雙語(yǔ)安徒生童話:the Swan's Nest天鵝的巢
BETWEEN the Baltic and the North Sea there liesan old swan's nest, wherein swans are born andhave been born that shall never die.
In olden times a flock of swans flew over theAlps to the GREen plains around Milan, where it wasdelightful to dwell. This flight of swans men calledthe Lombards.
Another flock, with shining plumage and honest eyes, soared southward to Byzantium;the swans established themselves there close by the Emperor's throne, and spread theirwings over him as shields to protect him. They received the name of Varangians.
On the coast of France there sounded a cry of fear, for the blood-stained swans that camefrom the North with fire under their wings; and the people prayed, “Heaven deliver us fromthe wild Northmen.”
On the fresh sward of England stood the Danish swan by the open seashore, with thecrown of three kingdoms on his head; and he stretched out his golden sceptre over the land.The heathens on the Pomerian coast bent the knee, and the Danish swans came with thebanner of the Cross and with the drawn sword.
“That was in the very old times,” you say.
In later days two mighty swans have been seen to fly from the nest. A light shone farthrough the air, far over the lands of the earth; the swan, with the strong beating of hiswings, scattered the twilight mists, and the starry sky was seen, and it was as if it camenearer to the earth. That was the swan Tycho Brahe.
“Yes, then,” you say; “but in our own days?”
We have seen swan after swan soar by in glorious flight. One let his pinions glide over thestrings of the golden harp, and it resounded through the North. Norway's mountains seemedto rise higher in the sunlight of former days; there was a rustling among the pine trees andthe birches; the gods of the North, the heroes, and the noble women, showed themselvesin the dark forest depths.
We have seen a swan beat with his wings upon the marble crag, so that it burst, andthe forms of beauty imprisoned in the stone stepped out to the sunny day, and men in thelands round about lifted up their heads to behold these mighty forms.
We have seen a third swan spinning the thread of thought that is fastened from country tocountry round the world, so that the word may fly with lightning speed from land to land.
And our Lord loves the old swan's nest between the Baltic and the North Sea. And whenthe mighty birds come soaring through the air to destroy it, even the callow young standround in a circle on the margin of the nest, and though their breasts may be struck so thattheir blood flows, they bear it, and strike with their wings and their claws.
Centuries will pass by, swans will fly forth from the nest, men will see them and hearthem in the world, before it shall be said in spirit and in truth, “This is the last swan—the lastsong from the swan's nest.”
在波羅的海和北海之間有一個(gè)古老的天鵝窠。它名叫丹麥。天鵝就是在它里面生出來(lái)的,過(guò)去和現(xiàn)在都是這樣。它們的名字永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)被人遺忘。
在遠(yuǎn)古的時(shí)候,有一群天鵝飛過(guò)阿爾卑斯山,在“五月的國(guó)度”1里的綠色平原上落下來(lái)。住在這兒是非常幸福的。
這一群天鵝叫做“長(zhǎng)鬍子人”2.另外一群長(zhǎng)著發(fā)亮的羽毛和誠(chéng)實(shí)的眼睛的天鵝,飛向南方,在拜占庭3落下來(lái)。它們?cè)诨实鄣淖恢車∠聛?lái),同時(shí)伸開(kāi)它們的白色大翅膀,保護(hù)他的盾牌。這群天鵝叫做瓦1. 1指意大利倫巴底亞(Lombardia)省的首府米蘭(Milano)。林格人2原文是Longobarder,指住在意大利倫巴底亞省的倫巴底人(Lombardo)。
3這是東羅馬帝國(guó)的首都。
法國(guó)的海岸上升起一片驚恐的聲音,因?yàn)槭妊竦奶禊Z,拍著帶有火焰的翅膀,正在從北方飛來(lái)。人們祈禱著說(shuō):“愿上帝把我們從這些野蠻的北歐人手中救出來(lái)!”
