某晚當我外出散步

W.H.奧登

馬鳴謙、蔡海燕 譯

某晚當我外出散步，

在布里斯托爾街頭遛彎，

步行道上人群熙攘

恰似那豐收的麥田。

沿著漲潮的河道游走，

在鐵路拱橋的下面

我聽到戀人正唱著情歌：

“愛沒有止境終點。

"我愛你，親愛的，我將愛你

直到中國和非洲彼此會合

直到河流躍過了高山

而鮭魚跑到街上唱歌，

"我將永遠愛你，直到大海

被收起晾曬，海水也變干涸，

直到那天上的北斗七星

化身為嘎嘎尖叫的鵝。

"歲月會像兔子般逃走，

只因它們常駐我心懷

那古老世紀的花束，

和人世最初的愛。"

然而城里所有的座鐘

開始將樂聲持續奏響：

“哦，別讓時間欺騙你，

你無法征服時光。

“在噩夢的洞穴里

正義全然赤身裸體，

時間躲在陰影里監視

你若接吻就咳嗽示意。

“苦于頭痛和焦慮

生命似乎漸趨黯淡。

而時間自有其虛妄

無論明天或今天。

“那極其駭人的雪

飄進了青山翠谷；

時間打亂了弦歌曼舞

和跳水者美妙的弓步。

“哦，把你的手伸進水里，

一直伸到你的腕部，

看著，看著水池子

想想你已丟了什么。

“冰川在碗櫥里震響，

荒漠在床頭哀嘆，

而茶杯的裂縫，開啟了

通往死亡之地的航線。

“在那兒乞丐抽獎得了錢，

巨人對杰克著了迷，

純潔少年是個哮喘病人，

吉爾仰面跌倒在地。

“哦，看哪，看著鏡子，

哦，看著你的痛苦煩憂；

生活保留了一點幸運

雖然你無法祈求。

“哦，站著，站在窗前

當熱淚已情難自禁；

你該去愛你駝背的鄰人

用你那顆扭曲的心。“

天色已晚，夜正深沉，

戀人們已走遠；

時鐘停止了它們的奏鳴，

而深徹的河水奔涌向前。

As I Walked Out One Evening

by W. H. Auden

As I walked out one evening,

Walking down Bristol Street,

The crowds upon the pavement

Were fields of harvest wheat.

And down by the brimming river

I heard a lover sing

Under an arch of the railway:

'Love has no ending.

'I'll love you, dear, I'll love you

Till China and Africa meet,

And the river jumps over the mountain

And the salmon sing in the street,

'I'll love you till the ocean

Is folded and hung up to dry

And the seven stars go squawking

Like geese about the sky.

'The years shall run like rabbits,

For in my arms I hold

The Flower of the Ages,

And the first love of the world.'

But all the clocks in the city

Began to whirr and chime:

'O let not Time deceive you,

You cannot conquer Time.

'In the burrows of the Nightmare

Where Justice naked is,

Time watches from the shadow

And coughs when you would kiss.

'In headaches and in worry

Vaguely life leaks away,

And Time will have his fancy

To-morrow or to-day.

'Into many a green valley

Drifts the appalling snow;

Time breaks the threaded dances

And the diver's brilliant bow.

'O plunge your hands in water,

Plunge them in up to the wrist;

Stare, stare in the basin

And wonder what you've missed.

'The glacier knocks in the cupboard,

The desert sighs in the bed,

And the crack in the tea-cup opens

A lane to the land of the dead.

'Where the beggars raffle the banknotes

And the Giant is enchanting to Jack,

And the Lily-white Boy is a Roarer,

And Jill goes down on her back.

'O look, look in the mirror,

O look in your distress:

Life remains a blessing

Although you cannot bless.

'O stand, stand at the window

As the tears scald and start;

You shall love your crooked neighbour

With your crooked heart.'

It was late, late in the evening,

The lovers they were gone;

The clocks had ceased their chiming,

And the deep river ran on.

1884年4月19日，弗洛伊德寫信給未婚妻瑪莎·貝爾奈斯道：“除了你的明眸——這已能代表你的全部——之外，我親愛的，我會從你那里得到更多的幸福。”

原標題：《4月19日 | 奧登 · 某晚當我外出散步》

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