阿九译〔2006〕
1. 莎乐美
莎乐美的金盘子里端着
施洗约翰的人头,
走到那个对爱无动于衷的
年轻的希腊智者面前。
那个青年告诉她:“莎乐美,我更希望
带来的是你自己的人头。”
他不过是想开个玩笑。
但是第二天,却来了一个信使,她的仆人,
将他情人的头放在金盘子里,
上面盖着一块亚麻布,给他捎来。
而那个智者正在潜心读书,
早忘了自己昨天的心愿。
他看到滴下来的血,觉得恶心。
他令人把这个血淋淋的东西
从他的眼前拿开,然后继续钻研
柏拉图的对话录。
(1896)
Salome
Salome on a golden salver bears
the head of John the Baptist
to the young Greek sophist
who's indifferent to love.
The youth replies: 'Salome, it's your head
I wanted brought to me'.
He means it as a joke.
But next day comes a messenger, a slave of hers,
who carries in the Lover's head with flaxen locks
upon a golden salver.
But the sophist in his studies
has forgotten yesterday's desire.
He sees the dripping blood and feels disgust.
He orders that this bloody thing
be taken from his sight, and goes on
reading Plato's dialogues.
(1896)
2. 墙
没有体谅,没有怜悯,连羞耻都没有,
他们就在我的四周筑起了巨大的高墙。
而现在,我绝望地坐在这里。
脑海里只有一件事情:这个命运撕咬着我的心,
因为外面,我还有很多事情要做。
当他们筑起高墙时,我居然一点都没有察觉!
但我真的没有听到一丁点筑墙者的声息。
不知不觉中,他们就把我和外面的世界隔离。
(1896)
Walls
Without consideration, without pity, without shame
they have built great and high walls around me.
And now I sit here and despair.
I think of nothing else: this fate gnaws at my mind;
for I had many things to do outside.
Ah why did I not pay attention when they were building the walls.
But I never heard any noise or sound of builders.
Imperceptibly they shut me from the outside world.
(1896)
3. 俄狄甫斯
读居斯塔夫·莫罗的《俄狄甫斯和斯芬克斯》作品解析后
斯芬克斯倒在他的身上,
她的牙齿和爪子依然张开,
带着生命所能拥有的全部野性。
俄狄甫斯在她的第一击下就当即垮掉,
就连看她一眼便让他受了惊吓——
此前他还从未见过那样的形体
听过那般的叫嚣。
但即便那怪物将利爪
搭在他的胸口上,
他还是迅速冷静下来,并且
不再感到害怕,因为他心里
已有成竹,相信自己必得大胜。
但胜利并未让他喜乐。
他带着伤感的目光也并未
落在斯芬克斯身上,而在更远处,落在
通向底比斯的小道上,
一直延伸到克隆诺斯。
他的心里有一个清晰的预感:
斯芬克斯还会对他放出谜语,
只是更不着边际,更难
破解,也更加没有答案。
(1896)
Oedipus
Written after reading the description of the painting Oedipus and the Sphinx by Gustav Moreau
The Sphinx has fallen on him
with her teeth and nails outstretched,
and all the savagery of life.
Oedipus collapsed beneath her first assault,
her first appearance terrifying him -
he'd never dreamt of such a form or
such a voice 'til then.
But though the monster rests
her paws upon his chest,
he quickly pulls himself together - and he
isn't frightened any more, because he's got
the answer ready, and will triumph.
Yet he takes no joy in victory.
His melancholy-laden gaze is not
upon the Sphinx, but far away, upon
the narrow road which leads to Thebes,
and which will finish at Colonus.
And in his mind a clear foreboding
that the Sphinx will speak to him again
with riddles that are vaster, and more
difficult, and answerless.
(1896)
4. 迷乱
深夜,我的灵魂
半身不遂,并且错乱。外面,
它的生命正在身外延续。
它在等待一个没有多大指望的黎明。
而我在衰败,在虚空中等待,
坐拥虚空,或者是它内在的一部分。
(1896)
Confusion
In the middle of the night my spirit's
paralysed, confused. Outside,
its life goes on outside it.
And it waits for the unlikely dawn.
And I deteriorate, and wait in boredom
with it or within it.
(1896)
5. 老人
咖啡屋喧闹的一角
独坐着一个老人,身子佝偻在桌边,
面前端着一份报纸。
在一副高龄的没落里,
他回想这一生享受的欢乐何其稀少,
当他还强壮、健谈而且帅气的时候。
他知道自己老了很多;他能看得到,能感觉到。
但他觉得年轻的时光好像就在昨天,
就在倏忽之间,一切都如此短暂。
他想起“谨慎”对他的欺骗有多深,
而他又如何一直痴狂地轻信着
这样的匡骗:“明天吧。你有的是时间。”
他想起那些被扼杀掉的冲动,被他牺牲掉的
欢乐。他所错过的每一个机会
此时都在嘲笑他无谓的拘谨。
老人想着想着,他想到了太多的事情,
以致于觉得困倦。他睡着了,
一头倒在了咖啡桌上。
(1897)
An Old Man
At the noisy end of the café, head bent
Over the table, an old man sits alone,
a newspaper in front of him.
And in the miserable banality of old age
he thinks how little he enjoyed the years
when he had strength and eloquence and looks.
He knows he’s aged a lot; he sees it, feels it.
Yet it seemshe was young just yesterday.
So brief an interval, so very brief.
And he thinks of Prudence, how it fooled him,
how he always trusted her – what madness –
that cheat who said: 'Tomorrow. You have plenty of time.'
He remembers impulses bridled, the joy
he sacrificed. Each chance he lost
now mocks his senseless caution.
But so much thinking, so much remembering
makes the old man dizzy. He falls asleep,
his head resting on the café table.
(1897)
6. 祷告
大海刚刚吞没了一个水手。
他的母亲还不知道;她走到
圣母像前,点燃一根蜡烛,
祈祷风和日丽,他能早日回家——
她的耳朵一直在警惕着起风的动静。
当她祷告恳求的时候,
圣像在垂听,面色沉重而忧伤,
因为它知道,她所巴望的儿子再也不能回来。
(1898)
Prayer
A sailor has been taken by the ocean's depths. -
His mother, all unknowing, goes and lights
a candle to the Virgin
for his swift return and for good weather -
always keeping one ear to the wind.
But while she prays and supplicates,
the icon listens, serious and sorrowful,
knowing that the son she waits for won't return.
(1898)
7. 将军之死
死神伸出手来
摸了摸一位著名将军的眉毛。
一张报纸当晚就曝光了这个消息。
人们从四面八方涌入病危者的家里。
他早已被病痛折磨得不能动弹,
僵硬到四肢和舌头。他环顾四方,
心神在熟悉的事物上一愣就是几个小时。
平静地,他回忆着往日的英雄。
外面,一片黑压压的沉寂包围着他。
而里面,他已被生命中的嫉妒、怯懦、
腐败堕落,被愤怒、妄想和恶意摧毁。
一声低沉的呻吟。他走了。每一个公民
都在哀叹:“他的死摧毁了
我们的民族!他一死,美德也死了!”
