「《炮聲通道》」※ 一首反思戰爭與人類命運的深刻詩篇 ※ 經典名詩

A somber and dramatic scene featuring a misty graveyard at night with faint outlines of tombstones under a dark cloudy sky, ghostly figures rising from their graves in the background, distant flashes of artillery fire lighting up parts of the horizon, evoking themes of war, death, and judgment.

Channel Firing - Thomas Hardy

《炮聲通道》 - 托馬斯·哈代

戰爭陰影下的末日啟示

That night your great guns, unawares,
那晚,你們的大砲,不知不覺中,
Shook all our coffins as we lay,
在我們躺著時震動了所有的棺材,
And broke the chancel window-squares,
打破了聖壇的窗戶玻璃,
We thought it was the Judgment-day
我們以為那是審判日。
And sat upright. While drearisome
我們坐直了身子。此時淒涼地
Arose the howl of wakened hounds:
響起了被驚醒的獵犬的嚎叫聲:
The mouse let fall the altar-crumb,
老鼠放下了祭壇上的碎屑,
The worms drew back into the mounds,
蟲子縮回了土堆裡,
The glebe cow drooled. Till God called, “No;
教區的母牛流著口水。直到上帝喊道:「不;
It's gunnery practice out at sea
這只是海上炮擊演習
Just as before you went below;
就像你們下去之前一樣;
The world is as it used to be:
世界還是老樣子:
“All nations striving strong to make
「所有國家都在努力使
Red war yet redder. Mad as hatters
紅色戰爭更加血紅。瘋狂如帽匠
They do no more for Christes sake
他們並未為了基督的緣故
Than you who are helpless in such matters.
比你們這些在這方面無助的人做得更多。
“That this is not the judgment-hour
「這不是審判時刻
For some of them's a blessed thing,
對其中一些人來說是件幸事,
For if it were they'd have to scour
因為如果是的話,他們就得清掃
Hell's floor for so much threatening...“
因如此多的威脅而需清理的地獄地板……」
“Ha, ha. It will be warmer when
「哈哈。當我吹響號角時會更熱(如果
I blow the trumpet (if indeed
我真的會吹的話;因為你們是凡人,
I ever do; for you are men,
而且極需永恆的安息)。
And rest eternal sorely need).“
So down we lay again. “I wonder,
於是我們再次躺下。「我在想,
Will the world ever saner be,“
世界是否會變得更加清醒,
Said one, “than in the ancient time
其中一人說,「比起古時候
When those to whom I gave my name
那些我給他們名字的人
“Prayed, fought, and struggled mile by mile,
祈禱、戰鬥並一步步掙扎,
To leave their grim stories in rhyme?
留下他們嚴肅的故事用韻文?
Or whether statesmen good and wise
或者明智善良的政治家
Shall ever see their visions rise,
是否會看到他們的願景實現,
“And wars be stopped, and swords reforged
「戰爭停止,劍被重新鍛造成
To ploughshares, and the dread alarms
犁頭,並且可怕的警報
Of battle cease?“ The answer surged
戰鬥停止?」答案從
From ghoul-haunted silences and harms:
鬼魂纏繞的沉寂與傷害中湧現:
“If any question why we died,
「若有人問我們為何而死,
Tell them, because our fathers lied.“
告訴他們,因為我們的父輩撒謊了。」
  • 翻譯過程中保留了原詩的句式與標點符號,力求忠實表達原意。
  • 部分詞語如 'Judgment-day' 翻譯為『審判日』,符合基督教文化背景。
  • 原文中的雙引號均予以保留,以便讀者辨識對話內容。
  • 最後一句『because our fathers lied』翻譯為『因為我們的父輩撒謊了』,強調歷史責任感與因果關係。

詩歌詳解:《海峽炮擊》(Channel Firing)

這首詩由英國詩人托馬斯·哈代(Thomas Hardy)創作,描繪了一場夜晚的軍事演習,其震撼力驚醒了死者,讓他們誤以為是世界末日。通過死者的對話與上帝的回應,哈代深刻地批判了人類戰爭的荒謬性與無意義。

第一段分析:

That night your great guns, unawares,
Shook all our coffins as we lay,
And broke the chancel window-squares,
We thought it was the Judgment-day

詩的第一段描寫夜晚的大砲聲震動了墳墓中的死者,他們誤以為這是審判日到來。這裡使用了「coffins」(棺材)和「Judgment-day」(審判日)等詞語,營造出一種莊嚴而緊張的氛圍。這種錯覺也暗示了戰爭的破壞性足以比擬世界末日。

第二段分析:

And sat upright. While drearisome
Arose the howl of wakened hounds:
The mouse let fall the altar-crumb,
The worms drew back into the mounds,
The glebe cow drooled.

