Ulysses - Alfred, Lord Tennyson
尤利西斯 - 阿尔弗雷德·坦尼森勋爵
追寻无尽远航：生命与探索的豪迈独白
It little profits that an idle king,
我这无所事事的国王，却难获多少裨益，
By this still hearth, among these barren crags,
在这静寂的炉边，在贫瘠的崖石间，
Match'd with an aged wife, I mete and dole
只与一位垂老的妻子相对，我量出、分配
Unequal laws unto a savage race,
那些不平之法，施于凶野的民众之上，
That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me.
他们只会囤积、酣眠、饱食，却对我毫无所知。
I cannot rest from travel: I will drink
我无法停止远航之步：我会痛饮
Life to the lees: all times I have enjoy'd
生命之酒至最后一滴：在我经历的所有时日里，
Greatly, have suffer'd greatly, both with those
我曾尽情欢愉，也曾深切遭苦，与那些
That loved me, and alone; on shore, and when
爱我之人同在，或我独自一人；于陆岸，亦或
Thro' scudding drifts the rainy Hyades
当疾风驱散雨云，“雨开星团”高悬于空，
Vext the dim sea: I am become a name;
搅动朦胧的海面：我已化作一个名号；
For always roaming with a hungry heart
因我常带着饥渴的心灵四处漫游，
Much have I seen and known; cities of men
见闻广博：看过众多城邦，
And manners, climates, councils, governments,
体察风俗、气候、议事与政体，
Myself not least, but honour'd of them all;
我在其间也非渺小，且为他们所尊崇；
And drunk delight of battle with my peers,
也曾与伙伴们痛快厮杀，品尝战场的快意，
Far on the ringing plains of windy Troy.
在那多风的特洛伊平原上，刀剑声声回荡。
I am a part of all that I have met;
我已与我所遭逢之事融为一体；
Yet all experience is an arch wherethro'
而所有经历，皆是一座拱门，令我
Gleams that untravell'd world whose margin fades
可望见那未踏足之境；它的边界在远方消失，
For ever and for ever when I move.
随着我前进，边际也永不停地后退。
How dull it is to pause, to make an end,
停滞、作罢，该是何等的乏味，
To rust unburnish'd, not to shine in use!
如同未曾磨亮的金属生锈，不得在使用中闪光！
As tho' to breathe were life. Life piled on life
仿佛活着仅是呼吸。生命叠加于生命，
Were all too little, and of one to me
对我而言依然不足；而那仅存的一生，
Little remains: but every hour is saved
所剩无多：却要将每一刻珍惜，
From that eternal silence, something more,
从那亘古的寂静中再度抓取些微时日，
A bringer of new things; and vile it were
得以带来新鲜之事；倘若我
For some three suns to store and hoard myself,
仅为几度日月蹉跎而封闭自我，
And this gray spirit yearning in desire
那苍老的灵魂却依然渴慕，
To follow knowledge like a sinking star,
欲追随学识，宛如紧逐那渐隐的星辰，
Beyond the utmost bound of human thought.
超越人类思维的尽头。
This is my son, mine own Telemachus,
这是我的儿子，我的忒勒马克斯，
To whom I leave the sceptre and the isle,—
我将王权与这座岛屿托付于他，——
Well-loved of me, discerning to fulfil
我对他爱护有加，他亦能明察事理、
This labour, by slow prudence to make mild
以沉稳谨慎的方式逐步平定，
A rugged people, and thro' soft degrees
劝化这粗鲁的民众，让他们渐趋温良，
Subdue them to the useful and the good.
使之服膺于实用与正义之道。
Most blameless is he, centred in the sphere
他可谓无可指摘，安于自己所处的位置，
Of common duties, decent not to fail
忠于凡常之责，谨慎行事，不让人失望，
In offices of tenderness, and pay
并以仁慈之行相待众人，也深谙
Meet adoration to my household gods,
如何祭奉家中守护的神祇，
When I am gone. He works his work, I mine.
在我离去后，他做他的事，而我则走我的路。
There lies the port; the vessel puffs her sail:
那儿便是港口；船只正鼓起风帆：
There gloom the dark, broad seas. My mariners,
广阔且幽暗的海面在远处沉隐。我的水手们，
Souls that have toil'd, and wrought, and thought with me—
那些曾与我同辛苦、共劳作、共思考的人——
That ever with a frolic welcome took
他们无论何时都以欢欣心态
The thunder and the sunshine, and opposed
迎接雷鸣或日照，与命运相抗时
Free hearts, free foreheads— you and I are old;
怀着自由的心灵、昂扬的额头——如今你我已老，
Old age hath yet his honour and his toil;
老年依然有它的荣誉与奋进；
Death closes all: but something ere the end,
死亡终将闭合一切；但在那终点之前，总有些事，
Some work of noble note, may yet be done,
某些值得传颂的高贵之举，仍可成就，
Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.
不愧曾与诸神一同挣扎竞逐的人之身份。
The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks:
岩石边的灯火已开始闪烁，
The long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the deep
漫长的白昼将尽：缓慢的月儿升起：深海
Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends,
在四方以多元的声调哀叹。来吧，朋友们，
'Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
探寻新的世界并不算为时过晚。
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
离岸吧，坐稳船只，击动
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
那激荡的浪痕；因我心中坚信，
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
要航行至落日的另一端，穿越那洗净昼夜之海，
Of all the western stars, until I die.
与西天群星相伴，直至我生涯穷尽。
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:
或许深渊会将我们吞没：
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
也可能我们会抵达那幸福群岛，
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.
并见到那伟大的阿喀琉斯，我昔日的战友。
Though much is taken, much abides; and tho'
虽失去甚多，却仍存留良多；纵使
We are not now that strength which in old days
我们再不具往昔之强力，
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
可我们毕竟还是我们；
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
依旧拥有英雄之心的同等气质，
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
即便因时光与命运而受损，却依旧意志坚韧，
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
去奋斗，去追寻，去发现，绝不言弃。
《尤利西斯》是阿尔弗雷德·坦尼森勋爵（常称“丁尼生”）的著名诗作，写于1833年左右，却直到1842年才发表。它以古希腊英雄奥德修斯（即罗马神话中的“尤利西斯”）的口吻写就，带有强烈的戏剧独白风格。诗中，奥德修斯无法忍受平静与碌碌无为的统治生活，思念昔日探险与战斗的激昂岁月。他在诗中畅抒胸臆，呼唤同伴们再次出航，纵使生命夕暮，也要超越极限，“去奋斗，去追寻，去发现，决不屈服。”
这首诗是丁尼生悼念挚友亚瑟·亨利·哈勒姆（Arthur Henry Hallam）离世后创作的，某种程度上可视为诗人对自我再振精神的宣言：不因悲痛与挫折而自暴自弃，反而更要向未知的远方挺进。由此，诗歌蕴含对生命价值的坚定肯定，以及对永不言弃、不断探索的英雄气质的礼赞。奥德修斯的形象在诗中化身为成熟人生阶段的代表，反映丁尼生浪漫主义与维多利亚时期进取精神的交汇：既感叹人类脆弱与时光流逝，又执着于开拓、奋斗与坚定的意志力。
要点
1. 诗中奥德修斯象征不屈探险精神：纵然年迈，仍要追寻新世界的召唤。
2. 诗人以戏剧独白形式，融合古典神话与维多利亚时代进取观，塑造了豪迈、坚韧的精神图景。
3. 最后一句“去奋斗，去追寻，去发现，绝不言弃”成为激励后世的经典名言，表达对人类不懈追求与超越自我的肯定。