经济学人21:克里姆林宫的宫廷诗人谢尔盖·米哈尔科夫

 　　Obituary；Sergei Mikhalkov；

　　讣告；谢尔盖·米哈尔科夫；

　　Sergei Mikhalkov, the Kremlin's court poet, died on August 27th, aged¹ 96；

　　克里姆林宫的宫廷诗人谢尔盖·米哈尔科夫于8月27日辞世，享年96岁；

　　Talent without flexibility² was a dangerous thing in the Soviet³ Union, as thousands found to their cost. Sergei Mikhalkov had talent aplenty, as a poet, playwright⁴, children's writer and satirist⁵. But, more important, he was flexible.

　　光有才能却不懂变通，这在苏联是危险的。成千上万的人明白这一点时已经付出了代价。谢尔盖·米哈尔科夫才华横溢，既是诗人，也是剧作家，还是儿童文学和讽刺文学作家。不过更重要的还是他懂得变通。

　　Mr Mikhalkov penned the words to two versions of the Soviet national anthem⁶, one glorifying⁷ Stalin and one ignoring him. After Russia shrugged⁸ off communism he wrote a third version, to the same tune⁹. In between he denounced two of the country's greatest writers, Boris Pasternak and Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Every regime he served gave him medals.

　　米哈尔科夫先生为两个版本的苏联国歌作过词，其中一个版本赞美斯大林，另一个将其忽略。俄罗斯抛弃共产主义之后，他又写了第三个版本，还是同一个曲子。在上述这些事情之间的岁月里，他谴责过两位最伟大的俄国作家――伯里斯·帕斯杰尔纳克和亚历山大·索尔仁尼琴。每一个他为之效力的政权都给他颁发过奖章。

　　Servility towards power is a ubiquitous phenomenon. An 18th-century English song, “The Vicar of Bray¹⁰”, tells of a country clergyman who changed his allegiance with the times, Romish under James II, strongly Protestant under the Hanoverians, through every other point of the ecclesiological compass. The chorus runs:

　　对权力奴颜卑膝是普天下皆有的现象。一首名为“布雷的牧师”的18世纪英国歌曲讲述了一个乡村的神职人员如何随着时代的变化改换他效忠的对象：在詹姆士二世时他忠于天主教，汉诺威王室统治时他又成了坚定的新教教徒，直到他前后效忠了基督教里所有的教派。合唱部分是这样唱的：

　　And this is Law I will maintain

　　这就是我要保守的规条

　　Until my Dying Day, Sir.

　　直到我咽气的那日，大人。

　　That whatsoever¹¹ King may reign¹²,

　　不管哪样的国王当道

　　I will be the Vicar of Bray, Sir!

　　我都将是布雷的牧师，大人！

　　Mr Mikhalkov offered a Soviet version of the theme.

　　米哈尔科夫先生为这个主题提供了一个苏联版本。

　　He was born in the Russian empire to a noble family, with admirals and princes among his forebears. Many of that breed fled from the Red Terror that followed the Bolshevik revolution; those that stayed behind had their lives blighted¹³, or ended, by the communist hatred¹⁴ of “class enemies”. But young Sergei slipped through that net, working humbly¹⁵ in a Moscow loom¹⁶ factory and writing poetry on the side. That was his ticket to the new aristocracy of proletarian cultural workers. He remained, at heart, a courtier and a cynic.

　　他在帝俄时期出生于一个贵族家庭，先祖中不乏海军元帅和王子。这类人纷纷逃离布尔什维克革命之后随之而来的红色恐怖；他们中间留下来的或者是被共产党对“阶级敌人”的仇恨毁掉了余生，或者干脆就因为这种阶级仇恨丢了性命。但年轻的谢尔盖成了漏网之鱼。他在莫斯科一家织机厂干着卑微的工作，业余写点诗歌。那成了他藉以跻身无产阶级文化工作者这一新贵阶层的门票。在心底里，他其实仍然是一名侍臣，同时也玩世不恭。

　　He gained his first success with a children's verse fable¹⁷ about the exploits of a very tall policeman, “Uncle Steeple” (Dyadya Styopa). Given what the real-life police were doing in the Soviet Union in the 1930s, it should probably be classed as escapist fiction. A little later, he wrote a poem praising—he claimed—a girl with a dark-blond plait whom he had met at the House of Writers. Her name was Svetlana. Since that was also the name of Stalin's daughter, the poem brought the tall, tinny-voiced, stuttering young man to the dictator's notice.

