第7章 Whistling of Birds——D. H. Lawrence

内容导读

D. H.劳伦斯，20世纪英国著名小说家、散文家。《鸟语啁啾》发表于第一次世界大战刚结束不久的1919年。文章中的景物充满象征意味：严酷天气中冻死的鸟儿让人联想到在第一次世界大战中失去生命的士兵。沉浸在战争所带来的创伤和痛苦中不能自拔的人们需要像鸣唱的鸟儿一样，摆脱梦魇，拥抱未来。

英文正文

There is another world. The winter is gone. There is a new world of spring. The voice of the turtle is heard in the land. But the flesh shrinks from so sudden a transition. Surely the call ispremature, while the clods are still frozen, and the ground is littered with the remains of wings! Yet we have no choice. In the bottoms of impenetrable blackthorn, each evening and morning now, out flickers a whistling of birds.

Where does it come from, the song? After so long a cruelty, how can they make it up so quickly? But it bubbles through them, they are like little well-heads, little fountainheads whence the spring trickles and bubbles forth. It is not of their own doing. In their throats the new life distils itself into sound. It is the spring of the silvery sap of a new summer, gurgling itself forth.

All the time, whilst the earth lay choked and killed and winter-mortified, the deep undersprings were quiet. They only wait for theponderous encumbranceof the old order to give way, yield in the thaw, and there they are, a silver realm at once. Under the surge of ruin,unmitigatedwinter, lies the silver potentially of all blossom. One day the black tide must spend itself and fade back. Then all—suddenly appears the crocus, hovering triumphant in the rear, and we know the order has changed, there is a new regime, sound of a new Vive! Vive!

……

Even whilst we stare at the ragged horror of birds scattered broadcast, part-eaten, the soft uneven cooing of the pigeon ripples from the outhouses, and there is a faint silver whistling in the bushes come twilight. No matter, we stand and stare at the torn and unsightly ruins of life, we watch the weary,mutilatedcolumns of winter retreating under our eyes. Yet in our ears are the silver vivid bugles of a new creation advancing on us from behind, we hear the rolling of the soft and happy drums of the doves.

We may not choose the world. We have hardly any choice for ourselves. We follow with our eyes the bloody and horrid line of march if this extreme winter, as it passes away. But we cannot hold back the spring. We cannot make the birds silent, prevent the bubbling of wood-pigeons. We cannot stay the fine world of silver-fecund creation from gathering itself and taking place upon us. Whether we will or not, the daphne tree will soon be giving off perfume, the lambs dancing on two feet, the celandines will twinkle all over the ground, there will be a new heaven and new earth.

中文译文

鸟语啁啾

D.H.劳伦斯

另一个世界来了。冬天已去，春天的新世界来了。田野里传来了乌龟的叫声，猛一听还真让人打个冷战。泥土仍然在封冻中，这叫声让人觉得来得太早了点，再说田野上还散落着死鸟的翅膀呢！可我们别无选择。从那密不透风的黑刺李丛中，一早一晚都会传来鸟儿的啁啾。

这歌声来自何处？一段长长的残酷时期刚过，这些鸟儿怎么能这么快就重新鸣叫了呢？但是，它们就像小小的水源，小小的泉源一样。泉水从那里慢慢流淌着，涓涓而去。鸟鸣也通过鸟儿流淌出来，发出汩汩声。它们身不由己，新的生命已经注入它们的歌喉当中。这是一股新的夏天的水银般的汁液在升腾，汩汩向前。

当大地被寒冬窒息扼杀过后，地心深处的泉水一直在静静等待着。它们只是在等待那旧秩序的重荷让位、融化，随后它们又立即成为一个清澈的王国。就在冷酷无情的寒冬毁灭性狂浪之下，潜伏着令所有鲜花盛开的琼浆。那黑暗的潮水总有一天要退去。于是，忽然间潮尾出现几朵飘飘悠悠的藏红花。它让我们明白，天地变了，变出了一个新天地，响起了新的声音，万岁！万岁！

……

即使当我们凝视着遍野横陈的破碎鸟尸时，屋外传来此起彼伏的柔和的鸽叫声，黄昏中，仍从树丛中传出鸟儿银铃般的鸣啭。不管怎样，我们经受并目睹了惨不忍睹的生命毁灭景象，疲惫的残冬在我们眼皮底下退却了。我们的耳畔萦回着的是新生命创造的清亮鸣啭，我们听到的是鸽子奏出的温柔而幸福的鼓声。

我们无法选择世界，我们几乎没什么可为自己选择的。我们只能随着这极冷的冬天里血腥恐怖的脚步前行。但是我们无法阻挡这春天，无法令鸟儿沉寂，无法扼杀林中鸽子的鸣啭。我们不能让这个富有创造力的美好的世界停转，它不可阻挡地振作着自己，来到了我们身边。不管我们愿不愿意，月桂树很快就要散发出芬芳，羊儿很快就要立起双脚跳舞，白苣菜会遍地闪烁点点光亮，那将是一个新天地。

词汇速记

premature adj. 不成熟的

ponderous adj. 笨重的，沉闷的

encumbrance n. 累赘

unmitigated adj. 严厉的

mutilate v. 毁坏

美句欣赏

We may not choose the world. We have hardly any choice for ourselves. We follow with our eyes the bloody and horrid line of march if this extreme winter, as it passes away. But we cannot hold back the spring. We cannot make the birds silent, prevent the bubbling of wood-pigeons. We cannot stay the fine world of silver-fecund creation from gathering itself and taking place upon us. Whether we will or not, the daphne tree will soon be giving off perfume, the lambs dancing on two feet, the celandines will twinkle all over the ground, there will be a new heaven and new earth.我们无法选择世界，我们几乎没什么可为自己选择的。我们只能随着这极冷的冬天里血腥恐怖的脚步前行。但是我们无法阻挡这春天，无法令鸟儿沉寂，无法扼杀林中鸽子的鸣啭。我们不能让这个富有创造力的美好的世界停转，它不可阻挡地振作着自己，来到了我们身边。不管我们愿不愿意，月桂树很快就要散发出芬芳，羊儿很快就要立起双脚跳舞，白苣菜会遍地闪烁点点光亮，那将是一个新天地。