PICTURES AND STORIES BEHIND Series No.2
A Poem Dedicated to an Old Bell on the Ground of the First Church of Otago, Dunedin, NZ
The bell had its glorious days in the past
Dating back to 1851 when it was first cast.
Gleaming and glittering it was proudly loaded
On a ship destined to the Land of Long White Cloud*
With blessings and good wishes from the Queen**
To her Antipodean subjects far across the ocean,
Back then nearly a quarter of the world's soil
Being in the hands of the Crown.
It ended up landing in Dunedin at last***
Not long after Scots took up residence for settlement.
Erected on a hill up and aloft
So that its ringing could be heard far and wide.
In the midst of its tireless tolls,
The community grew and throve,
Calling the congregation to Sunday worship by rule
And chiming the hour of day as it used to.
When a big decision had to be made for all
It struck to assemble the residents for thought.
For generations, the bell attended its duties so well,
Hence the place has its name Bell Hill.
Now, after a long service over one and a half century,
On the stone pedestal in a corner it sits still,
Overshadowed by a glamourous church standing beside****
At the very spot where it was first installed.
Aged and stained with rust,
Decommissioned permanently by a deep cut,
Only to wait for visitors to come over and admire its glories
Which are past and gone,
And reflect upon the cast letters
Which forever glow and shine.
Notes:
*New Zealand is a country known by native Maori people as Ao-tea-roa, “The Land of Long White Cloud”.
**The Queen refers to Queen Victoria (1819–1901). Victoria's reign, ranging from 1837 to 1901, is seen as the Golden Age of British Empire.
***Dunedin is the second largest city on NZ s8outh island, with a population of roughly about 140,000 residents. The city has a strong bond with Scotland as initial settlement was made here by Scottish emigrants. Today the city is better known for the University of Otago which is located in the center of the town. Established in 1871, it is the oldest university in NZ and the third oldest in Oceania.
****It refers to the First Church of Otago standing on the Bell Hill,Dunedin, New Zealand.
中文译文
《钟》
(拜谒新西兰南岛旦尼丁市第一教堂有感。)
你有着光荣的身世，
当初1851年你刚被铸就时，
浑身闪烁着耀眼的辉煌。
骄傲啊！ 轮船即将起航，
载着你驶向那“白云缭绕的地方”，
连同女王的赐福，
一同捎给天涯海角的臣民，
普天之下四分之一的土地，
曾经掌控在她手中。
终于你抵达了目的地旦尼丁，
苏格兰的拓疆者不久前在那里安营扎寨。
山顶上人们将你高高悬挂，
好让你的声音响彻四面八方。
年复一年， 日复一日，
城市在钟声的伴随中成长兴旺。
钟声召唤着周日的礼拜，
钟声指挥着平时的作息，
钟声是那集结的号令，
每当重大决策时，将民众凝聚。
多少年来你忠于职守，从不懈怠,
如今“钟山”这地名
正是因为有你而存在。
就这样，逾一个半世纪过去了，
你被安放在角落的石基上，
一座占据了你原先的位置修建的教堂
巍然耸立在你身旁
让你显得如此黯然无光。
老朽的身躯已是锈迹斑斑，
深深的锯痕昭示着你已被永久地淘汰，
唯有静静地,静静地等侯着游客步上前来，
仰慕你曾经的荣耀,
早已随风逝去；
体味着那不朽的铭文，
依旧熠熠生辉。
(完)