--金舟
安妮.卡森(Anne Carson)生於1950年，現住加拿大蒙特利爾。曾就讀於加拿大多倫多大學並相繼在該大學獲得學士、碩士和博士學位。
2001年，安妮.卡森的詩集[丈夫的美麗] 獲得艾略特詩歌獎(獎金一萬英鎊)，使她成為該獎項自1993年開始頒獎以來的第一位女詩人。評獎委員會主席海倫.鄧莫爾對她的獲獎作品評論說：“安妮.卡森才華橫溢地通過辛辣尖酸，性感抒情，直言不諱和感情強烈的措辭在詩中描繪了婚姻的死亡。”
確實，安妮.卡森才華橫溢，她不僅寫詩，著文，還是一位非常著名的翻譯家；她的本職工作是從事古典文學研究和教學，還兼職當編輯。作為一位詩人，她的幾本詩集曾多次打入美國國家圖書評論獎和英國艾略特詩歌獎入圍獲獎者名單，她已獲得的榮譽包括：蘭安文學獎，普什卡特詩歌獎，格雷芬傑出詩歌獎(獎金四十萬加元) ，哥根海姆研究員基金，麥克阿瑟天才獎(獎金五十萬美元) 等多種獎項。有媒體稱她為寫詩賺大錢的女詩人。作為翻譯家，她已出版了幾本名篇譯著，如[薩福殘篇] 和索福克勒斯的[伊萊克特拉] 等。作為學者和教授，她主要從事希臘和拉丁文古典文學研究與教學，在加拿大麥克基爾大學擔任研究生院古典文學部主任並承擔教學任務。
安妮.卡森寫的[城鎮生活] 是由幾十首以各種各樣的“鎮” 為題的短詩構成的系列。詩人言簡意賅，幽默諷喻，筆法獨特，常錯用標點符號，給人以想象。這裡選譯其中十八首，讓讀者自行評論欣賞。
傳道者鎮
在你死後。
每天都颳風。
每一天。
對抗着我們象一堵牆。
我們去了。
側身一個朝一個叫喊。
沿着公路。
那沒有用。
我們之間的間隔。
變硬了。
它們是空空的間隔。
可它們是堅固的。
又黑又令人悲傷。
如一個老年婦女。
牙齒間的縫隙。
多年前你就認識。
當她還很美。
活力四射象宮殿之火正旺。
APOSTLE TOWN
After your death.
It was windy every day.
Every day.
Opposed us like a wall.
We went.
Shouting sideways at one another.
Along the road.
It was useless.
The spaces between us.
Got hard.
They are empty spaces.
And yet they are solid.
And black and grievous.
As gaps between the teeth.
Of an old woman.
You knew years ago.
When she was.
Beautiful the nerves pouring around in her like palace fire.
幸運鎮
挖掘一個洞。
去活埋他的孩子。
於是他能夠為年邁的母親買食物。
一天。
一個男人挖到了金子。
LUCK TOWN
Digging a hole.
To bury his child alive.
So that he could buy food for his aged mother.
One day.
A man struck gold.
死亡鎮
這天。
不論何時我暫停。
這鎮上的噪聲。
DEATH TOWN
This day.
Whenever I pause.
The noise of the town.
經過上帝樹林路上的鎮
告訴我。
你曾見過這樣的樹林嗎。
如此幽深。
每棵樹都是一個詞語你的心停頓了嗎。
一次在玻利維亞上空我見過如此之深的一片雲。
令大山畏縮你有否看入？
如此快就看見那。
詞語中的秘密詞語？
象在一個被拋棄的鐵路車廂中。
那詞語意味着“上帝的樹林。”
TOWN ON THE WAY THROUGH GOD'S WOODS
Tell me.
Have you ever seen woods so.
Deep so.
Every tree a word does your heart stop.
Once I saw a cloud over Bolivia so deep.
Mountains were cowering do you ever?
Look in so quick you see the secret.
Word inside the word?
As in an abandoned railway car.
One winter afternoon I saw.
The word for "God's woods.
我聽到過的一個鎮
“在無處的中央。”
那是。
什麼地方？
寧靜又漂亮。
一隻兔子。
蹦跳穿過。
無物。
在爐子上。
A TOWN I HAVE HEARD OF
"In the middle of nowhere."
Where.
Would that be?
Nice and quiet.
A rabbit.
Hopping across.
Nothing.
On the stove.
再次春鎮
“春總是象以前一樣。”
一位中國老漢說。
雨水嘶嘶淋窗。
從一個遙遠的距離渴望。
抵達我們。
TOWN OF SPRING ONCE AGAIN
"Spring is always like what it used to be."
Said an old Chinese man.
Rain hissed down the windows.
Longings from a great distance.
Reached us.
愛情鎮
她穿濕衣。
跑進。
米黃色的辮子。
垂下她的後身。
LOVE TOWN
She ran in.
Wet corn.
Yellow braid.
Down her back.
罪之死亡的鎮
什麼是罪？
你問到。
突然我看到你。
剛剛卸罪而去。
在月亮之後閃光。
黑暗如風在森林之上。
TOWN OF THE DEATH OF SIN
What is sin?
You asked.
The moon screamed past us.
All at once I saw you.
Just drop sin and go.
Flashing after the moon.
Black as a wind over the forests.
記憶鎮
在我畫的每個你之中。
我找。
一個埋葬放射性材料的地方。
你認為八英里底下夠嗎？
十五英里？
一百四十英里？
MEMORY TOWN
In each one of you I paint.
I find.
A buried site of radioactive material.
