translated into Chinese by Chen Tzu-yun 陳次雲,Associate Professor, DFLL
Translator’s note: This Irish folk song is a political satire in which the country woman Nell Flaherty represents Ireland, and the knave that stole the drake is clearly England. The censure is articulate and thorough. This work compares favorably with two poems containing political barbs in the ancient Chinese Book of Songs 詩經, namely Hsiang-po 巷伯 and Ta-tung 大東. Coincidentally, Ta-tung also happens to written in octets, with a total of seven stanzas. This poem consists of eight octets, beating Ta-tung by one stanza. My name it is Nell, quite candid I tell, That I live near Coote hill, I will never deny; I had a fine drake, the truth for to spake, That my grandmother left me and she going to die; He was wholesome and sound, he would weigh twenty pound, The universe round I would rove for his sake - Bad wind to the robber - be he drunk or sober - That murdered Nell Flaherty’s beautiful drake. 奴家閨名叫娜兒,頗為坦白我直說,我家住庫特崗附近,我絕不否認; 我有一隻好公鴨,我說的是真話,那是祖母給我遺物當她要就木; 公鴨健康又強壯,他一秤二十磅,為找他的緣故我願環宇漫步 - 惡風吹打那土匪 - 不論他醒或醉 -是他謀殺了娜兒傅烈蒂的美麗公鴨。 His neck it was green - most rare to be seen, He was fit for a queen of the highest degree; His body was white - and would you delight - He was plump, fat and heavy, and brisk as a bee, The dear little fellow, his legs they were yellow, He would fly like a swallow and dive like a hake, But some wicked savage, to grease his white cabbage, He murdered Nell Flaherty’s beautiful drake. 他的頸是綠油油 - 這顏色最罕有,他配得上人間最高貴的女王; 他的身是雪雪白 - 保證令你喜愛–他豐滿,肥又重,又靈活如蜜蜂, 這可愛的小傢伙,他雙腳杏黃色,他會如燕飛天又會如魚潛淵, 但某萬惡蠻子,為添包心菜油脂,他謀殺了娜兒傅烈蒂的美麗公鴨。 May his pig never grunt, may his cat never hunt, May a ghost ever haunt him at dead of the night; May his hen never lay, may his ass never bray, May his goat fly away like an old paper kite. That the flies and fleas may the wretch ever tease, And the piercing north breeze make him shiver and shake, May a lump of a stick raise bumps fast and thick On the monster that murdered Nell Flaherty’s drake. 願他的豬不咕嚕,願他的貓不捕鼠,願有鬼一直作他祟當更深人靜; 願他的雞蛋不生,他的驢不嘶鳴,願他的山羊飛走像一隻老風箏。 願蒼蠅和跳蚤一直把這壞蛋騷擾,願刺骨的北風教他發抖又觳觫, 願一根大棍子打得他腫包密又多在那謀殺了傅烈蒂公鴨的惡魔。 May his cradle ne'er rock, may his box have no lock, May his wife have no frock for to cover her back; May his cock never crow, may his bellows ne'er blow, And his pipe and his pot may be evermore lack. May his duck never quack, may his goose turn black, And pull down his turf with her long yellow beak; May the plague grip the scamp, and his villainy stamp On the monster that murdered Nell Flaherty’s drake. 願他的搖籃不搖,願他箱子鎖不牢,願他的妻沒有衣服可以蔽體; 願他公雞不啼,願他風箱不鼓氣,願他煙斗和鍋子長缺煙絲和米。 願他的鴨不呱呱,願他的鵝變黑,用她黃色長喙拉倒他的泥炭堆; 願瘟疫抓牢這無賴,把災害烙印在那謀殺了娜兒傅烈蒂公鴨的惡魔。 May his pipe never smoke, may his teapot be broke, And to add to the joke, may his kettle ne'er boil; May he keep to the bed till the hour that he’s dead. May he always be fed on hogwash and boiled oil. May he swell with the gout, may his grinders fall out, May he roll, howl and shout with the horrid toothache; May the temples wear horns, and the toes many corns, Of the monster that murdered Nell Flaherty’s drake. 願他煙斗不著火,願他茶壺打破,更妙的事情是,願他水壺煮不沸; 願他一病不起一直到他斷了氣。 願他永遠被人用豬食和沸油來餵。 願他痛風到發腫,願他齒牙滿地掉,願他牙痛痛到打滾,尖叫和哀號; 願他頭上戴綠帽,雞眼長滿腳,那謀殺了娜兒傅烈蒂公鴨的惡魔。 May his spade never dig, may his sow never pig, May each hair in his wig be well thrashed with a flail; May his door have no latch, may his house have no thatch, May his turkey not hatch, may the rats eat his meal. May every old fairy, from Cork to Dunleary, Dip him snug and airy in river or lake, Where the eel and the trout may feed on the snout Of the monster that murdered Nell Flaherty’s drake. 願他鏟子不挖土,願他母豬不生豬,願他每一根假髮都被連枷仔細打; 願他的門沒門閂,願他的茅屋沒茅草,願他火雞孵不出,願碩鼠吃他食物。 願每位老神仙,從科克到黎雷渡,舒服又涼快把他泡在河裡或湖內; 讓鱔魚和鱒魚紛紛爭食他的大鼻子,那謀殺了娜兒傅烈蒂公鴨的惡魔。 May his dog yelp and howl with hunger and cold, May his wife always scold till his brains go astray; May the curse of each hag that e'er carried a bag Alight on the vag, till his hair turns gray. May monkeys affright him, and mad dogs still bite him, And every one slight him, asleep or awake; May weasels still gnaw him, and jackdaws still claw him - The monster that murdered Nell Flaherty’s drake. 願他的狗饑寒交迫而慘叫和哀號,願他的妻鎮日漫罵到他腦袋歪; 願每個曾帶過一個布袋的母夜叉都來詛咒這無賴,到他髮變斑白。 願猴子嚇死掉他,願瘋狗依然咬他,每一個人都唾棄他,清醒或睡著; 願黃鼠狼仍啃他,穴鳥仍成群抓他–那謀殺了娜兒傅烈蒂公鴨的惡魔。 The only good news that I have to infuse Is that old Peter Hughes and blind Peter McCrake, And big-nosed Bob Manson, and buck-toothed Ned Hanson, Each man had a grandson of my lovely drake. My treasure had dozens of nephews and cousins, And one I must get or my heart it will break; To keep my mind easy, or else I’ll run crazy - This ends the whole song of my beautiful drake. 唯一的好消息我必須公諸於世是老休斯和瞎眼的麥克克雷克, 和大鼻子的曼生,和兔牙的韓生,每人各有我可愛公鴨的孫子一隻。 我的寶貝有成打的侄子和表弟妹,我最少要有一隻否則我心會碎; 好教我容與逍遙,否則我會瘋掉–我美麗公鴨的整首歌在此終了。 a
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May 2024
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