主题:Andrew Marr:我们英国人——英国诗歌文学简史 -- 万年看客
斯凯尔顿在文坛可谓昙花一现,与他的同代人威廉.邓巴颇为相似。不过他的存在向我们提出了一条不容回避的事实:都铎时期的诗歌与宫廷生活密不可分。尤其在亨利八世的宫廷,诗歌简直成了宫廷生活的日常组成部分,此前或者之后都没有过这样的局面。亨利八世的世界里充满了扮演亚瑟王的游戏,盛大的武技比赛,假面舞会与文人擂台,等等。对于任何一位有野心的廷臣来说,七步成诗的能力都是向上攀爬的一大优势。这些诗作既不会出版也不会在宫廷以外广泛传播,至多只会誊抄在单张纸上供人传阅。一名廷臣完全可以借此机会向心上人求爱,或者哀叹爱情的逝去。有一位这样的廷臣是颇有才气的托马斯.怀特爵士。多亏了他的作品,我们才得以一瞥这个尽管做作不堪却依然多姿多彩的宫闱诗歌世界。
汉斯.荷尔拜因绘制过托马斯.怀特的肖像,画面上的他高大英俊,好似一位留着大胡子的现代潮男。他两朝为臣,侍奉过亨利七世与亨利八世。有传言称他与安.波琳王后有染,亨利八世因此一度将他关进了伦敦塔。他在塔里眼看着其他好几位国王眼中的奸夫掉了脑袋,恐怕还目睹了安王后的处刑。有道是伴君如伴虎,亨利八世的宫廷对于怀特这样既有颜值又有欲火的男性来说尤其危险。不过尽管怀特曾屡次冒犯天颜,但最后还是得以寿终正寝。从今人的视角来看,怀特的重要性在于他将彼特拉克创立的十四行诗体例引进了英语诗歌当中。怀特文笔直白具体,他的作品看上去简直与斯凯尔顿隔了好几个世纪。在下面这段诗文当中他将女性比作胆怯的小鹿,现代读者可能觉得这样的比喻有些冒犯,但是这个比喻很快就转向了接近莎士比亚的路线:
They flee from me that sometime did me seek
With naked foot, stalking in my chamber.
I have seen them gentle, tame, and meek,
That now are wild and do not remember
That sometime they put themself in danger
To take bread at my hand; and now they range,
Busily seeking with a continual change.
它们逃离我身边,尽管也曾主动将我寻找,
赤着脚,无声无息潜入我的卧室。
我曾见过它们那么温顺、柔和、胆小,
如今却狂野不羁,忘却了过去的时日。
那时它们也曾冒险接近,向我示好,
品尝我手中的面包,如今却逃离四散,
不住脚地将奔逃的方向变换。
Thanked be fortune it hath been otherwise
Twenty times better; but once in special,
In thin array after a pleasant guise,
When her loose gown from her shoulders did fall,
And she me caught in her arms long and small;
Therewithall sweetly did me kiss
And softly said, “Dear heart, how like you this?”
万幸,这次我的运气不同以往,
改善了整整二十倍,而且还十分奇异。
她身穿薄衣轻衫,遮掩得令人心痒,
当她的罩衣轻轻从肩头滑落在地,
舒展双臂,将我揽在怀里。
然后她甜蜜地赠与我一吻销魂,
糯糯地问道:“感觉如何,我的心上人?”
It was no dream: I lay broad waking.
But all is turned thorough my gentleness
Into a strange fashion of forsaking;
And I have leave to go of her goodness,
And she also, to use newfangleness.
But since that I so kindly am served
I would fain know what she hath deserved.
