主题：Andrew Marr：我们英国人——英国诗歌文学简史 -- 万年看客

莎士比亚的生平十分晦涩，我们只能通过一鳞半爪的线索来推测他的经历。他或许当过兵，但我们无从考证。他肯定没有当过地方官，没有当过公共布道人，也没有在宫中做过廷臣。他的生活十分私密，他写过剧本，演过戏，攒了笔小钱，仅此而已。相比之下我们对于伊丽莎白时代与詹姆斯一世时代的其他许多大诗人都有更加全面详细的了解。固然，以前也有些诗人攀附在权力的裙边上谋生——乔叟就是个好例子，邓巴与怀特也在此列——但是直到现在诗人才真正走进了公共生活，在公共场域采取各种行动。沃尔特.雷利爵士是一位久经风浪的老水手，走南闯北的探险家，君前邀宠的廷臣，最终沦为了王室政治的受害者。此外他还深度参与了英格兰人对于西南爱尔兰的血腥镇压。另一位更伟大的诗人埃德蒙.斯宾塞曾经与雷利一起在爱尔兰抗击过西班牙人与意大利人的入侵。此外他还一度试图在爱尔兰定居。两人都参与了针对斯梅里克的教皇派投降士兵的屠杀，两人都相信要以最无情的手段镇压天主教爱尔兰才能保证新教英格兰的国家安全，两人对于英国人身份认同的理解都与都铎王朝的政治走向纠缠在了一起。

埃德蒙.斯宾塞在生前被广泛誉为莎士比亚以外最有才华的英国诗人。尽管他生在伦敦，但是没有哪个英格兰诗人像他那样与爱尔兰历史上最血腥的时期紧密联系在了一起。他参与了明斯特种植园的兴建，换句话说就是将大量新教士绅与农民搬迁到爱尔兰，让他们占据爱尔兰大族戴斯蒙家族的土地。这一家族曾经领导过针对都铎王朝的叛乱。斯宾塞很喜欢强夺别人的土地，而且显然十分厌恶爱尔兰本土的盖尔文化。到了十六世纪九十年代，休.奥尼尔掀起了反抗英格兰统治的九年战争，斯宾塞位于基尔科曼的宅邸被反抗军付之一炬，他本人只得仓皇出逃。仅仅从他创作的诗歌当中很难直接了解到他的生平。他的代表作《仙后》篇幅浩大，充满了复杂的隐喻，借助中世纪风格的语言与丰富的宫廷意象歌颂了伊丽莎白女王的统治与都铎王朝。但是诗中的某些段落确实阴郁至极，难免让读者想起血光四溅的明斯特种植园时期：

That darkesome cave they enter, where they find

That cursed man, low sitting on the ground,

Musing full sadly in his sullein mind;

His griesie lockes, long growen, and unbound,

Disordred hong about his shoulders round,

And hid his face; through which his hollow eyne

Lookt deadly dull, and stared as astound;

His raw-bone cheekes through penurie and pine,

Were shronke into his jawes, as he did never dyne.

他们进了洞，里面像黑漆一样，

而那个该死的人就坐在地上，

沉浸于不可救药的苦思冥想，

披散的头发油兮兮，长得很长，

乱蓬蓬的，一直垂到他的肩膀，

遮住脸庞；一双眼睛空洞无光，

表情呆滞，瞪大着眼，因为惊慌；

那个人憔悴的脸庞凹进口腔，

瘦骨如柴仿佛从未进食喝汤。

His garment nought but many ragged clouts,

With thornes together pind and patched was,

The which his naked sides he wrapt abouts;

And him beside there lay upon the gras

A dreary corse, whose life away did pas,

All wallowd in his own yet luke-warme blood,

That from his wound yet welled fresh alas;

In which a rusty knife fast fixed stood,

And made an open passage for the gushing flood.

他穿着褴褛的破布，当做衣裳，

到处是补丁，犹如百衲衣一样，

就缠绕在他裸露肋骨的地方；

旁边草上有具可怕躯体摆放，

那具尸体已经没有生的气象，

伤口那里一直在喷涌着血浆，

温乎乎的鲜血在不停地流淌；

锈迹斑斑的剑插在他伤口上，

那个喷涌着鲜血的伤口很长。【邢怡译】

笔者斗胆说一句，不是亲眼见识过大屠杀的人只怕不能写得如此栩栩如生。当然这段诗文只是特例，斯宾塞的典型风格还是金碧辉煌的流畅诗句，例如他笔下著名的婚姻赞歌——这是他专门为自己的婚姻创作的。略微欣赏一下这些诗文就不难理解他对于英国诗歌的影响为什么如此长久：

