英国 A. E. 豪斯曼原著
Alfred Edward Housman (1859 – 1936)
徐家祯翻译
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.
年终时天寒地冻,
夹在两个圆月之中;
刺耳的声音响彻整个黄昏,
那是不成调地敲打的钟。
窗户上描绘着故事,
墙上刻画着奇迹,
在阴暗的光线中模糊不清,
荣耀充满主的屋里。
拱门、通道和角橼,
还有大梁都高得令人目眩,
歌声与道别声,
还有哭泣和笑声充斥其间。
在神圣的地方站着一大群人,
谁都不知道他们的姓名,
一排排令人敬畏的脸孔,
在火光中发光、变形。
王冠、冠冕、僧帽,
缀着闪亮的黄金和珠宝;
他们的脸害怕得发白,
连白色的圣诞节都比不了。
在帝王为世界公认的教义
而建造的拱形通道里,
他们轻视高举双臂的主持人,
面朝着西方膜拜如仪。
他们嬉笑着作奉献,
他们祈祷,却不低下头;
他们哀悼,却不掉眼泪,
他们给我答案,并开了口:
“哦,您看见我们的忧伤,
即使在此忧伤还与我们一起:
今天我们是神,
而明天,求地狱赐予我们仁慈。
“啊,黎明越过我们国界,
从西方到来寒冷而冰凉;
降落到古老法规与帝国
以前建立起来的废墟上。
“我们的屋子今晚庄严崇高,
颂歌响亮,香烟缭绕:
您从未如此热心寻找,
可今晚您不会将我们找到。
“我们已经到了指定的时间,
沙漏里的沙子已流剩不多:
圣者失去了神圣的尊号,
国王已经失去他的王国。
“苍穹之下来自各种宗族的人们,
都跪拜在我们的门堂;
我们以前曾是受崇拜的永生之神,
今天却都会死亡。”
他们转身再一次祈祷,
他们一次次膜拜从不间断,
唱着古老的曲调并且说道:
“我们看见了他的星座在西方出现。”
用古老曲调唱吟的诗篇,
引来了告别声一片喧嚷,
我让他们留在神坛上,
将他们自己的丧钟敲响。
二0二二年六月三日
译于澳大利亚刻来佛寺爱闲堂