LESSON 18 THE FESTAL BOARD 节日聚会
1.Come to the festal[1] board tonight,
For bright-eyed beauty will be there,
Her coral lips in nectar steeped,
And garlanded[2] her hair.
2.Come to the festal board tonight,
For there the joyous laugh of youth
Will ring those silvery peals, which speak
Of bosom pure and stainless truth.
3.Come to the festal board tonight,
For friendship, there, with stronger chain,
Devoted[3] hearts already bound
For good or ill, will bind again.
I went.
4.Nature and art their stores outpoured;
Joy beamed in every kindling glance;
Love, friendship, youth, and beauty smiled;
What could that evening’s bliss enhance[4]?
We parted.
5.And years have fl own; but where are now
The guests who round that table met?
Rises their sun as gloriously
As on the banquet’s eve it set?
6.How holds the chain which friendship wove?
It broke; and soon the hearts it bound
Were widely sundered[5]; and for peace,
Envy and strife and blood were found.
7.The merriest laugh which then was heard
Has changed its tones to maniac screams,
As half-quenched memory kindles up
Glimmerings[6] of guilt in feverish dreams.
8.And where is she whose diamond eyes
Golconda’s[7] purest gems outshone?
Whose roseate[8] lips of Eden breathed?
Say, where is she, the beauteous one?
9.Beneath yon willow’s drooping shade,
With eyes now dim, and lips all pale,
She sleeps in peace.Read on her urn,
“A broken heart.” This tells her tale.
10.And where is he, that tower of strength,
Whose fate with hers for life was joined?
How beats his heart, once honor’s throne?
How high has soared his daring mind?
11.Go to the dungeon’s gloom tonight;
His wasted form, his aching head,
And all that now remains of him,
Lies, shuddering, on a felon’s[9] bed.
12.Ask you of all these woes the cause?
The festal board, the enticing[10] bowl,
More often came, and reason fl ed,
And maddened passions spurned[11] control.
13.Learn wisdom, then.The frequent feast
Avoid; for there, with stealthy tread
Temptation walks, to lure[12] you on,
Till death, at last, the banquet spread.
14.And shun, oh shun, the enchanted[13] cup!
Though now its draught like joy appears, Ere long it will be fanned by sighs,
And sadly mixed with blood and tears.
【中文阅读】
1.快来，快来参加今晚欢乐的聚会！
那个明眸善睐的美丽姑娘要来，
她珊瑚色的嘴唇像浸泡过花蜜一样甘甜，
秀发上装点着娇嫩的花环。
2.快来，快来参加今晚欢乐的聚会！
在那里，年轻人欢快的笑声，
应和着银铃般的乐曲，诉说着
他们纯净无邪的内心。
3.快来，快来参加今晚欢乐的聚会！
舞会让友谊变得更加牢固，
无论未来怎样，心意相连的朋友们，
相约以后同甘苦，共患难。
于是，我去了。
4.到处都弥漫着美与自然，
欢乐写在每个人热情洋溢的笑脸上。
爱情、友谊、年轻与美貌竞相绽放，
还有什么，能让这个夜晚更幸福美满？
舞会结束，我离开了。
5.岁月如梭，那些在舞会上
觥筹交错的人儿啊，身在何方？
他们生命中的阳光，
可曾像宴会那天一样灿烂？
6.该如何握紧曾经的友谊纽带？
它断开了。曾经相连的心，
也渐行渐远。渐渐地，
嫉妒、纷争和冲突接踵而来。
7.曾经甜美的欢笑声，
变成无可遏止的疯狂尖叫。
渐渐模糊的回忆，重新燃起
对往日狂热梦想的自责感。
8.那个目若秋水的少女，身在何方？
她的眼眸，曾胜过宝山最纯净的钻石；
她的芳唇，曾比伊甸园里的玫瑰更鲜嫩。
她在哪儿，这个美丽的姑娘？
9.她在远处那株低垂的柳树荫下，
眼神黯淡，嘴唇无光，
静静地安息着。她的碑文上写着，
“这里，埋藏着一颗破碎的心。”
10.他又去了哪里，那个像铁塔般壮实的男子，
那个曾与她命运相连的男人？
他的心，曾在荣耀的宝座上栖息，
他能爬得多高，带着他的勃勃野心？
11.去吧，去地牢里看看。
看他枯瘦的身形，低垂的头，
看他簌簌发抖地，
躺在属于囚犯的床上。
12.你问，他们为什么陷入这悲哀境况？
哦，正是那些欢乐的聚会，杯盏尽欢，
放纵的欲望，失控的理智，
无法遏制的激情让一切变得疯狂。
13.倾听智慧吧，朋友。用坚定的步伐，
避开那些频繁的盛宴。
诱惑会向你走来，引诱你，
夜夜笙歌，直到你的死亡。
14.放下，放下那些带着魔法的酒杯！
尽管现在，喝干它令你无比欢畅，
但是，叹息很快便会随它而来，
夹杂着悲哀的鲜血和泪水。
【注释】
[1] Festal, mirthful, joyous.
[2] Garlanded, adorned with wreaths of f lowers.
[3] Devoted, solemnly set apart.
[4] Enhance, increase.
[5] Sundered, separated.
[6] Glimmerings, faint views, glimpses.
[7] Golconda, is an ancient city and fortress of India, formerly renowned for its diamonds.They were merely cut and polished there, however, being generally brought from Parteall, a city farther south.
[8] Roseate, blooming, rosy.
[9] Felon, a public criminal.
[10] Enticing, attracting to evil.
[11] Spurned, rejected with disdain.
[12] Lure, to attract, to entice.
[13] Enchanted, af fected with enchantment, bewitched.