To a Poet a Thousand Years Hence——James Elroy Flecker

致千年后的一位詩人

陳紹鵬 譯

I who am dead a thousand years,

一千年前我已逝去，

And wrote this sweet archaic song,

寫下這悅耳的古老詩句，

Send you my words for messengers

信使將我的話語傳遞給你

The way I shall not pass along.

我已不能前行。

I care not if you bridge the seas,

我不在乎你渡過海洋，

Or ride secure the cruel sky,

或飄浮于嚴(yán)酷的天，

Or build consummate palaces

又或是以金屬還是磚石

Of metal or of masonry.

建起至上的宮殿。

But have you wine and music still,

你是否仍然擁有美酒、音樂，

And statues and a bright-eyed love,

雕像和愛人明亮的雙眼，

And foolish thoughts of good and ill,

是否抱有關(guān)于善與惡的荒謬觀點，

And prayers to them who sit above?

并向上天禱念？

How shall we conquer? Like a wind

我們應(yīng)如何取得成功？要像一陣風(fēng)

That falls at eve our fancies blow,

在傍晚降臨時將我們的幻想吹動，

And old Maeonides the blind

失明的詩人荷馬

Said it three thousand years ago.

三千年前他曾這樣說道。

O friend unseen, unborn, unknown,

啊，未見過、未出世、陌生的友人，

Student of our sweet English tongue,

學(xué)習(xí)我們動聽英語的學(xué)生，

Read out my words at night, alone:

在夜里獨自誦讀我的詩句：

I was a poet, I was young.

我是個詩人，我曾年青。

Since I can never see your face,

既然我無緣目睹你的面容，

And never shake you by the hand,

也不能握著你的手，

I send my soul through time and space

就以我的靈魂相送，穿越時空

To greet you. You will understand.

向你問候。你會明白我的情衷。