诗苑｜诗歌的力量——北岛《回答》
本期荐读 ：北岛 《回答》
卑鄙是卑鄙者的通行证
高尚是高尚者的墓志铭
Debasement is the password of the base
Nobility the epitaph of the noble
——北岛
▎关于北岛
Bei Dao is the nom de plume of Zhao Zhenkai, widely considered one of China’s most important contemporary authors. His poems have been translated into more than 30 languages. In English he is represented by numerous collections of poetry, fiction, and essays, including The August Sleepwalker, Old Snow, Unlock, Landscape over Zero, Midnight’s Gate, and Waves, which have been internationally acclaimed for their subtlety, innovation, and eloquence.
In China in the 1970s and ’80s, he was a leading member of the loosely associated avant-garde movement Ménglóng Shi Rén, or “Misty Poets,” [1] so-called for the abstract language and obscure meaning in their poems. Much of his early work, as well as that of other “Misty” poets, appeared in the influential underground journal that he co-founded in 1978, Jintian (Today).
[1] Ménglóng Shi Rén／Misty Poets ：朦胧诗是中国20世纪80年代争议最多、影响最大、最深远的诗歌流派。代表诗人主要有北岛、顾城、江河、杨炼和舒婷。
A look at his accomplishments reveals a poet who has since been embraced by the global literary community—he has taught extensively in Europe and the United States, was elected an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and has received awards in Germany, Morocco, and Sweden. Much of his work addresses the topics of freedom and exile, in a way that poet Michael Palmer[2] says “abjures overt political rhetoric while simultaneously keeping faith with his passionate belief in social reform and freedom of the creative imagination.”
[2] Michael Palmer 迈克·帕尔玛：生于1943年，是美国当今最知名的诗人之一。
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卑鄙是卑鄙者的通行证，
高尚是高尚者的墓志铭，
看吧，在那镀金的天空中，
飘满了死者弯曲的倒影。
冰川纪过去了，
为什么到处都是冰凌？
好望角发现了，
为什么死海里千帆相竞？
我来到这个世界上，
只带着纸、绳索和身影，
为了在审判之前，
宣读那些被判决的声音。
告诉你吧，世界，
我——不——相——信！
纵使你脚下有一千名挑战者，
那就把我算作第一千零一名。
我不相信天是蓝的，
我不相信雷的回声，
我不相信梦是假的，
我不相信死无报应。
如果海洋注定要决堤，
就让所有的苦水都注入我心中，
如果陆地注定要上升，
就让人类重新选择生存的峰顶。
新的转机和闪闪星斗，
正在缀满没有遮拦的天空。
那是五千年的象形文字，
那是未来人们凝视的眼睛。
- 译文 1 -
The Answer
Translated by Bonnie S. Mcdougall
Debasement is the password of the base,
Nobility the epitaph of the noble.
See how the gilded sky is covered,
With the drifting twisted shadows of the dead.
The Ice Age is over now,
Why is there ice everywhere?
The Cape of Good Hope has been discovered,
Why do a thousand sails contest the Dead Sea?
I came into this world
Bringing only paper, rope, a shadow,
To proclaim before the judgment
The voice that has been judged:
Let me tell you, world,
I—do—not—believe!
If a thousand challengers lie beneath your feet,
Count me as number thousand and one.
I don't believe the sky is blue;
I don't believe in thunder's echoes;
I don't believe that dreams are false;
I don't believe that death has no revenge.
If the sea is destined to breach the dikes,
Let all the brackish water pour into my heart;
If the land is destined to rise,
Let humanity choose a peak for existence again.
A new conjunction and glimmering stars,
Adorn the unobstructed sky now;
They are the pictographs from five thousand years.
They are the watchful eyes of future generations.
- 译文 2 -
The Answer
Translated by Unkown
Baseness is the a passport for the base,
Honour an epitaph for the honourable.
See how the gilded sky teems,
With the twisted shadows of the dead.
The ice age is over,
So why does ice still bind the world?
The Cape of Good Hope has been discovered,
So why is the Dead Sea still thick with sails?
I come into this world,
Carrying only paper, rope and a shadow,
To proclaim before judgment is passed,
This plea of the judged:
Listen to me, world,
I – do – not – believe!
If a thousand challengers lie beneath your feet,
Then I am number one thousand and one.
I don’t believe the sky is blue;
I don’t believe the thunder’s roar;
I don’t believe that dreams are false;
I don’t believe that death has no revenge.
If the ocean is destined to break the dike;
Then let its bitter water pour into my soul;
If the land is destined to rise,
Then let mankind choose a new mountain for survival.
The vast unobstructed firmament Is it with glimmering stars;
They are a new turning:
These hieroglyphs of the ages,
These staring eyes of the future.
- 译文 3 -
The Answer
Translated by Unkown
Cruelty is the ID pass of the cruel,
honesty the grave stone of the honest.
Look, in the sky plated gold,
crooked reflections of all the dead float around.
The glacial epoch is over,
so why is there ice everywhere?
Good Hope was rounded a long time ago,
so where are these thousands of boats racing on the Dead Sea?
I came into this world,
with only blank pages, rope and my fingers;
therefore, before final judgements are given,
I need to speak in all the voices of the defendants.
Just let me say, world,
I--don't--believe!
If a thousand challengers are under your feet,
count me as challenger one-thousand-and-one.
I don't believe the sky is always blue;
I don't believe it was thunder echoing;
I don't believe all dreaming is false;
I don't believe the dead cannot bring judgement.
If the sea is doomed someday to break,
its levees my heart must flood with all the bitter waters.
If the land is destined to form the hills again,
let real human beings learn to choose the higher ground.
The latest, favorable turnings, the twinkling stars,
studding the naked sky,
are pictographs five-thousand years old.
They are the eyes of the future staring at us now.
我并不是英雄
在没有英雄的年代里
我只想做一个人
——《宣告》
I am no hero
In an age without heroes
I just want to be a man
—Declaration
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