The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock 阿爾弗瑞德 普魯弗洛克的情歌
阿爾弗瑞德普魯弗洛克的情歌
T.S. Eliot
T S 艾略特
Let us go then, you and I,
那么我們走吧，我們一起，
When the evening is spread out against the sky
此時(shí)黃昏正在延展，擁向天際
Like a patient etherized upon a table ;
像麻醉的病人躺在手術(shù)臺(tái)上;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
我們走吧，穿過一些半冷清的街，
The muttering retreats
那兒休憩的場所正人聲喋喋;
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
有夜夜不寧的便宜歇夜旅店
And sawdust restaurants with oyster shells:
露天的餐館里牡蠣殼遍地，
Streets that follow like a tedious argument
街連著街，好像一場冗長的爭議
Of insidious intent
懷著陰險(xiǎn)的目的
To lead you to an overwhelming question ...
要把你引向一個(gè)重大的問題……
Oh,do not ask, "What is it?”
哦，別問“是什么?”
Let us go and make our visit.
讓我們?nèi)プ咴L一遍。
In the room the women come and go
客廳里女人來來回回穿梭，
Talking of Michelangelo.
正在談?wù)撝组_朗基羅
The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window panes,
黃色的霧在窗玻璃上擦著它的背，
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window panes
黃色的煙在窗玻璃上擦著它的嘴,
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,
它的舌頭伸進(jìn)黃昏的角落，舔過以后
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
就在干涸的水池上面徘徊。
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,
讓煙囪里的煙灰落在它的脊背，
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,
滑過斜坡地，驀然一躍，
And seeing that it was a soft October night,
發(fā)現(xiàn)正值溫柔的十月夜晚，
Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.
于是在房屋附近蜷伏起來，安然睡覺。
And indeed there will be time
嗬，確實(shí)，總會(huì)有時(shí)間
For the yellow smoke that slides along the street,
看黃色的煙沿著街滑行，
Rubbing its back upon the window panes;
在窗玻璃上擦著它的背;
There will be time, there will be time
總會(huì)有時(shí)間，總會(huì)有時(shí)間
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
準(zhǔn)備一副面容去會(huì)見你見的那個(gè)人;
There will be time to murder and create,
總會(huì)有時(shí)間去謀殺，去創(chuàng)新，
And time for all the works and days of hands
有時(shí)間去做天天的手頭活計(jì);
That lift and drop a question on your plate;
在你的茶盤上提起或放下一個(gè)問題;
Time for you and time for me,
有的是時(shí)間，無論你，無論我，
And time yet for a hundred indecisions,
還有的是時(shí)間猶豫一百遍，
And for a hundred visions and revisions,
有時(shí)間幻想一百遍，修正一百遍，
Before the taking of a toast and tea.
然后再去吃茶點(diǎn)。
In the room the women come and go
客廳里女人來來回回穿梭，
Talking of Michelangelo.
正在談?wù)撝组_朗琪羅
And indeed there will be time
嗬，確實(shí)，總還有時(shí)間
To wonder, "Do I dare?" and, “Do I dare?”
來疑問，“我可有勇氣?” “我可有勇氣?”
Time to turn back and descend the stair,
總還有時(shí)間來轉(zhuǎn)身走下樓梯，
With a bald spot in the middle of my hair—
把一塊禿頂暴露給人去注意一
[They will say, “How his hair is growing thin!” ]
(她們會(huì)說：”他的頭發(fā)長得真稀! )
My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,
我的晨禮服，挺立到下巴的衣領(lǐng)，
My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin—
我的領(lǐng)帶雅致而多彩，用簡樸別針固定——
[They will say, "But how his arms and legs are thin!"]
(她們會(huì)說：”但他的手臂和腿瘦骨伶仃! ”)
Do I dare
我可有勇氣
Disturb the universe?
撹亂這個(gè)宇宙?
in a minute there is time
在一分鐘里總還有時(shí)間
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.
決定和變卦，過一分鐘還可推翻。
For I have known them all already, known them all—
因?yàn)槲乙呀?jīng)熟悉了她們，并且了如指掌——
Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,
熟悉了那些黃昏，和上下午的情景，
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;
我是用咖啡匙子量出了我的生命;
I know the voices dying with a dying fall
我知道每當(dāng)隔壁響起了咅樂
Beneath the music from a farther room.
話聲就逐漸低微而至停歇。
So how should I presume?
所以我怎么敢提出?
And I have known the eyes already, known them all—
而且我已熟悉那些眼睛，熟悉了一切——
The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase,
那些用一句公式化的成語把你釘住的眼睛，
And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin,
當(dāng)我被公式化了，在釘針下趴伏，
When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,
當(dāng)我被釘著在墻壁上掙扎，
Then how should I begin
那么我將如何開始
To spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways?
吐出我一生歲月習(xí)慣中所有的殘?jiān)?
And how should I presume?
因此我該怎樣冒昧提起?
And I have known the arms already, known them all—
而且我已經(jīng)熟悉那些胳膊，熟悉了一切——
Arms that are braceleted and white and bare
那些胳膊戴著鐲子，又袒露又白凈
[But in the lamplight, downed with light brown hair!]
(可是在燈光下，顯得淡褐色毛茸茸!)
Is it perfume from a dress
是否由于衣裙的香氣
That makes me so digress?
使得我這樣話離本題?
