The Signals（某暗示）

[劉哲廷]

The Signals
－ By Theodore Roethke ( 1908-1963 )


Often I meet on walking from a door,
A flash of objects never seen before.
As known particulars come wheeling by,
they dart across corner of the eyes.
They flicker faster than a blue tailed swift,
or when dark follows dark in lightning rift.
They slip between the fingers of my sight;
I cannot put my glance upon them tight.
Sometimes the blood is privileged to guess,
the things the eye or hand cannot possess.


某暗示


經常我邂詬。當我行經一扇門
從前事物瞬間的閃影完全陌生
已知的特殊事物總是疾掠而過
它如飛鏢般橫越眼角、明滅閃爍快逾的藍尾雨燕；
或若閃電間隙裡兩個黑暗的瞬間
在我感到困惑時，剎那間溜走的暗示
永遠也無法狠狠地將它凝結住
因為更好的事物是用未知的生命去揣測
對於那些事，並不是用眼或手
所能輕易掌握的。

[ZY]

The Signals
－ By Theodore Roethke ( 1908-1963 )


Often I meet on walking from a door,
A flash of objects never seen before.
As known particulars come wheeling by,
they dart across corner of the eyes.
They flicker faster than a blue tailed swift,
or when dark follows dark in lightning rift.
They slip between the fingers of my sight;
I cannot put my glance upon them tight.
Sometimes the blood is privileged to guess,
the things the eye or hand cannot possess.


某暗示


經常我邂詬。當我行經一扇門
從前事物瞬間的閃影完全陌生
已知的特殊事物總是疾掠而過
它如飛鏢般橫越眼角、明滅閃爍快逾的藍尾雨燕；
或若閃電間隙裡兩個黑暗的瞬間
在我感到困惑時，剎那間溜走的暗示
永遠也無法狠狠地將它凝結住
因為更好的事物是用未知的生命去揣測
對於那些事，並不是用眼或手
所能輕易掌握的。

多謝哲廷翻譯這首深刻動人的作品。生命中偶有的靈光一現，Roethke 用一串精細的隱喻捕捉得很高妙。哲廷的翻譯貼切地傳達了原詩。
問好了。

[劉哲廷]

一直覺得Roethke的詩歌像Keith Jarrett的雙手
彈奏溫柔的樂曲，亦可瘋狂
在指間流竄灼熱的生命；這感覺像是Roethke的另一首詩作"Open House"
前兩句對「執著」的詮釋
"My secrets cry aloud
I have no need for tongue."

對愛的執著
生命的執著……
我們氾濫在種種的暗示之中

哲廷如此思索