Words, Wide Night

Words, Wide Night

Written by Carol Ann Duffy

 

Somewhere on the other side of this wide night

and the distance between us, I am thinking of you.

¹⁾The room is turning slowly away from the moon.

 

This is pleasurable. Or shall I ²⁾cross that out and say

it is sad? In one of the tenses I singing

an impossible song of desire that you cannot hear.

 

La lala la. See? I close my eyes and imagine

the dark hills I would have to cross

to reach you. For I am in love with you and this

is what it is like or what it is like in words.

 

 

Whispering Steppe

 

Love is dear, love is rare

Love is never where your eyes would stare

Unexpectedly, even blindingly

Love will show its face to you, no lie

Fears ³⁾subside¹, clearly why

Time has come for me to stand aside

⁴⁾Unencumberedly, though ⁵⁾reluctantly

Upon the ⁶⁾whispering ⁷⁾steppes I lie with pride

It was the ⁸⁾cradle of my hopes now lies my resting grave

The warmth of life has left me half-embraced

For those who ⁹⁾rendered fears and pain

I will surely pay with a smile you can't escape

Free at last, from the past

Time has come for me to greet the vast

Unencumberedly, though reluctantly

Upon the whispering steppes I lie

 

 

 

无言的暗夜

无边暗夜的某一处，某一边

我们之间遥遥相隔，我想起了你。

月光慢慢移出房间。

 

这是快乐的。或者我应该抛开这想法，说

这是悲伤的？用某种时态，我唱着

你无法听到的，一支不成曲的希望之歌。

 

啦啦啦啦，听到了吗？我闭上眼睛，想象

我穿越黑黢黢的山

来到你身边。因为我爱着你，而这

就是爱，任何言辞也难以表达。

 

 

细语吟咽的草原

爱之珍，爱之罕

爱令双目不可逼视

就那么出人意料，甚至茫然无绪地

爱呈现出至真性情，没有谎言

湮灭了惧栗，也明白了

时空于我就这样静止的缘由

无所畏惧，却又犹豫迟疑地

我走上这为之骄傲的细语吟咽的草原

这里，过去是我希望的摇篮，如今是我安息之地

对那些在幸福生活中抛弃过我的

令我忧虑痛苦的人

而今我要报以一个你们怎也躲不掉的笑容

自由了，终于脱离过去的阴影自由了

广阔天地在我面前展现

无所畏惧，却又犹豫迟疑地

我走上这为之骄傲的细语吟咽的草原

 

注释:

1) The room is turning slowly away from the moon. 这句诗直译为“房间慢慢地从月亮旁移开”。而实际上，房间是不可能移动的，是月光的移动给人造成的一种错觉。诗人以简洁的语句描述出月光的这种动感。

2) cross out: 抹掉，勾销

3)   subside [sEb5said] v. 衰退，沉淀

4) unencumberedly [5Qnin5kQmbEdli] adv. 无所畏惧地

5)   reluctantly [ri5lQktEntli] adv. 犹豫地

6)   whispering [5wispEriN] a. 轻声细语的

7)   steppe [step] n. 无树的大平原，大草原

8)   cradle [5kreidl] n. 摇篮

9)    render [5rendE] v. 呈递

1 subside   

vi.平静，平息；下沉，塌陷，沉降

参考例句：

• The emotional reaction which results from a serious accident takes time to subside.严重事故所引起的情绪化的反应需要时间来平息。
• The controversies surrounding population growth are unlikely to subside soon.围绕着人口增长问题的争论看来不会很快平息。