The final evacuation date for this return to Europe coincided with his childhood years. Lübeck wanted to revisit his childhood memories and spend time with Ruth, who had always been by his side. The journey had been so arduous—Germany's post-World War I scarcity, followed by the hardships of World War II. The hardships endured along the way remained vividly etched in his memory. Yet Ruth had steadfastly stood by his side throughout it all. Such unwavering loyalty made Lübeck feel he owed her deeply, compelling him to find a way to help her no matter what, to ease the unease within his own heart.
这次回到欧洲的最后撤离时间恰好在自己的童年,吕贝克想要去访问一下自己的童年时光,和一直陪伴自己的露丝,因为一路走来的历程太苦了,德国一战之后的匮乏,之后又有随之而来的二战.一路走来的辛苦历历在目,而露丝却一直坚定地陪伴在自己的身边,这样的忠诚陪伴总是让吕贝克感觉自己亏欠她,想无论如何帮助一下露丝,弥补自己内心的不安.
Though warned against doing so, against visiting his past self, Lübeck still wanted to do it, for he remembered the difficult times they had weathered together and could not let go.
虽然被告诫过不要这样做,不要去访问过去的自己,可是吕贝克依然想要这样做,因为他记得两人一起走过的那段艰难岁月,无法释怀.
He just didn't know what kind of temporal or causal consequences defying orders like this might bring. He also wondered: if this world were a sandbox containing a cube and a sphere, and the sphere returned from the future, bumped into the cube, then went back to the future, then this sandbox would simply contain a cube with traces of having been bumped and a sphere. Maybe it was that simple.
只是他不知道,违抗指令这样做会有什么样的时空或者因果方面的后果.他也在想,如果这个世界是一个沙盒,里面有一个立方体一个球体,球体从未来回来,撞了一下立方体又走了回到未来,那么这个沙盒里就是一个有着被撞移动痕迹的立方体和一个球体.或许就是这么简单.
Lübeck hired a carriage and returned to the outskirts of the city where he was born. Felled trees, dilapidated houses, and barren land all bore witness to the ravages of war. It was in this desolate landscape that he had been born and raised. To make ends meet, he had left countless times, only to return to his hometown, wandering from place to place.
吕贝克雇了马车,回到了自己出生的城市郊区.砍伐的树木,破败的房屋,荒芜的土地,无一不诉说着战争的破坏痕迹.而他就是在这样的贫瘠中出生长大的,为了生计,多少次离开,回到家乡,四处奔波.
Now that I've lived more than half my life, returning to the place where I grew up as a child fills me with profound emotion. Lübeck didn't drive the carriage right to the front door—he didn't want to make too much of a scene. Instead, he stopped the carriage on the main road, got out, and walked along the path to find the home he once knew.
如今已过半生,又回到自己童年长大的地方,感慨万千.吕贝克并没有让马车行驶到家门口,他不想弄得太张扬,而是把马车停在了大路,自己下车沿着小路去寻找自己曾经那个家园.
Across the dirt mound, I spotted low houses and dilapidated warehouses in the distance. Climbing over the mound, I saw what seemed to be myself—my childhood self—along with Ruth. As I drew nearer, I realized they were digging for potatoes in the field.
隔着土坡,远远看到低矮的房子,破旧的仓库.翻过土坡,远远看到似乎是自己,孩童时期的自己,还有露丝,当自己走近,才发现他们是在地里翻找土豆.
Noticing someone approaching, the two straightened up to face them. Young Erich didn't recognize his future self, clenching his fists warily as if to protect Ruth. It was the older Ruth who seemed to recognize her future self, looking startled and frozen in place.
注意到有人来了,两人直起身子面对,小埃里希并不认识未来的自己,还攥着拳头警惕地想要保护露丝.倒是那时更年长一些的露丝,似乎认出了未来的自己,有点吃惊,愣住了的表情.
Lübeck pulled out a bundle of Reichsmarks tied with string that he had prepared, handed it to Ruth, and said,
"Take this. Use it when you need it."
