崩溃(Things Fall Apart) (英文版)作者:奇奴阿·阿切比-第4部分

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　　〃Obiako　has　always　been　a　strange　one；〃　said　Nwakibie。　〃I　have　heard　that　many　years　ago；　when　his　father　had　not　been　dead　very　long；　he　had　gone　to　consult　the　Oracle。　The　Oracle　said　to　him；　'Your　dead　father　wants　you　to　sacrifice　a　goat　to　him。'　Do　you　know　what　he　told　the　Oracle？　He　said；
　　'Ask　my　dead　father　if　he　ever　had　a　fowl　when　he　was　alive。'　Everybody　laughed　heartily　except　Okonkwo；　who　laughed　uneasily　because；　as　the　saying　goes；　an　old　woman　is　always　uneasy　when　dry　bones　are　mentioned　in　a　proverb。　Okonkwo　remembered　his　own　father。
　　At　last　the　young　man　who　was　pouring　out　the　wine　held　up　half　a　horn　of　the　thick；　white　dregs　and　said；　〃What　we　are　eating　is　finished。〃
　　〃We　have　seen　it；〃　the　others　replied。　〃Who　will　drink　the　dregs？〃　he　asked。　〃Whoever　has　a　job　in　hand；〃　said　Idigo；　looking　at　Nwakibie's　elder　son　Igwelo　with　a　malicious　twinkle　in　his　eye。
　　Everybody　agreed　that　Igwelo　should　drink　the　dregs。　He　accepted　the　half…full　horn　from　his　brother　and　drank　it。　As　Idigo　had　said；　Igwelo　had　a　job　in　hand　because　he　had　married　his　first　wife　a　month　or　two　before。　The　thick　dregs　of　palm…wine　were　supposed　to　be　good　for　men　who　were　going　in　to　their　wives。
　　After　the　wine　had　been　drunk　Okonkwo　laid　his　difficulties　before　Nwakibie。
　　〃I　have　e　to　you　for　help；〃　he　said。　〃Perhaps　you　can　already　guess　what　it　is。　I　have　cleared　a　farm　but　have　no　yams　to　sow。　I　know　what　it　is　to　ask　a　man　to　trust　another　with　his　yams；　especially　these　days　when　young　men　are　afraid　of　hard　work。　I　am　not　afraid　of　work。　The　lizard　that　jumped　from　the　high　iroko　tree　to　the　ground　said　he　would　praise　himself　if　no　one　else　did。　I　began　to　fend　for　myself　at　an　age　when　most　people　still　suck　at　their　mothers'　breasts。　If　you　give　me　some　yam　seeds　I　shall　not　fail　you。〃
　　Nwakibie　cleared　his　throat。　〃It　pleases　me　to　see　a　young　man　like　you　these　days　when　our　youth　has　gone　so　soft。　Many　young　men　have　e　to　me　to　ask　for　yams　but　I　have　refused　because　I　knew　they　would　just　dump　them　in　the　earth　and　leave　them　to　be　choked　by　weeds。　When　i　say　no　to　them　they　think　i　am　hard　hearted。　But　it　is　not　so。　Eneke　the　bird　says　that　since　men　have　learned　to　shoot　without　missing；　he　has　learned　to　fly　without　perching。　I　have　learned　to　be　stingy　with　my　yams。　But　I　can　trust　you。　I　know　it　as　I　look　at　you。　As　our　fathers　said；　you　can　tell　a　ripe　corn　by　its　look。　I　shall　give　you　twice　four　hundred　yams。　Go　ahead　and　prepare　your　farm。〃
　　Okonkwo　thanked　him　again　and　again　and　went　home　feeling　happy。　He　knew　that　Nwakibie　would　not　refuse　him；　but　he　had　not　expected　he　would　be　so　generous。　He　had　not　hoped　to　get　more　than　four　hundred　seeds。　He　would　now　have　to　make　a　bigger　farm。　He　hoped　to　get　another　four　hundred　yams　from　one　of　his　father's　friends　at　Isiuzo。
　　Share…cropping　was　a　very　slow　way　of　building　up　a　barn　of　one's　own。　After　all　the　toil　one　only　got　a　third　of　the　harvest。　But　for　a　young　man　whose　father　had　no　yams；　there　was　no　other　way。　And　what　made　it　worse　in　Okonkwo's　case　was　that　he　had　to　support　his　mother　and　two　sisters　from　his　meagre　harvest。　And　supporting　his　mother　also　meant　supporting　his　father。　She　could　not　be　expected　to　cook　and　eat　while　her　husband　starved。　And　so　at　a　very　early　age　when　he　was　striving　desperately　to　build　a　barn　through　share…cropping　Okonkwo　was　also　fending　for　his　father's　house。　It　was　like　pouring　grains　of　corn　into　a　bag　full　of　holes。　His　mother　and　sisters　worked　hard　enough；　but　they　grew　women's　crops；　like　coco…yams；　beans　and　cassava。　Yam；　the　king　of　crops；　was　a　man's　crop。
