第6章 A Green Hill Far Away——John Galsworthy

内容导读

约翰·高尔斯华绥，英国20世纪现实主义小说家，剧作家，1932年获诺贝尔文学奖。《远处的青山》写作于第一次世界大战刚刚结束之时。作者登高远望，回忆起战争中的严酷景象，继而认识到和平的可贵。文中眼前的实景与回忆中的场景交替出现，景物描写与情感抒发结合，使读者得以以作者之眼观看世界，以作者之心体察灾难。

英文正文

Was it indeed only last March, or in another life, that I climbed this green hill on that day ofdolour, the Sunday after the last great German offensive began? A beautiful sun-warmed day it was, when the wild thyme on the southern slope smelled sweet, and the distant sea was a glitter of the gold. Lying on the grass, pressing my cheek to its warmth, I tried to getsolacefor that new dread which seemed so cruelly unnatural after four years of war-misery.

……

And the flight of birds, the gulls and rooks and little brown wavering things which flit out and along the edge of the chalk pits[1], is once more refreshment to me, utterlyuntempered. A merle is singing in a bramble thicket; the dew has not yet dried off the bramble leaves. A feather of a moon floats across the sky; the distance sends forth homely murmurs; the sun warms my cheeks. And all of this is pure joy. No hawk of dread and horror keeps swooping down and bearing off the little birds of happiness. No accusingconsciencestarts forth andbeckonsme away from pleasure. Everywhere is supreme and flawless beauty. Whether one looks at this tiny snail shell, marvelously chased and marked, a very elf's horn whose open mouse is colored rose; or gazes down at the flat land between here and the sea, wandering under the smile of the afternoon sunlight, seeming almost to be alive, edgeless, with its many watching trees, and silver gulls hovering above the mushroom-colored “ploughs,” and fields green in manifold hues; whether one muses on this little pink daisy horn so out of time, or watches that valley of brown-rose-grey woods, under the drifting shadows of low-hanging chalky clouds—all is perfect, as only Nature can be perfect on a lovely day, when the mind of him who looks on her is at rest.

……

And yet the “green hill,” where dwell beauty and kindliness, is still far away. Will it ever be nearer? Men have fought even on this green hill where I am lying. By the rampart markings on its chalk and grass, it has surely served for an encampment. The beauty of day and night, the lark's song, the sweet-scented growing things, the rapture of health, and of pure air, the majesty of the stars, and the gladness of sunlight, of song and dance and simple friendliness, have never been enough for men. We crave our turbulent fate. Can wars, then, ever cease?

中文译文

远处的青山

约翰·高尔斯华绥

难道仅仅是在这刚刚过去的三月里（但已恍如隔世），在一个充满痛苦的日子里——德国发动它最后一次总攻后的那个星期天，我还登上过这座青山？正是那个阳光和煦的美好天气，南坡上的野百里香发出阵阵清香，远处的海面金光闪闪。我俯身草地上，暖着面颊，希望为新的恐怖找到安慰，这次进攻发生在连续四年的战祸之后，显得那么残酷，那么不同寻常。

……

天空中各种鸟儿的飞翔，海鸥、白嘴鸭以及那些往来徘徊于白垩坑边的棕色小东西对我都是欣慰，它们是那样自由自在，不受拘束。一只乌鸫正鸣啭在黑莓丛中，那里夜间晨露还未干。天际浮着一轮轻如羽毛的月亮；远方传来熟悉的天籁之音；而阳光暖着我的脸颊。这一切都是多么愉快。这里见不到凶猛可怕的鹰飞扑而下，把那些快乐的小鸟攫去。这里不再有歉疚不安的良心把我从这逸乐之中唤走。到处都是无限美丽，完美无瑕。不管你是看着小小的蜗牛壳，雕镂刻画得如此精致，恍如童话里小精灵头上的触角，角端作蔷薇色；还是俯瞰从此处至海上的一片平地，它浮游于午后阳光的微笑之下，几乎活了起来，这里没有树篱，一片空旷，唯有一些防护林，以及银色的海鸥，翱翔在色如蘑菇的耕地或青葱翠绿的田野之间；不管你凝视的是这生不逢时的粉色雏菊，还是注目那棕红灰褐的满谷林木，白云低垂，云影浮动——一切都是那么美好，这种美景是仅在风和日丽的日子，而且那观赏大自然的人的心情也分外悠闲的时候，才能看得到的。

……

bbb然后那美与仁爱所在的“青山”离我们还很遥远。它会走近些吗？人们甚至在我正躺着的这座青山上也打过仗。根据白垩与草地上的堡垒的痕迹，这里肯定曾宿过士兵。白昼与夜晚的美好，云雀的欢歌，香花与芳草，健康的欢乐，空气的纯净，星辰的庄严，阳光的和煦，还有那轻歌与曼舞，淳朴的友情，这一切都是人们渴求不厌的。但是我们却偏偏渴求那浊流一般的命运。那么，战争能永远终止吗？

词汇速记

dolour n. 悲痛

solace n. 慰藉

untempered adj. 无节制的

conscience n. 良心

beckon v. 召唤，吸引

rampart n. 壁垒，防御土墙

rapture n. 狂喜

turbulent adj. 混乱的，狂暴的

美句欣赏

①And the flight of birds, the gulls and rooks and little brown wavering things which flit out and along the edge of the chalk-pits, is once more refreshment to me, utterly untempered. A merle is singing in a bramble thicket; the dew has not yet dried off the bramble leaves. A feather of a moon floats across the sky; the distance sends forth homely murmurs; the sun warms my cheeks. And all of this is pure joy. No hawk of dread and horror keeps swooping down and bearing off the little birds of happiness. No accusing conscience starts forth and beckons me away from pleasure. Everywhere is supreme and flawless beauty.天空中各种鸟儿的飞翔，海鸥、白嘴鸭以及那些往来徘徊于白垩坑边的棕色小东西对我都是欣慰，它们是那样自由自在，不受拘束。一只乌鸫正鸣啭在黑莓丛中，那里夜间晨露还未干。天际浮着一轮轻如羽毛的月亮；远方传来熟悉的天籁之音；而阳光暖着我的脸颊。这一切都是多么愉快。这里见不到凶猛可怕的鹰飞扑而下，把那些快乐的小鸟攫去。这里不再有歉疚不安的良心把我从这逸乐之中唤走。到处都是无限美丽，完美无瑕。

②And yet the “green hill,” where dwell beauty and kindliness, is still far away. Will it ever be nearer? Men have fought even on this green hill where I am lying. By the rampart markings on its chalk and grass, it has surely served for an encampment. The beauty of day and night, the lark's song, the sweet-scented growing things, the rapture of health, and of pure air, the majesty of the stars, and the gladness of sunlight, of song and dance and simple friendliness, have never been enough for men. We crave our turbulent fate. Can wars, then, ever cease?然后那美与仁爱所在的“青山”离我们还很遥远。它会走近些吗？人们甚至在我正躺着的这座青山上也打过仗。根据白垩与草地上的堡垒的痕迹，这里肯定曾宿过士兵。白昼与夜晚的美好，云雀的欢歌，香花与芳草，健康的欢乐，空气的纯净，星辰的庄严，阳光的和煦，还有那轻歌与曼舞，淳朴的友情，这一切都是人们渴求不厌的。但是我们却偏偏渴求那浊流一般的命运。那么，战争能永远终止吗？