the complete poetical works-第200部分
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Naught see I fixed or sure in thee!
Shall I be mute; or vows with prayers combine?
Ye who are blessed in loving; tell it me:
Love; love; what wilt thou with this heart of mine?
Naught see I permanent or sure in thee!
MY SECRET
BY FELIX ARVERS
My soul its secret has; my life too has its mystery;
A love eternal in a moment's space conceived;
Hopeless the evil is; I have not told its history;
And she who was the cause nor knew it nor believed。
Alas! I shall have passed close by her unperceived;
Forever at her side; and yet forever lonely;
I shall unto the end have made life's journey; only
Daring to ask for naught; and having naught received。
For her; though God has made her gentle and endearing;
She will go on her way distraught and without hearing
These murmurings of love that round her steps ascend;
Piously faithful still unto her austere duty;
Will say; when she shall read these lines full of her beauty;
〃Who can this woman be?〃 and will not comprehend。
FROM THE ITALIAN
THE CELESTIAL PILOT
PURGATORIO II。 13…51。
And now; behold! as at the approach of morning;
Through the gross vapors; Mars grows fiery red
Down in the west upon the ocean floor
Appeared to me;may I again behold it!
A light along the sea; so swiftly coming;
Its motion by no flight of wing is equalled。
And when therefrom I had withdrawn a little
Mine eyes; that I might question my conductor;
Again I saw it brighter grown and larger。
Thereafter; on all sides of it; appeared
I knew not what of white; and underneath;
Little by little; there came forth another。
My master yet had uttered not a word;
While the first whiteness into wings unfolded;
But; when he clearly recognized the pilot;
He cried aloud: 〃Quick; quick; and bow the knee!
Behold the Angel of God! fold up thy hands!
Henceforward shalt thou see such officers!
See; how he scorns all human arguments;
So that no oar he wants; nor other sail
Than his own wings; between so distant shores!
See; how he holds them; pointed straight to heaven;
Fanning the air with the eternal pinions;
That do not moult themselves like mortal hair!〃
And then; as nearer and more near us came
The Bird of Heaven; more glorious he appeared;
So that the eye could not sustain his presence;
But down I cast it; and he came to shore
With a small vessel; gliding swift and light;
So that the water swallowed naught thereof。
Upon the stern stood the Celestial Pilot!
Beatitude seemed written in his face!
And more than a hundred spirits sat within。
〃In exitu Israel de Aegypto!〃
Thus sang they all together in one voice;
With whatso in that Psalm is after written。
Then made he sign of holy rood upon them;
Whereat all cast themselves upon the shore;
And he departed swiftly as he came。
THE TERRESTRIAL PARADISE
PURGATORIO XXVIII。 1…33。
Longing already to search in and round
The heavenly forest; dense and living…green;
Which tempered to the eyes the newborn day;
Withouten more delay I left the bank;
Crossing the level country slowly; slowly;
Over the soil; that everywhere breathed fragrance。
A gently…breathing air; that no mutation
Had in itself; smote me upon the forehead;
No heavier blow; than of a pleasant breeze;
Whereat the tremulous branches readily
Did all of them bow downward towards that side
Where its first shadow casts the Holy Mountain;
Yet not from their upright direction bent
So that the little birds upon their tops
Should cease the practice of their tuneful art;
But with full…throated joy; the hours of prime
Singing received they in the midst of foliage
That made monotonous burden to their rhymes;
Even as from branch to branch it gathering swells;
Through the pine forests on the shore of Chiassi;
When Aeolus unlooses the Sirocco。
Already my slow steps had led me on
Into the ancient wood so far; that I
Could see no more the place where I had entered。
And lo! my further course cut off a river;
Which; tow'rds the left hand; with its little waves;
Bent down the grass; that on its margin sprang。
All waters that on earth most limpid are;
Would seem to have within themselves some mixture;
Compared with that; which nothing doth conceal;
Although it moves on with a brown; brown current;
Under the shade perpetual; that never
Ray of the sun lets in; nor of the moon。
BEATRICE。
PURGATORIO XXX。 13…33; 85…99; XXXI。 13…21。
Even as the Blessed; at the final summons;
Shall rise up quickened; each one from his grave;
Wearing again the garments of the flesh;
So; upon that celestial chariot;
A hundred rose ad vocem tanti senis;
Ministers and messengers of life eternal。
They all were saying; 〃Benedictus qui venis;〃