(1899)
Death of a General
Death stretches out its hand
to touch a famous general's brow.
A paper breaks the news that evening.
People throng the sick man's home.
He's paralysed by pain,
his limbs and tongue. He glances round
and concentrates for hours upon familiar things.
Tranquil, he recalls old heroes.
From the outside - silence and quiescence cloak him.
Inside - he's been rotted by life's envies, cowardice,
voluptuous leprosy, by rage and foolish wilfulness, ill-will.
A heavy groan. - He's gone. - The voice of
every citizen laments: 'His dying has destroyed
our nation! With him virtue died!'
(1899)
8. 敌人
三个智者来看望罗马执政官。
他给了他们极大的礼遇,
并让他们在身边就座。但后来
他玩笑地提醒他们当心一件事:“树大
招风。论敌们正在奋笔著述。你们树敌了。”
三人中的一人严肃地答道:
“我们今天的论敌根本伤不了我们。
但真正的对手将在未来出现:
那就是下一代智者,那时我们已经老朽,
我们之中有人已经入土。到那时侯,
我们现在的言行看起来将变得古怪(甚至
滑稽),因为我们的敌人会改变诡辩的
风格与时尚。而在改换过去这一点上,
我们与他们同出一门。
我们所描绘为美好与正义的一切
他们都将证明是多余而愚昧;
他们会很轻松地把同一件事换个方式说出来,
正如我们也不过是把老话颠来倒去。”
(1900)
Enemies
Three sophists came to greet the Consul,
who addressed them with all courtesy,
and seated them beside him. But then
he jokingly advised them to take care: 'Renown
breeds envy. Rivals are writing. You have enemies.'
One of the trio answered seriously:
'Our present enemies will never harm us.
It's later that our enemies will come,
new sophists when we're senile, pitiful,
and some of us have entered Hades. Then our present
words and deeds will seem grotesque (perhaps
amusing), for our enemies will change sophistic
style and trends. Such as I and such as they
are similar, transforming what is past.
Whatever we've described as beautiful and right
they'll show to be superfluous and silly,
and will effortlessly say the same things differently.
Just as we repeated old words in a different way.'
(1900)
9. 当了望者看见火光
冬去夏来,了望者一直坐在
阿特柔斯宫的屋顶上向远方眺望。
此时,他兴奋如潮地大喊出来——他看见了
远方火光的闪亮。
他欢呼,因为他的劳累就要结束;
不论寒暑,日夜站立守望
等待远方阿拉克内昂山巅的烽火
真的辛苦。现在,翘望已久的信号终于出现,
好运带来的欢乐却比预想的
要小。然而,毕竟也有所
收获:我们终于不再抱有
任何希望和幻想。那些事情
终将降临到阿特柔斯宫,
这无需任何智慧就能猜到,现在
烽火已经燃起,因此也无需任何夸张。
那火光也好,那些要来的人也好;
他们所说所做的一切都是好的。
我们可以期待一切都好。但即便
没有阿特柔斯宫,亚戈斯城也能存在下去。
没有一座宫殿能屹立永远。总会有人
议论纷纷。我们不妨聆听,
但决不会被“命定”、“唯一”、“伟大”
之类的词语蒙蔽,因为还会有别的
命定、唯一而伟大者骤然兴起。
(1900)
When the Watchman Saw the Light
Winter and summer, up on the Atreides' roof,
the Watchman has been sitting lookout.
Now he shouts glad tidings - he has seen
the lighting of a distant fire.
And he rejoices, for his labour's at an end;
it's hard to stand watch day and night,
in heat and cold, for flames on far-off
Arachnaion. Now the long-awaited signal has appeared.
Good fortune brings less joy than
was expected. Yet something's clearly
been achieved: we have been saved
from hopes and expectations. Many things
will happen to the house of Atreus -
that's a guess that needs no wisdom, now the
watchman's seen the light. So no exaggeration.
Good is the light, and those who come are good;
good, too, their words and deeds.
And we would wish that all be fair. But
Argos could survive without Atreides.
Royal houses aren't immortal.
Of course there'll be a lot of people
with a lot to say - and we should listen.
But we shan't be taken in by words like
`Indispensable', `Unique', or `Great'.
For someone indispensable, unique, and great
invariably turns up straightaway.
(1900)
10. 老人们的灵魂
在老人们年久失修的身体内
住着他们的灵魂。
这些可怜的小东西很不开心,
它们悲惨的生活是那样令人厌倦。
但它们又太爱这条命,因为怕死而发抖。
这样,一群昏聩而又自相矛盾的灵魂
只能一会儿哭一会儿笑地
坐在它们破旧而衰败的躯壳里。
(1901)
The Souls of Aged Men
Inside their worn, tattered bodies
Dwell the souls of old men.
How unhappy the poor things are
And how bored by the pathetic life they live.
How they tremble for fear of losing that life, and how much
They love it, those befuddled ad contradictory souls,
Sitting – half comis and half tragic –
Inside their old, threadbare skins.
(1901)
11. 窗
在这度日如年的黑屋里,
我走来走去,希望能找到
几扇窗子。哪怕只开一个窗子
也该是不小的安慰。
但窗子并不存在,或者只是我没有看见
它们。看不见也许更好。
也许到头来,光只是另一种暴政。
谁知道会有什么新的事情败露出来。
(1903)
The Windows
Through these dark rooms, whose days
are weights, I wander to and fro
to find the windows. - Should a window open
it would offer some relief. -
But the windows don't exist, or I can't
find them. Better, maybe, if I don't.
Perhaps the light would prove another tyranny.
Who can tell what new things would emerge.
(1903)
12. 温泉关
光荣属于那些一生都在构筑和守卫
自己的温泉关的人们。
他们从未背叛自己应赴的事业,
在所有事情上都始终如一,恪守公义,
又同时体现出同情与怜悯;
他们富贵时慷慨大气,贫贱里
也慷慨于点滴之间,
尽自己的能力帮助别人;
他们只讲真话,
却并不憎恨那些撒谎者。
他们配的上更大的荣耀,
当他们明明知道(很多人确有先见之明)
埃菲亚提斯必将出卖他们,
米堤亚人最后还是要打进来的。
(1903)
Thermopylaes
Honour to those who in the life they lead
define and guard a Thermopylae.
Never betraying what is right,
consistent and just in all they do,
but showing pity also, and compassion;
generous when they're rich, and when they're poor,
still generous in small ways,
still helping as much as they can;
always speaking the truth,
yet without hating those who lie.
And even more honour is due to them
when they foresee (as many do foresee)
that Ephialtis will turn up in the end,
that the Medes will break through after all.
