關於After Many A Summer

After Many A Summer是電影中赫胥黎的小說名，該名出自英國桂冠詩人丁尼生Alfred Lord Tennyson的詩句「And after many a summer dies the swan.」詩歌名為Tithonus，我偶然興起，將全詩翻譯成中文如下。後附英文原文。


        泰索尼斯
                詩：阿爾弗雷德•羅德•丁尼生 譯：曉非
                
樹木腐朽，樹木腐朽飄零
霧氣把重負流落大地
人來了，耕種土地，長眠地下
許多個夏天過後，天鵝死去
而我有的只是痛苦的永生
耗盡生命：我在你的手臂里慢慢枯萎
在這安靜的世界邊緣
一個白髮的影子游移著像一個夢
在東方的永恆寂靜之所
重重迭迭的迷霧，和微光閃爍的黎明之廳

 
唉！在昏暗的陰影下，曾經有個人
如此地輝煌於他的美麗和你的選擇
你選擇了他，這樣他就好像
在他偉大的心裡，自己不是別的，正是一個神！——
我請求你：給我不朽的生命
那時你微笑著答應了我的請求
像富翁一樣，不在意給出了什麼
但是你的強大的時序女神憤憤地施展她們的意志
把我打倒，中傷，荒廢
雖不能讓我生命終結，卻空留殘廢軀體
幻想著不朽青春的出現——
我有不朽的年紀，卻無不朽的青春
於是我滿身灰塵。你的愛，
你的美麗，能否給我彌補？即使是現在
遮蔽著我們的這銀色的星，你的嚮導
在那些顫抖的滿含淚水的眼睛裡閃耀
是在聽我嗎？讓我走吧，收回你的禮物
為什麼一個凡人想要用盡辦法
在人類美好的生命賽道上有所改變
或是要超出上天設定的目標——
那裡所有的人都應該停頓下來，互相會面？


一陣柔和的風吹走烏雲，
我瞥見那黑暗的我出生的世界
再一次，那古老的神秘微光悄悄行動
從你的純潔的眉毛，從你的純潔的臂膀
還有那被一顆心不斷擊打著的胸脯
你的面頰開始在陰鬱中變紅
你的甜蜜的雙眼慢慢閃耀，靠近我的眼睛
在這以前，那被遮蔽了的群星，還有荒野中的團隊
它們愛你，渴盼你上軛，升起
撼動那陰間諸神開始鬆開的黑暗
打破薄暮，帶來火的光點


看！你因此變得無比美麗
在寂靜中，那時，在你的答案
說出之前，你的淚水流在我的面頰上


為什麼你要用淚水讓我驚惶
讓我顫抖，擔心那個諺語
我在遙遠的從前，在黑暗的塵世上聽到的，是真的？
「諸神不能收回祂們的禮物。」

唉我啊！唉我啊！用另一顆心
在遙遠的從前，用別的眼睛
我曾看到——我還是他時——看到
清晰的輪廓形成你，看到
模糊的捲髮發亮變成光芒的圓環
隨著你的神秘的變化變化著，我感到我的血脈
隨著你逐漸染紅你的儀態和門廳的
灼熱而灼熱，當我躺下
嘴唇，前額，眼瞼，升起帶露的溫暖
帶著比四月裡半開的花蕾更香的吻
我能聽到嘴唇的親吻
低語著說我不知道什麼是狂野和甜蜜
就像我聽到阿波羅唱的那奇特的歌曲
那時伊利昂在高樓叢立中就像霧中的玫瑰

 
但是不要永遠在你的東方擁有我
我的天性如何能與你的長久融合？
你的薔薇色的影子冷冷地沐浴著我，讓我寒冷的
正是你的光芒，冰冷我皺紋密佈的雙腳
在你微光照耀的層層門坎之上，當霧氣
從昏暗的泥土上飄起，在那些人家
快樂的人們有力量死去
在長滿綠草的墳墓上還有更快樂的長眠
放開我吧，讓我回到大地
你見過所有的事物，也將見到我的墳墓
你將在一個又一個早晨更新你的美麗
我也一次又一次在大地上忘卻這些空空的庭院
還有那你不斷滾動著的你銀色的車輪


The woods decay, the woods decay and fall,
The vapors weep their burthen to the ground,
Man comes and tills the field and lies beneath,
And after many a summer dies the swan.
Me only cruel immortality
Consumes: I wither slowly in thine arms,
Here at the quiet limit of the world,
A white-hair'd shadow roaming like a dream
The ever-silent spaces of the East,
Far-folded mists, and gleaming halls of morn.

Alas! for this gray shadow, once a man--
So glorious in his beauty and thy choice,
Who madest him thy chosen, that he seem'd
To his great heart none other than a God!
I ask'd thee, `Give me immortality.'
Then didst thou grant mine asking with a smile,
Like wealthy men who care not how they give.
But thy strong Hours indignant work'd their wills,
And beat me down and marr'd and wasted me,
And tho' they could not end me, left me maim'd
To dwell in presence of immortal youth,
Immortal age beside immortal youth,
And all I was, in ashes. Can thy love,
Thy beauty, make amends, tho' even now,
Close over us, the silver star, thy guide,
Shines in those tremulous eyes that fill with tears
To hear me? Let me go: take back thy gift:
Why should a man desire in any way
To vary from the kindly race of men,
Or pass beyond the goal of ordinance
Where all should pause, as is most meet for all?

A soft air fans the cloud apart; there comes
A glimpse of that dark world where I was born.
Once more the old mysterious glimmer steals
From thy pure brows, and from thy shoulders pure,
And bosom beating with a heart renew'd.
Thy cheek begins to redden thro' the gloom,
Thy sweet eyes brighten slowly close to mine,
Ere yet they blind the stars, and the wild team
Which love thee, yearning for thy yoke, arise,
And shake the darkness from their loosen'd manes,
And beat the twilight into flakes of fire.

Lo! ever thus thou growest beautiful
In silence, then before thine answer given
Departest, and thy tears are on my cheek.

Why wilt thou ever scare me with thy tears,
And make me tremble lest a saying learnt,
In days far-off, on that dark earth, be true?
`The Gods themselves cannot recall their gifts.'

Ay me! ay me! with what another heart
In days far-off, and with what other eyes
I used to watch--if I be he that watch'd--
The lucid outline forming round thee; saw
The dim curls kindle into sunny rings;
Changed with thy mystic change, and felt my blood
Glow with the glow that slowly crimson'd all
Thy presence and thy portals, while I lay,
Mouth, forehead, eyelids, growing dewy-warm
With kisses balmier than half-opening buds
Of April, and could hear the lips that kiss'd
Whispering I knew not what of wild and sweet,
Like that strange song I heard Apollo sing,
While Ilion like a mist rose into towers.

Yet hold me not for ever in thine East:
How can my nature longer mix with thine?
Coldly thy rosy shadows bathe me, cold
Are all thy lights, and cold my wrinkled feet
Upon thy glimmering thresholds, when the steam
Floats up from those dim fields about the homes
Of happy men that have the power to die,
And grassy barrows of the happier dead.
Release me, and restore me to the ground;
Thou seest all things, thou wilt see my grave:
Thou wilt renew thy beauty morn by morn;
I earth in earth forget these empty courts,
And thee returning on thy silver wheels.