忘掉她,像一朵忘掉的花。
像春风里一出梦,
像梦里的一声钟,
——闻一多
读闻一多“忘掉她”
闻一多先生在失去自己心爱的幼女后,曾仿照美国女诗人蒂丝黛尔(Sara Teasdale)的诗Let It Be Forgotten 《忘掉它》写过一首诗,悼念幼年早殇的女儿,这次全球人民战“疫”情,好多人也失去了自己亲爱的家人,时至今日,很多感人而又悲伤的故事依旧在国内外上演。
刘小枫在其《这一代人的怕和爱》中说:
让活着的人记住死者,对活着的人来说,仍是一种奢侈,面对无辜的死者,活着的人对生命总是亏欠的。我只有恳请无辜的死者记住我,因为他们活着,永远的活着,而我是将死的,我属于他们,所以我恳请他们记住我。
疫情期间,除了给学生上网课,尽量每天给学生推送一篇我自己整理的短小的读物或文章,几乎全是英汉对照的形式。今天看到了一个视屏,意大利一对情侣因感染新冠而离世,当看到那位帅气的男子果断的脱下防护服,走向病榻上感染新冠病毒的女友,和她拥抱和亲吻时,人们脑海里闪现的一定是元朝诗人元好问的那句:
“问世间情为何物,
直教人生死相许?”。
I asked what after all is love in this world,
Why is it worth the promise of life and death?
说到诗歌的时候,英国诗人华兹华斯(W. Wordsworth)说:“Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling(诗乃激烈感情之自然发泄于外者也——吴宓 语): it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility.” 是“静中回想前情”(吴宓 语)
而我国的《尚书·瞬典》中则云:
诗言志,歌永言,声依永,律和声。
Poetry is the expression of earnest thought; singing is the prolonged utterance of that expression; the notes accompany that utterance, and they are harmonized themselves by the standard tubes.
——《尚书舜典》Shangshu (The Book of Documents ) Canon of Shun
理雅各(James Legge)英译
“静中回想前情”,是诗的境界,那今天就让我们一起来读一读闻一多先生和美国女诗人蒂丝黛尔的诗吧!
忘掉她 Forget Her
闻一多 Wen Yiduo
忘掉她,像一朵忘掉的花,——Forget her, like some forgotten flower
那朝霞在花瓣上 Rosy dawn on petals,
那花心的一缕香—— Breath of fragrance at the heart----
忘掉她,像忘掉一朵花! Forget her, like some forgotten flower!
忘掉她,像一朵忘掉的花。 Forget her, like some forgotten flower
像春风里一出梦, Dream in a spring breeze,
像梦里的一声钟, Chime in a dream.
忘掉她,像忘掉一朵花! Forget her, like some forgotten flower!
忘掉她,像一朵忘掉的花。 Forget her, like some forgotten flower
听蟋蟀唱得多好, Hear how well the crickets sing,
看墓草长得多高; See how tall the graveside grass has grown;
忘掉她,像忘掉一朵花! Forget her, like some forgotten flower!
忘掉她,像一朵忘掉的花。 Forget her, like some forgotten flower
她已经忘记了你, She has forgotten you.
她什么都记不起; She remembers nothing;
忘掉她,像忘掉一朵花! Forget her, like some forgotten flower!
忘掉她,像一朵忘掉的花。 Forget her, like some forgotten flower
年华那朋友真好, Time is a true friend,
他明天就叫你老; Can age you over night.
忘掉她,像忘掉一朵花! Forget her, like some forgotten flower!
忘掉她,像一朵忘掉的花。 Forget her, like some forgotten flower
如果是有人要问, If someone should enquire,
就说没有那个人; Say such a person never was.
忘掉她,像忘掉一朵花! Forget her, like some forgotten flower!
忘掉她,像一朵忘掉的花。 Forget her, like some forgotten flower
像春风里一出梦, Dream in a spring breeze,
像梦里的一声钟, Chime in a dream.
忘掉她,像忘掉一朵花! Forget her, like some forgotten flower!
——英文选自中国对外翻译出版公司
庞秉钧,闵福德,高尔登编译《中国现代诗一百首》
Let It Be Forgotten 忘掉它
Sara Teasdale (美)蒂丝黛尔
Let it be forgetton, as a flower is forgotten, 忘掉它,象忘掉一朵花,
Forgotten as a fire that once was sing gold. 象忘掉炼过黄金的火焰。
Let it be forgotten for ever and ever, 忘掉它,永远永远,时间是良友。
Time is a kind friend, he will make us old. 他会使我们变成老年。
If anyone asks, say it was forgotten, 如果有人问起,就说已忘记。
Long and long ago 在很早很早的往昔,
As a flower, as a fire, as a hushed footfall 象花,象火,象无声的脚印
In a long forgotten snow. 在早被遗忘的雪里。
——余光中 译
本文由胡宗锋教授整理:胡宗锋,现任民建中央文化委员会委员,中国翻译协会理事,陕西省翻译协会主席,第十二届西安市政协委员,陕西省斯诺研究中心主任,陕西省外国文学学会副会长,西北大学外语学院教授、博士生导师、院长。