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威廉·巴特勒·葉芝(William Butler Yeats),曾于1923年獲得諾貝爾文學獎，獲獎的理由是“以其高度藝術(shù)化且洋溢著靈感的詩作表達了整個民 族的靈魂”。
這首詩作于1921年。根據(jù)基督教傳說，基督將在世界末日重臨人間主持審 判。葉芝認為古希臘羅馬傳下來的西方文明今天已接近毀滅時期，兩百年 內(nèi)即將出現(xiàn)一種粗野狂暴的反文明，作為走向另一種貴族文明的過渡。
The Second Coming
基督再臨
William Butler Yeats
威廉·巴特勒·葉芝
Turnig and turning in the widening gyre
獵鷹繞著越來越大的圈子不停地盤旋
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
再也聽不見放鷹人的呼喚；
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
萬物分崩離析；中心難以為系；
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
世上只落下一盤散沙的無政府主義，
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
血色迷糊的潮流奔騰洶涌，
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
天真的儀典，亦忍為滔天血浪所湮沒;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
至善者毫無信心，而至惡者
Are full of passionate intensity.
卻躁動不止。
Surely some revelation is at hand;
一準是某種啟示已近在眼前；
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
一準是基督再臨就在眼前。
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
基督再臨！話未出□，
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
一個巨大的形象便出現(xiàn)在人們腦際
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
令我花了眼：在大漠沙海之中，
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
一個獅身人面的形體
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
目光如烈日般茫然而無情。
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
正緩慢地挪動腿腳，周圍環(huán)繞著
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
—群義憤的沙漠鳥的影子。
The darkness drops again; but now I know
黑暗再度降臨；不過現(xiàn)在我知道
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
過去兩千年巖石般的沉睡
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
都被搖籃搖成了噩夢般的煩惱，
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
何等粗野的畜牲，它的時辰巳至，
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
慵懶地朝伯利恒走去投生。
