雙語詩歌·阿爾弗雷德·普魯弗羅克的情歌

阿爾弗雷德·普魯弗羅克的情歌

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

艾略特

Thomas S. Eliot

艾略特（Thomas S. Eliot，1888-1965），二十世紀重要的現(xiàn)代主義詩人、文藝批評家和劇作家，對二十世紀現(xiàn)代主義文學(xué)和文藝批評產(chǎn)生重大影響。生于美國密蘇里州，后定居英國。1915年，他發(fā)表重要詩作《阿爾弗雷德·普魯弗羅克的情歌》，通過一個中年知識分子的內(nèi)心獨白，運用現(xiàn)代日常生活中的多種意象與古典意象的迭加，表現(xiàn)了現(xiàn)代知識分子彷徨、苦悶而空虛的心態(tài)。1922年，他發(fā)表代表作《荒原》（1922），將整個現(xiàn)代西方社會描繪成一片精神的荒漠，預(yù)示了人類文明在進入二十世紀時所遇到的全面危機。

假如我想到我在跟一個

S' io credesse che mia risposta fosse

能回到陽間去的人答話，

a persona che mai tornasse al mondo,

那么火焰就不會再閃動。

questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse.

但既然（只要我所聞是真）

Ma per cio cche giammai di questo fondo

從來就沒人從此地生還，

non torno vivo alcun, s' i' odo il vero,

我就回答你而不怕蒙惡名。

senza tema d' infamia ti rispondo.

那么，我們走吧，你和我一起，

Let us go then, you and I,

乘著黃昏正伸展向無際，

When the evening is spread out against the sky

像病人用乙醚麻醉在手術(shù)臺上；

Like a patient etherised upon a table;

我們走吧，穿過幾條凄情冷落的街巷，

Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,

走過夜夜不安的便宜過夜棧房，

The muttering retreats

有人竊竊私語的僻靜地方，

Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels

走過滿地牡蠣殼粉，木屑地板的飯館，

And sawdust restaurants with oyster shells:

街道相連，像單調(diào)乏味的論辯

Streets that follow like a tedious argument

帶有陰險的用心

Of insidious intent

把你引向一個壓倒一切的大難題……

To lead you to an overwhelming question…

哎，不要問，“是什么問題？”

Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?'

我們走，我們?nèi)ピL問。

Let us go and make our visit.

房間里女士們來來往往，

In the room the women come and go

談?wù)撝组_朗基羅巨匠。

Talking of Michelangelo.

黃色霧在窗玻璃上蹭它的背，

The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,

黃色煙在窗玻璃上蹭它的嘴，

The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes

把舌頭舔進黃昏的角落，

Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,

徘徊在即將干涸的池塘邊，

Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,

讓落自煙囪的煤灰落上它的背，

Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,

它溜過露臺，突然一躍，

Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,

看到這正是溫馨的十月之夜，

And seeing that it was a soft October night,

便蜷伏在房子附近，沉沉入睡。

Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.

確實的，會有時間

And indeed there will be time

讓沿街滑行的黃色煙

For the yellow smoke that slides along the street,

在窗玻璃上蹭它的背；

Rubbing its back upon the window-panes:

會有時間，會有時間

There will be time, there will be time

準備一副臉去會見你要會見的那些臉；

To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;

會有時間去謀殺，去創(chuàng)造，

There will be time to murder and create,

有時間讓逐日勞動的胼手胝足

And time for all the works and days of hands

拿起一個問題再放進你的盤子里；

That lift and drop a question on your plate;

有時間給你，有時間給我，

Time for you and time for me,

有時間遲疑不決一百遍，

And time yet for a hundred indecisions,

看見一百種幻象和幻象的變易，

And for a hundred visions and revisions,

然后吃吐司，用茶點。

Before the taking of a toast and tea.

在房間里女士們來來往往，

In the room the women come and go

談?wù)撝组_朗基羅巨匠。

Talking of Michelangelo.

確實的，還會有時間

And indeed there will be time

提疑問：“我敢不敢？”“我敢不敢？”

To wonder, 'Do I dare?' and, 'Do I dare?'

有時間轉(zhuǎn)過身，下樓梯，

Time to turn back and descend the stair,

露一塊禿頂在我頭發(fā)的中間——

With a bald spot in the middle of my hair—

（她們會說：“他頭發(fā)怎么越來越??！”）

(They will say: 'How his hair is growing thin!')

我的晨燕尾服，領(lǐng)子頂下巴，筆挺，

My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,

我的領(lǐng)帶精致而文雅，用一只簡樸的別針固定——

My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin—

（她們會說：“他的胳膊腿怎么那么細！”）

(They will say: 'But how his arms and legs are thin!')

我敢不敢

Do I dare

把這個宇宙攪亂？

Disturb the universe?

一分鐘內(nèi)有時間

In a minute there is time

做決定，改決定，一分鐘內(nèi)再倒轉(zhuǎn)。

For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse .

我已經(jīng)熟悉了她們，熟悉了她們?nèi)俊?/p>

For I have known them all already, known them all—

熟悉了一個個黃昏，上午和下午，

Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,

我已用咖啡勺量走了我的寸寸生命，

I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;

我熟悉遠處房間里傳來的音樂聲底層

I know the voices dying with a dying fall

有說話聲越來越微弱直到消失。

Beneath the music from a farther room.

我怎能擅自行事？

So how should I presume?

我已經(jīng)熟悉了那些眼睛，熟悉了眼睛全部——

And I have known the eyes already, known them all—

那眼睛用一句公式化詞語把你固定住，

The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase,

當我被公式化了，在一只圖釘上掙扎爬行，

And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin,

當我被釘住，在墻上蠕動，

When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,

這時候我該怎樣開始

Then how should I begin

吐出我日常生活方式的全部煙蒂？

To spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways?