(1903)
13. 灵性的成长
想在灵性方面成长的人
必须超越顺从和尊重。
他必须遵守个别的法律
但违反绝大多数
律法与习俗,还要超越
虽已确立却又远远不够的准则。
肉体的快感会让他懂得很多东西。
他不会害怕破坏性的行为:
房子的一半必须倒塌。
这样,他也籍着德性进入了智慧。
(1903)
Growing in Spirit
He who hopes to grow in spirit
will have to transcend obedience and respect.
He'll hold to some laws
but he'll mostly violate
both law and custom, and go beyond
the established, inadequate norm.
Sensual pleasures will have much to teach him.
He won't be afraid of the destructive act:
half the house will have to come down.
This way he'll grow virtuously into wisdom.
(1903)
14. 情欲
正如夭折的美丽的身体
在泪水中封存于奢华的陵墓,
头下枕着玫瑰,脚边摆设着茉莉——
那些无法满足的情欲就是这样,
连一夜的欢情,一朝的明媚
都从未得到允许。
(1904)
Desires
Like beautiful bodies which never grew old
tearfully sealed in a bright mausoleum,
at their heads roses and at their feet jasmine -
so look desires that grow cold unfulfilled,
forever denied even one night of pleasure,
or one of its light-filled mornings.
(1904)
15. 托勒密王朝的荣耀
我就是拉吉底斯王,肉体欢乐的
绝对大师(凭着我的权力和财富)。
没有一个马其顿人,野蛮人,能与我平起平坐,
哪怕是望我项背。塞莱夫科斯的儿子
那种下贱的淫荡不过是一个笑柄。
但如果你想看看别的方面,那也请记住:
我的城邦还是最辉煌的一代宗师,泛希腊世界的女王,
一切知识与艺术的天才之所。
(1911)
The Glory of the Ptolemies
I’m Lagides, king, absolute master
(through my power and wealth) of sensual pleasure.
There’s no Macedoniam, no barbarian, equal to me
Or even approaching me. The son of Selefkos
Is really a joke with his cheap lechery.
But if you’re looking for other things, not this too:
My city’s the greatest preceptor, queen of the Greek world,
Genius of all knowledge, of every art.
(1911)
16. 伊萨卡
当你出发去伊萨卡,
祝你的旅途漫长,
并充满历险和发现。
莱斯梯戈尼亚人、独眼巨人、
还有愤怒的波塞冬——你不要害怕他们:
只要你心气高昂,
只要还有一种罕见的兴奋
激荡着你的身心,
你就决不会碰到那样的事情。
莱斯梯戈尼亚人、独眼巨人、
愤怒的波塞冬——你不会遇上他们,
除非你把他们带在你的心上,
除非你的心把它们摆在你的面前。
祝你的旅途漫长。
愿你有许多夏日的早晨,
带着何等的欢欣,莫名的喜乐,
进入你第一次见到的港口;
愿你在腓尼基的贸易古栈上逗留,
买一点稀奇的物品,
珠母和珊瑚,玛瑙和乌木,
还有各种催情的香膏——
你能买到的一切催情的香料;
也愿你造访埃及的城市,
拜那里的学者为师,继续你的深造。
你要把伊萨卡永远记在心上。
到那里去,是你的命中所定。
但是,请不要匆匆地到达,
最好要走很多年,
这样,当你登上那个岛屿,你已经老去,
满载着一生积累的财富,
而不要指望伊萨卡让你富有。
伊萨卡给了你神奇的旅程。
没有她,你就不会去远行。
而现在,她已经没有什么留下给你,
如果你发现她清贫,她就并没有骗你。
那时,你早已满是智慧和历练,
你一定会明白,伊萨卡对你意味着什么。
(1911)
Ithaka
As you set out for Ithaka
hope your road is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
angry Poseidon - don't be afraid of them:
you'll never find things like that one on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as a rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
wild Poseidon - you won't encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.
Hope your road is a long one.
May there be many summer mornings when,
with what pleasure, what joy,
you enter harbours you're seeing for the first time;
may you stop at Phoenician trading stations
to buy fine things,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
sensual perfumes of every kind -
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
and may you visit many Egyptian cities
to learn and go on learning from their scholars.
Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you're destined for.
But don't hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you're old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you've gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka gave you the marvellous journey.
Without her you wouldn't have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.
And if you find her poor, Ithaka won't have fooled you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you'll have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.
(1911)
17. 爱奥尼亚歌曲
就算我们曾经打破他们的偶像,
就算我们曾将他们赶出自己的庙宇,
诸神也决不会因此死掉。
啊,爱奥尼亚的土地,他们依然爱你,
它们的灵魂还记着你。
当八月的清晨在你的头顶破晓,
他们的血气就在你的天空移动;
时常会有一个飘渺而年轻的身影,
虽然无法辨认,却健步飞行在
你的群山之上。
(1911)
Ionian Song
Just because we have broken their statues,
just because we have driven them out of their temples,
the gods did not die because of this at all.
O Ionian land, it is you they still love,
it is you their souls still remember.
When an August morning dawns upon you
a vigor from their life moves through your air;
and at times an ethereal youthful figure,
indistinct, in rapid stride,
crosses over your hills.
(1911)
18. 危险思想
米尔提亚斯(一位曾在
康斯坦斯和康斯坦丢斯两代皇帝治下
旅居于亚历山大城的叙利亚学者;
一半是异教徒,一半已受基督的教化)说过:
“在求知与思考双倍的巩固下,
我不会再像懦夫那样害怕自己的激情;
我会把身体交给肉体的欢愉,
我梦想过的那些享乐,
那些最大胆的色情的欲望,
交给我血液的淫荡的冲动
而无所畏惧,因为,只要我愿意——
我当然会有那份毅力,既已如我所愿
被求知和思考双倍地巩固——
只要我愿意,我就能在临渊之际
找回我简朴如初的灵魂。”
(1911)
Dangerous Thoughts
Said Myrtias (a Syrian student
in Alexandria during the reign
of the Emperor Konstans and the Emperor Konstantios;
in part a heathen, in part chistianized):
“Strengthened by study and reflection.
I won’t fear my passions like a coward;
I’ll give my body to sensual pleasures,
to enjoyments I’ve dreamed of,
to the most audacious erotic desires,
to the lascivious impulses of my blood,
with no fear at all, because when I wish—
and I’ll have the will-power, strengthened
as I shall be by study and reflection—
when I wish, at critical moments I will recover
my spirit, ascetic as it was before.”
(1911)
19. “其余的,我到了九泉之下自会说出”
“是啊,”合上书卷,总督接着说道,
“这一行不仅美妙,也至为真确。
索福克勒斯以充满哲理的笔调写下了它。
我们在下面会说些什么,说多少,
我们看起来会有多大的变化。
我们今天像不眠的卫兵一样守护的东西,
那些锁在我们内心深处的创伤和秘密,
让我们日复一日如此焦虑地把守着,
但到那时,都将在下界无忌地和盘托出。”
“你也许会想加上一句,”一个智者微笑着说,
“假如他们真的会在下面谈论那种事情,
假如他们还是搁不下那些东西的话。”
(1913)
“The Rest I Will Tell to Those Down In Hades”
'Indeed,' said the proconsul, closing the book,
'This line is beautiful and very true.
