作品原文

牛汉 《华南虎》

在桂林
小小的动物园里
我见到一只老虎。

我挤在人群之中，
隔着两道铁栅栏
向笼里的老虎
张望了许久许久，
但一直没有瞧见
老虎斑斓的面孔
和火焰似的眼睛。

笼里的老虎
背对胆怯而绝望的观众，
安详地卧在一个角落，
有人用石块砸它
有人向它厉声呵斥
有人还苦苦劝诱
然而，它却一概不理!
又长又粗的尾巴
悠悠地在拂动，
哦，老虎，笼中的老虎，
你是梦见了苍苍莽莽的山林吗?
是屈辱的心灵在抽搐吗?
还是想用尾巴鞭打那些可怜而可笑的观众?

你的健壮的腿
直挺挺地向四方伸开，
我看见你的每个趾爪
全都是破碎的，
凝结着浓浓的鲜血!
你的趾爪
是被人捆绑着
活活地铰掉的吗?
还是由于悲愤
你用同样破碎的牙齿
把它们和着热血咬掉……

我看见铁笼里
灰灰的水泥墙壁上
有一道一道的血淋淋的沟壑
像闪电那般耀眼刺目!

我终于明白……
我羞愧地离开了动物园，
恍惚之中听见一声
石破天惊的咆哮，
有一个不羁的灵魂
掠过我的头顶
腾空而去，
我看见了火焰似的斑纹
和火焰似的眼睛！

作品译文

South China Tiger
Niu Han

I saw a tiger
In a little zoo
In Guilin.

I pushed through the jabbering crowd
And gazed long, long
On the caged tiger
Through two rows of iron bars
But never saw
Its striped face
Or flaming eyes.

The caged tiger lay peacefully
In one corner,
Its back to the timid, disappointed crowd,
Some pounding it with stones,
Some berating it loudly,
Some coaxing it painstakingly,
And took no notice at all!
Its long, thick tail
Swept lazily.
Tiger, caged tiger,
Did you dream of lush, wooded hills?
Was it your wronged soul that twitched,
Or would you with your tail lash the poor, foolish visitors?

I saw when your sturdy legs
stretched rigid around you
That every claw
Was broken
And caked thick with blood!
Had your claws
Been trussed
And sheared live,
Or had you in wronged grief
With equally broken teeth (sawn off, they said)
Bitten them till they and the hot blood broke?

I saw on the cage’s
Grey concrete walls
Blood-wet channels
Assailing the eye like lightning!
Finally I understood.
I left the zoo abashed
And heard in a haze
An earth-shattering roar
As an unbridled soul
Brushed the top of my head
And sped skywards,
And I saw the flaming stripes,
The flaming eyes
And the giant, broken,
Claws dripping blood!