作品原文

余光中 《水晶牢》

放下镜下仿佛才数得清的一群
要用细钳子钳来钳去的
最殷勤最敏捷的小奴隶
是哪个恶作剧的坏精灵
从什么地方拐来的，用什么诡计
拐到这玲珑的水晶牢里？
钢圆门依回纹一旋上，滴水不透
日夜不休，按一个紧密的节奏
推吧，绕一个静寂的中心
推动所有的金磨子成一座磨坊
流过世纪磨成了岁月
流过岁月磨成了时辰
流过时辰磨成了分秒
涓涓滴滴，从号称不透水的闸门
偷偷地漏去。这是世界上
最乖小的工厂，滴滴复答答
永不歇工，你不相信吗？
贴你的耳朵吧，悄悄，在腕上
听水晶牢里众奴在歌唱
应着齿轮和齿轮对齿
切切嚼时间单调的机声
众奴的合唱，你问，是欢喜或悲哀？
欢喜和悲哀是你的，你自己去咀嚼
悲哀的慢板和欢喜的快调
犀利的金磨子，你听，无所谓悲哀
不悲哀，纵整条河流就这样流去
从你的晚上。轻轻，贴你的耳朵
听两种律动日夜在赛跑
热血的脉搏对冷钢的脉搏
热血更快些，七十步对六十
最初是新血的一百四领先
童贞的兔子遥遥在前面
但钢的节奏俞追俞接近
贴你的耳朵在腕上，细心地听
哪一种脉搏在敲奏你生命？

英文译文

The Crystal Prison
—On a Watch
Yu Guangzhong

Uncountable unless under a magnifying glass,
Handled with care by tweezers only,
Such dutiful and skillful little slaves:
By what mischievous sprites, from where,
And with what tricks, were you kidnapped
To this curious device of a crystal prison?
Shut behind the round steel gate, waterproof,
Day and night, to a pressing beat, push
Around the center of quietude,
Push all the golden wheels of a mill
That grinds the heartless flow of centuries
Into years and months, days and hours,
And hours into fine flour of minutes,
Of minutes and moments and seconds.
So out it drips stealthily, through the gate
Called “waterproof.” This is the tiniest
Factory, that, tick-tock-tick, knows no rest.
If you doubt it, gently press your ear
Down to your wrist and closely listen
To the slaves' songs in the crystal prison,
Time's ever-chewing, gnawing monotone
When wheels meet wheels, teeth fitting zigzag teeth.
Are the prison songs, you ask, happy or sad?
Happiness or sadness is for you to tell—
A sad, slow tune or a brisk, happy tune.
Listen, the turning wheels are neither sad
Nor happy, even though rivers flow
From your wrist. Gently put your ear down
To the two pulses racing day and night,
Warm blood racing against cold steel,
Blood running faster, seventy-six beats to sixty.
At first the young blood runs at a hundred and forty,
The carefree hare jumping way ahead,
But the steely steps are closing in.
Lay your ear to your wrist and carefully listen.
Which pulse taps the rhythm of your life?