献给爱米丽的一朵玫瑰 A Rose for Emily（第2页）
"Ioison。"shesaidtist。Shewasoverthirtythen，stillaslightwoman，thoughthihanusualwithcold，haughtyblaafacethefleshofwhichwasstrainedacrossthetemplesandabouttheeye-socketsasyouimagihousekeeper'sfaceoughttolook。"Ioison。"shesaid。
"Yes，MissEmily。Whatkind?Forratsandsuch?I'dreend—"
"Iwayouhave。Idon'tcarewhatkind。"
&namedseveral。"They'llkillanythinguptoa。Butwhatyouwantis—"
"ArseniissEmilysaid，"Isthatagoodo;
"Is。。。arsenic?Yes，ma'am。Butwhatyouwant—"
"Iwa;
&lookeddownather。Shelookedbackathim，erect，herfacelikeastrainedflag。"Why，ofcourse，&quistsaid。"Ifthat'swhatyouwant。Butthelawrequiresyoutotellwhatytouseitfor。"
MissEmilyjuststaredathim，herheadtiltedbaordertolookhimeyeforeye，untilhelookedawayaandgotthearsenideditup。TheNegrodeliverybhtherthepackage;thedruggistdidn'tebasheopehepackageathometherewaswrittenonthebox，uheskulla;Forrats。"
IV
Sothedayweallsaid，"Shewillkillherself";awouldbethebestthing。WhenshehadfirstbeguhHomerBarron，wehadsaid，"Shewillmarryhim。"Thenwesaid，"Shewillpersuadehimyet，"beselfhadremarked—helikedmen，anditwasknownthathedrankwiththeyouheElk'sClub—thathewasnman。Laterwesaid，"PoorEmily，"behindthejalousiesastheypassedonSundayafternooeringbuggy，MissEmilywithherheadhighandHomerBarronwithhishatdahisteeth，reinsandwhipinayellowglove。
TheheladiesbegantosaythatitwasadisgracetothetownaotheyouhemendidnotwanttoilasttheladiesforcedtheBaptistminister—MissEmily'speoplewereEpiscopal—toher。Heweenedduringthatiherefusedtogoba。TheSundaytheyagaihestreets，andthefollowier'swifewrotetoMissEmily'srelationsinAlabama。
Soshehadblood-kinunderherroofagaibackwatents。Atfirstnothihehattheyweretobemarried。WelearMissEmilyhadbeentothejeweler'sandorderedaman'stoiletsetihelettersH。B。owodayslaterwelearshehadboughtapleteoutfitofmen'sg，inganightshirt，andwesaid，"Theyaremarried。"Wewerereallyglad。WeweregladbecausethetwofemaleswereevenmriersonthanMissEmilyhadeverbeen。
&surprisedwhenHomerBarroshadbeeimesine。Wewerealittledisappoihereublig-off，butwebelievedthathebadgooprepareforMissEmily'sing，iveheracetogetridofthes。（BythattimeitwasadwewereallMissEmily'salliestohelptthes。）Sureenough，afteraheydeparted。And，asectedallalong，withinthreedaysHomerBarronwasba。AneighborsawtheNegromanadmithimatthekitdooratduskoneevening。
AndthatwasthelastwesawofHomerBarron。AndofMissEmilyforsometime。TheNegromainandoutwiththemarketbasket，butthefrontdoorremainedowandthenwewouldseeheratawindowforamoment，asthemendidthatheysprihelime，butforalmostsixmoappearohehiswastobeexpectedtoo;asifthatqualityofherfatherwhichhadthwartedherwoman'slifesomanytimeshadbeentoovirulentandtoofurioustodie。
&sawMissEmily，shehadgrownfatandherhairwasturninggray。Durifewyearsitgrewgrayerailitattainedanevenpepper-and-saltiron-gray，wheurning。Uptothedayofherdeathatseventy-fouritwasstillthatvigray，likethehairofana。
Fromthattimeodoorremainedclosed，saveforaperiodofsixorsevenyears，whenshewasaboutfwhichshegavelessonsintiedupastudioihedownstairsrooms，wherethedaughtersandgranddaughtersofelSartoris'porariesweresehesameregularityandihattheyweresenttoSundayswithatwepiecefortheplate。Meaaxeshadbeeed。
&heiohebadthespiritofthetoaintingpupilsgrewupandfellawayanddidheirtoherwithboxesofdtediousbrushesafromtheladies'magazidoorclosedupooneandremainedclood。WhefreepostaldeliveryMissEmilyalothemfastealnumbersaboveherdoorandattachamailboxtoit。Shewouldhem。
Daily，monthly，yearlywewategrrayeraooped，goinginandoutwiththemarketbasket。EachDecemberweseaxnotice，whichwouldbereturofficeaweeklater，unowandthenwewouldseeherihedos—shehadevidentlyshutupthetopfloorofthehouse—likethetorsoofanidolinaniche，lookingornotlookingatus，weevertellwhich。Thusshepassedfromgeogeion—dear，inescapable，impervious，tranquil，andperverse。
Andsoshedied。Fellillinthehousefilledwithdustandshadows，withonlyadromantowaitoevenknowshewassick;wehadlongsiryianyinformationfromtheonoone，probablyoher，forhisvoicehadgrownharshandrusty，asiffromdisuse。
Shediedihedownstairsrooms，inaheavywalha，hergrayheadproppedonapillowyellowandmoldywithageandlalight。
V
Thehefirstoftheladiesatthefrontdoorahtheirhushed，sibilaheirquick，curiousglahenhedisappeared。Hewalkedrightthroughthehouseandoutthebadwasnotseenagain。
&wofemaleeatohefuhesedday，withthetowningtolookatMissEmilybehamassofboughtflowers，withthefaceofherfathermusingprofouhebierandtheladiessibilantaheveryoldmeheirbrushedfederateuniforms—onthepordthelawn，talkingofMissEmilyasifshehadbeenaporaryoftheirs，believingthattheyhaddahherandcourtedherperhaps，gtimewithitsmathematicalprogression，astheolddo，toastisnotadiminishingroad，but，instead，ahugemeadoiouches，dividedfromthemnowbythenarrowbottlehemostretdecadeofyears。
Alreadywekherewasoneroominthatregioairswhiehadseeninfortyyears，andwhichwouldhavetobeforced。TheywaiteduntilMissEmilywasdethegrouheyope。
