In Distrust of Merits

Strengthened to live, strengthened to die for

    medals and positioned victories?

They’re fighting, fighting, fighting the blind

    man who thinks he sees,

who cannot see that the enslaver is                                                     5

enslaved; the hater, harmed. O shining O

           firm star, O tumultuous

               ocean lashed till small things go

            as they will, the mountainous

                wave makes us who look, know                                          10

 

depth. Lost at sea before they fought! O

        star of David, star of Bethlehem,

O black imperial lion

        of the Lordemblem

of a risen worldjoined at last, be                                                     15

joined. There is hate’s crown beneath which all is

               death; there’s love’s without which none

                          is king; the blessed deeds bless

               the halo. As contagion

                         of sickness makes sickness,                                      20

 

contagion of trust can make trust. They’re

        fighting in deserts and caves, one by

one, in battalions and squadrons;

        they’re fighting that I

may yet recover from the disease, My

Self; some have it lightly; some will die.  "Man

                    wolf to man" and we devour

                            ourselves.  The enemy could not

                    have made a greater breach in our

                            defences.  One pilot --                                               30

 

 

ing a blind man can escape him, but

        Job disheartened by false comfort knew

that nothing can be so defeating

        as a blind man who       

can see. O alive who are dead, who are                                              35

proud not to see, O small dust of the earth

                that walks so arrogantly,

                          trust begets power and faith is

                an affectionate thing. We

                         vow, we make this pormise                                          40

 

to the fightingit’s a promise-“We’ll

        never hate black, white, red, yellow, Jew,

Gentile, Untouchable.  ”We are

        not competent to

make our vows. With set jaw they are fighting,                                    45

fighting, fighting,some we love whom we know,

                some we love but know notthat

                      hearts may feel and not be numb.

                It cures me; or am I what

                      I can’t believe in? Some                                                   50

in snow, some on crags, some in quicksands,

        little by little, much by much, they

are fighting fighting fighting fighting that where

        there was death there may

be life.When a man is prey to anger,                                                   55

he is moved by outside things; when he holds

                 his ground in patience patience

                          patience, that is action or

                 beauty,the soldier’s defence

                         and hardest armour for                                                 60

 

the fight. The world’s an orphan’s home. Shall

        we never have peace without sorrow?

Without pleas of the dying for

        help that won’t come? O

quiet form upon the dust, I cannot                                                         65

look and yet I must. If these great patient

                dyingsall these agonies

                          and wound bearings and bloodshed

                can teach us how to live, these

                          dyings were not wasted.                                              70

Hate-hardened heart, O heart of iron,

        iron is iron till it is rust.

There never was a war that was

        not in ward; I must

fight till I have conquered in myself what                                              75

causes war, but I would not believe it.

                 I inwardly did nothing.

                O Iscariotlike crime!

        Beauty is everlasting

                and dust is for a time.

 


  Annotation

 

1-2

Strengthened……Positioned Victories?:此二行是形容詞片語,完整的句子應是“Are they strengthened……?”大意為「我們撫養訓練這些年輕人是為了英勇地作戰,為了勳章及戰場上的優勢而效死 嗎?」這些問題觸發了此詩的創作。Strengthened:被撫養教育成人。

Positioned Victories:戰場上奪取地形要點,而形成戰略優勢。

3-6

They’re fighting……enslaved; the hater, harmed:他們作戰是為了抵禦那些盲目發動戰爭的罪魁,如日本軍閥、納粹等,自以為眼光遠大,卻不知奴役人者終會被奴役,製造仇恨者終遭人神共憤。

6-7

O shining O firm star:

向恆星的呼喚,恆星代表永恆,與下行“Ocean”的不可預測相對。Star的意義至12行時更明顯。

7-11

O tumultuous ocean……Know depth:海浪襲捲而來(如海嘯),岸邊微不足道的物體均被沖走,浪打得越高,兩浪峰之間的谷就越深。整段的引申意義為「戰爭在如火

 

 

