翻譯《我們建了一座花園》Margery Fish
接上文
那以后發生的事情我都不太記得了，就是記得很清楚測房師過來交房屋報告的那天。那天天氣很差，下著初冬濕冷的雨。
屋里又黯又冷，盡管油了新的油漆和防水涂料，感覺到那股陰濕霉氣又回來了。那個驗房師，他的太太剛過世，狀態很差，整個人就像天氣那樣沮喪。我不會忘記Walter在讀完了測房師的房屋報告之后，那憤憤不平。報告說：房子好好的沒有問題，就是沒有“特色”。
我們倒是覺得這座房子沒別的什么好，就只有“特色”，或許這么說過份了，但它肯定有“特色”。
至此以后，我體會到了這座房子的宅心仁厚，回到家，永遠讓我感到舒適安逸。
剛剛才把房子拿到手，我們又要將它交出去，要弄好了適合居住才行。把房子交給裝修工人好幾個月，我們只會過去匆匆忙忙看幾眼，每次都不想望一眼那個堆滿廢物的花園。
有時，我可以從裝修討論中抽身出來一小會，便會發瘋似的到花園里撥野草，盡可能多撥一些。Walter每次談完裝修事宜就想離開，我就會擔心離開后，任由那大片雜草長大撒種，肆意亂長。我撥掉的那幾叢雜草根本沒多大作用，不過是心里舒服些。
當我們終于可以搬進房子，終于可以認認真真打量這個花園時，夏天已快過去了。
我們所有的時間都在收拾，利用零星時間搞清潔，徹底修剪那些糾纏在一起的黑莓灌木叢，月桂樹，接骨木。我們一直在考慮該如何設計我們的花園。
我們有了共識，知道要從整體上考慮，使花園有明確的，全局性的風格。幸虧我們有那么多事情要忙碌，令關于花園的想法得以沉淀和細細思量。（待續）
I cannot remember just what happened after that but I shall never forget the day when the surveyor came to make his report. It was one of those awful days in early winter of cold, penetrating rain. The house was dark and very cold, and the grave-like dankness was back, in spite of all the new paint and distemper. The surveyor, poor man, had just lost his wife, and was as depressed—naturally— as the weather. Nor shall I ever forget Walter’s indignation with the report when it did come in. The house, while sound in wind and limb, was described as being of ‘no character’.
We didn’t think then that it had anything but character, rather sinister perhaps, but definitely character.
Since then I have discovered that the house has a kindly disposition; I never come home without feeling I am welcome.?
It was late in the summer before we could get into the house, and some time after that before we were able to get down to the garden in earnest. All the time we were clearing and cleaning in odd moments, working our way through the tangle of brambles and laurels and elders, and thinking all the time what we would do with our little plot. We both knew that it had to be tackled as a whole with a definite design for the complete garden, and we were lucky in having plenty to do while our ideas smouldered and simmered.
We Made a Garden, by Margery Fish, Publisher: Batsford (19 Dec 2011)
? ? ? ? ? ? ?
