海伦娜·伯翰·卡特 | 朗读诗歌《梦》

Hear now a curious dream I dreamed last night

恳请你聆听，昨夜我的奇异梦境，

Each word whereof is weighed and sifted truth.

我必字斟句酌，绝无轻言戏语。

I stood beside Euphrates while it swelled

幼发拉底潮涨之时，我伫立于旁，

Like overflowing Jordan in its youth:

像年轻的约旦河，它涌动着：

It waxed and coloured sensibly to sight;

给自己涂蜡上色，以致显明易见，

Till out of myriad pregnant waves there welled

直到从无尽怀胎的浪潮中喷涌而出

Young crocodiles, a gaunt blunt-featured crew,

年轻的鳄鱼群，瘦削又迟钝的列队，

Fresh-hatched perhaps and daubed with birthday dew.

或许刚获新生，还留有降生时露水的痕迹。

The rest if I should tell, I fear my friend

而我将接着叙述的，恐怕我的朋友

My closest friend would deem the facts untrue;

我最最亲爱的朋友，也会以为我在胡言乱语；

And therefore it were wisely left untold;

而接下来的话语也将会湮没于我的沉默之中；

Yet if you will, why, hear it to the end.

但若是 若是你愿意聆听！有何不可？何不听到最后？

Each crocodile was girt with massive gold

每只鳄鱼都佩戴着黄金，巨大的黄金腰带，

And polished stones that with their wearers grew:

还有打磨光滑的石头，它们（石头与黄金）与佩戴者一起成长：

But one there was who waxed beyond the rest,

但在那之中，有着一只与众不同，

Wore kinglier girdle and a kingly crown,

他身着更加华丽的腰带，戴着一顶属于国王的皇冠，

Whilst crowns and orbs and sceptres starred his breast.

皇冠、珠宝和权杖如星辰般闪耀在它胸前。

All gleamed compact and green with scale on scale,

反射在紧实而苍绿的鳞片上，光影迷蒙，

But special burnishment adorned his mail

而他的信函经特殊打磨，抛光装饰，

And special terror weighed upon his frown;

他的蹙额有着奇异的威慑

His punier brethren quaked before his tail,

他孱弱的同族在他的尾前战栗不已，

Broad as a rafter, potent as a flail.

脊背宽广如椽条，摆尾刚劲如连枷。

So he grew lord and master of his kin:

所以他是王、是神，是一族之长：

But who shall tell the tale of all their woes?

但谁又能言说同族们所有蕴藏悲哀的故事：

An execrable appetite arose,

一股肮脏可恨的食欲袭来，

He battened on them, crunched, and sucked them in.

他饲养他的族人，而后又嚼碎，吞吃掉它们，吮干抹净。

He knew no law, he feared no binding law,

他不知法为何物，没有法律可以约束他，

But ground them with inexorable jaw:

反而用无情的下颚阻挡，埋葬一切：

The luscious fat distilled upon his chin,

美味可口的脂肪顺着他的下颌滴落，

Exuded from his nostrils and his eyes,

再从他的鼻孔和眼睛分泌出去，

While still like hungry death he fed his maw;

然而饥饿使他发狂；

Till every minor crocodile being dead

填满那无底洞般的胃，直到所有下等鳄鱼都已死去

And buried too, himself gorged to the full,

且埋葬；他狼吞虎咽，饱腹一餐，

He slept with breath oppressed and unstrung claw.

带着压抑的呼吸和不安分的爪子睡去。

Oh marvel passing strange which next I saw:

噢，我看到奇事却接着发生：

In sleep he dwindled to the common size,

在睡梦中，他缩成了普通大小，

And all the empire faded from his coat.

一切君王的象征从他的外套上褪色消逝。

Then from far off a wingèd vessel came,

而一艘带有双翼的船舶来临，

Swift as a swallow, subtle as a flame:

迅捷如轻燕，精巧如火花：

I know not what it bore of freight or host,

我并不知晓它是厌倦了货物，还是无聊的主人，

But white it was as an avenging ghost.

但它苍白如复仇的鬼魂。

It levelled strong Euphrates in its course;

来路，它唤起汹涌的幼发拉底；

Supreme yet weightless as an idle mote

至高无上却又轻如尘埃

It seemed to tame the waters without force

它却似乎驯服这波涛 不费气力

Till not a murmur swelled or billow beat:

水花逐渐安静，浪潮停止翻腾：

Lo, as the purple shadow swept the sands,

看哪！紫色暗影蔓延过群沙，

The prudent crocodile rose on his feet

这精明狡猾的鳄鱼站起身来

And shed appropriate tears and wrung his hands.

恰到好处地掉下眼泪，悲痛得使劲绞扭自己的双手。

What can it mean? you ask. I answer not

那是什么意思？你问道。我无法回答它的含义

For meaning, but myself must echo,

但它会在我耳边反复回响。何物？何物？

And tell it as I saw it on the spot.

我仅会如实陈述，一如我当场亲眼所见。