烏鴉

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door—

"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door—

Only this and nothing more."

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;

And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.

Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow

From my books surcease of sorrow ¹ —sorrow for the lost Lenore—

For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore—

Nameless here for evermore.

And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain

Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;

So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating,

"'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door—

Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;—

This it is and nothing more."

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,

"Sir," said I, "or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;

But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,

And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,

That I scarce was sure I heard you"—here I opened wide the door;—

Darkness there and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,

Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;

But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,

And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, "Lenore?"

This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, "Lenore!"—

Merely this and nothing more.

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,

Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.

"Surely," said I, "surely that is something at my window lattice;

Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore—

Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;—

'Tis the wind and nothing more!"

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,

In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore;

Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;

But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door—

Perched upon a bust of Pallas ² just above my chamber door—

Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,

By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,

"Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou," I said, "art sure no craven,

Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore—

Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore ³ !"

Quoth the Raven "Nevermore."

Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,

Though its answer little meaning—little relevancy bore;

For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being ⁴

Ever yet was blest with seeing bird above his chamber door—

Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door,

With such name as "Nevermore."

But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only

That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.

Nothing further then he uttered—not a feather then he fluttered—

Till I scarcely more than muttered "Other friends have flown before—

On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before."

Then the bird said "Nevermore."

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,

"Doubtless," said I, "what it utters is its only stock and store ⁵

Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster

Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore—

Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore

Of 'Never—nevermore.'"

But the Raven still beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,

Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust and door;

Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking

Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore—

What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt and ominous bird of yore

Meant in croaking "Nevermore."

This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing

To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;

This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining

On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o'er,

But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o'er,

She shall press, ah, nevermore!

Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer

Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.

"Wretch," I cried, "thy God hath lent thee—by these angels he hath sent thee

Respite—respite and nepenthe ⁶ , from thy memories of Lenore;

Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!"

Quoth the Raven "Nevermore."

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!—

Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,

Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted—

On this home by Horror haunted—tell me truly, I implore—

Is there—is there balm in Gilead ⁷ ?—tell me—tell me, I implore!"

Quoth the Raven "Nevermore."

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil—prophet still, if bird or devil!

By that Heaven that bends above us—by that God we both adore—

Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn ⁸ ,

It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore—

Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore."

Quoth the Raven "Nevermore."

"Be that word our sign in parting, bird or fiend!" I shrieked, upstarting—

"Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!

Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!

Leave my loneliness unbroken!—quit the bust above my door!

Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!"

Quoth the Raven "Nevermore."

And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting

On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;

And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,

And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;

And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor

Shall be lifted—nevermore!

原文參見美國詩人協會 ^[1] 

從前一個陰鬱的子夜，我獨自沉思，慵懶疲竭，

面對許多古怪而離奇、並早已被人遺忘的書卷；

當我開始打盹，幾乎入睡，突然傳來一陣輕擂，

彷彿有人在輕輕叩擊——輕輕叩擊我房間的門環。

“有客來也”，我輕聲嘟喃，“正在叩擊我的門環，

惟此而已，別無他般。”

哦，我清楚地記得那是在風淒雨冷的十二月，

每一團奄奄一息的餘燼都形成陰影伏在地板。

我當時真盼望翌日——因為我已經枉費心機

想用書來消除傷悲，消除因失去麗諾爾的傷感，

因那位被天使叫作麗諾爾的少女，她美麗嬌豔，

在此已抹去芳名，直至永遠。

那柔軟、暗淡、颯颯飄動的每一塊紫色窗布

使我心中充滿前所未有的恐懼，我毛骨悚然；

為平息我心兒的悸跳．我站起身反覆唸叨

“這是有客人想進屋，正在叩我房間的門環，

更深夜半有客人想進屋，正在叩我房間的門環，

惟此而已，別無他般。”

