娃娃新娘（1）

初次看见姑卡正是去年这个时候，她和她一家人住在我小屋附近的一幢大房子内，是警官罕地的大女儿。

The first time I saw Guka was around this time last year. She lived with her family in a large house near my little hut; she was the eldest daughter of the policeman Hanti.

那时的姑卡梳着粗粗的辫子，穿着非洲大花的连身长裙，赤足不用面纱，也不将身体用布缠起来，常常在我的屋外呼叫着赶她的羊，声音清脆而活泼，俨然是一个快乐的小女孩。

At that time, Guka wore thick braids and a colorful African dress, barefoot and without a veil, wrapping her body in cloth. She often called out to herd her sheep outside my hut, her voice bright and lively, resembling a happy little girl.

后来她来跟我念书，我问她几岁，她说：“这个你得去问罕地，我们沙哈拉威女人是不知道自己几岁的。”

Later, she came to study with me. When I asked her how old she was, she replied, “You have to ask Hanti; we Sahrawi women don’t know our age.”

她和她的兄妹都不称呼罕地父亲，他们直接叫他的名字。

She and her siblings did not refer to Hanti as “father”; they simply called him by his name.

罕地告诉我姑卡十岁，同时反问我：“你大概也十几岁吧？姑卡跟你很合得来呢。”

Hanti told me that Guka was ten years old and then asked me in return, “You’re probably in your teens too, right? Guka gets along well with you.”

我无法回答他这个荒谬的问题，只好似笑非笑的望着他。

I could not answer his ridiculous question and could only look at him with a half-smile.

半年多过去了，我跟罕地全家已成了很好的朋友，几乎每天都在一起煮茶喝。

More than six months passed, and I had become very good friends with the whole Hanti family, often drinking tea together almost every day.

有一天喝茶时，只有罕地和他的太太葛柏在房内。

One day during tea, only Hanti and his wife Gebra were in the room.

罕地突然说：“我女儿快要结婚了，请你有便时告诉她。”

Hanti suddenly said, “My daughter is getting married soon; please let her know when you get the chance.”

我咽下一口茶，很困难的问他：“你指姑卡吗？”

I swallowed a mouthful of tea and struggled to ask him, “You mean Guka?”

他答：“是，过完拉麻丹再十日就结婚。”

He replied, “Yes, she will be married ten days after Ramadan.”

拉麻丹是回教的斋月，那时已快开始了。

Ramadan was nearly upon us by that time.

我们沉默地又喝了一道茶，最后我忍不住问罕地：“你不觉得姑卡还太小吗？她才十岁。”

We fell silent and resumed drinking tea, but finally, I couldn’t help but ask Hanti, “Don’t you think Guka is too young? She’s only ten.”

罕地很不以为然的说：“小什么，我太太嫁给我时才八岁。”

Hanti dismissively said, “What’s young? My wife married me when she was only eight.”

我想那是他们沙哈拉威的风俗，我不能用太主观的眼光去批评这件事情，所以也不再说话了。

I thought that was the custom among the Sahrawis, and I couldn’t criticize their practices too subjectively, so I remained silent.

“请你对姑卡说，她还不知道。”姑卡的母亲又对我拜托了一次。

“Please tell Guka; she doesn’t know,” Guka’s mother urged me once again.

“你们自己为什么不讲？”我奇怪的反问他们。

“Why don’t you tell her yourselves?” I asked, surprised.

“这种事怎么好直讲？”罕地理直气壮的回答我，我觉得他们有时真是迂腐得很。

“How can we say something like that directly?” Hanti responded, as if it were the most logical thing. Sometimes, I felt they were quite obstinate.

第二天上完了算术课，我叫姑卡留下来生炭火煮茶喝。

The next day, after math class, I asked Guka to stay behind to make charcoal and brew tea.

“姑卡，这次轮到你了。”我一面将茶递给她一面说。

“Guka, it’s your turn this time.” As I handed her the tea, I said.

“什么？”她不解的反问我。

“What?” she asked, confused.

“傻子，你要结婚了。”我直接了当的说出来。

“Silly girl, you’re getting married.” I said bluntly.

她显然吃了一惊，脸突然涨红了，小声地问：“什么时候？”

She was obviously taken aback, her face suddenly reddening as she quietly asked, “When?”

我说：“拉麻丹过后再十天，你知道大概是谁吗？”

I replied, “Ten days after Ramadan. Do you have any idea who it might be?”

她摇摇头，放下茶杯不语而去，这是我第一次看见她面有忧容。

She shook her head, setting down her tea cup and leaving without a word. It was the first time I saw worry on her face.