在這一段中,詩人細膩地描寫了各種生物對聲音的反應:狗嚎叫、老鼠掉落食物、蟲子縮回土堆、牛流口水。這些細節強調了大砲聲對周遭環境的巨大影響,甚至連最微小的生命都被干擾。這進一步凸顯了戰爭對自然和生命的破壞。

第三段分析:

Till God called, “No;
It's gunnery practice out at sea
Just as before you went below;
The world is as it used to be:

上帝的出現為詩歌帶來轉折。祂告訴死者,這只是海上的一次軍事演習,並非真正的審判日。「The world is as it used to be」這句話揭示了世界的現狀——人類依然沉迷於戰爭與暴力,毫無改變。

第四段分析:

“All nations striving strong to make
Red war yet redder. Mad as hatters
They do no more for Christes sake
Than you who are helpless in such matters.

上帝繼續批評人類的行為,指出各國努力使戰爭更加血腥殘酷。「Mad as hatters」(瘋狂至極)這一比喻強調了人類行為的荒謬性。同時,上帝指出,人們並未為了基督或任何高尚的目的而行動,而是像那些無助的死者一樣,被捲入無法控制的局面。

第五段分析:

“That this is not the judgment-hour
For some of them's a blessed thing,
For if it were they'd have to scour
Hell's floor for so much threatening...”

這一段中,上帝提到,對於某些人來說,現在不是審判時刻是一件幸運的事,因為如果真的是審判日,他們將因自己的罪孽而受到懲罰。這反映了人類戰爭行為的邪惡本質以及可能面臨的後果。

第六段分析:

“Ha, ha. It will be warmer when
I blow the trumpet (if indeed
I ever do; for you are men,
And rest eternal sorely need).”

上帝以幽默的方式結束了對話,提到當祂吹響號角時,世界將變得更熱。然而,祂也表示,或許永遠不會有這樣的時刻,因為人類需要的是永恆的安息。這段話既帶有諷刺意味,又表達了對人類命運的某種悲憫。

第七段分析:

So down we lay again. “I wonder,
Will the world ever saner be,”
Said one, “than in the ancient time
When those to whom I gave my name

死者重新躺下,其中一人提出疑問:世界是否會變得更加理智?他提到古代的人們曾經祈禱、奮鬥,留下了充滿血淚的故事。這段話表達了對人類歷史的反思,以及對未來和平的渴望。

第八段分析:

“Prayed, fought, and struggled mile by mile,
To leave their grim stories in rhyme?
Or whether statesmen good and wise
Shall ever see their visions rise,
“And wars be stopped, and swords reforged
To ploughshares, and the dread alarms
Of battle cease?” The answer surged
From ghoul-haunted silences and harms:

這段詩歌探討了人類是否能夠終止戰爭,將武器改造成農具,讓恐懼與衝突停止。然而,從死亡的沉默中傳來的答案卻令人沮喪。

結尾分析:

“If any question why we died,
Tell them, because our fathers lied.”

詩的最後一句揭示了戰爭的根本原因:父輩的謊言導致了後代的犧牲。這句話充滿了控訴與悲涼,直指人類社會中代際之間的責任與過錯。

總結:

《海峽炮擊》是一首具有深刻反戰思想的詩歌。哈代通過死者的視角與上帝的評論,揭示了戰爭的荒謬性與人類的愚蠢。詩歌語言生動,意象豐富,既有對現實的批判,也有對未來的思考,值得讀者深思。

重點

這首詩透過死者在墓地中的對話,揭示了戰爭的徒勞與破壞性,提醒人們反思歷史的錯誤與追求和平的重要性。詩中以教堂的炮聲象徵戰爭的震撼,同時暗示宗教與傳統價值在現代衝突中的無力感,引發讀者對人性、道德及生命意義的深層思考。

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