忒綠的博客
你的生活中有詩嗎？
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
《J.阿爾弗瑞德.普魯弗洛克的情歌》
BY T. S. ELIOT
作者簡介：托馬斯·斯特爾那斯·艾略特（Thomas Stearns Eliot，1888年9月26日-1965年1月4日）（通稱T·S·艾略特），英國詩人、劇作家和文學批評家，詩歌現代派運動領袖。 出生於美國密蘇裏州的聖路易斯。 代表作品有《荒原》、《四個四重奏》等。1927年，艾略特加入英國國籍。1943年結集出版的《四個四重奏》使他獲得了1948年度諾貝爾文學獎。晚年致力於詩劇創作。1965年艾略特在倫敦逝世。
這首詩發表於1915年。模仿了法國象征派詩人儒爾·拉夫格的風格，具有很濃的諷刺意味。
中文翻譯：忒綠
S'io credesse che mia risposta fosse
A persona che mai tornasse al monda,
Questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse.
Ma perciocche giammai di questo fondo
Non torno vivo alcun, s'i'odo il vero,
Senza tema d'infamia ti rispondo.
如果我相信我的回答
被回到這個世界的任何人聽見，
這個火焰將立即靜止不會再動彈。
可是因為沒人能夠從地獄的深淵
活著重返人間，如果我所聽到的是真，
我回答你就不再害怕被詛咒誣陷。
1 Let us go then, you and I,
那麽我們走吧，你和我
2 When the evening is spread out against the sky
正是傍晚夜色彌散漫布天廓
3 Like a patient etherized upon a table;
象一個病人麻醉在手術台上；
4 Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
我們走吧，穿過一些半荒廢的街區，
5 The muttering retreats
變得模糊低語
6 Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
躁動不安的夜休棲在廉價的一夜旅店
7 And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
還有滿是牡蠣貝殼的鋸末飯館：
8 Streets that follow like a tedious argument
前麵的街好似一場單調的爭辯
9 Of insidious intent
並且意圖陰險
10 To lead you to an overwhelming question ...
把你引向一個無法回避的疑問…
11 Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”
哦，不要問，“它是什麽？”
12 Let us go and make our visit.
走吧我們上門請教。
13 In the room the women come and go
屋子裏女人們進出穿梭
14 Talking of Michelangelo.
正談到了米開朗基羅。
15 The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,
黃霧在玻璃窗上磨蹭著它的背，
16 The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes,
黃煙在玻璃窗上磨蹭著它的嘴，
17 Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,
它伸舌舔向了黑夜的角角落落，
18 Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
徘徊在了下水道溝池的上麵，
19 Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,
從煙囪飄下的煙灰掉落在它背上，
20 Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,
滑下了露台，作了一個突然的上跳，
21 And seeing that it was a soft October night,
因為知道這是個溫和十月的夜晚
22 Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.
又在房子附近盤旋了一陣，然後睡著。
23 And indeed there will be time
是的確實還會有時間
24 For the yellow smoke that slides along the street,
給沿街滑行的黃煙，
25 Rubbing its back upon the window-panes;
在玻璃窗上磨蹭著它的背；
26 There will be time, there will be time
還會有時間，還會有時間
27 To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
來準備一張臉去見你須見的一張張臉；
28 There will be time to murder and create,
還會有時間殺戮與冊封，
29 And time for all the works and days of hands
也有時間打理所有手頭的活計與日子
30 That lift and drop a question on your plate;
就這樣拿起一個疑問又丟在你的餐盤；
31 Time for you and time for me,
有時間給你也有時間給我，
32 And time yet for a hundred indecisions,
還有時間給無數的猶豫不定，
33 And for a hundred visions and revisions,
以及無數的憧憬與修訂，
34 Before the taking of a toast and tea.
在用些茶點之前。
35 In the room the women come and go
屋子裏女人們進出穿梭
36 Talking of Michelangelo.
正談到了米開朗基羅。
37 And indeed there will be time
是的確實還會有時間
38 To wonder, "Do I dare?" and, "Do I dare?"
遲疑自問，“我敢不敢？”，我敢不敢？”
39 Time to turn back and descend the stair,
是時候該轉身走下台階，
40 With a bald spot in the middle of my hair --
由於頭發中央有一塊禿斑- -
41 (They will say: 'How his hair is growing thin!")
