LESSON 72

THE CHURCH SCENE FROM EVANGELINE

伊万杰琳眼中的教堂景象

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1807-1882, the son of Hon. Stephen Longfellow, an eminent lawyer of Portland, Maine, was born in that city. He graduated, at the age of eighteen, at Bowdoin College. He was soon appointed to the chair of Modern Languages and Literature in that institution, and, to fit himself further for his work, he went abroad and spent four years in Europe. He remained at Bowdoin till 1835, when he was appointed to the chair of Modern Languages and Belles-lettres in Harvard University. On receiving this appointment, he again went to Europe and remained two years. He resigned his professorship in 1854, and after that time resided in Cambridge, pursuing his literary labors and giving to the public, from time to time, the fruits of his pen. In 1868 he made a voyage to England, where he was received with extraordinary marks of honor and esteem. In addition to Mr. Longfellow’s original works, both in poetry and in prose, he distinguished himself by several translations; the most famous is that of the works of Dante.

Mr. Longfellow’s poetry is always elegant and chaste, showing in every line traces of his careful scholarship. Yet it is not above the popular taste or comprehension, as is shown by the numerous and varied editions of his poems. Many of his poems treat of historical themes; “Evangeline,” from which the following selection is taken, is esteemed by many as the most beautiful of all his longer poems; it was first published in 1847.

So passed the morning away. And lo! with a summons sonorous

Sounded the bell from its tower, and over the meadows a drumbeat.

Thronged erelong was the church with men. Without, in the churchyard,

Awaited the women. They stood by the graves, and hung on the headstones

Garlands of autumn leaves and evergreens fresh from the forest.

Then came the guard from the ships, and marching proudly among them

Entered the sacred portal. With loud and dissonant clangor

Echoed the sound of their brazen drums from ceiling and casement,—

Echoed a moment only, and slowly the ponderous portal

Closed, and in silence the crowd awaited the will of the soldiers.

Then uprose their commander, and spake from the steps of the altar,

Holding aloft in his hands, with its seals, the royal commission.

“You have convened this day,” he said, “by his Majesty’s orders.

Clement and kind has he been; but how you have answered his kindness,

Let your own hearts reply! To my natural make and my temper

Painful the task is I do, which to you I know must be grievous.

Yet must I bow and obey, and deliver the will of our monarch;

Namely, that all your lands, and dwellings, and cattle of all kinds

Forfeited be to the crown; and that you yourselves from this province

Be transported to other lands. God grant you may dwell there

Ever as faithful subjects, a happy and peaceable people!

Prisoners now I declare you; for such is his Majesty’s pleasure!”

As, when the air is serene in the sultry solstice of summer,

Suddenly gathers a storm, and the deadly sling of the hailstones

Beats down the farmer’s corn in the field and shatters his windows,

Hiding the sun, and strewing the ground with thatch from the house roofs,

Bellowing fly the herds, and seek to break their inclosure;

So on the hearts of the people descended the words of the speaker.

Silent a moment they stood in speechless wonder, and then rose

Louder and ever louder a wail of sorrow and anger,

And, by one impulse moved, they madly rushed to the doorway.

Vain was the hope of escape; and cries and fierce imprecations

Rang through the house of prayer; and high o’er the heads of the others

Rose, with his arms uplifted, the figure of Basil the blacksmith,

As, on a stormy sea, a spar is tossed by the billows.

Flushed was his face and distorted with passion; and wildly he shouted,—

“Down with the tyrants of England! we never have sworn them allegiance!

Death to these foreign soldiers, who seize on our homes and our harvests!”

More he fain would have said, but the merciless hand of a soldier

Smote him upon the mouth, and dragged him down to the pavement.

In the midst of the strife and tumult of angry contention,

Lo! the door of the chancel opened, and Father Felician

Entered, with serious mien, and ascended the steps of the alter.

Raising his reverend hand, with a gesture he awed into silence

All that clamorous throng; and thus he spake to his people;

Deep were his tones and solemn; in accents measured and mournful

Spake he, as, after the tocsin’s alarum, distinctly the clock strikes.

“What is this that ye do, my children? what madness has seized you?

Forty years of my life have I labored among you, and taught you,

Not in word alone, but in deed, to love one another!

Is this the fruit of my toils, of my vigils and prayers and privations?

Have you so soon forgotten all the lessons of love and forgiveness?

