The Cats of Roma
by R. Bremner My most enduring memory of Roma is of an occurrence on a cold November afternoon in the little green park which sits just above and overlooks the Coliseum. A lone woman, looking ninety or more years of age, carried two large shopping bags to a bench. After sitting down, she began to call out something in Italian, which I didn’t understand. The most amazing thing then happened: within seconds, all manner of cats began to appear from all directions. Some come singly, some in groups of two, three, or more. The old woman reached into a bag, and removed five large bowls. These she placed in a row on the ground, and filled them with food. Then she sat down to watch. By now there were at least twenty cats, and more coming. Some crawled through space below a nearby wall, some pranced across the park lawn, and some, I swear, even seemed to climb down from trees. And there they were, this multitude of cats, purring and meowing, and eating their fill. They made quite a lot of noise, as you might expect. It was not a sight I’d expect to see in the middle of one of the world’s great cities, to be sure. After a while, the woman packed up her things, and went on her way, bidding her charges a fond farewell. The cats gradually dispersed, taking their own good time, as cats do. And before long, it was just another chilly day in another park in Roma.罗马印象寒心 译 我对罗马印象最深的是公园的那群猫，那是十一月份，一个寒冷的下午，我正坐在已泛黄的公园的草坪上，俯瞰大剧场的景色。视野中出现了一个孤独的老太太，看起来大约九十多岁了，提了两个大购物袋来到了一个长凳子边，坐下来，开始用我听不懂的意大利语大声呼唤着什么。接下来奇迹发生了：不到几秒钟，各种小猫从袋子里向四面八方逃窜。有的单独一只，有的两三个一群，或者更多。老太太把手伸进一个袋子里，取出五个大碗，在地上摆成一排，里面放满食物。然后她坐下来注视着这些可爱的猫咪。 目前至少有二十只猫，也许将来会更多。这些猫，有的靠在墙根蜷缩着身子，有的在草坪上来回追逐，有的在树上爬上爬下跳跃着。它们个个肚子吃得滚圆，喵喵地叫着，发出兴奋的咕噜声，草地上呈现出一幅欢乐无比的画面。这确实是我在这国际大都市看到的意想不到的一道风景。 一会儿，老太太收拾好东西，发出离别的指令，驱赶着玩够了的猫群，促使它们安静下来，然后和它们一起回家了。不久，罗马的公园又恢复了往日的冷清。2014.10.15 赞 (散文编辑：江南风)推荐访问: