Faber & Faber

飛白書社
肥爸爸出版社
(肥白肥白, 肥肥白白;
飛吧飛吧, 飛觴舉白)

The Faber Book of Nonsense Verse
飛白俳諧詩選
肥版荒唐詩選

雙肥/雙飛書社

漢童永

干寶, 搜神記, 卷一

Tung Yung and the Weaving Maid
(Yang, HY and Gladys trs., The Man Who Sold a Ghost)

In the Han dynasty there lived a man of Chiencheng named Tung Yung. Having lost his mother as a child, he helped his father till the land and pull their cart.

漢董永，千乘人。少偏孤，與父居。 肆力田畝，鹿車載自隨。

When his father died and he had no money for the funeral, he sold himself as a slave to pay for it. His master, knowing of his piety, gave him ten thousand coins and sent him off.

父亡，無以葬，乃自賣為奴，以供喪事。 主人知其賢，與錢一萬，遣之。

After he had observed the three years' mourning, he went back to serve as a slave, and met a woman on the road who offered to be his wife. So they went on together.

永行三年喪畢。欲還主人，供其奴職。 道逢一婦人曰：「願為子妻。」遂與之俱。

His master told him: `That money was a gift.' But Tung replied: `Thanks to your help I was able to bury my father fittingly. Though I am low-born, I shall work hard to repay your kindness.'

主人謂永曰：「以錢與君矣。」 永曰：「蒙君之惠，父喪收藏。永雖小人，必欲服勤致力，以報厚德。」

His master asked: `What can this woman do?' Tung answered: `She can weave.' His master said: `In that case, let her just weave me a hundred rolls of silk.'

主曰：「婦人何能？」 永曰：「能織。」 主曰：「必爾者，但令婦為我織縑百匹。」

Then Tung Yung's wife wove silk for this family, finishing her task in ten days.

於是永妻為主人家織，十日而畢。

When she left she told Tung Yung: `I am the Weaving Maid from Heaven. Because you are a filial son, the Heavenly Emperor ordered me to help you repay your debt.'

女出門，謂永曰：「我，天之織女也。緣君至孝，天帝令我助君償債耳。」

Having said this she soared up into the air and disappeared.

語畢，凌空而去，不知所在。

Nothing Twice

Wislawa Szymborska 辛波絲卡

Nothing Twice
Trs by Bara«nczak and Clare Cavanagh

Nothing can ever happen twice.
In consequence, the sorry fact is
that we arrive here improvised
and leave without the chance to practice.

Even if there is no one dumber,
if you're the planet's biggest dunce,
you can't repeat the class in summer:
this course is only offered once.

No day copies yesterday,
no two nights will teach what bliss is
in precisely the same way,
with precisely the same kisses.

One day, perhaps some idle tongue
mentions your name by accident:
I feel as if a rose were flung
into the room, all hue and scent.

The next day, though you're here with me,
I can't help looking at the clock:
A rose? A rose? What could that be?
Is it a flower or a rock?

Why do we treat the fleeting day
with so much needless fear and sorrow?
It's in its nature not to stay:
Today is always gone tomorrow.

With smiles and kisses, we prefer
to seek accord beneath our star,
although we're different (we concur)
just as two drops of water are.

流水不復

向左走, 向右走

易家揚, 遇見 (孫燕姿)

聽見冬天的離開　我在某年某月醒過來　 我想我等我期待　未來卻不能因此安排　|　 陰天傍晚車窗外　未來有一個人在等待　 向左向右向前看　愛要拐幾個彎才來　 我遇見誰　會有怎樣的對白　 我等的人　他在多遠的未來　 我聽見風來自地鐵和人海　 我排著隊　拿著愛的號碼牌　|　 我往前飛　飛過一片時間海　 我們也曾在愛情裡受傷害　 我看著路　夢的入口有點窄　 我遇見你是最美麗的意外　 總有一天　我的謎底會揭開

林夕, 迴旋木馬的終端 (梁詠琪)

一路一人一千里　故事人物有沒有一起　 一月一日一口氣　會在何地發現我的你　　 一萬一百一億個　這地球上對像有幾多　 馬路鞋尖也踏破　對面誰在看著我走過　|　 為何上帝　捨得阻擋你的臉　 為何讓你　在我天涯裡擱淺　 緣份未到　讓我等到那一天　 迴旋下去　木馬終端再遇見　|　 一步一年一感歎　看著緣份背著我轉彎　 午後黃昏到夜晚　美麗存在過但我眨眼　||　 緣份大概　就似花火的曲線　 流動下去　滑過天涯才相見　 緣份未到　讓我等到那一天　 迴旋下去　木馬終端再遇見　 緣份大概　未想這麼早發展

(電影插曲)

* * *
Wislawa Szymborska 辛波絲卡

Love at First Sight (1993)
trs. by Cavanagh and Barancza
一見鍾情（陳黎、張芬齡譯）

They’re both convinced
that a sudden passion joined them.
Such certainty is beautiful,
but uncertainty is more beautiful still.

