李立扬《无论自哪扇窗，月亮》
无论自哪扇窗，月亮
无论自哪扇窗，月亮是任何人
正观看的一部分。
我无法看见的部分
是姐姐保守的所有秘密。
一部分是已故的弟弟无眠的额头，
其他部分是我浪费掉的时间，以及
我不会拥有的时间。
然而哪一部分是狮子
被杀以取其内在之蜜，①
哪一部分是酒，滞
于山谷，无可挽回？
别忘了窗帘。别忘记林间的
风，或者母亲说起将让我一生
梦想成真的事物时她的声音。
一部分是母亲门口
长高了的执著的孩子，而一部分
是离去之前最后的一次回眸。
绝不要忘记它不知所终地回答，
却对渴求之路一遍
又一遍地呼唤。绝不要忘了
那支蜡烛，它往下爬
从不回头。
那颗在躲猫猫游戏里
独自大声计数的心
如何？
绝不要忘了那自
垂死呼喊者肺腑之中
传出的哭泣。
唯独在如此纯粹的迸发中
今夜才会有万物的位置。
①《旧约•士师记》第14章：“5参孙跟他父母下亭拿去。到了亭拿的葡萄园，见有一只少壮狮子向他吼叫。6耶和华的灵大大感动参孙，他虽然手无器械，却将狮子撕裂，如同撕裂山羊羔一样。他行这事并没有告诉父母。7参孙下去与女子说话，就喜悦她。8过了些日子，再下去要娶那女子，转向道旁要看死狮，见有一群蜂子和蜜在死狮之内，9就用手取蜜，且吃且走，到了父母那里，给他父母，他们也吃了，只是没有告诉这蜜是从死狮之内取来的。”
The Moon from Any Window
The moon from any window is one part
whoever’s looking.
The part I can’t see
is everything my sister keeps to herself.
One part my dead brother’s sleepless brow,
the other part the time I waste, the time
I won’t have.
But which is the lion
killed for the sake of the honey inside him,
and which the wine, stranded
in a valley, unredeemed?
And don’t forget the curtains. Don’t forget the wind
in the trees, or my mother’s voice saying things
that will take my whole life to come true.
One part earnest child grown tall
in his mother’s doorway, and one a last look
over the shoulder before leaving.
And never forget it answers to no address,
but calls wave after wave
to a path of thirst. Never forget
the candle climbing down
without glancing back.
And what about the heart
counting alone, out loud, in that game
in which the many hide from the one?
Never forget the cry
completely hollowed of the dying one
who cried it.
Only in such pure outpouring
is there room for all this night.
********************************************
附录：
前几天修订这首诗的译稿，“and which the wine, stranded / in a valley, unredeemed?”这两行颇费猜想，我反复读，疑心暗含着《圣经》中的某个典故（尤其是上一节诗就用到了《士师记》中参孙从死狮骨架中取食蜂蜜的典故），但把《圣经》翻览一遍，没能找到有效的线索。后来我把这个疑惑就教于万能的豆友，不期然得到热情的友邻十一的帮助。十一把这个问题拿去咨询了他/她的暑期课老师、专事《圣经》研究Chris Corwin教授。教授虽然没有完全解决掉我的困惑，但他却从《圣经》本事的角度对这首诗做出了详致又新颖的可能的解读。读罢教授回复的邮件，我内心很是激动。幸得教授慨允，现将邮件整理贴在这里，供有心人探讨。感谢热心的十一和Chris Corwin教授。
I think the following are potential biblical allusions:
But which is the lion
killed for the sake of the honey inside him,
and which the wine, stranded
in a valley, unredeemed?
Clearly, "the lion killed..." is from the Samson narrative found in the book of Judges.
"the wine" is a little more difficult, does it refer to the wine of communion found in the New Testament, in which bread and wine represent the body and blood of Christ? Or the wine
as a symbol (frequent in the Old Testament) of blessing, prosperity, and in either case, "stranded" and "unredeemed" seem to suggest not effective, or not fully engaged, active etc.
but calls wave after wave
to a path of thirst.
