Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weakry.
Over many a quint and curious volume of forgotten lore.
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door--
Only this, and nothing more."
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; -vainly I had tried to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow(1)-sorrow for the lost Lenore-
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore-
Nameless here for evermore
And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me-filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
" ' Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door-
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;-
This it is and nothing more.
Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
"Sir," said I, "or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you"--here I opened wide the door;
Darkness there, and nothing more.
Deep into that: darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, "Lenore!"
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, " Lenore! "
Merely this, and nothing more.
Then into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon I heard again a tapping somewhat louder than before.
"Surely," said I, "surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore-
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;
'Tis the wind, and nothing more!
Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter.
In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore;
Not the least obeisance made he; not an instant stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door-
Perched upon a bust of Pallas(2) just above my chamber door-
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
"Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou," I said, "art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the Nightly shore-
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night ' s Plutonian shore! (3) "
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore. "
Much I marveled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning-little relevancy hore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no sublunary being (4)
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door-
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above I us chamber door,
With such mime as "Nevermore.
But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only
That one word, as if his soul in that ill~ word he did outpour.
Nothing farther then he uttered-not a feather then he fluttered-
Till I scarcely more than muttered, "Other friends have flown before-
On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before. "
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore. "
Wondering at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
"Doubtless," said I, "what it utters is its only stock and store(5),"
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster
Followed fast and followed fastel-so, when Hope he would adjure,
Stern Despair returned, instead of the sweet Hope he dared adjure-
That sad answer, "Nevermore!"
But the raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust, and door;
Then upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore-
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking "Nevermore. "
This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamplight gloated o'er,
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamplight gloating o'er,
She shall press, ah, nevermore!
Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by angels whose faint foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.
"Wretch," I cried, "thy God hath lent thee-by these angels he hath sent thee
Respite-respite and Nepenthe(6) from thy memories of Lenore!
Let me quaff this kind Nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!"
