Poetry of Walt Whitman, translated into Chinese by H.C..
last updated: 09/16/2014
As I ponder’d in silence 🔗
As I ponder’d in silence,
Returning upon my poems, considering, lingering long,
A Phantom arose before me with distrustful aspect,
Terrible in beauty, age, and power,
The genius of poets of old lands,
As to me directing like flame its eyes,
With finger pointing to many immortal songs,
And menacing voice, What singest thou? it said,
Know’st thou not there is but one theme for ever-enduring bards?
And that is the theme of War, the fortune of battles,
The making of perfect soldiers.
Be it so, then I answer’d,
I too haughty Shade also sing war, and a longer and greater one than any,
Waged in my book with varying fortune, with flight, advance
and retreat, victory deferr’d and wavering,
(Yet methinks certain, or as good as certain, at the last,) the field the world,
For life and death, for the Body and for the eternal Soul,
Lo, I too am come, chanting the chant of battles,
I above all promote brave soldiers.
Translated jnto Chinese by H.C.
当我在寂静中沉思 🔗
当我在寂静中沉思，
回到我的诗中，思考，并盘桓良久，
一个魅影便出现在我的面前，带着叫人疑虑的面目，
看上去，它拥有极致的美丽、生命与力量，
古老的土地上，诗人们的天才，
如它眼里的火焰，把我指引，
手指，则指向那不朽的歌，
以恐怖之音，它说，你在唱些什么？
你们难道不知，游吟诗者的主题从来只有一个？
那就是战争。大大小小战役的命运，
则将诞生出完美的战士。
是的，这是我的回答，
我高傲的影子，也将歌唱战争，且更持久、更嘹亮，
到我的书中来，改变命运，同飞翔，共进退吧，胜利在望，
（但我想，我几乎确信，到最后）战场将是世界，
为了生与死，为了肉体和不朽的灵魂，
看呐，我也来了，来歌唱这战争的颂歌，
无论最初或最终，我只选择勇士。