She gave birth in the pigsty. She drowned.
她在猪圈里生下了孩子,溺死了自己。
And the baby drowned in this very well.
也把孩子溺死在了这口井里。
Are these things ever past? Kids saw.
这些事情过去了吗?孩子们也看到了。
Can you ever get over it?
你们能忘却这一切吗?
Sex bad, birthing bad, woman bad.
性是罪恶的,不守妇道的女人生下孽种。
So, lifetimes later a strange old lady brings to me and my husband a bowl of water.
因此,很久之后一个奇怪的老妇人给我和我的丈夫端上一碗水。
She holds it in her two hands.
她两手捧着水。
Chinese will serve ordinary tea with the attention of both hands.
中国人会以两手奉上茶。
I hope she means to be making ceremony.
我希望她是为了一种仪式而作。
I shall take it to be shriving, the bad we did be over.
我应当将这看作一种忏悔,一切罪恶都过去了。
Punishment be over, suffering be over.
惩罚结束了,折磨结束了。
Is that it then? Wet my hands in the well water.
就这样吗?我的手浸在井水里。
The bowl like the well and my wet face like my sinful aunt's.
碗就像一口井,我湿漉漉的脸就像我充满罪孽的小姨。
Perhaps the well water had been offered innocently,
可能老妇人端上水是出于好心,
I the only one who remembers the past and believes in history's influence and believes ritual settles scores.
我是唯一记得过去发生的事并相信历史的作用,相信因果循环的人
My husband by my side, blessing himself as if with the holy water of his youth,
我的丈夫站在我身边,为自己祈福,就像捧着年轻时的圣水
was stand-in for the rapist lover, forgiven, curse lifted, war over.
代替了那个强暴小姨的爱人原谅了一切,诅咒解除,战争也结束了。