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore. "
"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil! -prophet still, if bird or devil! -
Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate, yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted-
On this home by Horror haunted-tell me truly, I implore-
Is there-is there balm in Gilead?(7)-tell me-tell me, I implore!"
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore. "
"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil! -prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us-by that God we both adore-
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn (8),
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore-
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore.
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore. "
"Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!" I shrieked, upstarting-
"Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! -quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door! "
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore. "
And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o' er him streaming throve his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out chat shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted-nevermore!
烏鴉（愛倫·坡 著）
◇ 曹明倫 譯（安徽文藝出版社1999年版本）
從前壹個陰郁的子夜，我獨自沈思，慵懶疲竭，
面對許多古怪而離奇、並早已被人遺忘的書卷；
當我開始打盹，幾乎入睡，突然傳來壹陣輕擂，
仿佛有人在輕輕叩擊——輕輕叩擊我房間的門環。
“有客來也”，我輕聲嘟喃，“正在叩擊我的門環，
惟此而已，別無他般。”
哦，我清楚地記得那是在風淒雨冷的十二月，
每壹團奄奄壹息的余燼都形成陰影伏在地板。
我當時真盼望翌日——因為我已經枉費心機
想用書來消除傷悲，消除因失去麗諾爾的傷感，
因那位被天使叫作麗諾爾的少女，她美麗嬌艷，
在此已抹去芳名，直至永遠。
那柔軟、暗淡、颯颯飄動的每壹塊紫色窗布
使我心中充滿前所未有的恐懼，我毛骨悚然；
為平息我心兒的悸跳．我站起身反復念叨
“這是有客人想進屋，正在叩我房間的門環，
更深夜半有客人想進屋，正在叩我房間的門環，
惟此而已，別無他般。”
於是我的心變得堅強；不再猶疑，不再仿徨，
“先生”，我說，“或夫人，我求妳多多包涵；
剛才我正睡意昏昏，而妳敲門又敲得那麽輕，
妳敲門又敲得那麽輕，輕輕叩我房間的門環，
我差點以為沒聽見妳”，說著我打開門扇——
但惟有黑夜，別無他般。
凝視著夜色幽幽，我站在門邊驚懼良久，
疑惑中似乎夢見從前沒人敢夢見的夢幻；
可那未被打破的寂靜，沒顯示任何象征，
“麗諾爾？”便是我囁嚅念叨的惟壹字眼，
我念叨“麗諾爾”，回聲把這名字輕輕送還；
惟此而已，別無他般。
我轉身回到房中，我的整個心燒灼般疼痛，
很快我又聽到叩擊聲，比剛才聽起來明顯。
“肯定”，我說，“肯定有什麽在我的窗欞；
讓我瞧瞧是什麽在那兒，去把那秘密發現，
讓我的心先鎮靜壹會兒，去把那秘密發現；
那不過是風，別無他般！”
然後我推開了窗戶，隨著翅膀的壹陣猛撲，
壹只神聖往昔的烏鴉莊重地走進我房間；
它既沒向我致意問候，也沒有片刻的停留，
而是以紳士淑女的風度棲到我房門的上面，
棲在我房門上方壹尊帕拉斯半身雕像上面；
棲息在那兒，僅如此這般。
於是這只黑鳥把我悲傷的幻覺哄騙成微笑，
以它那老成持重壹本正經溫文爾雅的容顏，
“冠毛雖被剪除”，我說，“但妳顯然不是懦夫，
妳這幽靈般可怕的古鴉，漂泊來自夜的彼岸，
請告訴我妳尊姓大名，在黑沈沈的冥府陰間！”
烏鴉答曰“永不復焉”。
聽見如此直率的回答，我對這醜鳥感到驚訝，
盡管它的回答不著邊際——與提問幾乎無關；
因為我們不得不承認，從來沒有活著的世人
曾如此有幸地看見壹只鳥棲在他房門的上面，
看見鳥或獸棲在他房門上方的半身雕像上面，
而且名叫“永不復焉”。
但那只棲於肅穆的半身雕像上的烏鴉只說了
這壹句話，仿佛它傾瀉靈魂就用那壹個字眼。
然後它便壹聲不吭——也不把它的羽毛拍動，
直到我幾乎在喃喃自語“其他朋友早已離散，
明晨它也將離我而去，如同我的希望已消散。”
這時烏鴉說“永不復焉”。
驚異於屋裏的寂靜被如此恰當的回話打破，
“肯定”，我說，“此話是它惟壹會說的人言，
從它不幸的主人口中學來。壹連串橫禍飛災
曾接踵而至，直到它主人的歌中有了這字眼，
直到他希望的挽歌中有了這個憂郁的字眼——
永不復焉，永不復焉。”
但那只烏鴉仍然在騙我悲傷的靈魂露出微笑，
我即刻拖了張軟椅到門邊雕像下那烏鴉跟前；
然後坐在天鵝絨椅墊上，我開始產生聯想，
浮想連著浮想，猜度這不祥的古鳥何出此言，
這只猙獰醜陋可怕不吉不祥的古鳥何出此言，
為何對我說“永不復焉”。
我坐著猜想那意思，但沒對烏鴉說片語只言，
此時，它炯炯發光的眼睛已燃燒進我的心坎；
我依然坐在那兒猜度，把我的頭靠得很舒服，
舒舒服服地靠著在燈光凝視下的天鵝絨椅墊，
但在這燈光凝視著的紫色的天鵝絨椅墊上面，
她還會靠麽？啊，永不復焉！
接著我覺得空氣變得稠密，被無形香爐熏香，
提香爐的撒拉弗的腳步聲響在有簇飾的地板。
“可憐的人”，我嘆道，“是上帝派天使為妳送藥，
這忘憂藥能終止妳對失去的麗諾爾的思念；
喝吧，喝吧，忘掉妳對失去的麗諾爾的思念！”
這時烏鴉說“永不復焉”。
“先知！”我說“不管是先知是魔鬼，是鳥是魔，
是不是撒旦派妳，或是暴風雨拋妳，來到此岸，
來到這片妖惑鬼祟但卻不懼怕魔鬼的荒原——
來到這恐怖的小屋——告訴我真話，求妳可憐！
基列有香膏嗎？① 告訴我，告訴我，求妳可憐！”
烏鴉說“永不復焉”。
“先知！”我說“不管是先知是魔鬼，是鳥是魔，
憑著我們都崇拜的上帝——憑著我們頭頂的蒼天，
請告訴這充滿悲傷的靈魂。它能否在遙遠的仙境
擁抱壹位被天使叫作麗諾爾的少女，她纖塵不染，
擁抱壹位被天使叫作麗諾爾的少女，她美麗嬌艷。”
烏鴉說“永不復焉”。
“讓這話做我們的告別辭，鳥或魔！”我起身吼道，
“回妳的暴風雨中去吧，回妳黑沈沈的夜之彼岸！
別留下妳黑色的羽毛作為妳靈魂謊過言的象征！
留給我完整的孤獨！快從我門上的雕像上滾蛋！
讓妳的嘴離開我的心；讓妳的身子離開我房間！”
烏鴉答曰“永不復焉”。
那只鳥鴉並沒飛走，它仍然棲息，仍然棲息，
棲息在房門上方蒼白的帕拉斯半身雕像上面；
它的眼光與正在做夢的魔鬼的眼光壹模壹樣，
照在它身上的燈光把它的陰影投射在地板；
而我的靈魂，會從那團在地板上漂浮的陰影中
解脫麽——永不復焉！ 《烏鴉》,愛倫坡詩歌的經典代表,是愛倫坡的晚期作品。至今仍未發現其原著手稿。它先後多次被刊登在《紐約每日論壇》(New York Daily Tribune),《百老匯日報》(Broadway Journal)等美國各大主流報刊上。在當時與歐洲文學緊密聯系的關系下,《烏鴉》的影響力很快便跨越了大西洋的阻礙,來到法國,德國,荷蘭。《烏鴉》進入歐洲,愛倫坡壹夜成名。
《烏鴉》,作為壹首以抑揚格八音部構建下完成的敘事體詩歌,讀起來朗朗上口,具有極強的音感。全詩在愛倫坡極具個性的語言風格營造中,描繪出壹個非現實環境下的超自然氛圍。它講述的是壹個關於男主人翁痛失所愛的故事。壹個會說人類語言的烏鴉,來到壹個剛剛失去心上致愛的男子身邊。男子正竭盡全力使自己走出這情感的陰霾,但烏鴉的到來卻更加加重了男子的無限傷感。任憑男子壹再地反復詢問,烏鴉的回復冷酷而讓人絕望:永不復焉。