华兹华斯是英国文学史上浪漫主义时代的重要开创者之一,I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud是他的诗作中最广为流传的一篇。《我独自漫游像一朵浮云》(又译《水仙花》),诗人的灵感来自于妹妹多萝西的一段文字,这段文字描述了兄妹二人某次外出途中看到的水仙花群在风中起舞的景象。
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee.
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company.
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought.
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
我独自漫游像一朵浮云,
高高地漂浮在山与谷之上,
突然我看见一簇簇一群群
金色的水仙在开放:
靠湖边,在树下,
随风起舞乐开花。
它们连绵不断,像银河中
的群星闪烁、眨眼,
它们展延无限成远景
沿着湖湾的边沿:
一瞥眼我看见成千上万,
它们欢快摇首舞翩翩。
近旁的波浪跳着舞;但水仙
欢快的舞姿远远胜过闪光的波涛;
有这样欢快的侣伴,
诗人怎能不心花怒放?
我凝视着——凝视着——当时并未领悟
这景象给我带来的是何等财富:
常常是,当我独卧榻上,
或是沉思,或是茫然,
它们在我心田闪光
这是我独处时的欢乐无限;
我的心就充满快乐,
随着那些水仙起舞婀娜。
(李正栓 译)
选自《英美诗歌教程》,清华大学出版社(2004)