駛向拜占廷
Sailing to Byzantium
葉 芝
William B. Yeats
一
1
這是不宜于老人的鄉(xiāng)鄰,年輕人
That is no country for old men. The young
相互倚在懷抱里,鳥(niǎo)兒在樹(shù)上
In one another's arms, birds in the trees
(這些走向死亡的世代)唱歌兒,
—Those dying generations—at their song,
鮭魚(yú)的湍流,鯖魚(yú)密集的海洋,
The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas,
魚(yú)類(lèi),走獸,飛禽,在整個(gè)長(zhǎng)夏,
Fish, flesh , or fowl , commend all summer long
把生生死死的蕓蕓眾生贊揚(yáng)。
Whatever is begotten, born, and dies.
他們沉湎于聲色,全都不理會(huì)
Caught in that sensual music all neglect
永世常新的靈智豎起的豐碑。
Monuments of unageing intellect.
二
2
一個(gè)老年人是微不足道的廢物,
An aged man is but a paltry thing,
只是一件破外套披在手杖上,
A tattered coat upon a stick, unless
除非靈魂擊掌并歌唱,在速朽的
Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing
皮囊里高聲歌唱襤褸的衣裳;
For every tatter in its mortal dress,
世上沒(méi)哪所歌唱學(xué)校不研讀
Nor is there singing school but studying
靈魂自身輝煌的不朽篇章;
Monuments of its own magnificence;
所以我終于漂洋過(guò)海,親自
And therefore I have sailed the seas and come
來(lái)到拜占廷這座神圣的城市。
To the holy city of Byzantium.
三
3
啊,在上帝圣火中站著的哲人們,
O sages standing in God's holy fire
像墻上鑲嵌壁畫(huà)中金色的圖像,
As in the gold mosaic of a wall,
請(qǐng)走出圣火,在旋錐體中旋轉(zhuǎn)吧,
Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre,
請(qǐng)你們當(dāng)老師教我的靈魂歌唱。
And be the singing-masters of my soul.
把我的心靈耗盡吧;它耽于物欲,
Consume my heart away; sick with desire
跟垂死動(dòng)物的肉身緊緊地捆挷
And fastened to a dying animal
而不知自己的本真;請(qǐng)把我採(cǎi)集,
It knows not what it is; and gather me
收進(jìn)那屬于永恒的神工絕藝。
Into the artifice of eternity.
四
4
我一旦超脫自然,便決不依據(jù)
Once out of nature I shall never take
任何自然物來(lái)造就我的身形,
My bodily form from any natural thing,
我只要像古代希臘的金匠那樣
But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make
用鍛金或鎦金工藝鑄造的體型,
Of hammered gold and gold enamelling
能使那昏昏欲睡的皇帝清醒;
To keep a drowsy Emperor awake;
或讓我棲在黃金的樹(shù)枝上歌吟,
Or set upon a golden bough to sing
唱過(guò)去、正在過(guò)去或未來(lái)的事情,
To lords and ladies of Byzantium
給拜占廷的貴族和命婦們傾聽(tīng)。
Of what is past, or passing, or to come.