The man he killed
Thomas Hardy
"Ad he and I but met
By some old ancient inn,
We should have sat us down to wet
Right many a nipperkin!
"But ranged as infantry,
And staring face to face,
I shot at him as he at me,
And killed him in his place.
"I shot him dead because --
Because he was my foe,
Just so: my foe of course he was;
That's clear enough; although
"He thought he'd 'list, perhaps,
Off-hand like -- just as I --
Was out of work -- had sold his traps --
No other reason why.
"Yes; quaint and curious war is!
You shoot a fellow down
You'd treat if met where any bar is,
Or help to half-a-crown."
他殺死的人
哈代
“要是他同我相逢在
一家古老的酒店中,
我們會坐下來,并且很快
會一起干掉好幾盅!
“可既在步兵隊(duì)伍里,
又瞪視著彼此面龐,
我像他一樣,朝對方射擊,
把他擊斃在那地方。
“我射殺了他,只因———
只因他是我的仇敵,
不錯,他當(dāng)然是我的敵人;
這相當(dāng)清楚;雖說是
“他可能認(rèn)為:他參軍
也像我是出于無奈——
或因失業(yè),或已當(dāng)光賣盡
找不出別的緣故來。
“對呀,打仗真古怪!
被你射倒的那對方,
倘酒館里相遇,你會款待,
或幫助他半個克朗。”①
黃杲炘譯
①英國舊時的五先令硬幣稱克朗。這也是歐洲其它一些國家的貨幣單位。