The Flea

上星期翻譯了一首16世紀英國詩人John Donne的作品"The Flea" 獲得教授的讚賞，令我受寵若驚。這是一首求愛的抒情獨白詩，但詩人利用跳蚤作比喻，非常特別。原詩及譯文如下：


Mark but this flea, and mark in this,
How little that which thou deniest me is ;
It suck'd me first, and now sucks thee,
And in this flea our two bloods mingled be.
Thou know'st that this cannot be said
A sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead ;
Yet this enjoys before it woo,
And pamper'd swells with one blood made of two ;
And this, alas ! is more than we would do.

O stay, three lives in one flea spare,
Where we almost, yea, more than married are.
This flea is you and I, and this
Our marriage bed, and marriage temple is.
Though parents grudge, and you, we're met,
And cloister'd in these living walls of jet.
Though use make you apt to kill me,
Let not to that self-murder added be,
And sacrilege, three sins in killing three.

Cruel and sudden, hast thou since
Purpled thy nail in blood of innocence?
Wherein could this flea guilty be,
Except in that drop which it suck'd from thee?
Yet thou triumph'st, and say'st that thou
Find'st not thyself nor me the weaker now.
'Tis true ; then learn how false fears be ;
Just so much honour, when thou yield'st to me,
Will waste, as this flea's death took life from thee.

看，跳蚤的吮痕，印在這裡，

你對我的婉拒多麼渺小無力；

它先吸吮我，現在換你，

我們兩人的血液在它體內融為一體；

你知道這不能被說成是罪孽、恥辱或將貞潔丟棄，

它吸吮前並未獲得同意，現在卻滿心歡喜，

吸飽我倆的血液直到腹部隆起，

這，哎呀，我們無能企及。

喔，停止吧，一只跳蚤，三條性命，

在它體內，我們完成了婚姻的使命。

這只跳蚤是我，是你，

是我們的婚床，是我們的殿堂；

即使父母怨恨，你也如此，我們卻已遇上，

並在黑暗牆角的禁地躲藏。

你殺死跳蚤的習慣會讓你也想至我於死地，

千萬別如此，因這也等於殺了你自己，

殺死三條性命，三項褻瀆的罪行。

你為何如此殘忍且迅速地，

將指甲染上無辜的鮮血？

這只跳蚤如何罪大惡極，

除了從你身上吸吮了鮮血幾滴？

你卻如此沾沾自喜，

認為你我並未因此柔弱身虛；

千真萬確，擔心只是虛情假意：

你的名譽，不會因臣服於我而遭遺棄，

就如跳蚤之死不足以將你的生命摒棄。