一
I
穿了件晨衣怡然自得，阳光下
Complacencies of the peignoir, and late
椅子上放着推迟的咖啡与柑桔，
Coffee and oranges in a sunny chair,
地毯上是一只自由的绿色鹦鹉，
And the green freedom of a cockatoo
这一切合在一起，把古代那次
Upon a rug mingle to dissipate
牺牲的神圣的静谧气氛驱散。
The holy hush of ancient sacrifice.
她做了几个浅梦，感到古老的
She dreams a little, and she feels the dark
灾难阴森森的，正在向她逼近，
Encroachment of that old catastrophe,
有如水光中一处无声的阴影。
As a calm darkens among water-lights.
馨香的柑桔和艳丽的绿色翅膀
The pungent oranges and bright, green wings
很像殡葬行列里的道具，迂回地
Seem things in some procession of the dead,
渡过辽阔的水域，悄然无声。
Winding across wide water, without sound.
白昼也悄然无声，像辽阔的水域；
The day is like wide water, without sound,
无声，因为是她梦中的脚步在移动，
Stilled for the passing of her dreaming feet
在飘洋过海，走向寂静的巴勒斯坦，
Over the seas, to silent Palestine,
那片由鲜血和荒冢统治的地方。
Dominion of the blood and sepulchre.
二
II
为什么她要将自己的褒赏转赠死者？
Why should she give her bounty to the dead?
那还算什么神灵，如果这神灵
What is divinity if it can come
只能在无声的阴影中显形？
Only in silent shadows and in dreams?
她岂不是应该从阳光，从馨香的水果，
Shall she not find in comforts of the sun,
从艳丽的绿色翅膀，或是从世界上
In pungent fruit and bright, green wings, or else
其他香膏与美景中寻求安慰？
In any balm or beauty of the earth,
这一切也应如天国思想，受到珍重。
Things to be cherished like the thought of heaven?
神灵必须存活在她的心中：
Divinity must live within herself:
雨天的激情，雪花飘落时的情怀；
Passions of rain, or moods in falling snow;
孤独的哀愁，林花怒放时节
Grievings in loneliness, or unsubdued
那一种难以压抑的欢欣，秋夜
Elations when the forest blooms; gusty
湿淋淋归途上涌起的阵阵热情；
Emotions on wet roads on autumn nights;
一想起夏日的绿枝、冬天的残树
All pleasures and all pains, remembering
便会勾起的种种欢乐与痛楚。
The bough of summer and the winter branch.
这些，才是丈量她灵魂的尺度。
These are the measures destined for her soul.
三
III
云端里的朱父①的诞生不同于凡人。
Jove in the clouds had his inhuman birth.
他不吸母乳，他的万千仪态
No mother suckled him, no sweet land gave
浑然天成，并非得自尘世。
Large-mannered motions to his mythy mind.
他行走在我们中间，念念有词，
He moved among us, as a muttering king,
像威严的君王在牧守万民，
Magnificent, would move among his hinds,
直到我们的血以童贞方式，与上天
Until our blood, commingling, virginal,
相混②，祈愿得到了这样的酬答
With heaven, brought such requital to desire
连牧人也从一颗星③里辨认出来。
The very hinds discerned it, in a star.
我们的血会白流吗？还是它将变成
Shall our blood fail? Or shall it come to be
天堂里的血？我们这片土地
The blood of paradise? And shall the earth
也会变成我们将知道的乐园？
Seem all of paradise that we shall know?
到那时天空也会显得更亲切，
The sky will be much friendlier then than now,
一半属于劳动，一半属痛苦，
A part of labor and a part of pain,
在荣耀上，仅仅次于不朽的爱，
And next in glory to enduring love,
不像如今的蓝天，冷漠而又自私。
Not this dividing and indifferent blue.
四
IV
她说：“我是感到满意的，当初醒的
She says, “I am content when wakened birds,
鸟雀，还未振翅飞翔，便纷纷
Before they fly, test the reality
用悦耳的啾鸣诘问雾蒙蒙的田野；
Of misty fields, by their sweet questionings;
可是当鸟雀飞离，它们温暖的
But when the birds are gone, and their warm fields
田畴不复存在，乐园又在何方？”
Return no more, where, then, is paradise?”
世上没有神谕的殿堂，也没有
There is not any haunt of prophecy,
古老的吐火怪兽守在陵墓旁，
Nor any old chimera of the grave,
既无金色的地府，也没有曼歌的
Neither the golden underground, nor isle
海岛④，传说这是幽灵的归宿，
Melodious, where spirits gat them home,
没有想象中美好的南方，也没有
Nor visionary south, nor cloudy palm
云彩般的棕榈为天堂遮荫，使那里
Remote on heaven’s hill, that has endured
四季如春；没有她记忆中永恒的
As April’s green endures; or will endure
鸟雀啾鸣的清晨，没有她憧憬的
Like her remembrance of awakened birds,
不逝的六月黄昏，这暮色由于
Or her desire for June and evening, tipped
燕子羽翼的低掠而分外动人。
By the consummation of the swallow’s wings.
五
V
她说：“可是，为了自我安慰
She says, “But in contentment I still feel
我仍然感到需要不朽的至福。”
The need of some imperishable bliss.”