CALM was the day, and through the trembling air

Sweet-breathing Zephyrus did softly play—

A gentle spirit, that lightly did delay

Hot Titan's beams, which then did glister fair;

When I, (whom sullen care,

Through discontent of my long fruitless stay

In princes' court, and expectation vain

Of idle hopes, which still do fly away

Like empty shadows, did afflict my brain,)

Walk'd forth to ease my pain

Along the shore of silver-streaming Thames,

Whose rutty bank, the which his river hems,

Was painted all with variable flowers,

And all the meads adorn'd with dainty gems

Fit to deck maidens' bowers,

And crown their paramours

Against the bridal day, which is not long:

Sweet Thames! run softly, till I end my song.

宁静的日子啊，穿过微颤的大气，

和畅的西风在空中飘舞轻盈，

那温柔的精灵，使太阳稍稍减轻

火热的光焰，照耀得和煦明丽；

我心中愁烦郁悒，

不满于长期一无所获地滞留

在王室宫廷，徒然无益地空抱

渺茫的希望，那希望相继飞走，

犹如虚幻的暗影，使我头痛心焦，

缓步前行消苦恼，

沿着银波荡漾的泰晤士河岸，

河岸上繁枝密布，为河水镶边，

绘出了姹紫嫣红，百花齐放，

所有的草坪有玉石珠翠镶嵌，

适合于装饰闺房，

戴在情人们头上，

迎接她们的佳期，它就在不久，

可爱的泰晤士河轻轻流，流到歌尽头【胡家峦译】

对于韵律的娴熟掌握，刻意而为的古雅语言风格，以及在英国土地上重新充满古典神话形象的笔法简直让后来好几代英国诗人都欲罢不能。无论如何这就是“斯宾塞流派”的意义。

沃尔特.雷利爵士在诗歌领域的地位要比斯宾塞低一头，主要以事功而为人所知。这位出身德文郡的海盗是一位下手无情的士兵，也是北美洲弗吉尼亚殖民地的创建者。他的雄心壮志与爬得高跌得重的下场都比斯宾塞的生平更加引人入胜。在同辈们看来他显然是个很有魅力的人，他的诗文同样充满了魅力。他笔下最著名的诗作就是在伊丽莎白女王面前失宠之后抒发悔恨之情的作品。他最终将会在六十四岁那年被女王的继任者詹姆斯一世处决，此前还会在伦敦塔里经受好几年的煎熬。在笔者看来，他的《谎言》（The Lie）一诗将“举世皆浊都给老子去死”的理念发挥到了极致。一看这首诗就能想到作者肯定是个危险分子，看遍了所在社会的最恶劣一面：

GO, Soul, the body’s guest,

Upon a thankless errand;

Fear not to touch the best;

The truth shall be thy warrant:

Go, since I needs must die,

And give them all the lie.

去吧，灵魂，你这肉体的宾客

去完成这项费力不讨好的工作

不必惧怕精英显贵行止奸恶

因为真理常伴在你身形两侧

去吧，既然我现在必须死亡

就由你来让他们将谎言饱尝

Go tell the Court it glows

And shines like rotten wood;

Go tell the Church it shows

What’s good, but does no good:

If Court and Church reply,

Give Court and Church the lie.

去告诉宫廷，他们那里光辉灿烂

就好比朽木也能够滋生磷火

去告诉教会，他们自称道德典范

只不过行事每每与正道相左

假如宫廷与教会当真回话

就让他们将你的谎言咽下。

Tell Potentates they live

Acting, but oh! their actions;

Not loved, unless they give,

Nor strong but by their factions;

If Potentates reply,

Give Potentates the lie.

告诉君王他们都能长命百岁

并且随心行事，只要不怕广遭厌恶

要想受到爱戴，除非百姓得到实惠

要想加强君权，怎能仰赖派系权术

假如各位君王们当真回话

就让他们将你的谎言咽下。

Tell men of high condition,

That rule affairs of state,

Their purpose is ambition;

Their practice only hate:

And if they do reply,

Then give them all the lie.

告诉身居高位的权贵重臣

国家大事由他们一手掌握

一心向上爬，视野所及都是仇人

出手就害人，你死我活多么丑恶

假如各位权臣们当真回话，

就让他们将你的谎言咽下。

Tell those that brave it most

They beg for more by spending,

Who in their greatest cost

Seek nothing but commending:

And if they make reply,

Spare not to give the lie.