　　使他首获成功的是他为儿童写的一个诗歌体童话，讲述的是一个名叫“教堂尖顶叔叔”的高个警察的英雄行为。考虑到二十世纪三十年代真实生活中的警察都在苏联干了些什么，该作品大概应该归入逃避现实的虚构作品一类。其后不久，他写了一首诗赞美他在作者之家遇到的一名梳着暗金色发辫的女孩――反正他是这样声称的。她的名字是丝薇特拉娜。因为那也是斯大林女儿的名字，所以这首诗让独裁者注意到了这位身材高大，说话蚊子般哼哼，同时有些结巴的年轻人。

　　In 1944 he was commissioned, along with Gabriel El-Registan, a Soviet Armenian poet, to write the words for a new national anthem to replace the “Internationale”. The rousing hymn¹⁸ of the international workers' movement—freedom thundering against oppression, starvelings rising to end the age of cant—was felt not to fit the needs of the contemporary Soviet Union.

　　1944年他和葛布列·艾尔瑞杰斯坦一起被委托为一首新的国歌作词，以取代当时作为国歌的“国际歌”。这首国际工人运动的激昂战歌—自由斗士们对压迫发出雷鸣般的怒吼，饥寒交迫的人们起来结束伪善的时代――被认为不再适合当时苏联的需要。

　　Its replacement¹⁹, set to a stirring tune composed by Alexander Alexandrov, was a sentimental²⁰ and militaristic ditty that gave equal weight to Lenin and Stalin:

　　代替《国际歌》的是一首煽情和颇带铁血意味的歌谣，配以亚历山大·亚历山德罗夫所作的一支振奋人心的曲子。这首歌谣对列宁和斯大林给予了同等重要的地位：

　　Through days dark and stormy where Great Lenin led us

　　伟大的列宁领导我们穿越黑暗和风暴，

　　Our eyes saw the bright sun of freedom above

　　我们的双眼看到高天自由的太阳；

　　and Stalin our Leader, with faith in the People,

　　我们的领袖斯大林，以他对人民的信任

　　Inspired us to build up the land that we love.

　　激励我们在这片热土上建起高楼万丈。

　　Admittedly, national anthems²¹ rarely make great literature, and other Soviet poets, including on one occasion even the great Anna Akhmatova, found it expedient²² to put their pens at the service of the regime. But Mr Mikhalkov's loyalty²³ was exceptional. A good example of his work is “I want to go home”, a 1948 propaganda play about post-war orphanages²⁴ in Germany, in which sinister²⁵ British officials try to brainwash and kidnap Soviet children to use them as spies and slaves in the imperialist cause. The plot is foiled by heroic and kindly²⁶ Soviet officers. The truth was exactly the other way round: it was the Soviet secret police who organised ruthless repatriations, often dividing families.

　　诚然，极少有国歌能成为不朽的文学作品，而且其他的苏联诗人出于自身利益也曾用他们的笔杆为政权服务，即便是了不起的安娜·阿赫玛托娃也曾这样做过一次。　但是米哈尔科夫先生的忠诚罕有其匹。他的作品中一个颇好的例子是“我想回家”，这是1948年的一部关于战后德国孤儿院的宣传剧，在那部剧中阴险的英国官员试图对苏联儿童进行洗脑和绑架，以便在帝国主义大业中把他们当作间谍和奴隶来使用。该阴谋被英勇善良的苏联军官挫败了。事实恰恰相反：正是苏联秘密警察残酷地强制流散到苏联境外的人返回苏联，常常导致一家人骨肉分离。

　　Songs without words

　　无字之歌

　　Mr Mikhalkov's lyrics²⁷ did not long survive Stalin's death in 1953. From then until 1977 the anthem was played without words, neatly²⁸ illustrating²⁹ the Soviet Union's ambiguous attitude to Stalinism. Mr Mikhalkov adapted to the times, becoming a pillar of the Soviet literary establishment and a notable enforcer of party discipline in its ranks. He wrote, in 1970, some new lyrics to the national anthem. To mark the introduction of the new Soviet constitution in 1977, the authorities adopted them. They ignored Stalin, praised Lenin and highlighted Russia's role in welding the “unbreakable union of free-born republics”.

