奥顿诗两首
‘Carry her over the water’
W. H. Auden
Carry her over the water,
And set her down under the tree,
Where the culvers white all day and all night,
And the winds from every quarter,
Sing agreeably, agreeably, agreeably of love.
Put a gold ring on her finger,
And press her close to your heart,
While the fish in the lake their snapshots take,
And the frog, that sanguine singer,
Sings agreeably, agreeably, agreeably of love.
The streets shall all flock to your marriage,
The houses turn round to look,
The tables and chairs say suitable prayers,
And the horses drawing your carriage
Sing agreeably, agreeably, agreeably of love.
“抱她过河”
W. H. 奥顿
抱她过河，
安放在树下，
那儿有白鸽，日夜停留，
风，来自八方，
歌唱爱情，怡人啊宜人。
金戒套上她手指，
拥她在你胸前。
湖中的游鱼拍着快照，
而青蛙，这乐天的歌手，
歌唱爱情，怡人啊宜人。
条条大街涌向你的婚礼，
户户转头注目，
桌椅箱柜都为你祈福，
马儿拉着你的坐驾，
歌唱爱情，怡人啊宜人。
The Lesson
W. H. Auden
The first time that I dreamed, we were in flight,
And fagged with running; there was civil war,
A valley full of thieves and wounded bears.
Farms blazed behind us; turning to the right,
We came at once to a tall house, its door
Wide open, waiting for its long-lost heirs.
An elderly clerk sat on the bedroom stairs
Writing; but we had tiptoed past him when
He raised his head and stuttered—‘Go away’.
We wept and begged to stay:
He wiped his pince-nez, hesitated, then
Said no, he had no power to give us leave;
Our lives were not in order; we must leave.
* * * *
The second dream began in a May wood;
We had been laughing; your blue eyes were kind,
Your excellent nakedness without disdain.
Our lips met, wishing universal good;
But, on their impact, sudden flame and wind
Fetched you away and turned me loose again
To make a focus for a wide wild plain,
Dead level and dead silent and bone dry,
Where nothing could have suffered, sinned, or grown.
On a high chair alone
I sat, a little master, asking why
The cold and solid object in my hands
Should be a human hand, one of your hands.
And the last dream was this: we were to go
To a great banquet and a Victory Ball
After some tournament or dangerous test.
Our cushions were of crimson velvet, so
We must have won; though there were crowns for all,
Ours were of gold, of paper all the rest.
Fair, wise or funny was each famous quest,
Love smiled at Courage over priceless glass,
And rockets died in hundreds to express
Our learned carelessness.
A band struck up; all over the green grass
A sea of paper crowns rose up to dance;
Ours were too heavy; we did not dance.
I woke. You were not there. But as I dressed
Anxiety turned to shame, feeling all three
Intended one rebuke. For had not each
In its own way tried to teach
My will to love you that it cannot be,
As I think, of such consequence to want
What anyone is given, if they want?
教训
我的第一场梦中，我们正在飞，
奔忙得很累；内战在进行，
整个山谷是受伤的熊与出没的盗贼。
农场在身后着了火；右转，
立即来到一栋大宅，门
洞开，静候久已不归的后人。
一位年长职员坐在卧室楼梯上
写字；当我们踮脚绕过他身后，
他抬头，迸出一句：走开。
我们哭着，恳求留下：
他擦擦夹鼻眼镜，迟疑一下，
还是不允，他无权给我们宽限；
我们的人生乱糟糟；必须离开。
****
第二场梦始于一片五月的森林；
我们一直在欢笑；你湛蓝的眼睛温柔，
精致的胴体毫无拒人千里的骄矜。
我们嘴唇相遇，祝愿普天的美善；
但是有他们作梗，突降的火和风
将你掳走，留下我难以抖擞，
无法在旷阔的平野凝聚一个焦点，
死一般的平坦、死一般的沉寂、干枯的白骨，
再没有什么能够受苦、犯罪、或者生长。
独坐在高高的椅子上，
我，一个卑微的主人，暗自发问
为何我双手中这坚实而冷冷的物件儿
竟会是人的手，你的一只纤手。
* * * *
最后一个梦如此展开：我们要去
一个盛大的宴席、出席一场凯旋舞会，
庆祝某个锦标赛事或者危险的考验。
我们坐着殷红的丝绒垫，因此
可以肯定我们是胜者；虽然人人都有花冠，
但我们戴着金，其余的都是纸做的而已。
每位贵宾都是名流，优雅、睿智或者有趣，
爱神越过无价的杯盏对着骁勇微笑，
成千上百只焰火以死表白
我们城府很深的淡然。
乐队开始演奏；绿草地上
一片纸王冠涌动着起舞；
我们的冠冕太沉，没有跳舞。
* * * *
我醒来。你不在。我穿衣时，
焦虑变成羞耻，感觉这三场梦
就是想得到一个责难。每个梦
难道不是以其自身的方式教导我
以自己的意志爱你？虽说
在我看来，这爱并不可能导致
我欲求上天赋予每个人的欲望。
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