Ode to a Nightingale - John Keats
夜莺颂 - 约翰·济慈
夜莺啼鸣中对生命与想象的沉醉追寻
My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains
我的心痛楚，一种昏沉的麻木感折磨着我
My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk,
仿佛我喝下了毒芹的汁液
Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains
或是将麻木神智的鸦片饮尽
One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk:
就像一瞬间便沉入了冥河的忘川：
’Tis not through envy of thy happy lot,
并非我嫉妒你这只夜莺的幸福
But being too happy in thine happiness,—
而是因与你同感喜乐时，我的快乐过于炽烈——
That thou, light-winged Dryad of the trees,
你啊，那栖于林间的轻翼树精，
In some melodious plot
于某处悠扬的幽径中
Of beechen green, and shadows numberless,
在青葱的山毛榉与无数的树影间，
Singest of summer in full-throated ease.
纵情地歌唱那夏日的狂欢。
O, for a draught of vintage! that hath been
啊，何其渴望美酒一壶！那曾在深地窖中
Cool’d a long age in the deep-delved earth,
冰凉陈藏多年的酿液，
Tasting of Flora and the country green,
带着花神与田野的清香气息，
Dance, and Provencal song, and sunburnt mirth!
携舞姿、普罗旺斯的歌声以及烈日下的欢欣！
O for a beaker full of the warm South,
啊，但愿得一大杯温暖南方的汁液，
Full of the true, the blushful Hippocrene,
盛满那真正的、微醺的灵感之泉，
With beaded bubbles winking at the brim,
细小的泡沫在杯沿闪烁，
And purple-stained mouth;
酒口呈现淡紫的醺染；
That I might drink, and leave the world unseen,
让吾痛饮，离尘世于视线之外，
And with thee fade away into the forest dim:
与汝一同隐没于幽暗的林间：
Fade far away, dissolve, and quite forget
远远遁离，消散，彻底忘却
What thou among the leaves hast never known,
你在那绿叶深处永未体会的世事，
The weariness, the fever, and the fret
疲惫、病灼与忧虑
Here, where men sit and hear each other groan;
在此，人们彼此默听彼此的呻吟；
Where palsy shakes a few, sad, last gray hairs,
这里，颤抖的老者仅余寥寥几根花白发，
Where youth grows pale, and spectre-thin, and dies;
少年也憔悴失色，形容枯槁并死去；
Where but to think is to be full of sorrow
在此，一旦动念便陷入无边悲苦
And leaden-eyed despairs,
与铅灰般沉重的绝望之中，
Where Beauty cannot keep her lustrous eyes,
在此，纵使美貌也难留其明眸，
Or new Love pine at them beyond to-morrow.
新生的爱亦无力延续到明日。
Away! away! for I will fly to thee,
远离吧！远离吧！我愿飞向你，
Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards,
非乘酒神与其猛兽的华车，
But on the viewless wings of Poesy,
而借无形的诗意双翼腾空，
Though the dull brain perplexes and retards;
尽管迟钝的思绪仍在阻碍，
Already with thee! tender is the night,
其实我已伴随你而去！夜晚温柔而轻柔，
And haply the Queen-Moon is on her throne,
或许月之女王正端坐银色宝座，
Cluster’d around by all her starry Fays;
周遭环绕着众多星之精灵；
But here there is no light,
但我此刻身处黑暗无光，
Save what from heaven is with the breezes blown
唯有自天穹随风飘来的微光
Through verdurous glooms and winding mossy ways.
穿行于青翠阴影与曲折苔径之上。
I cannot see what flowers are at my feet,
我看不清脚下都有哪些花朵，
Nor what soft incense hangs upon the boughs,
也不知哪般微香萦绕枝头，
But, in embalmed darkness, guess each sweet
但在这芬芳的黑暗里，我能臆测出每一种香气
Wherewith the seasonable month endows
这是时节所赐予
The grass, the thicket, and the fruit-tree wild;
草地、灌木以及野生果树的馨息；
White hawthorn, and the pastoral eglantine;
有白色山楂，也有田间野蔷薇；
Fast fading violets cover'd up in leaves;
几近凋谢的紫罗兰掩映于绿叶之下；
And mid-May's eldest child,
还有五月中旬的早熟花儿，
The coming musk-rose, full of dewy wine,
即将绽放的麝香玫瑰，饱含露珠与酒香，
The murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves.
成为夏夜飞虫嗡鸣的隐秘乐园。
Darkling I listen; and, for many a time
我在黑暗里静静聆听；多次
I have been half in love with easeful Death,
我曾半是陶醉于死之安逸，
Call'd him soft names in many a mused rhyme,
在诗思中柔声呼唤死神，
To take into the air my quiet breath;
让我的呼吸在无声里随之散去；
Now more than ever seems it rich to die,
此刻，死去似乎更加令人向往，
To cease upon the midnight with no pain,
在这深夜中悄然息止，无痛无扰，
While thou art pouring forth thy soul abroad
就在你把灵魂的歌声倾泻四方之时
In such an ecstasy!
