奥登翻译二首

李清

The Letter

From the very first coming down

Into a new valley with a frown

Because of the sun and a lost way,

You certainly remain: to-day

I, crouching behind a sheep-pen, heard

Travel across a sudden bird,

Cry out against the storm, and found

The year’s arc a completed round

And love’s worn circuit re-begun,

Endless with no dissenting turn.

Shall see, shall pass, as we have seen

The swallow on the tile, spring’s green

Preliminary shiver, passed

A solitary truck, the last

Of shunting in the Autumn. But now,

To interrupt the homely brow,

Thought warmed to evening through andthrough,

Your letter comes, speaking as you,

Speaking of much but not to come.

Nor speech is close nor fingers numb,

If love not seldom has received

An unjust answer, was deceived.

I, decent with the seasons, move

Different or with a different love,

Nor question overmuch the nod,

The stone smile of this country god

That never was more reticent,

Always afraid to say more than it meant.

《信》

最初的雨雪

落入陌生的山谷只需一颦

而因着太阳和一条迷失的道路，

你也将求索不息：今天

蹲在羊圈后面的我，倾听

穿梭而过的疾鸟，

呼喊着反对暴风雨，给

这年的弧度觅得一个完整的圆

令爱的疲惫轨道重新运行，

永久地，没有异议的旋转。

将出现的，也将消逝，就像我们瞧见

燕子返回了屋瓦，早春绿意的

初颤，驶过的

单独车厢，是最后的转轨在深秋。但此刻，

去遮挡住平庸的眉毛吧，

心思彻底地热衷于傍晚，

你的信来了，作为你来说，

谈到了很多，却又在敷衍我。

言语并不亲密，手指头却尚未麻木，

如果爱情常常得到不公的答复，

就是欺骗。我，为了适应这些时令，

逐渐变得不同并追随一种别致的情愫，

也没有过多的提问，而只是点头——

面带寂然微笑的自然之神

从未拥有更大的缄默，

总是害怕吐露的更多：比他示意的多

哪怕半分。

A Free One

Watch any day his nonchalant pauses,see

His dextrous handling of a wrap as he

Steps after into cars,the beggar's envy.

"There is a free one,"manysay,but err.

He is not that returning conqueror,

Nor ever the poles'circumnavigator.

But poised between shocking falls,onrazor-edge

Has taught himself this balancingsubterfuge

Of an accosting profile,an erect carriage.

The song,the varied action of the blood,

Would drown the warning from the iron wood,

Would cancel the inertia of the buried:

Travelling by daylight on from house tohouse

The longest way to an intrinsic peace,

With love's fidelity and with love'sweakness.

1929.3

《无处的人》

观察他无所事事时日里的停顿，或是

看，他款步而来钻入驾驶座，灵巧地

对付手中的墨西哥卷，乞讨者的羡妒。

“多么随心所欲！”人们说，但也未必。

他不是那个从战场上归来的征服者，

也不曾穿越两极，做一次环球旅行。

但在令人不齿的倾泻之前，紧要关头

教会了他保持克制的诡计，一旦它要

上前，就把蠢动的仪态消弭于无形。

这支歌，形形色色的血的哼唱，

将盖过铁树发出的告诫，

并撤销被埋葬者的惰性：

在日光下迁徙，挨家逐户地寻觅，

最漫长的道路通往那固有的安宁，

凭爱的忠贞，也凭爱的懦弱。