告诉无所不为的跑官钻营之徒

他们乞讨权力靠得是花钱如同流水

为了有一天骑到别人头上作威作福

纵然倾家荡产也绝对不肯后悔

假如这些家伙们当真回话

不要客气，千万让他们将谎言咽下

Tell Zeal it lacks devotion;

Tell Love it is but lust;

Tell Time it is but motion;

Tell Flesh it is but dust:

And wish them not reply,

For thou must give the lie.

告诉激情何谓有始无终

告诉爱情何谓欲火蚀骨

告诉时间何谓蹉跎无益

告诉肉体何谓一抔黄土

希望它们四个全都不肯回话

否则只能让它们将谎言咽下

Tell Age it daily wasteth;

Tell Honor how it alters;

Tell Beauty that it blasteth;

Tell Favor that she falters:

And as they do reply,

Give every one the lie.

告诉年岁今日老于昨日

告诉荣誉功业转眼无痕

告诉美貌衰老旦夕将至

告诉恩宠新人胜于旧人

待到它们向你答话

将谎言分别喂它们咽下。

Tell Wit how much it wrangles

In fickle points of niceness;

Tell Wisdom she entangles

Herself in over wiseness:

And if they do reply,

Then give them both the lie.

告诉才情何谓玩物丧志

寻章摘句做一篇花样文章

告诉智慧何谓千虑一失

瞻前顾后却不肯爽快担当

假如这二位愿意向你答话

就将谎言给它们一并咽下

Tell Physic of her boldness;

Tell Skill it is pretension;

Tell Charity of coldness;

Tell Law it is contention:

And if they yield reply,

Then give them all the lie.

告诉体格何谓莽夫蛮干

告诉机巧何谓装腔作势

告诉慈善何谓人情冷淡

告诉法律何谓自以为是

要是它们当真回话

也让它们将谎言咽下。

Tell Fortune of her blindness;

Tell Nature of decay;

Tell Friendship of unkindness;

Tell Justice of delay:

And if they do reply,

Then give them still the lie.

告诉财富何谓贤愚不分

告诉自然何谓腐朽侵蚀

告诉友谊何谓人心阴森

告诉正义何谓姗姗来迟

就算它们当真回话

也还是将谎言喂它们咽下

Tell Arts they have no soundness,

But vary by esteeming;

Tell Schools they lack profoundness,

And stand too much on seeming:

If Arts and Schools reply,

Give Arts and Schools the lie.

告诉艺术何谓空中楼阁

区分优劣全靠人云亦云

告诉学校何谓庸俗浅薄

只顾名声不顾教书育人

要是艺术与学校乐意回话

就让艺术与学校将谎言咽下

Tell Faith it’s fled the city;

Tell how the country erreth;

Tell, Manhood shakes off pity;

Tell, Virtue least preferreth:

And if they do reply,

Spare not to give the lie.

告诉信仰城里无处容身

乡间又容易将歧路推崇

告诉刚毅何谓铁石肝心

告诉美德何谓世俗不容

假如它们当真回话，

莫要手软，让它们将谎言咽下

So when thou hast, as I

Commanded thee, done blabbing;

Although to give the lie

Deserves no less than stabbing:

Yet stab at thee who will,

No stab the Soul can kill!

灵魂啊，当你依照我的指令

说完了这些夹七夹八的内容

届时你可真是堪称撒谎成性

活该被世人捅一个白刃见红

你们尽管动手吧，将我捅得鲜血淋淋

只不过尖刀利刃全都伤不了我的灵魂！

我们完全可以想象一群文艺复兴才子们在酒馆里大声呼喊出这段诗文。传说当中正是雷利本人在伦敦美人鱼酒馆创立了著名的饮酒俱乐部，聚拢了詹姆斯一世时代的最主要剧作家们——尽管莎士比亚未必是这个俱乐部的成员。雷利的诗文质感粗粝质朴，今天的读者们往往将这种笔法与复辟时代联系起来，但是早在伊丽莎白时代晚期与詹姆斯一世时代就有人这么写了。许多剧作家都写过这样的诗文，不过我们今天记得的第一位伦敦工人阶级诗人尤其擅长这种笔法。约翰.泰勒的本职是一位驳船工，运送各个阶级的成员沿着泰晤士河来回往返，基本上相当于文艺复兴时期英国的出租司机。他的诗歌行文并不算讲究，但是如果你想了解十七世纪初期伦敦人的日常口语，就必然绕不过他的作品。他对于日常生活不太光鲜的背面所知甚详，挖苦乘客的时候也毫不留情：

Look how yon lecher's legs are worn away

With haunting of the whore house every day:

He knows more greasy panders, bawds, and drabs,

And eats more lobsters, artichokes, and crabs,

Blue roasted eggs, potatoes muscadine,

Oysters, and pith that grows i'th' ox's chine,

With many drugs, compounds, and simples store;

Which makes him have a stomach to a whore.

