Julie’s Wolf Pack (Excerpt II)《朱莉的狼群》（节选二）

琼·克雷格黑德·乔治

The packs met. Stiff-legged， nervous， they greeted each other with mouth sniffs and brief tail whisks. All tails curved downward and cricked in suspicion， then each hung loose and relaxed to tell the other wolves they would cooperate and hunt together. Antlered animals with their sharp hoofs are violent prey. The more wolves， the better.

But it was not that simple. There can be but one alpha male and one alpha female leading a pack. Kapu and Raw Bones snapped at each other， testing to see which it would be. They were both leaders. The battle for rank began as they lifted their tails. Then each inhaled the other’s scent and learned of his health， vigor， and dominance. Finally each growled his lower note. Raw Bones was older. This gave him the advantage. He raised his head above Kapu’s to say he was boss. Kapu would not tolerate it. He threw Raw Bones to the ground. Raw Bones quickly got to his feet. Kapu lifted his head above Raw Bones’s. Both wrinkled their brows and curled back their black lips to show gleaming white fangs. Growling， they threatened each other. Raw Bones tried to get his paw on Kapu’s back， but Kapu kept his head and chest above him. He snarled deep and low. With that the battle was over. Not a drop of blood was spilled. Kapu had won.

That was an important victory for the young wolf leader. Upon the death of his father， Amoroq， he had taken over the leadership of the pack. The death of an alpha male wolf is a tragedy， like the death of a nation’s president. For the wolves it takes many years to make a leader as strong and knowkedgeable as Amaroq had been. Kapu did not have time to develop with Raw Bones in his pack. To survive， he had to be dominant now. He had the fearlessness and initiative of an alpha， but he was young. That is a disadvantage when confronted with an older wolf. By sheer bravodo， by snarling and growling and keeping his head above Raw Bones’s， Kapu had held on to his rank as alpha male wolf of the Avaliks.

Raw Bones did not like it. He would try again.

Leadership settled for the moment， the six wolves worked together that early-autumn season hunting the moose that had been protected for years in the no-wolf zone. At first they fared well; then the moose became scarce. Grizzlies and human hunters were also harvesting them.

The famine went on. The caribou did not migrate south through Avalik land in the late fall. The wolves lost weight and vigor. In March， the breeding month， Kapu made the decision for himself and Aaka as well as for Silver and Raw Bones not to have pups

两群狼相会在一起。他们腿脚有些僵硬，都很紧张，彼此嗅一嗅嘴巴，再甩甩尾巴，算是见面礼。接下来所有的尾巴向下弯曲，直挺挺地悬着，然后尾巴又变软放松，告诉其他狼他们会彼此合作并一起捕猎。他们要捕杀的猎物带着长角，蹄子锋利，而且性情凶猛。狼的数目越多越好。

但事情并非这么简单。狼群的头领只能是一只公头狼和一只母头狼。卡普和生骨互相龇牙咧嘴，试探着谁能当头狼。他们以前都是头狼。当他们都抬起尾巴，头狼的争斗就开始了。他们彼此闻一下对方的气味，从中了解对方健壮与否、活力几何、有无统治力。最后都是朝着对方一阵低吼。生骨年纪大一点。这是他的优势。他抬起头，高过卡普，意思是我是老大。卡普无法接受这一点。卡普把生骨摔倒在地上。生骨快速地站起来。卡普又抬起自己的头高过生骨。两只狼都双目圆睁，缩回黑色的嘴唇露出亮闪闪的白牙来。他们低声怒吼，彼此示威。生骨想用爪子按住卡普的背，而卡普的头和胸一直都在生骨之上。卡普发出尖利的叫声，然后又是低沉的吼声。到此，头狼之争结束。没有流一滴血。卡普获胜了。

