The Rape of the Lock: Canto I

The Rape of the Lock

原文與注釋(Text and Annotation)

Canto I

What dire offence from am'rous causes springs,	[1-6]
What mighty contests rise from trivial things,
I sing-This verse to Caryll, Muse! is due;
This, ev'n Belinda may vouchsafe to view:
Slight is the subject, but not so the praise,	5
If she inspire, and he approve, my lays.

Say what strange motive, Goddess! cou'd compel	[7-9]
A well-bred lord to assault a gentle belle?
Oh say what stranger cause, yet unexplored,
Cou'd make a gentle belle reject a lord?	10
In tasks so bold, can little men engage,
And in soft bosoms, dwell such mighty rage?

Sol through white curtains shot a timorous ray,	[13-20]
And ope'd those eyes that must eclipse the day:
Now lap-dogs give themselves the rouzing shake,	15
And sleepless lovers, just at twelve, awake:
Thrice rung the bell, the slipper knock'd the ground,
And the pressed watch returned a silver sound,
Belinda still her downy pillow prest,
Her guardian Sylph prolng'd the balmy rest.	20
'Twas he had summon'd to her silent bed	[ 21-26]
The morning dream that hover'd o'er her head.
A youth more glitt'ring than a birthnight beau
(That ev'n in slumber caus'd her cheek to glow)
Seem'd to her ear his winning lips to lay,	25
And thus in Whispers said, or seemed to say.

"Fairest of mortals, thou distinguished care	[27-56]
Of thousand bright Inhabitants of air!	[27-28]
If e'er one vision touch'd thy infant thought,
Of all the nurse and all the priest have taught,	30
Of airy elves by moonlight shadows seen,
The silver token, and the circled green,
Or virgins visited by angel powers
With golden crowns and wreaths of heav'nly flow'rs;
Hear and believe! thy own Importance know,	35
Nor bound thy narrow views to things below.
Some secret truths, from learned pride conceal'd,	[37-38]
To maids alone and children are reveal'd:
What tho' no credit doubting wits may give?
The fair and Innocent shall still believe.	40
Know then, unnumber'd spirits round thee fly,
The light militia of the lower sky:
These, tho' unseen, are ever on the wing,
Hang o'er the box, and hover round the Ring.
Think what an equipage thou hast in air,	45
And view with scorn two pages and a chair.
As now your own, our beings were of old,
And once inclos'd in woman's beauteous mold;
Thence, by a soft transition, we repair
From earthly vehicles to these of air.	50
Think not, when woman's transient breath is fled,
That all her vanities at once are dead.
Succeeding vanities she still regards,
And tho' she plays no more, o'erlooks the cards.
Her joy in gilded chariots, when alive,	55
And love of ombre, after death survive.
For when the fair in all their pride expire,	[ 57-66]
To their first elements the souls retire:
The sprites of fiery termagants in flame
Mount up, and take a Salamander's name.	60
Soft yielding minds to water glide away,
And sip, with nymphs, their elemental tea.
The graver prude sinks downward to a Gnome,
In search of mischief still on earth to roam.
The light coquettes in Sylphs aloft repair,	65
And sport and flutter in the fields of air.

"Know further yet; whoever fair and chaste	[67-68]
Rejects mankind, is by some Sylph embrac'd:
For spirits, freed from mortal laws, with ease	[69-70]
Assume what sexes and what shapes they please.	70
What guards the purity of melting maids,
In courtly balls, and midnight masquerades,
Safe from the treach'rous friend, the daring spark,
The glance by day, the whisper in the dark;
When kind occasion prompts their warm desires,	75
When music softens, and when dancing fires?
'Tis but their Sylph, the wise celestials know,
Tho' Honour is the word with men below.

"Some nymphs there are, too conscious of their face,	[79-90]
For life predestin'd to the Gnomes' embrace.	80
Who swell their prospects and exalt their pride,
When offers are disdain'd, and love deny'd:
Then gay ideas crowd the vacant brain,
While peers and dukes, and all their sweeping train,
And garters, stars, and coronets appear,	85
And in soft sounds, 'your Grace' salutes their ear.
'Tis these that early taint the female soul,
Instruct the eyes of young coquettes to roll,
Teach infant cheeks a bidden blush to know,
And little hearts to flutter at a beau.	90

"Oft when the world imagine women stray,	[91-104]
The Sylphs through mystic mazes guide their way.
Thro' all the giddy circle they pursue,
And old impertinence expel by new.
What tender maid but must a victim fall	95
To one man's treat, but for another's ball?
When Florio speaks, what virgin could withstand,
If gentle Damon did not squeeze her hand?
With varying vanities, from ev'ry part,
They shift the moving toyshop of their heart;	100
Where wigs with wigs, with sword-knots sword-knots strive,	[101-102]
Beaux banish beaux, and coaches coaches drive.
This erring mortals levity may call,
Oh, blind to truth! the Sylphs contrive it all.

