123 ABRAHAM DAVENPORT
第123课 亚伯拉罕·达文波特

'T was on a May day of the far old year
这是很久以前的一个五月天，
Seventeen hundred eighty, that there fell
1780年，恰逢那
Over the bloom and sweet life of the Spring,
鸟语花香的初春时节，
Over the fresh earth and the heaven of noon,
大地披新装，天空明媚，
A horror of great darkness, like the night
突然间笼罩着令人恐惧的黑暗，就像
In day of which the Norland sagas tell—
诺兰德传说中的午夜时分，
The Twilight of the Gods.
那是诸神的黄昏。
The low-hung sky
低沉的天空
Was black with ominous clouds, save where its rim
密布着不祥的乌云，它的边际围着
Was fringed with a dull glow, like that which climbs
一层灰暗的光辉，就像从地下
The crater's sides from the red hell below.
火红的地狱里攀爬到火山口的火焰。
Birds ceased to sing, and all the barnyard fowls
鸟儿停止了歌唱，谷仓里所有家禽
Roosted; the cattle at the pasture bars
都在休息，牧场围栏里的牲畜
Lowed, and looked homeward; bats on leathern wings
低下头，望向围栏的方向，长着皮毛翅膀的蝙蝠
Flitted abroad; the sounds of labor died;
飞快地掠过，劳动的声音已然消逝；
Men prayed, and women wept; all ears grew sharp
男人在祈祷，女人在哭泣，所有人都在听
To hear the doom blast of the trumpet shatter
响彻天际的刺耳喇叭声，
The black sky, that the dreadful face of Christ
黑色的天空，救世主那可怕的面孔
Might look from the rent clouds, not as he looked
从裂开的云层中看去，但他看到的并不是
A loving guest at Bethany, but stern
贝瑟尼的可爱客人，而是正义的
As Justice and inexorable Law.
法官和冷酷的法律。
Meanwhile in the old Statehouse, dim as ghosts,
同时，在古老的州议会大厦，鬼魂般阴暗，
Sat the lawgivers of Connecticut,
坐着康涅狄格州的立法者，
Trembling beneath their legislative robes.
在法袍下颤抖。
"It is the Lord's Great Day! Let us adjourn,"
“今天是上帝的世界末日！休庭！”
Some said; and then, as if with one accord,
有人说；然后，好像大家动作一致，
All eyes were turned to Abraham Davenport.
所有人都把目光聚焦在亚伯拉罕·达文波特身上。

He rose, slow-cleaving with his steady voice
他站起来，用平稳的声音缓慢打破
The intolerable hush. "This well may be
难以忍受的安静。“今天或许
The Day of Judgment which the world awaits;
就是万众期待的审判日；
But be it so or not, I only know
但是，不管是与否，我只知道
My present duty, and my Lord's command
我今天所要承担的责任，我的上司
To occupy till he come. So at the post
让我主持，直到他来。所以，
Where he hath set me in his providence,
我坐在他先前坐的位子上，
I choose, for one, to meet him face to face,—
由于某种原因，我选择和他面对面，
No faithless servant frightened from my task,
没有背叛的仆人会害怕我分配给他任务，
But ready when the Lord of the harvest calls;
但是要时刻准备响应丰收之神的号召；
And therefore, with all reverence, I would say,
因此，怀着无比的崇敬，我会说，
Let God do his work, we will see to ours.
让伟大的上帝做他自己的事情，我们自己照顾自己。
Bring in the candles." And they brought them in.
拿着蜡烛。”他们自己收获谷物。
Then by the flaring lights the Speaker read,
伴着闪烁的光亮，朗诵者读了起来，
Albeit with husky voice and shaking hands,
尽管嗓音沙哑，双手颤抖，
An act to amend an act to regulate
一个动作用来修整，一个动作用来调节
The shad and alewive fisheries. Whereupon,
西鲱和艾乐崴夫渔场。随后，
Wisely and well spake Abraham Davenport,
聪慧且举止得体的亚伯拉罕·达文波特
Straight to the question, with no figures of speech
直接提出问题，用非具体化的语言
Save the ten Arab signs, yet not without
除了阿拉伯数字，他的语言里没有
The shrewd, dry humor natural to the man:
机智与幽默；
His awe-struck colleagues listening all the while,
他那目瞪口呆的同僚全都屏气倾听，
Between the pauses of his argument,
在他高谈阔论的间歇，
To hear the thunder of the wrath of God
听到的是上帝的惊雷之怒
Break from the hollow trumpet of the cloud.
仿佛从空洞的鼓中炸裂而出。
And there he stands in memory to this day,
记得这天他站在这里，
Erect, self-poised, a rugged face, half seen
腰背挺拔，泰然自若，棱角分明的脸上
Against the background of unnatural dark,
映出呆板的黑色阴影，
A witness to the ages as they pass,
这是对他们的岁月的见证，
That simple duty hath no place for fear.
质朴的责任心并未给恐惧预留位置。