《天蓝色的彼岸》(The Great Blue Yonder)是英国作家亚历克斯·希勒(Alex Shearer)的一部力作，在欧美和日本极为畅销。英国《收藏杂志》(Books for Keeps)这样评论此书：“这是一本富于幽默感和感人至深的书。”小说描写了小主人公哈里作为幽灵在世间游荡的经历，其间既有好笑的场景，又有感人的亲情故事。它不仅是一部小说，同时也是对死亡的“一种敏感、温柔的探讨”(The Times《泰晤士报》)，是一次“温暖的关于生命和死亡的启蒙”(作家安妮宝贝)。
I felt suddenly cold inside. I wished I had some kind of ghostly coat to wrap around me. I felt cold and lonely and almost wanted to cry. And it was the first time I'd really felt like that, since I'd been dead.
我突然感到体内升起一股寒意，真希望有一件幽灵大衣把我裹起来。我感觉又冷又孤独，几乎有种要哭的冲动。自从死了以后，我还是第一次有这种感觉。
But I knew that whatever these feelings were, I couldn't give in to them. I had to keep a grip on myself and not go to pieces1). Because a ghost isn't much use to anyone at the best of times2), but a ghost who's cracked up3) and gone to pieces is no use at all.
但是我知道，无论这些是什么样的感觉，我都不能让自己屈服。我必须控制住自己，不让自己垮掉。因为一个幽灵即便在最好的情况下也不会对别人有什么用处，要是垮掉了，就彻底没用了。
I found myself going by the cathedral4), and I looked up at the clock. The schools were emptying. The streets filled up with kids. Kids with lunch boxes, kids with satchels5), kids in uniforms, kids in jeans and trainers6).
我发现自己正经过大教堂，于是抬头看了看教堂上面的钟。这个点学校里都没人了。大街上到处都能看见小孩子：带着午餐盒的孩子，背着书包的孩子，穿着校服的孩子，穿着牛仔裤和运动鞋的孩子。
A ghostly lump7) came to my ghostly throat. I felt angry and sad and bitter and tearful all at once8). For the first time since I'd been dead I wanted to shout and scream and rage and yell out, "It's not right! It's not fair! I want my life back! I was only a kid. I shouldn't have had to die. It's all that stupid lorry's9) fault. It wasn't even as if I was to blame. It's not as if I even deserved10) it! It's so unfair!"
我的幽灵喉咙突然像被什么可怕的东西哽住了。我一时之间百感交集，又气愤，又伤心，又痛苦，不禁泪盈满眶。自从死了以后，我第一次有冲动想要大声喊叫，想要怒吼发泄：“这不对！这不公平！我要活过来！我还只是个孩子。我不该死。这都是那辆笨卡车的错。根本不怪我！我完全不该死！这太不公平了！”
But then I thought, well, who does deserve it? Who does deserve to have bad things happen to them? Nobody really. And I suppose that things just happen whether you deserve them or not.
可我转念又想，那么，谁又该死呢？谁又活该碰上那些倒霉的事呢？谁都不该，真的。我猜，事情就是这样，不管是不是你应受的，该发生的照样发生。
It isn't fair though, I thought, as I watched all the children go by. They walked around me and through me, laughing and messing about11), fighting even, some of them, or just talking to their mates, having some fun and larking12) around.
但是当我看着所有的小孩儿从我身边经过，我心想，这还是不公平。他们或在我周围走着，或从我身上穿过。他们笑着，闹着，有些甚至还打着架，或者就跟伙伴们说着话，开开心心地互相开着玩笑。
I so wanted to be alive again. I can't tell you how much. I so, so wanted to be alive. I so wanted to be one of them. And all the ordinary things which I'd always taken for granted13)—just little things, like being able to kick a football or being able to eat a bag of crisps14)—how I missed them.
