《罗克斯维尔火车站的猫》（节选六）

琼·克雷格黑德·乔治

At dusk she awoke， ready to go First Home hunting. She looked toward the abandoned lot where mice abounded. Elizabeths First Home was there， and her Sunning Spot was on the nearby woodpile. Rachet wouldnt look there nor in the pile of brush in the field. Elizabeths Hunting Lookout. She had sprayed it with her personal odor to tell other cats it was hers. Rachet respected this. The Sunning Spot and Hunting Lookout were stations in a cats environment that it selected and regularly used.

Rachet inhaled deeply and smelled the two Roxville cat members at the faraway tollbooth in the station parking lot on the other side of the tracks. Tatters and Tachometer had left strong scents on it by rubbing their sides against the pilings as they exited and entered their home. The scents said， “This is Tatters and Tachometers property.” Rachet would stay away from their space also.

The woods were no good; they were claimed by Ringx. The raccoon lived in that large hole in the maple tree and protected it with ferocity. Lysol， the skunk， denned under a nearby slash pine. She did not want her First Home near him.

Rachet crawled out from under the tire and was stealing down her trail to check for a home near the houses when Shifty， the red fox， caught wind of her. Running low， then leaping high， he pounced with open jaws. Rachet sped through the withered thistle patch. Shifty at her heels. He was so close she heard his jaws slam closed. She leaped， aiming for a hole in a mesh fence， went through it， and alit in the yard of the big Victorian house where Queenella made her home. Shifty was too wary to follow through the hole and skidded to a halt. He sniffed the fence， then trotted away.

Old and run-down， the house had a large porch that wrapped around two sides of it. The porch stopped at a tower three stories high， then continued on the other side. Stained glass glowed in the living room windows. Elaborate leaves and flowers， moldy from neglect， were carved above the windows and doors. Rachet looked about the yard. In it were motorboats covered with blue tarps; weeds grew between them. Slender voluntary saplings cropped up here and there at the fence. Old sugar maple trees at the edge of the yard were riddled with holes， showing where woodpeckers and flickers had drilled. A sign in the yard read OCCUPIED， in case someone thought the run-down house was empty and decided to explore it.

Rachet took a deep sniff. The old house smelled of people—and Queenella！ Suddenly， Windy， the barn owl， flew at Rachet to harass; she was a predator. She dipped low overhead， then flew on as silently as the moonlight. Rachet ducked， then ran forward.

She heard the sound of a wind rushing through a hole. She followed the sound to the stone foundation of the house， found a large break in the wall， and wedged into it. She wiggled along the three-foot-deep crack in the foundation and looked into the basement of the house. She did not jump to the floor but crouched and sniffed.

黄昏时，拉齐特醒了，准备去寻找自己的“老家”。她望着那块老鼠成群的荒地。伊丽莎白的“老家”在那里，她的晒太阳处在附近的木柴堆上。拉齐特不会去那里找，也不会去荒地里的那个灌木丛。那是伊丽莎白的狩猎瞭望处。伊丽莎白在灌木丛那里留下了自己的气味，告诉其他猫咪那是她的领地。拉齐特不会去那里。晒太阳处和狩猎瞭望处是猫咪环境里的站点，是猫咪自己选好并且经常使用的地方。

拉齐特深吸一口气，闻到了罗克斯维尔火车站猫咪族群两个成员的味道。它们在铁道另一边，火车站停车场远端的过路收费亭那里。破布和转速计进出家门的时候，总是用身子蹭门口的桩子，在那里留下了很强的气味。那气味说明，“这里是破布和转速计的地盘。”拉齐特也要离他们的地方远一点。

树林里不能安家。那是林克斯的地盘。浣熊就住在枫树的那个大洞里，并且用武力守护着。莱索，那只臭鼬，家安在附近的一棵沼泽松底下。拉齐特可不想让自己的“老家”靠近他。

拉齐特从轮胎下面爬出来，偷偷沿着自己的小路出行，想去人类的房子附近找一个家。这时，希夫蒂，那只红狐，闻到了拉齐特。希夫蒂伏低身子跑过来，然后高高跳起，张开嘴巴扑下去。拉齐特飞速地跑过那片枯萎的蓟草丛。希夫蒂紧跟不放。希夫蒂离拉齐特太近了，拉齐特听到了他嘴巴咬合的声音。拉齐特高高跳起，朝着篱笆网上的一个洞跳过去，恰好穿过，然后落到一所维多利亚式大房子的院子里。这里是女王艾拉的家。希夫蒂很谨慎，没有跟着穿过那个洞，脚步打滑停了下来。他闻了闻篱笆，然后快速走开了。