Theviolencedownthedoorseemedtofillthisroomwithpervadingdust。Athin，acridpallasofthetombseemedtolieeverywhereuponthisroomdedfurnishedasforabridal:uponthevalaainsoffadedrosecolor，upontherose-shadedlights，uptable，upoearrayofdtheman'stoiletthiarnishedsilver，silversotarhemonogramwasthemlayadtie，asiftheyhadjustbeenremoved，which，lifted，leftuponthesurfaceapaleti。Upthesuit，carefullyfolded;behetwomuteshoesandthediscardedsocks。
Themanhimselflayinthebed。
Fwhilewejuststoodthere，lookingdorofoundandfleshlessgrin。Thebodyhadapparentlyontheattitudeofanowthelooutlastslove，thatquerseventhegrimaceoflove，had。Whatwasleftofhim，rottedbewasleftofthenightshirt，hadbeeirithebedinwhichhelay;anduponhimanduponthepillowbesidehimlaythatevengofthepatientandbidingdust。
&icedthatinthesedpillowwastheiionofahead。Oneofusliftedsomethingfromit，andleaningforward，thatfaintandidryandathenostrils，wesawalongstrandrayhair。
一
爱米丽·格里尔生小姐去世的时候，我们镇上所有的人都去参加了她的葬礼：男人们是因为对这座纪念碑的倒下怀着某种敬意；女人们则大部分是出于好奇，想看看她的房子里面。那所房子除了一个老仆人——花匠兼厨子之外，近十多年来，没有一个人进去过。
这是一幢四方形的大木屋，过去曾漆成白色，穹顶、尖塔、涡形花纹的阳台，透出一股19世纪70年代的风格，带有浓厚的轻盈气息。它位于我们镇上当时最考究的街道上。但是，车库和轧棉机之类的东西已经侵占了这一带庄严的名字，把它们抹得没有留下一丝痕迹，只留下爱米丽小姐的房子，兀自耸立在棉花车和汽油泵中，衰败的风姿高踞于上，显得顽固不化——简直是丑中之丑。现在，爱米丽小姐也加入了这些庄严人物的行列，他们长眠在雪松环拥的墓地里——这里一排排的墓地都是南北战争时期在杰斐逊战役中阵亡的无名军人的。
爱米丽小姐在世时，始终是传统和义务的化身，备受人们关注。她在镇上享有一种世袭权利，1894年，镇长萨特里斯上校颁布了一道法令：黑人妇女必须系围裙上街——豁免了她各种税款，这种特惠政策从她父亲去世之日开始，一直到她不在人世之日为止。爱米丽小姐并不是很愿意接受施舍。萨特里斯上校编了个谎言，说她父亲曾借给镇里一笔钱，所以，作为某种交易，镇政府用这种方式来偿还。这只有萨特里斯这代人和他这样的头脑的人才编得出来，也只有妇人才会相信。
当下一代人中更具现代意识的人当上镇长和参议员时，这种约定引起了一些小小的不满。那年元旦，他们寄了一张纳税通知单给她。到了二月份，也没见任何回复。他们又给她写了公函，让她方便时去一趟治安办公室。又过了一个星期，镇长亲自写信给她，提出愿意登门拜访或者派车来接她，结果收到了一张古香古色的信笺便条，字是用褪了色的墨水写的，笔迹纤细流畅。大意是说，她根本不再外出，纳税通知单原样返回，没有任何评论。
参议员召开了一次特殊会议，派出一个代表团去访问她。他们敲了敲门，这扇门自从八年或十年前，她停止教瓷器彩绘课以后，就再也没有人进来过。他们被一个黑人男仆领进幽暗的大厅，再从楼梯上去，显得更加阴暗。屋子封闭已久，一股尘封的气味扑鼻而来，——阴冷潮湿，密不透气。黑人男仆引着他们进入客厅，里面摆着用皮革包裹着的笨重家具。黑人男仆打开一扇百叶窗，只见皮革已经裂开了。当他们坐下来时，大腿两边缓缓升起一阵灰尘，在那一缕阳光中飞舞旋转。壁炉前挂着爱米丽小姐父亲的炭笔画像，画架已经失去了金色的光泽。
她一进屋，他们都站了起来。她是一个矮小肥胖的女人，一袭黑衣，一条细细的金链垂到了腰部，隐在腰带里，手里拄着一根乌木拐杖，镶金的拐杖头已经失去了光泽。她骨架瘦小，也许，这就是为什么在别的女人身上看来是丰满，而在她身上则显得肥胖的原因。她看上去臃肿无比，肤色惨白，就像一具长时间泡在死水里的尸体。她的眼睛凹陷在脸上肥肉的褶皱里，活像挤进生面团里的两个小煤球。当他们开始说明来意时，那两个小煤球便不断地移动，时而瞧瞧这张面孔，时而打量那张面孔。
她没有让他们坐下来，只是站在门口，默默地听着，直到发言人结结巴巴地说完，才听见金链子另一端隐藏着的一块表的滴答声。
她的声音冷若冰霜，“我在杰弗逊没有税。萨特里斯上校早就跟我说过了。你们任何人都可以去查镇政府档案，自己去弄清楚。”
“可我们已经查过了。我们就是政府权力部门，爱米丽小姐。镇长亲自签署的通知，您没有收到吗？”
“我是收到了一份通知，”爱米丽小姐说道，“也许，他自认为是镇长……我在杰弗逊没有税要纳。”