　　The　year　that　Okonkwo　took　eight　hundred　seed…yams　from　Nwakibie　was　the　worst　year　in　living　memory。　Nothing　happened　at　its　proper　time；…　it　was　either　too　early　or　too　late。　It　seemed　as　if　the　world　had　gone　mad。　The　first　rains　were　late；　and；　when　they　came；　lasted　only　a　brief　moment。　The　blazing　sun　returned；　more　fierce　than　it　had　ever　been　known；　and　scorched　all　the　green　that　had　appeared　with　the　rains。　The　earth　burned　like　hot　coals　and　roasted　all　the　yams　that　had　been　sown。　Like　all　good　farmers；　Okonkwo　had　begun　to　sow　with　the　first　rains。　He　had　sown　four　hundred　seeds　when　the　rains　dried　up　and　the　heat　returned。　He　watched　the　sky　all　day　for　signs　of　rain　clouds　and　lay　awake　all　night。　In　the　morning　he　went　back　to　his　farm　and　saw　the　withering　tendrils。　He　had　tried　to　protect　them　from　the　smoldering　earth　by　making　rings　of　thick　sisal　leaves　around　them。　But　by　the　end　of　the　day　the　sisal　rings　were　burned　dry　and　gray。　He　changed　them　every　day；　and　prayed　that　the　rain　might　fall　in　the　night。　But　the　drought　continued　for　eight　market　weeks　and　the　yams　were　killed。
　　Some　farmers　had　not　planted　their　yams　yet。　They　were　the　lazy　easy…going　ones　who　always　put　off　clearing　their　farms　as　long　as　they　could。　This　year　they　were　the　wise　ones。　They　sympathized　with　their　neighbors　with　much　shaking　of　the　head；　but　inwardly　they　were　happy　for　what　they　took　to　be　their　own　foresight。
　　Okonkwo　planted　what　was　left　of　his　seed…yams　when　the　rains　finally　returned。　He　had　one　consolation。　The　yams　he　had　sown　before　the　drought　were　his　own；　the　harvest　of　the　previous　year。　He　still　had　the　eight　hundred　from　Nwakibie　and　the　four　hundred　from　his　father's　friend。　So　he　would　make　a　fresh　start。
　　But　the　year　had　gone　mad。　Rain　fell　as　it　had　never　fallen　before。　For　days　and　nights　together　it　poured　down　in　violent　torrents；　and　washed　away　the　yam　heaps。　Trees　were　uprooted　and　deep　gorges　appeared　everywhere。　Then　the　rain　became　less　violent。　But　it　went　from　day　to　day　without　a　pause。　The　spell　of　sunshine　which　always　came　in　the　middle　of　the　wet　season　did　not　appear。　The　yams　put　on　luxuriant　green　leaves；　but　every　farmer　knew　that　without　sunshine　the　tubers　would　not　grow。
　　That　year　the　harvest　was　sad；　like　a　funeral；　and　many　farmers　wept　as　they　dug　up　the　miserable　and　rotting　yams。　One　man　tied　his　cloth　to　a　tree　branch　and　hanged　himself。
　　Okonkwo　remembered　that　tragic　year　with　a　cold　shiver　throughout　the　rest　of　his　life。　It　always　surprised　him　when　he　thought　of　it　later　that　he　did　not　sink　under　the　load　of　despair。　He　knew　that　he　was　a　fierce　fighter；　but　that　year…had　been　enough　to　break　the　heart　of　a　lion。
　　〃Since　I　survived　that　year；〃　he　always　said；　〃I　shall　survive　anything。〃　He　put　it　down　to　his　inflexible　will。
　　His　father；　Unoka；　who　was　then　an　ailing　man；　had　said　to　him　during　that　terrible　harvest　month：　〃Do　not　despair。　1　know　you　will　not　despair。　You　have　a　manly　and　a　proud　heart。　A　proud　heart　can　survive　a　general　failure　because　such　failure　does　not　prick　its　pride。　It　is　more　difficult　and　more　bitter　when　a　man　fails　alone。〃