这所房子老旧而且破败不堪，两侧围绕着一个巨大的门廊。门廊延伸到一个三层高的塔楼下面中断，然后在塔楼的另一面又延伸下去。客厅窗户的彩色玻璃熠熠生辉。门窗的上方雕刻有精美的叶子和花朵，因为没人维护而发霉了。拉齐特看了看院子四周。院子里有几艘盖着蓝色防水布的摩托艇;艇与艇之间长着野草。篱笆周围到处窜出自发生长的细长树苗。院子边上，有古老的糖枫树，树上到处都是洞，看得出是啄木鸟和扑动   钻过孔的地方。院子里还有一个标志，写着“有人居住”，以防人们认为这所破房子空空如也，决定进来探索一番。

拉齐特深吸一口气嗅了嗅周围。老房子里有人，还有女王艾拉。突然，如风，那只仓鸮，飞扑过来骚扰拉齐特。仓鸮是猎食动物。如风从头顶低飞而过，然后继续往前飞，像月光一样悄然无声。拉齐特躲开袭击，然后往前跑。

她听到了风儿穿洞的声响。循着风声，拉齐特来到老房子的石质地基处，找到了墙上的一个大洞，挤了进去。她扭动身子沿着三英尺深的地基墙缝往前走，来探察老房子的地下室。她没有直接跳到地面上，而是伏低身子嗅了嗅。

【背景知识】野外的猫咪都需要一个舒适安全的“老家”，还有附近的晒太阳处和狩猎瞭望处。拉齐特也不例外。她四处搜寻，想找一个安身之所。终于，误打误撞，她来到了那个男孩的家，一栋古旧的房子。

【第一段】英文词组First Home值得译者琢磨一番。“第一家”意思不明确。中国的儿童游戏里经常有“回老家”“找老家”的说法。这里的老家并非小时候的家，或者家人的故乡，而是指“大本营”。这一段介绍了野外猫咪的习性，他们通常需要一个“老家”，还有“晒太阳处”以及“狩猎瞭望处”。

【第二段】原文第一句比较长，地点状语置后。译文切分为两句，并且调整了语序。原文第二句也不能按照英文的语序翻译，译文也只能调整语序，把原文的时间状语和方式状语提前。

【第三段】拉齐特凭借自己的嗅觉勘察周围的动物，发现自己可用的空间有限，危机四伏。

【第四段】第一句的译文补充了一些信息，比如“自己的小路”“人类的房子”，使得译文更明白易懂。即使是日常出行，拉齐特都要冒生命危险。看来找寻新家势在必行。原文的动作描写很生动，译文也要如此。

【第五段】这一段是繁复的景物描写。第一句译文的主语提前了，而且把原文的长句进行了切分。原文第三句的譯文也进行了语序调整，这些一般都是必要的，因为中英文语法习惯不同。

【第六段】老房子里的住户出场了，一只仓鸮。这之后还有仓鸮的故事。新的环境需要适应，有敌人有朋友，拉齐特必须小心谨慎。

【第七段】拉齐特通过墙缝挤进了地下室，但她不敢一下子跳下去。里面已经有猫咪居住了。

【小结】这一选段有精彩的动作描写和繁复细致的景物描写，译文应当注意中文的流畅和通顺。另外，这里出现了很多动物名称。动物名称一般有两种翻译方法：音译或者意译。译者并没有执着于某一种译法，而是根据情况进行选择。意义恰当的则意译，意义不兼容的则音译。像拉齐特、伊丽莎白、林克斯、莱索、希夫蒂等都是音译，而破布、转速计、如风等是意译。Queenella是猫王，这个区域地位最高的猫咪，其译名是意译加音译，女王+艾拉，表明她的身份和名称。