But one day he'II give o'er when 'tis too late

When he stands begging through an iron gate

瞧这色狼的双腿哆哆嗦嗦怕磕怕碰

显然是整天泡在窑子里落下的病症

各家的乌龟、老鸨与窑姐全都与他混得脸熟

整天吃的是龙虾、洋蓟与螃蟹之类的壮阳之物

煎鸡蛋、烤土豆加上一杯玛斯克汀红酒

牡蛎多么美味，公牛脊髓很可以有

各种金枪秘药他只顾往嘴里塞

为的是在姑娘们面前雄风不败

总有一天他会痛悔自己未能醒悟得更早

到那一天他只能隔着铁门伸手乞讨。

此外我们在莎士比亚笔下的酒馆里常见的泼辣女招待们也是水上诗人的熟客：

A lusty wench as nimble as an eel

Would give a gallant leave to kiss and feel;

His itching humour straightway was in hope

To toy, to wanton, tally, buss and grope.

'Hold sir; quoth she, 'My word I will not fail,

For you shall feel my hand and kiss my tail'

骚妮子就像泥鳅一样滑溜

下嘴亲动手摸丝毫不害羞

恩客心痒难耐，希望昂然挺立

左摸一把，右揉一把，真是大占便宜

“别急呀大爷，”她调笑道，“既然我有言在先，

摸手保准让你摸个够，还让你亲亲臀尖。”

在詹姆斯一世的时代，行为不端不仅会致使人沦为乞丐，还会将人们送上绞架。泰伯恩刑场每月惯常的公开处刑也成了泰勒笔下的题材：

I Have heard sundry men oft times dispute

Of trees, that in one year will twice bear fruit.

But if a man note Tyburn, 'will appear,

That that's a tree that bears twelve times a year.

我听过形形色色的人经常跟我抬杠

说什么一年两度结果的树木当真存在世上

不过要是有人来到泰伯恩仔细查看

就会发现一年结果十二次的树木也不稀罕。

I muse it should so fruitful be, for why

I understand the root of it is dry,

It bears no leaf, no bloom, or no bud,

The rain that makes it fructify is blood.

我常思索这怪树的产量为何如此丰富

要知道它的树根无非仅仅是半截枯木

树枝树干无花无叶，赤条条光秃秃

不过只要浇灌鲜血，果实就会挂满植株

I further note, the fruit which it produces,

Doth seldom serve for profitable uses:

Except the skillful Surgeons industry

Do make Dissection of Anatomy.

我还注意到，这怪树上结的果实

极少拿来卖钱，尽管并非没有价值

高明的外科医师们经常将果实回收

目的是为了钻研技艺练习解剖

It blooms, buds, and bears, all three together,

And in one hour, doth live, and die, and wither.

Like Sodom Apples, they are in conceit,

For touched, they turn to dust and ashes straight.

开花、花谢、结果，三者完全同步

生变死，死变枯，一切转眼结束

就像索多玛的苹果，尽管看起来甜美

只要咬一口，尘土灰烬准得糊你一嘴

Besides I find this tree hath never been

Like other fruit trees, walled or hedged in,

But in the highway standing many a year,

It never yet was robbed, as I could hear.

此外这怪树还有一点特质当真稀奇

树木周围从不见围墙或者护篱

尽管怪树长在大路两边将果实收获

哄抢果实的情况至少我从没听说过

The reason is apparent to our eyes,

That what it bears, are dead commodities:

And yet sometimes (such grace to it is given)

The dying fruit is well prepared for heaven,

在我看来这原因实在明显不过

因为这树上结的全都是些死货

不过有些时候（假如上帝以为不妨）

死透了的果实也能被送往天堂

And many times a man may gather thence

Remorse, devotion, and true penitence.

And from that tree, I think more fools ascend

To that Celestial joy, which shall never end:

这怪树早已将无数倒霉蛋打发上路

无论他们恨不当初、虔诚祈祷还是诚心悔悟，

沿着树干爬向天堂的白痴真不知有多少

依在下愚见，从今往后恐怕也少不了。