春的警鐘A Call to Embrace Spring

廬隱 蔡力堅

不知那一夜，東風2逃出它美麗的皇宮，獨駕祥云，在夜的暗影下，窺伺人間。

那時宇宙的一切正偃息于冷凝之中，東風展開它的翅兒向人間輕輕扇動，圣潔的冰凌化成柔波，平靜的湖水唱出潺濺的戀歌！

不知那一夜，花神離開了她莊嚴的寶座，獨駕祥云，在夜的暗影下，窺伺人間。

那時宇宙的一切正抱著冷凝枯萎的悲傷，花神用她挽回春光的手段，剪裁綾羅，將宇宙裝飾得嫣紅柔綠，勝似天上宮闕，她悄立萬花叢中，贊嘆這失而復得的青春！

不知那一夜，司鐘的女神，悄悄地來到人間！

那時人們正飲罷毒酒，沉醉于生之夢中，她站在白云端里敲響了春的警鐘。這些迷惘的靈魂，都從夢里驚醒，呆立于塵海之心，——風正跳舞，花正含笑，然而人類卻失去了青春！

他們的心已被冰凌刺穿，他們的血已積成了巨瀾，時時鼓起腥風吹向人間！

但是司鐘的女神，仍不住聲地敲響她的警鐘，并且高叫道：

青春！青春！你們要捉住你們的青春！

它有美麗的翅兒，善于逃遁，在你們躊躇的時候，它已逃去無蹤！

青春！青春！你們要捉住你們的青春！

世界受了這樣的警告，人心撩亂到無法醫(yī)治。3

然而，不知那一夜，東風已經逃回它美麗的皇宮。不知那一夜，花神也躲避了悲慘的人間！不知那一夜，司鐘的女神，也不再敲響她的警鐘！

青春已成不可挽回的運命，宇宙從此歸復于蕭殺沉悶！

One night， the goddess of the east wind sneaked out of her august palace， rode on a cloud， and took a peep at the mortal world shrouded in darkness.

The world had been under a suffocating cold spell. The goddess gently fluttered her wings， and ice began to melt， sending ripples across the surface of water， which started to flow and splash， as if singing a love song.

One night， the goddess of flowers slipped out of her majestic throne， rode on a cloud， took a peep at the mortal world shrouded in darkness.

The world had been wasting away and full of pain. The goddess waved her magic wand to bring back spring， outfitting the world in custom-tailored duds， so colorful that they even put her own heavenly palace to shame. Standing amid a carpet of flowers， she congratulated herself on her great feat of restoring lost youth.

One night， the goddess of time quietly emerged among mortals.

People had just gulped down poisonous wine， and become befuddled. Standing on a white cloud， she rang a bell to announce the arrival of spring. Those lost souls were jolted awake. Still dazed， they stood， watching the wind dancing and flowers smiling. But gone was their youth together with all its vigor and vitality.

Their hearts had been pierced by icicles， their blood rushing in a giant torrent. A filthy smell pervaded the air.

But the goddess of time didn’t give up. She kept ringing her bell and shouting：

Spring is here！ Don’t let your youth slip by！ Hold on to it！

It has beautiful wings. It can fly away， and vanish into thin air while you’re hesitating.

Spring is here！ Don’t let your youth slip by！ Hold on to it！

The warning fell flat. These earthlings were completely lost. They were beyond cure.

One night， the goddess of the east wind returned to her beautiful palace; the goddess of flowers also left this miserable mortal world; and the goddess of time stopped ringing her bell.

From then on， all hope of spring’s return was dead. Youth was gone for good. The world again degenerated into a lifeless hellscape.

1“春的警鐘”本身的含義相當含糊，可有多種解釋，可以是“春天發(fā)出的警鐘”（warming bells rung by the goddess of spring），可以是“春天里響起的警鐘”（warming bells in springtime），也可以是“警惕春天（邪惡）的警鐘” （warming bells about the evils of spring），等等。但翻譯單獨的詞語沒有意義，我們永遠不應孤立地看待詞語，而必須通讀全文，明白“春的警鐘”作為標題的確切含義之后再動筆翻譯。在本文里，“春”既指“春天”，也指“青春”，司鐘女神敲響警鐘，呼喚大家捉住青春，所以這里的警鐘是呼喚，標題不妨譯成a call to embrace spring，其中spring象征youth。? 2此處“東風”是擬人化描寫，英文里不便直接把the east wind擬人化，故加上 goddess，這樣也能更好地與下文的“花神”和“司鐘的女神”相對應。

3原文“世界受了這樣的警告，人心撩亂到無法醫(yī)治”有一定的跳躍，從“警告”直接跳到“無法醫(yī)治”，其實這里有三層意思：警告不起作用（The warning fell flat），人們已徹底迷惘（These earthlings were completely lost），無可救藥（They were beyond cure）。譯文里體現(xiàn)這三層意思似乎可使行文更加連貫。

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