英文诗歌 | Ulysses 尤利西斯

阿尔弗雷德·丁尼生是英国维多利亚时代最受欢迎及最具特色的诗人。他的诗歌准确地反映了他那个时代占主导地位的看法及兴趣,这是任何时代的英国诗人都无法比拟的。代表作品为组诗《悼念》。

Ulysses
尤利西斯

Alfred Tennyson
阿尔弗雷德·丁尼生

It little profits that an idle king,
一个无所事事的国王没有当头,

By this still hearth, among these barren crags,
安居家中,在这个嶙峋的岛国。

Matched with an aged wife, I mete and dole
我与年老的妻子相伴,颁布着我与年老的妻子相伴,颁布着

Unequal laws unto a savage race,
各种不同的奖惩法令,治理野蛮的民族,

That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me.
他们只知道贮藏食物、吃、睡、收藏,却不知道我是谁。

I cannot rest from travel: I will drink
我不能停歇我的跋涉;我决心

Life to the lees: all times I have enjoyed
饮尽生命之杯。

Greatly, have suffered greatly, both with those
我曾享受过莫大欢乐,也尝过不少苦头,

That loved me, and alone; on shore, and when
有时与爱我的人在一起,有时却独自一人;不论在岸上还是在

Through scudding drifts the rainy Hyades
海上,激流滚滚,暴风雨把沉沉大海激得汹涌澎湃,

Vest the dim sea: I am become a name;
如今我仅成了一个虚名。

For always roaming with a hungry heart
我如饥似渴地漂泊不止,

Much have I seen and known; cities of men
我已见识了许多民族的城池 各种礼仪、各种气候、各国的议员和政要,

And manners, climates, councils, governments,
我本人并非举足轻重,而是受到最高礼遇。

Myself not least, but honoured of them all;
在遥远的狂风怒吼的特洛伊战场上,

And drunk delight of battle with my peers; Far on the ringing plains of windy Troy.
我曾陶醉于与敌手作战的欢欣。

I am part of all that I have met;
我本身也是我经历的一部分;

Yet all experience is an arch wherethrough
然而,所有的经历都只是一座拱门,

Gleams that untravelled world, whose margin fades
穿过拱门,尚未游历的世界在门外闪光, 而随着我一步一步的前进,

For ever and for ever when I move.
它的边界也不断向后退让。

How dull it is to pause, to make an end,
要是就此停歇,那是何等沉闷无趣,

To rust unburnished, not to shine in use!
人如宝刀,不磨砺就要生锈,不使用,就不会发光 生命岂能等同于呼吸!

As though to breath were life. Life piled on life
几次生命堆起辛犹嫌太短,

Were all to little, and of one to me
何况我唯一的生命已余年无多。

Little remains: but every hour is saved From that eternal silence, something more,
唯有从永恒的沉寂之中夺回每个小时,让每个小时都会曾添更多的收获,

A bringer of new things; and vile it were
带来新的事物;最可厌的是

For some three suns to store and hoard myself, And this gray spirit yearning in desire
把自己长期封存、贮藏起来,让我灰色的灵魂徒然渴望

To follow knowledge like a sinking star, Beyond the utmost bound of human thought.
在人类思想最远的边界之外 追求知识,就像追求沉没的星星。

This is my son, mine own Telemachus,
这是我的儿子式勒玛科斯,

To whom I leave the scepter and the isle—
我给他留下我的岛国和君权节杖,

Well-loved of me, discerning to fulfill
我很爱他,他有胆有识,

This labour, by slow prudence to make mild
能胜任这一果作;谨慎耐心地 教化粗野的民族,

A rugged people, and through soft degrees Subdue them to the useful and the good.
用温和的步骤 驯化他们,使他们成为有用的良民。

Most blameless is he, centered in the sphere
他是无可指责的,他虽年少,

Of common duties, decent not to fail In offices of tenderness, and pay
在我离去后他会担起重任,

Meet adoration to my household gods,
并对我家的信护神表示崇敬。

When I am gone. He works his work, I mine.
他做他的工作,我走我的路。

There lies the port; the vessel puffs her sail:
海港就在那边,海船正扬帆起航,

There gloom the dark broad seas. My mariners,
大海黑暗一片。我的水手们

Souls that have toiled, and wrought, and thought with me—
与我同辛劳、同工作、同思想的人—— 。

That ever with a frolic welcome took The thunder and the sunshine, and opposed
对雷电和阳光永远是同等的欢迎

Free hearts, free foreheads—you and I are old;
并用自由的心与头颅来抗争,你们和我都已老了,

Old age had yet his honour and his toil;
但老年仍有老年的荣誉、老年的辛劳;

Death closes all: but something ere the end, Some work of noble note, may yet be done,
死亡终结一切,但在终点前 我们还能做出一番崇高的事业,

Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods. The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks:
使我们配称为与神斗争的人。 礁石上的灯塔已开始闪烁,

The long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the deep
长昼将尽,月亮缓缓爬上天边,

Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends,
海洋向四周发出各种呻吟。来吧,朋友们,

'Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
探寻新的世界 现在为时不晚。开船吧!

Push off, and sitting well in order smite The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
坐成排,划破这喧哗的海浪,

To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
我决心驶向太阳沉没的彼方,

Of all the western stars, until I die.
超越西方星斗的浴场,至死方止。

It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:
也许深渊会把我们呑噬,

It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
也许我们将到达琼岛乐土,

And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.
与老朋友阿喀琉斯会晤。

Though much is taken, much abides; and though
尽管我们被拿走的很多,留下的也不少,

We are not now that strength which in the old days
虽然我们的力量已不如当初,

Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are,
已远非昔曰移天动地的雄姿,

One equal-temper of heroic hearts,
但我们还是一如既往,有同样的性情,有同样的雄心

Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
虽被时光和命运摧弱,但仍有坚强的意志,

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
坚持着 去奋斗、去探索、去寻求,就是不屈服。