当你老了______叶芝
袁可嘉译
当你老了,头白了,睡意昏沉,
炉火旁打盹,请取下这部诗歌,
慢慢读,回想你过去眼神的柔和,
回想它们昔日浓重的阴影;
多少人爱你青春欢畅的时辰,
爱慕你的美丽,假意或真心,
只有一个人爱你那朝圣者的灵魂,
爱你衰老了的脸上痛苦的皱纹;
垂下头来,在红光闪耀的炉子旁,
凄然地轻轻诉说那爱情的消逝,
在头顶的山上它缓缓踱着步子,
在一群星星中间隐藏着脸庞。
──1893
It was many and many a year ago
In a kingdom by the sea
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of ANNABEL LEE
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be oved by me.
She was a child and I was a child
In this kingdom by the sea
But we loved with a love that was more than love
I and my Annabel Lee
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.
And this was the reason that long ago
In this kingdom by the sea
A wind blew out of a cloud by night
Chilling my Annabel Lee
So that her high-born kinsman came
And bore her away from me
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.
The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,
Went envying her and me
Yes that was the reason (as all men know In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of a cloud chilling And killing my Annabel Lee.
But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we
Of many far wiser than we-
And neither the angels in Heaven above
Nor the demons down under the sea
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee
For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee
And the stars never rise but I see the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride,
In her sepulchre there by the sea
In her tomb by the side of the sea.
Edgar Allan Poe
(1809-1849)
Write by Edgar Allan Poe
久很久以前,在一个滨海的国度里,
住着一位少女你或许认得,她的名字叫做 Annabel Lee.
这少女的生活里没有其他的愿望,她生来只为与我相爱
那时候我还是个孩子,她也未脱稚气,在这个滨海的国度里
我们的爱超越一切,无人能及——我和我的Annabel Lee.
我们爱得那样深,就连天上第一等的六翼天使也把我们嫉妒。
然而这就是那不幸的根源,在这个古老的滨海国度,
深夜里一阵寒风从云端吹起,冻僵了我的Annabel Lee.
于是那些出身高贵的天使来到凡间
把她从我的身边夺去,将她关进一座坟墓,就在这滨海的国度里
天使们的快乐还不及我们一半 于是他们把我们嫉妒
是的——就是这个缘故 谁不晓得呢
那来自天际的寒风 在这无尽的深夜里再次袭来 他冻死了我的Annabel Lee.
可是我们的爱无比坚强 无论是与我们的长辈相比 还是与那些更聪明的人相比/
无论是飞翔在天堂的天使 还是游荡在海底的鬼蜮
都永远不能把我们的灵魂分离 我和我美丽的Annabel Lee.
因为月亮的每一丝光华都令我回忆起我梦里的Annabel Lee.
因为星星的每一次闪烁都令我看到了我美丽的Annabel Lee.
我亲爱的 我亲爱的 我的生命 我的新娘
伴着那海浪的潮汐声声 我整夜整夜地躺在你的身边
就在那翻滚呼啸的海浪边际 就在你的坟墓里
这首诗是爱伦坡的为了纪念他的亡妻弗吉尼亚.克莱姆Virginia Clemm,作者在诗里也理想化了他的妻子,这首诗被认为是爱伦坡抒情诗的巅峰之作。我国清末的著名文人辜鸿铭认为,除了这首《安娜贝尔.李》以外,美国便没有什么诗了。虽然观点有点偏颇,但可见Annabel Lee的魅力了。爱伦坡这些最简单的语言传达了他最真挚的感情,在我看来,苏东坡的《江城子—乙卯正月二十日夜记》的意境倒和Annabel Lee颇为相似:
十年生死两茫茫,不思量,自难忘。
千里孤坟,无处话凄凉,
纵使相逢应不识,尘满面,鬓如霜。
夜来幽梦忽还乡,小轩窗,正梳妆。
相顾无言,惟有泪千行。
料得年年肠断处,明月夜,短松岗。