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美國文學首頁 / The 20th Century -- First Half 二十世紀 -- 前半 / 作家 / Thomas Stearn Eliot 湯馬斯‧史登‧艾略特 / 作品

A Game of Chess

作者Author / Thomas Stearn Eliot 湯馬斯‧史登‧艾略特

II. A Game of Chess

The Chair she sat in, like a burnished throne,
Glowed on the marble, where the glass	(77-78)
Held up by standards wrought with fruited vines
From which a golden Cupidon peeped out	80
(Another hid his eyes behind his wing)
Doubled the flames of sevenbranched candelabra
Reflecting light upon the table as
The glitter of her jewels rose to meet it,
From satin cases poured in rich profusion;	85
In vials of ivory and coloured glass
Unstoppered, lurked her strange synthetic perfumes,
Unguent, powdered, or liquid-troubled, confused
And drowned the sense in odours; stirred by the air
That freshened from the window, these ascended	90
In fattening the prolonged candle-flames,
Flung their smoke into the laquearia,
Stirring the pattern on the coffered ceiling.
Huge sea-wood fed with copper
Burned green and orange, framed by the coloured stone,	95
In which sad light a carved dolphin swam.
Above the antique mantel was displayed
As though a window gave upon the sylvan scene
The change of Philomel, by the barbarous king
So rudely forced; yet there the nightingale	100
Filled all the desert with inviolable voice
And still she cried, and still the world pursues,
'Jug Jug' to dirty ears.	(99-103)
And other withered sumps of time
Were told upon the walls; staring forms	105
Leaned out, leaning, hushing the room enclosed.
Footsteps shuffled on the stair.
Under the firelight, under the brush, her hair
Spread out in fiery points
Glowed into words, then would be savagely still.	110

'My nerves are bad to night. Yes, bad. Stay with me.	Note: 111-138
'Speak to me. Why do you never speak. Speak.
'What are you thinking of? What thinking? What?
'I never know what you are thinking. Think.'

I think we are in rats' alley	115
Where the dead men lost their bones.

'What is that noise?'
The wind under the door.
'What is that noise now? What is the wind doing?'
Nothing again nothing.	120
'Do
'You know nothing? Do you see nothing? Do you remember
'Nothing?''

I remember	(119-124)
'Those are pearls that were his eyes.	125
'Are you alive, or not? Is there nothing in your head?'
But
O O O O that Shakespeherian Rag－
It's so elegant
So intelligent	130
'What shall I do now? What shall I do?'
'I shall rush out as I am, and walk the street
'With my hair down, so. What shall we do to-morrow?
'What shall we ever do?'	(131-134)
The hot water at ten.	135
And if it rains, a closed car at four.
And we shall play a game of chess,
Pressing lidless eyes and waiting for a knock upon the door.

When Lil's husband got demobbed, I said－	Note: 139-172
I didn't mince my words, I said to her myself,	140
HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME
Now Albert's coming back, make yourself a bit smart.
He'll want to know what you done with that money he gave you
To get yourself some teeth. He did, I was there.
You have them all out, Lil, and get a nice set,	145
He said, I swear, I can't bear to look at you.
And no more can't I, I said, and think of poor Albert,
He's been in the army four years, he wants a good time,
And if you don't five it him, there's others will, I said.
Oh is there, she said. Something o' that, I said.	150
Then I'll know who to thank, she said, and give me a straight look.
HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME
If you don't like it you can get on with it, I said.
Others can pick and choose if you can't.
But if Albert makes off, it won't be for lack of telling	155
You ought to be ashamed, I said, to look so antique.
(And her only thirty-one.)
I can't help it, she said, pulling a ling face,
It's them pills I took, to bring it off, she said.
(She's had five already, and nearly died of young George.)	160
The chemist said it would be all right, but I've never been the same.
You are a proper fool, I said.
Well, if Albert won't leave you alone, there it is, I said,
What you get married for if you don't want children?
HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME	165
Well, that Sunday Albert was home, they had a hot gammon,
And they asked me in to dinner, to get the beauty of it hot－
HURRY PYP PLEASE ITS TIME
HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME.
Goonight Bill. Goonight Lou. Goonight May. Goonight.	170
Ta ta. Goonight. Goodnight.
Good night, ladies, good night, sweet ladies, good night, good night

