世纪文学经典:《百年孤独》第7章Part 10

Colonel Aureliano Buendía was amused at his alarm. "Naturally," he said. "But in any case, it's better than not knowing why you're fighting." He looked him in the eyes and added with a smile:
"Or fighting, like you, for something that doesn't have any meaning for anyone."
His pride had prevented him from making contact with the armed groups in the interior of the country until the leaders of the party publicly rectified their declaration that he was a bandit. He knew, however, that as soon as he put those scruples aside he would break the vicious circle of the war. Convalescence gave him time to reflect. Then he succeeded in getting úrsula to give him the rest of her buried inheritance and her substantial savings. He named Colonel Gerineldo Márquez civil and military leader of Macondo and he went off to make contact with the rebel groups in the interior.
Colonel Gerineldo Márquez was not only the man closest to Colonel Aureliano Buendía, but úrsula received him as a member of the family. Fragile, timid, with natural good manners, he was, however, better suited for war than for government. His political advisers easily entangled him in theoretical labyrinths, But he succeeded in giving Macondo the atmosphere of rural peace that Colonel Aureliano, Buendía dreamed of so that he could die of old age making little gold fishes. Although he lived in his parents' house he would have lunch at úrsula's two or three times a week. He initiated Aureliano José in the use of firearms, gave him early military instruction, and for several months took him to live in the barracks, with úrsula's consent, so that he could become a man. Many years before, when he was still almost a child, Gerineldo Márquez had declared his love for Amaranta. At that time she was so illusioned with her lonely passion for Pietro Crespi that she laughed at him. Gerineldo Márquez waited. On a certain occasion he sent Amaranta a note from jail asking her to embroider a dozen batiste handkerchiefs with his father's initials on them. He sent her the money. A week later Amaranta, brought the dozen handkerchiefs to him in jail along with the money and they spent several hours talking about the past. "When I get out of here I'm going to marry you," Gerineldo Márquez told her when she left. Amaranta laughed but she kept on thinking about him while she taught the children to read and she tried to revive her juvenile passion for Pietro Crespi. On Saturday, visiting days for the prisoners, she would stop by the house of Gerineldo Márquez's parents and accompany them to the jail. On one of those Saturdays úrsula was surprised to see her in the kitchen, waiting for the biscuits to come out of the oven so that she could pick the best ones and cap them in a napkin that she had embroidered for the occasion.
"Marry him," she told her. "You'll have a hard time finding another man like him."
Amaranta feigned a reaction of displeasure.
"I don't have to go around hunting for men," she answered. "I'm taking these biscuits to Gerineldo because I'm sorry that sooner or later they're going to shoot him."

奥雷连诺上校对格林列尔多的惊讶感到开心。“当然不好，”奥雷连诺说，“但无论如何，最好是不知道为什么战斗，”他盯着战友的眼睛，微微一笑，补充说道：“或者象你一样为了某些事情进行战斗，而那些事情对任何人都没有任何意义。”
以前，他的骄傲是不让他跟内部地区的起义部队取得联系的，除非自由党领袖公开纠正把他称做强盗的声明。然而奥雷连诺上校知道：只要他放弃了自尊心，他就能中止战争的恶性循环。卧床疗养使他有了时间反复思量。他劝乌苏娜把她可观的积蓄和密藏的盒子中剩余的金子都交给了他，任命格林列尔多·马克斯上校为马孔多的军政长官，就离开市镇去跟内部地区的起义部队建立联系了。
格林列尔多·马克斯上校不仅是奥雷连诺上校最信任的人，乌苏娜还把他当做家里的成员。他温和、腼腆，生来文雅，但他更适于打仗，而不适于坐办公室。他的那些政治顾问讲起理论来，轻而易举就能把他弄得糊里糊涂。然而，他却在马孔多创造了田园般的宁静气氛，奥雷连诺曾希望在这样的环境里制作小金鱼，度过晚年，死在这里。尽管格林列尔多。 马克斯上校住在自己的父母家里，他却每星期在乌苏娜家中吃两三顿午饭。他过早地教奥雷连诺。 霍塞使用武器，叫他接受军事训练，并且在得到乌苏娜的允许之后，让他在兵营里住了几个月，使他能够成为一个男子汉。多年以前，格林列尔多。 马克斯几乎还是孩子的时候，就向阿玛兰塔表过爱。那时，她对皮埃特罗。 克列斯比怀着单相思，所以光是讥笑他。格林列尔多。
马克斯决定等待。有一次，他还在狱中时，捎了一封信给阿玛兰塔，要求她给一打麻纱手绢绣上他父亲的简写姓名。他还寄了钱给她。过了一个星期，阿玛兰塔把绣好的手绢和钱带到狱里去给他，两人回忆往事，谈了很久。“从这儿出去以后，我要跟你结婚，”格林列尔多。 马克斯跟她分手时说。阿玛兰塔笑了起来，可是教孩子们读书的时候，她一直惦念着他，打算恢复她对皮埃特罗。 克列斯比的那种青春的热情。每逢星期六，探监的日子，她都到格林列尔多·马克斯父母家中，跟他们一块儿到牢里去。有个星期六，乌苏娜在厨房里遇见了女儿——她正在等候饼干出炉，挑选最好的，用一块手绢包上；这块手绢是她专门绣来派这个用场的。
“你就嫁给他吧，”乌苏娜劝她。“你未必能够再遇见这样的人啦。”
阿玛兰塔露出轻蔑的神态。
“我不需要追求男人，”她回答。“我送饼干给格林列尔多，是我怜悯他，因为他迟早会枪毙的。”