我眼中的诗歌 中英互译

OneoftheabidingprinciplesandimportantreasonswhyIturntopoetry,bothasareaderandamaker,isthelayingbareofthemysteryoftheself.Thewritingofapoembeginsinignorance.Respondingtoaninnerimperative,thestimulusbeneathmostofmypoemsistheGreekDelphicaphorism“KnowThyself,”whichalsoemergedinanotherforminSocrates’sfinaldeclarationswhileontrialandfacingimminentdeath:Theunexaminedlifeisnotworthliving.

我之所以投入诗歌的怀抱,读诗也好、作诗也罢,一个重要原因是诗歌能揭示自我的奥秘,这也是一条永恒不变的原则。写诗始于懵懂。作为对内心需要的回应,我的多数诗歌都是在古希腊德尔菲神庙箴言“认识你自己”的驱动下创作的。苏格拉底受审和赴死之际的最后告白中有句话与此相当:人生不反思,活着无价值。Sinceayoungman,poetrybecamemymeansofknowingandgavemylifesubstance.Bymarkinglanguagesuchthatitsingsourself-hood,bymakingalinguisticrecordofourobservationsinmemorablespeech,poetryofferstheopportunitytonotonlyexaminebuttopenetratetheabstractandnebulousnatureofexistenceandtolaythefoundationforanauthenticselfwhoservesasawitnesstotheirtimes.

自年少时起,诗歌就成了我认识世界的工具,使我的生命有了意义。如此使用语言,能歌颂自我。用令人难忘的话语记录所见所闻,诗歌为我们提供检视人生的机会,不仅如此,还让我们得以洞察抽象而模糊的生命本质,为可成为时代见证的真实自我打下基础。Inasense,poetrywrites,orrather,singsus.Ideliberatelyusetheword“sing”becauseIamoneofthosewho,maybeperversely,believesintheindissolublerelationshipbetweensoundandsense,thatourmostprofoundutterances,attheirpurest,carrythetruthandembodimentofsong.

从一定意义上说,诗歌在书写人生,或更确切地说,在歌唱我们的人生。我之所以特意用“歌唱”这个词,是因为我是那种相信声音与意义不可分割的人,或许这有些较真吧。我相信最深刻的语言,用最纯粹的方式,可以承载歌曲要表达的真实世界与象征意义。Harkeningbacktotherootsoflyricpoetry,poetsarecommunalsingers.Theritualisticactofcallingforthwordsintoaseriesofsynthesizedmemoriesandorderedimpressionsintoartfullanguage(whethermeteredornot)elevateshumanexpressiontoadivineactofwitnessingandbeingintheworld.回望抒情诗的来源,我们会发现,诗人都是大众歌手。他们的惯常做法是,将词语融入一系列合成的记忆,将有序的印象变成精巧的语言(不管押韵与否)。由此人类的语言得以升华,成为世间神圣的见证与存在。Inthe20thcentury,WaltWhitmansays“Iamlarge;Icontainmultitudes”andLangstonHughesstates“I,too,amAmerica.”Thesepronouncementsreflectasmuchtheirindividualspiritasitdoesthetenorofthetimestheylived.Ifweunderstand,today,thisworkofpoetryasbothshapingandgivingexpressiontouniqueconsciousness,whileatthesametime,countersigningtheageoutofwhichitisborn,thenweunderstandhowpoetrymapsbothinnerlivesandthepublicrealmsofengagement.Itisnoaccidentthatinteriorityandterritoryshareinsoundandmeaning,twonearcommonLatinroots:inter(“within”)andterra(“land”).

20世纪,诗人沃尔特·惠特曼写到“我是大我,我就是芸芸众生”,诗人兰斯顿·休斯则宣称“我,也是美国”。他们的宣言既是个人意志的体现,也是时代精神的反映。诗歌既能塑造和表现独特的意识,同时又能见证它所诞生的那个时代,于是,我们就能理解诗歌在描绘内在的人生和外在的世界所起的作用。interiority(内在人生)与territory(外在世界)共享声音和意义绝非偶然,这两个词有着相近的两个常用拉丁词根:inter(内部)和terra(内陆)。Inwritingapoem,languageemergesfromthemostundividedsenseofourselves;itisaconcentratedmomentofhumancognition,improvisationalandincantatory.Muchofthemusicinmylifehastaughtmetolistendeeply,notmerelytonotesbuttotheunderlyingswellofhumanemotionthatinformsbothchordsandwords.

写诗的时候,语言从最专一的自我意识中涌现,这一刻,人的认知高度集中,出口成章,如醉如痴。生活中听过的许多音乐教会了我深入倾听,不仅倾听音符,还要倾听音符背后人类的情感澎湃,这种情感在和弦与歌词中都会有所体现。Iinheritedanabidingloveofjazzandbluesfrommygrandfather.WhatIlongforinmyownworkistheexuberanceoflifeIfirstheardasachild,atimeinourliveswhensoundsaremostimpressionable.Asaresult,Iaimtowritepoemsinwhichlanguagedramaticallychangesintofeeling.Ilongtostylizelanguagesuchthatitbecomesanewencounterforthereaderandhonorstheidiomsofourage.Tothatend,eachpoemIwriteattemptstocapturetheconcernsandsensibilitiesofourtimeswhileexpressingmyuniquerelationshiptolanguage.

受祖父的影响,我钟爱爵士乐和布鲁斯。我渴望把生命中充满激情的语言写入我的诗歌,那是我早在童年时就听到的声音,而那时的声音最让人动情。因此,我的目标是写出能从言辞中迸发情感的诗歌。我渴望写出风格独特的语言,给读者新的阅读体验,为我们这个时代的语言增光。为了这个目标,我的每一首诗都试图捕捉这个时代的种种关切和情感,同时表达我对于语言的特别情愫。Becauselanguageismymaterial,Ialsostrivetomaintainalimberattitude(andear!)sothatIamdoingmorethantranscribingwhatImerelyseeorfeel,butalsotolistenandhearthesubalterntransactionsandideasbetweenwordsandwhattheysignifysothatnotonlydoeslanguagecapturesanexperienceormomentintimebutsomehowtranscendsthecontextandconditionsbywhichitismade.

因为语言是我的创作材料,所以我还要努力保持灵活的态度(和耳朵!),如此,我写诗就不仅仅是摹写所见所感,还要倾听话语间的逻辑关系及其意义,于是,语言不仅能捕捉人生体验或某个瞬间,而且在一定程度上能超越产生语言的环境和条件。Thisrepresentsformetheideaoflyricfreedom,whenthepoemisnotboundbythespace/timeaxisbutbridgessharedexperiencesandbecomesemblematicofthehumanjourney.ItiswhenIbelievemostWaltWhitman’sopeningtoSongofMyself:“Icel