第4章 The Organ——Washington Irving[3]
内容导读
音乐是人类共有的诗性语言，既体现了不同文化的绚丽多姿，又能跨越语言的界限而直入人心。对音乐的欣赏，是超越日常生活之平庸的重要文化形式。那一个个跳跃的音符，恰似排云而上的仙鸟，便引灵魂到碧霄。
英文正文
The sound of casual footsteps had ceased from the abbey.I could only hear,now and then,the distant voice of the priest repeating the evening service,and the faint responses of the choir;these paused for atime,and all was hushed.The stillness,the desertion and obscurity that were gradually prevailing around,gave adeeper and more solemn interest to the place:
For in the silent grave no conversation,
No joyful tread of friends,no voice of lovers,
No careful father's counsel—nothing's heard,
For nothing is,but all oblivion,
Dust,and an endless darkness.
Suddenly the notes of the deep-laboring organ burst upon the ear,falling with doubled and redoubled intensity,and rolling,as it were,huge billows of sound.How well do their volume and grandeur accord with this mighty building!With what pomp do they swell through its vast vaults and breathe their awful harmony through these caves of death,and make the silent sepulchre vocal!—And now they rise in triumph and acclamation,heaving higher and higher their accordant notes,and piling sound on sound—And now they pause,and the soft voices of the choir break out into sweet gushes of melody;they soar aloft and warble along the roof,and seem to play about these lofty vaults like the pure airs of heaven.Again the pealing organ heaves its thrilling thunders,compressing air into music,and rolling it forth upon the soul.What long-drawn cadences!What solemn sweeping concords!It grows more and more dense and powerful—it fills the vast pile,and seems to jar the very walls—the ear is stunned—the senses are overwhelmed.And now it is winding up in full jubilee—it is rising from the earth to heaven—the very soul seems rapt away and floated upwards on the welling tide of harmony!
I sat for some time lost in that kind of reverie which astrain of music is apt sometimes to inspire;the shadows of everything were gradually thickening round me,the monuments began to cast deeper and deeper gloom,and the distant clock again gave token of the slowly waning day.
中文译文
管风琴——华盛顿·欧文
至此，寺内游观者的闲散脚步声已完全消失。这时耳边听到的唯有远处晚祷僧侣的诵经声，以及唱经班低弱的应答声；即使这些不久也都沉默了，于是一时万籁俱寂。这种突然一切归于清静寂灭、冷落无闻的气氛似乎迅速笼罩弥漫了整个寺院，而给这里平添了无限的幽深情趣：
在这睿冥之下，一切音沉响绝，
友朋欢快的足音，情人的私语，
慈父的庭训面谕——都再听不到，
这里除了漫漫黄尘，杳杳长暮，
此外一无所有。
方凝想间，那浑厚凝重的管风琴猝然轰鸣耳际，而且一阵强似一阵，仿佛在长空掀起无边巨浪。那音响，噌吰镗鞳，与周围的宏伟广厦竟是那般相应！它又是何等非凡的气势，滚滚于庞硕的拱顶之间，使这座死穴顿时溢满肃穆和谐，因而整个墓地也都喧闹起来！——那琴声，时而热烈激昂，凯调高奏，奇声逸响，错杂迭出，而且愈飘愈高。——时而又响沉符止，暂停下来，这时那唱经队的柔婉歌声顿时嘤然逸出，蔚成流泉般的淙铮；琴声高高翱翔和鸣啭于威拱崇顶之间，仿佛一天佳氛，恣其游荡。继而那嗡鸣的风琴又放出阵阵霹雳之声，把殿堂气氛化作乐音一片，声声沁入人的灵扉深处。这是何等悠扬绵长的节奏！何等恢宏横空的和声！它变得愈加浓郁，愈加威武——它盈满全殿上下，扣壁铮铮作响——这时耳中惺然一声，不知更有此身矣。这时它已愈奏愈烈，达其欢乐顶点——这时它已离去下界，升至高天——而人的灵魂也仿佛脱其躯壳，随着那滔天的音浪而飘飘乎于世外！
我默坐在那里不觉凝思移时，因音乐每有这种令人神往的陶醉作用；这时黄昏的暗影已渐渐密集脚下，周围墓碑也已色泽转暗，而远处的钟声则宣告白昼已逝。
词汇速记
oblivion n. 遗忘；淹没
billow n. 巨浪
pomp n. 盛况；浮华
sepulchre n. 墓地
acclamation n. 喝彩；拥护
warble n. 鸟啭；颤声
jubilee n. 欢乐；节日
rapt adj. 入迷的；全神贯注的
reverie n. 冥想；白日梦
美句欣赏
① The stillness,the desertion and obscurity that were gradually prevailing around,gave adeeper and more solemn interest to the place.这种突然一切归于清静寂灭、冷落无闻的气氛似乎迅速笼罩弥漫了整个寺院，而给这里平添了无限的幽深情趣。
② I sat for some time lost in that kind of reverie which astrain of music is apt sometimes to inspire;the shadows of everything were gradually thickening round me,the monuments began to cast deeper and deeper gloom,and the distant clock again gave token of the slowly waning day.我默坐在那里不觉凝思移时，因音乐每有这种令人神往的陶醉作用；这时黄昏的暗影已渐渐密集脚下，周围墓碑也已色泽转暗，而远处的钟声则宣告白昼已逝。