George Gordon Byron (1788—1824)

乔治·戈登·拜伦是重要浪漫主义诗人，但是与华兹华斯为首的湖畔诗人有不同。拜伦政治上很激进，反对传统，主张革命，为人放荡不羁，是所谓积极浪漫主义者。华兹华斯主张回归自然，维护传统价值，是所谓消极浪漫主义者。拜伦对湖畔诗人进行过攻击。其实，拜伦只是一个出色的诗人，在政治思想上是肤浅的。拜伦的成名作是《恰尔德·哈洛尔德游记》（Childe Harold's Pilgrimage,1809-1818），最有影响的著作是《唐·璜》(Don Juan,1819-1824)。此外还有不少抒情诗等。《恰尔德·哈洛尔德游记》（杨熙龄译，1959年上海文艺出版社。）是一部叙事长诗，是描写作者游历欧洲各国的抒情日记，由一个灰心失望的贵族青年哈罗德将全诗情节贯穿起来。《唐璜》[don/d u: n]也是一部叙事长诗，写的是欧洲传说中的传奇人物唐璜浪漫冒险经历，未完成。关于唐璜这个人物，欧洲各国有很多作品。莫扎特有一部歌剧即名《唐璜》。

我们所选的这首《滑铁卢前夜》是《游记》中的片段(Canto III, stanzas 21, 22, 24, 25.)，记述的是滑铁卢之战爆发前夕比利时首都布鲁塞尔（Brussels, Belgium）上层人士盲目歌舞狂欢的场面。滑铁卢是位于比利时首都以南约20公里的一个村庄，1815年英军在此驻扎。吕希蒙公爵夫人设宴款待英军将士，拿破仑乘其不备，于当晚突然袭击。与英军共同与拿破仑战斗的还有荷兰、比利时、德等国。最后拿破仑寡不敌众，失败。

The Eve Of Waterloo

There was a sound of revelry by night,
And Belgium’s capital had gather’d then
Her Beauty and her Chivalry, and bright
The lamps shone o’er fair women and brave men;
A thousand hearts beat happily; and when
Music arose with its voluptuous swell,
Soft eyes look’d love to eyes which spake again,
And all went merry as a marriage bell;
But hush! hark! a deep sound strikes like a rising knell!

Did ye not hear it? —No; ’twas but the wind,
Or the car rattling o’er the stony street;
On with the dance! let joy be unconfined;
No sleep till morn, when Youth and Pleasure meet
To chase the growing hours with flying feet—
But, hark! — that heavy sound breaks in once more,
As if the clouds its echo would repeat;
And nearer, clearer, deadlier than before!
Arm! arm! it is — it is —the cannon’s opening roar!

Ah! Then and there was hurrying to and fro,
And gathering tears, and tremblings of distress,
And cheeks all pale, which but an hour ago
Blush’d at the praise of their own loveliness:
And there were sudden partings, such as press
The life from out young hearts, and choking sighs
Which ne’er might be repeated; who could guess
If ever more should meet those mutual eyes,
Since upon night so sweet such awful morn could rise!

And there was mounting in hot haste: the steed,
The mustering squadron, and the clattering car,
Went pouring forward with impetuous speed,
And swiftly forming in the ranks of war;
And the deep thunder peal on peal afar;
And near, the beat of the alarming drum
Roused up the soldier ere the morning star;
While throng’d the citizens with terror dumb,
Or whispering with white lips —‘the foe! they come! they come!’