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The Frigate Pelican
作者Author  /  Marianne  Moore  瑪利安˙莫爾

The Frigate Pelican

 

Rapidly cruising or lying on the air there is a bird

That realizes Rasselas’s friend’s project

of wings uniting levity with strength. This

      hell-diver, frigate-bird, hurricane-

bird; unless swift is the proper word                                                    5

      for him, the  storm omen when

he flies close to the waves, should be seen

      fishing, although oftener

      he appears to prefer

 

 to take, on the wing, from industrious crude-winged

                                                              species

      the fish they have caught, and is seldom successless.

      A marvel of grace, no matter how fast his

  victim may fly or how often may

turn. The others with similar ease,

slowly rising once more,                                                                 15

  move out to the top

  of the circle and stop

 

and blow back, allowing the wind to reverse their

                                                    direction

Unlike the more stalwart swan that can ferry the

woodcutter’s two children home. Make hay; keep                       20

 the shop; I have one sheep; were a less

limber animal’s mottoes. This one

finds sticks for the swan’s-down-dress

      of his child to rest upon and would

                not know Gretel form Hänsel.                                               25

      As impassioned Handel

meant for a lawyer and a masculine German domestic

careerclandestinely studied the harpsichord

and never was known to have fallen in love,

      the unconfiding frigate-bird hides                                            30

in the height and in the majestic

    display of his art. He glides

            a hundred feet or quivers about

          as charred paper behavesfull

                       of feints; and an eagle                                                    35

 

of vigilance…. Festina lente. Be gay

      civilly? How so?If I do well I am blessed

      whether any bless me or not, and if I do

     ill I am cursed.We watch the moon rise

      on the Susquehanna. In his way,                                                    40

            this most romantic bird flies

to a more mundane place, the mangrove

            swamp to sleep. He wastes the moon.

            But he, and others, soon

 

rise from the bough and though flying, are able to foil                        45

                                                                    the tired

moment of danger that lays on heart and lungs the

weight of the python that crushes to powder.

 
 
 

 

 

 The Frigate Pelican:即frigate bird(軍鑑鳥),是一種善飛的熱帶海鳥,群居於加里比海(the Caribbean Sea),慣竊他鳥之,啄長而性似獵鷹。雄性的軍艦鳥下頦有一氣袋(air sack),與pelican(鵜鶘鳥)的氣袋類似,因此Moore稱軍艦鳥為the frigate pelican

Cruising:振翅巡迴飛行。lying on the air:在空中翱翔,雙翅平展不動,有如滑翔一般。

2-3

Rasselas’s friendSamuel Johnson1709-1784,英國文學家)所著The History of Rasselas (1759) 中,第六章描寫Rasselas的朋友“the artist”發明的人造翅膀。此處Moore讚美軍艦鳥的雙翼實現了(realizesRasselas朋友的創造理想,溶靈巧(levity)與力量(strength)於一質。

4

hell-diver:指任何可高速俯衝的鳥或軍機。Moore讚美軍艦鳥能從高空突然俯衝獵物。

4-5

hurricane-bird:形容軍艦鳥的速度迅如颶風。

 

5-6

 unless swift is the proper word for himMoore前面用了三個metaphors來比喻軍艦鳥的速度。

如果要用形容詞,只有說是“swift”才恰當。語氣幽默。

6-7

the storm……waves:軍艦鳥長時間接近水面低飛時,即是暴風雨的前兆。

7-8

should be seen fishing:此句的主詞是第四行的“this hell-diver, frigate-bird, hurricane-bird.”中間插入的“unless……him”一句是副詞子句。“the storm omen”是主詞的同位格。中文意思如下:真應該看看軍鑑鳥獵魚的美妙姿態。

8-12

although……caught:然而牠卻似乎常常情願在飛行中劫食其他鳥類獵得的魚,很少不得心應手的。

10

on the wing:在飛行中,industrious:勤勉的,指其他鳥類。軍艦鳥則不須孜孜為營。 crude-winged species:翅膀不夠靈巧的鳥類,沒有軍鳥雙翼的levitystrength

12-14

A……turn:無論其他鳥類飛得多快,迴避得多急,軍艦

  

 鳥追捕的雄姿總是那麼優雅(grace)。his victim被軍艦鳥劫奪的其他鳥類。

14-18

The other……direction:以上描寫的是某一隻軍艦鳥的動態。其他的軍艦鳥則以同悠閒的姿態(with similar ease),緩緩地迂迴昇空,停止後突然下降(blowback),隨風向而滑翔。

19

stalwart:可靠的,指童話故事中的天鵝;堅強的。軍艦鳥性喜掠奪,並不可靠。

19-20

the more……home:德國格林童話(Grimms’ Tales)中,一個伐木工人小兒女HanselGretel在森林中迷路,一隻好心的天鵝載他們渡湖,回到家中。有些故事版本說是鴨子而非天鵝。can:指天鵝有心力助人。ferry:船渡。

20

make hay:趁天晴儲備糧食,勸人未雨綢繆之意。“Make hay while the sun shines”即seize the opportunity

 

20-21

Keep the shop:“Keep thy shop and thy shop will keep thee.”英國諺語,意為努力照顧生意,日後自然不愁衣食。

21

I have one sheep:“Now I have a sheep and a cow, everybody bids me ‘Good morrow.”英國文諺,錄自Poor Richard’s AlmanackBenjamin Franklin, 1733-1758)。只要努力致富,就能贏得別人尊敬。

21

Were : Would be.

