Archibald Mclaish

1892 - 1982

“Not Marble Nor the Gilded Monument”

「不是大理石也不是鍍金的紀念像」

The praisers of women in their proud and beautiful peoms

Naming the grave mouth and the hair and the eyes

Boasted those they loved should be forever remembered

These were lies

這些女人的讚美者在他們自傲的漂亮詩作裡

為認真的嘴型、頭髮、眼睛取名

吹噓她們所愛的人會永遠留名

這些是謊言

The words sound but the face in the Istrian sun is forgotten

The poet speaks but to her dead ears no more

The sleek throat is gone – and the breast that were troubled to listen

Shadow from door

這些文字是完美的但是在依斯崔恩太陽下的臉龐無人記得

詩人只能對活著的女人耳語

流暢的話語沒了 – 而想費神去傾聽的想法

是從門縫跑出來的影子

Therefore I will not praise your knees nor your fine walking

Telling you men shall remember your name as long

As lips move or breath is spent or the iron of English

Rings from a tongue

因此我不會讚美妳的膝蓋遑論妳曼妙的走姿

告訴妳男人會長久記住妳的名字

因為嘴唇活動或氣息吹出或英語的鐵塊

是從一條舌頭蹦出

I shall say you were young and your arms straight and your mouth scarlet

I shall say you will die and none will remember you

Your arms change and none remember the swish of your garments

Nor the click of shoe

我會說妳曾經年輕妳的雙臂筆直妳的嘴唇紅潤

我會說妳會死而且無人會記得妳

妳的雙臂會改變無人會記得妳走動時衣服的窸窣聲

遑論鞋子的喀嚓聲

Not with my hands’ strength not with difficult labor

Springing the obstinate words to the bones of your breast

And the stubborn line to your young stride and the breath to your breathing

And the beat to your haste

Shall I prevail on the hearts of unborn men to remember

不是我的雙手沒力氣也不是有困難

彈跳出那些描寫妳胸骨的頑強字句

一行固有的詩句寫妳年輕的跨步一行詩句寫妳呼出的氣息

用節拍顯示出妳的急性子

我應該讓那些未出世的男人將這些牢記在心底嗎

(What is a dead girl but a shadowy ghost

Or a dead man’s voice but a distant and vain affirmation

Like dream words most)

(這樣的女孩是死的只是個鬼影子

或是一個死人的聲音只是一個遙遠且無效的確認

大概像是一堆夢囈罷了)

Therefore I will not speak of the undying glory of women

I will say you were young and straight and your skin fair

And you stood in the door and the sun was a shadow of leaves on your shoulders

所以我不會為女人不朽的榮耀發聲

我會說妳曾經年輕直率妳的皮膚光滑

妳站在門裡太陽是落在妳肩膀上的葉片

I will not speak of the famous beauty of dead women

I will say the shape of a leaf lay once on your hair

Till the world ends and the eyes are out and the mouths broken

Look! It is there!

我不會為美麗的死女人說話

我會說曾經在妳頭髮上的一片葉子的形狀

直到世界末日眼珠掉了嘴巴破了

看啊！這事就近在眼前啦！

讀第一遍時，我猜想這首詩是以詩來翻譯莎翁的同名詩作。

拜讀第一遍讀不懂，依稀了解是在談讚美女人的話題。可是，詩中有提到我和你，這是兩人的爭論，但由其中一人發聲，還是這只是詩人Archibald Mclaishe根據莎翁的詩 Not marble nor the gilded monument的遊戲之作？

再讀第二遍，又覺得這是詩人用詩來反駁莎翁的論點(詩人的作品沒有莎翁所說的流傳千古的力量)？還是，這首詩是談論女人的名聲是不被重視的東西？這裡的I，是指詩人Archibald Mclaish，You是指women?還是，Archibald Mclaish強調讚美是不牢靠的東西，不足依恃？

之後又拜讀了三四遍，好像有點懂詩人想說的是甚麼，可是還說不上來到底是甚麼。

把這首詩譯成中文後，我體會到詩人不願替有美貌的死女人歌功頌德，寧可在她們的言行舉止上做文章。好像有點戲謔地反駁莎翁，說莎翁肯用詩作替男人留名，自己則是不願替女人留名，算是一首對應詩。

William Shakespeare

威廉莎士比亞

1564 – 1616

Not the marble, nor the gilded monuments

Not the marble, nor the gilded monuments

Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme;

But you shall shine more bright in these contents

Than unswept stone, besmeared with sluttish time.

When wasteful war shall statues overturn

And broils root out the work of masonry.

Nor Mars his sword not war’s quick fire shall burn

The living record of your memory.

‘Gainst death and all-oblivious enmity

Shall you pace forth; your praise still find room.

Even in the eyes of all posterity

That wears this world out to the ending doom.

So, till the judgement that yourself arise,

You live in this, and dwell in lovers’ eyes.

不是大理石，也不是鍍金的紀念像

不是大理石，也不是王子的鍍金紀念像

可以比這強大的韻腳活得久；

你會在這些內容裡閃閃發光

比那些被邋塌歲月抹髒而未經清掃的石頭還要亮。

無謂的戰爭推倒雕像

爭吵根除了石造的作品

也不是戰神的刀不是戰爭的快火能夠燒毀

你記憶中的生命紀錄

對抗死亡和所有沒防備的敵意

你應該踏步向前；你的禮讚還能找到空間。

甚至在所有的後人眼裡

走向末日審判讓世人們精神耗盡。

因此，直到審判出來你才能挺立，

你活在審判裡，居住在愛人們的眼裡。