　　米哈尔科夫先生的歌词在1953年斯大林死后不久也寿终正寝。从那时起直到1977年，苏联国歌在播放或演奏时都没有歌词，这贴切地显示出苏联对斯大林主义的暧昧态度。米哈尔科夫先生紧跟时代，成为了苏联文学当权派的重要成员，也成了在基层党员中维护党纪的著名人士。在1970年，他为苏联国歌填写了新词。为了庆祝1977年开始实行的新的苏联宪法，当局采用了这套歌词。新的歌词忽略了斯大林，赞美了列宁，并且强调了俄罗斯在缔造“自由共和国牢不可破的联盟”中所起的作用。

　　The union proved anything but. Given a whiff of freedom under Mikhail Gorbachev, the captive nations of the Soviet empire bolted for the exit. They found, or restored, their own songs. But Russia was tongue-tied. It dumped the Soviet anthem and adopted a resonant³⁰ tune by Glinka, called simply “Patriotic Song”. It failed to catch on. In 2001 Vladimir Putin ordered the restoration of the Soviet tune—and it was Mr Mikhalkov's turn to write, once again, the words. The anodyne³¹ doggerel³² that resulted is no better (and certainly no worse) than other countries' national anthems. It praises Russia's uniqueness, mentions God, and concludes: “Thus it was, is, and always shall be!” Except that it isn't, and wasn't. Few knew that better than the wily Mr Mikhalkov.

　　后来发生的事情证明这个联盟唯一不具备的品质就是牢不可破。苏维埃帝国中被囚禁的诸国在呼吸了米哈伊尔·戈尔巴乔夫任职期间一丝自由的空气后，就纷纷拔腿跑向出口，脱离了联盟。它们有的找到了新的国歌，有的恢复了自己过去的国歌。但俄罗斯却变得张口结舌，不知所措。它丢弃了苏联国歌，转而采用了格林卡的一首洪亮的曲子，名字很简单，就叫“爱国之歌。”但是它没有被普遍接受。2001年时弗拉基米尔·普金下令国歌重新采用前苏联国歌的曲调――而为之填词的任务又一次落到了米哈尔科夫先生身上。米哈尔科夫先生因此所作的这首排忧解痛的打油诗并不比其它国家国歌的歌词更好（当然也并不比它们差）。它赞美了俄罗斯的独一无二，同时也提到了神。歌词结尾处写道：“俄罗斯曾经是这样，现在是这样，也将永远是这样！”。问题是它现在不是这样，过去也不曾这样。没有多少人比灵活善变的米哈尔科夫先生更清楚这一点。

1 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

2 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

3 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

4 playwright   

n.剧作家，编写剧本的人

参考例句：

• Gwyn Thomas was a famous playwright.格温·托马斯是著名的剧作家。
• The playwright was slaughtered by the press.这位剧作家受到新闻界的无情批判。

5 satirist   

n.讽刺诗作者，讽刺家，爱挖苦别人的人

参考例句：

• Voltaire was a famous French satirist.伏尔泰是法国一位著名的讽刺作家。
• Perhaps the first to chronicle this dream was the Greek satirist Lucian.也许第一个记述这一梦想的要算是希腊的讽刺作家露西安了。

6 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

7 glorifying   

赞美( glorify的现在分词 )； 颂扬； 美化； 使光荣

参考例句：

• I had no intention of either glorifying or belittling Christianity, merely the desire to understand it. 我并没有赞扬基督教或蔑视它的立意，我所想的只是了解它。
• You are glorifying a rather mediocre building. 你正在美化一栋普普通通的建筑。

