|
每逢有人去世时，人们认为他们的灵魂从我们的世界去了灵魂的国界，在那儿他们会获得永生，人们觉得在死亡之河上有一座桥连接着这两个世界，但谁也不知道到底会发生什么事儿。 很久以前，一个人死后又醒了过来。他非常高兴自己又活了过来，他讲了一个不寻常的故事。“我走了很长一段路，”他说道，"一直来到一条宽阔的、水流急的河边。我知道应该过河，但河岸很陡峭，河水又很深。后来我看到远处有一座窄窄的小桥，另一端是一个大土堆。" "我走到桥上，桥动了起来，桥居然是活的。原来那个大土堆是一只巨大的乌龟，桥是它的长尾巴。我就向前跑，想以最快的速度过桥，但乌龟抬起头看着我，它有一双闪闪发光的红眼睛，两排锋利的牙齿。它晃了晃龟壳，抬起尾巴，把我掀到了水里。" “河水把我卷入水底,就像一条黑暗的隧道，布满了锋利岩石，我被扎得遍体鱗伤。但一会儿我又浮到了水面上，看到我们那边的河岸上有一些人。他们在打猎，收柴禾。我觉得认识他们中的一些人，那是一些早就去世的朋友。可能他们正在去往灵魂国界的路上休息，或者他们也过不了河。” “河流又把我向前冲去，冲进了海里。海浪很大，但盐水却治愈了我的伤口。潮水把我推到了岸边，我在沙滩上醒了过来，悬崖遮蔽着我。我找了些淡水和食物，休息了一下。体力恢复后，我爬上悬崖，根据太阳判断方向回到了家。” 人们听了他的故事既惊奇又害怕。“那我们该怎么办啊？"一个人问道，"等我们死了，如果那只怪物乌龟阻止我们，我们怎样才能到达灵魂国界啊？” 有人建议他们去找住在邻村的巫医问一下。巫医想了想说："必须找一个从伟大的神灵那里获得了力量的勇敢之士去砍掉乌龟的尾巴。” 大家都看着巫医，松了一口气，因为巫医就是那个能和伟大的神灵对话的人,而不是他们。"好吧，”巫医说道，‘‘我派我的灵魂去河那儿寻找那只乌龟。当我睡着的时候，就让我的灵魂走吧。你们要把斧子放在我手里，我好准备战斗。” 大家向巫医保证一定办到，也确实办到了，巫医的灵魂就上路了。他到达了河边，爬上一棵树，在上面观察着其他的灵魂，他们都企图从乌龟的尾巴上过河。每一次乌龟都把他们掀翻下去，被水冲走了。 巫医从树上爬下来，像风一样轻轻游走。他跑到河岸，跳上了那条巨大的尾巴。乌龟想把他掀下去，但巫医跑得太快了，他一下子就跳到了乌龟的大壳上，抡起斧子砍掉了乌龟的尾巴。 乌龟后腿一蹬直起身来，扭动着身子倒向一边，想把巫医摔下去压在身下。但巫医从它身下挣脱出来，跳到了一边。然后，他又用斧子砍掉了乌龟那长着锋利牙齿的头。巫医看到战斗结束了，便很高兴地在河岸上坐着休息了一会儿。 他知道如果灵魂要到达河的另一边，仍然需要一条过河的路。于是他看了看旁边的树，砍倒一棵树干又高又直的，树倒了下来，搭在河的两岸，便成了一座可以安全过河的桥。 乌龟的身体仍然在龟壳里瑟缩，巫医觉得乌龟非常可怜。他相信那是伟大的神灵让它这么做的，不是乌龟的错。 他环顾四周，看到一条蛇因为树被砍倒受到了惊扰，蜷缩在地上。蛇甩动着尾巴，向他吐着舌头。巫医砍下蛇头，捡起来，又用斧刃削掉它的毒牙，把蛇头接在乌龟的脖子上，用他疗伤的力量把蛇头和乌龟的身体结合到一起。 最后他治好了乌龟被砍掉尾巴的地方的伤口。他不想再给乌龟接上长尾巴，担心伟大的神灵又会利用它，就选了一块干净的木桩接在它的壳下面。 这就是乌龟有一个像蛇一样的头，没有牙齿，长着一截又粗又短的尾巴的缘故。 When someone dies, people thought their spirit went from our world into the land of souls where they found eternal life. They thought there was a bridge over the river of death, stretching between the two worlds. But no one really knew what happened. A long time ago, a man who had died, woke up and was glad to be alive again. He had quite a story to tell. “I walked a long way,” he said, “until I came to a wide, rushing river. I knew I had to cross it, but the banks were steep and the water was very deep. Then further down I saw a narrow bridge and a large mound2 on the other side.” “I stepped onto the bridge and it moved. It was alive. The mound was a gigantic tortoise, and the bridge was its long tail. I ran forward, trying to cross as fast as I could, but the tortoise lifted its head and looked at me. It had red gleaming eyes and rows of sharp teeth. It moved its shell and lifted its tail, and I fell into the water.” “The water sucked me under. It was like a dark tunnel, with sharp rocks that cut and bruised me. But then I came to the surface again and saw people on the banks of the river on our side, hunting and gathering wood. I thought I knew some of them — friends who，d died earlier. Maybe they were resting on their way to the land of souls. Or they couldn’t get across either.’’ “The river swept me on again, out to sea. The waves were huge but the salt water healed my wounds and the tide carried me to land. I woke up on a beach, sheltered by cliffs. I found drinking water and food and I rested. When I was stronger I climbed up and used the sun to guide me home.” The people listening to his story were amazed and worried. “What can we do?” one of them asked. “How can we reach the land of souls when it’s time for us to die, if that monster tortoise stops us?” Someone suggested they should ask the medicine man, who lived near their village. He thought about the problem. “A brave man, who has strength and power from our great spirits, must cut off the tortoise’s tail.” Everyone looked at him, relieved4 that he was the one talked to the great spirits and not them. “All right，，，he said. “I will send my spirit to the river and find the tortoise. When I fall asleep, to let my spirit wander, put my axe in my hand so I’m ready to fight.” The people did as they promised and the medicine man’s spirit set off on his journey. When he reached the river he climbed a tree and watched as other souls arrived and tried to cross the river on the tortoise’s tail. Each time the animal shook them off, and they were swept away in the water. The medicine man climbed down again. Moving as lightly as the wind, he ran across the bank and out onto the giant tail. The tortoise tried to shake him off, but the medicine man was too fast. He jumped onto the enormous shell, spun round and cut off the tail with his axe. The tortoise reared up on its back legs, twisted round and fell sideways, rolling the medicine man underneath its body. But the man wriggled out and jumped away. Then he used his axe again and cut off the head with its sharp teeth. Glad that the fight was over, the medicine man sat down for a moment on the riverbank. He realized that souls arriving on the other side still needed a way to cross the river. He looked at the trees nearby and chopped down one with a tall, straight trunk. It fell, making a safe bridge across the river. The body of the tortoise was still quivering in its shell, and the medicine man felt sorry for the animal. He believed that the great spirits had forced it to act the way it had. It wasn’t the animal’s fault. He looked round and saw a snake curled on the ground, disturbed by the tree being cut down. It lashed its tail and flicked its tongue at him. The medicine man cut off the snake’s head, picked it up and cut out the poison fangs5 with the tip of the axe blade. Then he held the head against the tortoise’s neck, and using his healing powers, joined it onto the animal’s body. Finally he healed the wound where he，d cut off the tortoise’s tail. He didn’t want to reconnect the long tail and risk the animal being used by the great spirits again. So he formed a neat stump under the animal’s shell. And that is why the tortoise has a head like a snake, with no teeth, and a short, stumpy tail. 1. Dreamtime n.澳大利亚土著神话中的开天辟地时期 2. mound w. 土填，护堤，辣W.筑堤，堆起W.积成堆，發起 3. bruise v.擦伤，打伤，撞伤n.麻伤，擦伤 4. relieved adj.放心的 5. fang（犬,狼等的）尖牙，犬牙，（毒蛇的）毒牙；牙根；尖端W.灌水引动. |