我多么想要再活过来啊！我说不出我有多想。我多么、多么想活着啊。我多想成为他们中的一个。所有那些普通得不能再普通的事儿，那些我曾经认为理所当然的事儿——都是些很小的小事，比如能够踢踢球或者吃一包薯片——现在都可望而不可即了，我多么怀念它们。
And how I envied them. How I envied all those children their lives! Oh, I knew they weren't all happy. I knew some of them were miserable15) or sad or getting bullied or worried about their exams or had trouble at home or were just plain16) unhappy—but still I envied them, even the unhappy ones. It's true. I did. I even envied them their unhappiness. Because at least they were alive. And I wasn't.
我又是多么妒忌他们啊——多妒忌那些孩子们还活着。哦，是的，我知道他们并不是每个人都那么开心，我知道他们中有人痛苦，有人悲伤，有人受欺侮了，有人担心考试，有人家里有困难，还有人就是不开心，没什么理由——但我还是嫉妒他们，甚至那些不开心的，我也嫉妒。真的，我就是嫉妒。我甚至嫉妒他们能不开心。因为至少他们还活着，而我却死了。
Maybe this was why Arthur hadn't wanted to leave me down here on my own. Maybe this was what happened to you. It wasn't that anyone else was a danger to you, you were a danger to yourself. It was what was inside you that was so dangerous and upsetting. It was you.
或许，这正是阿瑟(编者注：带主人公回到人间的幽灵朋友)不想让我一个人留在这里的原因。或许，你也曾经历过这些。危险不是来自于其他任何人，而恰恰来自你自己。让你感到危险和不安的正是你自己的内心。你就是危险的源泉。
I walked on. I tried to ignore them, all the children passing by me. I kept my eyes down and stared at the footpath as I cut through17) the park. I could hear the sound of a football game, I could hear the squeak18) of the unoiled19) swings, I could hear the sounds of bikes riding by, I could hear the chimes20) of the ice cream van, I could hear—I could hear the voices and the laughter and—
我不停地走啊走。我试图让自己不去注意他们——所有那些走过我身边的孩子们。我抄近道穿过公园，一路上低垂眼帘，紧紧盯着脚下的小路。我能听见有人踢足球的声音，我能听见秋千缺少润滑而嘎吱作响的声音，我能听见自行车从身边经过的声音，我能听见从冰激凌车上传来的悦耳旋律，我能听见——我能听见他们说着、笑着，还有——
Never mind. Never mind.
没关系，没关系。
I kept my eyes down, following the narrow strip of asphalt21) which snaked through the park and which would around the back of the allotments22), and which eventually took you through the old church-yard and ultimately to the lane at the back of my house.
我继续低着头，沿着那条狭窄的柏油小路向前走。小路在公园里蜿蜒而行，绕到那些园地的后面，最终带你穿过那古老的教堂后院，走向我家屋后的那条小巷。
I walked slowly through the cemetery23) in the church-yard, going along by the graves, reading, as ever, the inscriptions24) on the stones. Then suddenly I stopped, and the thought came to me, "What about my grave? This is where I'll be buried, won't it?" And I left the path and hurried to the upper end of the cemetery where all the new plots were. I found the latest row and went along it, and there I was, fourth from the end.
我缓缓地走在教堂后院的那片墓地里，从一座座坟墓前走过，像往常一样看着墓碑上面的铭文。突然，我停了下来，一个念头进入脑海：“我的坟墓呢？我不也将被埋在这里吗？”我离开小路，急忙跑到墓地的北边，那是新坟所在的地方。我找到了最新的一排，沿路往前走去。我的坟就在那里，倒数第四个。
And there, tending to the flowers by the foot of the grave, there—
在那里，有人在照料我墓前的花儿，那是——
There was my dad.
那是我的爸爸。
What can I say? I can't describe it, really, so maybe there's no point in my even trying. But I'll tell you this: when you're alive and someone dies, you feel so upset that you'll never see them again, it's just awful. But when you're a ghost, and when you do see someone again, but when you know they can't see you, and that you can't talk to them, or ever walk down the road holding their hand, or have a game of football with them, or a muck-about25) with them, or ever put your arms around them ever again ...