You think 8 miles down is enough?
15 miles?
140 miles?
沙漠鎮
當那聖賢從沙漠。
回來。
他重扶植起門徒象麻雀。
站在曬衣繩上。
有人已陷絕望令他困惑。
在沙漠中。
他烘烤着他的心。
沒有陰影沒有上下提醒他。
他們對他是何等依賴一個男孩死在。
他的懷抱中。
他想這回來的代價。
太大了。
他開始適從。
這世界切離。
的方式一股火怒號升騰。
在他體內他的骨頭現為液體而他看到了。
他的未來。
在等待沒有別的。
只是等待。
DESERT TOWN
When the sage came back in.
From the desert.
He propped the disciples up again like sparrows.
On a clothesline.
Some had fallen into despair this puzzled him.
In the desert.
Where he baked his heart.
Were no shadows no up and down to remind him.
How they depended on him a boy died.
In his arms.
It is very expensive he thought.
To come back.
He began to conform.
To the cutting away ways.
Of this world a fire was roaring up.
Inside him his bones by now liquid and he saw.
Ahead of him.
Waiting nothing else.
Waiting itself.
艾米莉鎮
“財富在一小屋中。”
是一個縈繞她的。
詞語自從你的電壓。
離去。
雪或一個圖書館。
和一個天使樂隊。
帶着一個信息。
對她而言。
沒什麼。
意義。
EMILY TOWN
"Riches in a little room."
Is a phrase that haunts.
Her since the voltage of you.
Left.
Snow or a library.
Or a band of angels.
with a message is.
Not what.
It meant to.
Her.
睡去的鎮
遠處有雷那是它的。
聲音有血。
擊中大地那是。
一個生物的生命熔化。
在它的時間裡。
空氣施壓。
於花園邊緣之外如。
潛水員猛衝水面。
血管隆起那是一個生物的。
內心希望恰在轉而去看之前。
啊我們躺在那。
那巨大的沙漠世界象地獄般悲哀。
那是地獄那。
是一個生物的心。
被刺入。
TOWN GONE TO SLEEP
There was distant thunder that was its.
Voice there was blood.
Hitting the ground that was.
A Creature's life melting.
In its time there.
Was air forcing.
Out to the edges of that garden as.
Veins of a diver who.
Shoots toward the surface that was a Creature's.
Hope in it just before turning to see.
Ah there we lay.
There the desert.
Of the world immense and sad as hell.
That was hell that.
Was a Creature's heart.
Plunged.
找出上帝之愛的鎮
我犯了一個錯誤。
在這天以前。
現在我的小提箱已備好。
兩個煮熟的雞蛋。
為旅途而貯存。
於我眼睛。
所在之處。
怎麼會是別的？
象一彎水流。
載着一杈嫩枝。
嗚咽使得我。
讓你聽見。
TOWN OF FINDING OUT ABOUT THE LOVE OF GOD
I had made a mistake.
Before this day.
Now my suitcase is ready.
Two hardboiled eggs.
For the journey are stored.
In the places where.
My eyes were.
How could it be otherwise?
Like a current.
Carrying a twig.
The sobbing made me.
Audible to you.
猶大鎮
不是很晚的時刻不是未點亮的路。
不是橄欖樹不是鎖不是心。
不是月亮不是暗色的木。
不是我不是一塊食物。
JUDAS TOWN
Not a late hour not unlit rows.
Not olive trees not locks not heart.
Not moon not dark wood.
Not morsel not I.
一枝杈斷裂聲的鎮
他們的臉我想是利刃。
那他們把它們指向我的樣子。
並等待着。
一個傾聽着的獵人。
太硬了對於他的獵物它拔出武器。
自他手中並刺穿。
他自己。
TOWN OF THE SOUND OF A TWIG BREAKING
Their faces I thought were knives.
The way they pointed them at me.
And waited.
A hunter is someone who listens.
So hard to his prey it pulls the weapon.
Out of his hand and impales.
Itself.
九月鎮
一種恐懼是那。
蟬的聲音。
發自黑暗處在某夜欲將我的頭。
碾碎平如一張紙。
於是我被指望。
去執行正常任務不論怎樣只因為。
你的頭被碾平。
猶如一張紙不意味。
你能離開不去工作。
修補掩蔽門隱藏。
你的兄弟瞞着警察。
SEPTEMBER TOWN
One fear is that.
The sound of the cicadas.
Out there in the blackness zone is going to crush my head.
Flat as a piece of paper some night.
Then I'll be expected.
To go ahead with normal tasks anyway just because.
Your head is crushed flat.
As a piece of paper doesn't mean.
You can get out of going to work.
Mending the screen door hiding.
Your brother from the police.
錯誤問題鎮
如何。
牆被建成為什麼。
我在這裡什麼。
滑輪和皮膚何時。
面板滾回什麼。
使人痛苦他們。
吃什麼--光？
TOWN OF THE WRONG QUESTION
How.
Walls are built why.
I am in here what.
Pulleys and skin when.
The panels roll back what.
Aching what.
Do they eat--light?
普西金鎮
當我活着我活在古老的未來。
深深的河水流向它天使之路在用。
它有規則。
和愛情。
而第一條規則是。
偶然冒險的愛情。
你的一些詞語很可能是那的礦石。
或到我們的眼睛是灰燼時會是。
PUSHKIN TOWN
When I live I live in the ancient future.
Deep rivers run to it angel pavements are in use.
It has rules.
And love.
And the first rule is.
The love of chance.
Some words of yours are very probably ore there.
Or will be by the time our eyes are ember.