"Of these am I, who thy protection claim,	105 [105-14]
A watchful sprite, and Ariel is my name.
Late, as I rang'd the crystal wilds of air,
In the clear mirror of thy ruling star
I saw, alas! some dread event impend,
Ere to the main this morning's sun descend,	110
But Heav'n reveals not what, or how, or where:
Warn'd by thy Sylph, oh pious maid beware!
This to disclose is all thy guardian can.
Beware of all, but most beware of Man!"

He said: when Shock, who thought she slept too long,	115 [115-20]
Leap'd up, and wak'd his mistress with his tongue.
'Twas then, Belinda! if report say true,
Thy eyes first open'd on a billet-doux;
Wounds, charms, and ardors, were no sooner read,
But all the vision vanish'd from thy head.	120

And now, unveil'd, the toilet stands display'd,	[121-48]
Each silver vase in mystic order laid.
First, rob'd in white, the nymph intent adores
With head uncover'd, the cosmetic powers.
A heavenly image in the glass appears;	125
To that she bends, to that her eyes she rears;
The inferior priestess, at her altar's side,
Trembling, begins the sacred rites of pride.
Unnumber'd treasures ope at once, and here
The various off'rings of the world appear;	130
From each she nicely culls with curious toil,
And decks the goddess with the glitt'ring spoil.
This casket India's glowing gems unlocks,
And all Arabia breathes from yonder box.
The tortoise here and elephant unite,	135 [135-136]
Transform'd to combs, the speckled and the white.
Here files of pins extend their shining rows,
Puffs, powders, patches, bibles, billet-doux.
Now awful Beauty puts on all its arms;
The fair each moment rises in her charms,	140
Repairs her smiles, awakens every grace,
And calls forth all the wonders of her face;
Sees by degrees a purer blush arise,
And keener lightnings quicken in her eyes.
The busy Sylphs surround their darling care;	145
These set the head, and those divide the hair,
Some fold the sleeve, whilst others plait the gown;
And Betty's praised for labours not her own.