对卡普这个年轻的头狼而言，这是一场重要的胜利。在卡普的父亲阿马罗克死去以后，卡普接管了狼群的领导权。一只公头狼的去世是一个悲剧，就像某个国家元首的离世一样。狼群需要很多年才能产生一个像阿马罗克那样强壮和见多识广的头狼。有生骨在狼群里，卡普没有时间慢慢成长。为了生存，卡普不得不现在就成为头狼。他具有头狼必需的无所畏惧和主宰一切的精神，但他还年轻。与年长的狼相比，年轻是一个劣势。但仅凭无所畏惧的精神，以及尖叫和低吼，还有把头保持在生骨之上，卡普保住了他作为阿瓦里克河狼群公头狼的地位。

生骨不喜欢这样。他还会再次为头狼而争。

头狼之争暂时落定之后，六只狼就一起开始捕猎。他们在早秋时节在这个无狼区里一起捕杀那些多年被保护的麋鹿。最初一切都很好。然后麋鹿就变得很少见了。因为灰熊和猎人也在围捕麋鹿。

饥饿在持续。深秋时节北美驯鹿也没有经过阿瓦里克河地区往南迁徙。群狼变得日渐消瘦和没有活力。到了三月，本来应该是繁殖季节，卡普却决定自己和阿卡，以及银白和生骨今年不会生狼崽。

【背景知识】在朱莉的帮助下，两个狼群合二为一，这样更利于捕猎和生存。然而，按照狼群的习性，一个狼群必须有一只头狼，不是两只。选段把争夺头狼的过程一一展现出来，让人大开眼界。

【第一段】第二句原文非常简洁，而中文不能照搬原文句式，译文按照中文习惯改变了句式，采用了中文流水句的方式。

【第二段】这里有几个很难翻译的点。其一是snap，其英文解释是if an animal such as a dog snaps at you， it opens and shuts its jaws quickly near you， as if it were going to bite you（如果有动物，比如狗，对着你snap，意思是它的下巴很快地张开合上，似乎将要咬你）。这在中文里没有对应的表达。这种情况下我们一般用“龇牙咧嘴”，而龇牙咧嘴对应的英语应该是bare their teeth，而不是snap。为了简洁，译文使用了“龇牙咧嘴”，实际上不是snap的准确意思。第六句中的句式是learned of his health， vigor， and dominance（了解到他的健康、活力和统治力），译文为各个名词添加了相应的词语，译为“从中了解对方健壮与否、活力几何、有无统治力”，是为了译文更清楚明白。另外一点是wrinkled their brows（皱起了眉头）。中文里很少说狼或者狗能够皱眉头，译文在此进行了转译，翻译为“双目圆睁”。

【第三段】第四句中的make意义宽泛，译文使用了“产生”来翻译。而第五句中的develop（发展）是指卡普在狼群中本来应该慢慢“成长”，却不得不过早地为头狼而战。第六句中的to be dominant（要主宰一切），其译文明晰化为“不得不现在就成为头狼”（否则就只能忍辱偷生）。第七句中的initiative（If you have initiative， you have the ability to decide what to do next and to do it， without needing other people to tell you what to do.自己做主發号施令，无须听命于他人。）不宜按照字面翻译，译文处理为“无所畏惧和主宰一切的精神”，把前后两个词用“精神”联系起来。

【第四段】每一只狼都有性格，生骨很倔强，最后也会为此付出代价的。第三句比较长，译文使用了分句技巧。最后一句之前添加了“因为”，把原文的因果关系明晰化。

【第五段】这一段描述狼群严酷的生存条件，他们完全依赖大自然而生存，气候和环境的变化都会带来凶险。第三句译文添加了“变得日渐”，把原文中隐含的渐进性表示出来。而第四句，译文添加了“本来”，这样就在译文中明示了原文的逻辑关系。

【小结】这一部分原文描写头狼之争的战斗，细腻传神，栩栩如生。但翻译难度较大。有几组词语都不能按照字面来直译，需要根据原文意思以及中文的习惯加以变通之后才能合适。另外，原文为了追求简洁生动，有些句子之间没有使用连接成分，这需要译者在译文中适当添加逻辑词语，让中文译文的句子更加连贯，不至于破碎和生硬。                                                 □