这不是梦,我醒来时全身慵懒。
但是我的温柔却将这次相遇
变成了对于未来的奇怪预感,
为了她好,我必须尽快离去。
她与我不谋而合,不想将缘分延续。
但是鉴于我接受的款待如此美好,
她的感受如何,我当真很想知晓。
怀特是一位通晓多种语言的剑桥学者,也曾广泛游历欧陆。他将贺瑞斯的诗作引进了英语世界,他本人写给同为廷臣的友人的诗文也很有贺瑞斯平易近人的风格。诗人表示自己打算远离宫廷生活,因为他已经受够了整天游走在大人物身边所必需的两面三刀与油头滑脑。这样的题材原本平平无奇,但是怀特却向我们栩栩如生地呈现了廷臣们在亨利八世治下的寒冷英格兰的日常生活。总之他从此以后再也不用违心说话了:
As drunkeness, good fellowship to call;
The friendly foe, with his fair double face,
Say he is gentle, and courteous therewithal;
无非是你好我好,在酒酣耳热之际,
一个个口蜜腹剑,一张脸两张面皮
你说我性情高贵,我说你待人仗义;
Affirm that Favel hath a goodly grace
In eloquence: and cruelty to name
Zeal of justice, and change in time and place:
法佛尔的口才尤其了不起,
能将残忍说成是追寻正义。
伺机而动,因地制宜,怎样说他都有理。
And he that suffereth offence without blame,
Call him pitiful; and him true and plain,
That raileth rechless unto each man’s shame.
他将无故受辱之人称作窝囊废物,
真诚坦率的品质他向来不吝赞美,
其实是将恶语伤人当成正直态度,
Say he is rude, that cannot lie and feign;
The lecher a lover; and tyranny
To be the right of a prince’s reign:
他所谓的粗鲁意味着不会撒谎做伪,
色欲攻心被他说成是真心爱慕,
暴政是君主的天赋权利——好一张巧嘴!
I cannot I, no, no, it will not be.
This is the cause that I could never yet
Hang on their sleeves that weigh, as thou mayst see,
可我不是这种人,不,不,绝不可能。
我可没本事走上这条道路,
攀附这些家伙,你知道我肯定不成。
A chip of chance more than a pound of wit:
This maketh me at home to hunt and hawk;
And in foul weather at my book to sit;
多少聪明才智都赶不上运气的眷顾。
我情愿归家返乡放飞猎鹰,
捧起一卷好书,看窗外雨落如注。
In frost and snow, then with my bow to stalk;
No man doth mark whereso I ride or go:
In lusty leas at liberty I walk;
踏霜雪提长弓出门射猎取乐,
谁也不能规定我的马头所向,
信马由缰,自由自在才真快活。
And of these news I feel nor weal nor woe;
Save that a clog doth hang yet at my heel.
No force for that, for it is order’d so,
宫廷的新闻在我听来波澜不惊,
除非麻烦缠住了我的脚后跟,
再不必为了奉旨行事整天操心。
That I may leap both hedge and dyke full well.
I am not now in France, to judge the wine;
With savoury sauce those delicates to feel:
我尽可以越过树篱与沟渠纵马飞奔,
反正我不必出访法国,费劲心思点评酒水,
为了分清这样那样的酱汁大伤脑筋。
Nor yet in Spain, where one must him incline,
Rather than to be, outwardly to seem.
I meddle not with wits that be so fine;
我也不必出访西班牙,那里的人们全都必须
做出热情外向的姿态,无论本性何如,
我与这些人才再无牵扯,不必再受委屈。
Nor Flander’s cheer lets not my sight to deem
Of black, and white; nor takes my wits away
With beastliness; such do those beasts esteem,
再不必应付死板的佛兰德斯人,衣着只分黑白,
看得我两眼酸涩;还有敬拜野兽的蛮子,
再不必收敛才智陪着他们任性胡来。
Nor I am not, where truth is given in prey
For money, poison, and treason; of some
A common practice, used night and day.
再不必混迹于宰杀真心话的屠宰场,
金钱、毒药与叛国都是杀戮的报偿,
也有人轻车熟路,不分昼夜将谎言宣讲。
But I am here in Kent and Christendom,
Among the Muses, where I read and rhyme;
Where if thou list, mine own John Poins, to come,
Thou shalt be judge how I do spend my time.
我现在安居在肯德郡,
缪斯保佑我每天下笔如神;
我的朋友,假如哪天你有意登门,
欢迎你将我的生活用心点评。
这样通俗且充满自信的诗句与我们即将在伊丽莎白时代的戏剧舞台上听到的独白并没有多少区别。都铎王朝宫廷的生活固然十分做作,但是却催生了强烈、切近且直接的情感,这样的感受很快就会通过全国各地的简易剧院感染无数公众。目前还只有怀特这样的上层人士才有足够的信心采用英国诗歌从不熟悉的直接口吻与同辈交谈,但是这样的风格终将扩散开来。
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