"Departmental"

Provider: Fr. Pierre Demer /談德義神父

An ant on the tablecloth	1
Ran into a dormant moth
Of many times his size.
He showed not the least surprise.
His business wasn't with such.	5
He gave it scarcely a touch,
And was off on his duty run.
Yet if he encountered one
Of the hive's enquiry squad
Whose work is to find out God	10
And the nature of time and space,
He would put him onto the case.
Ants are a curious race;
One crossing with hurried tread
The body of one of their dead	15
Isn't given a moment's arrest-
Seems not even impressed.
But he no doubt reports to any
With whom he crosses antennae,
And they no doubt report	20
To the higher-up at court.
Then word goes forth in Formic:
"Death's come to Jerry McCormic,
Our selfless forager Jerry.
Will the special Janizary	25
Whose office it is to bury
The dead of the commissary
Go bring him home to his people.
Lay him in state on a sepal.
Wrap him for shroud in a petal.	30
Embalm him with ichor of nettle.
This is the word of your Queen."
And presently on the scene
Appears a solemn mortician;
And taking formal position,	35
With feelers calmly atwiddle,
Seizes the dead by the middle,
And heaving him high in air,
Carries him out of there.
No one stands round to stare.	40
It is nobody else's affair
It couldn't be called ungentle
But how thoroughly departmental.

Line / No.	Word or Phrase	Annotation
2	Ran into	偶遇。
	dormant	（暫時）不活動的。
	moth	蠢；蛾。[back]
7	off	離開。
7	on his duty run	繼續執行他的任務。[back]
9	the hive's enquiry squad	群居之蟻的調查小隊。[back]
12	put him onto the case	要他解決那問題。[back]
14	crossing	相左，其受詞為第15行的body。
14	with hurried tread	以匆忙的腳步走路；用來修飾crossing。[back]
16	a moment's arrest	瞬間的吸引（注意），指對同類的屍體一點也不予注意。[back]
17	impressed	得到印象。[back]
19	crosses antennae	觸鬚相碰，意謂遇到同窩的任何螞蟻。[back]
21	the higher up at court	朝庭裏更高級的官員。[back]
22	Formic	蟻的語言，源出Formicidae，即「蟻科」之意。[back]
23	Jerry McCormic	死亡之蟻的名字，Jerry是很普通的名字如中國的張三、李四，至於用McCormic這一姓氏為的是使與第22行最後一字Formic押韻。[back]
24	selfless forager	忘我的搜尋者。[back]
25	Janizary	古土耳其王之近衛步兵，在這裏指的是軍人或官員，使與下一行最後一字bury押韻。[back]
26	office	職員；任務。[back]
27	commissary	委員，代表，軍需官，指的是our selfless forager Jerry。[back]
29	Lay him in state on a sepal	殯殮後置於萼片上任人憑弔。[back]
30	Wrap him…a petal	用一片花瓣當作屍（壽）衣把他裹起來。[back]
31	Embalm him with ichor of nettle	用蕁麻敗液作為香料把他塗敷。[back]
32	the word of your Queen	蟻后之令。[back]
34	mortician	負責殯葬的人。[back]
36	feelers calmly at widdle	平靜地轉來轉去的觸鬚。[back]
38	heaving him high in air	用力把他高高舉起。[back]
42	ungentle	不親切或不和善的。[back]
43	how thoroughly departmental	何等徹底地各司其職，互不相干。[back]

[top]