菲奥纳·肖 | 朗读诗歌《亚当的恶运》

Adam's Curse

《亚当的恶运》

—— by William Butler Yeats

We sat together at one summer's end,

我们坐一道，夏日将尽，

That beautiful mild woman, your close friend,

你的好朋友，美丽温柔的女人，

And you and I, and talked of poetry.

还有你和我，一起议论诗。

I said, 'A line will take us hours maybe;

我说：“一行诗常常得花几小时，

Yet if it does not seem a moment's thought,

要是它读来不像神来之笔，

Our stitching and unstitching has been naught.

再修修补补也总是无益。

Better go down upon your marrow-bones

倒不如弯腰屈躬，

And scrub a kitchen pavement, or break stones

擦厨房地板，当采石工，

Like an old pauper, in all kinds of weather;

像个老叫化，不管春夏秋冬；

For to articulate sweet sounds together

因为把美丽的声音吟成调，

Is to work harder than all these, and yet

要比那一切更辛劳，

Be thought an idler by the noisy set

而校长，银行家，牧师那闹嚷嚷的一帮

Of bankers, schoolmasters, and clergymen

志士们所谓世俗界

The martyrs call the world.'

却嫌咱闲得慌。”

And thereupon

于是，

That beautiful mild woman for whose sake

那女子轻声说，声音娇嫩又温存，

There's many a one shall find out all heartache

为了她许多人害上相思病，

On finding that her voice is sweet and low

那声音多娇嫩，柔和而低沉，

Replied, 'To be born woman is to know—

“有一桩，女人们个个记在心——

Although they do not talk of it at school—

虽说学校里从没教我们——

That we must labour to be beautiful.'

要当美人儿可得费大劲。”

I said, 'It's certain there is no fine thing

我说道，“没问题，只要是好事情，

Since Adam's fall but needs much labouring.

亚当堕落后，没有不费劲。

There have been lovers who thought love should be

有些情人们以为爱情

So much compounded of high courtesy

总该大显优雅的风韵，

That they would sigh and quote with learned looks

带着学者的神色，一面叹息

Precedents out of beautiful old books;

一面引证美丽的古书上的先例，

Yet now it seems an idle trade enough.'

如今看来，这真是无聊的玩意。”

We sat grown quiet at the name of love;

一提到爱字，我们就不再说话，

We saw the last embers of daylight die,

眼看着夕阳发出最后的火花，

And in the trembling blue-green of the sky

颤栗的天空蓝得发绿，

A moon, worn as if it had been a shell

像时光之流冲洗的贝壳，一轮残月；

Washed by time's waters as they rose and fell

这流水在星球间升起又降落，

About the stars and broke in days and years.

最后破碎成岁岁月月。

I had a thought for no one's but your ears:

我有个想法，只说给你一人听，

That you were beautiful, and that I strove

你是美丽的，我竭力尽心，

To love you in the old high way of love;

用古老的高尚方式来爱你；

That it had all seemed happy, and yet we'd grown

仿佛是皆大欢喜，但我和你

As weary-hearted as that hollow moon.

却像那轮残月深感倦意。

袁可嘉 译