李锡尼啊,一个人既不该永远
为了开阔的大海抗击,也不该恐惧
暴风而过于谨慎,过于紧拥
参差的海岸。
珍视中庸之道的人
明智得难以住在污秽之屋,
却也明智地避开那种
招致嫉妒的豪宅。
高高的松树风会更无情地
摧残,高塔坍塌下来更加
沉重;而恰恰是山顶
被雷电轰击。
为命运的转变做好准备的心啊
在困境希望,在欢乐时
警醒。朱庇特带来恼人的冬天
而同一个神
也把它带走。今日的厄运有一天
会转好:有时阿波罗唤醒
沉睡的里拉琴来歌唱,他也并不
总是弯弓欲射。
在每一个艰难中显示你自己
勇敢无畏;可是当你跑到
一阵过强的和风之前,聪明地
收起你鼓胀的风帆。
作者 / [古罗马] 贺拉斯
翻译 / Adieudusk
根据理查德-威尔伯英译转译
Neither should one, Licinius, beat forever
For the open sea, nor from a fear of gales
Become too cautious, and too closely hug
The jagged shore.
A man who cherishes the golden mean
Has too much sense to live in a squalid house,
Yet sensibly eschews the sort of mansion
That asks for envy.
It is the tall pine that the wind more cruelly
Buffets, the high tower that falls with the heavier
Crash; and it is the very crest of the mountain
Where lightning strikes.
A heart that’s well prepared for shifts of fortune
Hopes in adversity, and in happy times
Is wary. Jupiter brings afflicting winter,
And the same god
Takes it away. Today’s ill-luck will someday
Change for the better: sometimes Apollo wakens
The slumbering lyre to song, nor is he always
Bending the bow.
In every hardship show yourself to be
Both brave and bold; yet when you run before
Too strong a favoring breeze, wisely take in
Your swelling sails.
Horace
translated by Richard Wilbur
有位牧师说:“中产阶级的宗教,就是避免过于狂热和冒险的生活。”在电影《魔戒》里,巫师甘道尔夫邀请巴金斯出门去冒险,巴金斯说:“冒险?我怕误了晚餐。”
人的一生是要平平顺顺,还是该去冒大的风险,不同的人会有完全不同的选择。然而,这首警世诗里,在人类的中间,即不疯狂冒进也不沉沦堕落,这才是困难且应该做到的事情。
最后,巴金斯还是踏上了危险的旅程。
荐诗 / 谢韬
2018/10/25
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