在學童當中 ◎楊牧

 十首台灣詩X十位愛爾蘭詩人朗讀

　

在學童當中　◎#楊牧

　

O chestnut tree, great-rooted blossomer, 

Are you the leaf, the blossom, or the bole?

O body swayed to music, O brightening glance,

How can we know the dancer from the dance?

--Yeats

　

一

　

樹影向東移動

那是時間的行逕

我們挪向七里香下

衣上沾滿秋天

脫落的草子。蓮花在

水池裡，白火雞

棲息枯木上，我們

在學童當中

　

一種焦慮的顏色

曾渲染過我行走

許多揣測的

道路，而你在

月光的深巷裡

寧靜地聽著

間奏的橫笛

梧桐樹和庭院

一畦又一畦的菊

有些疲倦，我們

隔著疲倦凝視：

　

不是陌生

也不熟悉

　

二

　

然而我們，我們

在學童當中——

不是陌生，也不

熟悉——今早遊戲的

圓圈比蓮花的

水池寬闊，歌聲

比噴泉生動，雖然

我不能盡知，不能盡知

那飛升的如何變化為

墜落的水點，雖然

那四散的形象

可能意識著一種

破碎而我也相信過破碎

　

如同那白髮的愛爾蘭人

在學童當中，我也

分辨。他們在拍手

長大成人，那掌聲破碎

可能遺失在今早的

草地上，他們也可能回來

尋覓。啊尋覓

也可能只是失望的

慰藉。噴泉回落池中

那歸來的水點破碎

乃匯入植養蓮花的世界——

幾時才能輪到它，你說

再度升起？

　

三

　

我彷彿看到你，真的

在學童當中

你在學童和我當中：

一棵光榮的果樹

我不能擁抱的

華麗；一名舞者

我不能追隨的

旋律。你沒有名字

我發覺，我也沒有

他們也沒有名字

　

他們可以是樹苗

是雙手舉向一章序曲

你是滿天似雪的

花朵，雙腳投向

一片超越的激楚，我是

苦澀的果實，收斂

萎縮，屏息，消滅

一場等候詮釋的舞 

　

　

四 

　

樹影向東移動

那是時間的行逕

你戀愛著，戀愛著

間奏的橫笛，我們

在學童當中

　

--

　

“Among School Children”

By Yang Mu (1940-2020)

Translated by Colin Bramwell and Wen-chi Li

Read by Michael O’Loughlin

　

O chestnut tree, great-rooted blossomer, 

Are you the leaf, the blossom, or the bole?

O body swayed to music, O brightening glance,

How can we know the dancer from the dance?

--Yeats

　

1

　

Moving east, the shadow of a tree

becomes the trail of time

as we shift to the satinwood shade

autumn grass creeps across

our clothes. The lotus flowers

in the pond, a white turkey

perching on rotten wood

we are among school children

　

I used to deduce 

a walking pavement dyed 

with a fretful colour

now you are here

in the deep alleyway of moonlight

softly listening to the flute

reaching its interlude

there is a parasol tree, a garden

plot upon plot of chrysanthemums

dozing despite 

our gaze

　

not strange

but not familiar

　

2 

　

And we, we are 

among school children—

not strange but not 

familiar—the circles

in this game of morning

wider than the lotus pond 

the singing voice more vivid than the spurt

though I do not quite understand

cannot quite understand how surging drops

can turn to falling rain

though anything scattered implies a sort of brokenness

and I did believe in brokenness once

　

I draw my distinctions 

among school children

like that grey-haired Irishman. They grow

by clapping hands, their broken applause

could be lost in this meadow

of morning, where they may return

someday to search. And how 

their searching may be nothing but

a disappointing comfort. Water sinks in the pond

the returning drops break too

flowing round the lotus cosmos

when is its turn, you ask me—

when will they surge?

　

3

　

Perhaps I really saw you

among school children

you among school children with me

a fruit tree so glorious

I cannot hold it—a dancer

to the melody that I have lost

I noticed you have no names

I have no name

they are nameless too

　

They can be saplings

or hands holding up a prelude

you are snowy flowers

in the sky, your feet dart and transcend

and fuse into that upper register

I am bitter fruit, drooping to converge

I do not breathe, I disappear:

a dance waiting to explain

　

4

 　

Moving east, the shadow of a tree

becomes the trail of time

love, you are in love

the flute reaches its interlude

we are among school children

　

聽詩人Michael O’Loughlin朗讀：https://youtu.be/Qs-pdEANlAs

　

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