奥登两首

喜子

Epitaph on a Tyrant

Perfection, of a kind, was what he was after,
And the poetry he invented was easy to understand;
He knew human folly like the back of his hand,
And was greatly interested in armies and fleets;
When he laughed, respectable senators burst with laughter,
And when he cried the little children died in the streets.

– W. H. Auden

暴君的墓志铭

十全十美，那一种，他极力模仿的，
以及诗歌，那他所创作都易通易俗；
他认为人类愚昧，如他无所知一样，
还全身心着迷于军团和舰队的指挥；
他狂笑时，名望的参院们纵情大笑，
他哭泣时，小孩子们悲死在街道上。

W.H.奥登


The More Loving One

by W. H. Auden


Looking up at the stars, I know quite well
That, for all they care, I can go to hell,
But on earth indifference is the least
We have to dread from man or beast.

How should we like it were stars to burn
With a passion for us we could not return?
If equal affection cannot be,
Let the more loving one be me.

Admirer as I think I am
Of stars that do not give a damn,
I cannot, now I see them, say
I missed one terribly all day.

Were all stars to disappear or die,
I should learn to look at an empty sky
And feel its total dark sublime,
Though this might take me a little time.


那更爱的人

仰望星辰，我十分了然的是
旁人的闲言碎语，足令我跌入万丈深渊
但毕竟漠然是极少数的
我们不得不恐惧着人与兽。

我们该怎么办？会是这样么？
星星为我们燃烧激情，我们却无以回报
如果两情不能相悦，
就让我成为那更爱的人。

我想我是那些超脱的
星星的崇拜者，
我不能，此刻注视它们，说
我整日都在要命地思念谁

如果所有的星星都消失殆尽，
我会试着盯着空荡荡的天空
感受它的完整、漆黑、庄重，
即使这会花费我一点点时间。