呱呱呱 / Croak, Croak, Croak

呱呱呱 金雨田	Croak, Croak, Croak Jin Yu Tian
環保流行，收集箱置放各處，每回經過，總要瞧一瞧。周邊大都是瓶罐殘食，引來貓狗翻盤，鳥儿啄食。	WITH “environmental protection” becoming a buzzword, one can see special containers installed everywhere to collect recyclable materials.  I would take a look whenever I pass one, but frequently I would find a litter of cans, bottles and leftovers around the collection bin, with dogs, cats and birds scavenging for food in the piles.
有那麼多丟垃圾的人，就差了那麼一丁點，再走一步，不就把垃圾喂進箱腹了嗎？兩個青綠筒箱，四周垃圾零散，本為環保，倒變成了污染。	The many litterbugs won’t bother to take a step – just a step – further to dump the garbage into the bins.  Ironically, with rubbish scattered about, those green cylindrical containers meant to protect the environment have served to aggravate pollution.
在東海岸公園，兩對小情侶，手握汽水罐，試着對箱口丟罐，像在遊樂場里玩遊戲。四個罐子，只有一個瞄準，三個落空，年輕人好玩，落空的撿起來再丟進去，不就可以了嗎？眾目睽睽下，四個竟嘻嘻哈哈打情罵俏地搖擺而去。	Once in East Coast Park I saw two courting couples – all teenagers – competing to shoot their soft drink cans into the opening of such a container as if they were playing a game in an amusement park.  The score: one hit, three misses. The youngsters’ little mischief for fun would have been excusable if they had then picked up those unsuccessful cans and put them into the bin.  Yet, despite the many eyes fixed on them, the lovers just swaggered away, laughing and bantering.
路過的人，沒有搖頭，更沒有人嘆息。環保箱只不過是另一個美化了的垃圾桶。本來也就是個垃圾桶，就當作垃圾桶用也好，這四個家伙，全無公德心可言。	The passers-by expressed no disapproval, neither shaking their heads nor letting out a sigh.  The bin was seen as another garbage can – a prettier version. Yet, even as a garbage can it should have been used properly, I argued inwardly.  Those teenagers seemed to have no sense of civility.
這句話听起來好像很酸腐，看着環保箱周圍的瓶罐殘食，原來都是“無心”人的作為，“再走一步”的期許，根本就是空白話。呱呱呱，那隻象徵環保的大肚青蛙，啊！本來就是不會說話的。	Saying so, I may sound outdated and impractical, given all the rubbish about those collection bins – a mess left by so many who care little for social ethics.  Exhorting them to “take a step further” would only sound hollow and futile – like the “croak, croak, croak” of that big green frog symbolising the environmental protection drive. Oh, yeah, the frog – it just can’t talk.
	(Translated by Allen Zhuang)
[原載新加坡《聯合早報》(2000)；收入《不着地族 / A Lift-Off People》(潘正鐳著、Allen Zhuang 英譯；Singapore: All Publishing House, 2002)]