盛開在油墨香裏的康乃馨：喬叟的吉麗花

喬叟（Geoffrey Chaucer，約1343—1400）的《坎特伯雷故事集》
（The Canterbury Tales）裏有一篇《托帕斯爵士》（Sir Thopas），
隻講了200多行，就被作為故事裁判的旅店主人打斷，認為這種詩叫人
聽了膩煩，喬叟不得不講了另一個故事。

其實這個沒講完的故事影射了較深的文化含義，詩文裏還提到了
“吉麗花”，我將前小半段翻譯如下：

聽著，諸位，我會告訴你們一個，

關於祝福和快樂的真實故事；

他在戰鬥和比賽中，

是一個騎士和紳士。

他的名字叫托帕斯爵士。

Listeth, lordes, in good entent,

And I wol telle verrayment

Of mirthe and of solas;

Al of a knyght was fair and gent

In bataille and in tourneyment,

His name was sir Thopas.

（現代英文注釋：

Listen, lords, with good intent,

And I’ll tell you a true event,

Of bliss and happiness;

About a knight who was a gent,

In battle and in tournament.

His name was Sir Thopas.）

他出生在一個遙遠的國度，

大海另一端的，比利時，

在波珀林格鎮，

他的父親富有而自在，

是那個小鎮的君王，

在上帝的關照下統治該地區

Y-born he was in fer contree,

In Flaundres, al biyonde the see,

    At Popering, in the place;

His fader was a man ful free,

And lord he was of that contree,

    As it was Goddes grace.

（現代英文注釋：

He was born in a far country,

In Belgium, way beyond the sea,

    In the town of Poperinghe, where

His father was wealthy and free,

And was the king of that country,

Where he ruled in God’s care.）

托帕斯爵士健壯和得體，

皮膚如牙齒一般潔白，

    嘴唇像玫瑰一樣紅，

有著年輕人紅潤的肌膚，

而且-我要告訴你一個真相-

他的鼻子很俊俏。

（Sir Thopas wex a doghty swayn,

Whyt was his face as payndemayn,

    His lippes rede as rose;

His rode is lyk scarlet in grayn,

And I yow telle in good certayn,

    He hadde a semely nose.）

 （現代英文注釋：

Sir Thopas grew so strong and couth,

With pale skin as white as a tooth,

    And lips as red as a rose,

With skin the reddish color of youth

And—now I’ll tell you the truth—

A very handsome nose.）

他的頭發和胡須是火紅色的，

垂到了腰上。

    他的皮鞋來自西班牙。

而棕色襪子來自比利時；

他的長袍由無比華貴精致的

細線織成。

His heer, his berd was lyk saffroun,

That to his girdel raughte adoun;

    His shoon of Cordewane.

Of Brugges were his hosen broun,

His robe was of ciclatoun,

    That coste many a Iane.

（現代英文注釋：

His hair fell to his waist from his head;

That and his beard were firey red.

    His leather shoes were from Spain;

His brown socks from Belgium instead;

His robe made of very fine thread

Which was anything but mundane.）

他成日裏獵鹿

並喜歡手持獵鷹，

    在河邊打獵。

他是一個非常好的弓箭手

摔跤功夫無人能敵

這兩項運動他是這個地區最好的。

He coude hunte at wilde deer,

And ryde an hauking for riveer,

    With grey goshauk on honde;

Ther-to be was a good archeer,

Of wrastling was ther noon his peer,

   Ther any ram shal stonde.

（現代英文注釋：

He hunted deer in all weather,

And liked to hawk by the river,

    With his bird on his hand;

He was a very good archer

And at wrestling no one was better

He was the best in the land.）

年輕的姑娘們，夜晚躺在床上

都在渴望他，她們說，

    在任何時候都想和他做愛。

但他不想有婚前性行為；

他是如此甜蜜，如莓子花

結出的果實。

Ful many a mayde, bright in bour,

They moorne for him, paramour,

    Whan hem were bet to slepe;

But he was chast and no lechour,

And sweet as is the bremble-flour

    That bereth the rede hepe.

（現代英文注釋：

Young maidens, at night tucked in bed

Would yearn for him, they all said,

    To make love at all hours.

But he wouldn’t have sex while unwed;

He was so sweet, like the fruit that is shed

By the bramble flowers.）

然後，我說的全是真的，

有一天發生了一件事，

托帕斯騎馬兜風；

他的戰馬是灰色的

那天他帶著長矛，

他的劍垂在身邊。

And so bifel upon a day,

For sothe, as I yow telle may,

    Sir Thopas wolde out ryde;

He worth upon his stede gray,

And in his honde a launcegay,

    A long swerd by his syde.

