雙語詩歌·挖　掘

挖　掘

Digging

謝默斯·希尼

Seamus Heaney

謝默斯·希尼（Seamus Heaney，1939-　），二十世紀中后期北愛爾蘭的杰出詩人。生于北愛爾蘭的德里郡。60年代，希尼成為貝爾法斯特詩人群中最令人矚目的一位。早期詩作反映了他早年在北愛爾蘭的鄉(xiāng)村生活，他以不多的詞匯，沉默的氣氛，白描的手法繪出一幅幅質樸的自然圖景，其中有勞作的農(nóng)民，有田里的硬土，有雪橇，有耙子，有泥鏟……詩風樸實、直白、真實。希尼后來的詩作內容廣泛，反映了人們的政治活動和宗教斗爭，并在詩中探索語言背后的文化、歷史及政治的內涵。

在我的食指和拇指之間

Between my finger and my thumb

擱著一支矮墩墩的鋼筆；安恬如一支手槍。

The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.

我的窗下，鐵鍬插進滿含沙礫的泥土，

Under my window, a clean rasping sound

發(fā)出清晰的刮擦聲：

When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:

我爸正在挖掘。我向下看，

My father, digging. I look down

看到他繃緊的腰臀在花畦間

Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds

彎下又伸直，花了二十年時間，

Bends low, comes up twenty years away

穿過土豆壟溝有節(jié)奏地俯身又俯身，

Stooping in rhythm through potato drills

他是在挖掘。

Where he was digging.

粗笨的靴子踏在柄上，長把兒

The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft

靠緊膝部內側，被他使勁地撬動著。

Against the inside knee was levered firmly.

他把表層厚土連根鏟掉，把锃亮的鍬刃

He rooted out tall tops, buried the bright edge deep

深深地插進去，撥撒新生的土豆，我們揀起來，

To scatter new potatoes that we picked

放在手里，喜愛那又涼又硬的玩意兒。

Loving their cool hardness in our hands.

天哪！老爺子真能使鐵鍬，

By God, the old man could handle a spade.

正像他的上一輩老爺子一樣。

Just like his old man.

我爺爺一天挖的泥炭

My grandfather cut more turf in a day

在托納泥炭沼里比任何漢子挖的都多。

Than any other man on Toner's bog.

有一回我給他送去一瓶牛奶，

Once I carried him milk in a bottle

瓶口亂塞著紙團。他直起身子

Corked sloppily with paper. He straightened up

把牛奶喝光，馬上又干起來，

To drink it, then fell to right away

干凈利落地把泥炭截短，切成小塊，

Nicking and slicing neatly, heaving sods

把草泥拋在肩后，向下呀再向下，

Over his shoulder, going down and down

尋找優(yōu)質泥炭。挖掘。

For the good turf. Digging.

土豆地里冷的氣味，潮濕泥炭的

The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap

嘎吱聲和噼拍聲，鍬刃在活土豆根上

Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge

短促的切割聲在我頭腦里覺醒。

Through living roots awaken in my head.

但我沒有鐵鍬跟著他們那樣的人干。

But I've no spade to follow men like them.

在我的食指和拇指之間

Between my finger and my thumb

擱著一支矮墩墩的鋼筆。

The squat pen rests.

我要用它挖掘。

I'll dig with it.