《When You Are
Old》(当你老了)是叶芝于1893年创作的一首献给女友毛特·冈妮的爱情诗篇。诗歌语言简明,情感丰富真挚,采用了多种艺术表现手法,如:假设想象、对比反衬、意象强调、象征升华等,表现了诗人对女友忠贞不渝的爱恋之情,安详甜蜜而又苦涩心酸。 在这个寒冷的冬天,坐在屋子里,看过雪花在窗外无声地飘落,再来读一读叶芝的诗歌,在闲适中感受着淡淡的忧伤,不由得怀念起逝去的岁月那些难舍的情结。
这首诗歌有多种中文版本,现将原文和部分译本转载于后,供朋友们赏析。 【原文】 When You Are Old When you are old and grey and full of sleep, And nodding by the fire, take down this book, And slowly read, and dream of the soft look Your eyes had once, and of their shadows
deep; How many loved your moments of glad
grace, And loved your beauty with love false or
true, But one man loved the pilgrim Soul in you, And loved the sorrows of your changing
face; And bending down beside the glowing
bars, Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled And paced upon the mountains overhead And hid his face amid a crowd of
stars. 【中译本之一】傅浩译 《当你年老时》 当你年老,鬓斑,睡意昏沉, 在炉旁打盹时,取下这本书,
慢慢诵读,梦忆从前你双眸
神色柔和,眼波中倒影深深; 多少人爱你风韵妩媚的时光, 爱你的美丽出自假意或真情,
但唯有一人爱你灵魂的至诚,
爱你渐衰的脸上愁苦的风霜; 弯下身子,在炽红的壁炉边, 忧伤地低诉,爱神如何逃走,
在头顶上的群山巅漫步闲游,
把他的面孔隐没在繁星中间。 【中译本之二】冰心译 《当你老了》 当你老了,头发花白,睡意沉沉, 倦坐在炉边,取下这本书来,
慢慢读着,追梦当年的眼神
那柔美的神采与深幽的晕影。