20 The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock 阿尔弗瑞德 普鲁弗洛克的情歌

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
阿尔弗瑞德普鲁弗洛克的情歌
T.S. Eliot
T S 艾略特
Let us go then, you and I,
那么我们走吧，我们一起，
When the evening is spread out against the sky
此时黄昏正在延展，拥向天际
Like a patient etherized upon a table ;
像麻醉的病人躺在手术台上；
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
我们走吧，穿过一些半冷清的街，
The muttering retreats
那儿休憩的场所正人声喋喋；
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
有夜夜不宁的便宜歇夜旅店
And sawdust restaurants with oyster shells:
露天的餐馆里牡蛎壳遍地，
Streets that follow like a tedious argument
街连着街，好像一场冗长的争议
Of insidious intent
怀着阴险的目的
To lead you to an overwhelming question ...
要把你引向一个重大的问题……
Oh,do not ask, "What is it?”
哦，别问“是什么？”
Let us go and make our visit.
让我们去走访一遍。
In the room the women come and go
客厅里女人来来回回穿梭，
Talking of Michelangelo.
正在谈论着米开朗基罗
The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window panes,
黄色的雾在窗玻璃上擦着它的背，
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window panes
黄色的烟在窗玻璃上擦着它的嘴,
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,
它的舌头伸进黄昏的角落，舔过以后
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
就在干涸的水池上面徘徊。
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,
让烟囱里的烟灰落在它的脊背，
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,
滑过斜坡地，蓦然一跃，
And seeing that it was a soft October night,
发现正值温柔的十月夜晚，
Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.
于是在房屋附近蜷伏起来，安然睡觉。
And indeed there will be time
嗬，确实，总会有时间
For the yellow smoke that slides along the street,
看黄色的烟沿着街滑行，
Rubbing its back upon the window panes;
在窗玻璃上擦着它的背；
There will be time, there will be time
总会有时间，总会有时间
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
准备一副面容去会见你见的那个人；
There will be time to murder and create,
总会有时间去谋杀，去创新，
And time for all the works and days of hands
有时间去做天天的手头活计；
That lift and drop a question on your plate;
在你的茶盘上提起或放下一个问题；
Time for you and time for me,
有的是时间，无论你，无论我，
And time yet for a hundred indecisions,
还有的是时间犹豫一百遍，
And for a hundred visions and revisions,
有时间幻想一百遍，修正一百遍，
Before the taking of a toast and tea.
然后再去吃茶点。
In the room the women come and go
客厅里女人来来回回穿梭，
Talking of Michelangelo.
正在谈论着米开朗琪罗
And indeed there will be time
嗬，确实，总还有时间
To wonder, "Do I dare?" and, “Do I dare?”
来疑问，“我可有勇气？” “我可有勇气？”
Time to turn back and descend the stair,
总还有时间来转身走下楼梯，
With a bald spot in the middle of my hair—
把一块秃顶暴露给人去注意一
[They will say, “How his hair is growing thin!” ]
(她们会说：”他的头发长得真稀！ )
My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,
我的晨礼服，挺立到下巴的衣领，
My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin—
我的领带雅致而多彩，用简朴别针固定——
[They will say, "But how his arms and legs are thin!"]
(她们会说：”但他的手臂和腿瘦骨伶仃！ ”）
Do I dare
我可有勇气
Disturb the universe?
撹乱这个宇宙？
in a minute there is time
在一分钟里总还有时间
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.
决定和变卦，过一分钟还可推翻。
For I have known them all already, known them all—
因为我已经熟悉了她们，并且了如指掌——
Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,
熟悉了那些黄昏，和上下午的情景，
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;
我是用咖啡匙子量出了我的生命；
I know the voices dying with a dying fall
我知道每当隔壁响起了咅乐
Beneath the music from a farther room.
话声就逐渐低微而至停歇。
So how should I presume?
所以我怎么敢提出？
And I have known the eyes already, known them all—
而且我已熟悉那些眼睛，熟悉了一切——
The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase,
那些用一句公式化的成语把你钉住的眼睛，
And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin,
当我被公式化了，在钉针下趴伏，
When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,
当我被钉着在墙壁上挣扎，
Then how should I begin
那么我将如何开始
To spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways?
吐出我一生岁月习惯中所有的残渣？
And how should I presume?
因此我该怎样冒昧提起？
And I have known the arms already, known them all—
而且我已经熟悉那些胳膊，熟悉了一切——
Arms that are braceleted and white and bare
那些胳膊戴着镯子，又袒露又白净
[But in the lamplight, downed with light brown hair!]
(可是在灯光下，显得淡褐色毛茸茸！）
Is it perfume from a dress
是否由于衣裙的香气
That makes me so digress?
使得我这样话离本题？
Arms that lie along a table, or wrap about a shawl.
