本·卫肖 | 朗读诗歌《为国捐躯》

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,

把身子扳弯，像个包袱底下的老叫花子

Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,

膝外翻，像个老太婆一样地咳嗽，我们在污泥之中咒诅，

Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs,

直到那不祥的照明弹出现，我们转过背去

And towards our distant rest began to trudge.

开始朝着我方休整兵营跋涉。

Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,

人们半睡半醒地行进。许多人丢了靴子

But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame, all blind;

却仍步履蹒跚，血流不止地走。都瘸了；都瞎了；

Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots

累晕了；聋得都听不到弹片飞鸣，

Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.

在刚刚走过的地方掉下的沉重的五九炮弹。

Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! - An ecstay of fumbling,

氯气弹！氯气弹！快跑啊，兄弟们！——一阵疯狂的折腾，

Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,

及时地把粗劣的面具带上了；

But someone still was yelling out and stumbling

但是有些人还在喊叫，跌跌撞撞，

And floundering like a man in fire or lime. -

像是在火焰或是消石灰之中苦苦挣扎……

Dim through the misty panes and thick green light

黑暗，透过雾蒙蒙的镜片和浓绿的亮光，

As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

像在绿色之海下面，我看见他在溺亡。

In all my dreams before my helpless sight

在我的迷梦中，在我无助的视线前，

He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

他投向我，奄奄一息，呛溺。

If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace

假使是在一个窒息的梦里，你也可以跟随

Behind the wagon that we flung him in,

在我们将他装进去的车的后面，

And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,

看着他脸上苍白的眼睛扭动，

His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;

他那如绞死般的面容，像是魔鬼的罪恶之病；

If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood

假使你能听见，当每一次的颠簸，血

Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,

从肺泡破碎的肺叶中流出，在嘴里发出漱口的声音，

Bitter as the cud

如癌症般猥琐，苦得像是难咽的反刍物，

of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues, -

不治的疮在无罪的舌头上，

My friend, you would not tell with such high zest

我的朋友，你就不会如此热情地传讲

To children ardent for some desperate glory,

古老的谎言：为国捐躯，

The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori.

甘美而合宜。