又过了一段日子，我在镇上买东西，碰到姑卡的哥哥和另外一个青年，他介绍时说：“阿布弟是警察，罕地的部下，我的好朋友，也是姑卡未来的丈夫。”

Another period passed, and while shopping in town, I ran into Guka’s brother and another young man. He introduced the young man, saying, “Abdi is a policeman, Hanti’s subordinate, my good friend, and Guka’s future husband.”

我听见是姑卡的未婚夫，便刻意的看了他好几眼。

Upon hearing that Abdi was Guka’s fiancé, I deliberately looked at him several times.

阿布弟长得不黑，十分高大英俊，说话有礼，目光温和，给人非常好的第一印象。

Abdi was not dark-skinned but tall and handsome. He spoke politely with a gentle gaze, leaving a very good first impression.

我回去时便去找姑卡，对她说：“放心吧！你未婚夫是阿布弟，很年轻漂亮，不是粗鲁的人，罕地没有替你乱挑。”

When I returned home, I sought out Guka and told her, “Don’t worry! Your fiancé is Abdi—very young and handsome, not a rough man. Hanti didn’t pick someone unsuitable for you.”

姑卡听了我的话，很羞涩的低下头去不响，不过从眼神上看去，她已经接受结婚这个事实了。

Guka listened and shyly bowed her head without responding, but from her eyes, it was clear she had already accepted the reality of marriage.

在沙哈拉威的风俗，聘礼是父母嫁女儿时很大的一笔收入。

In Sahrawi culture, the dowry is a substantial income for parents when marrying off their daughters.

过去沙漠中没有钱币，女方所索取的聘礼是用羊群、骆驼、布匹、奴隶、面粉、糖、茶叶……等等来算的。

In the past, when there was no currency in the desert, the bride's family would seek dowries in the form of sheep, camels, fabric, slaves, flour, sugar, tea leaves, and so on.

现在文明些了，他们开出来的单子仍是这些东西，不过是用钞票来代替了。

Now things are somewhat more civilized; the items remain the same, but they are replaced with cash.

姑卡的聘礼送来那一天，荷西被请去喝茶，我是女人，只有留在家中。

On the day Guka’s dowry was delivered, I was asked to stay at home while Jose went out for tea.

不到一小时，荷西回来对我说：“那个阿布弟给了罕地二十万西币，想不到姑卡值那么多钱。”（二十万西币合台币十三万多。）

Within an hour, Jose returned to tell me, “Abdi gave Hanti two hundred thousand pesetas. I didn’t expect Guka to be worth that much money.” (Two hundred thousand pesetas is equivalent to over one hundred thirty thousand New Taiwan dollars.)

“这简直是贩卖人口嘛！”我不以为然的说，心中又不知怎的有点羡慕姑卡，我结婚时一条羊也没有为父母赚进来过。

“This is just human trafficking!” I retorted, feeling somewhat envious of Guka for some inexplicable reason—I hadn’t brought even a single sheep to my parents when I married.

不到一个月，姑卡的装扮也改变了。罕地替她买了好几块布料，颜色不外是黑、蓝的单色。因为料子染得很不好，所以颜色都褪到皮肤上，姑卡用深蓝布包着自己时全身便成了蓝色，另有一种气氛。

Less than a month later, Guka’s appearance also changed. Hanti bought several pieces of fabric for her, the colors mostly being plain black and blue. The poor dye job made the colors fade onto her skin, and when she wrapped herself in deep blue cloth, she entirely resembled a Sahrawi woman with a different atmosphere.

虽然她仍然赤足，但是脚上已套上了金银的镯子，头发开始盘上去，身体被涂上刺鼻的香料，混着常年不洗澡的怪味，令人觉得她的确是一个沙哈拉威女人了。

Although she went barefoot, she wore rings of gold and silver on her ankles, her hair began to be styled up, and her body was coated in pungent spices mixed with the strange smell of not bathing for years.

拉麻丹的最后一日，罕地给他两个小儿子受割礼，我自然跑去看看是怎么回事。

On the last day of Ramadan, Hanti had his two little sons undergo circumcision, and naturally, I went to see what was happening.

那时姑卡已经很少出来了，我去她房内看看，仍然只有一地的脏破席子，唯一的新东西就是姑卡的几件衣服。

By then, Guka had rarely come out. When I peeked into her room, I still saw only dirty, old matting, with the only new items being a few of Guka’s clothes.

我问她：“你结婚后带什么走？没有锅也没有新炉子嘛！”

I asked her, “What will you take with you after you get married? You don’t have a pot or a new stove!”

她说：“我不走，罕地留我住下来。”

She replied, “I’m not leaving; Hanti is letting me stay.”

我很意外的问她：“你先生呢？”

I was surprised and asked, “What about your husband?”

她说：“也住进来。”我实在是羡慕她。

She said, “He’s moving in too.” I truly envied her.

