The City of Is

High howled the wind, the Ocean hurled
狂風咆哮，海浪滔天
His mass of crested jet uncurled
潮水翻湧如墨玉，如新月
Against the sea-wall and the tower
衝擊海牆和高塔
Where Dahud and her paramour
萬物純白，萬物靜默
In shuttered silence , silky white
達戶與情人
Lay side by side the live- long night
相倚並臥漫漫長夜
Confusedly in Dahud's arm
依傍在達戶懷中
He felt presentiment of harm
他興起不祥預感
Raising his ears from her white skin
雙耳從她白皙肌膚上豎起
And heart's noise , to the people's din
暫別達戶之心音，傾聽人群之喧鬧
And beyond them , the growling roar
傾聽人群外狂嘯怒吼
Of angry Ocean at the door.
海神已在門前咆哮。
'Go to the window,' then said she,
“到窗邊去，”達戶低語，
'Tell me the movement of the sea.
“告訴我海潮動態為何，
His colour and his strategy.'
海水的色調與趨勢為何。”
'Lady, his waves are green as glass,
“女士，浪濤碧綠如琉璃，
The sky is jet , the small skiffs pass.
天空漆黑如墨玉，小帆漂泊
From gulf to gulf like flying things
動盪如群鳥，輾轉於海灣之間
Soaked through, sucked down, with sodden wings.'
海水浸透，落難下沉，雙翅難展。”
'Then come to me and my embrace --
“回到我身邊，投入我的擁抱— —
I will press kisses on thy face
我會在你臉上印下點點親吻
Whose heat and sharpness shall occlude
你的熱度與棱角應吸收
The murmuring of the multitude,
人群喧鬧之低語，
The rumble of the waters rude.
應吸收
The murmuring of the multitude.'
海水無禮之隆噪。”
' Go to the window, tell to me
“到窗邊去，告訴我
The height and movement of the sea
海潮高度及動態為何
His colour and his strategy.'
海水的色調與趨勢為何。”
'Lady, his wave are black and boil,
“女士，浪潮漆黑奔湧，
Like stinking pitch, like raging oil,
如暗穴熏臭，如油水翻攪，
He mounts and mounts, his million jaws
潮水向上升騰，張牙舞爪
Snatch at the tower with open maws.'
泡沫爪牙扭曲，抓攫高塔。”
'No one, no myriad, open, high,
“忽一，忽眾，大開，昂揚，
Lady I cannot see the sky.
女士，我已看不見蒼天。
The stars are out, the waters race,
群星翻覆，海水奔騰，
The very tower sways and strains.'
尖塔搖動，扭曲輾軋。”
He laughs with rage , flings his fist down,
他忿然狂笑，揮下重拳，
'Now rise up, lady, or we drown.'
“起身吧，女士，否則我們都將溺斃。”
Christabel LaMotte, The City of Is
作者：克里斯塔貝爾·蘭蒙特，《黎之城》
Possession, A S Byatt
出處：《佔有》，A·S·拜雅特