21-22

a less limber animal’s mottoes:以上這些諺語都是勤勞的人類的智慧。limber:靈活的。意指腳踏實地的人類不及軍艦鳥靈活,只能胼手胝足以維生,不足達成特殊成就。“less limber animal”與第十行“industrious crude-winged species”相呼應,暗示軍艦鳥資質靈,毋需與俗人一般孜孜為營,未雨綢繆。

22

This one:軍艦鳥。

23-24

finds……upon:軍艦鳥用粗糙的小樹枝為小鳥造窩,而不像其他鳥類用天鵝絨般柔軟的羽毛(swan’s-down-dress)築巢來保護幼鳥。

24-25

Would……Hansel:指軍艦鳥並不特別照顧幼兒,與童

  

 話故事中好心的天鵝(或鴨)相對。

26-32

As……his art:音家韓德爾(1685-1759)生於德國,拒從事父親為他安排的安穩事業,拋棄律師業務,秘密地學習大鍵琴(the harpsicord),後歸化英國,成為當時有名的音樂家。韓德爾一生貢獻給音樂藝術,沒有感情的牽掛(never was known to have fallen in love),因此能達到登峰造極的境界。

27

a masculine German domestic career:以韓德爾父親的眼光,音樂不是一種適合男性的工作,律師才是照顧家庭(domestic)的德國傳統事業。“domestic”也可能暗示韓德爾日後為了音樂藝術而離鄉背景,成為英國公民。

28

clandestinely:秘密地。

26-32行整句的主詞是“the unconfiding frigate-bird,”指運艦鳥像韓德爾一樣特力獨行(即unconfidingclandestinely相呼應),過著一種沒有保障,不打算未來的生活,亦沒有優柔的感情羈絆。牠隱藏在高空中(height,亦指韓德爾的藝術造詣),展露牠氣勢宏偉(majestic,亦指韓德爾的音樂藝術)的飛行藝術。

Moore這裡內 韓德爾比喻軍艦鳥,是一種metaphysical的比喻手法。

 33

 quivers:迅速的振動雙翼。“glide”是隨風滑翔,與“quiver”相對。

34

charred paper:燒焦後的紙張,質地特輕,一絲微風都可使它輕揚起來,極難捕捉。指軍艦鳥雙翼靈動飛行,有如“charred paper”,充滿假動作(feints),難以判斷其意向。

35-36

an eagle of vigilance:指軍艦鳥像鷹一樣具有警覺性。

36

Festina lente:拉丁諺語,意為“make haste slowly”,與中國諺語「欲速則不達」相似。和“vigilance”相呼應,意指軍艦鳥總是等到適當時機再發動攻擊。

36-37

Be gay civilly:在社會傳統允許的範圍內作樂。

37

How so:何須如此呢?

37-39

If……cursed”:

印度諺語。指軍艦鳥的原則是隨心所欲,世俗道德的規範不能影響牠本身好壞。

39-40

We……Susquehanna:我們在Susquehanna河邊望月

 

 

昇起。指理想主義的(idealistic)不切實際的一種人生態度。詩人少女時代住在Pennsylvania州的Carlisle市,該市位於Susquehanna河的西邊。

40-43

In……sleep:軍艦鳥隨心所欲、特立獨行,才真正符合浪漫精神(romantic),牠棲於樹叢沼澤(swamp)中,腳踏實地的過活(flies to a more mundane place),不傷感做作。

42

mangrove:一種熱帶常綠灌木叢。

43

He wastes the moon:指軍艦鳥不為月亮所動。與41行相對。不像人總是望月興嘆。

44-47

But……powder:此數行表面上描寫軍艦鳥群(he, and others)迅速地從樹枝上飛起,迴避大蟒(the python)的突襲。更深一層的意義是人和軍艦鳥的比較。鳥的高飛象徵人類對理想的追求,但追求過程中常會遭遇危機,或是由於心理的疲倦(the tired moment of danger that lays on heart and lungs,亦指大蟒較壓軍艦鳥的心肺),不能承受太大的壓力;或是由心魔的障礙(以python作象徵)粉碎了(Crush to powder)人繼續向上的意志。但軍艦鳥卻能超脫情感及肉體上的限制。

45

foilprevent;避免。

 
   
 
   
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