試譯希尼的《鐵匠鋪》

我所知道的是一道通向黑暗的門。

外麵，生鏽的舊軸和鐵環;

裏麵，鐵錘碰擊鍛砧發出的短高音，

無法預料的扇形火花

或新蹄鞋在水中變硬時的嘶嘶聲。

鍛砧該放在中央某處，

一端像獨角獸的犄角，四方形，

固定不動：一座祭台

在那裏，他在叮當聲中揮臂鍛造成型。

有時腰圍皮革裙，鼻有茸毛，

他斜靠門框探著身子，在車流穿行的路上

回想馬蹄的得得聲;

然後咕噥著走進去，輕敲重擊

鼓動風箱，打出真鐵。

The Forge

by Seamus Heaney

 

All I know is a door into the dark.

Outside, old axles and iron hoops rusting;

Inside, the hammered anvil’s short-pitched ring,

The unpredictable fantail of sparks

Or hiss when a new shoe toughens in water.

The anvil must be somewhere in the centre,

Horned as a unicorn, at one end and square,

Set there immoveable: an altar

Where he expends himself in shape and music.

Sometimes, leather-aproned, hairs in his nose,

He leans out on the jamb, recalls a clatter

Of hoofs where traffic is flashing in rows;

Then grunts and goes in, with a slam and flick

To beat real iron out, to work the bellows.

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