14

THE PASSING OF ARTHUR

亚瑟之路

blackstoled, wearing priestly robes.　　　mere, water; lake.
brand, sword blade.　　　　　　　　　miracle, wonderful piece of work.
brandished, waved.　　　　　　　　　mystic, secret; not able to be understood.
chasms, clefts; 　　　　　　　　　　　openings.remorsefully, sorrowfully.
clutched, seized tightly.　　　　　　　samite, silk.
dense, crowded.　　　　　　　　　　splendour, brightness.
dusky, dark.　　　　　　　　　　　　wistfully, longingly.
lamentation, wailing.

[The “passing” of Arthur means his removal to heaven. According to the　legends, he did not die as other men die. When his end came, he was received into a barge by three queens, and was by them transported to the abode of the blessed. Hence the popular belief that he would return to lead the Britons to victory over the English. Sir Bedivere twice deceived Arthur by hiding the sword, instead of casting it into the lake. The third time, he obeyed]

1. Then quickly rose Sir Bedivere, and ran,

And, leaping down the ridges lightly, plunged

Among the bulrush beds, and clutched the sword,

And strongly wheeled and threw it. The great brand

Made lightnings in the splendour of the moon

And flashing round and round, and whirled in an arch

Shot like a streamer of the northern morn,

Seen where the moving isles of winter shock

By night, with noises of the northern sea.

So flashed and fell the brand Excalibur

But ere he dipped the surface, rose an arm

Clothed in white samite, mystic, wonderful,

And caught him by the hilt, and brandished him

Three times, and drew him under in the mere

And lightly went the other to the king.

2. Then spoke King Arthur, drawing thicker breath:

“Now see I by thine eyes that this is done.

Speak out: what is it thou hast heard or seen?”

And answer made the bold Sir Bedivere:

“Sir King, I closed mine eyelids, lest the gems

Should blind my purpose; for I never saw,

Nor shall see, here or elsewhere, till I die,

Not though I live three lives of mortal men,

So great a miracle as yonder hilt.

Then with both hands I flung him, wheeling him

But when I looked again, behold an arm,

Clothed in white samite, mystic, wonderful,

That caught him by the hilt, and brandished him

Three times, and drew him under in the mere.”

3. And answer made King Arthur, breathing hard:

“My end draws nigh; 'tis time that I were gone.

Make broad thy shoulders to receive my weight,

And bear me to the margin; yet I fear

My wound hath taken cold, and I shall die.”

4. So saying, from the pavement he half rose,

Slowly, with pain, reclining on his arm,

And looking wistfully with wide blue eyes

As in a picture. Him Sir Bedivere

Remorsefully regarded through his tears,

And would have spoken, but he found not words;

Then took with care, and kneeling on one knee,

O'er both his shoulders drew the languid hands,

And rising bore him through the place of tombs.

5. But, as he walked, King Arthur panted hard,

Like one that feels a nightmare on his bed

When all the house is mute. So sighed the King,

Muttering and murmuring at his ear, “Quick, quick!

I fear it is too late, and I shall die.”

But the other swiftly strode from ridge to ridge,

Clothed with his breath, and looking, as he walked,

Larger than human on the frozen hills.

He heard the deep behind him, and a cry

Before. His own thought drove him like a goad.

Dry clashed his harness in the icy caves

And barren chasms, and all to left and right

The bare black cliff clanged round him, as he base

His feet on juts of slippery crag that rang

Sharp-smitten with the dint of armed heels;

And on a sudden, lo! the level lake,

And the long glories of the winter moon.

6. Then saw they how there hove a dusky barge,

Dark as a funeral scarf from stem to stern,

Beneath them; and descending they were ware

That all the decks were dense with stately forms,

Black-stoled, black-hooded, like a dream—by these

Three Queens with crowns of gold—and from them rose.

7. A cry that shivered to the tingling stars,

And, as it were one voice, an agony

Of lamentation, like a wind that shrills

All night in a waste land, where no one comes,

Or hath come, since the making of the world.

8. Then murmured Arthur, “Place me in the barge.”

So to the barge they came. There those three queens

Put forth their hands, and took the King, and wept.