（現代英文注釋：

Now, I’m not lying when I say,

That it so happened one day,

    Thopas went on a ride;

His war horse was the color gray,

And he brought his lance with him that day,

While his sword hung at his side.）

他至少穿過十個森林

裏麵有一百種野獸，

    包括兔子和鹿。

當他向東北方向騎行時，

憂愁無休無止，

嚴重困擾著他。

He priketh thurgh a fair forest,

Ther-inne is many a wilde best,

    Ye, bothe bukke and hare;

And, as he priketh north and est,

I telle it yow, him hadde almest

    Bitid a sory care.

（現代英文注釋：

He rode through ten forests at least,

Filled with a hundred kinds of beast,

    Including rabbits and deer.

And as he rode far north and east,

His troubles never once ceased,

And his hardship was severe.）

大朵小朵的春花，

田野裏大片的吉麗花（即康乃馨），

與甘草和薑，以及

肉豆蔻用來調酒 –

無論是啤酒還是葡萄酒的 —

吉麗花四處盛開。

Ther springen herbes grete and smale,

The lycorys and cetewale,

    And many a clowe-gilofre;

And notemuge to putte in ale,

Whether it be moyste or stale,

    Or for to leye in cofre.

（現代英文注釋：

The spring flowers great and small,

The licorice and ginger, and all

    Of the large fields of clove-gillyflowers,

And nutmeg to put in alcohol—

Whether in beer or wine for the fall—

    Were all blooming in droves.）

鳥兒們，包括麻雀和鸚鵡，

快樂地歌唱

如此悅耳。

槲鶇正在下蛋，

樹上成排的鳥兒

歌聲如此響亮和清澈。

The briddes singe, it is no nay,

The sparhauk and the papeiay,

    That Ioye it was to here;

The thrustelcok made eek his lay,

The wodedowve upon the spray

  She sang ful loude and clere.

(現代英文注釋：

The birds were singing so gay,

Including the sparrow and popinjay,

    That it was joyous to hear.

The missel thrush had eggs to lay,

And birds in the trees that lined the way

Sang so loud and clear.)

畫眉鳥的聲音出現了，

讓托帕斯產生了瘋狂的性欲。

他踢了一下馬肚並伴隨一聲吼叫，

馬兒飛奔起來。

身子兩側大汗淋淋；

你可以像擰濕毛巾一樣把它擰幹。

Sir Thopas fil in love-longinge

Al whan he herde the thrustel singe,

    And priked as he were wood:

His faire stede in his prikinge

So swatte that men mighte him wringe,

    His sydes were al blood.

(現代英文注釋：

The thrush’s song that did emerge,

Gave Thopas a crazy sex urge.

    He kicked and gave a yowl,

Which made the horse bolt with a surge.

On its flanks the sweat did converge;

You could’ve wrung him like a wet towel.)

打馬飛奔掠過森林

耗盡了托帕斯爵士的能量

他感到非常疲倦。

於是他停下馬休息，

躺在草地上不停出汗

那匹馬則自己找吃的。

Sir Thopas eek so wery was

For prikinge on the softe gras,

    So fiers was his corage,

That doun he leyde him in that plas

To make his stede som solas,

    And yaf him good forage.

(現代英文注釋：

Well Sir Thopas grew so tired,

From all that energy required,

    To race through the deep wood.

So he stopped his horse and retired,

Lay down in the grass and perspired,

    While the horse ate what it could.)

他哭訴著：“聖母瑪麗亞，請救救我！

愛情讓我蠢蠢蠕動

使我不潔！

昨晚我做了一個夢

見到了一副很朦朧的畫麵：

我和一個精靈女王發生了肉體關係！

‘O seinte Marie, benedicite!

What eyleth this love at me

    To binde me so sore?

Me dremed al this night, pardee,

An elf-queen shal my lemman be,

    And slepe under my gore.

(現代英文注釋：

He cried, “Saint Mary, please help me!

Love has made me all squirmy

    It has made me unclean!

Last night as I slept so dreamy

I pictured something so steamy:

    Me having sex with an elf-queen!)

“我發誓，我隻會和精靈女王睡覺！

其他的女人都配不上我，

    精靈女王似乎

     無以倫比。

除了夢中的那個

我拒絕和其他女人

搞外遇！”

An elf-queen wol I love, y-wis,

For in this world no womman is

Worthy to be my make

             In toune;

Alle othere wommen I forsake,

And to an elf-queen I me take

    By dale and eek by doune!’

 (現代英文注釋：

“I’ll sleep with an elf-queen, you’ll see!

No other is good enough for me,

    The elf-queen’s without compare

            it seems.

I refuse to have an affair

With any other women out there,

    Except the one in my dreams!”)

