寫在詩社”寶書”的扉頁上的那段話來自美國作家THOREAU(1818-1862)的《瓦爾登湖》.1845年,28歲的THOREAU在好友EMERSON的林地里的WALDEN湖畔蓋了座木屋住下,此后兩年多里他過著清心寡欲,自給自足的生活,并時常記下自己的所思所想所悟,于是就有了這樣一本書.中文版里徐遲的本子算是最最有名的了(上海譯文和吉林人民出版社都出過,包裝不同,內容是一樣的).個人以為這樣的書非徐遲這樣有底氣又有定力的老一輩學者(我見過他的照片,一個清澄平和的老人)不能譯.畢竟是150多年前的文章了,而且講的又是”人如何通過純感官與具有神性的大自然交流溝通”的超驗主義問題,不實際得一塌糊涂,不和時宜得一塌糊涂.現在的譯者心都比較活潑,對待此類作品的態度怕只會是句簡單的”理你都傻”.I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion. For most men, it appears to me, are in a strange uncertainty about it, whether it is of the devil or of God, and have somewhat hastily concluded that it is the chief end of man here to "glorify God and enjoy him forever."Henry David Thoreau:Walden,or Life in the Woods我到林中去，因為我希望謹慎地生活，只面對生活的基本事實，看看我是否學得到生活要教育我的東西，免得到了臨死的時候，才發現我根本就沒有生活過。我不希望度過非生活的生活，生活是那樣的可愛；我卻也不愿意去修行過隱逸的生活，除非是萬不得已。我要生活得深深地把生命的精髓都吸到，要生活得穩穩當當，生活得斯巴達式的，以便根除一切非生活的東西，劃出一塊刈割的面積來，細細地刈割或修剪，把生活壓縮到一個角隅里去，把它縮小到最低的條件中，如果它被證明是卑微的，那么就把那真正的卑微全部認識到，并把它的卑微之處公布于世界；或者，如果它是崇高的，就用切身的經歷來體會它，在我下一次遠游時，也可以作出一個真實的報道。因為，我看，大多數人還確定不了他們的生活是屬于魔鬼的，還是屬于上帝的呢，然而又多少有點輕率地下了判斷，認為人生的主要目標是“歸榮耀于神，并永遠從神那里得到喜悅”。（徐遲譯）ROBIN WILLIAMS念的《哦,船長!我的船長!》是紀念大胡子林肯的,WHITMAN(1819-1892)原作,出自《草葉集:紀念林肯總統》LEAVES OF GRASS:Memories of President Lincoln.我手頭沒有中文譯文,但問題不大,WHITMAN的詩還是挺好懂的.他活在一個人們可以自由自在地理直氣壯地粗俗的時代,粗俗得純粹,粗俗得磅礴,粗俗得欣欣向榮,粗俗得可愛之極.之后美國文學便由浪漫主義轉入現實主義, 從W.D.HOWELLS到MARK TWAIN到HENRY JAMES到JACK LONDON主題漸漸深沉,情節漸漸復雜,作家那支筆也漸漸拖泥帶水起來.隨后的自然主義作品行文雖稍稍松了口氣,主題卻達到了凝重的極至.WHITMAN的時代一去不返.O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won,The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;But O heart! heart! heart!O the bleeding drops of red,Where on the deck my Captain lies,Fallen cold and dead.O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;Rise up&emdash;for you the flag is flung&emdash;for you the bugle trills,For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths&emdash;for you the shores a-crowding,For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;Here Captain! dear father!The arm beneath your head!It is some dream that on the deck,You've fallen cold and dead.My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won:Exult O shores, and ring O bells!But I with mournful tread,Walk the deck my Captain lies,Fallen cold and dead.ROBERT FROST(1874-1963)的詩,我一直比較感興趣,大三時上美國文學課,聽到他和HENRY JAMES的名字時就會莫名地興奮上好一陣子.和FAULKNER一樣,FROST也算是個大器晚成的人,11歲喪父后隨母遷居新英格蘭,曾在哈佛求學,但學業未竟.1900-1909年,他閑居鄉里,,養雞,喝酒,種田,寫詩,度過一段愜意卻挺沒出息的生活.1912年他去了LONDON,結識了初期意象派詩人F.S.FLINT,EZRA POUND,EDWARD THOMAS等人.1913年,他發表了第一部詩集A BOY’S WISH,從此開始了他的詩人生涯,隨即一路發達:中年時擔任哈佛的詩學教授,4次獲得普利策獎,成為美國最負聲名的詩人.FROST認為作家的職責在于說出”人民所明白卻說不出來的東西”.他常以新英格蘭的點點滴滴為題材作詩, 從生活中汲取象征和隱喻,并將當地的口語語言融入詩的表現風格,因此作品顯的平樸而恬淡,意味卻深遠,就是所謂”小生活中的大道理”吧.THE ROAD NOT TAKEN是他的名作之一,令人想到我國古代楊朱見歧路而哭的傳說.其實我想在面對選擇面對分岔路時,我們嘴上說不知該如何是好,心里卻總還是有些底的.真真假假的猶豫過后,最終總會邁出腳步踏上一條路.而之后若是再念叨FROST的這首詩,很明顯的就只是為了讓自己好過一點而已了.THE ROAD NOT TAKENTwo roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler,long I stoodAnd looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth;Then took the other,as just as fair,And having perhaps the better claim;Because it was grassy and wanted wear;Though as for that,the passing thereHad worn them really about the same,And both that morning equally layIn leaves no step had trodden black.Oh,I kept the first for another day!Yet knowing how way leads on to way,I doubted if I should ever come back.I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere ages and ages hence;Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,and I—I took the less traveled by,And that has made all the difference.最后還要提到的是莎士比亞的第18號十四行詩和拜倫的”她在美中步履姍姍”.當死亡詩社山洞里來了兩個女生時,兩個男生為恭維她們甩出的漂亮句子實際上來自于這兩首不朽佳作.無論如何,MM們聽到好詩的那一瞬散發出的光彩絕對是眩目而令人難忘的! Sonnet 18Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?Thou art more lovely and more temperate:Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,And summer's lease hath all too short a date:Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,And often is his gold complexion dimmed,And every fair from fair sometime declines,By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed:But thy eternal summer shall not fade,Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade,When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.William Shakespeare莎翁此詩,一譯便死.尤其是最后兩句!She Walks In BeautyShe walks in beauty,like the nightOf cloudless climes and starry skies;And all that’s best of dark and brightMeet in her aspect and her eyes;Thus mellow’d to that tender lightWhich heaven to gaudy day denies.One shade the more,one ray the less,Had half impair’d the nameless graceWhich waves in every raven tress,Or softly lightens o’er he face;Where thoughts serenely sweet expressHow pure,how dear their dwelling-place.And on that cheek,and o’er that brow,So soft,so calm,yet eloquent,The smiles thatv win,the tints that glow,But tell of days in goodness spent,A mind at peace with all below,A heart whose love is innocent!George Gorden Byron她在美中步履姍姍拜倫她在美中步履姍姍,像星空和無云的夜晚;光明和黑暗的精華,在她的臉上和眼里交叉;這樣化為柔和的光,上天不準浮華的白日分享.多一份陰影,少一份光,那就會半損半傷在她發上波動,臉上放輝,那種無名的優美;臉上靜穆清新的思想表現它來自多么純潔的地方.在那面頰上,在那眉宇間,那樣溫存,那樣寧靜,勝過巧語花言,引人愛的微笑,燦燦的光彩,表示年華在善良中穩度過來,心地和平,與世無爭,心靈光明,愛情純凈.李霽野 譯