第八篇Story Eight

點"對照"可以中英對照

咬鬼

咬鬼

Biting a Ghost

仿清末石印本的線描:夏日午後的書生臥房裡,一位頭裹白布、身穿粗麻孝服的蒼白婦人立在竹蓆臥榻旁,低頭注視榻上眯著眼裝睡的老翁,四周有掀起的竹簾門、落地的蒲扇、花窗、書架和小茶桌。

沈麟生云:其友某翁者,夏月晝寢,朦朧間,見一女子搴帘入,以白布裹首,縗服麻裙,向內室去。疑鄰婦訪內人者;又轉念,何遽以凶服入人家?正自皇惑,女子已出。細審之,年可三十餘,顏色黃腫,眉目蹙蹙然,神情可畏。又逡巡不去,漸逼臥榻。遂偽睡以觀其變。無何,女子攝衣登床,壓腹上,覺如百鈞重。心雖了了,而舉其手,手如縛;舉其足,足如痿也。急欲號救,而苦不能聲。女子以喙嗅翁面,顴鼻眉額殆遍。覺喙冷如冰,氣寒透骨。翁窘急中,思得計:待嗅至頤頰,當即因而嚙之。未幾,果及頤。翁乘勢力齕其顴,齒沒于肉。女負痛身離,且掙且啼。翁齕益力。但覺血液交頤,濕流枕畔。相持正苦,庭外忽聞夫人聲,急呼有鬼,一緩頰而女子已飄忽遁去。夫人奔入,無所見,笑其魘夢之誣。翁述其異,且言有血證焉。相與檢視,如屋漏之水,流枕浹席。伏而嗅之,腥臭異常。翁乃大吐。過數日,口中尚有餘臭云。

沈麟生說,他有個老翁朋友,在夏天的白日里睡覺。半睡半醒間,看見一個女子掀開簾子進來,頭上裹著白布,穿著喪服和麻裙,往內室去了。他猜是鄰居家的婦人來找自己的妻子,轉念又想,怎麼能穿著喪服貿然進別人家呢?正驚疑不定,那女子已經出來了。他仔細看去,她約有三十多歲,臉色發黃,浮腫,眉眼緊皺,神情很嚇人。她徘徊著不走,漸漸逼近床邊。老翁便裝睡,想看她要做什麼。不久,女子提起衣服上了床,壓在他肚子上,感覺有百鈞那麼重。他心裡明明白白,想抬手,手卻像被綁住了;想抬腳,腳又像癱瘓了。他急著呼救,卻怎麼也發不出聲音。女子把嘴湊到他臉上嗅聞,顴骨、鼻子、眉毛、額頭,幾乎全嗅遍了。他覺得她的嘴冷得像冰,撥出的氣寒冷透骨。老翁在危急中想出一個辦法:等她嗅到下巴和臉頰時,就趁機咬住她。沒多久,她果然嗅到了下巴。老翁趁勢用力咬住她顴骨處的皮肉,牙齒深深陷了進去。女子疼得抬起身子,一邊掙扎,一邊哭叫,老翁卻咬得更緊。他只覺得血流滿了下巴,溼淋淋地流到枕頭旁邊。正苦苦相持,忽然聽見院外傳來妻子的聲音,他急忙喊有鬼,嘴巴一鬆,那女子便飄忽著逃走了。妻子跑進來,什麼也沒看見,笑他做了噩夢,胡亂說有鬼。老翁講了剛才的怪事,又說有血可以作證。兩人一起檢視,只見那血像屋頂漏下的水,流過枕頭,浸透了席子。他俯身一聞,腥臭得異常,便劇烈地嘔吐起來。據說過了好幾天,嘴裡還留著那股臭味。

沈麟生云:其友某翁者,夏月昼寝,朦胧间,见一女子搴帘入,以白布裹首,缞服麻裙,向内室去。疑邻妇访内人者;又转念,何遽以凶服入人家?正自皇惑,女子已出。细审之,年可三十余,颜色黄肿,眉目蹙蹙然,神情可畏。又逡巡不去,渐逼卧榻。遂伪睡以观其变。无何,女子摄衣登床,压腹上,觉如百钧重。心虽了了,而举其手,手如缚;举其足,足如痿也。急欲号救,而苦不能声。女子以喙嗅翁面,颧鼻眉额殆遍。觉喙冷如冰,气寒透骨。翁窘急中,思得计:待嗅至颐颊,当即因而啮之。未几,果及颐。翁乘势力龁其颧,齿没于肉。女负痛身离,且挣且啼。翁龁益力。但觉血液交颐,湿流枕畔。相持正苦,庭外忽闻夫人声,急呼有鬼,一缓颊而女子已飘忽遁去。夫人奔入,无所见,笑其魇梦之诬。翁述其异,且言有血证焉。相与检视,如屋漏之水,流枕浃席。伏而嗅之,腥臭异常。翁乃大吐。过数日,口中尚有余臭云。

