182.The raft
182.漂流筏

I left the small village on my way to my destination, and I quivered at the thought that my next step was to take a raft down the raging rapids of a river. The sun was radiant, and the people about me, some with ghetto blasters listening to rap music as they walked by, radiated with the happiness that comes from doing their daily activities.
我离开小村庄继续朝着目的地前进，但一想到下一步将是乘小筏子经过一条狂暴湍急的河流时，我的内心就禁不住颤抖不已。当时太阳很耀眼，光芒四射；周围的人群中有些人随身带着廉价录放机，他们一边走，一边听着说唱音乐，脸上发出日常生活中常见的那种幸福光芒。
I located a ragged looking rancher, who gave me a very high quotation, which rankled me a bit, on a ragged looking raft. "I am being held ransom," I thought, "but I know that due to the recent floods and the subsequent rationing of rafts, rafts have been rarefied. Besides, extortion is rampant in this country." So I rallied my gumption and bought it at the extortionate price he asked for and headed, along with my rare raft, for the river. As I left, I thought, "It is certainly a rapacious age we live in. I wonder if he has his quota for the day."
我找到了一个衣衫褴褛的人，看起来他就像是一个牧场工人。我想租他那条破破旧旧的小筏子，但是他给了我一个很高的报价单，这让我多多少少有一点恼怒。"我被敲诈了，"我暗自想道，"可这可能是因为最近发了大水，接着就对筏子进行定量配给，所以筏子的数量相应来说也就很稀少。再说，这个国家敲诈勒索的现象也非常猖獗。"所以我恢复了我的雄心大志，花了一个他索要的天价买下了这艘小筏子，然后，坐着这条稀有的筏子，我朝河流前进了。走的时候，我心想，"我们真是活在一个贪婪的时代。他今天的份额有了吗？"

It is difficult to describe the rapture one receives as one goes down the rapids. It ranks up there with beautiful music or riding a bull. You may think it is radical, but it is a ration of the senses as your senses are taken to the brink. As the raft rocks and the water sprays, you never know if that next big rock has your name on it. It is the danger, the not knowing that makes it exciting.
要描述在激流中前进的狂喜心情并不容易。河流一会儿唱着优美动听的歌儿次序井然地向前走，一会儿又像骑牛一样一路狂奔。你可能会认为河流很湍急，但这实际上是你在濒临绝境时非常正常的一种心理感觉。当筏子摇摆不定，水花喷溅的时候，你根本无法预知到你是否还能再活着见到下一个大岩石。乘筏漂流的吸引人之处就在于其危险性加未知数。
I did not rashly decide to take the rapids, nor was it a rational decision. There was no need to have it ratified by a governing body, for there was no other choice if I wanted to get where I was going. I simply got in and rode the rapids as best I could.
我并没有鲁莽地决定下河漂流，但这实际上也并非一个有理性的选择。这样做并不需要主管部门的批准，可是如果我决定要去我的目的地的话，我别无选择。我只能跳上筏子尽我所能与激流周旋到底了。