This seems to echo Psalm 42:7 "Deep calls to deep at the sound of your waterspouts; all your waves and billows have gone over me." The same Psalm starts with the line "as the deer pants for the water, so my soul pants after you. You alone are my heart's desire and I long to worship you."
This might seem like a bit of a far-fetched connection, but this is a very "famous" passage. "Thirst" is very similar to "desire" and clearly and the deer is in fact doing.
Again, how this affects the meaning of this poem is not clear to me yet.
Given the presence of biblical images, or possible ones, I find,
one a last look
over the shoulder before leaving.
and
the candle climbing down
without glancing back.
As possibly referring to the story of Lot's wife in Genesis 19, who, when fleeing the destruction of Sodom disobeying the angel's order to not look back, turns and looks at the fiery destruction and becomes a pillar of salt.
And what about the heart
counting alone, out loud, in that game
in which the many hide from the one?
And the way this is phrased, with the word "alone" as well seems also a possible image associate with Adam and Eve (or "the many" = all humans" hiding from the one = God).
Finally,
Never forget the cry
completely hollowed of the dying one
who cried it.
Jesus Christ is often referred to as "the dying one" in Western Lit.
When dying on the cross, he cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Theologians consider this cry an indication that in dying for the sins of humanity, (and thereby redeeming them), Christ suffered the very human sense of anguish at being separated from God.
With this in mind, "completely hollowed" seems like a very apt description of his cry.
If I am at all on the right track in reading this poem (I admit the possibility that I might simply want it to mean this) I find this poem's ending a very powerful expression of hope combined with sorrow.
Only in such pure outpouring
is there room for all this night.
Meaning that only in the selflessness of Christ's death can the sorrows of separation from family, God, etc. (which the images of the poem suggest) "the night" be something we can endure, live with ...
or something along that line, as with most great poetry, my attempt at summing up theme feels very weak, too narrow perhaps.
无论自哪扇窗，月亮是任何人
正观看的一部分。
我无法看见的部分
是姐姐保守的所有秘密。
一部分是已故的弟弟无眠的额头，
其他部分是我浪费掉的时间，以及
我不会拥有的时间。
然而哪一部分是狮子
被杀以取其内在之蜜，①
哪一部分是酒，滞
于山谷，无可挽回？
别忘了窗帘。别忘记林间的
风，或者母亲说起将让我一生
梦想成真的事物时她的声音。
一部分是母亲门口
长高了的执著的孩子，而一部分
是离去之前最后的一次回眸。
绝不要忘记它不知所终地回答，
却对渴求之路一遍
又一遍地呼唤。绝不要忘了
那支蜡烛，它往下爬
从不回头。
那颗在躲猫猫游戏里
独自大声计数的心
如何？
绝不要忘了那自
垂死呼喊者肺腑之中
传出的哭泣。
唯独在如此纯粹的迸发中
今夜才会有万物的位置。
①《旧约•士师记》第14章：“5参孙跟他父母下亭拿去。到了亭拿的葡萄园，见有一只少壮狮子向他吼叫。6耶和华的灵大大感动参孙，他虽然手无器械，却将狮子撕裂，如同撕裂山羊羔一样。他行这事并没有告诉父母。7参孙下去与女子说话，就喜悦她。8过了些日子，再下去要娶那女子，转向道旁要看死狮，见有一群蜂子和蜜在死狮之内，9就用手取蜜，且吃且走，到了父母那里，给他父母，他们也吃了，只是没有告诉这蜜是从死狮之内取来的。”
The Moon from Any Window
The moon from any window is one part
whoever’s looking.
The part I can’t see
is everything my sister keeps to herself.
One part my dead brother’s sleepless brow,
the other part the time I waste, the time
I won’t have.
But which is the lion
killed for the sake of the honey inside him,
and which the wine, stranded
in a valley, unredeemed?