他們兩人都相信 | 是一股突發的熱情讓他倆交會。| 這樣的篤定是美麗的，| 但變化無常更是美麗。

Since they’d never met before, they’re sure
that there’d been nothing between them.
But what’s the word from the streets, staircases, hallways—
perhaps they’ve passed by each other a million times?

I want to ask them
if they don’t remember—
a moment face to face
in some revolving door?
perhaps a “sorry” muttered in a crowd?
a curt “wrong number” caught in the receiver?—
but I know the answer.
No, they don’t remember.

既然從未見過面，所以他們確定 | 彼此並無任何瓜葛。| 但是聽聽自街道、樓梯、走廊傳出的話語——| 他倆或許擦肩而過一百萬次了吧？

我想問他們 | 是否記不得了——| 在旋轉門 | 面對面那一刻？| 或者在人群中喃喃說出的「對不起」？| 或者在聽筒截獲的唐突的「打錯了」？| 然而我早知他們的答案。| 是的，他們記不得了。

They’d be amazed to hear
that Chance has been toying with them
now for years.

Not quite ready yet
to become their Destiny,
it pushed them close, drove them apart,
it barred their path,
stifling a laugh,
and then leaped aside.

他們會感到詫異，倘若得知 | 緣分已玩弄他們 | 多年。

尚未完全做好 | 成爲他們命運的準備，| 緣分將他們推近，驅離，| 憋住笑聲 | 阻擋他們的去路，| 然後閃到一邊。

There were signs and signals,
even if they couldn’t read them yet.
Perhaps three years ago
or just last Tuesday
a certain leaf fluttered
from one shoulder to another?
Something was dropped and then picked up.
Who knows, maybe the ball that vanished
into childhood’s thicket?

There were doorknobs and doorbells
where one touch had covered another
beforehand.
Suitcases checked and standing side by side.
One night, perhaps, the same dream,
grown hazy by morning.

有一些跡象和信號存在，| 即使他們尚無法解讀。| 也許在三年前 | 或者就在上個星期二 | 有某片葉子飄舞於 | 肩與肩之間？ | 有東西掉了又撿了起來？ | 天曉得，也許是那個 | 消失於童年灌木叢中的球？

還有事前已被觸摸 | 層層覆蓋的 | 門把和門鈴。| 檢查完畢後並排放置的手提箱。| 有一晚，也許同樣的夢，| 到了早晨變得模糊。

Every beginning
is only a sequel, after all,
and the book of events
is always open halfway through.

每個開始 | 畢竟都只是續篇，| 而充滿情節的書本 | 總是從一半開始看起。

Raeburn trs, Met. Book 7

Metamorphoses 7.553--582, 613--651
The Plague at Aegina (youtube)

(New College Reads to You - David Raeburn reads from his own translation of Ovid's Metamorphoses)

7.553--582, p.206 (pdf)

‘The plague grew stronger and next attacked the peasants and farmers; it then proceeded to lord it inside the walls of the city. First a burning sensation inside the intestines, then flushes [555] and short-drawn breathing were early symptoms of latent disorder.
...
[580] then, weakly extending their arms to the stars in the lowering heavens, here or there, wherever death took them, they gave up the ghost.

7.613--651

Aeacus next explained how sorrow had yielded to gladness: ‘Overwhelmed by this powerful whirlwind of pain, I protested: [615] “Jupiter, hear me! Lord! If the story isn’t a lie,
...
I followed him out, and there were the men [650] who’d appeared to me in my dream, exactly the same as I’d seen them down to their order of march, approaching to hail me as king.

Ovid, Tristia

Book 1, 1.1--4

Slavitt trs.

Little book, you're off to town without me, wet / behind the ears (your ink is hardly dry). / Enjoy it. I can't go. Papa's not allowed. / But for your old man's sake, a little restraint: no fancy cover tarted up with dyes, no gaudy / title page done up in coloured inks.

Peter Green trs.

Little book --- no, I don't begrudge it you --- you're off to the City / without me, going where your only begetter is banned! / On your way, then --- but penny-plain as befits an exile’s / sad offering, and my present life.

Met., Book 7 (Medea)

2022 McCarter, 7.22--23, p.177

Some strange new force draws me against my will. / Desire pulls me one way, but my mind another. / I see and praise what's right, yet want what's wrong.

2004 Raeburn

I am dragged along by a strange new force. Desire and reason / are pulling in different directions. I see the right way and approve it, / but follow the wrong.

1993 Mandelbraum, p.203c (Everyman's)

Instead, despite myself, a force that I have never known before impels me now: / my longing needs one thing; my reason seeks / another. I can see---and I approve / the better course, and yet I choose the worse.

1986 Melvile, p.144c

But against my will some force bewitches me; / One way desire, another reason calls; / The better course I see and do approve---/ The worse I follow.

1983 Humphries, p.160c

What for? Unhappy girl, shake from the bosom / This burning fire, if you can. If I could do it, / I would be more sensible, but some new power / Holds me against my will, and reason calls / One way, desire another. I see, approving, / Things that are good, and yet I follow worse ones.

1958 Horace Gregory, p.173

But now against my will an unknown power / Has made me weak---heat sways me one way, / And my mind another: I see the wiser, / Yet I take the wrong.