By J.K. Rowling

Originally published on 

 

on Aug 10th 2015

 

苏格兰橄榄球

J.K.罗琳

原载于

2015年8月10日

 

The wizarding world’s affection for the Scottish rugby team is all the more bizarre because a substantial part of wizarding society knows nothing about Muggle sports, which they regard as inherently dull and even silly. Yet the Scottish rugby team has become a wizarding meme – part in-joke, part genuine interest – which has its roots in the nineteenth century and is a tale both sad and uplifting.

 

巫师世界对苏格兰橄榄球队的喜爱更是让人匪夷所思，因为巫师社会中有相当一部分人对麻瓜的体育项目一无所知，他们认为麻瓜体育天生愚钝甚至愚蠢。然而，苏格兰橄榄球队已经成为了一个神奇的模因——部分是玩笑，部分是真正的兴趣——这源于19世纪，是一个既悲伤又令人振奋的故事。

 

The wizarding family of Buchanan lived in a village in the Scottish Borders for many generations. A reputation for aggression and drunkenness, coupled with their prodigious size (the daughters alone had won the village tug-of-war every year in living memory), kept their neighbours at a respectful distance and ignorant of their magical abilities. One by one, as they reached the age of eleven, the Buchanan sons and daughters would disappear to Hogwarts. The village whispered that the enormous, wild children were being removed to a corrective facility or even a mental institution.

By the mid-nineteenth century the Buchanan family comprised an overworked mother, a fierce father and eleven children. The household was loud and chaotic, but even so, it is surprising that neither of the Buchanan parents realised that their third son, Angus, was a Squib – a wizard-born child with no magical powers. It had always been the proud boast of Mr Buchanan senior that such an anomaly had never occurred in their family. The proud old warlock went further: a Squib in any family was a sign that they were in decline and deserved to be winnowed out.

 

布坎南的巫师家族在苏格兰边境的一个村庄里生活了好几代。好斗和酗酒的名声，加上他们惊人的体型（在人们的记忆中，每年只有女儿们赢得了村里的拔河比赛），使他们对邻居敬而远之，对他们的魔法能力一无所知。一个接一个，当他们到了11岁的时候，布坎南的孩子们就会消失在霍格沃茨。村里人悄悄地说，这些巨大的野孩子正在被转移到矫正机构，甚至是精神病院。

到了十九世纪中叶，布坎南的家庭由一位操劳过度的母亲、一位严厉的父亲和11个孩子组成。尽管家里吵闹混乱，但令人惊讶的是，布坎南的父母都没有意识到他们的第三个儿子安格斯是个哑炮——一个出生于巫师家庭的孩子，没有魔法。老布坎南先生一直引以为傲的是，他们家从未发生过这样的反常现象。那个骄傲的老术士更进一步：任何家族中有一个哑炮都是他们衰落的标志，理应被淘汰。

 

His brothers and sisters were all very fond of Angus, who was the largest and kindest of them all, so they covered up for him in front of his parents. The deception was innocently begun, but as the time approached for him to leave for Hogwarts, Angus and his siblings became uneasily aware that they could not maintain the pretence much longer. No letter from school arrived for Angus, but his panicking sister Flora forged one, which kept the parents in ignorance for several weeks more. Shy, good-natured and frightened of his father, Angus could not think of any alternative but to play along with his older siblings. They took him to Diagon Alley, where they bought a wand and pretended that it had chosen him. On the appointed day, his big brother Hamish took him to Hogwarts on the back of his broomstick, hoping against desperate hope that Angus would be allowed to stay once they got there, or that the school might be able to tease some magic out of him.

 

他的兄弟姐妹们都很喜欢安格斯，安格斯是他们中最大最善良的，所以他们在安格斯的父母面前为他掩饰。这场骗局开始的时候很单纯，但是随着他去霍格沃茨的时间越来越近，安格斯和他的兄弟姐妹们开始不安地意识到，他们不能再假装下去了。安格斯没有收到学校的信，但他惊慌失措的姐姐弗洛拉伪造了一封信，使父母几个星期都蒙在鼓里。安格斯性格腼腆，性情温和，又怕父亲，除了和哥哥姐姐们一起玩，他别无选择。他们把他带到对角巷，在那里他们买了一根魔杖，假装魔杖选中了他。在约定的那一天，他的大哥哈米什骑着扫帚把他带到了霍格沃茨，抱着一线希望，希望他们一到那儿，安格斯就能留下来，或者学校也许能从他身上套出点魔法来。

 

It had never happened before and it has never happened since, but Angus got as far as the Sorting Hat before he was exposed. In sheer desperation he threw himself ahead of a girl whose name had been called and placed the Hat upon his head. The horror of the moment when the Hat announced kindly that the boy beneath it was a good-hearted chap, but no wizard, would never be forgotten by those who witnessed it. Angus took off the hat and left the hall with tears streaming down his face.