Line / No.	Word or Phrase	Annotation
[第1-6節大意]:Pope效仿史詩的一慣寫作法，一開始先向詩神祈求靈感。並介紹詩中女主角Belinda。但本詩的詩神，並非如Homer在The Iliad一開始所說："Sing, goddess , the anger of Peleus' son Achilleus……"那樣的女神，而是Caryll，一個男士，這也是作者要達成「效嘲英雄詩」效果的第一步。[back]
1	dire offense	可怕的罪過。即指秀髮遭劫這件事。[back]
2	mighty contests	激烈的爭辯。即指因髮劫而引起當事人兩家之激烈爭辯。[back]
3	Caryll	即John Caryll，Pope的好友，本詩即在他的建議及敦促下完成。作者一開始便說明他作此詩的來由，並把Caryll與Muse相比擬。
3	Muse	神話中司文學、藝術、科學等的九位女神之一；詩神。[back]
4	Belinda	為本詩的女主角，影射Arabella Fermor。
4	Vouchsafe to view	惠予閱讀（本詩）。[back]
6	she	即Belinda。
	he	即Caryll。
	lays	詩歌。[back]
[第7-9節大意]: 暗示：並非所有男士教養皆佳，並非所有淑女皆溫文。[back]
8	assault a gentle belle	侵犯一位溫文淑女。[back]
9	unexplored	尚未弄明白的。[back]
11	little men	即材矮小的人，與史詩中英雄人物的魁偉力材呈一強烈對比，這是故意用來製造「效嘲英雄詩」的效果的。又據悉，本詩男主角 Lord Petre（即詩中之Baron）本人也是身形矮小。[back]
[第13-20節大意]:Belinda睡到中午十二時終於睜開了眼精，她仍躺在床上，用拖鞋敲地板再按鈴招喚女僕。[back]
13	Sol	太陽。
13	timorous ray	膽怯的光線。因為Belinda閨房的窗簾都關上了，陽光無法直接射入，故顯得有些『膽怯』。[back]
14	eclipse the day	（小姐的眼睛一睜開）使白畫黯然失色，這種誇張的比擬法請參見Canto II，13-14. [back]
15	lapdogs	一種常被置於膝上撫弄的小狗。[back]
17	Thrice rung the bell，… ground	Belinda三次搖鈴，再拿拖鞋敲地板，招喚僕人。[back]
18	the pressed watch	Belinda臥室裏有一個鐘，鐘上有一小桿，壓過之後，便會每小時響四次（正、十五、卅、四十五分各報時一次）。正午十二時， Belinda醒了，在她敲地板的同時，鐘也聲響地。[back]
19	downy	柔軟的。[back]
20	Her guardian Sylph	Belinda的守護者，即精靈Ariel，要等到一○六行，他方才通名報姓。正如史詩中，英雄有天神護祐一樣。
20	balmy	爽快的。[back]
[第21-26節大意]:Belinda的守護精靈Ariel，使她醒後復入夢鄉，並把自己化為一位打扮極華麗的美少年，在小姐夢中出現，在她耳邊輕輕說話。這種托夢的情節也是史詩中常有的事。[back]
23	birthnight beau	在皇公貴族生長之夜穿著極華麗的朝臣。[back]
[第27-56節大意]:Sylph告訴Belinda說，成千的精靈在她四周飛翔，擔任護衛 Belinda的任務。這些小精靈原先也是女人，故如今仍保留了些女人原有的嗜好，如駕車或玩牌(Ombre)。[back]
27-28	thou distinguished care/ Of thousand bright … air	Distinguished care = special trust.美少年向Belinda召呼，稱她為空中眾精靈特別照顧者。[back]
32	silver token	一般相信，精靈夜遊，常撇取別人牛奶上層的，然後留下一個銀幣。
32	circled green	環形的綠草地。相傳是夜晚精靈在上面圍成跳舞所致。[back]
37-38	Ariel套用了一句出自聖經馬太福十一章二十五節的話:"Thou hast hid these things from the wise and pruder and hast revealed them unto babes"。[back]
42	light militia	由精靈組成侍衛Belinda的隊伍。[back]
44	box	戲院內的包廂。
44	Ring	倫敦海德公園內一環形溜馬場（參見緒言部分之介紹）[back]
45	equipage	侍從，馬，馬車等一切裝備。[back]
46	apges	（貴族的）隨侍。
46	chair	sedan chair轎子。[back]
50	earthly vehicles	是一雙關語，指human bodies，也指仕女好乘車出遊。[back]
51	transient breath is fled	breath指生命，女仕們短促的生命脫逃了。即斷氣死亡。[back]
55	gilded chariots	鍍金的馬車。當時人稱carriages 為 chariots 。作者在此諷剌當時人之慕古。[back]
56	ombre	一種紙牌（參見緒言及Canto III）[back]
[第57-66節大意]:Sylph繼續說：女人死後各按其生前體內之「火」「水」「土」「氣」四種體液分量的多少，而變成四種不同的精靈。多「火」者化為一種生長在火中的怪物；多「水」者化為一種與水神為伍的水精，多「土」者化為地下的土精，多「氣」者則化為飛翔空中的小精靈Sylphs。[back]
58	first elements	first作「分量最多」解。相傳人由四種體液 (humors)組成，即火、水、土、氣。此說流行於十六，十七世紀的英國，謂人之身心，性情，行動皆取決於四種體液之相對比例，如多「火」者，易脾氣暴躁；多「水」者易優柔寡斷；多「土」者易假裝嫻淑；多「氣」者易舉止輕浮。[back]
59	fiery termagants	脾氣暴躁（火多）的悍婦。[back]
60	Salamander	傳說中，一種生存在火中的火精。婦女生前「火」太多者，死後皆化為火精。[back]
62	nypmhs	居住在河川山林泉水一帶的女神。
62	tea	讀作【tie】，與前行尾之away同韻。[back]
63	graver prude	外表拘謹，假裝嫻淑的女仕。
63	Gnome	居於地穴之地精，守護金銀礦山。生前「土」液過多的女仕，死後便化為地精。[back]
65	light coquettes	舉止輕浮，活潑賣俏的女仕。死後則化為飄作在空中的小精靈Sylphs。[back]
67-68	Ariel說：凡拒了「人類」（mankind實指男人）的女仕，都由 Sylphs加以保護，使她們在歡舞場中不受男士們的侵害。[back]
69-70	據Ariel所述，精靈脫離人世之後，對自己的性別和體形可自由選擇，不受任何約束。這和Milton《失樂園》中的天使極相似；Milton's angels (Part I, 423-31) …For Spirits, when they please, Can either sex assume, or borth; so soft And uncompounded is their essence pure,, Not tied or manaeled with joint or limb, Nor founded on the bittle strength of bones, Like cumbrous flesh; but, in what shape they choose, Dilated or condensed, bright or obscure, Can execute their aery purpose, And works of love or enmity fulfill. [back]
72	midnight masquerades	午夜蒙面舞會。[back]
73	spark	衣飾華麗，風頭健的男子（為一含有惡意的字眼）。[back]
[第79-90節大意]:Ariel繼續說：凡太好打扮的女仕就注定要受地精的照顧，地精教她們面臨王公貴族時滿腦儘是幻想，兩眼溜轉，雙頰發紅，心兒忐忑處跳。[back]
79	Some nymphs	Some girls .[back]
83	ideas	imaginings幻想。[back]
84	peers	baron, earl, duke等貴族。
84	sweeping train	為一雙關語，指尾隨貴族們身後的侍從，浩浩蕩蕩形成一隊人馬；另指貴族們穿著之曳地長袍。[back]
85	garters	勳章。
	stars	星形勳章。
	coronets	小王冠。[back]
89	bidden blush	假裝出來的扭抳。[back]
[第91-104節大意]: 一些女子，交遊甚闊，朝秦暮楚，門庭男友濟濟，大家都認這種女子行為失檢，其實據Ariel稱，這一切都是Sylph從中用心安排的。[back]
94	impertinence	無足輕重的虛榮。[back]
96	man's treat	男士的款宴招待。[back]
100	toyshop of their heart	女仕心中存皆為瑣事，宛如玩具店內存放之無價值的玩具一般。[back]
101	sword-knots	繫在劍把上的絲帶。[back]
101-2	兩行的句法似在模仿Homer：Iliad IV 508 Now Shield with Shield, with Helmet Helmet clos'd To Armour Armour, Lance to Lance oppos'd. [back]
103	levity	輕浮，輕薄。[back]
[第105-14節大意]:Ariel終於向Belinda通名報姓，稱最近曾見到她的星占，將有惡運臨頭之兆，但卻不知其詳。籲請Belinda要善加提防，尤其要注意男士。[back]
107	Late	Lately.
107	crystal wilds of air	清澈無際的天空。[back]
108	ruling star	主宰命運的星座。[back]
[第115-20節大意]: Ariel說到此，小狗把女主人舐醒，Belinda見到一封悄書，之下便把夢中Ariel的警告忘得一乾二淨。[back]
115	Shock	即十五行Lapdog的別名。這種狗據說毛長而蓬亂，shock正有這個字意。[back]
117	say	hearsay傳聞。[back]
118	billet-doux	情書。[back]
119	Wounds, charms, and ardors	情書中常見的字眼，甚麼「傷」，「魅力」，「熱情」呀。[back]
120	vision	指Ariel向Belinda提出的警告。[back]
[第121-48節大意]:Belinda起床後即坐在化粧臺前由女僕協助理裝打扮，其實這一工作都是由護衛她的小精靈Sylphs所完成的。[back]
121	toilet	化粧臺。[back]
122	mystic order	神秘的先後秩序。Mystic一字暗示一種宗教的神秘性。因為Pope把坐在化粧臺前的 Belinda比成神壇前的女神(goddess)。[back]
123	the nymph intent	正規的秩序為the intent nymph專心一致的小姐（全心想把自己打扮漂亮）。[back]
124	the cosmetic powers	powers為名詞，是上句末adores的受詞。 [back]
125	A heavenly image in the glass appears	鏡中顯出一副天仙般的容貌。Heavenly一詞，暗示Belinda為女神。[back]
126	to that her eyes she rears	she rears her eyes to that她把雙眼轉向鏡子。[back]
127	The inferior priestess	指Belinda的丫嬛Betty。[back]
128	the sacred rites of prides	Betty開始為小姐打扮，化裝的過程比成宗教的神聖祭禮。[back]
132	decks	decorates.
	goddess	指Belinda。
	spoil	戰利品，指化粧品。[back]
134	Arabia	指香水。[back]
135-6	The rtortoise…white：用龜殼和象牙做成的梳子。前者有斑點，後者呈白色。[back]
138	Puffs	粉撲。
138	Patches	十七、十八世紀，英國女仕常用小綢片貼在臉上，作為裝飾之一。整行五樣東西，有化粧品，有聖經和情書相陳並列，顯得不倫不類，產生一種滑稽的效果。[back]
141	Repairs her smiles	使她的笑容更美。[back]
147	plait the gown	把長袍加摺。[back]
148	小姐打扮完畢，把丫嬛Betty誇獎一番，事實上這一切的工作都是由許多Sylphs分工合作的。Betty並未出力。Betty無功而受獎。[back]

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