沈麟生说,他有个老翁朋友,在夏天的白日里睡觉。半睡半醒间,看见一个女子掀开帘子进来,头上裹着白布,穿着丧服和麻裙,往内室去了。他猜是邻居家的妇人来找自己的妻子,转念又想,怎么能穿着丧服贸然进别人家呢?正惊疑不定,那女子已经出来了。他仔细看去,她约有三十多岁,脸色发黄,浮肿,眉眼紧皱,神情很吓人。她徘徊着不走,渐渐逼近床边。老翁便装睡,想看她要做什么。不久,女子提起衣服上了床,压在他肚子上,感觉有百钧那么重。他心里明明白白,想抬手,手却像被绑住了;想抬脚,脚又像瘫痪了。他急着呼救,却怎么也发不出声音。女子把嘴凑到他脸上嗅闻,颧骨、鼻子、眉毛、额头,几乎全嗅遍了。他觉得她的嘴冷得像冰,呼出的气寒冷透骨。老翁在危急中想出一个办法:等她嗅到下巴和脸颊时,就趁机咬住她。没多久,她果然嗅到了下巴。老翁趁势用力咬住她颧骨处的皮肉,牙齿深深陷了进去。女子疼得抬起身子,一边挣扎,一边哭叫,老翁却咬得更紧。他只觉得血流满了下巴,湿淋淋地流到枕头旁边。正苦苦相持,忽然听见院外传来妻子的声音,他急忙喊有鬼,嘴巴一松,那女子便飘忽着逃走了。妻子跑进来,什么也没看见,笑他做了噩梦,胡乱说有鬼。老翁讲了刚才的怪事,又说有血可以作证。两人一起查看,只见那血像屋顶漏下的水,流过枕头,浸透了席子。他俯身一闻,腥臭得异常,便剧烈地呕吐起来。据说过了好几天,嘴里还留着那股臭味。

Shen Linsheng tells this story. A friend of his, an old gentleman, was napping one summer afternoon when, half asleep, he saw a woman lift the door curtain and come in. Her head was wrapped in white cloth, and she wore mourning clothes and a hemp skirt. She went toward the inner rooms. He took her for a neighbour’s wife come to call on his own wife; then it struck him: why would anyone walk into another person’s house in mourning dress? While he was still puzzling over it, the woman came out again. He looked at her closely. She was about thirty, her face yellow and puffy, her brows knitted tight; there was something frightening in her look. She lingered and did not leave, and edged closer and closer to his bed. So he pretended to sleep, to see what she would do. Before long she gathered up her skirts, climbed onto the bed and pressed down on his belly. She weighed on him like a hundred jun. His mind was perfectly clear, but when he tried to lift his hands, they were as if bound; when he tried to lift his feet, they were as if palsied. He wanted desperately to cry for help, but could not make a sound. The woman put her mouth to his face and sniffed it, over his cheekbones and nose, his brows and forehead, nearly everywhere. Her mouth was cold as ice, and its breath chilled him to the bone. In his desperate straits the old man thought of a plan: when her sniffing reached his chin and cheeks, he would bite her. Soon enough she came to his chin. Seizing his chance, he bit hard into her cheekbone, and his teeth sank into the flesh. In pain, she pulled her body away, struggling and wailing. He bit all the harder. He felt blood running down over his chin and soaking the pillow. They were locked together in this agony when he heard his lady’s voice out in the courtyard. He cried out that there was a ghost — and the moment he loosened his jaw, the woman drifted off and was gone. His lady ran in and saw nothing. She laughed at him for raising a false alarm over a nightmare. The old man told her how strange it had been, and said the blood was there to prove it. They looked together: it was like water from a leaking roof, running over the pillow and soaking through the mat. He bent down and smelled it. The stench was foul beyond anything. The old man was violently sick. Even several days later, so Shen said, his mouth still held the smell.

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