我能说什么呢？我无法用言语来表达，真的。也许我根本不用尝试去说点什么，因为这没有任何意义。但是我要告诉你：当你活着而别人死了的时候，你会因为再也见不到他们而感到特别难过，这的确很痛苦。但当你变成一个幽灵，当你的的确确再次见到某个人，而你又知道他们看不见你，你不能跟他们说话，也不能牵着他们的手在路上散步，再也不能跟他们踢足球，再也不能和他们玩闹，或者再也不能用你的双臂抱住他们……
It makes you feel pretty bad too.
这也会让你感到痛苦不已。
We stood there for a while, my dad and me, him staring at my headstone and me staring at him, and both of us feeling pretty bad. Then eventually he looked at his watch and decided that he had to go, and he said, "Bye then, Harry."
我们在那里站了一会儿，只有我和爸爸。他盯着我的墓碑，我盯着他，两个人都感到非常痛苦。终于，他看了看手表，决定该回去了，然后他说：“那就再见吧，哈里。”
1. go to pieces: 身体垮掉
2. at the best of times: 即使在最有利的情况下
3. crack up: (在精神上或健康方面)垮掉
4. cathedral [kəˈθiːdrəl] n. 大教堂
5. satchel [ˈsætʃ(ə)l] n. (皮革或帆布制的)书包；小背包
6. trainer [ˈtreɪnə(r)] n. (没有钉的)软运动鞋，跑鞋
7. lump [lʌmp] n. (不定形的)块
8. all at once: 突然，忽然；同时，一起
9. lorry [ˈlɒri] n. <英> 运货汽车，卡车
10. deserve [dɪˈzɜː(r)v] vt. 应受，应得
11. mess about: 胡闹，开玩笑
12. lark [lɑː(r)k] vi. 嬉戏，玩乐
13. take for granted: 认为……是理所当然
14. crisp [krɪsp] n. [常作~s] 油炸土豆片
15. miserable [ˈmɪz(ə)rəb(ə)l] adj. (人)痛苦的，苦恼的
16. plain [pleɪn] adv.［用以加强语气］显然，完全地
17. cut through: 抄近路穿过
18. squeak [skwiːk] n. (未经润滑的铰链)嘎吱作响
19. unoiled [ʌnˈɔɪld] adj. 未上油的
20. chime [tʃaɪm] n. 类似钟声的声音；悦耳的音调
21. asphalt [ˈæsfælt] n. 沥青、碎岩石和沙的混合物，这里指柏油马路。
22. allotment [əˈlɒtmənt] n. <英> (租借或分配给个人经营的)小块园地
23. cemetery [ˈsemətri] n. 墓地，坟地；公墓
24. inscription [ɪnˈskrɪpʃ(ə)n] n. 铭文；碑文
25. muck-about: 胡闹；闲荡
赏析
如果再也感觉不到风吹，那该有多孤独。
意外发生之前，哈里刚跟姐姐吵了一架。那是他们最激烈的一次争吵。他怒气冲冲地对姐姐说：“要是我哪天死了，你保准会后悔的！”但姐姐却说：“你放心吧，我不会，我高兴还来不及呢！”可是他刚骑车出门，就被卡车撞死了。现在他很后悔说那番话，他也知道姐姐说的不是真话，可这一幕却一直萦绕在脑海中，令他愧疚难安。
