W.B. Yeats - Sailing to Byzantium 《 航向拜占庭 》


翻譯:余光中


THAT is no country for old men. The young
那不是老人的國度。年輕人
In one another’s arms, birds in the trees
在彼此的懷中；鳥在樹上
- Those dying generations - at their song,
---那些將死的世代---揚著歌聲；
The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas,
鮭躍於瀑，鯖相摩于海洋；
Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long
泳者，行者，飛者，整個夏季頌揚
Whatever is begotten, born, and dies.
誕生，成長，而死去的眾生。
Caught in that sensual music all neglect
惑於感官的音樂，全都無視
Monuments of unageing intellect.
紀念永生的智慧而立的碑石。

An aged man is but a paltry thing,
一個老人不過是一件廢物，
A tattered coat upon a stick, unless
一件破衣掛在木杖上，除非
Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing
靈魂拍掌而歌，愈歌愈激楚，
For every tatter in its mortal dress,
為了塵衣的每一片破碎；
Nor is there singing school but studying
沒有人能教歌，除了去研讀
Monuments of its own magnificence;
為靈魂的宏偉而豎的石碑；
And therefore I have sailed the seas and come
所以我一直在海上航行，
To the holy city of Byzantium.
來到這拜占庭的聖城。

O sages standing in God’s holy fire
哦，諸聖立在上帝的火中，
As in the gold mosaic of a wall,
如立在有鑲金壁畫的牆上，
Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre,
來吧，從聖火中，盤旋轉動，
And be the singing-masters of my soul.
且教我的靈魂如何歌唱。
Consume my heart away; sick with desire
將我的心焚化；情欲已病重，
And fastened to a dying animal
且系在垂死的這一具皮囊，
It knows not what it is; and gather me
我的心已不識自己，請將我納入，
Into the artifice of eternity.
納入永恆那精巧的藝術。

Once out of nature I shall never take
一旦蛻化後，我再也不肯
My bodily form from any natural thing,
向任何物體去乞取身形，
But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make
除非希臘的金匠所製成
Of hammered gold and gold enamelling
的那種，用薄金片和鍍金，
To keep a drowsy Emperor awake;
使欲眠的帝王保持清醒；
Or set upon a golden bough to sing
不然置我於金燦的樹頂，
To lords and ladies of Byzantium
向拜占庭的貴族和貴婦歌詠
Of what is past, or passing, or to come.
已逝的，將逝的，未來的種種。