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這是Joni Mitchell改編英國現代詩人Yeats葉慈的同名詩作所作的歌曲。歌曲一如原詩對於現代社會的混亂有深刻的描繪。

林文淇

Music by Joni Mitchell

Slouching toward Bethlehem	1
	2
Turning and turning	3
Within the widening gyre	4
The falcon cannot hear the falconer	5
Things fall apart	6
The center cannot hold	7
And a blood dimmed tide	8
Is loosed upon the world	9
	10
Nothing is sacred	11
The ceremony sinks	12
Innocence is drowned	13
In anarchy	14
The best lack conviction	15
Given some time to think	16
And the worst are full of passion	17
Without mercy	18
	19
Surely some revelation is at hand	20
Surely it’s the second coming	21
And wrath has finally taken form	22
For what is this rough beast	23
Its hour come at last	24
	25
Slouching toward Bethlehem to be born	26
Slouching toward Bethlehem to be born	27
	28
Hoping and hoping	29
As if by my weak faith	30
The spirit of this world	31
Would heal and rise	32
Vast are the shadows	33
That straddle and strafe	34
And struggle in the darkness	35
Troubling my eyes	36
	37
Shaped like a lion	38
It has the head of a man	39
With a gaze as blank	40
And pitiless as the sun	41
And it’s moving its slow thighs	42
Across the desert sands	43
Through dark indignant	44
Reeling falcons	45
	46
Surely some revelation is at hand	47
Surely it’s the second coming	48
And wrath has finally taken form	49
For what is this rough beast	50
Its hour come at last	51
	52
Slouching toward Bethlehem to be born	53
Slouching toward Bethlehem to be born	54
	55
Raging and raging	56
It rises from the deep	57
Opening its eyes	58
After twenty centuries	59
Vexed to a nightmare	60
Out of a stony sleep	61
By a rocking cradle	62
By the Sea of Galilee	63
	64
Surely some revelation is at hand	65
Surely it’s the second coming	66
And wrath has finally taken form	67
For what is this rough beast	68
Its hour come at last	69
	70
Slouching toward Bethlehem to be born	71
Slouching toward Bethlehem to be born	72

文句注釋

1.	the widening gyre
	放鷹時老鷹受養鷹人牽引盤旋成圈，這裡描寫圈子遇見擴張，正是下一句所說的獵鷹已經不（無法）聽養鷹人的掌控，象徵社會的混亂。	Return
2.	a blood dimmed tide
	被血弄暗（濁）的海潮，象徵世界充滿殺戮、流血。	Return
3.	The ceremony sinks
	典禮都沈沒不見了，表示一切有秩序的社會制度與行為都沒有了。	Return
4.	some revelation
	某種的啟示，基督教聖經的最後一本書就是＜啟示錄＞，宣示了上帝第二次到來時，就是人類必須接受審判的時日。	Return
5.	wrath has finally taken form
	憤怒終於以具體的形體發了出來（變成這隻野獸）。	Return
6.	Slouching toward Bethlehem to be born
	Slouch是懶散或是垂首無力地走路，伯利恆是耶穌誕生的地方。歌／詩想像上帝再度降臨可能也是到伯利恆，因此這一句說這隻由上帝的憤怒所化成的惡獸是緩緩、散漫地步向伯利恆要去被生出來。由於世界固然日益沈淪，一時間倒也看不出有即刻被上帝毀滅的樣子，因此這首警示意味濃厚的詩／歌用slouch這個字，好像上帝並非如在舊約時發怒直接降下大火，而是危機是人類自找的，再不悔改，就慢慢等著滅亡。（我在廣播中給Slouching的翻譯是「頹廢」，錄音完畢後覺得不妥，因此這裡改成懶散。	Return
7.	straddle and strafe
	Straddle是跨坐，形容陰影涵蓋面極廣，strafe是機槍掃射，或是跟掃射一樣的痛罵或是打擊，形容這個陰影的厲害。	Return
8.	Shaped like a lion
	這似乎是在影射埃及巨大的人面獅身石像。對於西方以基督教為基礎的文明而言，東方的文明經常被想像或是描寫成無秩序，散漫，具有威脅與破壞力（需要被教化）。	Return
9.	moving its slow thighs
	緩緩移動牠的大腿。	Return
10.	Vexed to a nightmare
	（二十個世紀的睡夢）因被擾亂惱怒成為一個惡夢	Return
11.	By a rocking cradle
	（睡夢）被搖動的搖籃（所吵醒）。（我在廣播的錄音中說惡獸的睡眠是在搖籃旁（by）應該是不正確。	Return

段落講解

第9段.	懶散地步向伯利恆盤旋又盤旋在不斷擴張的迴圈獵鷹聽不見養鷹人四處分崩離析中心無力管理一股沁血的紅潮已向世界席捲	Return
第18段.	神聖不再儀典盡去真性情淹沒在無政府的失序上上之人了無信念總在思索後畏懼下下之徒滿是衝勁沒有絲毫憐憫	Return
第27段.	想必某種末世啟示將顯明想必是上帝的二度降臨是祂的憤怒積累成形不然這隻惡獸竟是何物牠的時刻終於出現懶散地步向伯利恆投生懶散地步向伯利恆投生	Return
第36段.	盼望再盼望好似以我的微弱信心這世界的精神將可治癒而再起籠罩的陰影如此巨大將你跨坐痛擊它在黑暗中翻騰混亂我的眼睛	Return
第45段.	牠形若巨獅獸身卻有人首牠的目光空虛無情猶勝烈日牠正緩緩移動身軀通過無垠的沙漠穿過滿天盤旋憤怒的獵鷹	Return
第54段.	想必某種末世啟示將顯明想必是上帝的二度降臨是祂的憤怒積累成形不然這隻惡獸竟是何物牠等候的時刻終於出現懶散地步向伯利恆投生懶散地步向伯利恆投生	Return
第63段.	震怒更震怒牠起身自地底深處張雙眼二十世紀的睡夢一朝竟被驚擾成魘加利利海畔的搖籃已被晃動再無恆靜如石的長眠	Return
第72段.	想必某種末世啟示將顯明想必是上帝的二度降臨是祂的憤怒積累成形不然這隻惡獸竟是何物牠等候的時刻終於出現懶散地步向伯利恆投生懶散地步向伯利恆投生	Return