And don’t forget the curtains. Don’t forget the wind
in the trees, or my mother’s voice saying things
that will take my whole life to come true.
One part earnest child grown tall
in his mother’s doorway, and one a last look
over the shoulder before leaving.
And never forget it answers to no address,
but calls wave after wave
to a path of thirst. Never forget
the candle climbing down
without glancing back.
And what about the heart
counting alone, out loud, in that game
in which the many hide from the one?
Never forget the cry
completely hollowed of the dying one
who cried it.
Only in such pure outpouring
is there room for all this night.
********************************************
附录：
前几天修订这首诗的译稿，“and which the wine, stranded / in a valley, unredeemed?”这两行颇费猜想，我反复读，疑心暗含着《圣经》中的某个典故（尤其是上一节诗就用到了《士师记》中参孙从死狮骨架中取食蜂蜜的典故），但把《圣经》翻览一遍，没能找到有效的线索。后来我把这个疑惑就教于万能的豆友，不期然得到热情的友邻十一的帮助。十一把这个问题拿去咨询了他/她的暑期课老师、专事《圣经》研究Chris Corwin教授。教授虽然没有完全解决掉我的困惑，但他却从《圣经》本事的角度对这首诗做出了详致又新颖的可能的解读。读罢教授回复的邮件，我内心很是激动。幸得教授慨允，现将邮件整理贴在这里，供有心人探讨。感谢热心的十一和Chris Corwin教授。
I think the following are potential biblical allusions:
But which is the lion
killed for the sake of the honey inside him,
and which the wine, stranded
in a valley, unredeemed?
Clearly, "the lion killed..." is from the Samson narrative found in the book of Judges.
"the wine" is a little more difficult, does it refer to the wine of communion found in the New Testament, in which bread and wine represent the body and blood of Christ? Or the wine
as a symbol (frequent in the Old Testament) of blessing, prosperity, and in either case, "stranded" and "unredeemed" seem to suggest not effective, or not fully engaged, active etc.
but calls wave after wave
to a path of thirst.
This seems to echo Psalm 42:7 "Deep calls to deep at the sound of your waterspouts; all your waves and billows have gone over me." The same Psalm starts with the line "as the deer pants for the water, so my soul pants after you. You alone are my heart's desire and I long to worship you."
This might seem like a bit of a far-fetched connection, but this is a very "famous" passage. "Thirst" is very similar to "desire" and clearly and the deer is in fact doing.
Again, how this affects the meaning of this poem is not clear to me yet.
Given the presence of biblical images, or possible ones, I find,
one a last look
over the shoulder before leaving.
and
the candle climbing down
without glancing back.
As possibly referring to the story of Lot's wife in Genesis 19, who, when fleeing the destruction of Sodom disobeying the angel's order to not look back, turns and looks at the fiery destruction and becomes a pillar of salt.
And what about the heart
counting alone, out loud, in that game
in which the many hide from the one?
And the way this is phrased, with the word "alone" as well seems also a possible image associate with Adam and Eve (or "the many" = all humans" hiding from the one = God).
Finally,
Never forget the cry
completely hollowed of the dying one
who cried it.
Jesus Christ is often referred to as "the dying one" in Western Lit.
When dying on the cross, he cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Theologians consider this cry an indication that in dying for the sins of humanity, (and thereby redeeming them), Christ suffered the very human sense of anguish at being separated from God.
With this in mind, "completely hollowed" seems like a very apt description of his cry.
If I am at all on the right track in reading this poem (I admit the possibility that I might simply want it to mean this) I find this poem's ending a very powerful expression of hope combined with sorrow.
Only in such pure outpouring
is there room for all this night.
Meaning that only in the selflessness of Christ's death can the sorrows of separation from family, God, etc. (which the images of the poem suggest) "the night" be something we can endure, live with ...
or something along that line, as with most great poetry, my attempt at summing up theme feels very weak, too narrow perhaps.
