玛丽安·摩尔：岁月为何

陈彦 译



何为我们的无辜，
何为我们的罪？一切都是
暴露的，无人安全。而勇气
在何处：这未经解答的疑问，
这决然的怀疑，——
喑哑的呼唤，耳冥的倾听——那
于不幸中的，甚至死亡，
鼓舞着他人
并在它的失败中，激发

灵魂变得强硬？他
看见深渊而感欢欣，他
加入必死的行列
并在他的困兽之斗中
将自己提升如同
鸿沟中的大海，为自由
而抗争， 且无法达成，
在它的屈迫中
发现它的持续。

于是，深有体悟的他
诉诸行动。这非常的鸟儿，
如其所唱的越长越高，坚定地
炼就着他的形体。尽管被囚禁，
他那强有力的歌唱
述说着，苟且是下作
之事，欢愉之事何其纯粹。
这即是必死，
这即是永恒。


What Are Years

What is our innocence,
what is our guilt? All are
naked, none is safe. And whence
is courage: the unanswered question,
the resolute doubt, —
dumbly calling, deafly listening—that
in misfortune, even death,
encourage others
and in its defeat, stirs

the soul to be strong? He
sees deep and is glad, who
accedes to mortality
and in his imprisonment rises
upon himself as
the sea in a chasm, struggling to be
free and unable to be,
in its surrendering
finds its continuing.

So he who strongly feels,
behaves. The very bird,
grown taller as he sings, steels
his form straight up. Though he is captive,
his mighty singing
says, satisfaction is a lowly
thing, how pure a thing is joy.
This is mortality,
this is eternity.