T. S. Eliot 艾略特
(袁彼石译）
II. A GAME OF CHESS
THE Chair she sat in, like a burnished throne,
Glowed on the marble, where the glass
Held up by standards wrought with fruited vines
From which a golden Cupidon peeped out 80
(Another hid his eyes behind his wing)
Doubled the flames of sevenbranched candelabra
Reflecting light upon the table as
The glitter of her jewels rose to meet it,
From satin cases poured in rich profusion; 85
二、 一盘棋局
她所坐的椅子，象一个铮亮的王座，
在大理石上闪闪发光，有一面玻璃镜，
被镜台托起，镜台上镂刻着些结了果实的蔓藤，
蔓藤中金黄色的爱神丘比特偷偷向外探寻，
（还有一个在翅膀下藏起他的眼睛）
从有七个灯盏的烛台上发出的双重火焰
火焰的光芒反射到桌面上，
这时她的珠宝的光泽升起与它相迎,
从缎面的盒子里倾泻出足足的丰盛；
In vials of ivory and coloured glass
Unstoppered, lurked her strange synthetic perfumes,
Unguent, powdered, or liquid—troubled, confused
And drowned the sense in odours; stirred by the air
That freshened from the window, these ascended 90
In fattening the prolonged candle-flames,
Flung their smoke into the laquearia,
Stirring the pattern on the coffered ceiling.
在象牙和彩色玻璃的小瓶中
打开盖子，暗藏着她的奇异的合成香精，
油膏、粉状或液体——恼人的，迷惑的，
并把感觉淹没在许多气味里；
被从窗户那变得新鲜的空气所搅动，
那些火苗上升将瘦长的烛火展宽，
将它们的烛烟扔到天花板上，
搅动着那带有格子的屋顶的图案。
Huge sea-wood fed with copper
Burned green and orange, framed by the coloured stone, 95
In which sad light a carvèd dolphin swam.
巨大的海木镶满了铜
并被烧成绿色和橙黄，用彩色的石头作成的外框，
在框中忧郁的光里雕刻着一只海豚在游泳。
Above the antique mantel was displayed
As though a window gave upon the sylvan scene
The change of Philomel, by the barbarous king
So rudely forced; yet there the nightingale 100
Filled all the desert with inviolable voice
And still she cried, and still the world pursues,
'Jug Jug' to dirty ears.
展现在古旧的壁炉框上，
好象是个窗口，它呈现出茂林的风光，
菲罗美的改变，被野蛮国王
如此粗暴地强迫而成；但在那儿有夜莺歌唱
用神圣不可侵犯的歌声充满了荒漠，
她还在啼哭，世界还在追逐，
“格叽，格叽” 的叫声萦绕在脏耳之旁。
And other withered stumps of time
Were told upon the walls; staring forms 105
Leaned out, leaning, hushing the room enclosed.
Footsteps shuffled on the stair.
Under the firelight, under the brush, her hair
Spread out in fiery points
Glowed into words, then would be savagely still. 110
时光留下的其它干枯的树橔
据说还在墙上；凝视开始形成
屈身向外， 屈着身，让紧闭的房间默不作声。
脚步在楼梯上拖曳着。
在火光下，在刷子下，她的头发
散发出点点火星
发亮而成言语，之后是冷酷的寂静静。
'My nerves are bad to-night. Yes, bad. Stay with me.
'Speak to me. Why do you never speak? Speak.
'What are you thinking of? What thinking? What?
'I never know what you are thinking. Think.'
“今晚我的神经很坏。是的，很坏。陪伴我。
跟我说话吧。怎么不说呢？说。
你在想什么？什么想法啊？ 什么？
我从不知你在想什么。想。”
I think we are in rats' alley 115
Where the dead men lost their bones.
'What is that noise?'
The wind under the door.
'What is that noise now? What is the wind doing?'
Nothing again nothing. 120
'Do
'You know nothing? Do you see nothing? Do you remember
'Nothing?'
I remember
Those are pearls that were his eyes. 125
我想我们是在老鼠的里弄，
在这里死人失去了骨头。
“那嘈杂的声音是什么？”
是门下的那阵风。
“那现在嘈杂声又是什么？风又在干什么？”
啥也没有，还是一片虚空。
“你
什么也不知道？什么也没看见？什么也不
记得？”
我记得
那些珍珠曾经是他的眼睛。
'Are you alive, or not? Is there nothing in your head?'
