讀《雪夜林邊》(Robert Frost)
文章來源: texasredneck2011-03-31 13:34:12
讀《雪夜林邊》(Robert Frost)

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound\'s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

這首詩讓我想起了王維,用字淺顯,幾乎在白描景物。然而最後四句最妙,突然拔高,有了無限深遠的意境。

詩中作者在一個萬籟無聲的大雪的黑夜,突然在林邊停下,隻為在The darkest evening of the year(一年中最漆黑的一天),To watch his woods fill up with snow。這一句翻譯有點困難,fill up 的基本意思是填滿,with有動態的意思,直譯應該是看大雪慢慢地把樹林填滿,顯然不好,我不知道怎麽譯。

最後幾句的理解恐怕我跟有些人不同,如果And miles to go before I sleep(在我沉睡之前,還有很長的一段路要走),這裏的沉睡,一般都認為暗喻死亡,那麽The woods are lovely, dark and deep的woods,也是指死亡,它可以讓你擺脫人世間的種種煩惱,不幸,而進入永恒的平靜,這難道不是lovely,難道還有什麽比死亡更dark和deep嗎?
然而不行,But I have promises to keep(但我還有一些承諾要完成),因此我還有很長的一段路不得不走。

一般總把黑暗暗喻死亡,其實在我看來白雪更像。恐怕是我生長在南方,雖然每年能見到雪,卻總是短暫。
初雪的時候最美,潔白無瑕,無聲無息地滿天落下,蓋住一切醜陋,隻是一片純潔透明。如果能看到雪中的日出朝霞,那就是最美的了。
接下來就不行了,雪一化,更是泥濘肮髒,行走都困難。人生,初戀好像都是如此,恐怕又有人說我悲觀了。

我們都是白雪,會消失無蹤,都恐怕最後會變成肮髒的塵土,就像尼采所說,生命不過是通向死亡的一座橋,一個短暫的過程。然而,在這之前,我們是是不是 都have promises to keep(有一些承諾要完成),那是什麽呢?
我們能做到嗎?