我怎能擅自行事？

And how should I presume?

我已經(jīng)熟悉了那些胳臂，熟悉了胳臂全部——

And I have known the arms already, known them all—

那些戴著鐲子的胳臂，光潔，袒露

Arms that are braceleted and white and bare

（只是在燈光下顯出淡褐色茸毛一層?。?/p>

(But in the lamplight, downed with light brown hair!)

是否那來自衣裙的香水氣息

Is it perfume from a dress

促使我這樣地轉(zhuǎn)向離題？

That makes me so digress?

那些胳臂或倚著桌面，或裹著披巾。

Arms that lie along a table, or wrap about a shawl.

此刻我該不該擅自行事？

And should I then presume?

叫我怎樣開始？

And how should I begin?

……

…

我可否說，黃昏時我走過狹窄的街道

Shall I say, I have gone at dusk through narrow streets

見到煙斗里煙霧升起

And watched the smoke that rises from the pipes

來自身穿襯衫、倚向窗外的孤獨的男人們？

Of lonely men in shirt-sleeves, leaning out of windows?...

我本該是一對帶毛的蟹螯

I should have been a pair of ragged claws

飛快地掠過靜寂的海的底層。

Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.

下午，晚上，睡得如此安寧！

And the afternoon, the evening, sleeps so peacefully!

讓細長的手指輕輕撫遍，

Smoothed by long fingers,

睡了…累了…或者它裝病，

Asleep... tired... or it malingers,

伸展著躺在地板上，在你我身邊。

Stretched on the floor, here beside you and me.

在用過茶點、冰糕之后，我是否

Should I, after tea and cakes and ices,

應(yīng)該有力量把此刻逼向緊急關(guān)頭？

Have the strength to force the moment to its crisis ?

但是，盡管我哭著齋戒過，哭著祈禱過，

But though I have wept and fasted, wept and prayed,

盡管我見過我的頭（有點兒禿）放在木盤里端進來，

Though I have seen my head (grown slightly bald) brought in upon a platter ,

我不是先知——這也沒有什么大不了；

I am no prophet—and here's no great matter;

我見過我的偉大時刻的閃現(xiàn)，

I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,

我還見過永恒的“步行者”拿著我的外衣，竊笑，

And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker,

總之，我感到害怕。

And in short, I was afraid.

說到頭來，究竟值不值，

And would it have been worth it, after all,

當飲料、果醬、茶點已用過，

After the cups, the marmalade , the tea,

在杯盤之間，有人談?wù)撃阄抑畷r，

Among the porcelain, among some talk of you and me,

究竟值不值用一個微笑

Would it have been worth while,

把這件事情咬掉，

To have bitten off the matter with a smile,

把宇宙擠壓成一只球 ?

To have squeezed the universe into a ball

讓它滾向一個壓倒一切的大問題，

To roll it toward some overwhelming question,

說，“我是拉撒路，從死者那里 ?

To say: 'I am Lazarus, come from the dead,

我回來告訴你們一切，我要告訴你們一切”——

Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all'—

要是一個人，一面把枕頭放在她頭下，

If one, settling a pillow by her head,

一面說，“這根本不是我的意思。

Should say: 'That is not what I meant at all.

不是的，根本不是?！?/p>

That is not it, at all.'

說到頭來，究竟值不值，

And would it have been worth it, after all,

究竟值不值在幾次日落以后，

Would it have been worth while,

幾次走過庭院、水灑街道以后，

After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets,

幾次讀小說、喝茶、長裙拖過地板以后——

After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor—

這些，還有許多許多事？——

And this, and so much more?—

把我想說的話說出來決不可能！

It is impossible to say just what I mean!

但似乎有魔燈把神經(jīng)幻成圖樣投到幕上：

But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen:

究竟值不值

Would it have been worth while

要是一個人，放下枕頭或拋開披巾，

If one, settling a pillow or throwing off a shawl ,

轉(zhuǎn)身向窗子，這樣講：

And turning toward the window, should say:

“不是的，根本不是，

That is not it at all,

這根本不是我的意思。”

That is not what I meant, at all.'

……

…

不！我不是王子哈姆雷特，注定的不是； ?

No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;

我是個宮廷待臣，只能做這些事： ?

Am an attendant lord, one that will do

給巡游壯壯場面，開演一場戲， ?

To swell a progress, start a scene or two,

給王子出主意，無疑，是一件好使的工具，

Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool,

恭恭敬敬，很高興能給人派上用場，

Deferential , glad to be of use,

有算計，一絲不茍，小心翼翼；

Politic, cautious, and meticulous;

滿口唱高調(diào)，卻有點愚鈍；

Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse;

有時候，確實，近乎可笑，

At times, indeed, almost ridiculous—

有時候，差不多是個丑角。

Almost, at times, the Fool.

我老了…我老了…

I grow old... I grow old...

我要翻卷起我的褲腳。 ?

I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.

要不要把我的頭發(fā)向后分開？我敢吃桃子嗎？ ?

Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?

我要穿上白色法蘭絨褲子，在海濱步行，

I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.

我聽到了美人魚在唱歌，彼此呼應(yīng)。

I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.

我不認為她們會唱給我聽。

I do not think that they will sing to me.

我見到了她們騎著波濤馳向大海，

I have seen them riding seaward on the waves

梳理著被風(fēng)吹回的波濤的白鬃，

Combing the white hair of the waves blown back

當大風(fēng)把海水吹得黑里夾白。

When the wind blows the water white and black.

我們曾在大海的內(nèi)室里盤桓，

We have lingered in the chambers of the sea

海女兒給我們戴上紅棕色海藻的花環(huán)，

By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown

等到被人間的噪音喚醒，我們就淹死。

Till human voices wake us, and we drown.