《凯伯雷歌曲》

第二首

卡利普索

Calypso

By W. H. Auden (1907-1973)

作者:W. H. 奥登

徐家祯翻译

Driver, drive faster and make a good run

Down the Springfield Line under the shining sun.

Fly like an aeroplane, don’t pull up short

Till you brake for Grand Central Station, New York.

For there in the middle of the waiting-hall

Should be standing the one that I love best of all.

If he’s not there to meet me when I get to town

I’ll stand on the pavement with tears rolling down.

For he is the one that I love to look on,

The acme of kindness and perfection.

He presses my hand and he says he loves me,

Which I find an admirable peculiarity.

The woods are bright green on both sides of the line,

The trees have their loves though they’re different from mine.

But the poor fat old banker in the sun-parlour car

Has no one to love him except his cigar.

If I were the Head of the Church or the State,

I’d powder my nose and just tell them to wait.

For love’s more important and powerful than

Even a priest or a politician.

司机呀，快点开， 开得再快点！

就沿着阳光普照的斯博林费尔德路线。

开得像飞机那么电掣风驰，

笔直驶到纽约中央车站才停止。

因为车站候车室里应该有个人站在中间，

世界上所有人都无法超过我对他的爱恋。

要是我到城里时他不等在那边，

那么我就会站在路旁泪流如线。

因为那就是我看中的郎君，

简直十全十美，卓越超群。

当他握着我手，说他爱我的那一刻，

简直让我感到了他令人敬佩的特色。

道路两边的树木绿得闪闪发亮，

树木也有爱人虽与我的并不一样。

可是坐在敞篷车中可怜的胖银行家，

却没有人会爱他除了他的雪茄。

要是我当上了教堂或者国家的头头，

那么我定会梳妆打扮，让他们全在一边等候。

因为即使长老或者官僚，

也不会比爱情更为强大重要！

                                 二0一四年七月二十八日译于

                                 澳大利亚刻来佛寺新红叶山庄

译注: “卡里普索”:源自非洲，后来流行于加勒比海的一种乐曲。