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Dawn is best, when sight joins sound. First, the whisper of waves shows a glimmer, a sheen2sheen光澤;光輝。, becoming a whiteness that edges the sand; then the rocks sigh and gently free their forms from the surrounding dark; the air starts to quiver and murmur with light;and the blur3blur模糊不清的東西(聲音)。of a bird sounds a single envious trill.
[2] We are there, we are ready. We greet the day and the dawn, feeling the hushed4hushed寧靜的;輕的。heartbeat of the world gathering strength for the effort to come. And then we sing. Perhaps one of us will find a fragment of refrain55 refrain〈音〉副歌。, some old golden song belonging to legend that has always existed and only needs finding again, and we take it, caress6caress撫愛;寵愛。it, give it wings and send it phoenix-like away.
[3] Evening has its time too though.Then, mellowness7mellowness醇厚;成熟。deepens to dusk;the waves whisper of rest; stars gently chime8chime鳴響;敲響。; the moon has a deeper note.Sound becomes scent, spicy thyme9thyme百里香(一種植物,葉小,有香味,可作烹飪調味品)。yielding to fragrance of fern10fern蕨類。, sunwarmed rocks to coolness of earth. And our song, our celebration, changes in tone.
黎明時分,美景和自然之聲在此刻交會,這是最美的時刻。起初,海浪呢喃低語,晶瑩閃爍的浪花在沙灘的邊緣形成一抹泛白的亮色;漸漸,礁石輕嘆著,在周邊的一片黑暗中一點點顯露出輪廓;空氣開始微微顫動,和著光一起喃喃低語;還有孤鳥那一聲啁啾,羨意其中,若隱若現,鳴聲輕顫,惹人艷羨。
[2]我們就在那里,等待黎明。我們迎接黎明,迎來白晝,感受這世界沉靜的心跳,它在為新一天的辛勞積蓄力量。我們禁不住歌唱起來。也許有人會找到一首歌的副歌片段,那是一首已成傳奇的古老金曲,始終存于世間,只待重新發(fā)現。我們找到它,呵護它,予其雙翼,令其鳳凰涅槃般重生。
[4] It must be the celebration, the feeling of joy that maddens them. When they hear it, they feel excluded, futile, their heroics11heroics英雄壯舉;豪壯行為。reduced to posturing12posturing做作的舉止。, their words exposed as senseless noise, and...they try to reach it. They beat their way through the waves, while we watch and sing and will not help; we suspect it is not joy but our particular joy they want to reach and conquer. Perhaps they want what we found long ago.
[5] Of course they fail, and of course the stories start, and the fear and the hatred and the hard words, so that truth is made mute13mute沉默的。in a babble14babble胡言亂語;含混不清的話。of lies.Sometimes we sing of that as well, but never willingly, never with pleasure,even though we know the song must include all things. No joy can exist without sorrow, and no song without silence either.
[3]然而,黃昏亦有其輝煌的時刻。過了一會,白日的熱鬧漸漸墜入黃昏;海浪哼唱,繁星輕和,月兒低吟。聲響讓位于氣味,蕨類植物的芳香將辛辣的百里香香味掩蓋,陽光炙烤的礁石跟隨大地逐漸冷卻。我們的歌聲,我們的歡慶啊,開始變調。
[4]一定是這歡慶、這喜悅的感覺使他們抓狂。耳聽狂歡之樂,卻不能身在其中,多么沮喪、多么徒勞啊! 因為在這歌聲的狂歡之中,他們的英雄壯舉不過是裝腔作勢,他們的豪言壯語只是莫名的噪音而已……可是,他們想要加入這狂歡??粗麄兤评饲靶校覀儏s袖手旁觀,繼續(xù)歡歌。因為我們懷疑,他們想要得到并征服的不是歡樂本身,而是我們的歡樂。也許他們想要的正是我們早已擁有的。
[5]當然他們沒有找到。于是開始有了各種杜撰的故事,恐懼之聲、憎恨之語、刺耳之言不絕于耳,因而真理在一大堆謊言之中啞然失語。有時,我們也歌頌謊言,縱然不情不愿,毫無樂趣可言。即使我們知道,那首歌必定包容萬物。沒有悲傷,何來快樂;沒有靜默,何來歌聲?
[6] There was one man who heard and understood—now so far in the past we wonder if we dreamed him.The ship passed,sleek and swift in the water, the sailors bent double over their oars as though in agony, their faces ugly with fear and loathing. We knew they could not hear us: they laboured and strained15strain竭力;使勁。and did not even look, did not try and dash their lives away.
[7] We watched and sang and the ship became our song. And then that one man—he had heard the tales no doubt and made provision16make provision預作安排;為……作好準備。, bound as he was to the mast—suddenly listened.He struggled and shouted to be freed,and then suddenly listened, listened and smiled.
[8] The ship went its way, skimming over the waves in a tumult of foam, our song now urging it on. ■
[6]有個男人聽懂了我們的歌聲,但已經過去了太久,我們懷疑這是不是一個夢。船兒在海水中飛快地滑過,水手們使勁地劃槳,蜷縮著的身子似乎痛苦不堪,臉部因恐懼和憎惡變得甚是難看。我們知道,他們聽不見我們的歌聲:他們拼命劃呀,劃呀,甚至都沒抬頭看一眼,他們壓根就沒想過虛度生命。
[7]我們注視著,歌唱著,船兒上歌聲飛揚。然后有個男人——無疑他曾聽過那些傳說,也有所準備。盡管他被綁在桅桿上,在那里掙扎、叫嚷放開他,卻突然聆聽起來。聽著聽著,他笑了起來。
[8]船兒在泡沫洶涌的海中破浪疾行。我們的歌啊,開始為它壯行。 □