 

这件事之前从未发生过，之后也从未发生，但安格斯在暴露之前，已经走到了分院帽的尽头。绝望中，他跳到一个叫着她名字的姑娘前面，把帽子戴在头上。当帽子亲切地宣布下面的男孩是一个好心的小伙子，但不是巫师时，那一刻的恐怖将永远不会被目击者忘记。安格斯摘下帽子，泪流满面地离开了大厅。

 

News of Angus’s humiliation reached his parents in a flurry of owls before their son arrived home on foot. He was met by his humiliated father, who barred his entrance, bade him never darken their door again, and fired curses after Angus as he fled.

 

在他的儿子步行回家之前，安格斯被羞辱的消息在猫头鹰的阵阵中传到了他的父母头上。他被羞辱的父亲遇到了，父亲封锁了他的入口，让他再也不把门弄暗，并在安格斯逃跑时向他发出咒骂。

 

Without any idea of what he would do next, without family or money, the eleven-year-old Angus walked to the capital, occasionally hitching rides on carts. In Edinburgh he lied about his age and managed to find work as a labourer.

 

11岁的安格斯没有家人，也没有钱，完全不知道自己接下来要做什么，他步行去首都，偶尔搭顺风车。在爱丁堡，他谎报了年龄，设法找到了一份当工人的工作。

 

 

To Angus’s surprise, Muggles were not nearly as bad as his father and mother had always told him. He had the good fortune to be taken in by a kind foreman and his wife who had no children of their own, and by the time he was eighteen, Angus had grown into a big strong man who was loved for his kind nature and admired for his physical prowess, but who never shared the strange secrets of his past.

 

令安格斯惊讶的是，麻瓜们并不像他父母一直告诉他的那样坏。他很幸运地被一个善良的工头和他的妻子收留了，他们没有自己的孩子，到十八岁时，安格斯已长成一个高大健壮的人，人们喜爱他善良的天性，钦佩他的身体强壮，但他从不分享他过去的奇怪秘密。

 

Angus’s early childhood had been spent dodging curses on an almost daily basis, which meant that he was surprisingly fast for a man of his size. He found his greatest pleasure and pride in athleticism, and soon became adept at the relatively new Muggle sport of rugby. Years of helping his siblings catch Golden Snitches in the back garden also made him a natural at cricket.

 

安格斯的童年几乎每天都是在躲避诅咒中度过的，这意味着在他这样的体型下，他的速度惊人地快。他在运动中找到了最大的乐趣和自豪感，很快就精通了相对较新的麻瓜式橄榄球运动。多年来帮助他的兄弟姐妹在后花园抓金色飞贼也使他成为一个天生的板球运动员。

 

In 1871 Angus found himself representing his country in the first ever international rugby match, which took place in Edinburgh between England and Scotland. Angus’s emotion can perhaps be imagined as he walked out onto the pitch and saw all ten of his brothers and sisters among the spectators. Defying their father’s contempt for all Muggle pursuits and his injunction against ever seeing Angus again, they had set out to track him down. Elated, Angus scored the first try. Scotland won the match.

 

1871年，安格斯代表国家参加了在爱丁堡举行的英格兰和苏格兰之间的第一场国际橄榄球比赛。当安格斯走上球场，看到他的十个兄弟姐妹都在观众中时，他的激动之情可想而知。他们不顾父亲对麻瓜的蔑视，也不顾父亲不许他们再见安格斯的禁令，开始追踪他。安格斯得意洋洋地第一次尝试就得分了。苏格兰队赢得了比赛。

 

Reunion with his family caused Angus to reevaluate his relationship with his magical roots and in 1900 he published the groundbreaking worldwide bestseller My Life As A Squib. Until this point, Squibs had lived in the shadows. Some clung to the fringes of the wizarding world, always feeling second-class and trying to fit in; others cut all ties and lived entirely as Muggles, often repudiating their beginnings. My Life As A Squib brought the plight of these individuals to the wizarding world’s attention.

 

与家人团聚促使安格斯重新评估他与魔法根源的关系，1900年他出版了开创性的全球畅销书《我的哑炮生涯》。在此之前，斯奎布斯一直生活在阴影之中。一些人坚守在巫师世界的边缘，总是感觉自己是二等公民，并试图融入其中；另一些人则断绝一切关系，完全以麻瓜的身份生活，经常否认自己的出身。我作为一个哑炮的生活使这些人的困境引起了魔法界的注意。

 

Thus Angus Buchanan became world-famous among wizards whilst also being celebrated among Muggles, a hitherto unknown achievement. Wizards of many nationalities began turning up to watch him play sport. Unfortunately, cricket found little favour with wizardkind. As the chief sports writer in the Daily Prophet wrote in 1902: ‘A Beater who is unable to fly defends three sticks instead of a hoop, while a Snitch without wings is thrown at the sticks. That’s it. Sometimes for several days.’ Rugby held more appeal. Wizards could not help but admire the strength and courage of Muggles prepared to engage in a sport so brutal, without recourse to Disapparating out of the way, or access to Skele-Gro to repair broken bones. It must be admitted that there was an edge of sadism to some wizards’ enjoyment.