（他們會說：“他的頭發怎麽變稀！”
42 My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,
我的早禮服，領子貼著下頜立起，
43 My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by simple pin --
我的領帶顯得富貴得體，卻配了一個簡易的領帶夾子- -
44 (They will say: "But how his arms and legs are thin!")
（他們會說：“不過他的四肢怎麽那麽細！”）
45 Do I dare
我敢不敢
46 Disturb the universe?
攪亂這個宇宙？
47 In a minute there is time
一分鍾裏也有時間
48 For decisions and
revisions which a minute will reverse.
決定和修訂會在一分鍾內反轉。
49 For I have known them all already, known them all--
因為我已經完全了解了他們，完全了解了他們- -
50 Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,
已經了解了這些夜晚，早晨，下午，
51 I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;
我已用咖啡湯匙測出我生命的長度；
52 I know the voices dying with a dying fall
我知道這些聲音正在死亡伴隨一個正在死亡的落體
53 Beneath the music from a farther room.
在遠處房間傳來的音樂下麵。
54 So how should I presume？
那麽我該如何擅自行事？
55 And I have known the eyes already, known them all- -
我還已經了解了這些眼睛，完全了解了他們- -
56 The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase,
這些眼睛將你固定在僵化狀態，
57 And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin,
我被固化，並鋪展開來掛上釘子，
58 When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,
我被掛上釘子在牆上不停扭動，
59 Then how should I begin
那麽我該如何開始
60 To spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways?
吐出我行我素的煙蒂？
61 And how should I presume?
那麽我該如何擅自行事？
62 And I have known the arms already, known them all--
我也已經了解了他們的手臂，完全了解了他們-
63 Arms that are braceleted and white and bare
這些手臂佩戴手鐲膚白又赤裸
64 (But in the lamplight, downed with light brown hair!)
在燈光下，卻可見淡棕色汗毛！）
65 Is it perfume from a dress
這是誰的禮服上的香水如此
66 That makes me so digress?
分散我的注意力？
67 Arms that lie along a table, or wrap about a shawl.
扶在桌子上，或者圍著披肩的這些手臂。
68 And should I then presume?
那麽我就應該擅自行事嗎？
69 And how should I begin?
我又該如何開始？
70 Shall I say, I have gone at dusk through narrow streets
我該不該說，我已在黃昏穿過窄巷
71 And watched the smoke that rises from the pipes
看到從煙袋管子裏冒出的煙
72 Of lonely men in shirt-sleeves, leaning out of windows?…
噙著煙袋的孤獨男人們隻穿著衫袖，俯身探出窗外？…
73 I should have been a pair of ragged claws
我應該成為一雙粗糙的爪子
74 Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.
