Walt Whitman - As I Ponder’d in Silence 汉译

As I ponder’d in silence,

Returning upon my poems, considering, lingering long,

A Phantom arose before me with distrustful aspect,

Terrible in beauty, age, and power,

The genius of poets of old lands,

As to me directing like flame its eyes,

With finger pointing to many immortal songs,

And menacing voice, What singest thou? it said,

Know’st thou not there is but one theme for ever-enduring bards?

And that is the theme of War, the fortune of battles,

The making of perfect soldiers.

Be it so, then I answer’d,

I too haughty Shade also sing war, and a longer and greater one than any,

Waged in my book with varying fortune, with flight, advance and retreat, victory deferr’d and wavering,

(Yet methinks certain, or as good as certain, at the last,) the field the world,

For life and death, for the Body and for the eternal Soul,

Lo, I too am come, chanting the chant of battles,

I above all promote brave soldiers.

1871

我默默沉思

在我默默沉思

回顾我的诗篇、反复思考、长时间逗留不去的时候，

一个持怀疑态度的幽灵出现在我面前，

美貌、长寿和权威都非比寻常，

是古国诗人们的守护神，

它那对火焰似的双眼朝我望着，

用手指指着许多不朽的诗歌，

声音里带着威胁，你歌唱的是什么？它说，

你难道不知道对持久不衰的诗人们说来只有一个题材吗？

那就是战争的题材，各个战役的胜负，

尽善尽美的战士们的成长。

诚然如此，我随即回答，

傲慢的阴魂，我也歌唱战争，而且比其他战争更加持久而伟大，

它在我书中展开，命运常多变化，溃逃，前进又后退，胜利被推迟，有时又成败未卜。

（然而我认为最后结局是肯定或相当肯定的，）战场是这个世界，

是为了生死存亡，为了“肉体”。也为了永生的“灵魂”，

看哪，我也来到，唱着各个战役的颂歌，

我的特殊任务是缔造勇敢的战士。

1871