那些手臂横放在桌上，或用披巾卷起。
And should I then presume?
那时候我该提出吗？
And how should I begin?
可是我怎么开口？
Shall I say, I have gone at dusk through narrow streets
我是否说，黄昏时穿过几条小街,
And watched the smoke that rises from the pipes
看到孤独的男子只穿着衬衫
Of lonely men in shirt-sleeves, leaning out of windows? ...
倚在窗口，烟斗里冒着袅袅的烟？···
I should have been a pair of ragged claws
我倒不如做一对粗俗的蟹爪
Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.
匆匆爬过静寂的海底。
And the afternoon, the evening, sleeps so peacefully!
啊，那下午，那黄昏，睡得多平静！
Smoothed by long fingers,
被纤长的手指轻轻抚爱，
Asleep... tired ...or it malingers,
睡了···疲倦了···或者佯装有病，
Stretched on the floor, here beside you and me.
躺在地板上，就在你我脚边伸开。
Should I, after tea and cakes and ices
是否我，在用过茶、糕点和冷饮以后，
Have the strength to force the moment to its crisis?
我是否有勇气把这一刻推向紧要关头？
But though I have wept and fasted, wept and prayed,
然而，尽管我曾哭泣斋戒，哭泣祈祷，
Though I have seen my head [ grown slightly bald ] brought in upon a platter
尽管我看见我的头（有点秃顶）用盘子端过来，
I am no prophet —and here's no great matter;
我不是先知——这也不值得大惊小怪；
I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,
我曾看到我伟大的时刻在动摇，
And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker
我曾看到那永恒的”侍者”拿着我的外衣暗笑,
And in short, I was afraid.
简而言之，我感到害怕。
And would it have been worth it, after all,
而且，归根到底，那是否值得，
After the cups, the marmalade, the tea,
在用过茶点，吃过果酱以后，
Among the porcelain, among some talk of you and me,
在杯盘中间，当人们谈着你和我，
Would it have been worth while,
是不是值得以一个微笑
To have bitten off the matter with a smile,
把这件事情一□啃掉，
To have squeezed the universe into a ball
把整个宇宙压缩成一个球，
To roll it toward some overwhelming question,
使它滚向一个重大的问题，
To say, "I am Lazarus, come from the dead
说道：”我是拉撒路，从死人那里
Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all"—
来报一个信，我要告诉你们一切”——
If one, settling a pillow by her head,
万一她拿个枕头垫在脑下，
Should say: "That is not what I meant at all.
竟然说：”那根本不是我的意思。
That is not it, at all."
不是的，那根本不是。”
And would it have been worth it, after all,
那么，归根到底，是不是值得，
Would it have been worth while,
是否值得在那许多次夕阳以后，
After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets
在庭院的散步和水淋过街道以后，
After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor-
在读小说以后，在饮茶以后，在长裙拖过地板以后——
And this, and so much more?—
说这些，和许多许多事情？——
It is impossible to say just what I mean!
但不可能真正说出我的意图！
But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen :
仿佛有盏神灯把神经活动图投射到屏幕上：
Would it have been worth while
是否值得，
If one, settling a pillow or throwing off a shawl,
假如 她在头下垫个枕头，脱去披风，
And turning toward the window, should say:
把头转向窗户，说道
"That is not it at all,
”不是的，根本不是，
That is not what I meant, at all."
那根本不是我的意思。”
No! I am not Prince Hamlet, or was meant to be;
不！我不是哈姆雷特王子，也无此意；
Am an attendant lord one that will do
我只是个侍从爵士，能逢场作戏，
To swell a progress, start a scene or two,
能为一两个景开场，
Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool,
或为王子出主意， 就够好的了；
Deferential, glad to be of use,
无非是顺手的工具，
Politic, cautious, and meticulous;
恭恭敬敬，乐于听人使唤，
Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse
满□高调，但有点愚钝不灵利；
At times, indeed, almost ridiculous —
有时，几乎实在滑稽可笑——
Almost, at times, the Fool.
有时，近乎一个丑角。
I grow old... I grow old...
嗬，我变老了···我变老了···
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.
我将要把我的裤脚边卷起。
Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?
我是否把头发从后面分开？我可敢吃桃？
I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
我将要穿上白色法兰绒裤，去海滨漫步。
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.
美人鱼在对歌，她们的歌声我已听到。
I do not think that they will sing to me.
但我想她们不是唱给我听。
I have seen them riding seaward on the waves
我已经看到她们乘着波浪游向海里，
Combing the white hair of the waves blown back
梳理着被冲回的浪涛白头，
When the wind blows the water white and black.
当海风把海水刮得黑白交加。
We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
我们在海宫中流连忘返，
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown
水仙子用红褐水草把大海装饰如此美丽，
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.
一旦被人声唤醒，我们就淹死。