雙語詩歌·午夜霜

午夜霜

Frost at Midnight

柯爾律治

S. T. Coleridge

寒霜履行著它的秘密使命，

The frost performs its secret ministry,

不借助半絲風力。小鸮的叫聲

Unhelped by any wind. The owlet's cry

很尖厲——聽，又來了！跟上次一樣。

Came loud—and hark, again! loud as before.

我住的村舍里，大家全都安睡了，

The inmates of my cottage, all at rest,

把我留給了寂寞，寂寞，適宜于

Have left me to that solitude , which suits

更深的沉思：只是，在我的身旁，

Abstruser musings: save that at my side

我的嬰兒在襁褓里安然酣睡著。

My cradled infant slumbers peacefully.

真安靜！安靜到這樣，竟然能干擾、

Tis calm indeed! so calm, that it disturbs

能打斷我的冥想，由于那奇怪的、

And vexes meditation with its strange

極度的岑寂。大海，山岳，樹木，

And extreme silentness. Sea, hill, and wood,

人煙稠密的村莊！海岳，森林，

This populous village! Sea, and hill, and wood,

人世間無窮無盡的紛紜擾攘，

With all the numberless goings-on of life,

夢一樣悄無聲息！淡藍的輕焰

Inaudible as dreams! the thin blue flame

倚著將盡的爐火，一動也不動；

Lies on my low burnt fire, and quivers not;

只有那飄在爐柵上面的淡煙，

Only that film, which fluttered on the grate,

仍然裊動著，是唯一不知安靜的。

Still flutters there, the sole unquiet thing.

無聲的宇宙間，只有它在運動，而我

Methinks its motion in this hush of nature

依然清醒，它恰好與我相伴，

Gives it dim sympathies with me who live,

也許在暗地里與我交流感情，

Making it a companionable form,

閑游的精靈按照自己的心態(tài)

Whose puny flaps and freaks the idling Spirit

解釋淡煙的飄動和奇形怪狀，

By its own moods interprets , every where

到處尋覓自己的回聲和映象，

Echo or mirror seeking of itself,

憑遐想而逸興遄飛。

And makes a toy of Thought.

可是啊！多少次

But O! how oft,

我在學校里，總是深信不疑，

How oft, at school, with most believing mind,

有預感，我目不轉睛地望著門柵，

Presageful , have I gazed upon the bars,

等待那翩然而至的“來客”！多少次，

To watch that fluttering stranger! and as oft

盡管睜著眼，我已經入夢，夢見

With unclosed lids, already had I dreamt

可愛的故鄉(xiāng)，古老教堂的塔樓，

Of my sweet birth-place, and the old church-tower,

教堂的鐘聲，窮人唯一的音樂，

Whose bells, the poor man's only music, rang

在熙熙攘攘的趕集日，從早敲到晚，

From morn to evening, all the hot Fair-day,

悠揚動聽，縈繞我心頭，打動我，

So sweetly, that they stirred and haunted me

一種銷魂的喜悅，落上我耳膜，

With a wild pleasure, falling on mine ear

絕似清晰的嗓音預告著未來！

Most like articulate sounds of things to come!

我這樣凝視著，直到夢的慰藉

So gazed I, till the soothing things I dreamt

哄我入睡，而睡眠又延長了夢境！

Lulled me to sleep, and sleep prolonged my dreams!

第二天上午我依然神思恍惚，

And so I brooded all the following morn,

又怕見嚴峻導師的臉色，我眼睛

Awed by the stern preceptor's face, mine eye

做學習樣子，盯住晃動的課本：

Fixed with mock study on my swimming book:

只要教室門打開，我抓住機會

Save if the door half opened, and I snatched

急忙瞥一眼，我的心猛然跳起來，

A hasty glance , and still my heart leaped up,

因為我渴望看到“來客”的面貌，

For still I hoped to see the stranger's face,

老鄉(xiāng)，大媽，或更加親愛的姐姐——

Townsman, or aunt, or sister more beloved,

我的玩伴兒，我倆穿一樣的衣服！

My play-mate when we both were clothed alike!

親愛的寶寶，睡在我身旁襁褓里，

Dear Babe, that sleepest cradled by my side,

呼吸聲安恬，在這片深沉的寧靜中

Whose gentle breathings, heard in this deep calm,

聽得見，填補了我冥思遐想中

Fill up the interspersed vacancies

四散的空隙和片刻停頓的間歇！

And momentary pauses of the thought!

寶寶多漂亮！他使我心靈震顫，

My babe so beautiful! it thrills my heart

充盈著溫柔的喜悅，這樣看著你，

With tender gladness , thus to look at thee,

想你將學到多么不同的知識，

And think that thou shalt learn far other lore

在多么不同的場合！而我是成長在

And in far other scenes! For I was reared

大城市，關進了幽暗的修道院，除了

In the great city, pent 'mid cloisters dim,

天空和星星，見不到慈顏和笑容。

And saw nought lovely but the sky and stars.

而你呵，寶寶！你將如一朵輕風

But thou, my babe! shalt wander like a breeze

漫游過湖泊和沙岸，飄在古老的

By lakes and sandy shores, beneath the crags

崇山峻嶺下，托起洶涌的云浪，

Of ancient mountain, and beneath the clouds,

任滔滔云海變形為湖泊和沙岸，

Which image in their bulk both lakes and shores

或懸崖峭壁：于是你將會看見

And mountain crags : so shalt thou see and hear

美好的景象，會聽見明晰的聲音，

The lovely shapes and sounds intelligible

這些都源自上帝永恒的語言，

Of that eternal language, which thy God

上帝在永恒之上，教化萬物，

Utters, who from eternity doth teach

他在萬物中，萬物在他的心中。

Himself in all, and all things in himself.

宇宙的導師！他將鑄你的靈魂，

Great universal Teacher! he shall mould

給你以恩賜，也讓你提出請求。

Thy spirit, and by giving make it ask.

于是所有的季節(jié)對你都美好，

Therefore all seasons shall be sweet to thee,

無論是夏季，大地上郁郁蔥蔥，

Whether the summer clothe the general earth

或者換一個季節(jié)，知更鳥歌唱，

With greenness, or the redbreast sit and sing

在苔痕斑斑的蘋果樹禿枝上棲息，

Betwixt the tufts of snow on the bare branch

周圍是積雪，附近的屋檐在陽光下

Of mossy apple-tree, while the nigh thatch

解凍，冒水汽；無論是疾風暫歇，

Smokes in the sun-thaw; whether the eave-drops fall

這時才聽見檐水一聲聲滴落，

Heard only in the trances of the blast,

或者嚴霜的秘密使命把檐水

Or if the secret ministry of frost

掛起來，成為一條條無言的冰柱，

Shall hang them up in silent icicles,

向著寧靜的月亮寧靜地閃光。

Quietly shining to the quiet Moon.