I sing the body electric,
我歌頌那充滿活力的身體,
The armies of those I love engirth me and I engirth them,
我所愛之人的隊伍環繞著我,而我也環繞著他們,
They will not let me off till I go with them, respond to them,
他們不會放過我,除非我與他們同行,回應他們,
And discorrupt them, and charge them full with the charge of the soul.
並使他們純潔,用靈魂的力量充滿他們。
Was it doubted that those who corrupt their own bodies conceal themselves?
那些腐蝕自己身體的人難道不是在隱藏自己嗎?
And if those who defile the living are as bad as they who defile the dead?
如果褻瀆活人的人和褻瀆死人的人一樣壞呢?
And if the body does not do fully as much as the soul?
如果身體不能完全像靈魂那樣做呢?
And if the body were not the soul, what is the soul?
如果身體不是靈魂,那麼靈魂是什麼?
The love of the body of man or woman balks account,
對男人或女人身體的愛無法估量,
The body itself balks account,
身體本身無法估量,
That of the male is perfect, and that of the female is perfect.
男性的身體是完美的,女性的身體也是完美的。
The expression of the face balks account,
臉上的表情無法估量,
But the expression of a well-made man appears not only in his face,
但一個身材勻稱的男人的表情不僅僅表現在他的臉上,
It is in his limbs and joints also, it is curiously in the joints of his hips and wrists,
它也存在於他的四肢和關節中,特別是在臀部和手腕的關節中,
It is in his walk, the carriage of his neck, the flex of his waist and knees, dress does not hide him,
它在他的步伐中,在他頸部的姿態、腰部和膝蓋的彎曲中,衣服無法掩蓋他,
The strong sweet supple quality he has strikes through the cotton and broadcloth,
他強壯、甜美且柔韌的品質穿透了棉布和厚布,
To see him pass conveys as much as the best poem, perhaps more,
看他走過所傳達的意義不亞於最好的詩,甚至更多,
You linger to see his back, and the back of his neck and shoulder-side.
你會徘徊著看他的背影,以及他的後頸和肩膀側面。
The sprawl and fulness of babes, the bosoms and heads of women, the folds of their dress, their style as we pass in the street, the contour of their shape downwards,
嬰兒的伸展和豐滿,女人的胸部和頭部,她們衣服的褶皺,我們在街上經過時她們的風格,以及她們形狀的輪廓,
The swimmer naked in the swimming-bath, seen as he swims through the transparent green-shine, or lies with his face up and rolls silently to and fro in the heave of the water,
裸泳者在游泳池中,當他游過透明的綠色光澤,或仰面躺著,在水波中靜靜地來回滾動,
The bending forward and backward of rowers in row-boats, the horseman in his saddle,
划船者在小艇中前後彎腰,騎手在他的馬鞍上,
Girls, mothers, house-keepers, in all their performances,
女孩、母親、家庭主婦,在她們的所有表現中,
The group of laborers seated at noon-time with their open dinner-kettles, and their wives waiting,
正午時分坐著的工人們,打開他們的飯鍋,他們的妻子在一旁等待,
The female soothing a child, the farmer's daughter in the garden or cow-yard,
安撫孩子的女性,農夫的女兒在花園或牛棚裡,
The naked bathers in summer, the snow-sleighs in winter, the drivers covered with snow-flakes,
夏天裸露的沐浴者,冬天的雪橇,被雪花覆蓋的駕駛員,
The hurrying hoof of harnessed horses on the road—the driver with his whip uplifted,
路上套著馬具的馬匹匆忙的蹄聲——駕駛員舉起鞭子,
The guest at table, the host serving him—the lady in her parlor—the tradesman in his shop,
餐桌旁的客人,主人為他服務——女士在她的客廳裡——商人在他的店裡,
The young fellow hoeing corn—ploughing or sowing grain—the teamster driving his six-horse team,
年輕人在鋤玉米——犁地或播種穀物——車伕駕駛著他的六匹馬的車隊,
The boatman steering through rapids—the oarsmen rowing—the swimmer diving and rising again,
船夫在急流中掌舵——划槳者划船——游泳者潛水又浮起,
The haymakers at work—the mower swinging his scythe—the drover urging his cattle—the peddler with his cart,
割草工在工作——割草機揮舞著鐮刀——牧人催促他的牛群——小販推著他的車,
The runaway slave came to my house and stopt outside,
逃亡的奴隸來到我家門外停下,
I heard his motions crackling the twigs of the woodpile,
我聽到他在柴堆中的動作發出劈啪聲,
Through the swung half-door of the kitchen I saw him limpsy and weak,
透過廚房半開的門,我看見他軟弱無力,
And went where he sat on a log and led him in and assured him,
我走到他坐在木頭上的地方,把他帶進來並安慰他,
And brought water and fill'd a tub for his sweated body and bruis'd feet,
並且拿來水,為他汗流浹背的身體和瘀傷的腳準備了一個浴缸,
And gave him a room that entered from my own, and gave him some coarse clean clothes,
給了他一間從我的房間進入的房間,並給了他一些粗糙但乾淨的衣服,
And remember perfectly well his revolving eyes and his awkwardness,
我清楚地記得他轉動的眼睛和他的笨拙,
And remember putting plasters on the galls of his neck and ankles;
還記得我在他的脖子和腳踝的傷口上貼了膏藥;
He staid with me a week before he was recuperated and pass'd north,
他在這裡待了一週,直到恢復健康後向北行去,
I had him sit next me at table, my fire-lock lean'd in the corner.
