I love to rise in a summer morn,
When the birds sing on every tree;
The distant 1)huntsman winds his horn,
And the sky-lark sings with me:
Oh what sweet company!
我爱在夏日清晨就起床,
此时鸟儿在树梢上欢快地鸣唱;
远处的猎人吹响号角,
云雀与我引吭高歌;
噢,多么美好的玩伴!
But to go to school in a summer morn, —
Oh it drives all joy away!
Under a cruel eye 2)outworn,
The little ones spend the day
In sighing and dismay.
但在夏日晨间上学去
噢,让所有的乐趣消失殆尽!
冷酷的眼神之下,
小小读书郎唯有终日
叹息沮丧。
Ah then at times I 3)drooping sit,
And spend many an anxious hour;
Nor in my book can I take delight,
Nor sit in learning’s 4)bower,
Worn thro’ with the dreary shower.
啊,我时来无奈呆坐,
熬过多少难耐的时辰,
书中没有我的乐趣,
我亦无法安坐知识的凉亭,
尽在沉闷的风雨中疲倦消怠。
How can the bird that is born for joy
Sit in a cage and sing?
How can a child when fears annoy,
But droop his tender wing,
And forget his youthful spring?
为快乐而生的鸟儿如何能
安身于笼中歌唱?
战战兢兢的孩童
又怎能不垂下他稚嫩的羽翼
遗忘他活力绽放的青春?
Oh father and mother, if buds are nip’d,
And blossoms blown away;
And if the tender plants are strip’d
Of their joy in the springing day,
By sorrow and care’s dismay, —
噢,爹爹妈妈,如果蓓蕾被摘除,
花儿被狂风扫尽,
柔弱的花木被夺取
萌芽时期的快乐,
只余下哀愁与沮丧,
How shall the summer arise in joy,
Or the summer fruits appear?
Or how shall we gather what griefs destroy,
Or bless the 5)mellowing year,
When the 6)blasts of winter appear?
夏日如何能在快乐中升华,
夏天的果实要怎么出现?
或是当冬天的风雪彰显之时,
我们要怎样拾获悲哀所毁掉的一切,
庆贺丰收的年岁?
翻译:一皮
很多人对上面这几句诗非常熟悉,却未必知道它其实是出于英国画家、诗人威廉·布莱克之手。威廉·布莱克(William Blake,1757-1827),18世纪末19世纪初英国著名的画家,英国文学史上最复杂、最有个性的诗人之一。他出身清贫,12岁开始创作诗歌,生前靠绘画和雕刻为生,诗篇并没有得到承认。直到19世纪末,英国文学界才开始意识到布莱克不仅仅是一位版画家,而且还是一位诗哲。在20世纪,布莱克受到了T·S·艾略特等现代主义诗人的格外推崇。
威廉·布莱克主要作品有《诗的素描》(Poetical Sketches,1783)、《天真之歌》(Songs of Innocence,1789)、《天堂与地狱的结合》(The Marriage of Heaven and Hell,1790)、《经验之歌》(Songs of Experience,1794)等。早期以颂扬爱情、向往欢乐与和谐为主题。语言质朴,形象鲜明,富有音乐感,充满瑰丽的想象和奔放的激情。后期诗作明显具有神秘主义倾向和宗教色彩。
《The School Boy》选自《经验之歌》,描述莘莘学子感叹美好的夏日时光不能到野外好好享受大自然,而必须留在教室上课的无奈心情。
赏析:未几