這是故事的第一部分，托帕斯爵士決定愛上夢中的精靈女王。然後
他在林子裏不停地尋找她，遇到了一個名叫奧利潘特爵士（Sir Oliphaunt，
即大象爵士，Sir Elephant）的巨人。由於忘記帶盔甲，他無法與其
作戰，隻好狼狽逃脫。詩行裏野生的吉麗花（clowe-gilofre,
即clove-gillyflowers）是風味獨特的康乃馨，與甘草、薑和肉豆蔻用
來調啤酒和葡萄酒。

故事的第二部分，托帕斯爵士回到鎮上，受到民眾的款待，他找回了盔甲。
故事的第三部分，喬叟對托帕斯爵士的壯舉作了曲折的敘述，但主持人
打斷了他，說這個故事不好聽。

   （吉麗花即康乃馨）

《托帕斯爵士》大大地諷刺了當時流行於英國的浪漫主義作品。
浪漫主義（Romance）文學體裁最早起源於法國，起初以詩歌形式表
達，後出現在散文中。到了14世紀，浪漫主義已在法國和德國式微，
但這些舊題材又在英格蘭被翻炒，重新改編加工，以適應不同讀者
的口味。故事中的男主人公通常為騎士，身懷一個或多個任務，
任務之一就是解救陷於困境中的少女，而後兩人擦出愛的火花等。
英雄救美的情節中包含了魔術等元素，如巫師或魔法物品，還要與
怪獸和巨人搏鬥等。此類文學作品基本涉及三個大背景：羅馬主題
（The Matter of Rome），圍繞亞曆山大大帝（Alexander the Great）
的生平展開；法國主題（The Matter of France），圍繞查理曼大帝、
羅蘭和聖騎士展開；英國主題（The Matter of Great Britain），
圍繞亞瑟王、圓桌騎士以及聖杯搜尋展開。浪漫主義故事通常由吟
遊詩人通過說唱形式傳達給觀眾，喬叟便采用相同的文學題材，以
幽默詼諧的語言嘲諷了騎士文學。

首先，喬叟給故事的男主人公起了一個很女性化的名字“托帕斯”
（Thopas），Thopas的諧音為Topaz，即今人熟知的托帕石，是一種
無色透明的大型石英結晶體礦物。有多種色彩，屬於中檔寶石，中國
古人稱其“黃玉”。歐洲女性通常佩戴托帕石以示貞潔，Thopas是
當時流行的女性名字。給一個騎士取名“托帕斯”，表明這是一個
相當女性化的騎士，與浪漫主義小說中的英雄形象的期待值相悖。

其次，一係列的描述表明了托帕斯爵士是不完美的騎士典範。
“ fer contree”（far country 遙遠的國度）與Flandres 
（法蘭德斯，比利時西部的一個地區）自相矛盾，十四世紀的倫敦人
無法將比利時視為遙遠或爛漫的國度。波珀林格鎮 （ Popernyng）
是一個以精美服裝和優質梨而聞名的小鎮。 在中世紀，服裝業被
認為是專門為女性服務的行業，梨的外形酷似女性的外陰，而且
托帕斯是那個小鎮的統治者，更加彰顯了他的女性魅力。喬叟在
形容托帕斯的外表時，女性化的特征也很明顯。“His rode is 
lyk scarlet in grayn”（rode 在現代英文裏是“complexion”
膚色的意思，rode一詞專門用來形容女人的膚色的），“semely nose ”
（俊俏的鼻子）也是用來形容女性的。在中世紀，人們普遍認為可以
從一個人的身體特征看出他（她）的性格特征，喬叟形容托帕斯爵士
“嘴唇像玫瑰一樣紅”，“有著年輕人紅潤的肌膚”，“
鼻子很俊俏”等，分明是在寫一個俏女子。

再看看他的裝束：紅發及腰，精美昂貴的皮鞋、棕色襪子和長袍，
完全不是一副外出冒險的行頭。乍一看，托帕斯可能仍然具有某些素質，
使他適合當騎士，因為他是個好弓箭手，摔跤功夫無人能及。但令聽眾
失望的是，射箭並不是一項騎士技藝，更像是一位好農夫必須掌握的
本領。摔跤也是一項低下階層的運動。

種種因素綜合考慮，喬叟分明一開始就把騎士托帕斯爵士當成一個
笑話來寫，托帕斯的一切想法和行為也是荒誕可笑的。他愛上的是
夢中的精靈女王，現實中根本不存在，他卻在林中不停地尋找，因為
忘記帶盔甲，在遇到巨人時無法與之交戰，隻能落荒而逃。

通篇行文流利，語調詼諧幽默，充滿了荒唐細節，感覺說故事的人
一邊說故事，一邊現編，漫不經心的，整個故事是個爛攤子，表示
對騎士文學的不屑態度。