[翻译大赛NO.3] THE DANCE OF DEATH /死亡之舞

这故事我很喜欢，虽然有人翻译了，但我还是想翻译下我自己的版本~~
有啥错漏还望朋友们指正~~
Canadian Wonder Tales
加拿大幻想故事集/加拿大神奇传说

THE DANCE OF DEATH
死亡之舞

ONCE long ago there lived on the banks of a beautiful Canadian river a powerful Indian tribe. In the tribe was a very handsome young man, very brave and a great hunter. He was loved by a young Indian girl who was likewise very beautiful. But the young man repulsed her love; he was a great warrior; he was busy getting ready for the autumn and winter hunt and he had little time for such nonsense as love. He frankly told the young girl that he did not love her and that she must follow him no more.

从前，加拿大有一条美丽的河流，河岸上住着一个强盛的印第安部落。在这个部落里有一位勇敢而杰出的猎手，他可是个英俊极了的少年。有个同样漂亮极了的印第安少女爱上了他。可少年回绝了她的爱。他是个坚定的武士，正忙于准备秋冬季的狩猎，没有时间考虑爱情这挡子无聊事。他坦率地告诉那位少女，自己不爱她，以后别来烦他了。

Now, the young girl was very angry, for she was proud and beautiful and of a high temper, and she was little used to have her desires refused. She had a very strange power which the Spirit of the Night had placed in her cradle at her birth. It was a power by which she could do great harm to mankind, but she had never used it in all her life. But now in her anger she said to the young man as he went away with his comrades, "You may go; but you will never return as you go." The young man gave no heed to her words; he neither cared for her nor feared her, and with a merry heart he went his way with his companions.
    
      当然，少女非常生气。因为她是美丽自负的，心气一向很高，从没有遇过要求被拒绝的时候。她有着一种非常奇异的力量，那是暗夜精灵在她刚出生时就给她的。凭借那种力量她可以严重伤害人类，只不过此前她从没有用过。但现在，她怒火中烧。当少年要和同伴离开时，她对他说：“你走可以，但你一旦走了就永远没有回头的路。”少年毫不理会她的话。他既不在意她，更不怕她，怀着轻快的心情他和同伴一起甩头离开了。

One day, many weeks later, when they were far away in the North Country in the land of ice and snow, the young man became suddenly ill. Then he went raging mad with what the Indians call the wild "madness of the woods." The girl's strange power was upon him. In the band of hunters was the young man's older brother, a very strong and powerful man. He knew what ailed his brother. He went to the river and sang the strange weird song that calls the Evil Spirit of the Stream to man's assistance. Now this was a very dangerous thing to do, for the Spirit of the Stream had no love for cowards; but the man being brave had no fear, as he wished to save his brother's life. After the usual custom, he dared the Evil Spirit of the Stream to come to him. Soon the monster appeared in answer to the challenge, its great eyes shining like fire on the water and its horns rising above the surface. It asked the man what he wished, and the man answered, "I wish you to help me; I wish my brother to be in his right mind again and free from the maiden's wicked power." Then the monster said, "You may have what you wish if you are not afraid"; and the man said that he feared nothing. And the monster asked, "Do you fear me?" And the man said, "No." Then said the monster, "Take hold of my horns and scrape them with your knife." The man did as he was told, and he scraped and scraped until he had taken a handful of powder from the monster's horns.
    
      许多天以后，他们远行来到了北国这个冰雪之域。少年突然发病。他变得狂怒疯魔，正如印第安人所说的“林野的狂啸”一般。那少女的奇异力量附在了他身上了。猎队中有一个孔武有力的男人，他就是少年的兄长。他认出了折磨弟弟的力量。于是他来到河边，唱起一首神秘怪异的歌曲，召唤溪流恶灵的援助。他是在做一件非常危险的事，因为溪流恶灵最讨厌胆小鬼。但这个男人勇敢而无所畏惧，他一心只想救弟弟的生命。在一系列仪式过后，男人喝道：“溪流恶灵，速尔前来。”很快一个妖怪应声而现，它的巨眼像火炬一样照耀在水上，它的巨角高高地浮现在水面。它开口问男人有何愿望，男人回答，“我希望你能帮我；我希望我弟弟恢复神智，摆脱那少女的邪恶力量。”妖怪回答，“如果你没有畏惧之心，便能如你所愿。”男人说没什么东西是他怕的。妖怪接着问道，“你怕我吗？”男人回答，“不。”妖怪便说，“握着我的角，用你的小刀刮一点粉末下来。”男人便按他说的去做，他刮了又刮，直到有了满满的一把妖怪角的粉末才停了下来。

The monster wondered at the man's bravery and said, [153] "Go to your camp now; put half the scrapings into a cup of water and give it to your brother to drink; put the other half in another cup of water and give it to the maiden to drink when you go back home, and all will be well." Then the Indian returned to the camp and did as the monster had told him, and his brother drank the powdered water and soon got back his senses and his strength.
    
