The Park of Paris巴黎的公园

【导读】 本文选自旅法英国人爱德华·科平写的一本游记，题为《巴黎面面观》（Aspects of Paris， London： Longman， Brown， 1858）。这部写于19世纪的作品朴实清新，读来如身临其境，有凉风习习、树影婆娑、光影凌乱、曲径通幽、鸟鸣谷应之感。这便是作者笔下之巴黎公园。对比当下的喧嚣、污染，读者不禁神往那片宁静温馨的乐土，因为它给身体以滋润、给思想以翅膀、给灵魂以慰藉。原文较长，翻译时有删节。

When， in 1825， Dulaure published his Histoire des Environs de Paris， that part of the ancient forest of Rouvray was in a sadly neglected state. Only ten years before， it had been occupied by a foreign army. English and Russian soldiers had encamped side by side， upon its verdant slopes and in its shady avenues. The fine trees were cut down to reappear， dishonoured， as barracks for the invading foe.

1825年，迪洛尔出版了《巴黎郊区的故事》，鲁夫赖地区那片古老的森林尚不为人所重，不禁令人叹息。仅在10年前，那里还驻扎着一支外国军队。郁郁葱葱的山坡和林木成荫的大道上，英俄士兵比肩而驻。茂盛的树木被砍伐，搭建成侵略者的营地，真是耻辱！

Thirty years have passed since Dulaure wrote. The aspect of the ancient Bois has been， in fact， completely changed within the last few years. When Horace Walpole1 was in Paris he complained that it had no park. Many subsequent visitors have echoed the lamentation. They have admired the fine houses of the French capital， the broad streets， the pleasant promenades， the cheerful gardens; but they have always qualified their admiration by this disparaging observation， “There is no park！”

不过迪洛尔描写的已是30年前的事了。实际上，过去几年里，这片古老的森林已是旧貌换新颜。霍勒斯·沃波尔在巴黎时曾抱怨巴黎没有公园。后来有不少访客也表达了同样的遗憾。他们对这法国首都漂亮的房舍、宽阔的街道、惬意的步道、愉悦的花园多有赞词，却每每在赞美之余不屑地加上一句“可惜没有公园！”。

They can do so no longer. The Bois de Boulogne has become a park—the park of Paris. You have but to see the Bois de Boulogne on a fine summer’s evening， more especially if the evening be that of Sunday， to feel convinced it is the most popular of Paris. Every avenue， every footway， every bridle path seems to be full of company， company of the most varied kind.

现在他们没法再这么说了。布洛涅森林已经成了一个公园——巴黎的公园。你只需在一个夏日晴朗的傍晚，尤其是在星期天的傍晚，去布洛涅森林看看，就会确信那里是巴黎最受欢迎的地方。每一条大路、每一条小径、每一条马道，似乎都挤满了，有各色人等，也有各种马匹。

The millionaire is here from the Bourse; his clerk is here also; the fashionable lady who occupies herself only with coquetting and conquest is here; your blanchisseuse， who concentrates all her energies upon washing and starching， is just behind her; blazing carriages illuminated by incandescent footmen are here; domestic shandrydans and mouldy street cabs are not absent; spirited English horses， graceful and delicate as forest fawns， are here.

来自交易所的百万富翁淹留于此，他的伙计紧随左右。时髦女郎现身于此，忙着打情骂俏，征服男士；洗衣妇就在她身后，全神贯注浆洗衣服。这里还有被热情高涨的男仆用彩灯装饰得闪闪发亮的马车，也少不了家用轻便马车和街头老式出租马车的身影。精神抖擞的英国马匹在这里展露身姿，优雅如林间的小鹿。

Five years ago， then， the scene began to change. Engineers， builders， architects， surveyors， gardeners， and excavators were sent for; new paths were cut through the wood; new roads were laid out; flowers and exotic shrubs were planted; grass was sown; trees were introduced; lakes were dug; artificial streams were made; grottoes were constructed; islands were formed; cascades were built; —the wilderness was changed into a smiling garden.

森林的变化是从五年前开始的。工程师、建筑工、建筑师、测量员、园艺家被派到这里，挖掘机也开到这里；新辟了林间小径，规划了新的道路；种上了鲜花和奇异的灌丛，播撒了草种，引进了树苗；掘了湖，挖了人造小溪，凿了人工洞穴，建了小岛，引了瀑布。这片荒野被改造成了盈盈笑靥的花园。

Here flowers are allowed to grow unimprisoned within heptagonal or octagonal fortifications. Paths are permitted to wind round bush and thicket， over hill and dale， without hinderance or restraint， as happy children might wander on a summer holiday. Rock and stone， instead of being tamed by the sculptor into attitudes of lifeless symmetry， are allowed to retain all their native wildness of aspect. They have full liberty also to welcome the rippling stream， the loving moss， or the foot-weary traveller.

在这里，七角形或八角形的围垒里，花儿自由地开放。小径翻山越岭，蜿蜒于灌木和灌丛间，无拘无束，暑假里快乐的孩子们会漫游其间。大大小小的石头，未让雕刻家刀斧雕琢为毫无生机的对称姿态，而是保持原生野趣。它们也能充分自由地迎迓涟漪圈圈的小溪、可爱的苔藓，或是步履疲惫的游客。

The effect of all this is charming. You have the wild beauties of nature softened and refined by art. You have the pebble， which on the sea-beach looked so beautiful， rendered even more beautiful by the lapidary’s skill. Compared with a mountain or a crag， it looks very insignificant， doubtless. But then， we cannot carry off the mountain or the crag， and keep it always by us. The pebble， on the contrary， we may for ever have beneath our eyes.

所有这些的效果都很好。天然的野性美得到艺术的柔润与修饰。瞧那鹅卵石，在沙滩上就显得很美，一经攻石之术的精巧安排，显得更美了。与高山峭壁相比，它确实显得不值一提。但高山峭壁我们搬不动，更不能一直随身携带；而鹅卵石却可以随时摆在眼前欣赏。

Alas！ Must it be said？ There are persons who regret the uncultivated roughness of the ancient wood， and complain of the change which has banished it. They recall， with the fondness with which we always evoke the memories of the past， （for who stores in his mind other than happy recollections of former days？） they recall， I say， the wild freedom of the old Bois， the unmown sward， the unenclosed slopes， the unclipped brushwood， the untended flowers， the untouched footways. Their fancy warms in speaking of these things.

唉，不用说，有人会为古林失去野趣而叹息，抱怨是现在的变化造成的。他们回忆时满怀柔情，那是我们忆起往事时总会带着的柔情（除了过去的好时光，谁还会在脑子里留存其他什么呢？）。嗯，他们回忆的是旧日森林的任性自由，草地未经修剪，山坡没有围栏，灌木从未整枝，花儿无人照看，小径无人踏足。说起这些，他们就兴致盎然。