Rhapsody On A Windy Night
by T. S. Eliot
请跟英语兔我一起读:
Twelve o'clock.
十二点.
Along the reaches of the street
顺着街道触及的各个地方,
Held in a lunar synthesis,
在月光笼罩的合成作用里,
Whispering lunar incantations
月的咒语低吟细说,
Dissolve the floors of memory
消融了一层层记忆
And all its clear relations,
和它清晰的脉络,
Its divisions and precisions,
它的分列及它的精确.
Every street lamp that I pass
每一盏路过的街灯,
Beats like a fatalistic drum,
忽明忽暗, 像是敲击着一面宿命的鼓.
And through the spaces of the dark
而穿越那黑洞洞的空间,
Midnight shakes the memory
午夜摇撼着记忆,
As a madman shakes a dead geranium.
好似个疯子, 摇撼一株死了的天竺葵.
——————————
Half-past one,
一点半,
The street lamp sputtered,
路灯噗噗的闪着,
The street lamp muttered,
路灯喃喃的讲着,
The street lamp said, "Regard that woman
路灯讲, "瞧那女人
Who hesitates towards you in the light of the door
在门缝透出的光里犹豫着朝你走来.
Which opens on her like a grin.
那道门在她身上打开的光亮像是咧嘴一笑.
You see the border of her dress
你看她的裙摆,
Is torn and stained with sand,
粘着沙土而破烂,
And you see the corner of her eye
你再看她的眼角,
Twists like a crooked pin."
褶皱像枚扭曲的别针."
——————————
The memory throws up high and dry
记忆高高抛起
A crowd of twisted things;
一群干枯扭曲了的东西
A twisted branch upon the beach
沙滩上一根扭曲的树枝
Eaten smooth, and polished
被吞噬冲刷的光滑
As if the world gave up
好像世界袒露了
The secret of its skeleton,
它骷髅骨架的秘密
Stiff and white.
僵直而发白.
A broken spring in a factory yard,
工厂院子里一根断了的弹簧
Rust that clings to the form that the strength has left
锈迹斑斑缠紧了那具不再有力的躯体
Hard and curled and ready to snap.
硬而卷曲, 随时会折断
——————————
Half-past two,
两点半
The street lamp said,
路灯说
"Remark the cat which flattens itself in the gutter,
"瞧那只趴在阴沟里的猫
Slips out its tongue
伸出舌头
And devours a morsel of rancid butter."
吞食着一小块发臭的黄油"
So the hand of a child, automatic,
于是一个孩子的手, 机械地抽出
Slipped out and pocketed a toy that was running along the quay.
把一个沿码头滚动的玩具装进口袋
I could see nothing behind that child's eye.
那孩子的眼神背后我什么也看不见
I have seen eyes in the street
我曾看见那街道上一双双眼
Trying to peer through lighted shutters,
从百叶窗后的灯光里试探着朝外望着
And a crab one afternoon in a pool,
又有只午后池塘里的蟹
An old crab with barnacles on his back,
一只背着甲壳的老螃蟹
Gripped the end of a stick which I held him.
钳紧了我伸出的那根棍的尾巴
——————————
Half-past three,
三点半
The lamp sputtered,
路灯噗噗的响着,
The lamp muttered in the dark.
路灯喃喃的在黑暗里讲着.
——————————
The lamp hummed:
路灯哼唱着:
"Regard the moon,
看那月亮,
La lune ne garde aucune rancune,
此月亮乃不记旧账,
She winks a feeble eye,
她有气无力的眨着眼睛,
She smiles into corners.
她微笑着照进旮旯角落
She smoothes the hair of the grass.
她理顺了草的头发
The moon has lost her memory.
这月亮已经失忆
A washed-out smallpox cracks her face,
黯淡的天花疹坼裂了她的脸
Her hand twists a paper rose,
她的手折捻着一朵纸做的玫瑰
That smells of dust and old Cologne,
它散发着灰尘和陈旧古龙水的味道
She is alone
她独自一人
With all the old nocturnal smells
种种昔日夜的气氛
That cross and cross across her brain."
一抹一抹抹过她的脑海
The reminiscence comes
回忆浮现了出来
Of sunless dry geraniums
那太阳下干枯的天竺葵
And dust in crevices,
及缝隙里的尘埃
Smells of chestnuts in the streets,
及街道上板栗的香味
And female smells in shuttered rooms,
及百叶窗后屋里女人的气息
And cigarettes in corridors
及走道里的烟味
And cocktail smells in bars.
及酒吧里鸡尾酒的酒味.
——————————
The lamp said,
路灯说,
"Four o'clock,
四点整,
Here is the number on the door.
这里是门上的号码牌.
Memory!
记忆！
You have the key,
你有那把钥匙,
The little lamp spreads a ring on the stair,
小小的灯在楼梯上散开一环光晕,
Mount.
爬.
The bed is open; the tooth-brush hangs on the wall,
床已铺好；牙刷挂在墙上,
Put your shoes at the door, sleep, prepare for life."
把你的鞋放在门口, 睡吧, 准备生活.
——————————
The last twist of the knife.
最后一次刀光一扭.