But
O O O O that Shakespeherian Rag—
It's so elegant
So intelligent 130
'What shall I do now? What shall I do?'
'I shall rush out as I am, and walk the street
'With my hair down, so. What shall we do to-morrow?
'What shall we ever do?'
The hot water at ten. 135
And if it rains, a closed car at four.
And we shall play a game of chess,
Pressing lidless eyes and waiting for a knock upon the door.
“你是活着，还是没有？在你的头脑里难道什么也没有？”
可是
哦哦哦哦那首莎士比亚式的流行歌谣——
它是这么文雅
这么有智慧
“如今我将做什么？我将做什么呢？”
“我要冲出去，就这样子，在街上走，
让我的头发披散，这样。我们明天将干点什么？
我们究竟将干什么？”
热水在十点钟。
若是下雨，在四点钟，一台封闭的车辆。
我们将下盘棋，
揉按无法合上的双眼，等待一次敲门的声响。
When Lil's husband got demobbed, I said—
I didn't mince my words, I said to her myself, 140
HURRY UP PLEASE IT'S TIME
Now Albert's coming back, make yourself a bit smart.
He'll want to know what you done with that money he gave you
To get yourself some teeth. He did, I was there.
You have them all out, Lil, and get a nice set, 145
He said, I swear, I can't bear to look at you.
当赖尔的丈夫从部队复员的时候，我说——
我没有转弯抹角，我自己对她说，
请快点，时候到了
既然阿尔伯特要回来了，你得使你自己俏丽嫽人一点。
他想知道他给你的那笔钱你是怎么花的，
他给你那钱是让你去镶几颗牙。他给你时，我也在那里。
把牙都拔掉吧，赖尔，换上一口好牙。
他说，我发誓，看你那样子我都受不了。
And no more can't I, I said, and think of poor Albert,
He's been in the army four years, he wants a good time,
And if you don't give it him, there's others will, I said.
Oh is there, she said. Something o' that, I said. 150
Then I'll know who to thank, she said, and give me a straight look.
不再，我都不再能忍受，我说，你替可怜的阿尔伯特想一想，
他在军队里都四年啦，他想要享受享受，
如果你不给他，会有别人给他，我说。
噢，会有别人，她说。或许差不离吧，我说。
那我知道该感谢谁啦，她说，眼睛直勾勾地看着我。
HURRY UP PLEASE IT'S TIME
If you don't like it you can get on with it, I said.
Others can pick and choose if you can't.
But if Albert makes off, it won't be for lack of telling. 155
You ought to be ashamed, I said, to look so antique.
(And her only thirty-one.)
I can't help it, she said, pulling a long face,
It's them pills I took, to bring it off, she said.
(She's had five already, and nearly died of young George.) 160
The chemist said it would be alright, but I've never been the same.
请快点，时候到了。 一
你不喜欢这种事也要去做，我说。
要是你不能，别人就会来又挑又选。
但如果阿尔伯特跑了，那就不是因为我没有说。
你应该感到羞臊，我说，看起来显得这么老。
（她才只有三十一岁）。
我没有法子，她说，拉着一张长脸，
是那些用来堕胎的药丸闹的，她说。
（她已生了五个，生小乔治时几乎送了她的命。）
药剂师说应该没事的，可是我比从前差了许多。
You are a proper fool, I said.
Well, if Albert won't leave you alone, there it is, I said,
What you get married for if you don't want children?
HURRY UP PLEASE IT'S TIME 165
Well, that Sunday Albert was home, they had a hot gammon,
And they asked me in to dinner, to get the beauty of it hot—
HURRY UP PLEASE IT'S TIME
HURRY UP PLEASE IT'S TIME
Goonight Bill. Goonight Lou. Goonight May. Goonight. 170
Ta ta. Goonight. Goonight.
Good night, ladies, good night, sweet ladies, good night, good night.
你真是个傻瓜，我说。
要是艾伯特不肯让你不被搅扰，就是那样子，我说。
你不想要孩子那结婚是为什么？
请快点，时候到了。
哦，那个礼拜天阿尔伯特在家里，他们做了熏火腿，
他们请我到家里吃晚饭，要我趁热尝那美味——
请快点，时候到了。
请快点，时候到了。
晚安吧，比尔。晚安吧，娄。晚安吧，梅。晚安吧。
再见啰。晚安吧。晚安吧。
晚安，女士们，晚安，甜蜜的女士们，晚安，晚安。