二次降臨
The Second Coming
葉芝
William B. Yeats
葉芝(William B. Yeats,1865-1939),二十世紀(jì)最重要的英語(yǔ)詩(shī)人之一。生于愛(ài)爾蘭都柏林。早期受到浪漫派詩(shī)風(fēng)影響,作品多描寫(xiě)優(yōu)美恬靜的自然景象,同時(shí)他吸收了愛(ài)爾蘭民間文學(xué)的養(yǎng)份,形成了自己的詩(shī)風(fēng)。中期的葉芝受到愛(ài)爾蘭文藝復(fù)興運(yùn)動(dòng)的影響,詩(shī)歌表現(xiàn)出強(qiáng)烈的民族情感。他的詩(shī)表達(dá)了對(duì)西方傳統(tǒng)文明的反思,對(duì)二十世紀(jì)人類(lèi)精神歷程的憂(yōu)患,以及對(duì)物質(zhì)主義給人性帶來(lái)危機(jī)的深刻焦慮。中晚期的詩(shī)作大多離不開(kāi)他那神秘主義的象征體系,而最終他的神秘主義又轉(zhuǎn)化為對(duì)永恒藝術(shù)的追求。
在逐漸擴(kuò)展的旋錐上旋轉(zhuǎn)又旋轉(zhuǎn),
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
獵鷹再也聽(tīng)不見(jiàn)主人的呼聲;
The falcon cannot hear the falconer ;
一切都分崩離析了,沒(méi)有了中心;
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
全世界松散,一片混亂,無(wú)秩序,
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
血光暗淡的潮水席卷一切,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
純真的禮儀處處被惡浪吞沒(méi);
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
高尚的人們失去了一切信心,
The best lack all conviction , while the worst
邪惡的家伙都是極端地囂張。
Are full of passionate intensity.
無(wú)疑,某種啟示即將出現(xiàn);
Surely some revelation is at hand;
無(wú)疑,第二次降臨近在眼前。
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
二次降臨!這句話(huà)還沒(méi)出口,
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
來(lái)自“宇宙之精魂”的巨大形體
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
攪亂了我的視線(xiàn):在塵沙滿(mǎn)地的
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
荒漠里,一個(gè)獅身人首的形象,
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
茫然又無(wú)情的凝視無(wú)異于太陽(yáng),
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
正慢慢移動(dòng)大腿,在它的周?chē)?/p>
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
憤怒的沙漠之鳥(niǎo)的影子在旋飛。
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
黑暗再度降臨了;但現(xiàn)在我知道
The darkness drops again; but now I know
兩千個(gè)年頭的僵硬的昏睡
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
已被擺動(dòng)的搖籃晃蕩成噩夢(mèng),
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
怎樣的狂獸(終于等來(lái)了時(shí)辰)
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
無(wú)精打彩地走向伯利恒去投生?
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?