Chapter 55

    Just a shoot no taller than his waist. The kind of thing a man would cut to whip his horse. Song-murder and the aspen. He stayed alive to sing songs that murdered life, and watched an aspen thatconfirmed it, and never for a minute did he believe he could escape. Until it rained. Afterward,after the Cherokee pointed¹ and sent him running toward blossoms², he wanted simply to move, go,pick up one day and be somewhere else the next. Resigned to life without aunts, cousins, children.

　　Even a woman, until Sethe.

　　And then she moved him. Just when doubt, regret and every single unasked question was packedaway, long after he believed he had willed himself into being, at the very time and place he wantedto take root — she moved him. From room to room. Like a rag doll. Sitting on the porch³ of a dry-goods church, a little bit drunk and nothing much to do, he could have these thoughts. Slow, what-if thoughts that cut deep but struck nothing solid a man could hold on to. So he held his wrists.

　　Passing by that woman's life, getting in it and letting it get in him had set him up for this fall.

　　Wanting to live out his life with a whole woman was new, and losing the feeling of it made himwant to cry and think deep thoughts that struck nothing solid. When he was drifting, thinking onlyabout the next meal and night's sleep, when everything was packed tight in his chest, he had nosense of failure, of things not working out. Anything that worked at all worked out. Now hewondered what-all went wrong, and starting with the Plan, everything had. It was a good plan, too.

　　Worked out in detail with every possibility of error eliminated.

　　Sixo, hitching⁴ up the horses, is speaking English again and tells Halle what his Thirty-MileWoman told him. That seven Negroes on her place were joining two others going North. That thetwo others had done it before and knew the way. That one of the two, a woman, would wait forthem in the corn when it was high — one night and half of the next day she would wait, and if theycame she would take them to the caravan⁵, where the others would be hidden. That she would rattle,and that would be the sign. Sixo was going, his woman was going, and Halle was taking his wholefamily. The two Pauls say they need time to think about it. Time to wonder where they will end up;how they will live. What work; who will take them in; should they try to get to Paul F, whoseowner, they remember, lived in something called the "trace"? It takes them one evening'sconversation to decide.

　　Now all they have to do is wait through the spring, till the corn is as high as it ever got and themoon as fat.

　　And plan. Is it better to leave in the dark to get a better start, or go at daybreak to be able to see theway better? Sixo spits at the suggestion. Night gives them more time and the protection of color.

　　He does not ask them if they are afraid. He manages some dry runs to the corn at night, buryingblankets and two knives near the creek⁶. Will Sethe be able to swim the creek? they ask him. It willbe dry, he says, when the corn is tall. There is no food to put by, but Sethe says she will get a jugof cane⁷ syrup⁸ or molasses, and some bread when it is near the time to go. She only wants to be surethe blankets are where they should be, for they will need them to tie her baby on her back and tocover them during the journey. There are no clothes other than what they wear. And of course noshoes. The knives will help them eat, but they bury rope and a pot as well. A good plan. Theywatch and memorize the comings and goings of schoolteacher and his pupils: what is wanted whenand where; how long it takes. Mrs. Garner⁹, restless at night, is sunk in sleep all morning. Somedays the pupils and their teacher do lessons until breakfast. One day a week they skip breakfastcompletely and travel ten miles to church, expecting a large dinner upon their return.

　　Schoolteacher writes in his notebook after supper; the pupils clean, mend or sharpen tools. Sethe'swork is the most uncertain because she is on call for Mrs. Garner anytime, including nighttimewhen the pain or the weakness or the downright loneliness is too much for her. So: Sixo and thePauls will go after supper and wait in the creek for the Thirty Mile Woman. Halle will bring Setheand the three children before dawn — before the sun, before the chickens and the milking cowneed attention, so by the time smoke should be coming from the cooking stove, they will be in ornear the creek with the others. That way, if Mrs. Garner needs Sethe in the night and calls her,Sethe will be there to answer. They only have to wait through the spring.

1 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

2 blossoms   

n.（尤指果树的）花( blossom的名词复数 )；花丛，花簇v.（植物）开花( blossom的第三人称单数 )；发展；长成；变得更加健康（或自信、成功）

参考例句：

• It was springtime and the slopes were ablaze with almond blossoms. 时当春季，怒放的扁桃花使那片山坡鲜红似火。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The spring comes and peach blossoms [flowers] are all open. 春天了，桃花都开了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 porch   

n.门廊，入口处，走廊，游廊

参考例句：

• There are thousands of pages of advertising on our porch.有成千上万页广告堆在我们的门廊上。
• The porch is supported by six immense pillars.门廊由六根大柱子支撑着。

4 hitching   

搭乘； （免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的现在分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上

参考例句：

• The farmer yoked the oxen before hitching them to the wagon. 农夫在将牛套上大车之前先给它们套上轭。
• I saw an old man hitching along on his stick. 我看见一位老人拄着手杖蹒跚而行。

5 caravan   

n.大蓬车；活动房屋

参考例句：

• The community adviser gave us a caravan to live in.社区顾问给了我们一间活动住房栖身。
• Geoff connected the caravan to the car.杰弗把旅行用的住屋拖车挂在汽车上。

6 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

7 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

8 syrup   

n.糖浆，糖水

参考例句：

• I skimmed the foam from the boiling syrup.我撇去了煮沸糖浆上的泡沫。
• Tinned fruit usually has a lot of syrup with it.罐头水果通常都有许多糖浆。

9 garner   

v.收藏；取得

参考例句：

• He has garnered extensive support for his proposals.他的提议得到了广泛的支持。
• Squirrels garner nuts for the winter.松鼠为过冬储存松果。