英國 A. E. 豪斯曼原著
Alfred Edward Housman (1859 – 1936)
徐家禎翻譯
The end of the year fell chilly
Between a moon and a moon;
Thorough the twilight shrilly
The bells rang, ringing no tune.
The windows stained with story,
The walls with miracle scored,
Were hidden for gloom and glory
Filling the house of the Lord.
Arch and aisle and rafter
And roof-tree dizzily high
Were full of weeping and laughter
And song and saying good-bye.
There stood in the holy places
A multitude none could name,
Ranks of dreadful faces
Flaming, transfigured in flame.
Crown and tiar and mitre
Were starry with gold and gem;
Christmas never was whiter
Than fear on the face of them.
In aisles that emperors vaulted
For a faith the world confessed,
Abasing the Host exalted,
They worshipped towards the west.
They brought with laughter oblation;
They prayed, not bowing the head;
They made without tear lamentation,
And rendered me answer and said:
„O thou that seest our sorrow,
It fares with us even thus:
To-day we are gods, to-morrow
Hell have mercy on us.
„Lo, morning over our border
From out of the west comes cold;
Down ruins the ancient order
And empire builded of old.
„Our house at even is queenly
With psalm and censers alight:
Look thou never so keenly
Thou shalt not find us to-night.
„We are come to the end appointed
With sands not many to run:
Divinities disanointed
And kings whose kingdom is done.
„The peoples knelt down at our portal,
All kindreds under the sky;
We were gods and implored and immortal
Once; and to-day we die.”
They turned them again to their praying,
They worshipped and took no rest
Singing old tunes and saying
„We have seen his star in the west,”
Old tunes of the sacred psalters,
Set to wild farewells;
And I left them there at their altars
Ringing their own dead knells.
年終時天寒地凍,
夾在兩個圓月之中;
刺耳的聲音響徹整個黃昏,
那是不成調地敲打的鍾。
窗戶上描繪著故事,
牆上刻畫著奇跡,
在陰暗的光線中模糊不清,
榮耀充滿主的屋裏。
拱門、通道和角櫞,
還有大梁都高得令人目眩,
歌聲與道別聲,
還有哭泣和笑聲充斥其間。
在神聖的地方站著一大群人,
誰都不知道他們的姓名,
一排排令人敬畏的臉孔,
在火光中發光、變形。
王冠、冠冕、僧帽,
綴著閃亮的黃金和珠寶;
他們的臉害怕得發白,
連白色的聖誕節都比不了。
在帝王為世界公認的教義
而建造的拱形通道裏,
他們輕視高舉雙臂的主持人,
麵朝著西方膜拜如儀。
他們嬉笑著作奉獻,
他們祈禱,卻不低下頭;
他們哀悼,卻不掉眼淚,
他們給我答案,並開了口:
“哦,您看見我們的憂傷,
即使在此憂傷還與我們一起:
今天我們是神,
而明天,求地獄賜予我們仁慈。
“啊,黎明越過我們國界,
從西方到來寒冷而冰涼;
降落到古老法規與帝國
以前建立起來的廢墟上。
“我們的屋子今晚莊嚴崇高,
頌歌響亮,香煙繚繞:
您從未如此熱心尋找,
可今晚您不會將我們找到。
“我們已經到了指定的時間,
沙漏裏的沙子已流剩不多:
聖者失去了神聖的尊號,
國王已經失去他的王國。
“蒼穹之下來自各種宗族的人們,
都跪拜在我們的門堂;
我們以前曾是受崇拜的永生之神,
今天卻都會死亡。”
他們轉身再一次祈禱,
他們一次次膜拜從不間斷,
唱著古老的曲調並且說道:
“我們看見了他的星座在西方出現。”
用古老曲調唱吟的詩篇,
引來了告別聲一片喧嚷,
我讓他們留在神壇上,
將他們自己的喪鍾敲響。
二0二二年六月三日
譯於澳大利亞刻來佛寺愛閑堂