如荼時,(以tumultuous ocean為象徵),日常的瑣事都受戰火的支配,失去了自主的能力(Small things go as they will)。戰爭越熾烈,有心人就更能看清事情的真象。(the mountainous wave makes us who look, know depth.us who look(有心人)與第三行的“blind man”相對。

11

Lost……fought!:“they”指第三行的“they”,戰士們不知為何而戰。lost at sea指茫然迷惑,找不到理由。

11-16

O star of David……joined:讓猶太教,基督教及世界上所有信仰聯合起來。Star of David:大衛星,是猶太教的象徵。大衛是猶太人的第一個國王。Star of BethlehemBethlehem是耶穌誕生地,因此Star of Bethlehem是基督教的象徵。black imperial lion of the Lord:創世紀中提到lion of Judah,即lion of the Lord,是Ethiopia的皇帝。Ethiopia是黑人的帝國,象徵再生的世界(emblem of risen world)。

 

世人常有宗教種族糾紛,因此詩人在此呼籲超越宗教人種的大結合。

16-17

There is……death:如納粹、日本軍閥的統治,基於種族仇恨,在這種統治下,只有死亡的陰影。

17-18

there’s love’s……Kinglove’s:指love’s crown,不行仁政就不是真正的國王。

18-19

the blessed……haloblessed deeds:善行。halo:聖人頭上的光圈,是由善行得來的。意為聖人之所以成為聖人,之乃因為行善的緣故。

19-21

As contagion……make trustcontagion:傳染病。和疾病的傳染性一樣,信任(trust)也是有傳染性的。作者呼籲世人彼此信任。

21-22

They’re fighting:注意“They are fighting”的重覆顯現,詩由抽象的內省回到對戰士的寫實描寫,另一主題隨後出現。

24-26

they’re fighting……disease, My Self:他們的奮鬥是為了治我心病。disease:象徵人的弱點、心病。

 

My Self:指egoism(自我主義)。

26

Some have……will die:有些人戰時並沒有遭遇艱苦;They don’t suffer too much. 有些則戰死。

26-28

Man wolf to man……Ourselvesman wolf to man:指世人的不人道,有如豺狼。We devour ourselves:自相殘殺。

28-30

The enemy……defences;人心最大的弱點是仇恨、自私。這個弱點是人的大敵。即使戰場上的敵人也無法在我們的防禦線上造成更大的漏洞(breach)。

30-35

One piloting……who can see:我們引領(piloting)盲人時,可以避免(escape)他所可能帶來的危險,最危險的是盲人自以為看得見而想居領導地位。如Job的三個朋友像盲人一樣想引導JobJob:舊約聖經約伯書中記載約伯受盡折磨,失去兒女、財產,妻子侮辱他,最後

 

 

還患了痲瘋。

有三個朋友安慰他說:「你一定是犯了什麼罪,所以上帝這樣懲罰你」。但約伯自認無辜,不為所動。上帝的意旨要他受苦,他便無言接受。

這三位朋友不明上帝的意旨,他們的安慰易使人信心動搖(disheartened),是一種false comfort

第三行的“blind man”是戰場上的敵人。這裡的blind man指靈智蔽塞的人。

35

O alive who are dead:自以為活著的人,實際上是行屍走肉。

35-36

Who are proud not to see:這些盲人自以為眼光遠大,引以為傲。

36-37

O small dust……arrogantly:人只是微不足道的塵土,卻不自知,反而昂首闊步。

38-39

trust begets……thing:詩人對上述幾種人說,彼此信賴(trust)才能產生力量,信心(faith)與愛(an affectionate thing)是一體的。

39-43

We vow……Untouchable:眼看在戰場中犧牲的人,我們發誓永不仇恨別的人種、宗教、及階級。Black, white, red,  yellow:各色人種。Jew, GentileJew是猶太,Genteil指猶太教以外的一切宗教。Untouchable:印度階級製度分成四等級,婆羅門(Brahman)是教士階級,

 

 