“可以住多久才出去？”我问她。

“How long can you stay before you leave?” I asked her.

“习俗是可以住到六年满才走。”

“The custom allows me to stay for six years before leaving.”

难怪罕地要那么多钱的聘礼，原来女婿婚后是住岳家的。

No wonder Hanti asked for such a large bride price; it turned out that the groom lives with his in-laws after marriage.

姑卡结婚的前一日照例是要离家，到结婚那日才由新郎将她接回来。

The day before Guka’s wedding, it is customary for her to leave home and return only on the day of the ceremony, when the groom comes to fetch her.

我将一只假玉的手镯送给姑卡算礼物，那是她过去一直向我要的。

I gave Guka a fake jade bracelet as a gift, something she had always wanted from me.

那天下午要离家之前，姑卡的大姨来了，她是一个很老的沙哈拉威女人，姑卡坐在她面前开始被打扮起来。

That afternoon, just before she was to leave home, Guka’s aunt arrived. She was an elderly Sahrawi woman, and Guka sat in front of her to be adorned.

她的头发被放下来编成三十几条很细的小辫子，头顶上再装一个假发做的小堆，如同中国古时的宫女头一般。

Her hair was taken down and braided into over thirty fine little braids, with a small heap of fake hair on top like the ancient hairdos of Chinese palace maidens.

每一根小辫子上再编入彩色的珠子，头顶上也插满了发亮的假珠宝，脸上是不用化妆品的。

Each little braid was interwoven with colorful beads, and her head was adorned with sparkling fake jewels, while her face was left unmade up.

头发梳好后，姑卡的母亲拿了新衣服来。

Once her hair was done, Guka’s mother brought out new clothes.

等姑卡穿上那件打了许多褶的大白裙子后，上身就用黑布缠起来，本来就很胖的身材这时显得更肿了。

After Guka donned a large, pleated white dress, her upper body was wrapped in black cloth, making her already plump figure look even rounder.

“那么胖！”我叹了一口气。

“How fat!” I sighed.

她的大姨回答我：“胖，好看，就是要胖。”

Her aunt replied, “Fat is beautiful; she needs to be plump.”

穿好了衣服，姑卡静静的坐在地上，她的脸非常的美丽，一头的珠宝使得这个暗淡的房间也有了光辉。

After wearing the dress, Guka sat quietly on the floor. Her face looked incredibly beautiful, and the jewelry on her made this dim room shine.

“好了，我们走吧！”姑卡的大姨和表姐将她带出门去，她要在大姨家留一夜，明天才能回来。

“Alright, let’s go!” Guka’s aunt and cousin took her out. She was to stay with her aunt for one night before returning the next day.

这时我突然想起一件事情来，咦，姑卡没有洗澡啊，难道结婚前也不洗澡的吗？

At that moment, I suddenly remembered something—oh no, Guka didn’t take a bath! Is it customary not to bathe before marriage?

婚礼那天，罕地的家有了一点改变，肮脏的草席不见了，山羊被赶了出去，大门口放了一条杀好的骆驼，房间大厅内铺了许多条红色的阿拉伯地毯，最有趣的是屋角放了一面羊皮的大鼓，这面鼓看上去起码有一百年的历史了。

On the wedding day, Hanti’s home had some changes; the dirty mats were gone, the goats had been driven outside, and a slaughtered camel was placed at the entrance. The hall was covered with many red Arab carpets, and most interestingly, there was a large drum made of sheepskin in the corner, which looked to be at least a hundred years old.

黄昏了，太阳正落下地平线，辽阔的沙漠被染成一片血色的红。

As dusk fell, the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the vast desert blood-red.

这时鼓声响了起来，它的声音响得很沉郁，很单调，传得很远，如果不是事先知道是婚礼，这种神秘的节奏实在有些恐怖。

At that point, the drum began to sound, its deep and monotonous beat echoing far and wide. If one didn't know it was a wedding ceremony, the mysterious rhythm could indeed be somewhat terrifying.

我一面穿毛衣一面往罕地家走去，同时幻想着，我正跑进天方夜谭的美丽故事中去。

As I put on my sweater, I walked towards Hanti’s house, imagining I was running into a beautiful story straight out of Thousand and One Nights.

走进屋子里气氛就不好了，大厅内坐了一大群沙哈拉威男人，都在吸烟。空气坏极了。

Upon entering the house, the atmosphere became unpleasant. A large group of Sahrawi men filled the hall, all smoking, and the air was terrible.

这个阿布弟也跟这许多人挤在一起，如果不是以前见过他，实在看不出他今夜有哪一点像新郎。

Abdi was crammed in among those men too. Had I not seen him before, I would not have recognized him as the groom tonight.