吕贝克掏出准备好的,用线绳捆绑的一沓帝国马克,递给露丝,说,
"你拿着,需要的时候用,"
Ruth gazed at Lübeck, as if searching his face for something, then reached out to take it.
露丝望着吕贝克,似乎在他的脸上寻找着什么,然后伸手接了过去,
Lübeck finally felt a weight lift from his heart, having fulfilled this wish of his.
吕贝克的心中终于也如释重负,实现了自己的这个心愿,
At that moment, in the backyard behind Ruth, a woman in a blue dress emerged from the shed, carrying a farm tool to repair in the yard.
这时露丝的身后院落里,有一个蓝色裙子的女人从仓库出来,拿着一个农具到院子里修理,
Lübeck instantly recognized the figure as his mother in her youth—a face he couldn't even recall from her younger days. For a moment, he wanted to run over, call out "Mom," and offer his help, but he held back. He wasn't sure what might happen that he couldn't handle.
吕贝克立刻认出了那是自己的妈妈年轻时的身影,自己甚至都不记得她年轻时候的面容了.一瞬间他曾想要跑过去叫一声妈妈,给她帮忙,可是他还是忍住了,他不确定会发生什么自己处理不了的事情,
After gazing at her from afar for only a moment, two unstoppable streams of tears already trickled down Lübeck's cheeks and fell onto the ground beneath his feet. When his blurred, tear-filled eyes fell upon Ruth once more, Lübeck turned, raised his hand to wipe away the tears, and strode away.
只远远地凝视片刻,止不住的两行泪水已经沿着吕贝克的脸颊滴落在脚下的土地.当模糊的泪眼再看一眼露丝,吕贝克转身抬手拂去泪水,大步离开.
Once more arriving at the shore where departure awaited, it was Holger and Paul's lifeboat that lay in wait. Looking back, the distant lights of the coast faded into the night, transforming into faint, yellowish threads that wound their way into the tranquil, dark sea surface, as if the irretrievable days of old were slipping away forever.
当再一次在来到准备启程的岸边,正是霍尔格和保罗的救生艇在等候.回望夜色中远处的海岸灯火淡然远去,化作丝缕昏黄蜿蜒隐没于微波的静谧暗黑海面,仿佛远逝的旧日时光不可挽留.
Putting away the lingering thoughts of his childhood hometown, Lü Beck returned to his submarine, back to his present self as an adult weathered by time, continuing his life's journey. Following routine procedures, he received the coordinates and initiated the return voyage of his interstellar voyage.
收拾残留在童年故乡的思绪,吕贝克回到自己的潜艇上,回到自己作为一个成年人,历尽岁月的现在,继续自己的人生道路,按照例程接收坐标,开启星际航行的归程.
Returning to his home in the Sanctuary late at night, Lübeck always pushed open his door with a heavy heart. He never knew for certain if he would find his family waiting for him, for though the surroundings remained unchanged, the time elapsed since his last departure varied unpredictably.
这次回到庇护之地的家中是深夜,每次回来,吕贝克都是怀着忐忑的心情,推开自己的家门,因为他也不确定每次都会回到翘首企盼自己的家人身边,因为虽然察觉不出地点有什么变化,但是时间上距离上次离开却是长短不一.
Quietly entering his own home, he locked the door behind him. The night sky's azure clouds illuminated the earth, their glow filtering through the small window to light up the furniture and furnishings within.
轻轻地进入自己家中,然后重新锁好门,夜空青色的云霞照亮大地,也透过小窗照亮室内桌椅陈设,
Lübeck moved along the wall by the window to Emma's room. As he pushed open the door, a faint blue light spilled in, revealing his son sleeping soundly in the cradle and Emma resting peacefully on the bed—just as they had been when he left. Lübeck quietly slipped out of the room and pushed open Ruth's door. A sliver of light fell precisely upon her waist, illuminating her slender silhouette.
