一次河，沒收錢。今天也還是照樣吧，請收下我的衣服。”
“先生莫非要不穿衣服繼續趕路？”
“啊，我現在最希望的是根本不用再趕路。船伕呀，最好你能給我一件舊圍裙，收我做你的助手，更確切地說是做你的徒弟，因爲我得先學會撐船才行。”
船伕久久地探詢地注視着這個陌生人。
“現在我認出你來了。”他終於說道，“你在我的茅屋裏睡過覺，那已經很久了，大概有二十多年了吧。當年我把你渡過河，然後咱們就像好朋友一樣分手了。那時你不是沙門嗎？你的名字我實在想不起來了。”
“我叫席特哈爾塔。上次你見到我時我確實是個沙門。”
“那麼我歡迎你，席特哈爾塔。我叫瓦蘇代瓦。我希望你今天還是做我的客人，睡在我的茅屋裏，給我講講你從哪兒來，你的華麗衣服爲什麼成了你的累贅。”
他們已來到河中心，瓦蘇代瓦加緊划槳，逆水前進。他用有力的胳臂平靜地工作着，目光盯着船頭。席特哈爾塔坐着看他，憶起當年他做沙門的最後一天，他心中就曾對此人產生過熱愛。他感激地接受了瓦蘇代瓦的邀請。靠岸後，他幫船伕把小船在木樁上繫好。然後，船伕請他走進茅屋，給他端來麪包和水，席特哈爾塔吃得津津有味，而且還吃了瓦蘇代瓦款待他的水果。
後來，日落時分，他們倆坐在岸邊一棵樹的樹幹上，席特哈爾塔給船伕講自己的出身和生活，那些絕望時刻的情景就像今天一樣歷歷在目。他一直講到夜深。
瓦蘇代瓦全神貫注地聽着。他仔細地傾聽一切，出身和童年，所有的學習，所有的探索，所有的歡樂，所有的痛苦。善於傾聽正是瓦蘇代瓦的重要美德之一，能像他這樣傾聽的人不多。他並沒有說一句話，講述者就感覺到他把話全都聽進去了。他安靜、坦誠和期待地聽着，一字不漏，沒有絲毫的不耐煩，也不作褒貶，只是傾聽。席特哈爾塔感到，能向這樣一位傾聽者訴說自己的生活、自己的探索和自己的煩惱，實在是一件幸事。
當席特哈爾塔快講到結尾時，他講到河邊那棵樹，講到自己的潦倒落魄，講到那神聖的“唵”，以及他如何在睡了一覺之後對河水深感熱愛。這時，船伕聽得更是加倍專心了，他全神貫注地閉着眼睛聽。