英國 A. E. 豪斯曼原著
Alfred Edward Housman (1859 – 1936)
徐家禎翻譯
Onward led the road again
Through the sad uncoloured plain
Under twilight brooding dim,
And along the utmost rim
Wall and rampart risen to sight
Cast a shadow not of night,
And beyond them seemed to glow
Bonfires lighted long ago.
And my dark conductor broke
Silence at my side and spoke,
Saying, „You conjecture well:
Yonder is the gate of hell.”
Ill as yet the eye could see
The eternal masonry,
But beneath it on the dark
To and fro there stirred a spark.
And again the sombre guide
Knew my question, and replied:
„At hell gate the damned in turn
Pace for sentinel and burn.”
Dully at the leaden sky
Staring, and with idle eye
Measuring the listless plain,
I began to think again.
Many things I thought of then,
Battle, and the loves of men,
Cities entered, oceans crossed,
Knowledge gained and virtue lost,
Cureless folly done and said,
And the lovely way that 1ed
To the slimepit and the mire
And the everlasting fire.
And against a smoulder dun
And a dawn without a sun
Did the nearing bastion loom,
And across the gate of gloom
Still one saw the sentry go,
Trim and burning, to and fro,
One for women to admire
In his finery of fire.
Something, as I watched him pace,
Minded me of time and place,
Soldiers of another corps
And a sentry known before.
Ever darker hell on high
Reared its strength upon the sky,
And our footfall on the track
Fetched the daunting echo back.
But the soldier pacing still
The insuperable sill,
Nursing his tormented pride,
Turned his head to neither side,
Sunk into himself apart
And the hell-fire of his heart.
But against our entering in
From the drawbridge Death and Sin
Rose to render key and sword
To their father and their lord.
And the portress foul to see
Lifted up her eyes on me
Smiling, and I made reply:
„Met again, my lass,” said I.
Then the sentry turned his head,
Looked, and knew me, and was Ned.
Once he looked, and halted straight,
Set his back against the gate,
Caught his musket to his chin,
While the hive of hell within
Sent abroad a seething hum
As of towns whose king is come
Leading conquest home from far
And the captives of his war,
And the car of triumph waits,
And they open wide the gates.
But across the entry barred
Straddled the revolted guard,
Weaponed and accoutred well
From the arsenals of hell;
And beside him, sick and white,
Sin to left and Death to right
Turned a countenance of fear
On the flaming mutineer.
Over us the darkness bowed,
And the anger in the cloud
Clenched the lightning for the stroke;
But the traitor musket spoke.
And the hollowness of hell
Sounded as its master fell,
And the mourning echo rolled
Ruin through his kingdom old.
Tyranny and terror flown
Left a pair of friends alone,
And beneath the nether sky
All that stirred was he and I.
Silent, nothing found to say,
We began the backward way;
And the ebbing lustre died
From the soldier at my side,
As in all his spruce attire
Failed the everlasting fire.
Midmost of the homeward track
Once we listened and looked back;
But the city, dusk and mute,
Slept, and there was no pursuit.
道路繼續往前延伸,
穿過一片平原淒慘而混蒙;
在蒼茫的暮色下模糊昏暗,
沿著極目遠望的地緣,
在眼前出現了城牆和堡壘,
投射出一片陰影而非夜之所為;
建築物背後似乎有光亮閃耀,
那是很久以前點燃的篝火在燃燒。
我陰沉的向導走在我身邊,
他打破沉默開口發言:
“你的猜測真的很神:
那邊正是地獄之門。”
眼睛幾乎無法看清,
這座永恒的石頭大門,
可是在門下黑暗之中,
有一顆火星來回在動。
陰鬱的向導再次知道我的問題,
於是開口為我解惑答疑:
“在地獄門口受罰的魂靈
要輪流被焚燒並到門口執勤。”
注視著鉛色的蒼天,
我隻見模糊不清的一片,
倦怠的眼睛打量的大地無精打采,
我重新開始思考起來。
許多事情出現在我腦海,
戰鬥,以及人類之愛,
還有越過的海洋,到過的城廓,
獲得的知識,失去的美德,
無法彌補的愚蠢言行,
以及高尚的應付世情,
都將我引到汙坑和泥沼,
還被永恒的火焰焚燒。
在慢火焚燒的焦黑色灰堆上
出現了沒有太陽的曙光,
城堡隱隱約約地臨近,
穿過暮氣沉沉的大門,
還能看見那來回走動的哨兵,
全身焚燒著,卻穿著齊整,
這種火焰色彩的服裝,
最會受到女人的欣賞。
當我看著他來回踱步的瞬間,
讓我想起某個時間和地點,
另一個兵團的那些戰士,
以及一個哨兵我以前認識。
地獄更為黑暗的陰影高高升起,
朝著天空釋放它的氣力;
我們走在路上的腳步聲,
響起了讓人震驚的回音。
可是那哨兵不動聲色、舉止自如,
在不可逾越的門檻之前踱步;
他正在培養被折磨拷打的自豪,
眼睛往前注視,頭兩邊都不搖。
他專心致誌隻關注著自身,
地獄之火正在燒灼他的內心。
我們剛要跨過那座吊橋,
死神和罪孽站起來阻擾,
他們把寶劍和鑰匙,
交給他們的的父親和主子。
那個髒兮兮的女看守員,
抬起眼皮朝我看了一眼,
我微笑著跟她搭腔:
“又見麵了,我的姑娘。”
那位哨兵轉過頭來看我,
認出了我,原來他是乃德。
他一看見我,就筆直地停佇,
用背脊把大門抵住,
舉起毛瑟槍頂在下巴上,
地獄裏就像蜂窩一樣,
從裏麵傳出熱鬧的嗡嗡之聲,
猶如國王回到了家門,
從遠方帶回戰利品,
還有一群俘虜的士兵,
凱旋的車輛正在等待,
他們把大門全都打開。
可是在柵欄擋住的進口,
叛逆的士兵叉開雙腿防守,
他武器優良,彈藥充足,
全來自地獄的兵庫;
罪孽在他左邊,死亡在他右邊,
麵色蒼白,病容滿臉,
對著反叛的火焰熊熊,
顯出一副恐懼的麵容。
在我們的頭頂,黑暗低垂,
憤怒之情充塞著雲堆,
屏住將要射出的閃電,
可是,叛兵的毛瑟槍發了言。
當地獄之主倒下的時候,
空蕩蕩的地獄發出了巨吼,
在他古老王國的廢墟上,
翻滾著哀悼之聲的回響,
暴政與恐懼逃之夭夭,
留下一對朋友不傷毫毛,
在冥界的天空之下,
還有生氣的僅剩我與他。
無話可說,沉默無言,
我們開始往原路回返;
在我身邊的士兵,
身上暗淡的光彩已經褪盡,
他那套華麗的服裝,
也失去了永恒之火的華光。
在回家的半路上,
我們停下聽了聽,回頭望了望,
隻見城裏薄暮冥冥,一片寂靜,
就像已經入睡,後麵也無追兵。
二0二二年六月六日
譯於澳大利亞刻來佛寺愛閑堂