And scattering flowers above and round about;
〃Manibus o date lilia plenis。〃
Oft have I seen; at the approach of day;
The orient sky all stained with roseate hues;
And the other heaven with light serene adorned;
And the sun's face uprising; overshadowed;
So that; by temperate influence of vapors;
The eye sustained his aspect for long while;
Thus in the bosom of a cloud of flowers;
Which from those hands angelic were thrown up;
And down descended inside and without;
With crown of olive o'er a snow…white veil;
Appeared a lady; under a green mantle;
Vested in colors of the living flame。
。 。 。 。 。 。
Even as the snow; among the living rafters
Upon the back of ltaly; congeals;
Blown on and beaten by Sclavonian winds;
And then; dissolving; filters through itself;
Whene'er the land; that loses shadow; breathes;
Like as a taper melts before a fire;
Even such I was; without a sigh or tear;
Before the song of those who chime forever
After the chiming of the eternal spheres;
But; when I heard in those sweet melodies
Compassion for me; more than had they said;
〃O wherefore; lady; dost thou thus consume him?〃
The ice; that was about my heart congealed;
To air and water changed; and; in my anguish;
Through lips and eyes came gushing from my breast。
。 。 。 。 。 。
Confusion and dismay; together mingled;
Forced such a feeble 〃Yes!〃 out of my mouth;
To understand it one had need of sight。
Even as a cross…bow breaks; when 't is discharged;
Too tensely drawn the bow…string and the bow;
And with less force the arrow hits the mark;
So I gave way beneath this heavy burden;
Gushing forth into bitter tears and sighs;
And the voice; fainting; flagged upon its passage。
TO ITALY
BY VINCENZO DA FILICAJA
Italy! Italy! thou who'rt doomed to wear
The fatal gift of beauty; and possess
The dower funest of infinite wretchedness
Written upon thy forehead by despair;
Ah! would that thou wert stronger; or less fair。
That they might fear thee more; or love thee less;
Who in the splendor of thy loveliness
Seem wasting; yet to mortal combat dare!
Then from the Alps I should not see descending
Such torrents of armed men; nor Gallic horde
Drinking the wave of Po; distained with gore;
Nor should I see thee girded with a sword
Not thine; and with the stranger's arm contending;
Victor or vanquished; slave forever more。
SEVEN SONNETS AND A CANZONE
'The following translations are from the poems of Michael Angelo
as revised by his nephew Michael Angelo the Younger; and were
made before the publication of the original text by Guasti。'
I
THE ARTIST
Nothing the greatest artist can conceive
That every marble block doth not confine
Within itself; and only its design
The hand that follows intellect can achieve。
The ill I flee; the good that I believe;
In thee; fair lady; lofty and divine;
Thus hidden lie; and so that death be mine
Art; of desired success; doth me bereave。
Love is not guilty; then; nor thy fair face;
Nor fortune; cruelty; nor great disdain;
Of my disgrace; nor chance; nor destiny;
If in thy heart both death and love find place
At the same time; and if my humble brain;
Burning; can nothing draw but death from thee。
II
FIRE
Not without fire can any workman mould
The iron to his preconceived design;
Nor can the artist without fire refine
And purify from all its dross the gold;
Nor can revive the phoenix; we are told;
Except by fire。 Hence if such death be mine
I hope to rise again with the divine;
Whom death augments; and time cannot make old。
O sweet; sweet death! O fortunate fire that burns
Within me still to renovate my days;
Though I am almost numbered with the dead!
If by its nature unto heaven returns
This element; me; kindled in its blaze;
Will it bear upward when my life is fled。
III
YOUTH AND AGE
Oh give me back the days when loose and free
To my blind passion were the curb and rein;
Oh give me back the angelic face again;
With which all virtue buried seems to be!
Oh give my panting footsteps back to me;
That are in age so slow and fraught with pain;
And fire and moisture in the heart and brain;
If thou wouldst have me burn and weep for thee!
If it be true thou livest alone; Amor;
On the sweet…bitter tears of human hearts;
In an old man thou canst not wake desire;
Souls that have almost reached the other shore
Of a diviner love should feel the darts;
And be as tinder to a holier fire。
IV
OLD AGE
The course of my long life hath reached at last;
In fragile bark o'er a tempestuous sea;
The common harbor; where must rendered be
Account of all the actions of the past。
The impassioned phantasy; that; vague and vast;
Made art an idol and a king to me;
Was an illusion; and but vanity