Arms that lie along a table, or wrap about a shawl.
那些手臂橫放在桌上，或用披巾卷起。
And should I then presume?
那時(shí)候我該提出嗎?
And how should I begin?
可是我怎么開口?
Shall I say, I have gone at dusk through narrow streets
我是否說，黃昏時(shí)穿過幾條小街,
And watched the smoke that rises from the pipes
看到孤獨(dú)的男子只穿著襯衫
Of lonely men in shirt-sleeves, leaning out of windows? ...
倚在窗口，煙斗里冒著裊裊的煙?···
I should have been a pair of ragged claws
我倒不如做一對(duì)粗俗的蟹爪
Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.
匆匆爬過靜寂的海底。
And the afternoon, the evening, sleeps so peacefully!
啊，那下午，那黃昏，睡得多平靜!
Smoothed by long fingers,
被纖長的手指輕輕撫愛，
Asleep... tired ...or it malingers,
睡了···疲倦了···或者佯裝有病，
Stretched on the floor, here beside you and me.
躺在地板上，就在你我腳邊伸開。
Should I, after tea and cakes and ices
是否我，在用過茶、糕點(diǎn)和冷飲以后，
Have the strength to force the moment to its crisis?
我是否有勇氣把這一刻推向緊要關(guān)頭?
But though I have wept and fasted, wept and prayed,
然而，盡管我曾哭泣齋戒，哭泣祈禱，
Though I have seen my head [ grown slightly bald ] brought in upon a platter
盡管我看見我的頭(有點(diǎn)禿頂)用盤子端過來，
I am no prophet —and here's no great matter;
我不是先知——這也不值得大驚小怪;
I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,
我曾看到我偉大的時(shí)刻在動(dòng)搖，
And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker
我曾看到那永恒的”侍者”拿著我的外衣暗笑,
And in short, I was afraid.
簡而言之，我感到害怕。
And would it have been worth it, after all,
而且，歸根到底，那是否值得，
After the cups, the marmalade, the tea,
在用過茶點(diǎn)，吃過果醬以后，
Among the porcelain, among some talk of you and me,
在杯盤中間，當(dāng)人們談著你和我，
Would it have been worth while,
是不是值得以一個(gè)微笑
To have bitten off the matter with a smile,
把這件事情一□啃掉，
To have squeezed the universe into a ball
把整個(gè)宇宙壓縮成一個(gè)球，
To roll it toward some overwhelming question,
使它滾向一個(gè)重大的問題，
To say, "I am Lazarus, come from the dead
說道：”我是拉撒路，從死人那里
Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all"—
來報(bào)一個(gè)信，我要告訴你們一切”——
If one, settling a pillow by her head,
萬一她拿個(gè)枕頭墊在腦下，
Should say: "That is not what I meant at all.
竟然說：”那根本不是我的意思。
That is not it, at all."
不是的，那根本不是。”
And would it have been worth it, after all,
那么，歸根到底，是不是值得，
Would it have been worth while,
是否值得在那許多次夕陽以后，
After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets
在庭院的散步和水淋過街道以后，
After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor-
在讀小說以后，在飲茶以后，在長裙拖過地板以后——
And this, and so much more?—
說這些，和許多許多事情?——
It is impossible to say just what I mean!
但不可能真正說出我的意圖!
But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen :
仿佛有盞神燈把神經(jīng)活動(dòng)圖投射到屏幕上：
Would it have been worth while
是否值得，
If one, settling a pillow or throwing off a shawl,
假如 她在頭下墊個(gè)枕頭，脫去披風(fēng)，
And turning toward the window, should say:
把頭轉(zhuǎn)向窗戶，說道
"That is not it at all,
”不是的，根本不是，
That is not what I meant, at all."
那根本不是我的意思。”
No! I am not Prince Hamlet, or was meant to be;
不!我不是哈姆雷特王子，也無此意;
Am an attendant lord one that will do
我只是個(gè)侍從爵士，能逢場作戲，
To swell a progress, start a scene or two,
能為一兩個(gè)景開場，
Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool,
或?yàn)橥踝映鲋饕猓?就夠好的了;
Deferential, glad to be of use,
無非是順手的工具，
Politic, cautious, and meticulous;
恭恭敬敬，樂于聽人使喚，
Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse
滿□高調(diào)，但有點(diǎn)愚鈍不靈利;
At times, indeed, almost ridiculous —
有時(shí)，幾乎實(shí)在滑稽可笑——
Almost, at times, the Fool.
有時(shí)，近乎一個(gè)丑角。
I grow old... I grow old...
嗬，我變老了···我變老了···
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.
我將要把我的褲腳邊卷起。
Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?
我是否把頭發(fā)從后面分開?我可敢吃桃?
I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
我將要穿上白色法蘭絨褲，去海濱漫步。
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.
美人魚在對(duì)歌，她們的歌聲我已聽到。
I do not think that they will sing to me.
但我想她們不是唱給我聽。
I have seen them riding seaward on the waves
我已經(jīng)看到她們乘著波浪游向海里，
Combing the white hair of the waves blown back
梳理著被沖回的浪濤白頭，
When the wind blows the water white and black.
當(dāng)海風(fēng)把海水刮得黑白交加。
We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
我們?cè)诤m中流連忘返，
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown
水仙子用紅褐水草把大海裝飾如此美麗，
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.
一旦被人聲喚醒，我們就淹死。
