《美食祈禱和戀愛》Chapter 105 (254):喔,小娃兒
I imagined my own translation of his words:
"Ohhhh . . . little baby, this is roast chicken for you to eat! Someday you will love roast chicken and we hope you have lots of it! Ohhhhhhh . . . little baby, this is a chunk of cooked rice, may you always have all the chunks of cooked rice you could ever desire, may you be showered with rice for always. Ohhhhh . . . little baby, this is a coconut, isn't it funny how this coconut looks, someday you will eat lots of coconuts! Ohhhhhh . . . little baby, this is your family, do you not see how much your family adores you? Ohhhhh . . . little baby, you are pre-cious to the whole universe! You are an A-plus student! You are our magnificent bunny! You are a yummy hunk of silly putty! Ooohhhhh little baby, you are the Sultan of Swing, you are our everything . . ."
Everyone was blessed again and again with flower petals dipped in holy water. The whole family took turns passing the baby around, cooing to her, while Ketut sang the ancient man-tras. They even let me hold the baby for a while, even in my jeans, and I whispered my own blessings to her as everyone sang. "Good luck,"I told her. "Be brave."It was boiling hot, even in the shade. The young mother, dressed in a sexy bustier under her sheer lace shirt, was sweating. The young father, who didn't seem to know any facial expression other than a massively proud grin, was also sweating. The various grandmothers fanned themselves, got weary, sat down, stood up, fussed with the roasted sacrificial pigs, chased away dogs. Every-one was alternately interested, not interested, tired, laughing, earnest. But Ketut and the baby seemed to be locked in their own experience together, riveted to each other's attention. The baby didn't take her eyes off the old medicine man all day. Who ever heard of a six-month-old baby not crying or fussing or sleeping for four straight hours in the hot sun, but just watching someone with curiosity?
Ketut did his job well, and the baby did her job well, too. She was fully present for her transformation ceremony from god-status to human-status. She was handling the responsibilities marvelously, like a good Balinese girl already—steeped in ritual, confident of her beliefs, obedient to the requirements of her culture.
At the end of all the chanting, the baby was wrapped in a long, clean white sheet that hung far below her little legs, making her look tall and regal—a veritable debutante. Ketut made a drawing on the bottom of a pottery bowl of the four directions of the universe, filled the bowl with holy water and set it on the ground. This hand-drawn compass marked the holy spot on earth where the baby's feet would first touch.
Then the whole family gathered by the baby, everyone seeming to hold her at the same time, and—oop! there goes!—they lightly dipped the baby's feet in this pottery bowl full of holy water, right above the magic drawing which encompassed the whole universe, and then they touched her soles to the earth for the first time. When they lifted her back up into the air, tiny damp footprints remained on the ground below her, orienting this child at last onto the great Balinese grid, establishing who she was by establishing where she was. Everyone clapped their hands, delighted. The little girl was one of us now. A human being—with all the risks and thrills which that perplexing incarnation entails.
The baby looked up, looked around, smiled. She wasn't a god anymore. She didn't seem to mind. She wasn't fearful at all. She seemed thoroughly satisfied with every decision she had ever made. Eat, Pray, Love
我想象他所吟唱的句子，自己翻譯如下：
喔……小娃兒，這是給你吃的烤雞！往後你會喜歡烤雞，我們願你吃很多烤雞！喔……小娃兒，這是米飯，願你永遠可以隨心所欲地吃飯，願你永遠有許多米飯可以吃！喔……小娃兒，這是椰子，椰子的樣子是不是很逗趣，往後你會有許多椰子吃！喔……小娃兒，這是你的家人，你沒看見家人多麼愛你嗎？喔……小娃兒，你是整個宇宙的寶貝！你是優等生！你是我們最棒的小兔子！你是我們的小傻瓜！喔小娃兒，你是開心果，你是我們的一切……
每個人一次又一次受到賜福，用浸在聖水中的花瓣。全家人輪流傳遞小娃，對她輕柔低語，賴爺則吟唱古咒語。他們甚至讓我抱着小娃一會兒，儘管我身穿牛仔褲；我在大家吟唱時，對她低聲祝福。"祝你好運，"我告訴她，"拿出勇氣。"天氣讓人渾身滾燙，儘管在蔭影下亦然。年輕母親身穿性感的緊身衣，套着透明的蕾絲衫，正出着汗。年輕父親似乎只知道驕傲地咧嘴而笑，其他的表情都不會做，他也在流汗。婆婆奶奶們扇着自己，感覺疲憊，坐下來，站起來，爲獻祭的烤豬傷腦筋，忙着趕狗。大家輪流關心、不關心、疲倦、發笑、興奮。但賴爺與小娃似乎共同關閉在他們的經驗當中，注意力被彼此所吸引。小娃整天目不轉睛地注視着藥師。誰聽說過一個六個月大的小娃可以在烈陽下不哭、不鬧、不睡持續四小時，只是好奇地注視某人？
賴爺的表現很好，小娃的表現也很好。她全程出席自己從神的身份變成人類身份的轉變儀式。她把任務處置得很好，已經像一位巴厘島的好姑娘——沉湎於儀式，相信自己的信仰，遵從文化的要求。
吟唱結束後，小娃被裹在一條長而乾淨的白牀單裏，牀單遠遠垂在她小小的腿底下，使她看起來高大、威嚴——簡直是個初次登臺的笄齡少女。賴爺在一隻陶碗底部畫了宇宙的四個方向，然後盛滿聖水，將陶碗置於地上。這幅手繪指南針，標示出小娃的腳首次碰觸地面的神聖地點。
而後全家人聚集在小娃身邊，人人似乎同時抱着她——來吧！來吧！——他們輕輕把小娃的腳浸入盛滿聖水的陶碗中，即在那幅整個宇宙方位的魔法圖上方，然後他們讓她的腳跟首次碰觸地面。他們將她擡回空中時，沾溼的小腳印留在她下方的土地上，終於爲這個孩子在巴厘島的大框架中定了位，確立了她的立足點，亦確立了她的身份。大家興高采烈地拍手。小女孩如今成爲我們的一份子。一個人類——進入了這個錯綜複雜的化身，也將伴隨未來所必須承擔的風險與歡樂。
小娃擡起頭，打量四周，露出笑容。她不再是神了。她似乎並不在乎。她毫不害怕。她似乎對自己做過的任何決定都完全滿意。