来到The Other Land (另一个世界)的哈里站在这个陌生而又新奇的地方，茫然地看着各种各样的幽灵排着长长的队伍，思考着关于死亡的事：“谁都不明白自己死后应该做些什么，就像人们不知道自己活着应该干什么一样。”“我还得死很长时间吗？”……他们说幽灵最终都要前往天蓝色的彼岸——那个夕阳永不落下的地方。可是，哈里还挂念着自己的爸爸、妈妈、姐姐、老师和同学们，他多想跟他们告别，向他们道歉，尤其是姐姐。后来，他认识了一个叫阿瑟的幽灵，阿瑟带他偷偷溜回了人间……
你不在了，但生活还在！多么残酷而又理所应当的现实！当你回到学校发现一切如常，当你发现少了你的课堂依旧活跃，当你发现自己的死党开始与你们共同的“敌人”一起玩耍，当你发现自己的座位被另一个孩子占有，当你发现自己在足球队的位置被人取代，没有鲜花，也没有黑纱……直到这时，你才明白，其实生活是个多么无情的家伙。无论你是积极向上笑颜以待，还是浑浑噩噩糊涂度日，抑或自私自利不知珍惜，在你离去的时候，它仍旧自顾自地向前走着，仿佛你的离去无足轻重，好像你从未存在过。那你存在的痕迹到底在哪里呢？
哈里看到在教室里如往常一样上课的同学们，看到那个霸占了他的座位他的挂衣钩他在足球队的位置的新同学，心里很难过。他们怎么能这样呢？他们都是他的朋友啊，怎么能这么快就忘了他呢？失落的哈里默默转过身去，突然发现了身后那面五颜六色的墙壁，墙上贴满了纪念他的小诗、照片、水彩画和油画。这时他才知道，原来自己其实一直住在他们心里。他们都那么爱他，甚至他的“敌人”坏小子杰菲·唐金斯也从内心渴望和他做朋友，可他再也没有机会跟杰菲说“我也想和你做朋友”了，也不能和他一起踢足球了。哈里只能站在同学们为他种的树前，默默地祝愿每一个人都过得好。
除了他和阿瑟，哈里还看到很多流连人间的幽灵。他们也像他一样，有着未了的心愿，无法前往天蓝色的彼岸完成生命的轮回。或许，有的幽灵再也没有机会解开心结，只能永远地待在电影院里看着那里上映的影片排解漫长的孤寂，或独自坐在路灯上五十年如一日地执着等待，或穿梭在人流中日复一日地苦苦寻找。就像The Other Land中的山顶洞人“呜呕”一样，在千年的时光里重复地喊着“呜呕呜呕”却无人能听懂他的语言。如果生命能没有遗憾，是不是死后就不会这么不舍？如果世间根本没有幽灵，那心中的情意是否还有机会表达？
如节选中描写的那样，送走阿瑟以后，哈里独自一人走在街上，看着来来往往笑笑闹闹的孩子们，心里五味杂陈、痛苦难当。有人说，死亡是最公平的，因为它是所有生命都无法逃避的结果，只是他们生命旅途的终点线各有不同。可哈里却是在最纯真无忧的年岁走到了生命的尽头。他还未经历那许多人情冷暖世事沧桑，他还未娶妻生子尽享天伦之乐，他还没有机会成就事业实现人生梦想，他甚至还没有学会表达爱。幸而小说中的他还可以借幽灵之身返回人间向姐姐表达歉意与爱，还可以在这趟回程之旅中学会留恋、珍惜、谅解及宽恕，否则生前的那些遗憾又该如何弥补呢？
节选的最后，哈里在自己的墓碑前看到了日日来看他的爸爸，他多么想牵着他的手和他一起回家。他回家看到了心神恍惚的妈妈，他多么想紧紧地拥抱她给她安慰。而面对饱受内疚折磨的姐姐，他多想跟她说声“对不起”。家里死一般寂静，三人愣愣地坐在那里，没有任何语言。悲伤从他们身上静静地弥漫开来，浓烈得让哈里几乎想要逃离。他想尽办法跟他们说话，想让他们开心，可他们却听不到，看不见。哈里知道自己必须坚强，家人的生活还会继续，而自己也有自己的目的地。因而，他没有选择以幽灵之身留在人间陪伴亲人，而是在和他们告别后去往天蓝色的彼岸，奔向生命的轮回。
在这本小说里，作者希勒借着哈里的故事探讨了生命与死亡这两大最永恒的主题，但它带给你的不仅仅是淡淡的忧伤，更多的则是柔柔的温暖和深深的感动。生命终结于死亡，而死亡则是另一次生命的开始。你无需害怕，只需在还能感到风吹的时候，对你所爱的人说出最温暖的语言和最深沉的爱意；无需难过，只需在你再也感觉不到风吹之前，让爱你的人感到你最温暖的怀抱和最由衷的喜欢；无需悔恨，只需在你的生命中还有风时，给予你曾伤害过与伤害过你的人最真诚的道歉和最善良的宽恕。这样，就算在某一天离开，生命也将无憾。