To the Valediction: Forbidding Mourning

John Donne (1572-1631)

深圳大学 赖小琪

As virtuous men pass mildly away,

正如德高望重之人安然长逝

And whisper to their souls, to go.

对灵魂轻声说再见

Whilst some of their sad friends do say,

悲痛的朋友们依然在呼唤

“The breath goes now,” and some say, “ no:”

有人说断气了，有人说没有

So let us melt, and make no noise,

让我们悄然无声地融化

No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempest move;

没有一滴泪浪，也没有一声长叹

Twere profanation of our joys

To tell the laity our love.

对俗人诉说我们的爱情，

是对我们欢迎的亵渎。

Moving of th’ earth brings harms and fears;

地动会给我们带来伤害与恐惧。

Men reckon what it did, and meant;

人们总是在猜想它要干什么，准备怎样。

But trepidation of the spheres,

但是其他天体的震动

Though greater far, is innocent.

尽管厉害得多，也不会有带来任何伤害

Dull sublunary lovers’ love

俗世男女的爱情

(Whose soul is sense) cannot admit

最忌讳的

Absence, because it doth remove

是离别，因为它对取消了

Those things which elemented it

构成爱情的元素

But we by a love so much refin’d

我们却被爱情提炼得无比纯净

That ourselves know not what it is

我们不懂表达爱的概念

Inter-assured of the mind

但是我们的心灵却得到了彼此的保证

Care less, eyes, lips, and hands to miss

再也不担心 吻不到你的眼睛，你的唇还有你的手

Our two souls therefore, which are one,

彼此的灵魂从此融为一体

Though I must go, endure not yet

虽然我要走，但未造成

A breach, but an expansion,

我们感情的破裂，而只是让它向外延展

Like gold to airy thinness beat

延展成一张薄薄的金箔

If they be two, they are two so,

如果两人无法融合，就让我们变成这样

As a stiff twin compasses are two

让我们如圆规的两脚

Thy soul, the fix’d foot, makes no show

你的灵魂是定脚，永远不会

To move, but doth, if the other do

移动，除非另一个脚也开始移动。

And though it in the centre sit,

虽然它一直坚守中心

Yet when the other far doth roam,

可是当另一方流浪天涯时

It leans, and hearkens after it,

它就开始侧身追寻着它

And grows erect, as that comes home.

当另一方归家时，它就马上挺立

Such wilt thou be to me, who must

你对我就是这样子，我的一生

Like th’ other foot, obliquely run

就像圆规的另一只脚，不停地转跑

Thy firmness makes my circle just,

你的坚定才可以让我画的圆完美

And makes me end, where I begun.

我才可以回到我开始的地方。