余光中—[ 當我死時 ]—英譯

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中文原文﹕

“當我死時” — 余光中

當我死時，葬我，在長江與黃河
之間，枕我的頭顱，白髮蓋著黑土。
在中國，最美最母親的國度，
我便坦然睡去，睡整張大陸，
聽兩側，安魂曲起自長江，黃河
兩管永生的音樂，滔滔，朝東。
這是最縱容最寬闊的床，
讓一顆心滿足地睡去，滿足地想，
從前，一個中國的青年曾經，
在冰凍的密西根向西瞭望，
想望透黑夜看中國的黎明，
用十七年未饜中國的眼睛
饕餮地圖，從西湖到太湖，
到多鷓鴣的重慶，代替回鄉。

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英文翻譯﹕

“When I Die” — YU Guang Zhong

When I die, bury me, at the Yantze and Yellow River’s
intermediate, rest my skull, my hoary hair on blackened earth
in the Middle Kingdom, the most beautiful and maternal shores
I shall imperturbably sleep, on the entire continent
hearing at my sides, requiems ascending out the Yellow River and the Yantze
two pipes of everlasting melody, rippling, toward the east
This is the most pampering and expansive cradle
for a soul to cententedly sleep away, contentedly recollecting
Once upon a time, a youth of China once
in the freeze of Michigan looked to the west
attempted to stare past the darkness of night to see daybreak dawns on the Middle Kingdom
with eyes that had not feasted on China in seventeen years
devoured maps, from the West Lake to the Great Lake
to partridge populous Chongqing, in place of homecoming

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translation last updated on 2009.9.21.

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