一只丹麥的天鵝2站在英國(guó)碧綠的草原上,站在廣闊的海岸旁邊。他的頭上戴著代表三個(gè)王國(guó)的皇冠;他把他的王節(jié)伸向這個(gè)國(guó)家的土地上。
波美爾3海岸上的異教徒都在地上跪下來(lái),因?yàn)榈湹奶禊Z,帶著繪有十字的旗幟和拔出的劍,向這兒飛來(lái)了。
那是很久很久以前的事情!你會(huì)這樣說(shuō)。
不過(guò)離我們的時(shí)代不遠(yuǎn),還有兩只強(qiáng)大的天鵝從窠里飛出來(lái)了。
一道光射過(guò)天空,射到世界的每個(gè)國(guó)土上。這只天鵝拍著他的強(qiáng)大的翅膀,撒下一層黃昏的煙霧。接著星空漸漸變得更清楚,好像是快要接近地面似的。這只天鵝的名字是透卻·布拉赫4.“是的,那是多少年以前的事情!”你可能說(shuō),“但是在我們的這個(gè)時(shí)代呢?”
1原文是Vaeringer,這是一種北歐人;他們?cè)?世紀(jì)時(shí)是波羅的海上有名的海盜。東羅馬帝國(guó)的近衛(wèi)隊(duì),就是由這些海盜組成的。
2指丹麥的克努得大帝(Knud,942-1036)。他征服了英國(guó)和挪威,做過(guò)這三個(gè)國(guó)家的皇帝。
3這是波羅的海的一個(gè)海灣。
4透卻·布拉赫(TychoBrahe,1546-1601)是丹麥的名天文學(xué)家。
在我們的這個(gè)時(shí)代里,我們?cè)匆?jiàn)過(guò)許多天鵝在美麗地飛翔:有一只1把他的翅膀輕輕地在金豎琴的弦上拂過(guò)去。這琴聲響遍了整個(gè)的北國(guó):挪威的山似乎在古代的太陽(yáng)光中增高了不少;松林和赤楊發(fā)出沙沙的回音;北國(guó)的神仙、英雄和貴婦人在深黑的林中偷偷地露出頭角。
我們看到一只天鵝在一個(gè)大理石山上拍著翅膀2,把這座山弄得崩裂了。被囚禁在這山中的美的形體,現(xiàn)在走到明朗的太陽(yáng)光中來(lái)。世界各國(guó)的人抬起他們的頭來(lái),觀看這些絕美的形體。
我們看到第三只天鵝3紡著思想的線。這線繞著地球從這個(gè)國(guó)家牽到那個(gè)國(guó)家,好使語(yǔ)言像閃電似的從這個(gè)國(guó)家傳到那個(gè)國(guó)家。
1指AdamGottlobOehlensehlaAgger,1779-1850,丹麥的名詩(shī)人。
2指BertelThorvaldsen,1768-1844,丹麥的名雕刻家。
3指奧爾斯德特(HansChristanOersted,1777-1851)丹麥的名電子學(xué)家。
我們的上帝喜歡這個(gè)位於波羅的海和北海之間的天鵝窠。讓那些強(qiáng)暴的鳥(niǎo)兒從空中飛來(lái)顛覆它吧。“永遠(yuǎn)不準(zhǔn)有這類事情發(fā)生!”甚至羽毛還沒(méi)有長(zhǎng)全的小天鵝都會(huì)在這窠的邊緣守衛(wèi)——我們已經(jīng)看到過(guò)這樣的事情。他們可以讓他們的柔嫩的胸脯被啄得流血,但他們會(huì)用他們的嘴和爪斗爭(zhēng)下去。
許多世紀(jì)將會(huì)過(guò)去,但是天鵝將會(huì)不斷地從這個(gè)窠里飛出來(lái)。世界上的人將會(huì)看見(jiàn)他們,聽(tīng)見(jiàn)他們。要等人們真正說(shuō)“這是最后的一只天鵝,這是天鵝窠里發(fā)出的一個(gè)最后的歌聲”,那時(shí)間還早得很呢!
(1852年)
這也是一首散文詩(shī),最初發(fā)表在1852年1月28日出版的《柏林斯剋日?qǐng)?bào)》(BeslingskeTigende)上。這是一篇充滿愛(ài)國(guó)主義激情的作品。但他所愛(ài)的是產(chǎn)生了文中所歌頌的那代表人類文明和科學(xué)高水平成就的四只“天鵝的窠”。“許多世紀(jì)將會(huì)過(guò)去,但是天鵝將會(huì)不斷地從這個(gè)窠飛出來(lái)。世界上的人將會(huì)看見(jiàn)他們,聽(tīng)見(jiàn)他們。”這個(gè)窠就是他的祖國(guó)丹麥。