Sophocles wrote it in a deeply philosophic mood.
How much we'll tell down there, how much,
and how very different we'll appear.
What we protect here like sleepless guards,
wounds and secrets locked inside us,
protect with such great anxiety day after day,
we'll reveal freely and clearly down there.'
'You might add,' said the sophist, half smiling,
'if they talk about things like that down there,
if they bother about them at all any more.'
(1913)
20. 希罗底斯·阿提戈斯
何等的荣耀,希罗底斯·阿提戈斯!
当塞莱夫吉亚的亚历山大,最优秀的智者之一,
到雅典讲学时,
发现整个城市空无一人,因为希罗底斯
正在乡下。所有的年轻人
也都跟去,听他讲学。
智者亚历山大
只好给希罗底斯写信,
求他把希腊人全都送回城去。
机智的希罗底斯当即回信:
“跟希腊人一起,我也回去。”
今天,有多少年轻人正在亚历山大城、
安提奥克或贝鲁特
(接受着希腊文化训练,成为未来的演说家),
有机会参加他们向往的盛宴,
并在彼此谈论高尚的辩术
或者美妙的爱情时,
突然会分心并且安静下来。
摆在面前的酒尚未碰过,
因为他们正在想希罗底斯的福气——
哪一位智者曾有如此的荣耀?
无论他想什么,做什么,
所有希腊人(对,希腊人!)都跟随他,
不是去批评,也不是去辩论,
甚至连想都不想,
就跟他到海角天涯。
(1912)
Herodis Attikos
What glory, this, for Herodis Attikos!
Alexander of Selefkia, one of our good sophists,
On reaching Athens to lecture
Finds the city deserted because Herodis
Was in the countryside. And al the young men
Had followed him there to hear him.
This makes sophist Allexander
Write Herodis a letter
Begging him to send the Greeks back.
And the tactful Herodis answers at once:
“Along with the Greeks, I’m coming to.”
How many young men now in Alexandria
In Antioch or in Beirut
(being trained by Hellenism as its future orators),
meeting at their choice banquets
where the talk is cometimes about fine sophistry,
sometimes about their exquisite love affairs,
are suddenly distracted and fall silent.
Their glasses untouched in front of them,
They think about Herodis’s good fortune—
What other sophist has been given this kind of honor?
Whatever his wish, whatever he does,
The Greeks (the Greeks!) follow him,
Not to criticize or debate,
Not even to choose any longer,
Only to follow.
(1912)
21. 文法家吕希亚斯之墓
在贝鲁特图书馆,就在进门的右侧,
埋着文法家吕希亚斯。
墓址是精心选择的。
我们把他葬在他自己的东西旁边,
那些即便他在地下也如数家珍的东西:
注疏、典籍、文法、变体,
还有煌煌多卷的希腊成语研究。
这样,当我们走到他的书前,
就会看见他的墓,并且向它致意。
(1912)
Tomb of the Grammarian Lysias
In the Beirut library, jus to the right as you go in,
We buried wise Lysias, the grammarian.
The spot is beautifully chosen.
We put him near those things of his
That he remembers maybe even there:
Comments, texts, grammars, variants,
Voluminous studies of Greek idioms.
Also, this way, as we go to the books,
We’ll see, we’ll honor his tomb.
(1912)
22. 我进入
我没有压抑自己。我彻底放开并且进入。
向着脑海里一半真实
一半虚幻的快感,
我走进这个被点燃的夜晚。
我狂饮催情的烈酒,
像一个豪迈的好色之徒。
(1913)
I Went
I did not restrain myself. I let go entirely and went.
To the pleasures that were half real
and half wheeling in my brain,
I went into the lit night.
And I drank of potent wines, such as
the valiant of voluptuousness drink.
(1913)
23. 伊夫里昂之墓
就在这座墓里,这座设计华丽的
完全由黑色花岗岩砌筑的
覆盖着紫罗兰和百合花的墓穴里,
睡着伊夫里昂,
亚历山大城的一个二十五岁的青年。
他的父系有着马其顿人的血统,
而母亲的家族则文官辈出。
他跟随亚里士多克莱多斯学习哲学,
师从帕罗斯研究修辞,并在底比斯
遍览群经。他写过一卷
亚辛诺德省的历史。这已经足以传世。
但我们还是失去了真正宝贵的东西:
见过他的形象,就见过太阳神。
(1914)
Tomb of Evrion
In this tomb – ornately designed,
The whole of syenite stone,
Covered by so many violets, so many lilies—
Lies handsome Evrion,
An Alexandrian, twenty-five years old.
On his father’s side, he was of old Macedonian stock,
On his mother’s side, descended from a line of magistrates.
He studied philosophy with Aristolkeitos,
Rhetoric with Paros, and at Thebes
The sacred scriptures. He wrote a history
Of the province of Arsinotes. That at least will survive.
But we’ve lost what was really precious: his form—
Like a vision of Apollo.
(1914)
24. 智慧者能感知即将发生的事情
“因为诸神能预知未来的事情,
普通人能知道正在发生的事情,而
聪明人则能感知即将发生的事情。”
菲罗斯特拉多《提亚那的阿波罗尼亚斯传》卷八,第7节
普通人知道现在正在发生的一切,
诸神知道未来的事情,
因为只有他们才是全知的。
智慧者则能感知未来之事中
那些马上就要发生的事情。
有时,当他们在苦读之中,
耳中会听见异样的响动:
那是正在走近的事物发出的隐密的声息,
他们带着敬畏聆听,
而大街上的人们则是充耳不闻。
(1915)
But The Wise Perceive Things About To Happen
For the gods perceive things in the future,
ordinary people things in the present,
but the wise perceive things about to happen.
Philostratos, Life of Apollonios of Tyana, viii, 7
Ordinary mortals know what's happening now,
the gods know what the future holds
because they alone are totally enlightened.
Wise men are aware of future things
just about to happen.
Sometimes during moments of intense study
their hearing's troubled: the hidden sound
of things approaching reaches them,
and they listen reverently, while in the street outside
the people hear nothing whatsoever.
(1915)
25. 清晨的大海
让我在这里停下。让我也看看大自然。
清晨的大海,无云的天空那明媚的蓝色,
金黄的海岸;全都那样可爱,
全都沐浴在光里。
让我站在这里。让我假装我看见了这一切,
(其实在刚刚停步的一刻,我真的看见了)
而不是我在这里做过的那些白日梦,
不是我的记忆,也不是那些肉欲的想像。
(1915)
Morning Sea
Let me stop here. Let me, too, look at nature awhile.
The brilliant blue of the morning sea, of the cloudless sky,
the shore yellow; all lovely,
all bathed in light
Let me stand here. And let me pretend I see all this
(I actually did see it for a minute when I first stopped)
and not my usual day-dreams here too,
my memories, those sensual images.
