不知不觉,又到了一年清明时节。
今天,双语君(微信ID:Chinadaily_Mobile)给大家讲讲名人墓志铭(Epitaph)的故事。诗人、作家、哲学家、科学家……他们领域不同,但却都有着有趣的灵魂,都留下了充满故事的墓志铭,为人生画上了完整的句号。
莎士比亚William Shakespeare 1564-1616
Good friend, for Jesus's sake forbear
To dig the dust enclosed here
Blessed be the man that spares these stones
Cursed be he that moves my bones
1616年4月23日,莎士比亚52岁生日这天,与世长辞。生前,他为自己撰写了墓志铭。
1912年,弘一法师李叔同将其翻译成中文:
君亦顾谩,天之明命,毋伤吾骨。
有保我之墓者,吾必佑之。
有移我之骨者,吾必殛之。
后来,弘一法师又推出了白话版本:
好朋友,看在上帝的脸上,
请勿来掘这里的骸骨。
祝福保护这些墓石的人们,
诅咒搬移我骨的人!
济慈John Keats 1795-1821
Here lies one whose name was writ in water
此地长眠者,声名水上书
(周珏良译)
“In water writ” 和 “in marble” 相对,前者表示 “用水书写”,引申为很快被忘记,后者表示 “用大理石雕刻”,引申为长留人间。
所以济慈的墓志铭有人翻译为:斯人眠于此,其名如浮云。
另外,推荐大家去看济慈的传记电影《明亮的星》(Bright Star),讲述了这位天才诗人和邻居芬妮之间刻骨铭心的爱情故事,也记录了他短暂的一生。
友情提醒要备好纸巾。
本·琼生Ben Jonson 1572-1637
O rare
哦,难得一见的
英国剧作家本·琼生,真·短小精悍。
萧伯纳George Bernard Shaw 1856-1950
I knew if I stayed around long enough,
something like this would happen.
我知道只要活得够久,这种事情总会发生。
爱尔兰剧作家萧伯纳活了94岁,一直很有幽默感。
萧伯纳有很多语录,比方说:
Your future depends on your dreams. So go to sleep.
未来取决于梦。所以睡觉去吧。
罗伯特·弗罗斯特Robert Frost 1874-1963
I had a lover's quarrel with the world.
我与这世界,
如爱侣般吵了一架。
弗罗斯特以一首《未选择的路》(The Road Not Taken) 名扬四海,短短的几行诗句,承载了多少人的成长与叹息。
The Road Not Taken
未选择的路
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
黄色的树林里分出两条路,
And sorry I could not travel both
可惜我不能同时去涉足,
And be one traveler, long I stood
我在那路口久久伫立,
And looked down one as far as I could
我向着一条路极目望去,
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
直到它消失在丛林深处。
Then took the other, as just as fair,
但我却选了另外一条路,
And having perhaps the better claim,
它荒草萋萋,十分幽寂,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
显得更诱人、更美丽,
Though as for that the passing there
虽然在这两条小路上,
Had worn them really about the same,
都很少留下旅人的足迹,
And both that morning equally lay
虽然那天清晨落叶满地,
In leaves no step had trodden black.
两条路都未经脚印污染。
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
呵,留下一条路等改日再见!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
但我知道路径延绵无尽头,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
恐怕我难以再回返。
I shall be telling this with a sigh
也许多少年后在某个地方,
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
我将轻声叹息把往事回顾,
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
一片树林里分出两条路,
I took the one less traveled by,
而我选了人迹更少的一条,
And that has made all the difference.
从此决定了我一生的道路。
他的墓志铭,颇有几分调侃意味。
而他为妻子写得墓志铭,则颇为动人。
Together wing to wing
and oar to oar
在天比翼,
在地同舟。
不禁想起元代书法家赵孟頫妻子管道昇的那句:
我与你生同一个衾[qīn],
死同一个椁[guǒ]。
叶芝William Butler Yeats 1865-1939
Cast a cold eye
On life, on death.
Horseman, pass by!
对人生,对死亡
冷然一瞥
骑者,驰过
短短三行,诗人睥睨天下、笑对死亡的霸气,跃然纸上 。
当面对爱情时,他却充满柔情。一首《当你老了》(When You Are Old)寄托着多少深情与爱慕。
When You Are Old
《当你老了》
When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
当你老了,头发花白,睡意沉沉,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
倦坐在炉边,取下这本书来,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
慢慢读着,追梦当年的眼神
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep