安妮.卡森(Anne Carson)生于1950年,现住加拿大蒙特利尔。曾就读于加拿大多伦多大学并相继在该大学获得学士、硕士和博士学位。
2001年,安妮.卡森的诗集《丈夫的美丽》 获得艾略特诗歌奖(奖金一万英镑),使她成为该奖项自1993年开始颁奖以来的第一位女诗人。评奖委员会主席海伦.邓莫尔对她的获奖作品评论说:“安妮.卡森才华横溢地通过辛辣尖酸,性感抒情,直言不讳和感情强烈的措辞在诗中描绘了婚姻的死亡。”
确实,安妮.卡森才华横溢,她不仅写诗,著文,还是一位非常著名的翻译家;她的本职工作是从事古典文学研究和教学,还兼职当编辑。作为一位诗人,她的几本诗集曾多次打入美国国家图书评论奖和英国艾略特诗歌奖入围获奖者名单,她已获得的荣誉包括:兰安文学奖,普什卡特诗歌奖,格雷芬杰出诗歌奖(奖金四十万加元) ,哥根海姆研究员基金,麦克阿瑟天才奖(奖金五十万美元) 等多种奖项。有媒体称她为写诗赚大钱的女诗人。作为翻译家,她已出版了几本名篇译著,如[萨福残篇] 和索福克勒斯的[伊莱克特拉] 等。作为学者和教授,她主要从事希腊和拉丁文古典文学研究与教学,在加拿大麦克基尔大学担任研究生院古典文学部主任并承担教学任务。
安妮.卡森写的[城镇生活] 是由几十首以各种各样的“镇” 为题的短诗构成的系列。诗人言简意赅,幽默讽喻,笔法独特,常错用标点符号,给人以想象。这里选译其中十八首,让读者自行评论欣赏。
传道者镇
活力四射象宫殿之火正旺。
APOSTLE TOWN
Shouting sideways at one another.As gaps between the teeth.Beautiful the nerves pouring around in her like palace fire.
幸运镇
一个男人挖到了金子。
LUCK TOWN
So that he could buy food for his aged mother.A man struck gold.
死亡镇
这镇上的噪声。
DEATH TOWN
The noise of the town.
经过上帝树林路上的镇
那词语意味着“上帝的树林。”
TOWN ON THE WAY THROUGH GOD'S WOODS
Have you ever seen woods so.Every tree a word does your heart stop.Once I saw a cloud over Bolivia so deep.Mountains were cowering do you ever?Look in so quick you see the secret.As in an abandoned railway car.One winter afternoon I saw.The word for "God's woods.
我听到过的一个镇
在炉子上。
A TOWN I HAVE HEARD OF
"In the middle of nowhere."On the stove.
再次春镇
抵达我们。
TOWN OF SPRING ONCE AGAIN
"Spring is always like what it used to be."Rain hissed down the windows.Longings from a great distance.Reached us.
爱情镇
垂下她的后身。
LOVE TOWN
Down her back.
罪之死亡的镇
黑暗如风在森林之上。
TOWN OF THE DEATH OF SIN
The moon screamed past us.Black as a wind over the forests.
记忆镇
一百四十英里?
MEMORY TOWN
In each one of you I paint.A buried site of radioactive material.You think 8 miles down is enough?140 miles?
沙漠镇
只是等待。
DESERT TOWN
When the sage came back in.He propped the disciples up again like sparrows.Some had fallen into despair this puzzled him.Where he baked his heart.Were no shadows no up and down to remind him.How they depended on him a boy died.It is very expensive he thought.To the cutting away ways.Of this world a fire was roaring up.Inside him his bones by now liquid and he saw.艾米莉镇
意义。
EMILY TOWN
"Riches in a little room."Her since the voltage of you.Her.
睡去的镇
被刺入。
TOWN GONE TO SLEEP
There was distant thunder that was its.Hitting the ground that was.A Creature's life melting.Out to the edges of that garden as.Shoots toward the surface that was a Creature's.Hope in it just before turning to see.Of the world immense and sad as hell.Plunged.
找出上帝之爱的镇
让你听见。
TOWN OF FINDING OUT ABOUT THE LOVE OF GOD
Now my suitcase is ready.For the journey are stored.How could it be otherwise?Audible to you.
犹大镇
不是我不是一块食物。
JUDAS TOWN
Not a late hour not unlit rows.Not olive trees not locks not heart.Not morsel not I.
一枝杈断裂声的镇
他自己。
TOWN OF THE SOUND OF A TWIG BREAKING
Their faces I thought were knives.The way they pointed them at me.A hunter is someone who listens.So hard to his prey it pulls the weapon.Out of his hand and impales.Itself.
九月镇
你的兄弟瞒着警察。
SEPTEMBER TOWN
The sound of the cicadas.Out there in the blackness zone is going to crush my head.Flat as a piece of paper some night.To go ahead with normal tasks anyway just because.Your head is crushed flat.As a piece of paper doesn't mean.You can get out of going to work.Mending the screen door hiding.Your brother from the police.
错误问题镇
吃什么--光?
TOWN OF THE WRONG QUESTION
The panels roll back what.Do they eat--light?
普西金镇
或到我们的眼睛是灰烬时会是。
PUSHKIN TOWN
When I live I live in the ancient future.Deep rivers run to it angel pavements are in use.Some words of yours are very probably ore there.Or will be by the time our eyes are ember.选编:王伟