美國語文第六冊 第61期:墓地挽歌(4)
欲贏得伸耳諦聽的元老們的掌聲，
The threats of pain and ruin to despise,
痛苦和存亡的威脅全然不顧，
To scatter plenty o'er a smiling land,
把富庶灑向風(fēng)景明媚的大地，
And read their history in a nation's eyes,
從全國上下的眼里讀自己的歷史，
Their lot forbade: nor, circumscribed alone
他們的命運可不允許：不會劃定
Their growing virtues, but their crimes confined;
他們德行增益的界限，但限制了罪惡昭彰
Forbade to wade through slaughter to a throne.
亦不許踩著殺戮晉登寶座，
And shut the gates of mercy on mankind,
對人類關(guān)上仁慈的大門，
The struggling pangs of conscious truth to hide,
掩蓋良知在內(nèi)心的發(fā)作，
To quench the blushes of ingenuous shame,
撲滅天真的羞愧，亦不紅臉，
Or heap the shrine of luxury and pride,
用詩神繆斯的靈焰點燃香火
With incense kindled at the Muse's flame.
填滿奢華和虛榮的神龕。
Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife,
遠離了瘋狂的俗世鉤心斗角，
Their sober wishes never learned to stray;
他們有清醒的愿望絕不學(xué)誤入歧途，
Along the cool, sequestered vale of life,
沿著生活的清涼僻靜的山谷，
They kept the noiseless tenor of their way.
他們堅持走無喧囂的正路。
Yet even these bones, from insult to protect,
然則讓這些尸骨免受到糟蹋，
Some frail memorial still, erected nigh,
竟有脆弱的碑牌在近旁樹立，
With uncouth rhymes and shapeless sculpture decked,
上面綴有粗鄙的詩韻、刻得雜亂無章，
Implores the passing tribute of a sigh.
希求過路人鞠一聲嘆息。
Their name, their years, spelt by the unlettered Muse,
無識的假繆斯胡亂拼寫姓名和年代，
The place of fame and elegy supply;
還有名聲的出處和一篇挽歌，
And many a holy text around she strews,
她在周圍撒滿經(jīng)文，
That teach the rustic moralist to die.
教鄉(xiāng)野道德家如何赴死。
