小径分岔的花园 The Garden of Forking Paths

小径分岔的花园 The Garden of Forking Paths作者：〔阿根廷〕博尔赫斯 Jorge Luis BorgesTo Victoria OcampoIn his A History

小径分岔的花园 TheGardenofForkingPaths 作者：〔阿根廷〕博尔赫斯 JorgeLuisBorges ToVictoriaOcampo InhisAHistoryoftheWorldWar(page212),CaptainLiddellHartreportsthata plannedoffensivebythirteenBritishdivisions,supportedbyfourteenhundred artillerypieces,againsttheGermanlineatSerre-Montauban,scheduledforJuly24, 1916,hadtobepostponeduntilthemorningofthe29th.Hecommentsthat 一 torrentialraincausedthisdelaywhichlackedanyspecialsignificance.The followingdeposition,dictatedby,readover,andthensignedbyDr.YuTsun, formerteacherofEnglishattheTsingtaoHochschule,castsunsuspectedlight uponthisevent.Thefirsttwopagesaremissing. …andIhungupthephone.ImmediatelyIrecollectedthevoicethathadspokenin German.ItwasthatofCaptainRichardMadden.Madden,inViktorRuneberg's 一 office,meanttheendofallourworkandthoughthisseemedasecondary 一 matter,orshouldhaveseemedsotomeofourlivesalso.Hisbeingtheremeant thatRuneberghadbeenarrestedormurdered.②Beforethesunsetonthissame day,Iranthesamerisk.Maddenwasimplacable.Rather,tobemoreaccurate,he wasobligedtobeimplacable.AnIrishmanintheserviceofEngland,aman suspectedofequivocalfeelingsifnotofactualtreachery,howcouldhefailto welcomeandseizeuponthisextraordinarypieceofluckthediscovery,capture andperhapsthedeathsoftwoagentsofImperialGermany Iwentuptomybedroom.Absurdthoughthegesturewas,Iclosedandlockedthe door.Ithrewmyselfdownonmynarrowironbed,andwaitedonmyback.The neverchangingrooftopsfilledthewindow,andthehazysixo'clocksunhungin thesky.Itseemedincrediblethatthisday,adaywithoutwarningsoromens, mightbethatofmyimplacabledeath.Indespiteofmydeadfather,indespiteof havingbeenachildinoneofthesymmetricalgardensofHaiFeng,wasItodie now ThenIreflectedthatallthingshappen,happentoone,preciselynow.Century followscentury,andthingshappenonlyinthepresent.Therearecountlessmenin theair,onlandandatsea,andallthatreallyhappenshappenstome…Thealmost unbearablememoryofMaddenslonghorsefaceputanendtothesewandering thoughts. Inthemidstofmyhatredandterror(nowthatitnolongermatterstometospeak ofterror,nowthatIhaveoutwittedRichardMadden,nowthatmyneckhankers forthehangman'snoose),Iknewthatthefast-movinganddoubtlesshappy 一 soldierdidnotsuspectthatIpossessedtheSecretthenameoftheexactsiteof thenewBritishartilleryparkontheAncre.Abirdstreakedacrossthemistysky and,absently,Iturneditintoanairplaneandthenthatairplaneintomanyinthe skiesofFrance,shatteringtheartilleryparkunderarainofbombs.Ifonlymy mouth,beforeitshouldbesilencedbyabullet,couldshoutthisnameinsucha waythatitcouldbeheardinGermany…Myvoice,myhumanvoice,wasweak. HowcoulditreachtheearoftheChiefTheearofthatsickandhatefulmanwho