於是我的心變得堅強；不再猶疑，不再彷徨，

“先生，”我説，“或夫人，我求你多多包涵：

剛才我正睡意昏昏，而你敲門又敲得那麼輕，

你敲門又敲得那麼輕，輕輕叩我房間的門環，

我差點以為沒聽見你。”説着我打開門扇——

唯有黑夜，別無他般。

凝視着夜色幽幽，我站在門邊驚懼良久，

疑惑中似乎夢見從前沒人敢夢見的夢幻；

可那未被打破的寂靜，沒顯示任何象徵，

“麗諾爾？”便是我囁嚅唸叨的惟一字眼，

我念叨“麗諾爾”，回聲把這名字輕輕送還；

惟此而已，別無他般。

我轉身回到房中，我的整個心燒灼般疼痛，

很快我又聽到叩擊聲，比剛才聽起來明顯。

“肯定，”我説，“肯定有什麼在我的窗欞；

讓我瞧瞧是什麼在那兒，去把那秘密發現，

讓我的心先鎮靜一會兒，去把那秘密發現；

那不過是風，別無他般！

然後我推開了窗户，隨着翅膀的一陣猛撲，

一隻神聖往昔的烏鴉莊重地走進我房間；

它既沒向我致意問候，也沒有片刻的停留，

而是以紳士淑女的風度棲到我房門的上面，

棲在我房門上方一尊帕拉斯半身雕像上面；

棲息在那兒，僅如此這般。

於是這隻黑鳥把我悲傷的幻覺哄騙成微笑，

以它那老成持重一本正經温文爾雅的容顏，

“冠毛雖被剪除，”我説，“但你顯然不是懦夫，

你這幽靈般可怕的古鴉，漂泊來自夜的彼岸，

請告訴我你尊姓大名，在黑沉沉的冥府陰間！”

烏鴉答曰“永不復焉”。

聽見如此直率的回答，我對這醜鳥感到驚訝，

儘管它的回答不着邊際——與提問幾乎無關；

因為我們不得不承認，從來沒有活着的世人

曾如此有幸地看見一隻鳥棲在他房門的上面，

看見鳥或獸棲在他房門上方的半身雕像上面，

而且名叫“永不復焉”。

但那隻棲於肅穆的半身雕像上的烏鴉只説了

這一句話，彷彿它傾瀉靈魂就用那一個字眼。

然後它便一聲不吭——也不把它的羽毛拍動，

直到我幾乎在喃喃自語“其他朋友早已離散，

明晨它也將離我而去，如同我的希望已消散。”

這時烏鴉説“永不復焉”。

驚異於屋裏的寂靜被如此恰當的回話打破，

“肯定，”我説，“此話是它惟一會説的人言，

從它不幸的主人口中學來。一連串橫禍飛災

曾接踵而至，直到它主人的歌中有了這字眼，

直到他希望的輓歌中有了這個憂鬱的字眼——

永不復焉，永不復焉。”

但那隻烏鴉仍然在騙我悲傷的靈魂露出微笑，

我即刻拖了張軟椅到門邊雕像下那烏鴉跟前；

然後坐在天鵝絨椅墊上，我開始產生聯想，

浮想連着浮想，猜度這不祥的古鳥何出此言，

這隻猙獰醜陋可怕不吉不祥的古鳥何出此言，

為何對我説“永不復焉”。

我坐着猜想那意思，但沒對烏鴉説片語只言，

此時，它炯炯發光的眼睛已燃燒進我的心坎；

我依然坐在那兒猜度，把我的頭靠得很舒服，

舒舒服服地靠着在燈光凝視下的天鵝絨椅墊，

但在這燈光凝視着的紫色的天鵝絨椅墊上面，

她還會靠麼？啊，永不復焉！

接着我覺得空氣變得稠密，被無形香爐薰香，

提香爐的撒拉弗的腳步聲響在有簇飾的地板。

“可憐的人，”我嘆道，“是上帝派天使為你送藥，

這忘憂藥能終止你對失去的麗諾爾的思念；

喝吧，喝吧，忘掉你對失去的麗諾爾的思念！”

這時烏鴉説“永不復焉”。

“先知！”我説“不管是先知是魔鬼，是鳥是魔，

是不是撒旦派你，或是暴風雨拋你，來到此岸，

來到這片妖惑鬼祟但卻不懼怕魔鬼的荒原——

來到這恐怖的小屋——告訴我真話，求你可憐！

基列有香膏嗎？ 告訴我，告訴我，求你可憐！”

烏鴉説“永不復焉”。

“先知！”我説“不管是先知是魔鬼，是鳥是魔，

憑着我們都崇拜的上帝——憑着我們頭頂的蒼天，

請告訴這充滿悲傷的靈魂。它能否在遙遠的仙境

擁抱一位被天使叫作麗諾爾的少女，她纖塵不染，

擁抱一位被天使叫作麗諾爾的少女，她美麗嬌豔。”

烏鴉説“永不復焉”。

“讓這話做我們的告別辭，鳥或魔！”我起身吼道，

“回你的暴風雨中去吧，回你黑沉沉的夜之彼岸！

別留下你黑色的羽毛作為你靈魂撒過謊的象徵！

留給我完整的孤獨！快從我門上的雕像上滾蛋！

讓你的嘴離開我的心；讓你的身子離開我房間！”

烏鴉答曰“永不復焉”。

那隻鳥鴉並沒飛走，它仍然棲息，仍然棲息，

棲息在房門上方蒼白的帕拉斯半身雕像上面；

它的眼光與正在做夢的魔鬼的眼光一模一樣，

照在它身上的燈光把它的陰影投射在地板；

而我的靈魂，會從那團在地板上漂浮的陰影中

解脱麼——永不復焉！

譯者曹明倫 ^[4]