英文來源：Wikipedia

中文翻譯：宋蘋芳、談玉儀

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beggar's_Opera 

Peachum, who is both fence and thief-catcher, sets the tone with his song of self-justification as he sits at his account-book. This dark tune is the only song that appears in both The Beggar's Opera and The Threepenny Opera (as Morgenchoral des Peachum): Mrs. Peachum comes in, and overhearing her husband's blacklisting of unproductive thieves, remonstrates with him over one of them (Bob Booty, a nick-name for Robert Walpole), but easily goes along:

身為銷贓者與捉偷者的皮瓊坐在他的帳簿前，唱著自我辯護之歌，這個陰沉的曲調只出現於《乞丐歌劇》及《三便士歌劇》。皮瓊太太進門時無意間聽見丈夫正在列無能小偷的黑名單，並向皮瓊抱怨其中一個名叫鮑柏‧布堤的小偷〈綽號羅伯特‧渦爾波〉，然而，劇情很平順地向下發展。

The middle-class criminal complacency of these two is shattered by their discovery that their daughter Polly has secretly married Macheath, the famous highwayman.

這兩位志得意滿的中產階級罪犯夫婦卻發現女兒波莉與一名惡名狼藉的強盜馬奇斯私定終身的消息而氣憤不已。他們對女兒怒罵:

Can you support the Expence of a Husband, Hussy, in Gaming, Drinking and Whoring? Have you Money enough to carry on the daily Quarrels of Man and Wife about who shall squander most? There are not many Husbands and Wives, who can bear the Charges of plaguing one another in a handsome way.

「你能夠支付丈夫吃、喝、嫖、賭的費用嗎？你有足夠的金錢讓夫妻成天爭吵著到底誰揮霍較多的金錢？沒有很多丈夫和妻子會用慷慨的方式來長期折磨對方。」

The parents conclude, however, that the match may make sense, provided the husband can be killed for his money. They depart, intent on this errand, and we find that Polly has hidden her man on the premises. She informs him of his danger, and there follows a touching duet, in spite of its intentional burlesque of popular love scenes:

然而，這對夫婦下了個結論認為女兒與馬奇斯的結合，只有在這個丈夫將會因為金錢被殺害的前提下成立。於是他倆離開，拭目以待著女兒與馬奇斯的發展，我們也發現波莉早已預先告知丈夫將被謀害的事，波莉告訴馬奇斯他的險境後，兩人唱出二重奏，雖然其中有通俗愛情的諷刺寓意但樂音十分感人。他們唱著：

MACHEATH. And I would love you all the Day,

馬奇斯：我會全天地愛你

POLLY. Every Night would kiss and play,

波莉：每晚都吻我、與我相好

MACHEATH. If with me you'd fondly stray

馬奇斯：倘若跟隨著我你會迷失

POLLY. Over the Hills and far away.

波莉：那就越過重山，遠走他鄉

Macheath's idea of escaping is to repair to a tavern and gather around him a company of women of dubious virtue. These, though they are of the lowest possible class of society, vie with one another in displaying perfect drawing-room manners, although the subject of their conversation is their success in picking pockets and shoplifting. Two of them, to Macheath's great surprise, have contracted with Peachum to capture him, and Macheath finds himself a prisoner in Newgate, the great City prison. Here, it develops, the jailer's daughter, Lucy Lockit, awaits her chance to upbraid Macheath for having promised to marry her, and reneged.

馬奇斯的逃跑計畫是前往一間酒館並召集一群品德有缺陷的女人，這群女人雖然她們處於社會較低下的階層，談話內容圍繞在如何成功地扒竊、偷竊的案例，但是卻彼此相互較勁，展現完美的起居禮儀。令馬奇斯驚訝的是其中兩個人竟然通知皮瓊來逮捕他，害他被關進位於鈕給特的城市監獄。在這，監獄長的女兒露西正伺機責罵馬奇斯，因為他食言，忘了與她結婚的承諾。她說：

You base Man you,----how can you look me in the Face after what hath passed between us?---- See here, perfidious Wretch, how I am forc'd to bear about the Load of Infamy you have laid upon me----O Macheath! thou hast robb'd me of my Quiet----to see thee tortur'd would give me Pleasure.