(1915)
26. 曼努埃尔·康姆尼诺
九月一个阴郁的日子,
曼努埃尔·康姆尼诺皇帝
感到死期已至。
一班肯定受贿过的宫廷术数家继续瞎掰说,
他还得要活多少年。
当他们还在说着胡话时,
他却想起了一个古老的宗教习俗,
便命人到修道院
取来一件教士的袍子
穿在身上,满心喜乐地
扮成一个牧师或修士的装束。
那些信主的,
并像曼努埃尔皇帝一样带着信心
素服而终的人是幸福的。
(1915)
注:曼努埃尔·康姆尼诺斯皇帝(1143-1180)死于1180年9月20日。
Manuel Komninos
One dreary September day
Emporer Manual Komninos
Felt his death was near.
The court astrologers – bribed, of course – went on babbling
About how many years he still had to live.
But while they were having their say,
He remembered an old religious custom
And ordered ecclesiastical vestments
To be brought from a monastery,
And he put them on, glad to assume
The modest image of a priest or monk.
Happy all those who believe,
And like Emporer Manual end their lives
Dressed modestly in their faith.
(1915)
27. 那一夜
那个便宜而污秽的小房间
掩藏在令人怀疑的客栈上。
从窗户边,你能看见那个小巷子,
肮脏而狭窄。下面传来
民工们打牌的声音;
他们正在自娱自乐。
就在这张寻常简陋的小床上,
我拥有了爱人的身体,还有那迷人的,
鲜红而性感的双唇。
那红唇如此令人陶醉,
即便是多年以后的现在,当我坐在这间
孤独的小屋里写作时,依然因激情而醉。
(1915)
One Night
The room was cheap and sordid,
Hidden above the suspect taverna.
From the window you could see the alley,
Dirty and narrow. From below
Came the voices of workmen
Playing cards, enjoying themselves.
And there on that common, humble bed
I had love’s body, had those intoxicating lips,
Red and sensual,
Red lips of such intoxication
That now as I write, after so many years,
In my lonely house, I’m drunk with passion again.
(1915)
28. 他立下誓言
他每每立下誓言,要更好地度过一生。
可是当夜晚悄悄到来,
带着它的妥协和期待时——
当夜晚携着一个饥渴而需要的肉体
本身的力量一起来临,
他又迷失在那致命的欢愉里。
(1915)
He Swears
He swears every now and then to begin a better life.
But when night comes with its own counsel,
Its own compromises and prospects—
When night comes with its own power
Of a body that needs and demands,
He goes back, lost, to the same fatal pleasure.
(1915)
29. 阿惕尔月
我依稀还能辨认出这块古老的碑文。
“主[耶]酥基督。”我又认出一个“[云]鬼”字。
“在阿惕尔[月]”“列夫吉阿[斯]长眠了。”
在提到他的年龄时,有“他活了……”
而KZ的字样表明,他死的时候还很年轻。
在已经磨蚀的部分,我看到“他生[于]……亚历山大城。”
此后的三行已经完全损毁,
但我还是能辨认出个别的文字:“泪[水],”“忧伤,”
然后又是“泪水”,还有“哀哉[吾]等亲[朋]。”
我想,列夫吉阿斯一定深受爱戴。
在阿惕尔月,列夫吉阿斯长眠在这里。
(1917)
注:在埃及纪年中,阿惕尔月相当于西历10-11月。希腊文KZ代表数字27。
In the Month Athyr
Hardly can I read on the ancient stone.
'Lo[r]d Jesus Christ'. A 'So[u]l' I discern.
'In the mo[nth] Athyr' 'Leukiu[s] s[le]pt'.
At the mention of the age 'He li[ve]d years',
the Kappa Zeta* shows that young slept he.
Amidst the perished words I see 'Hi[m] Alexandrean'.
Afterwards three lines are there very mutilated;
but some words I drag - like 't[e]ars of ours', 'grief',
then 'tears' again, and 'for [u]s the [f]riends sorrow'.
It seems to me that Leukius great love behind him left.
In the month Athyr Leukius slept.
(1917)
30. 伊格纳修之墓
我不是亚历山大城那个著名的克里昂,
(那里的人不会轻易看花眼)
我没有漂亮的房子和花园,
没有俊马和车辇,
身上也没有宝石和丝绸。
我不是那个克里昂,恰恰相反:
他那二十八年的生命即将了无痕迹。
而我是伊格纳修,诵经人,很晚才领悟真道;
即便如此,我也有过十个月快乐的生活,
在基督的平安和笃定里。
(1917)
Tomb of Ignatios
Here I’m not the Kleon famous in Alexandria
(where they’re not easily dazzled)
for my marvelous houses, my gardens,
for my horses and chariots,
for the jewels and silks I wore.
Far from it – here I’m not that Kleon:
His twenty-eight years are to be wiped out.
I’m Ignatios, lector, who came to his sense very late;
But even so, in that way I lived ten happy months
In the peach, the security of Christ.
(1917)
31. 我看得太久
我对着美看得太久,
它已在目光里泛滥成灾。
这身体的线条。红唇。满是情欲的肢体。
这疑似盗自希腊雕像的发髻
永远令人爱恋,即使从不梳理
就在你白皙的额前垂下。
这爱的形体,我曾在少年时代的夜晚
在我的诗中渴望过,
并在暗夜里密秘地相遇。
(1917)
I’ve Looked So Much…
I’ve looked on beauty so much
that my vision overflows with it.
The body’s lines. Red lips. Sensual limbs.
Hair as though stolen from Greek statues,
always lovely, even uncombed,
and falling slightly over pale foreheads.
Figures of love, as my poetry desired them
…in the nights when I was young,
encountered secretly in those nights.
(1917)
32. 尼禄的大限
尼禄听到德尔菲的神谕时
并不显得惊慌:
“他必惧怕七十三岁。”
他还有足够的时间来享受人生。
他才三十岁。神给他
定下的期限足够他
为将来的不测作好准备。
当他回到罗马时,已经略带疲倦,
但只是愉快的旅途劳顿——
在剧场、花园,还有竞技场......
亚该亚诸城的夜晚,
更有那赤裸的肉体的欢愉......
尼禄就这样每日逍遥。而在西班牙,
七十三岁高龄的加尔巴
正秘密集合自己的大军,日夜操练。
(1918)
注:加尔巴于公元68年挥师杀进罗马,暴君尼禄死时年仅32岁。
Nero’s Term
Nero was not worried when he heard
the prophecy of the Delphic Oracle.
'Let him fear the seventy three years.'
He still had ample time to enjoy himself.
He is thirty. More than sufficient
is the term the god allots him
to prepare for future perils.
Now he will return to Rome slightly tired,
but delightfully tired from this journey,
full of days of enjoyment --
at the theaters, the gardens, the gymnasia...
evenings at cities of Achaia...
Ah the delight of nude bodies, above all...
