英美詩啥玩意

英國詩人丁尼生《悼念集》(In Memoriam A.H.H.)No. 54-56 (下)

(本集音檔直接由《英美詩朗讀賞析》課程系列轉錄。本節目由教育部贊助,崇光社區大學執行。) 英國十九世紀詩人丁尼生的代表作《悼念集》(In Memoriam A.H.H.),由131首詩組成,是他最著名的代表作之一。這首長詩以十七年的時間,紀錄在痛失摯友後的沉痛心情,真實而感人。除了記述詩人哀痛到療癒的心路歷程,也談及當下人心的許多問題:如上帝與自然善、與惡、生與死的關係等,而其核心主題-科學發展和宗教信仰的權衡,見證了進化論興起時代的信仰危機。英國國民詩人丁尼生,以詩歌的形式,為民眾和自己尋找「信仰」的終極答案。 本集談論丁尼生這部組詩中最著名的其中三首。 Canto 54 Oh, yet we trust that somehow good Will be the final end of ill, To pangs of nature, sins of will, Defects of doubt, and taints of blood; 無論懷疑的缺陷、血的污跡 自然的劇痛、意志的罪惡; 我們相信:不管如何 惡最終將達到善的目的地, That nothing walks with aimless feet; That not one life shall be destroy'd, Or cast as rubbish to the void, When God hath made the pile complete; 相信天下事都有目標 當上帝造物之時, 沒有一條生命會被摧毀, 或被當作垃圾投到虛空; That not a worm is cloven in vain; That not a moth with vain desire Is shrivell'd in a fruitless fire, Or but subserves another's gain. 相信沒有一條蟲被白白劈開, 沒有一隻飛蛾徒然追求 在無意義的火焰中燃燒,皺起, 或替別人贏得好處。 Behold, we know not anything; I can but trust that good shall fall At last—far off—at last, to all, And every winter change to spring. 看哪,我們什麼都不懂。 我只希望善終降臨, 在遙遠的未來,降臨眾生, 而每一個冬天都將化為春天。 So runs my dream: but what am I? An infant crying in the night: An infant crying for the light: And with no language but a cry. 我這樣夢著,但我是何人?—— 一個嬰兒在黑夜裡哭喊, 一個嬰兒把光明呼喚, 沒有語言,而唯有哭聲。 Canto 55 The wish, that of the living whole No life may fail beyond the grave, Derives it not from what we have The likest God within the soul? 我們總希望有生之物 在死後生命也停不下來, 這不是來自我們心底—— 靈魂中最像上帝之處嗎? Are God and Nature then at strife, That Nature lends such evil dreams? So careful of the type she seems, So careless of the single life; 上帝和自然是否有所衝突? 因為自然傳達的全是惡夢, 她似乎很喜歡物種, 而對於個別的生命沒那麼在乎, That I, considering everywhere Her secret meaning in her deeds, And finding that of fifty seeds She often brings but one to bear, 於是我到處探索、琢磨 她行為中的隱秘暗示, 我發現在五十顆種子裡 她通常只負載一個, I falter where I firmly trod, And falling with my weight of cares Upon the great world's altar-stairs That slope thro' darkness up to God, 我在我穩定踏步之處蹣跚搖晃, 焦慮的重壓使我傾倒, 登不上偉大世界的祭壇之階, 在黑暗中向上帝登攀, I stretch lame hands of faith, and grope, And gather dust and chaff, and call To what I feel is Lord of all, And faintly trust the larger hope. 我伸出傷殘的信仰之手,黑暗中探索 收集塵土與糠秕, 呼喚那我覺得是上帝的東西 而模糊地相信最終的希望。 Canto 56 "So careful of the type?" but no. From scarped cliff and quarried stone quarry She cries, "A thousand types are gone: I care for nothing, all shall go. 「關心物種嗎?」不! 自然從岩層和化石中呼喊: 「已絕滅了千千萬萬, 我全不在乎,一切都要結束。