我讓他坐在餐桌旁我身邊,我的火槍靠在角落裡。
The splash of swimmers, the sound of their voices, the laughter of children, the clatter of dishes,
游泳者的濺水聲,他們的聲音,孩子的笑聲,盤子的叮噹聲,
The roll of drums and the blare of trumpets, the tramp of soldiers marching,
鼓聲隆隆,號角嘹亮,士兵行軍的腳步聲,
The murmur of crowds, the shouts of auctioneers, the cries of newsboys,
人群的低語,拍賣人的喊叫聲,報童的呼喊,
The hum of bees, the chirp of birds, the rustle of leaves, the ripple of waters,
蜜蜂的嗡嗡聲,鳥兒的啁啾聲,葉子的沙沙聲,水的漣漪,
All these I hear or imagine—I become the subject of them.
所有這些我都聽到了或想像到了——我成為了它們的主題。
A woman waits for me—she contains all, nothing is lacking,
一個女人在等我——她包容一切,無所欠缺,
Yet all were lacking if sex were lacking, or if the moisture of the right man were lacking.
然而,如果缺少性,或缺少合適男人的濕潤,一切都將有所欠缺。
Sex contains all, bodies, souls,
性包含了一切,身體、靈魂,
Meanings, proofs, purities, delicacies, results, promulgations,
意義、證明、純潔、精緻、結果、宣告,
Songs, commands, health, pride, the maternal mystery, the seminal milk,
歌謠、命令、健康、驕傲、母性的奧秘、精液,
All hopes, benefactions, bestowals, all the passions, loves, beauties, delights of the earth,
所有的希望、恩賜、饋贈、所有激情、愛、美、塵世的歡愉,
All the governments, judges, gods, follow’d persons of the earth,
所有政府、法官、神明、世人追隨的對象,
These are contain’d in sex as parts of itself and justifications of itself.
這些都包含在性中,作為其自身的部分與正當理由。
Without shame the man I like knows and avows the deliciousness of his sex,
我喜歡的男人毫無羞恥地知道並承認他性別的美好,
Without shame the woman I like knows and avows hers.
我喜歡的女人也毫無羞恥地知道並承認她的美好。
Now I will dismiss myself from impassive women,
現在我將離開那些冷漠的女人,
I will go stay with her who waits for me, and with those women that are warm-blooded enough to receive me.
我會去和等待我的她在一起,和那些熱情足以接納我的女人在一起。
I am she who adorn’d herself and folded her hair expectantly,
我是那位裝扮自己並將頭髮梳理整齊以期待的人,
My flesh was quiver’d with pure desire,
我的肉體因純粹的渴望而顫抖,
My pulse beat quick and strong, my eyes sparkled, my cheeks flush’d,
我的脈搏跳動快速而強勁,我的眼睛閃爍,臉頰泛紅,
I waited for the bell to ring, the signal to rise.
我等待著鈴聲響起,等待起身的信號。
O you whom I often and silently come where you are, that I may be with you,
噢,你啊,我常常默默地來到你的所在,只為了能和你在一起,
As I walk by your side, or sit near, or remain in the same room with you,
當我走在你身邊,或坐在附近,或與你同處一室,
Little you know the subtle electric fire that for your sake is playing within me.
你卻不知那為你而燃燒在我體內的微妙電火。
The efflux of the soul is happiness, here is happiness,
靈魂的流露便是幸福,這裡就是幸福,
I think it pervades the open air, waiting at all times,
我想它滲透在空氣中,隨時等待著,
Now it flows unto us, we are rightly charged.
現在它流向我們,我們被正確地充滿了能量。
Here rises the fluid and attaching character,
在此升起的是流動且吸引人的特質,
The fluid and attaching character is the freshness and sweetness of man and woman,
這流動且吸引人的特質是男女之間的新鮮與甜美,
(The herbs of the morning sprout no fresher and sweeter every day out of the roots of themselves, than it sprouts fresh and sweet continually out of itself.)
(晨間的草藥從自己的根部萌發出新鮮甜美的嫩芽,也不及它不斷自我萌發的新鮮甜美。)
Toward the fluid and attaching character exudes the sweat of the love of young and old,
朝向這流動且吸引人的特質,老少之愛的汗水滲出,
From it falls distill’d the chyle of fondness,
從其中滴下的是親密的乳糜,
From it advances the granules of bone and muscle,
從其中前進的是骨與肌肉的顆粒,
From it advances the veiny ladder of jointed bones.
從其中前進的是關節骨骼的靜脈階梯。
The womb, the teat, nipples, breast-milk, tears, laughter, weeping, love-looks, love-perturbations and risings,
子宮、乳房、乳頭、乳汁、眼淚、笑聲、哭泣、愛的眼神、愛情的騷動與興起,
The soul arising from the body, the body arising from the soul,
靈魂從身體中升起,身體從靈魂中升起,
The afflatus of the soul over the body,
靈魂對身體的啟發,
The afflatus of the body over the soul.
身體對靈魂的啟發。
Each moment and whatever happens thrills me with joy,
每一刻以及發生的一切都讓我感到喜悅,
I cannot tell how my ankles bend, nor whence the cause of my faintest wish,
我無法說清我的腳踝如何彎曲,也無法說清我最微弱願望的起因,
Nor the cause of the friendship I emit, nor the cause of the friendship I take again.
也無法說清我所散發的友誼的原因,或是我重新接受的友誼的原因。
That I walk up my stoop, I pause to consider if it really be,
當我走上門廊時,我停下來思考這是否真的如此,
A morning-glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books.
窗邊的一朵牽牛花比書本中的形而上學更能滿足我。
To behold the day-break!
目睹黎明的到來!
The little light fades the immense and diaphanous shadows,
微光逐漸消退巨大的透明陰影,
The air tastes good to my palate.
空氣對我的味覺來說很美味。