死亡是美的母亲；只有通过她
Death is the mother of beauty; hence from her,
我们的梦想与愿望才能实现。
Alone, shall come fulfilment to our dreams
虽然在我们的道路上，她⑤散播使一切
And our desires. Although she strews the leaves
归于湮灭的树叶，这是病态的忧郁⑥
Of sure obliteration on our paths,
踽踽而行的道路，也就在这些路上
The path sick sorrow took, the many paths
成功得意地吹响喧闹的号角，
Where triumph rang its brassy phrase, or love
爱情温柔地发出几声低语，
Whispered a little out of tenderness,
死亡让垂柳在阳光下颤抖，使得
She makes the willow shiver in the sun
惯于坐着凝视青草的少女们
For maidens who were wont to sit and gaze
匍匐在地。她让少年在旧盘子里
Upon the grass, relinquished to their feet.
堆满新鲜的梅子和生梨。少女们
She causes boys to pile new plums and pears
尝了，在落叶地上激动地徘徊。
On disregarded plate. The maidens taste
And stray impassioned in the littering leaves.
六
VI
天堂里没有死亡的嬗变？熟果子
永不坠落？沉甸甸的枝桠悬在
Is there no change of death in paradise?
最完美的天空下，永不变轻？这里
Does ripe fruit never fall? Or do the boughs
酷似我们不断死亡的尘世，
Hang always heavy in that perfect sky,
也有奔流的江河，只是始终
Unchanging, yet so like our perishing earth,
抵达不了大海，也有退潮的
With rivers like our own that seek for seas
海边，却不知何为难言的痛苦？
They never find, the same receding shores
既然如此，又何必把梨子供在
That never touch with inarticulate pang?
河岸？何必用梅子去熏香海边？
Why set the pear upon those river-banks
莫非那里的生灵，也用我们的
Or spice the shores with odors of the plum?
颜色，穿我们下午穿的绸衫，
Alas, that they should wear our colors there,
也弹拨我们那单调乏味的琵琶！
The silken weavings of our afternoons,
死亡是美的神秘的母亲，在她那
And pick the strings of our insipid lutes!
炽热的胸怀里，我们让自己的
Death is the mother of beauty, mystical,
尘世的母亲伫候着，彻夜不眠。
Within whose burning bosom we devise
Our earthly mothers waiting, sleeplessly.
七
VII
矫健窈窕，意兴高昂，一圈人
将在夏日早晨的盛会中，用
Supple and turbulent, a ring of men
喧闹的歌声把太阳颂赞，不当
Shall chant in orgy on a summer morn
太阳是神，而是神圣的象征，
Their boisterous devotion to the sun,
是裸露在他们当中的野性的源泉。
Not as a god, but as a god might be,
他们的赞颂才是天堂之歌，
Naked among them, like a savage source.
来自他们的血液，又回到天空；
Their chant shall be a chant of paradise,
他们一唱三叹，歌声里将出现
Out of their blood, returning to the sky;
太阳这君王喜爱的风中湖泊、
And in their chant shall enter, voice by voice,
天使般的绿树和有回音的山峦，
The windy lake wherein their lord delights,
歌声的余音久久在这里回响。
The trees, like serafin, and echoing hills,
他们将深深领会这短促的人生
That choir among themselves long afterward.
以及这夏日早晨的崇高情谊。
They shall know well the heavenly fellowship
脚上的露水也会告诉他们
Of men that perish and of summer morn.
人生从何处来，又归向何方。
And whence they came and whither they shall go
The dew upon their feet shall manifest.
八
VIII
她默默地滑行在水面上⑦，听见一个
声音在喊：“巴勒斯坦寝陵
She hears, upon that water without sound,
并非幽灵通向永生的门厅。
A voice that cries, “The tomb in Palestine
它仅仅是基督安息的坟茔。”
Is not the porch of spirits lingering.
我们生活在太阳的亘古浑沌里，
It is the grave of Jesus, where he lay.”
永远服从昼夜循环的支配，
We live in an old chaos of the sun,
也像住在孤立无援的小岛上，
Or old dependency of day and night,
自由，但却逃不脱大海的包围。
Or island solitude, unsponsored, free,
麋鹿在我们的山坡上漫步，鹌鹑
Of that wide water, inescapable.
在四面八方无拘无束地鸣唱；
Deer walk upon our mountains, and the quail
蜜一般甜的草莓在田野里成熟，
Whistle about us their spontaneous cries;
每当黄昏，远处隔绝的天空中
Sweet berries ripen in the wilderness;
一群群的鸽子在自由盘旋，形成
And, in the isolation of the sky,
没有规律的波浪，直到它们
At evening, casual flocks of pigeons make
双翼平展，朝着黑暗下沉。
Ambiguous undulations as they sink,
Downward to darkness, on extended wings.
① 即朱庇特，罗马神话中的主神。──译注
② 按基督教的说法，玛利亚以童贞之躯怀上帝之子耶稣。──译注
③ 指伯利恒之星。据《圣经·新约》说，耶稣诞生时，天空中出现此星。东方三博士（牧人）凭借星的引导，来到伯利恒，朝见耶稣。──译注
④ 希腊神话中英雄们死后居往的乐园。──译注
⑤ 指死亡。──译注
⑥ “忧郁”以及下面的“成功”、“爱情”都是拟人化的。──译注
⑦ 与第一节呼应，回到女士在幻梦中飘洋过海去巴勒斯坦。──译注