The Nightingale and the Rose
—By Oscar Wilde
But the Nightingale understood the secretof the Student’s sorrow, and she sat silent in the oak-tree, and thought aboutthe mystery of Love.
Suddenly shespread her brown wings for flight, and soared into the air. She passed throughthe grove like a shadow and like a shadow she sailed across the garden.
In the center of the grass-plot wasstanding a beautiful Rose-tree, and when she saw it she flew over to it, andlit upon a spray.
"Give me a red rose," shecried, "and I will sing you my sweetest song."
But the Tree shook its head.
"My roses are white," itanswered; "as white as the foam of the sea, and whiter than the snow uponthe mountain. But go to my brother who grows round the old sun-dial, andperhaps he will give you what you want."
So the Nightingale flew over to theRose-tree that was growing round the old sun-dial.
"Give me a red rose," shecried, "and I will sing you my sweetest song."
But the Tree shook its head.
"My roses are yellow," itanswered; "as yellow as the hair of the mermaiden who sits upon an amberthrone, and yellower than the daffodil that blooms in the meadow before themower comes with his scythe. But go to my brother who grows beneath theStudent’s window, and perhaps he will give you what you want."
So the Nightingale flew over to theRose-tree that was growing beneath the Student’s window.
"Give me a red rose," shecried, "and I will sing you my sweetest song."
But the Tree shook its head.
"My roses are red," itanswered, "as red as the feet of the dove, and redder than the great fansof coral that wave and wave in the ocean-cavern. But the winter has chilled myveins, and the frost has nipped my buds, and the storm has broken my branches,and I shall have no roses at all this year."
"One red rose is all I want,"cried the Nightingale, "only one red rose! Is there no way by which I canget it?"
"There is a way," answered theTree; "but it is so terrible that I dare not tell it to you."
"Tell it to me," said theNightingale, "I am not afraid."
"If you want a red rose," saidthe Tree, "you must build it out of music by moonlight, and stain it withyour own heart’s blood. You must sing to me with your breast against a thorn.All night long you must sing to me, and the thorn must pierce your heart, andyour life-blood must flow into me veins, and become mine."
"Death is a great price to pay for ared rose," cried the Nightingale, "and Life is very dear to all. Itis pleasant to sit in the green wood, and to watch the Sun in his chariot of gold, and the Moon in her chariot of pearl. Sweet is the scentof the hawthorn, and sweet are the bluebells that hide in the valley, and theheather that blows on the hill. Yet love is better than Life, and what is theheart of a bird compared to the heart of a man?"
So she spread her brown wings for flight,and soared into the air. She swept over the garden like a shadow, and like ashadow she sailed through the grove.
The youngStudent was still lying on the grass, where she had left him, and the tearswere not yet dry in his beautiful eyes.
精美中文
然而夜莺了解那青年烦恼里的秘密，她静坐在橡树枝上细想“爱”的玄妙。
忽然她张起棕色的双翼，冲天的飞去。她穿过那树林如同影子一般，如同影子一般的，她飞出了花园。
草地当中站着一株艳美的玫瑰树，她看见那树，向前飞去落在一枝枝头上。她叫道，“给我一朵鲜红玫瑰，我为你唱我最婉转的歌。”
可是那树摇头。
“我的玫瑰是白的，”那树回答她，“白如海涛的泡沫，白过山颠上积雪。请你到古日晷旁找我兄弟，或者他能应你所求。”
于是夜莺飞到日晷旁边那丛玫瑰上。
她又叫道，“给我一朵鲜红玫瑰，我为你唱最醉人的歌。”
可是那树摇头。
“我的玫瑰是黄的，”那树回答她，“黄如琥珀座上人鱼神的头发，黄过割草人未割以前的金水仙。请你到那边青年窗下找我兄弟，或者他能应你所求。”
于是夜莺飞到青年窗下那丛玫瑰上。
他仍旧叫道，“给我一朵鲜红玫瑰，我为你唱最甜美的歌。”
可是那树摇头。
那树回答她道，“我的玫瑰是红的，红如白鸽的脚趾，红如海底岩下扇动的珊瑚。但是严冬已冻僵了我的血脉，寒霜已啮伤了我的萌芽，暴风已打断了我的枝干，今年我不能再开了。”
夜莺央告说，“一朵红玫瑰就够了。只要一朵红玫瑰！请问有甚法子没有？”
那树答道，“有一个法子，只有一个，但是太可怕了，我不敢告诉你。”
“告诉我吧，”夜莺勇敢地说，“我不怕。”
那树说道，“你若要一朵红玫瑰，你需在月色里用音乐制成，然后用你自己的心血染她。你需将胸口顶着一根尖刺，为我歌唱。你需整夜的为我歌唱，那刺需刺入你的心头，你生命的血液得流到我的心房里变成我的。”
夜莺叹道，“拿死来买一朵红玫瑰，代价真不小，谁的生命不是宝贵的，坐在青郁的森林里，看太阳在黄金车里，月亮在白珠辇内驰骋，真是一桩乐事。山楂花的味儿真香，山谷里的吊钟花和山坡上的野草真美。然而‘爱’比生命更可贵，一个鸟的心又怎能和人的心比？”
忽然她张起棕色的双翼，冲天的飞去。她穿过那花园如同影子一般，她荡出了那树林子。
那青年仍旧僵卧在草地上，方才她离去的地方，他那付秀眼里的泪珠还没有干。
用户评论