「你！卑鄙的男人！悔婚之後你怎還有臉見我？看看這兒，背信棄義的壞蛋，我是如何被迫忍受你加諸在我身上的醜事，噢！馬奇斯！你已奪走了我生活的平靜，目睹你的磨難將會帶給我莫大的快樂。」

Macheath succeeds in mollifying her, only to have Polly drop in at this inopportune moment, nearly ruining his chances of escape by claiming him for her husband in Lucy's presence. Macheath finds himself forced to pretend that Polly is crazy, and succeeds in forcing her to retreat--but something in the performance fills Lucy with foreboding: "But that Polly runs in my Head strangely." And she sings, affectingly:

馬奇斯好不容易才成功地安撫露西的情緒，讓波莉在這不適當的時機探望他，但是波莉在露西在場時呼喊著丈夫名字幾乎使馬奇斯失去了逃脫的機會，他不得以才說波莉已發瘋並順利地迫使波莉離去。然而，這場表演卻帶給露西不祥的預感，「 波莉莫名奇妙地闖進了我的地盤 」於是，她便激動地唱起：

If love be not his Guide, 倘若他並非被愛引導

He never will come back! 他將永遠不得回來

There would be, as the Beggar promised in the introduction, difficulty choosing between the two young women, but for Lucy's capacity for violence and revenge. Macheath notices, and this would be fatal to her cause, were it not lost already:

就如同乞丐在該劇的引言中表示：在兩年輕貌美的女子間做選擇將是個大難題。馬奇斯察覺假使選擇了露西就是選擇了暴力及報復，露西的暴力及報復的念頭不消，將使她陷入萬劫不復。

LUCY. How happy I am, if you say this from your heart! For I love thee so, that I could sooner bear to see thee hang'd than in the Arms of another.

露西：如果你打從心底說愛我，我會有多開心！我是如此地愛你，愛到能夠親眼目睹你被吊死而非死在其他女人懷裡。

MACHEATH. But could'st thou bear to see me hang'd?

馬奇斯：難道你真的忍心眼睜睜看著我被吊死？

In spite of her fears, Lucy aids Macheath in his escape. Her father learns of Macheath's promise of marriage to her, and determines to learn from Peachum the status of Polly's possible marriage, for if Macheath is recaptured and hanged, his fortune will be subject to rival claims. Lockit visits Peachum, and they discover, while listening to a long-winded account by Mrs. Trapes, the whereabouts of Macheath. They conclude to go halves in him, and the chase is on. Mrs. Trapes shows the practical presence of mind that characterizes these underworld characters, by not presuming upon Peachum and Lockit's promise of a reward:

儘管露西害怕，她依然協助馬奇斯逃脫。露西擔任典獄長的父親洛奇特得知馬奇斯曾承諾與露西結婚，便決定從皮瓊那了解馬奇斯和寶莉的婚約狀況，因為如果馬奇斯被捕、被吊死，他的財產將歸屬敵人。洛奇特拜訪皮瓊時，聆聽完崔皮斯女士迂迴的解釋後便發現了馬奇斯的行蹤，崔女士表明內心想法，仔細描述黑社會人物，並不要求皮瓊和洛奇特的獎賞。她說:

TRAPES. I don't enquire after your Affairs-- --so whatever happens, I wash my hands on't---- It hath always been my Maxim, that one Friend should assist another-- --But if you please----I'll take one of the Scarfs home with me. 'Tis always good to have something in Hand.

「我並非查詢你們的私事，因此無論發生什麼事情，我都不會介入，我的座右銘是朋友應當互相幫助。如果你高興的話，我將帶一條圍巾回家，有個東西在手總是感覺較好。」

Polly, meanwhile, goes to visit Lucy in hopes of working something out, little knowing that Lucy has resolved to poison her. In a fine takeoff on melodramatic murder scenes, Polly narrowly avoids the cup, and Macheath's recapture is revealed. In the scene memorialized by William Hogarth, who was present on opening night, The two "wives" plead with their fathers, unavailingly, for Macheath's life. Then, in a moment of inspired burlesque, Macheath finds that his life has become too complex for him:

在這同時，波莉前去拜訪露西希望能想出解救馬奇斯的方法，她絲豪不知露西要毒死她的決心。在此富戲劇性的謀殺場景中，波莉死裡逃生般地甩開了下毒的杯子。而馬奇斯也再次被拘捕入獄。英國畫家威廉‧霍格斯在他知名的同名畫作中畫出這兩個老婆分別請求父親饒恕馬奇斯的生命的場景，而使得該場景永垂不朽。在作者靈思泉湧的諷刺口吻中，馬奇斯覺得他的人生變的難以了解。

JAILOR. Four Women more, Captain, with a Child apiece! See, here they come.