8 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

10 bray   

n.驴叫声, 喇叭声；v.驴叫

参考例句：

• She cut him off with a wild bray of laughter.她用刺耳的狂笑打断了他的讲话。
• The donkey brayed and tried to bolt.这头驴嘶叫着试图脱缰而逃。

11 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

12 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

13 blighted   

adj.枯萎的，摧毁的

参考例句：

• Blighted stems often canker.有病的茎往往溃烂。
• She threw away a blighted rose.她把枯萎的玫瑰花扔掉了。

14 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

15 humbly   

adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地

参考例句：

• We humbly beg Your Majesty to show mercy. 我们恳请陛下发发慈悲。
• "You must be right, Sir,'said John humbly. “你一定是对的，先生，”约翰恭顺地说道。

16 loom   

n.织布机，织机；v.隐现，(危险、忧虑等)迫近

参考例句：

• The old woman was weaving on her loom.那位老太太正在织布机上织布。
• The shuttle flies back and forth on the loom.织布机上梭子来回飞动。

17 fable   

n.寓言；童话；神话

参考例句：

• The fable is given on the next page. 这篇寓言登在下一页上。
• He had some motive in telling this fable. 他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

18 hymn   

n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌

参考例句：

• They sang a hymn of praise to God.他们唱着圣歌，赞美上帝。
• The choir has sung only two verses of the last hymn.合唱团只唱了最后一首赞美诗的两个段落。

19 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

20 sentimental   

adj.多愁善感的，感伤的

参考例句：

• She's a sentimental woman who believes marriage comes by destiny.她是多愁善感的人，她相信姻缘命中注定。
• We were deeply touched by the sentimental movie.我们深深被那感伤的电影所感动。

21 anthems   

n.赞美诗( anthem的名词复数 )；圣歌；赞歌；颂歌

参考例句：

• They usually play the national anthems of the teams at the beginning of a big match. 在大型赛事开始前，他们通常演奏参赛国国歌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rise please, rise for the anthems of & . 请全体起立，奏和两国国歌。 来自互联网

22 expedient   

adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计

参考例句：

• The government found it expedient to relax censorship a little.政府发现略微放宽审查是可取的。
• Every kind of expedient was devised by our friends.我们的朋友想出了各种各样的应急办法。

23 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

24 orphanages   

孤儿院( orphanage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It is Rotarians running orphanages for children who have no homes. 扶轮社员们为没有家的孩子办孤儿院。
• Through the years, she built churches, hospitals and orphanages. 许多年来，她盖了一间间的教堂、医院、育幼院。

25 sinister   

adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的

参考例句：

• There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。
• Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。

26 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

27 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

28 neatly   

adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地

参考例句：

• Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
• The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。

29 illustrating   

给…加插图( illustrate的现在分词 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明

参考例句：

• He upstaged the other speakers by illustrating his talk with slides. 他演讲中配上幻灯片，比其他演讲人更吸引听众。
• Material illustrating detailed structure of graptolites has been etched from limestone by means of hydrofluoric acid. 表明笔石详细构造的物质是利用氢氟酸从石灰岩中侵蚀出来。

30 resonant   

adj.(声音)洪亮的，共鸣的

参考例句：

• She has a resonant voice.她的嗓子真亮。
• He responded with a resonant laugh.他报以洪亮的笑声。

31 anodyne   

n.解除痛苦的东西，止痛剂

参考例句：

• It was their delight,their folly,their anodyne,their intellectual stimulant.这是他们的人生乐趣，他们的一时荒唐，他们的止痛药，他们的脑力刺激剂。
• Friendship is not only the condiment but also the anodyne of life.友谊是人生的调味品，也是人生的止痛药。

32 doggerel   

n.拙劣的诗，打油诗

参考例句：

• The doggerel doesn't filiate itself.这首打油诗没有标明作者是谁。
• He styled his poem doggerel.他把他的这首诗歌叫做打油诗。