      妖怪对男人的勇敢很是惊奇，它说：“马上赶回你的营地，把一半的粉末化于水杯，给你的弟弟喝；当你回家的时候，再把剩余一半化于另一杯，给那少女喝，这样便会万事大吉。”这个印第安人便赶回营地照着妖怪的吩咐做了，而他的弟弟一喝完粉末水便恢复了神智和力气。

When the hunt was ended, the band returned home. It was night in the spring-time when they reached their village; the snow had already left the ground and the trees were in bud. In a great tent in the village the annual Spring Dance was in progress, and all the people of the place were gathered. Among them was the maiden lover dancing merrily with the rest. None of the hunting band entered the tent, but they watched the dance from outside the door. The elder brother had mixed a drink as the Evil Spirit of the Stream had told him, by placing the remainder of the powder in a cup of water. And he stood at the door waiting for his chance to give it to the girl. The night was hot and still, and he knew that the dancers would soon grow warm and thirsty. At last the maiden lover came to the door to breathe the cool night air; the man passed her the cup, and without looking at him or knowing him she took it and gladly drained it dry because of her great thirst; then she went back to the dance.

     狩猎结束后，猎队开始返程。他们返回村子时，正值一个春天的晚上。雪早就融化了，地上的草、村头的树开始发芽了。村里头的一个巨大的帐篷里，正举行一年一度的“春之舞”聚会，所有人都聚集在那里。在他们之中，那位怀春少女和其他人一起，正欢快地跳着舞。猎队一个人也没有进入帐篷，他们只在门外观看这场舞会。少年的兄长已配好了一杯魔水，就按溪流恶灵吩咐那样，把剩余的粉末倒进了一杯水中。他倚在门边，等待时机把水递给少女。那个晚上炎热无风，他明白，那些舞者很快就会燥热干渴。终于，那位怀春少女来到门前透透夜晚的凉气。男人把杯子递给了她，她看都没看他是谁，就仰脖一口喝干，因为她实在是渴极了。接着她便转身回去跳舞。

Then a very strange shadow came upon her. When she began to dance she was a young and beautiful girl, the [154] loveliest of all the maidens in the land. But after she had drunk the magic cup she grew gradually older. Her friends noticed the change and stood rooted with terror; the tales of their parents came back to their memories; they knew that the girl was now passing through the Dance of Death from which no power could save her. Their fears were well founded. At each turn of the dance, a year was added to the girl's life; the colour faded slowly from her cheeks; her shoulders slowly stooped; wrinkles appeared upon her face; her hands trembled as if palsied; her feet lost their nimbleness and her tread was no longer light. She was growing old in the Dance of Death. Yet she was unconscious of it all, and her life ebbed away without her knowing it. At last she reached the end of the room, tottering to the music of the dance; but old age was now upon her, and she fell dead upon the floor. Her power over the young man was forever ended, for the Spirit of the Stream had brought about the Dance of Death. "She will trouble you no more," said the elder Indian to his brother as he gazed upon the shrunken face and form, "her dance is forever ended." The people wondered greatly at the strange happening, and their merry-making was hushed; and since that day the Indians in silent fear still point you on the river to the scene of the Dance of Death.

之后，一个非常奇异的影子附在了她身上。当她开始跳舞时，她还是一个青春漂亮的姑娘，是这片大陆上最最明媚动人的少女。但当魔水下肚后，她就开始逐渐变老。她的伙伴们察觉到这个变化，吓得挪不开步。祖辈们的传说又回现在他们的记忆里。他们明白了，少女跳起的是死亡的舞蹈，没有任何力量能够挽救。他们的忧虑完全应验了。舞蹈每转一圈，少女的生命就长一岁。她的脸色，慢慢黯淡；她的肩，缓缓塌落；她的脸庞，皱纹不断地浮现；她的双手颤抖，好似瘫痪；她的双脚哆嗦，已不再灵活；她的舞步，再也无法保持轻盈。她正在变老，在这场死亡的舞蹈。尽管她毫无察觉，她的生命却像潮水般悄无声息地退却。最终，她跳到了舞池的边缘，还在蹒跚着随音乐舞蹈。但年老主宰了她的身体，她跌倒在地，死去了。她附在少年身上的力量永远消失了，溪水恶灵带来了死亡的舞蹈。“她不会再来打扰你了，”印第安人兄长凝视着那满布皱纹的脸和痉挛的身体，对弟弟说，“她的舞永远结束了。”这奇异事件让人们十分惊恐，他们的欢声笑语一下子变得静寂。直到现在，印第安人向你说起这条河和河边的这场死亡的舞蹈时，那种令人心悸的静默仍然挥之不去。