Line	Annotation
副題	A Game of Chess：棋戲。這個副題使人聯想到英國劇作家Thomas Middleton（1570-1627）的兩齣戲劇：A Game at Chess與Women Beware Women，尤其後者。Women Beware Women一劇中，公爵欲引誘有夫之婦Bianca。他遺人和Bianca的婆婆在室中奕棋。當老婦的棋子被「將軍」的同時，Bianca在另一室中亦屈服於公爵的進犯。從內容來看，這一部份包括兩首詩：75-138行為第一首，139-172行為第二首。分別描述英國上、下層社會中的兩對男女；他們彼此間的關係極不和諧，但覺尷尬無聊。[back]
77-78	The Chair she… on the marble：莎劇Antony and Cleopatra中，II,ii,195, Enobarbus描述埃及女王所乘的御舟說，"The barge she sat in , like a burnish'd throne/ Burn'd on the water…."御舟裝飾得金碧輝煌，伴著舟中美妙的音樂在辛得納斯河上緩緩行駛。女王裝扮得渾身金光閃閃，宛如愛神（Venus），而侍立兩旁的美少年則扮成Cupid的樣子。莎氏原文是敘述 Cleopatra與Antony初次見面時的盛大場面以及女王的雍容華貴。Eliot卻把原解加以修改，以反諷對比的手法，描述一個空虛無聊的女子，呆坐在華貴的梳妝臺前，漠然化裝。她與熱情奔放，渾身魅力的埃及女王，截然不同。[back]
77	burnished throne：擦得閃亮的王座。[back]
79	standards：支架。[back]
80	a golden Cupidon：一個金色的小愛神。[back]
82	Doubled：為一動詞、其主詞是78行尾的glass（鏡子）。鏡子的反射使燭光加倍。 sevenbranched candelabra：有七個分枝的燭臺（或架）狀如。[back]
86	vials of ivory：象牙瓶。[back]
87	Unstoppered：（瓶口）未加蓋的。 synthetic perfumes：人造（假）香料（化裝品及麻醉品）。[back]
88	Unguent, powdered, or liquid：膏狀的、粉狀的或液狀的。[back]
92	laquearia：鑲板型的天花板（＝paneled ceiling）。此字典出羅馬詩人Vergil之史詩Aeneid, I, 726. Eliot原註引用了該行拉丁原文。迦太基女王Dido在其宮中以盛宴款待Aeneas，「漂亮的火炬自金色鑲板的天花板上垂下，用火焰征服了黑夜。」Dido愛Aeneas甚至不顧一切，疏於政事，名譽掃地。最後Aeneas離去，Dido 自戕，傷發而死。77-78二行提及的Cleopatra ，雖獲得Antony的愛，但也因愛Antony過深，終以身殉。迦太基為unholy loves之地與307行相呼應。[back]
93	coffered ceiling：鑲板的天花板；方格型天花板。[back]
94	sea-wood：經海水浸過的木頭。木頭經海水浸泡，乾後極為乾燥易燃。copper：銅粉（撤在火上呈各色火焰，甚為美觀）。[back]
96	which: that. [back]
97	was displayed：其主詞為99行之"the change of Philomel". [back]
98	gave upon：朝向，向……敞開。Looked out over. sylvan scene：田園景色。Eliot原註中指出此語取自Milton的「失樂園」（Paradise Lost, IV, 140），係撒旦初見伊甸園的印象，在「失樂園」中，此種景色象徵無邪之愛。[back]
99-103	The change of Philomel…to dirty ears：Eliot在原註中指明此語典出羅馬詩人Ovid (43B.C.－A.D.18) 的 Matamorphoses，VI。在該書中，Ovid複述希臘神話中Philomela的故事。故事是這樣的：色雷斯（Thrace）的國王Tereus娶Procne為妻。後Procne想邀其妹Philomel（即Ovid書中之Philomela）來訪，由 Tereus親自到雅典迎接。途中，Tereus強暴了 Philomel，並割去她的舌頭，欲使Philomel無法洩密。 Philomel設法將被強暴的經過織在織錦上。Thereus不知其中的含意，拿給Procne看。Procne氣憤之餘，殺其子，帶著Philomel一道逃走。Tereus在後窮追不捨。眾神乃將Philomel變為夜鶯，Procne變為燕子， Tereus則變為老鷹。[back]
99	the barbarous king：指Tereus。[back]
100	So rudely forced：指被強姦。[back]
101	inviolable：未受侵犯的；不可侵犯的。[back]
103	Jug：伊券莎白時代詩歌中，慣用表示夜鶯鳴聲之字。也是暗示性交的粗鄙語，此字一語雙關，暗示一個神話中的悲劇已墮落成一個低級故事。[back]
104	withered stumps of time：時間枯萎的殘幹（指牆上許多幅別的繪畫，表示時間的斷面）。[back]
