A weed from Catholic Europe, it took root
Between the yellow mountains and the sea,
And bore these gay stone houses like a fruit
And grew on China imperceptibly.

Rococo images of Saint and Saviour
Promise her gamblers fortunes when they die;
Churches beside the brothels testify
That faith can pardon natural behaviour.

This city of indulgence need not fear
The major sins by which the heart is killed,
And governments and men are torn to pieces:

Religious clocks will strike; the childish vices
Will safeguard the low virtues of the child
And nothing serious can happen here.

以上引自W. H. Auden, “Macao”, 載於Donald Pittis and Suasn J. Henders編 Macao: Mysterious Deacay and Romance, Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 1997.


澳門到底是個怎樣的城市？英國名詩人奧登（W. H. Auden）的作品，曾經為不少西方人提供了這樣的答案：在妓院旁邊的教堂／證實了／信仰會原諒自然的行為（Churches beside the brothels testify／That faith can pardon natural behaviour）。於是，對妓院的獵奇和對賭場的好奇，在這根天主教歐洲的雜草，與主同在，又受到主的原諒。這是一個滿天神佛都光耀其中的城市，這是文化，人類的宗教；這是一個賭場和桑拿浴室夜總會都以霓虹燈全城招搖的城市，賭與性的貪婪，在在神的眼底下，橫流。像賭場的旁邊必有押店一樣，這裡的妓院附近，總有一座教堂，犯罪以後要求救贖，輸清以後可以押一下身上僅有留自己一條生路，這究竟是諷刺，還是寫實。到最後，詩人只能嘆一句「認真的事不會在這裡發生」（Nothing serious can happen here），這究竟是諷刺還是寫實？這樣思索的時候，上帝一定在看著我們發笑。