This is the house of the Prince of Peace, and would you profane it

Thus with violent deeds and hearts overflowing with hatred?

Lo! where the crucified Christ from his cross is gazing upon you!

See! in those sorrowful eyes what meekness and holy compassion!

Hark! how those lips still repeat the prayer, ‘O Father, forgive them!’

Let us repeat that prayer in the hour when the wicked assail us,

Let us repeat it now, and say, ‘O Father, forgive them.’”

Few were his words of rebuke, but deep in the hearts of his people

Sank they, and sobs of contrition succeeded the passionate outbreak,

While they repeated his prayer, and said, “O Father, forgive them!”

【中文阅读】

清晨就这样度过。看啊！随着一声响亮的召唤

高楼敲响钟声，鼓声漫过草地。

不久人们麇集教堂，在教堂墓地，

没有等待的女人。他们站在坟墓旁，紧紧抓住墓碑

上面盖着用丛林里采来的秋叶和常青藤编成的花圈。

船上下来的卫兵来了，在他们中间自豪地迈着正步，

进了神圣的入口。伴随响亮和刺耳的铿锵声，

从顶棚和窗扉回荡着他们铜鼓的响声——

只响了片刻，笨重的大门

慢慢关上，人群在沉默中等待士兵的决心。

他们的指挥官站起身，站在祭坛的台阶讲话，

他的手举过头顶，用的是皇家的印信。

“今天向你们传达陛下的命令，”他说，

“陛下一贯仁慈和善；但是，你们是怎么回应的，

还是让你们的心来回答吧！就我的脾气而言，

我的任务艰巨，我晓得你们必定伤心痛苦。

然而我必须屈膝服从，传达主上的旨意；

就是说你们所有被抄没的土地，房舍和牲畜

都要归于王权；从这个行省来的你们

要转到他地。上帝准许你们在那里定居

永世为忠实的奴仆，快乐祥和的人们！

现在我宣布你们是囚徒；因为这是陛下的意思！”

在湿热难耐的夏日里，空气宁静安谧，

突然间暴风雨骤起，雹块如刀

将农夫地里的谷物砍倒，击打窗扉，

太阳躲起来了，将屋顶的茅草掀在地上，

畜群仰天咆哮，极力冲破围栏；

喇叭里有几句话说到人们心坎。

在无语的惊诧中人们默默站了一会儿，然后

哀号和愤怒声越来越大，

随着一人冲动地乱窜，他们疯了似的冲到门口。

逃跑的希望渺茫，哭叫声和激烈的诅咒

在祈祷的屋子里回荡，他越过其他人的脑袋

用胳膊举起铁匠巴希尔的画像，

在暴雨交加的海上，一块木头被巨浪拍打撕扯。

他脸泛起红晕，愤怒扭曲了模样；他疯狂地喊道——

“打倒英格兰暴君！我们绝不发誓效忠他们！

宁愿死在这些占领我们家园和收成的外国士兵手上！”

他本想再说，可是士兵那无情的手

捂住他的嘴，将他拽倒在人行道上。

在激愤的冲突和混乱中，

看啊！高坛的门开了，教父费利西安

闪身进来，神色严肃，踏上祭坛的台阶。

抬起尊贵的手，让喧闹的人群肃静；

于是，他对教众开口，

他的声音低沉，神情肃穆，语气慎重悲呛

在与钟声截然两样的警钟响过后，他说，

“什么是你们该做的，我的孩子？你们被疯狂攫住了心房吗？

我的生命中有四十载与你们相伴度过，教过你们

不要用话语，要用行动去爱别人！

难道这就是我辛劳、夜夜不眠，倾听祈祷和甘于贫困的结果吗？

你们这么快就忘记了所有爱和宽恕的教训了吗？

这是和平王子的宫殿，难道你们非要用

暴力行为和仇恨的心来玷污它吗？

看啊！十字架上受难的基督正看着你们呢！

瞧啊！那些悲哀的目光中闪烁着温顺和神圣的激情！

听啊！那些人的嘴唇怎样默祷‘主啊，饶恕他们吧！’

让我们在邪恶困扰我们的时刻重复那句祈祷吧，

让我们现在就重复，念，‘主啊，饶恕他们吧。’”

他申斥的话语寥寥，但沉入人们心底，

在他们重复他的祈祷，念，“主啊，饶恕他们吧！”时

痛悔的啜泣取代了激情爆发。