前言

康納利的小說《詩人》引用了幾首愛倫坡的詩，成功的營造氣氛，也多了幾分文學氣息。主要有《鬧鬼的宮殿》、《給安妮》、《湖》以及《夢境》。其中《鬧鬼的宮殿》可以在短篇小說《頹敗的宇夏之屋》裡面找到。另外，《給安妮》較長，所以我先刊出這兩篇來分享。

請務必還是讀詩人的英文原詩吧。讀者可以觀察到《湖》這首詩的韻腳有多麼工整。要注意每一行詩後面有沒有標點。如果沒有的話，須與下一行合併成一句話來解讀意義。

《詩人》譯者陳靜芳配合小說情節，兩首詩各譯了幾行。她的譯筆十分了得，所以我直接抄錄，僅對調一處，那是因為英語邏輯的關係。其他部份我以自己的淺白文字寫就。我不太懂英詩，且我的文字十分乾澀，僅是提供查閱及瞭解文意方便，千萬別僅讀我的譯文，使詩人的名作失色。也許長於寫詩的朋友們可以幫忙修改。

配合小說情節，這兩首詩都與Death有關，境界十分詭異陰森。我記得楊照的《為了詩》說到，詩是公開的暗語，迷惑讀者，是詩人的故意。那麼，我就把謎題丟給讀者了。

             

THE LAKE

In spring of youth it was my lot
To haunt of the wide world a spot
The which I could not love the less —
So lovely was the loneliness
Of a wild lake, with black rock bound,
And the tall pines that towered around.

But when the Night had thrown her pall
Upon that spot, as upon all,
And the mystic wind went by
Murmuring in melody —
Then — ah then I would awake
To the terror of the lone lake.

Yet that terror was not fright,
But a tremulous delight —
A feeling not the jewelled mine
Could teach or bribe me to define —
Nor Love — although the Love were thine.

Death was in that poisonous wave,
And in its gulf a fitting grave
For him who thence could solace bring
To his lone imagining —
Whose solitary soul could make
An Eden of that dim lake.

《湖》

青春年少時，這是我流連之地

廣大的世界上

此處我最愛戀

荒野之湖的孤寂如此可愛

黑色岩石為界

高大松樹高聳圍繞

但是當夜幕低垂

於湖之上，於萬物之上

且神秘風兒吹拂

低語陣陣

這時——啊這時我將意識到

荒涼之湖的恐怖

但這恐怖並非懼怕

而是令人震顫的歡悅

這感覺，即使是寶石的礦脈

也不能引我誘我說明白

愛情也不能——縱然是妳的愛

死亡就在那毒波浪中

在它深淵有一合宜墓塚

從此可以給他撫慰

在這荒涼中想像著

這迷濛的湖，對他的孤寂靈魂

即是——伊甸園

DREAM-LAND

By a route obscure and lonely,
Haunted by ill angels only,
Where an Eidolon, named NIGHT,
On a black throne reigns upright,
I have reached these lands but newly
From an ultimate dim Thule-
From a wild clime that lieth, sublime,

Out of SPACE- out of TIME.

Bottomless vales and boundless floods,
And chasms, and caves, and Titan woods,
With forms that no man can discover
For the tears that drip all over;
Mountains toppling evermore
Into seas without a shore;
Seas that restlessly aspire,
Surging, unto skies of fire;
Lakes that endlessly outspread
Their lone waters- lone and dead,-
Their still waters- still and chilly
With the snows of the lolling lily.

By the lakes that thus outspread
Their lone waters, lone and dead,-
Their sad waters, sad and chilly
With the snows of the lolling lily,-
By the mountains- near the river
Murmuring lowly, murmuring ever,-
By the grey woods,- by the swamp
Where the toad and the newt encamp-
By the dismal tarns and pools

Where dwell the Ghouls,-

By each spot the most unholy-
In each nook most melancholy-
There the traveller meets aghast
Sheeted Memories of the Past-
Shrouded forms that start and sigh
As they pass the wanderer by-
White-robed forms of friends long given,
In agony, to the Earth- and Heaven.

For the heart whose woes are legion
'Tis a peaceful, soothing region-
For the spirit that walks in shadow
'Tis- oh, 'tis an Eldorado!
But the traveller, travelling through it,
May not- dare not openly view it!
Never its mysteries are exposed
To the weak human eye unclosed;
So wills its King, who hath forbid
The uplifting of the fringed lid;
And thus the sad Soul that here passes
Beholds it but through darkened glasses.

By a route obscure and lonely,
Haunted by ill angels only,
Where an Eidolon, named NIGHT,
On a black throne reigns upright,
I have wandered home but newly
From this ultimate dim Thule.

《夢境》

經由一條偏僻無人

被邪惡天使糾纏的徑道

那兒名為「夜晚」的幽靈

在黑色王座上發號統治

來自幽暗極北之圖里

我初到這些國度

來自狂暴怪異之氣候區帶，位處不凡

超脫空間，超脫時間

無底的溪谷以及無邊的洪流

以及峽谷、以及深淵、以及諸神的森林

山峰崩塌不絕

落入無垠之海

大海如此渴望

澎湃洶湧，直達燃燒的天

湖泊無邊綿延

它們荒涼的水，荒涼而死寂

它們靜止的水，靜止而峭寒

伴著白雪般懶倚的百合花

就在無邊綿延的湖泊

它們荒涼的水，荒涼而死寂

它們哀傷的水，哀傷而峭寒

伴著白雪般懶倚的百合花

就在高山，靠近河流

細聲低語，不斷低語

就在灰暗森林，就在沼澤

蟾蜍與蠑螈在此蟄伏

就在淒冷的水潭與池塘

食屍之鬼在此居住

在每個最邪惡的地方

在每個最憂鬱的角落

旅人遇見而驚駭

往事的記憶以白布覆蓋

裹著壽衣啟程且歎息

當他們走過流浪者身旁

朋友們的白袍早就

在痛楚中，獻給大地與蒼天

對於充滿哀傷的心房

此處是寧靜、撫慰的地方

對於走在陰影的靈魂

此處是，啊，此處是黃金之城

但是當旅人穿越此地

可能不敢自在張望

這裡的秘密，以凡人之眼

即使張開也不得望見

這裡的國王嚴禁

打開飾著穗子的遮蓋

因而走過這裡的哀傷靈魂

只能透過深暗的玻璃凝視

經由一條偏僻無人

被邪惡天使糾纏的徑道

那兒名為「夜晚」的幽靈

在黑色王座上發號統治

來自幽暗極北之圖里

我初回到家園

〈註〉

1.      圖里：古代地圖上的北方島嶼，究竟何處現代人已經無法可考。

2.      食屍之鬼：躲在墓地附近，偷食屍體的怪物，源自民間神話故事。