Thus fared Nero. And in Spain Galba
secretly assembles and drills his army,
the old man of seventy three.
(1918)
33. 港口
埃弥斯,一个二十八岁的年轻人,跟着一艘
从忒诺斯始发的商船来到这个叙利亚港口,
想学习香料贸易。
但他在途中病倒,一上岸
就死了。他可怜巴巴的葬礼
就在这里举行。临死前的几个时辰,
他还在念叨着“家”,还有“年迈的双亲。”
可是谁也不知道他的家乡
在辽远的泛希腊世界的什么地方。
这样也好。因为这样,即便
他死在这座港口,
他的父母也一直觉得他还活着。
(1918)
In Harbor
A young man, twenty eight years old, on a vessel from Tenos,
Emes arrived at this Syrian harbor
with the intention of learning the perfume trade.
But during the voyage he was taken ill. And as soon
as he disembarked, he died. His burial, the poorest,
took place here. A few hours before he died,
he whispered something about 'home,' about 'very old parents.'
But who these were nobody knew,
nor which his homeland in the vast panhellenic world.
Better so. For thus, although
he lies dead in this harbor,
his parents will always hope he is alive.
(1918)
34. 在那座房屋外
昨天,漫步在一个偏远的小区里,
我走过那座房屋,
我少年时代常去的地方。
那里,爱神以他神奇的力量
占领了我的身体。
而昨天
当我走过同一条小路,
那店铺、人行道、石板,
墙壁、阳台还有窗子——
突然又被爱的魔力变得那样美丽:
当我停步凝视那扇门,
或在屋子的四周徘徊,
我通体都在散发着
体内积压的情欲的兴奋。
(1918)
Outside the House
Walking yesterday in an outlying neighborhood,
I went by the house
I used to go to when I was very young.
There Eros with his magnificent power
Had taken hold of my body.
And yesterday
When I walked along the old road,
The shops, the sidewalks, the stones,
Walls and balconies and windows—
All were suddenly made beautiful by the spell of love:
And as I stood gazing at the door,
Stood there lingering outside the house,
My whole being radiated
The sensual emotion stored up inside me.
(1918)
35. 伊梅诺斯
“…更应该珍惜的是
通过病态而腐朽的方式获得的快感——
它偶然地揭示,肉体能感知它到底需要什么——
那种病态而腐朽的方式能制造
通过健康的性取向无法产生的色情强度……”
摘自一封信札,
作者是年轻的伊梅诺斯(出生于贵族世家),
即便在淫乱的米该尔三世王朝,
在西拉库扎城,他也能以淫乱闻名。
(1919)
Imenos
“…what should be cherished even more
is the sensual pleasure that is achieved morbidly, corruptingly—
it rarely finds the body able to feel what it requires—
that morbidly, corruptingly creates
an erotic intensity that a healthy disposition cannot generate….”
Extract from a letter
Written by young Imenos (from a patrician family)
Notorious in Syracuse for his debauchery
In the debauched time of Michael the Third.
(1919)
36. 进来安睡
那肯定是午夜一点
或者一点半。
在小客栈的角落里,
木质屏风的后面:
除了我们俩,店堂内空无一人。
一盏灯勉强烧出一丝亮光。
侍者在门边早已入睡。
没有人会看见我们。
即便有,我们也因为过于激动
而无法去管那些。
我们的衣服稍稍解开;本来就穿的不多:
在那个美好而热烈的七月。
肉体的欢乐
在两件敞开的衬衫之间展开;
那是迅速绽放的肉体,像一个梦
翻越二十六个岁月
来到这首诗中安睡。
(1919)
Comes to Rest
It must have been one o'clock at night
or half past one.
A corner in a taverna,
behind the wooden partition:
except for the two of us the place completely empty.
A lamp barely gave it light.
The waiter was sleeping by the door.
No one could see us.
But anyway, we were already so worked up
we'd become incapable of caution.
Our clothes half opened - we weren't wearing much:
it was a beautiful hot July.
Delight of flesh between
half-opened clothes;
quick baring of flesh - a vision
that has crossed twenty-six years
and now comes to rest in this poetry.
(1919)
37. 为亚该亚联盟而战的人们
何等英勇,你们高贵地战死,
毫不惧怕赢过每一场战斗的常胜之旅。
你们是无咎的,即便狄亚俄斯和克里多劳已铸成大错。
当希腊人想要自夸,他们一定会说:
“我们的国家出了这等的好汉!”
他们的礼赞必将如此精彩。
一个亚该亚人写于亚历山大城,
托勒密·拉提洛斯王七年。
(1922)
Those Who Fought for the Achaian League
Valiant are you who fought and fell gloriously;
fearless of those who were everywhere victorious.
Blameless, even if Diaeos and Critolaos were at fault.
When the Greeks want to boast,
'Our nation turns out such men' they will say
of you. And thus marvellous will be your praise. --
Written in Alexandria by an Achaean;
in the seventh year of Ptolemy Lathyrus.
(1922)
38. 古书
一张未署名的水彩画遗忘在
一本旧书的页面之间。
那是一本几乎有百年历史的古书。
而那张画肯定出自一位强力的画家之手,
标题是:“爱的表达。”
说是“极端色情的爱”也许更加贴切。
因为,当你细看这幅作品,就会明白
(很容易明白画家心中的意念)
画中的那个年轻男子
并不想获得那种
多少还算健康的爱情,
那种还在允许限度之内的东西——
他有着深栗色的眼睛,
罕见俊美的面容,
具有反常魅力的美丽;
他那完美的嘴唇
会给被爱的身体带来极大的快感,
而平展在床上的四肢
以平常的道德看来,简直就是无耻。
(1922)
In An Old Book
Forgotten between the leaves of an old book—
Almost a hundred years old—
I found an unsigned watercolor.
It must have been the work of a powerful artist.
Its title: “Representation of Love.”
“… Love of extreme sensualists” would have been more to the point.
Because it became clear as you looked at the work
(it was easy to see what the artist had in mind)
that the young man in the painting
was not designated for those
who love in ways that are more or less healthy,
inside the bounds of what is clearly permissible—
with his deep chestnut eyes,
the rare beauty of his face,
the beauty of anomalous charm,
with those ideal lips that bring
sensual delight to the body loved,
those ideal limbs shaped for beds
that common morality calls shameless.
(1922)
39. 康马吉尼王安提奥克的墓志铭
康马吉尼王,博学的安提奥克,一生严谨敦厚。
参加了他的葬礼后,
他的妹妹痛不欲生,
想请人给他写一个墓志铭。
在叙利亚宫廷大臣的推荐下,
以弗所的智者卡里斯特拉托(他常住在
康马吉尼小城邦,
还是王室家庭
经常登门的座上客)
写了一份墓志铭交给了老夫人。
“康马吉尼的子民啊,愿仁慈的国王
安提奥克永受应得的荣耀。
他是吾邦英明的君王。
他不仅公义、睿智、勇敢,
还有一个至大的美德:一颗希腊魂——
人类没有比这更可贵的品质:
超越此等的一切,仅仅属于诸神。
(1923)
Epitaph of Antiochos, King of Kommagini
After the funeral of the learned Antiochos, King of Kommagini,
Whose life had been restrained and gentle,
His sister, deeply afflicted,
Wanted an epitaph for him.