 

因此，安格斯布坎南成为世界闻名的奇才，同时也被庆祝麻瓜，这是迄今未知的成就。许多国家的奇才开始来观看他的运动。不幸的是，板球几乎没有得到威扎尔德人的青睐。正如1902年“先知日报”(TheDaily Prophet)的主要体育撰稿人所写：“一位不会飞的打手会防守三根棍子，而不是一只箍，而一名没有翅膀的飞贼则会被扔在棍子上。”就这样。有时几天。“英式橄榄球更有吸引力。奇才们不禁佩服麻瓜们的力量和勇气，他们准备从事如此残酷的运动，不需要借助幻影，也不需要到斯凯尔-格罗去修复骨折。必须承认，有些巫师的享乐有一种施虐的倾向。

 

When Angus Buchanan died, he was honoured by both wizarding and Muggle worlds, an almost unique achievement in the annals of history. A shining example of a person who had made the most of the hand that life had dealt them and emerged triumphant, Angus was too modest to realise the impact that he had had. The Angus Buchanan Cup for Outstanding Effort is awarded at Hogwarts each year and My Life as A Squib is on its 110th printing.

 

当安格斯布坎南去世时，他受到了巫师和麻瓜世界的尊重，这几乎是历史上独一无二的成就。安格斯是一个光辉的榜样，他充分利用了生活给予他们的一切，并取得了胜利。他太谦虚了，没有意识到自己的影响。霍格沃兹每年都会颁发安格斯·布坎南杰出贡献奖，而《我的哑炮生涯》也在第110期印刷中。

 

When it comes to wizarding sports and games (Quidditch, Quodpot, Creaothceann – officially banned but still played illegally – broom-racing, Gobstones and so forth) wizards are naturally fiercely partisan and support their own country, but it is considered infra dig for wizards to support any rugby team other than Scotland. Over the nearly 150 years since Angus Buchanan helped win the first international rugby match, discussing Scottish rugby has become one of several covert identifiers for wizards meeting in front of Muggles and seeking to establish each other’s credentials. Eavesdropping Muggles might be puzzled as to why two Peruvians are so interested in a Scottish team, but it is generally agreed that this is preferable to arguing about Quidditch or comparing wand lengths in public.

 

当涉及到魔法运动和游戏（魁地奇、魁德波特、克里奥斯琴——官方禁止但仍属非法——扫帚比赛、火焰杯等）巫师们天生就有强烈的党派倾向，他们支持自己的国家，但他们支持除苏格兰以外的任何橄榄球队都被认为是有失身份的。自从安格斯·布坎南（AngusBuchanan）帮助赢得第一场国际橄榄球比赛以来，近150年来，讨论苏格兰橄榄球已经成为巫师们在麻瓜面前会面并试图建立彼此信任的秘密标识之一。偷听的麻瓜们可能会不解，为什么两个秘鲁人对一支苏格兰球队如此感兴趣，但人们普遍认为，这比在公共场合争论魁地奇或比较魔杖长度更可取。

 

Shortly after Angus’s death, the Wizarding Supporters of Scottish Rugby Union was set up in his memory by his devoted fans. The WSSRU, which exists to this day, has both Scottish and foreign wizarding members. They meet on the eve of every Scottish international match to toast Angus’s memory and anticipate a happy eighty minutes of watching Muggles trample each other into the mud. 

 

安格斯去世后不久，他的忠实粉丝为他成立了苏格兰橄榄球联盟巫师支持者协会，以纪念他。WSRU至今仍有苏格兰和外国巫师成员。他们在每一场苏格兰国际比赛的前夕聚会,为安格斯干杯,并期待着看麻瓜们把对方踩进泥里的八十分钟的快乐时光

 

 

The International Statute of Secrecy expressly forbids wizards to participate in Muggle sport, but there is nothing illegal in supporting a Muggle side. However, the WSSRU has often had to deny the persistent rumour that its secret mission is to smuggle a talented Squib on to every Scottish team. Current suspects include Kelly Brown (possible cousin of Lavender’s), Jim Hamilton (strong resemblance to Hagrid) and Stuart Hogg (enough said).

 

《国际保密法》明确禁止巫师参加麻瓜运动，但支持麻瓜一方并不违法。然而，WSSRU经常不得不否认它的秘密任务是为每支苏格兰球队走私一支有天赋的哑炮的传闻。目前的嫌疑人包括凯利·布朗（可能是拉文德的表妹）、吉姆·汉密尔顿（和海格长得很像）和斯图亚特·霍格（足够多的证据表明）。