詹姆斯·賴特作品

◎董繼平 譯

詹姆斯·賴特（James Wright，1927-1980），美國詩人、美國二戰(zhàn)后“新超現(xiàn)實(shí)主義”（即“深度意象”）詩歌流派的主將之一，生于俄亥俄州馬丁斯渡口，早年就讀于肯庸學(xué)院，曾先后師從于蘭色姆、佛羅斯特等著名詩人，后來轉(zhuǎn)向“新超現(xiàn)實(shí)主義”創(chuàng)作實(shí)踐。他先后出版了詩集《綠墻》《圣猶大》《樹枝不會(huì)折斷》《我們是否在河邊聚集》《兩個(gè)公民》《致一棵開花的梨樹》《這旅程》等多部，1972年獲得普利策詩歌獎(jiǎng)。另外，他還留下了大量散文和散文詩，結(jié)集為《意大利夏天的瞬間》出版。

紀(jì)念玉博·羅博①菲耶索萊②的山坡

一個(gè)古城是這樣一個(gè)唯一的地方——古代生物有空間變得新穎。這只野兔允許自己的孩子在靠近廢墟的堅(jiān)韌的野草間蹦跳。它的孩子如同風(fēng)散的馬利筋種子，松軟，輕盈得精致，無論怎樣也會(huì)年輕而無知，因此我讓它們經(jīng)過?？墒沁@野兔是我喜歡觀看的對(duì)象，它是青春的兔子，盡管是冬天，它卻順利度過了。它那肌肉發(fā)達(dá)的后腿是自衛(wèi)和逃逸的可怕武器，但它那安靜的前爪卻溫和，同時(shí)，它那鐵絲般的長長胡須在前爪上準(zhǔn)確地拂動(dòng)，在綠色薄暮中準(zhǔn)備好開花的樹枝。

In Memory of Hubert Robert A Hillside in Fiesole

An ancient city is the only place where the ancient creatures have room to become new.This wild rabbit has allowed her children to scamper among the tough green weeds near the ruins.Delicately fluffy and light as the parachutes of milkweed,the children would be young and ignorant in any case,so I let them go by.But she is the one I love to look on,she is the youthful one,in spite of the winter she has somehow got through.Her muscular hind legs are terrible weapons of defense and flight,but her forepaws in repose are gentle,as her long wiry whiskers flick precisely above them,branches ready for blossom in the green twilight.

圖拉真市場(chǎng)上的罌粟花

在一個(gè)個(gè)世紀(jì)間，就這么一次，不是人類的血，這種野生之物散落在壯觀的人類之地的石頭中間。據(jù)我所知，即使皇帝也不曾下令人們?cè)谶@里被處置，他的朋友，他的敵人，或者是陌生的非洲國王——他們過于絕望地驕傲，以至于無法切割和扛著石頭，或者在圓形競(jìng)技場(chǎng)中跟紅毛猩猩角斗，或者在不規(guī)則的圓圈里面跟敏捷的鴕鳥賽跑。今天，就這么一次，在羅馬，整整一周過去了，我還不曾聽到一樁最新發(fā)生的謀殺案。沒有。那閃耀著深紅色花瓣在這里的散落，應(yīng)該是在一片靠近大海的田野中，石頭應(yīng)該是深埋在一座山丘里面。石頭和花朵兩者都無家可歸地佇立在這里，相偎相依，令人困惑的羅馬人中的陌生者。

Poppies in Trajan'sMarket

For once among the centuries,it is not human blood,this scattering of a wild thing among the stones of a splendid human place.As far as I know,not even the emperor ordered men to be disposed of here,his friends,his enemies,or the strange kings of Africa too hopelessly proud to cut and bear stones on their shoulders or wrestle in the arena with starved Orangutans Or race the fleet Ostriches in irregular circles.And today,for once,in Rome,a whole week has gone by,and I have not heard of a single recent murder.No.The brilliant scattering of scarlet petals here belongs in a field near the sea,and the stone belongs deep in a hill.Both stone and flower stand homeless beside each other here,strangers among the bewildering Romans.

貴 族

在普利亞，在來自順著陸地連綿的群山的一陣陣風(fēng)中，海洋氣流咆哮、糾纏、混亂。我能看見薊草種子到處翻滾，可是我丟失了它們的路，有那么多這樣的種子。在白色的頹墻上和更遠(yuǎn)處，五顏六色的花朵群集，在無用的突巖和大海之間，罌粟花與春黃菊簇?fù)碓谝黄?，猶如閃耀的羊群。但不知怎么的，輕蔑于種子普遍的飛翔中的薊草，最后結(jié)束于散亂的野花中。它的花期如此豐富，以至于它會(huì)變成深紅色，但深紅色并非名字。深紅色是罌粟花已經(jīng)穿上的影子。薊草形單影只地暫停，破碎得優(yōu)美，過于驕傲而無法給自己命名，過于遠(yuǎn)離而無法接受我可能給予它的名字。

The Aristocrat

All over Apulia,currents of sea air snarl among winds from the landwise mountains.I can see thistle seeds tumbling everywhere,but I lose their pathways,they are so many.Flowers of every color flock up and down the walls of white ruin and beyond,between the snaggles of useless rock and the sea,poppies and camomilla clustered together like brilliant sheep.But somehow the thistle,disdainful in the general flight of seeds,ends up alone in the mob of wildflowers.Its bloom is so wealthy it would become scarlet,but scarlet is not the name.Scarlet is the shadow the poppies already wear.The thistle pauses all alone,elegant in its tatters,too proud to name itself,to0o aloof to accept any name Imight give.

十字架

這是世界最漫長的一個(gè)下午，一個(gè)比我們的一場(chǎng)戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)還要漫長的下午。在安吉亞里市長那毀壞的房子墻壁上面，某個(gè)士兵，在這座城市上上下下漫游并且探索它，在此駐足良久，用射出的子彈精確地縫合成一個(gè)十字架。他這么干，肯定是因?yàn)闊釔圩约旱脑O(shè)計(jì)藝術(shù)，因?yàn)楝F(xiàn)在基督?jīng)]有懸掛在那十字架上。不知怎么的，一顆來自田野上的野生小茴香花種子，在漫游的探索飛翔中停了下來，停在攀登這山城的半路上，我能看見那孤獨(dú)的長莖和金冠，還有那縫隙中的根，那條根也在漫游和探索那墻壁石頭上優(yōu)美的十字架，用機(jī)關(guān)槍掃射而成的十字架。到這個(gè)時(shí)候，那士兵比小茴香的種子散播得更遠(yuǎn)。

The Cross

It is one of the longest afternoons of the world,an afternoon long past one of our wars.On the ruined wall of the mayor's house in Anghiari,some soldier,wandering up and down the city and exploring it,paused long enough to stitch a cross precisely with bullets.He must have done it for love of his art,for no Christ hangs there now.Somehow a seed from the field of wild dill blossoms paused in its own wandering and exploring flight,halfway up the mountain city,and I can see the solitary long stem and the golden crown,and the root in the crevice,the root also wandering and exploring the elegant cross on the wall stone,the machine-gunned cross.By this time the soldier is scattered farther away than the seed of the dill.

注：①18世紀(jì)法國著名風(fēng)景畫家（1733-1808）。②意大利托斯卡納大區(qū)佛羅倫薩省的一個(gè)市鎮(zhèn)。