《預言》-何其芳

這一個心跳的日子終于來臨！

呵，你夜的嘆息似的漸近的足音

我聽得清本是林葉和夜風私語，

麋鹿馳過苔徑的細碎的蹄聲！

告訴我，用你銀鈴的歌聲告訴我，

你是不是預言中的年輕的神？

你一定來自那溫郁的南方！

告訴我那里的月色，那里的日光！

告訴我春風是怎樣吹開百花，

燕子是怎樣癡戀著綠楊？

我將合眼睡在你如夢的歌聲里，

那溫暖我似乎記得，又似乎遺忘。

請停下，請停下你疲勞的奔波，

進來，這兒有虎皮的褥，你坐！

讓我燒起每一個秋天拾來的落葉

聽我低低地唱起我自己的歌。

那歌聲將火光一樣沉郁又高揚，

火光一樣將我的一生訴說。

不要前行！前面是無邊的森林，

古老的樹現著野獸身上的斑紋，

半生半死的藤，蟒一樣交纏著，

密葉里漏不下一顆星星。

你將怯怯地不敢放下第二步，

當你聽見了第一步空寥的回聲。

一定要走嗎？請等我和你同行！

我的腳步知道每一條平安的路徑，

我可以不停地唱著忘倦的歌，

再給你，再給你手的溫存！

當夜的濃黑遮斷了我們，

你可以不轉眼地望著我的眼睛。

我激動的歌聲你竟不聽，

你的腳竟不為我的顫抖暫停！

象靜穆的微風飄過這黃昏里，

消失了，消失了你驕傲的足音！

呵，你終于如預言中所說的

無語而來，無語而去了嗎？

年輕的神？

一九三一年秋天，北平

Prophecy

HeQifang

Ithas finally arrived—that heart-throbbing day.The sound of your footsteps, like the sighs of the night,

Ican hear clearly. They are not leaves whispering in the winds

Northe fawns darting across a lichened pass.

Tellme, tell me in your singing voice of a silver bell,

Areyou not the youthful god I heard about in a prophecy?

Youmust have come from the warm and exuberant south,

Tellme about the sun there, and the moonlight,

Tellme how the spring air blows open the hundreds of flowers,

Andhow the swallow lovingly clings to the window twigs.

Ishall close my eyes to sleep in your dreamy songs—

Suchcomfort I seem to remember, and yet seem to have forgotten.

Stopplease, pause in the middle of your long journey

Tocome in. Here is a tiger-skin rug for you to sit on.

Letme light up every leaf I have gathered in autumn,

Listento me singing my own song.

Likethe flame, my song will dip and rise in the turn, again

Likethe flame, will tell the story of the fallen leaves.

Don’tgo forward, the forest ahead is boundless,

Thetrunks of old trees show stripes and spots of the animals.

Theserpentine vines intertwine, half dead and half living,

Nota single star can fall through the dense foliage above.

Youwon’t dare to put your foot down a second time, when you

Haveheard the empty and lonely echo of your first step.

Mustyou go? Then, let me go with you.

Myfeet know every safe trail there is.

Ishall sing my songs without stop,

Andoffer you the comfort of my hand.

Whenthe thick darkness of the night separates us,

Youmay fix your eyes on mine.

Youpay no heed to my excited songs,

Yourfootsteps halt not for a moment at my trembling self.

Likea breeze, soft and serene, passing through the dusk…

Itvanishes, and vanished are your proud footsteps.

Ah,have you really silently come, as in the prophecy,

Andsilently gone, my youthful god?

（Kai-yu Hsu 譯）