So, on the advice of Syrian courtiers,
The Ephesian sophist Kallistratos (who often resided
In the small state of Kommagini
And was a welcome and frequent guest
At the royal house)
Wrote an epitaph and sent it to the old lady.
“People of Kommagini, let the glory of Antiochos,
the beneficent king, be celebrated as it deserves.
He was a provident ruler of the country.
He was just, wise, courageous.
In addition he was that best of things, Hellenic—
Mankind has no quality more precious:
Everything beyond that belongs to the gods.”
(1923)
40. 五彩玻璃
在弗拉切尔奈举行的约翰·康塔库奇诺
和安德罗尼科·亚珊之女伊莉尼的加冕仪式上,
有一个细节让我特别感动。
因为他们只有很少的几颗宝石,
(我们灾难深重的帝国那时极端贫穷)
他们只好戴上仿造品:很多玻璃珠,
红的、绿的,还有蓝的。我发现
那一颗颗小小的彩色玻璃
没有一点丢脸或者有失身份。
恰恰相反,它们似乎是
对被加冕的夫妇不幸命运的
悲伤的抗议,
是他们配得之物的符号,
是他们在加冕之际理所应当拥有的——
一个是约翰·康塔库奇诺勋爵,
一个是伊莉尼夫人,安德罗尼科·亚珊之女。
(1925)
Of Colored Glass
I am very moved by one detail
In the coronation at Vlachernai of John Kantakuzinos
And Irini, daughter of Andronikos Asan.
Bacause thay had only a few precious stones
(our afflicted empire was extreme poor)
they wore artificial ones: numerous pieces of glass,
red, green, or blue. I find
nothing humiliating or undignified
in those little pieces of colored glass.
On the contrary, they seem
A sad protest against
The unjust misfortune of the couple being crowned,
Symbols of what they deserve to have,
Of what surely it was right that they should have
At their coronation – a Lord John Kantakuzinos,
A Lady Irini, daughter of Andronikos Asan.
(1925)
41. 塞拉匹斯的祭司
我亲爱的老父亲
一生都深爱着我;
我哭我亲爱的老父亲,
他前天刚刚去世,等不及一个黎明。
耶稣基督啊,我每日都坚守着
你神圣教会的戒律,
融入一切行为,
一切言论,乃至一切念头。
无论谁背弃了你,
我都会远离他们。但是基督啊,此刻
我在大哭,在哀悼我的父亲,
尽管他曾经做过(说出来真的可怕)
该死的塞拉匹斯神庙的祭司。
(1926)
Priest at the Serapeum
My dear old father,
who always loved me the same;
my dear old father I lament
who died the day before yesterday, just before dawn.
Jesus Christ, it is my daily effort
to observe the precepts
of Thy most holy church in all my acts,
in all words, in all thoughts.
And all those who renounce Thee
I shun.-- But now I lament;
I bewail, Christ, for my father
although he was -- a horrible thing to say --
a priest at the accursed Serapeum.
(1926)
42. 克莱多斯的病
克莱多斯,一个可爱的年轻人,
二十三岁左右,
受过一流的教育,精通希腊文,
病得很重。他染上了一种
今年在亚历山大城砍倒一大片人的热病。
那个热病发现,他在精神上早就已经垮了,
当他知道他的朋友,一个青年演员,
不再爱他、要他的时候。
看他病得要死,他的父母非常担心。
一个把他从小带大的老仆人
也对克莱多的生命深感担忧;
在恐惧之中,
她想起了年轻时曾经拜过的
一尊偶像,那时她还没有到这个极有名望的
基督徒之家做仆人,后来自己也成了基督徒。
她偷偷弄来一些祭祀的面饼、酒和蜜,
把它们摆在偶像的面前。她唱着所有
还能想得起来的祷告辞:零零碎碎拼在一起。
这个笨笨的女仆一点都没有意识到,那个黑色的怪物
根本就不在乎一个基督徒的病会不会好。
(1926)
Kleitos’ Illness
Kleitos, a likeable young man,
about twenty-three years old-
with a first-class education, a rare knowledge of Greek-
is seriously ill. He caught the fever
that reaped a harvest this year in Alexandria.
The fever found him already worn out morally
by the pain of knowing that his friend, a young actor,
had stopped loving and wanting him.
He's seriously ill, and his parents are terribly worried.
An old servant who brought him up
is also full of fear for Kleitos' life;
and in her panic
she remembers an idol she used to worship
when she was young, before she came there as a maid,
to the house of distinguished Christians, and turned Christian herself.
She secretly brings some votive bread, some wine and honey,
and places them before the idol. She chants whatever phrases
she remembers from old prayers: odds and ends. The ninny
doesn't realize that the black demon couldn't care less
whether a Christian gets well or not.
(1926)
43. 安娜·达拉西妮
阿列克修·康明诺斯皇帝颁发过
一道印着金牛大印的圣谕,
颂扬他传奇般的母亲,
安娜·达拉西妮夫人,
其中随处可见赞美这位
学品与为人都堪称杰出的女性的文字:
这里,我仅摘录一个句子,
我以为极其美丽而高贵:
“她从未说过'我的’'你的’之类冰凉的词语。”
(1927)
Anna Dalassené
In the golden bull that Alexios Comnenos issued
to prominently honor his mother,
the very sagacious Lady Anna Dalassené --
distinguished in her works, in her ways --
there are many words of praise:
here let us convey of them
a beautiful, noble phrase
'Those cold words 'mine' or 'yours' were never spoken.'
(1927)
44. 1896年
他已经彻底完了。直接原因是
他的性爱倾向(尽管天性如此)
受到谴责并被严格禁止。
整个社会已经彻底的狭隘。
他开始花光可怜的积蓄,
再失去社会地位,直到失去名誉。
年近三十,没有一份活计能让他干一整年,
至少没有一份体面的工作。
偶尔能靠为一些可耻的交易作媒
而赚得一些银子。
他最终成了一个能让你身败名裂的那种人,
要是有人看见你跟他混在一起。
但这并不是故事的全部:那样就有失公允;
他曾经的美丽使他配得上更好的结局。
从另一个视角看来,
他似乎很迷人,像一个
简单纯正的为爱而生的孩子,
不假思索地,就把自己
未经玷污的身体和纯洁的性感
摆在了自己的名誉之上。
摆在自己的名誉之上?但是这彻底狭隘的
社会,早已没有正确的价值标准。
(1927)
Days of 1896
He'd become completely degraded. His erotic tendencies,
condemned and strictly forbidden
(but innate for all that) were the cause of it:
society was totally narrow-minded.