匆匆穿過沉默的海底。
75 And the afternoons, the evening, sleeps so peacefully!
於是這些下午、這個晚上， 非常平靜地睡覺！
76 Smoothed by long fingers,
被纖長的手指撫平，
77 Asleep . . . tired . . . or it malingers,
昏沉…疲乏…或者它裝病，
78 Stretched on the floor, here beside you and me.
在地板上伸懶腰，過來靠著你和我。
79 Should I, after tea and cakes and ices,
我可否，用過茶和蛋糕和冰之後，
80 Have the strength to force the moment to its crisis?
有力量驅使這個時刻去麵對它的危機？
81 But though I have wept and fasted, wept and prayed,
可是盡管我已哭泣著禁食，哭泣著祈禱，
82 Though I have seen my head (grown slightly bald) brought in upon a platter,
盡管我已看見我的頭（些許變禿）放在一個淺盤，
83 I am no prophet--and here's no great matter;
我並非先知- -所以這裏也沒有大事出現；
84 I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,
我已看到我的偉大閃爍的瞬間，
85 And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker,
我還看到永恒的神仆拿著我的外套，竊笑滿臉，
86 And, in short, I was afraid.
那麽，就簡單地說吧，我怕了。
87 And would it have been worth it, after all,
那麽如果它一直值得這樣，在這一切之後，
88 After the cups, the marmalade, the tea,
在品嚐了紅酒，果醬，茶飲之後，
88 Among the porcelain, among some talk of you and me,
瓷器裏，你和我的交談裏，
90 Would it have been worth while,
如果它一直值得，
91 To have bitten off the matter with a smile,
去用一個微笑讓痛苦少些，
92 To have squeezed the universe into a ball
去把宇宙壓縮成小球
93 To roll it towards some overwhelming question,
把它推向某個無法回避的疑問，
94 To say: "I am Lazarus, come from the dead,
去說： “我是拉紮勒斯，來自死亡，
95 Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all"--
回來告訴你們，我將告訴你們”- -
96 If one, setting a pillow by her head,
如果有人，在她的頭旁邊放個枕頭，
97 Should say: "That is not what I meant at all;
說：“那根本不是我的本意；
98 That is not it, at all."
那不是，根本不是。
99 And would it have been worth it, after all,
那麽它是否一直值得這樣，在這一切之後，
100 Would it have been worth while,
它是否一直值得，
101 After the sunsets and the dooryards and sprinkled streets,
在日落和前院和灑過水的街道之後，
102 After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor--
在小說之後，茶盞之後，拖地長裙之後- -
103 And this, and so much more?--
以及這個，還有更多？--
104 It is impossible to say just what I mean!
說這正是我本意是不可能的！
105 But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen:
但是好像一盞魔燈把神經圖案投影在銀屏：
106 Would it have been worth while
如果它一直值得
107 If one, setting a pillow or throwing off a shawl,
如果有人，擺放一個枕頭或者扔掉披肩，
108 And turning toward the window, should say:
並轉向窗戶，說：
109 "That is not it at all,
“那根本不是它，
110 That is not what I meant at all."
那根本不是我本意.”
111 No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;
不！我不是王子哈姆雷特，也無意成為他；
112 Am an attendant lord, one that will do
就做個侍臣，這個差事可以
113 To swell a progress, start a scene or two,
去充個場麵，應個景，
114 Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool,
侍應王子；一個好使的工具，
115 Deferential, glad to be of use,
恭敬的， 樂意為人所用，
116 Politic, cautious, and meticulous;
明智的，謹慎的，一絲不苟；
117 Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse;
都是高級語言，但有些晦澀難懂；
118 At times, indeed, almost ridiculous—
有時候，確實，幾乎是荒謬滑稽- -
119 Almost, at times, the Fool.
幾乎，有時候，是個愚者。
120 I grow old ... I grow old ...
我漸漸變老 … 我漸漸變老 …
121 I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.
我會把褲腿卷好。
122 Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?
我可不可以把後麵的頭發往前梳？我敢不敢吃桃子？
123 I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
我要在海灘上漫步，穿著白色法蘭絨褲子。
124 I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.
我已經聽到美人魚在歌唱，一對一。
125 I do not think that they will sing to me.
我覺得她們不會唱給我聽。
126 I have seen them riding seaward on the waves
我已經看見她們乘著波浪遊進大海
127 Combing the white hair of the waves blown back
梳理著回流波浪的白發
128 When the wind blows the water white and black.
當風吹海水黑白變化。
129 We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
我們纏綿在海的宮殿
130 By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown
戴著紅棕雙色海草的海女們陪伴身旁
131 Till human voices wake us, and we drown.
直到被人類的聲音喚醒，於是我們溺亡。
參考文獻：
https://genius.com/Ts-eliot-the-love-song-of-j-alfred-prufrock-annotated