獄吏: 典獄長，四個女人都各自帶著一個孩子前來！你瞧，他們來了！

MACHEATH. What----four Wives more!----This is too much----Here----tell the Sheriff's Officers I am ready.

什麼！還有另外四個老婆！太多了吧！告訴行罰官說我已經準備好了。

A scene, reminiscent of the interruptions in The Rehearsal, interposes, in which the Beggar explains that he would have provided a properly moral ending with the hanging of Macheath, "and for the other Personages of the Drama, the Audience is to suppose they were all either hang'd or transported." But the "taste of the town" will not allow this, for the people had not come to see a tragedy, and must have a happy ending. Macheath is brought back, to the general cry of "a Reprieve," and invites all to a dance of celebration, declaring to Polly that he acknowledges his marriage to her as binding.

在先前的一幕中，乞丐解釋說他早應該以馬奇斯絞刑來為本劇做一個富有道德性的戲劇結尾，對於其他要角的處理，觀眾們都覺得理應吊死或放逐。但是，“這座城市的品味”將不允許這種結局，因為觀眾不想看悲劇性的收場，所以這齣戲應該有皆大歡喜的結尾，因此，馬奇斯被鬆綁，高喊著“無罪釋放”，他並邀請全體人員一同跳舞慶祝，也對波莉說他們的婚姻依然存在。

The intent of the play is clearly to remind those in high place that corruption at their level leads to corruption and suffering throughout society. As such, it is a highly moral play, in spite of its apparent glamorization of the criminal life. Two weeks after opening night, an article appeared in The Craftsman, the leading Opposition newspaper, ostensibly protesting Gay's work as libelous, but actually assisting him in satirizing the Walpole establishment by very clumsily taking the government's side:

這齣戲劇的內容清楚地提醒位居上層階級的人，他們的敗壞造成了社會的腐敗和苦難。雖然本劇明顯的美化罪人的生活但是它其實是齣道德戲劇。在公開演出的兩週後，一篇劇評刊登於執政黨報紙《藝匠》上，表面上這篇文章認為作者蔣蓋的作品具有毀謗性，但事實這篇文章骨子裡卻是支持劇作家利用劇作來諷刺諷刺當時的渦爾波政府。

It will, I know, be said, by these libertine Stage-Players, that the Satire is general; and that it discovers a Consciousness of Guilt for any particular Man to apply it to Himself. But they seem to forget that there are such things as Innuendo's (a never-failing Method of explaining Libels)....Nay the very Title of this Piece and the principal Character, which is that of an Highwayman, sufficiently discover the mischievous Design of it; since by this Character every Body will understand One, who makes it his Business arbitrarily to levy and collect Money on the People for his own Use, and of which he always dreads to give an Account----Is not this squinting with a vengeance, and wounding Persons in Authority through the Sides of a common Malefactor? (in Guerinot & Jilg, 87-88)

The commentator drives home his point by taking note of the Beggar's last remark, which is the most important of the play: "That the lower People have their Vices in a Degree as well as the Rich, and are punished for them,----innuendo, that rich People never are" (89).

本劇藉由這些舞台上浪蕩子的生活展現諷刺劇的普世性，並且每個人最終還是會有罪惡的意識，然而，大家似乎都忘了這些都只諷刺的手法〈不曾失敗過的藝術方式〉，從這齣戲的戲名和角色的名字，我們都能適時發現這種嘲弄般的設計，因為透過這個角色，每個人都會了解「他」利用任意徵稅、搜刮人民錢財來為己所用，而不加解釋。這不正是利用戲中做惡之人來報復、中傷政府官員嗎？(在 Guerinot 和 Jilg, 87-88) 。評論家抄下《乞丐歌劇》全劇最重要的台詞：“下層人民和有錢人一樣擁有著某種程度的罪惡，且最後必須接受懲罰。暗指著有錢人從未被處罰”。