105	staring forms：指柱上傾身向外（106行Leaned out）向下凝視的彫像。臥室中常有彫像，以手指覆唇，表示靜默（hushing…）。[back]
110	Glowed into words：參看但丁「神曲」地獄篇。地獄篇中的人都是一團火，最後燃出字來。此處藉描述詩中婦人秀髮，勾勒出她焦急的心境。 savagely still：內心激盪著情欲，野蠻的準備向正在上樓的男友採取行動，但外表卻很沉靜。[back]
111-138	參照35-42行的Garden Scene。此處男女兩人共處一室。男的默不作聲，女的則逼他說。充分顯示人與人之間缺乏心靈的溝通，乃至無聊而枯燥。[back]
115	rats' alley指公墓。〔Eliot原註〕參看（第三節）195行。[back]
118	The wind under the door：Eliot原註引用John Webster 的The Devil's Law Case劇中（III, ii,162）的一行"Is the wind in that door still?"該句意為「那人還活著嗎？」[back]
119-124	Webster另一劇The White Devil（V, 6, 203-205）中，謀殺者問被綁的受害者，"What dost thou think on?"受害者回答："Nothing; of nothing: … I remember nothing." [back]
125	參看第一節37,48行〔Eliot原註〕。本行引自莎劇「暴風雨」。原文係表現Ferdinand王子和公爵掌珠 Miranda之間純真的愛情，此處卻用於表現敗壞了的男感情，甚具反諷效果。[back]
126	'Are you…head?：參看第一節39-40行。[back]
128	O…Reg─：Rag即ragtime，是一種在1920年代在西方流行的爵士樂曲，多切分音（syncopation）的節奏。本行首的四個"O"字，和Shakespeherian中添加的"he"音節，就是為了配合切分音的節奏。128-130行與當時流行的一首這種爵士樂曲的重覆部分極為近似。[back]
131-134	這四行詩所表現的，正是法國詩人Baudelaire詩集「惡之華」中所表現的那種無所事事的無聊心境（ennui）。[back]
133	With my hair down, so：像這樣子頭髮披散。即一切不在乎，暗示對性的放任。[back]
135	The hot water at ten：上午十時開始供應的熱水。（暗示每天機械似的常規；1920年代沒有全日供應熱水。）[back]
136	a closed car at four：下午四時乘窗子緊閉的汽車兜風。[back]
137	a game of chess：a sexual game. 參閱本節副題注釋。[back]
138	lidless eyes：她死人般的眼睛。 a knock upon the door：死亡的叩門聲。[back]
139-172	以英國酒館（public house，簡稱pub）為背景，關於一個下層社會女人的敘述。[back]
139	demobbed：為demoblized一字的英國俚語。即服兵役期，退伍還鄉；復員（Lil的丈夫為Albert.）[back]
141	HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME：即Hurry up please, it's time to close為英國酒館快打烊時，酒保慣語，以催促酒客儘快飲盡離開。此語在本段中重覆五次，有歌曲中 refrain的效果。此處用以指明本段戲劇性獨白的發生場所和時間。[back]
145	You have them all out：你把（殘留的）牙齒都拔掉。[back]
148	a good time：指性的享樂。[back]
155	for lack of telling：因為沒有人警告你。 telling：warning. makes off：找別的女人去了。[back]
157	her only thirty-one：she is only thirty-one years old. [back]
159	them pills：those pills墮胎藥片。157行的her，本行的them均係倫敦俚語（Cockney）用法。[back]
160	five：five children. [back]
161	The chemist；（美國用法為druggist）藥店老闆。[back]
166	a hot gammon：gammon即ham，係英國方言。但此字又指thigh，所以兼指熱火腿與熱情房事。[back]
167	to get the beauty of it hot：it指gammon。除了指趁熱吃火腿，味道鮮美之外，又暗示打鐵趁熱，及時做性的享樂。[back]
170	Goonight：倫敦俚語，即Good night。[back]
171	Ta ta：即Bye bye，英國俚語及兒語。[back]
172	Good night, ladies…good night：引用自莎劇Hamlet 中Ophelia發瘋投水自盡前（IV,v,72），所講的話，用作此段及第二節的結尾，說明了詩中人物的瘋顛無助，也為第四節Death by Water預下伏筆。[back]