—ALFRED TENNYSON.

中文阅读

【这里的“路”指亚瑟通往天国的道路。根据种种传说，他的死，离奇而非凡。当其大限将至，三位皇后用一艘小船把他接走了，并把他送到了神的天国。因此大众才会相信亚瑟王最终会回来领导不列颠人彻底打败入侵的英格兰人。贝德维尔阁下两次都没有听从亚瑟的命令，没有把神剑扔进湖里，但第三次他执行了命令。】

1. 贝德维尔阁下一路狂奔，

风驰电掣，翻山越岭，

手握神剑，驻足于茫茫的芦苇荡，

振臂一掷，神剑翻滚飞出。

那锋利的剑刃，映着当空皓月，直闪寒光，

如此闪烁而行，划出一道美妙的弧形，映在波光粼粼的湖面上，

亦如一条彩带，抛向北方的黎明天际，

在这个起伏跌宕的岛国冬夜，哪里都能看见它的光芒，

还有那汹涌澎湃的北海，似乎也在发出应和的声响。

神剑就这样光辉陨落，

但在其浸入水中之前，一只白衣手臂伸出水面，

如此华丽，如此妙曼，如此神秘，超乎想象，

此手一把抓住剑柄，挥舞再三，然后没入这神妙的池塘，

见此胜景，贝德维尔原路而回，又见我王。

2. 亚瑟王发话，呼吸深沉，玉音宏亮：

“我从你的眼中，窥见大功已告成。

告诉我吧，你的所见所闻，到底怎样？”

英勇的贝德维尔阁下如此应答：

“启禀我王，我当时紧闭双眼，担心神剑的宝石让我心志动摇；

神哉此剑！我即使三世为人，怕也难以再见如此神迹。

我当时奋力一展手臂，神剑翻滚飞出，

而当我回眸一视，一只手臂现于水中央，

这神一般的手臂外面掩着白袍，美妙绝伦，

他一把抓住神剑，挥舞再三，

然后拿着此剑没入水中，湖面又平静如常。”

3. 亚瑟王深吸一口气，庄严回答：

“大限将至，我行将离去，

张开双臂扶我到墙边，以免我伤口受风寒，

这样我马上就将死亡。”

4. 话音刚落，他从过道边起身，

忍着疼痛，慢慢用手臂支撑起身体，

他那深邃的蓝色双眼，凝眸如画，深情张望，

贝德维尔阁下强忍悲痛的泪水，欲言又止；

然后他屈膝跪下，把我王倦怠的双手搭在他的肩上，

慢慢背起亚瑟王，一步步走过故垒萧萧的坟场。

5. 一路上，亚瑟王喘息急促，

好像一个人在空荡的屋里遭遇到噩梦一样。

不时还喃喃自语：“快点，快点！

我怕来不及了，我似乎立刻将亡。”

下面的人却以神速翻山越岭，

他屏住呼吸，沿途四下张望，

宛如一位巨人，穿越在冰封的群山之上。

他听见背后深沉的幽咽，之前还有哀婉的哭泣，

但他的意志却鞭策着他不断奔向前方。

酷寒的洞穴中，甲胄干涩而冰冷，

左右全是枯寂的山谷，步履的回声在崖壁间回荡，

最后他立足于湿滑的环形峭壁之上，

那双军靴一路上帮了大忙。

突然，一个平静的湖面映入眼帘，

冬夜皎洁的月光，在倒影中越发清寒明亮。

6. 然后一叶扁舟驶来，如丧服般黯淡，

小船肃穆庄严，造访他们的人就在船上，

船上的三人一身黑衣，头顶皇后金冠，

宛如梦境般奇幻异常。

7. 她们突然有人大哭一声，悲声震天，

那是一个人的哭泣，撕心裂肺，痛断肝肠，

像整夜呼啸在这片荒原上的寒风，

呜咽讲述着这片土地的万古悲凉。

8. 亚瑟自语：“把我移入舟中。”

众人依谕行事，三位黑衣皇后随后摇橹行舟，

带走了亚瑟，带走了我们永远的国王。

（阿尔弗雷德·丁尼生）