雙語詩歌·愛情對學問

愛情對學問

Love versus Learning

康斯坦絲·內登

Constance C. W. Naden

康斯坦絲·內登（Constance C. W. Naden，1858-1889），英國女詩人。她早年曾學習植物學，相信以“科學打開詩歌”的信念，認為自然與物質世界為詩人提供了道德與詩之真實的新源泉。她對達爾文的進化論深感興趣，詩作幽默地傳播達爾文主義對人間事件的洞察力。她從達爾文的精神中不僅找到了對傳統(tǒng)宗教信仰的挑戰(zhàn)，找到了唯物主義的信條，而且還找到了一種詩歌語言。這種非正統(tǒng)的詩歌聲音打破了維多利亞女性詩歌的抒情模式。

??！倒下了，我的傲慢！

Alas, for the blight of my fancies !

啊，枯萎了，我的幻想！

Alas, for the fall of my pride!

憑著少女的滿腦子浪漫，

I planned, in my girlish romances,

我想做個哲學家的新娘。

To be a philosopher's bride.

我想象他既有學問又風趣，

I pictured him learned and witty ,

賢哲和愛人統(tǒng)一在一身，

The sage and the lover combined,

不會不屑于稱贊我美麗，

Not scorning to say I was pretty,

不僅僅愛慕我有的智性。

Nor only adoring my mind.

不是戴眼鏡的良師、老人家，

No elderly, spectacled Mentor,

但是會敬神，還會求婚；

But one who would worship and woo;

也許我可以找個發(fā)明家，

Perhaps I might take an inventor,

或者找一位詩人也行。

Or even a poet would do.

溫柔，熱情洋溢，有天賦，

And tender and gay and well-favoured,

命運終于把我追趕上：

My fate overtook me at last:

我見了，聽到了，我猶疑躊躇，

I saw, and I heard, and I wavered,

我笑了，自由已離開我身旁。

I smiled, and my freedom was past.

他保證愛我永遠不變心，

He promised to love me for ever,

他求我，我能有什么說辭？

He pleaded, and what could I say?

我想他必定是非常聰明，

I thought he must surely be clever,

因為他是個牛津的碩士。

For he is an Oxford M. A.

可是現(xiàn)在，我開始發(fā)現(xiàn)

But now, I begin to discover

我的憧憬被致命地毀損；

My visions are fatally marred;

把情郎視作至美和至善——

Perfection itself as a lover,

他既非賢哲也不是詩人。

He's neither a sage nor a bard.

他已經(jīng)掌握通常的知識，

He's mastered the usual knowledge,

又說這是可怕的麻煩事；

And says it's a terrible bore;

他在大學里擁有了學識，

He formed his opinions at college,

此外還需要思考什么事？

Then why should he think any more?

我講的道理他一概藐視，

My logic he sets at defiance ,

聲稱我學習拉丁文沒用處。

Declares that my Latin's no use,

一旦我講起科學知識，

And when I begin to talk Science

他稱我是頭乖乖小笨豬。

He calls me a dear little goose.

他說道我的嘴唇紅艷艷，

He says that my lips are too rosy

不宜讓僵死的語言出口，

To speak in a language that's dead,

一切沉悶又乏味的破爛

And all that is dismal and prosy

必須從明智的頭腦里趕走。

Should fly from so sunny a head.

他譏笑各種正經(jīng)的工作，

He scoffs at each grave occupation,

他用雙關語把一切回避；

Turns everything off with a pun;

他心中計算的唯一一件活，

And says that his sole calculation

就是怎樣把二變成一。

Is how to make two into one.

他說數(shù)學的運算沒定準，

He says Mathematics may vary,

又說幾何學已不再可靠。

Geometry cease to be true,

只是笑一笑輕微的奇想，

But scorning the slightest vagary

他繼續(xù)求婚，不屈又不撓。

He still will continue to woo.

他說太陽的運行會停下來，

He says that the sun may stop action,

但他不扭轉太陽的軌道；

But he will not swerve from his course;

因為他引力的法則是愛，

For love is his law of attraction,

而他的向心力則是微笑。

A smile his centripetal force.

他這樣變化多端真可怕，

His levity's truly terrific,

我時?？紤]我們得分手，

And often I think we must part,

可甜言蜜語是如此科學，

But compliments so scientific

又把我慌張的魂兒抓走。

Recapture my fluttering heart.

不過愛情和學問的沖突

Yet sometimes 'tis very confusing,

有時候真能把人搞糊涂——

This conflict of love and of lore—

可是聽！我只好停止思索，

But hark! I must cease from my musing,

因為他又在敲我的門戶！

For that is his knock at the door!