剎帝利(Kshatriya)是統治階級,吠舍(Vaisya)是農商階級,首陀羅(Sudra)是工人階級。印度人認為首陀羅不潔,因此說他們.Untouchable這裡代表社會階級。

43-45

We are……our vows:但我們不夠資格(not competent)發這個誓。因為人總會找出理由來自相殘殺。

45-46

With set jaw they are fighting, fighting, fightingwith set jaw:堅定地;with determination。注意they are fighting的重覆出現,詩又進入另一主題。

46

Some……know:有些戰士是我們所愛的朋友。

47

Some……know not:有些戰士是我們所愛,但並不認識的同胞。

47-48

that hearts……numb:由於他們的犧牲,我們的心才能感受到其中意義,而不致於麻木不仁(numb. thatso that

49

It cures me:他們的奮鬥能醫治我的自私自大。見25行“the disease, My Self.

49-50

or am I……in:如果不能醫治這個病,難道我是如此的不仁道?實在叫我自己也難以相信。

50-55

Some in snow……life:他們在雪地裡(in snow),懸崖上(on crags),流沙中(quicksands),參與大小戰役(little by little, much by much),犧牲自己,是為了醫治我們的心病,使我們放棄仇恨,重建博愛的社會。

55-56

When……things:如果人因仇恨忿怒而戰,他的動機不是為了內在的信仰或人道。Outside things:指things that are outside of humanity. 人如果受外在的仇恨忿怒支配而行動,便成了忿怒的犧牲品(Prey to anger)。

 

56-61

 

When he holds……fight:如果人為了內心的信仰(inner conviction)及護衛人道而堅忍作戰,這種行為是主動的(action),是完美的(beauty),也是戰士們最堅固的甲冑(hardest armour)。Patience:堅忍。指為保衛信仰、人道、忍無可忍才作戰。

61

The world’s an orphan’s home:指世界沒有愛,有brotherhood,像孤兒院一樣。

61-62

shall……sorrow?和平一定要有戰爭的悲哀作代價嗎?

63-64

Without pleas……come? 一定要有垂死之人無助的求救嗎?

64-65

O quiet form upon the dust:倒地的屍體。

65-66

I cannot……I must:我不忍卒睹,但必須要探討其意義。

66-70

If these……not wasted:如果戰士的犧牲能教訓我們

 

 

 

生命的意義,他們的犧牲就不是白費。these great patient dyings:這些無辜堅忍的死者。patient暗示the passion of Christ即基督的受難與犧牲。all these agonies and woundbearings and bloodshedagonies:指耶穌死前的苦難。Woundbearings:耶穌受難時有五處傷口,四個是手腳上的釘痕,一個是羅馬士兵刺傷的。bloodshed:指耶穌受難所流的血。這裡亦指戰士的磨難和受傷、流血。

71-72

Hate-hardened……is rust:人因仇恨而變成鐵石心腸。但是鐵也有生鏽變軟的一天。注意此句“h”首的alliteration及“iron”的重覆。

73-74

There never……inward:戰爭的癓結在於人們內心的問題。

74-76

I must……causes war:直到我戰勝了引發戰爭的心病,戰爭才會停止。見24-26註解。

76-77

but I……did nothing:但我過去不相信這個事實(but I would not believe it),我內心毫不反省,沒有與自私、自大(selfishness, egotism)作戰,來防止戰爭的發生。

 

78

O Iscariotlike crime! :我知錯不改,見死不救,等於是出賣了這些年輕的戰士。我犯了像Iscariot所犯的罪行。Iscariot:全名是Judas Iscariot,耶穌十二門徒之一,出賣耶穌,使他受難。Iscariot的字義是of Kerioth。因JudasKerioth地區的人。

79-80

Beauty……a time:為了信仰及保衛所愛而作戰是完美的。這種moral value是永恆的。戰爭帶來的破壞及死亡(dust)是暫時的現象(for a time)。Dust也可以指人渺小卻趾高氣揚(參考36-7註解),實際上是轉瞬即逝的。但人的moral valuebeauty)則永遠不朽。