Sailing to Byzantium 航向拜占庭

Sailing to Byzantium 航向拜占庭

作者:Yeats 翻譯:余光中

That is No Country for Old Men. The young 那不是老人的國度.年輕人
In one another's arms, birds in the trees 在彼此的懷中;鳥在樹上
- Those dying generations - at their song, --那些將死的世代--揚著歌聲;
The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas, 鮭躍於瀑,鯖相摩于海洋;
Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long 泳者,行者,飛者,整個夏季頌揚
Whatever is begotten, born, and dies. 誕生,成長,而死去的眾生.
Caught in that sensual music all neglect 惑於感官的音樂,全都無視
Monuments of unageing intellect. 紀念永生的智慧而立的碑石.

An aged man is but a paltry thing, 一個老人不過是一件廢物,
A tattered coat upon a stick, unless 一件破衣掛在木杖上,除非
Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing 靈魂拍掌而歌,愈歌愈激楚,
For every tatter in its mortal dress, 為了塵衣的每一片破碎;
Nor is there singing school but studying 沒有人能教歌,除了去研讀
Monuments of its own magnificence; 為靈魂的宏偉而豎的石碑;
And therefore I have sailed the seas and come 所以我一直在海上航行,
To the holy city of Byzantium . 來到這拜占庭的聖城.


O sages standing in God's holy fire 哦,諸聖立在上帝的火中,
As in the gold mosaic of a wall, 如立在有鑲金壁畫的牆上,
Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre, 來吧,從聖火中,盤旋轉動,
And be the singing-masters of my soul. 且教我的靈魂如何歌唱.
Consume my heart away; sick with desire 將我的心焚化;情欲已病重,
And fastened to a dying animal 且系在垂死的這一具皮囊,
It knows not what it is; and gather me 我的心已不識自己,請將我納入,
Into the artifice of eternity. 納入永恆那精巧的藝術.


Once out of nature I shall never take 一旦蛻化後,我再也不肯
My bodily form from any natural thing, 向任何物體去乞取身形,
But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make 除非希臘的金匠所製成
Of hammered gold and gold enamelling 的那種,用薄金片和鍍金,
To keep a drowsy Emperor awake; 使欲眠的帝王保持清醒;
Or set upon a golden bough to sing 不然置我于金燦的樹頂,
To lords and ladies of Byzantium 向拜占庭的貴族和貴婦歌詠
Of what is past, or passing, or to come. 已逝的,將逝的,未來的種種.