吕贝克沿着窗边墙壁来到艾玛的房间,借着推开房门照进的幽蓝光线,看到摇篮中的儿子和床上的艾玛正在熟睡,就如同自己离开的时候那样.吕贝克轻轻地退出房间,又推开露丝的房门,一缕光线正好落在她的腰间,正是她那纤细的身影.
Lübeck lay down beside her fully clothed, recalling everything that had passed. She wondered how long this voyage had kept them waiting for her once more. Only when she felt Ruth's familiar warmth again—unchanged since the moment she left her—did Lübeck finally find inner peace. Unknowingly, she drifted into a deep sleep.
吕贝克和衣而卧,躺在了她的身边,回想着过往的一切,不知道这一次的航行又让她们等了自己多久,直到再次感受到露丝那熟悉的气息,和离开她的时候别无二样,吕贝克终于找到了内心的安稳,不知何时,昏昏睡去.
When he opened his eyes again, the sky was already turning light. Lü Beck felt someone sitting right in front of his face, blocking his view. Yet even through the blurred outlines, he recognized Emma's hips and thighs.
当再次睁开眼睛,天色已经微明,吕贝克感到有人坐在自己的脸前,都挡住了自己的视线,但只是仅凭模糊的线条,他就意识到了那是艾玛的臀部和大腿.
Wrapping his left arm around her hips, he drew closer, pressing his face against her thigh. Only then did he fully open his eyes and look upward, meeting Emma's gaze as she looked down at him, her eyes resting just above her chest.
用左臂搂住她的胯,又往前凑凑,把脸贴在了她的大腿上,这才完全睁开眼睛,朝上望去,正好是艾玛的视线,越过她的胸,低头望着自己.
"Am I worried?" Lübeck asked softly.
"等我着急了吗?" 吕贝克轻声问,
"It's okay,"
"还好,"
How many days have I been gone this time?
"这次我离开了多少天?"
"Twenty-three days,"
"二十三天,"
"Hmm," Lübeck murmured in agreement as he took Emma's hand and stroked it, his heart heavy with the realization of how much time had passed without him being there for them.
"嗯,"吕贝克一边答应着,一边拉过艾玛的手抚摸,心中感慨又过去了多少时光没能陪在她们身边.
After getting up and taking Emma back to her room to watch the child, Lübeck came back to the kitchen to keep Ruth company.
起床把艾玛送回房间看着孩子,吕贝克又来到厨房陪伴露丝,
"I came back and found you," he blurted out the moment they met.
"我回去找到你了,"一见面就迫不及待地告诉了她这个消息,
"Really? That's great," Ruth said happily, then asked,
"是吗?好啊,"露丝也很高兴,接着问,
"How did you find me?" After speaking, Ruth looked into Lübeck's eyes, waiting earnestly for his answer.
"I returned to my old home and encountered you—and my past self."
"How old was I back then?"
"你是怎么找到的?"说完,露丝看着吕贝克的眼睛,很认真地等待他的回答,
"我回到了过去的家,遇到了你,还有过去的我,"
"那时候我多大?"
"I was a teenager, thirteen or fourteen," Lü Beck said, then asked earnestly,
"I left the money for you. Do you remember that?"
"十几岁,十三四岁吧,"说着,吕贝克又认真地问,
"我把钱留给了你,你记得这件事吗?"
"No, not at all," Ruth replied with a gentle smile.
"没有啊,"说完露丝委婉地笑了,
Hearing her say this, Lübeck gently pulled her into his embrace and whispered in her ear,
"Even if it's to the you from another timeline," he murmured, his hand caressing her waist and back as he soothed her emotions.
见她这么说,吕贝克轻轻把她搂入了怀中,在她耳边说,
"就算是给了另一个时间线的你也好啊,"一边说一边抚摸她的腰背,安抚她的心情.
But Lübeck pondered inwardly: Had his actions created another timeline? In that timeline, had he and Ruth not taken this path? Where would they be now? Would he still be with her?
但是吕贝克在心中却在思索,是不是我的行为创造了另一个时间线?在那条时间线里的自己和露丝没有走这一条道路?那么后来的他们又在哪里呢?自己是不是还和她在一起?