沉浸于如此狂喜！
Still wouldst thou sing, and I have ears in vain—
你依旧歌唱，但我的耳朵已不复聆听——
To thy high requiem become a sod.
随你的崇高安魂曲化作一抔黄土。
Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!
你非为死亡而生，不朽的夜莺！
No hungry generations tread thee down;
贪婪的世代无法践踏你；
The voice I hear this passing night was heard
我此刻听到的歌声，在往昔岁月也曾回响
In ancient days by emperor and clown:
无论帝王或平民，都曾聆听这夜曲：
Perhaps the self-same song that found a path
也许它正是那曾穿透露丝心灵的
Through the sad heart of Ruth, when sick for home,
同一支悲伤之曲，当她思乡成疾
She stood in tears amid the alien corn;
在异国的麦田里含泪伫立；
The same that oft-times hath
同样的歌声曾无数次
Charm'd magic casements, opening on the foam
为神秘之窗注入魔力，敞向波涛翻涌的
Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn.
险恶海域，在那精灵世界的孤绝彼岸。
Forlorn! the very word is like a bell
孤寂！这词犹如钟声将我拉回自身！
To toll me back from thee to my sole self!
将我从与你同在的幻境召回到孤身之实境！
Adieu! the fancy cannot cheat so well
别了！想象终究无法如此妙绝地欺骗，
As she is fam'd to do, deceiving elf.
纵使她以诡异精灵之名广为人颂；
Adieu! adieu! thy plaintive anthem fades
别了！别了！你那带着哀婉之情的曲调渐渐远去
Past the near meadows, over the still stream,
穿过近旁的草地，飘越静寂的河流，
Up the hill-side; and now ’tis buried deep
又往山坡攀升；如今它已深藏于
In the next valley-glades:
山那边的幽谷深处：
Was it a vision, or a waking dream?
那究竟是幻象，还是清醒的梦？
Fled is that music:—Do I wake or sleep?
那音乐已消散：——我此刻究竟是醒着还是沉睡？
《夜莺颂》是约翰·济慈于1819年创作的著名颂诗，与《希腊古瓮颂》《心灵颂》等同为济慈晚期成熟风格的代表作。诗中，夜莺的啼唱象征了一种超越现实苦痛、得以飞升到理想与美的精神国度。济慈在诗中既陶醉于夜莺歌声所唤起的诗意与无限想象，也清醒地意识到现实中的病苦与人生短暂。于是，他让“飞向夜莺”变为一种心灵渴望——以诗意的翅膀，摆脱尘世之痛；然而，诗末又因“孤寂”一词将他拉回现实，显出浪漫幻梦终究难以永驻。
诗歌采用第一人称，情绪上层层递进：从对肉身疼痛与无力的描绘，转向对夜莺天籁的惊叹，继而幻想借助酒或诗的力量逃离尘世，直至听到那歌声不断飘远、不可挽留时，灵魂重新落回到孤独的人间。整首诗突显了“永恒美感”与“人类有限”之间的张力。夜莺之歌超脱了生死轮回，跨越时空地安慰过帝王、平民乃至远古传说中的露丝等各种灵魂；但诗人自己却必须面对身体的羸弱、亲友的离世与生存的艰辛。
语言方面，济慈通过优雅而富有感官冲击力的辞藻，营造出鲜明的对比：夜莺的天堂式歌声与诗人“昏沉、药醉般”的苦恼形成强烈反差；理想的无限敞亮与现实的沉重幽暗交织，令读者同时感受到欣喜与哀愁。正是在这种交错下，济慈实践了其“美即真，真即美”的美学理念：夜莺的声音既代表艺术与自然之美，也暗合人生悲喜交融的真相。
在创作背景上，济慈写下此诗时，正受困于经济拮据、事业不顺与病痛压身，内心焦虑与忧思深重。夜莺之歌对于他而言是一种临时的救赎，让他得以暂时超脱生活的苦痛。可是，等那妙音渐渐远去，他不得不回归自我，直面残酷现实。因此，本诗不仅是浪漫主义的代表之作，也被视为济慈个人艺术追求与生命挣扎的写照：对灵魂自由与美的孜孜呼唤始终与尘世苦厄纠缠不休。
要点
1. 夜莺象征了艺术或自然的超越力量，带领诗人短暂逃离现实苦痛。
2. 诗歌凸显理想与现实的冲突：夜莺的永恒与诗人的易逝人生形成强烈反差。
3. 济慈以华美语言描绘深层情感，将对生死与美的思考融于夜莺啼鸣的意象中，具有浓郁的浪漫主义色彩。