He'd gradually lost what little money he had,
then his social standing, then his reputation.
Nearly thirty, he'd never worked a full year-
at least not at a legitimate job.
Sometimes he earned enough to get by
acting the go-between in deals considered shameful.
He ended up the type likely to compromise you thoroughly
if you were seen around with him too often.
But this wasn't the whole story -that wouldn't be fair;
the memory of his beauty deserves better.
There is another angle; seen from that
he appears attractive, appears
a simple, genuine child of love,
without hesitation putting
the pure sensuality of his pure flesh
above his honour and reputation.
Above his reputation? But society,
totally narrow-minded, had all its values wrong.
(1927)
45. 1901年
他的一个特别之处就是,
尽管他非常淫荡,
有着极为复杂的性经历,
他的人生态度通常
也确实符合他的年龄;
尽管如此,有的时候,
(当然非常罕见)他还能给你一种印象:
他还是一个童贞的身体。
他二十九年的美丽
虽然被快感耗尽,
却不时能让人想起
一个男孩,还带着一丝笨拙,
把自己纯洁身体的第一次交给爱情。
(1927)
Days Of 1901
The exceptional thing about him was
that in spite of all his debauchery,
his vast sexual experience
and the fact that usually
his attitude matched his age,
in spite of this there were moments-
extremely rare, of course- when he gave the impression
that his flesh was almost virginal.
His twenty-nine-year-old beauty,
so used by pleasure,
would sometimes strangely remind one
of a boy who, somewhat awkwardly, gives
his pure body to love for the first time.
(1927)
46. 在斯巴达
克楼明尼斯王不知道,也不敢——
他真不知道怎样对自己的母亲
去说这样的事情:托勒密提出要求,
为了确保条约的履行,她也必须去埃及
留下来作为人质——
这一个非常侮辱性的、无礼的要求。
他刚想开口,却总要犹豫;
话到嘴边,但还是咽了下去。
但那位高贵的女子看出了他的心思,
(她已经听到一些传闻)
就鼓励他说出来。
她笑了,她说当然可以去,
很高兴自己在这个岁数上
还能对斯巴达有所帮助。
至于说侮辱,她一点也没有觉得。
像拉吉德家族那样的暴发户
当然无法理解斯巴达人的精神;
因此,他的要求其实丝毫不能羞辱
像她那样尊贵的夫人:
斯巴达国王的母亲。
(1927)
In Sparta
He didn't know, King Kleomenis, he didn't dare-
he just didn't know how to tell his mother
a thing like that: Ptolemy's demand,
to guarantee their treaty, that she too go to Egypt
and be held there as a hostage-
a very humiliating, indecorous thing.
And he would be about to speak yet always hesitate,
would start to tell her yet always stop.
But the magnificent woman understood him
(she'd already heard some rumours about it)
and she encouraged him to get it out.
And she laughed, saying of course she'd go,
happy even that in her old age
she could be useful to Sparta still.
As for the humiliation -that didn't touch her at all.
Of course an upstart like the Lagid
couldn't possibly comprehend the Spartan spirit;
so his demand couldn't in fact humiliate
a Royal Lady like herself:
mother of a Spartan king.
(1928)
47. 进军西诺比
密特里达提,无数伟大的城市
辉煌而显赫的统治者,
强大的陆军和舰队的统帅,
在挥军攻打西诺比时却选择了一条
绕道偏僻乡村的小路,
那里住着一个占卜的先知。
密特里达提派他的一位将军
去问先知,他以后
还能积攒多少财产和权力。
派遣的将军出发后,
他自己继续向西诺比挺进。
先知退入一间秘密的茅庐里。
半个时辰后,他回来,
满面愁容地对军官说:
“有几件事情我还是弄不明白。
今天不像是吉日。
这里面有几处阴影我还是没有破解,
但我以为,尊王对今天拥有的一切应该知足了。
超出本分的一切都将化为灾祸。
将军,请记住告诉他:
看在神的份上,他该知足了。
命运随时都会逆转。
告诉密特里达提王,他也许再也碰不到
像他先父的伙伴那样的人,
那个尊贵的朋友曾在地上挥剑题字
救了他一命:'快跑吧,密特里达提!’”
(1928)
On the March to Sinopi
Mithridatis, glorious and powerful,
ruler of great cities,
master of strong armies and fleets,
on the march to Sinopi took a route
through a remote part of the country
where a soothsayer lived.
Mithridatis sent one of his officers
to ask the soothsayer how much more property,
how much more power, he'd accumulate in the future.
He dispatched one of his officers,
then continued his march to Sinopi.
The soothsayer withdrew into a secret room.
About half an hour later he came out, troubled,
and said to the officer:
'I wasn't able to clarify things very well.
Today's not a propitious day-
there were some murky shadows, I didn't understand them fully-
but I think the king should be content with what he has.
Anything more will prove dangerous.
Remember, officer, to tell him that:
for God's sake to be satisfied with what he has.
Fortune changes suddenly.
Tell King Mithridatis that it's extremely rare
to come across anyone like his ancestor's companion, that noble companion
who wrote in the earth with his lance
those timely words that saved him: 'Escape, Mithridatis'.'
(1928)
48. 来吧,拉齐代莫尼亚人的王
克拉迪西克里雅没有让人看见
她在伤心流泪:
她走在庄严的沉默里。
她平静的面容
没有流露出丝毫的忧伤和痛苦。
尽管如此,有一刻她还是难以自持:
当她即将登上那条可恨的航船驶向亚历山大城的时候,
她把自己的儿子带到波塞冬的神庙,
当他们独处的时候,
(普鲁塔克写道,“他甚为忧伤,深受打击”)
她温柔地拥抱着他,吻着。
但坚韧的性格还是让她挺了过来;
复归镇定之后,这位高贵的女性
对克楼明尼斯说:“来吧,拉齐代莫尼亚人的王,
当我们出门的时候
决不要让人看见
我们在哭泣流泪,或者任何有辱斯巴达的行为。
至少这是我们力所能及的;
而前方的一切则全然交托在诸神的手中。”
她登上船,朝着
“交托于诸神手中”的一切驶去。
(1928)
Come, O King of the Lacedaimonians
Kratisiklia didn't allow
the people to see her weeping and grieving:
she walked in dignified silence.
Her calm face
betrayed nothing of her sorrow, her agony.
But even so, for a moment she couldn't hold back:
before she went aboard the detestable ship for Alexandria
she took her son to Poseidon's temple,
and when they were there alone
(he was 'in great distress,' says Plutarch, 'badly shaken')
she embraced him tenderly and kissed him.
But then her strong character struggled through;
regaining her poise, the magnificent woman
said to Kleomenis: 'Come, O King of the Lacedaimonians,
when we go outside
let no one see us
weeping or behaving in any way unworthy of Sparta.
At least this is still in our power;
what lies ahead is in the hands of the gods.'
And she boarded the ship, going toward whatever lay
'in the hands of gods'.
(1929)
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