　　Unoka　was　like　that　in　his　last　days。　His　love　of　talk　had　grown　with　age　and　sickness。　It　tried　Okonkwo's　patience　beyond　words。
　　CHAPTER　FOUR
　　〃Looking　at　a　king's　mouth；〃　said　an　old　man；　〃one　would　think　he　never　sucked　at　his　mother's　breast。〃　He　was　talking　about　Okonkwo；　who　had　risen　so　suddenly　from　great　poverty　and　misfortune　to　be　one　of　the　lords　of　the　clan。　The　old　man　bore　no　ill　will　towards　Okonkwo。　Indeed　he　respected　him　for　his　industry　and　success。　But　he　was　struck；　as　most　people　were；　by　Okonkwo's　brusqueness　in　dealing　with　less　successful　men。　Only　a　week　ago　a　man　had　contradicted　him　at　a　kindred　meeting　which　they　held　to　discuss　the　next　ancestral　feast。　Without　looking　at　the　man　Okonkwo　had　said：　〃This　meeting　is　for　men。〃　The　man　who　had　contradicted　him　had　no　titles。　That　was　why　he　had　called　him　a　woman。　Okonkwo　knew　how　to　kill　a　man's　spirit。
　　Everybody　at　the　kindred　meeting　took　sides　with　Osugo　when　Okonkwo　called　him　a　woman。　The　oldest　man　present　said　sternly　that　those　whose　palm…kernels　were　cracked　for　them　by　a　benevolent　spirit　should　not　forget　to　be　humble。　Okonkwo　said　he　was　sorry　for　what　he　had　said；　and　the　meeting　continued。
　　But　it　was　really　not　true　that　Okonkwo's　palm…kernels　had　been　cracked　for　him　by　a　benevolent　spirit。　He　had　cracked　them　himself。　Anyone　who　knew　his　grim　struggle　against　poverty　and　misfortune　could　not　say　he　had　been　lucky。　If　ever　a　man　deserved　his　success；　that　man　was　okonkwo。　At　an　early　age　he　had　achieved　fame　as　the　greatest　wrestler　in　all　the　land。　That　was　not　luck。　At　the　most　one　could　say　that　his　chi　or　personal　god　was　good。　But　the　Ibo　people　have　a　proverb　that　when　a　man　says　yes　his　chi　says　yes　also。　Okonkwo　said　yes　very　strongly；　so　his　chi　agreed。　And　not　only　his　chi　but　his　clan　too；　because　it　judged　a　man　by　the　work　or　his　hands。　That　was　why　Okonkwo　had　been　Chosen　by　the　nine　villages　to　carry　a　message　of　war　to　their　enemies　unless　they　agreed　to　give　up　a　young　man　and　a　virgin　to　atone　for　the　murder　of　Udo's　wife。　And　such　was　the　deep　fear　that　their　enemies　had　for　Umuofia　that　they　treated　Okonkwo　like　a　king　and　brought　him　a　virgin　who　was　given　to　Udo　as　wife；　and　the　lad　Ikemefuna。
　　The　elders　of　the　clan　had　decided　that　Ikemefuna　should　be　in　Okonkwo's　care　for　a　while。　But　no　one　thought　It　would　be　as　long　as　three　years。　They　seemed　to　forget　all　about　him　as　soon　as　they　had　taken　the　decision。
　　At　first　Ikemefuna　was　very　much　afraid。　Once　or　twice　he　tried　to　run　away；　but　he　did　not　know　where　to　begin。　He　thought　of　his　mother　and　his　three…year…old　sister　and　wept　bitterly。　Nwoye's　mother　was　very　kind　to　him　and　treated　him　as　one　of　her　own　children。　But　all　he　said　was：　〃When　shall　I　go　home？〃　When　Okonkwo　heard　that　he　would　not　eat　any　food　he　came　into　the　hut　with　a　big　stick　in　his　hand　and　stood　over　him　while　he　swallowed　his　yams；　trembling。　A　few　moments　later　he　went　behind　the　hut　and　began　to　vomit　painfully。　Nwoye's　mother　went　to　him　and　placed　her　hands　on　his　chest　and　on　his　back。　He　was　ill　for　three　market　weeks；　and　when　he　recovered　he　seemed　to　have　overe　his　great　fear　and　sadness。
　　He　was　by　nature　a　very　lively　boy　and　he　gradually　became　popular　in　Okonkwo's　household；　especially　with　the　children。　Okonkwo's　son；　Nwoye；　who　was　two　years　younger；　became　quite　inseparable　from