二　一盘棋

她的坐椅，如宝座明亮，
在大理石上发光，葡萄藤
爬满立式雕花镜框
一位镀金的小爱神斜抬眼望 　　80
（另一位眼睛埋进翅膀）
七枝吊灯的灯光镜子反射
到梳妆台上，绸缎盒里
珠光宝气升腾与之撞
倍使灯火放光芒； 85
人造异香她收藏，象牙管子盛
五彩瓶子装，盖子俱开畅，
有液体、有粉末、有膏状－－气味逼人
晕头还转向；新鲜空气来前窗
气味腾且上，烛火烧还旺， 　　90
烛烟冲到雕花天花板子上，
吹得花格图案动且忙。
海木一大块铜皮为包装
桔红掺铜绿，五彩石为框，
黯光，映海豚雕刻一条游荡。 　　95
古旧炉台的上方，展示着
菲乐米娜，被那野蛮的国王
粗鲁强暴后变形的景象，
宛若远古丛林露前窗，
不过呵，纯洁的夜莺声音 　　　100
仍在空谷里到处飘荡，世人仍在追，
夜莺仍在叫：肮脏之耳听成
“操吧”、 “操吧”。四面墙上还讲述着
时光里的其它残枝剩桩，
伸头露眼，斜依身段， 105
全都封闭在内不声张。
有人拖脚走在楼梯上。
火光照、刷子忙，火光点点
铺在她的头发上化作文字放光芒，
然后野蛮无声响。 110

“今晚的情绪不好。的确糟糕。你和我呆会儿吧，
说会儿话。干吗不说。你说吧。
你在想啥。咋想？咋啦？
你该想想，我从不知道你想些啥”。
我想咱们走进了耗子胡同 115
里面死人尸骨丢精光。

“那是什么声音响”？
风吹门下过。
“现在那是什么响？风在做啥”？
没啥就是没啥。 　　120
“你
知道没啥？见过没啥？记得
没啥”？
我记得
凡是他的眼睛就是珍珠吧。 125
“你活着还是咋啦？没啥满脑瓜”？
可是
啊啊啊啊啊那次莎士比亚的破调
如此文明
如此高雅。 130
“我现在该做啥？该做啥”？
“我就这个样子跑出去，披头散发走街上，
又会怎样吧。明天我们将做啥？
我们明天做啥”？
十点钟有热水。 　　　135
要是下雨，四点有封闭车到。
我们还将下盘棋，
闭目养神等人把门敲。

丽儿的丈夫复员时，我说过－－
毫无保留，亲口对她说过， 140
快点吧到时间了
阿尔伯特要回来，你 得打扮点才好。
他会问给你整副好牙齿的那笔钱
你都做了啥。他的确给了，我在场。
他说过，丽儿，你的牙齿掉光，我发誓， 　145
我看着不舒畅，去整副好的吧。
我说，如今我同样不舒畅，你得替可怜的阿尔伯特想，
他当兵四年，他要过得愉快。
我说呀，让他愉快你要是不情愿，会有其他人干。
呵是吧，她说。我说，大概是这样吧。 　　150
那么我将知道该谢谁了，她说，然后脸拉下。
快点吧到时间了
我说，你要是不喜欢也只能凑合。
其他人皆可挑唯独你不可以选。
要是阿尔伯特跑了，别说我没打招呼。 　　　　　　155
我说，你看着这么老，该知道害臊。
（她才三十一，）
她的脸一垮说，我没办法。
用了那么些药丸，把它弄出来，她说。
（她弄了五次，差点让小乔治给整死了。） 　160
卖药的说没事，可是我再不如从前。
我说，你真是个正宗的傻瓜。
我说，好吧，如果阿尔伯特跟你没完，这不正好吗。
不要孩子结婚干吗？
快点吧到时间了。 　　　　　　　165
好了，那个星期天阿尔伯特回了家，他们吃了顿熏肉好辣
还请我入席，尝了辣味劲头大。
快点吧到时间了
快点吧到时间了
晚安比尔，晚安娄，晚安瑀。晚安。 　　　170
嗒嗒。晚安。晚安。
女士们，晚安，甜蜜的女士们，晚安，晚安，晚安吧！

译注
第一段故意用文雅的语言和复杂的句子描述一位女人讲排场但无意义的生活细节。闪光的文字在她身上失去了意义，这和夜莺所代表的用血和泪写成的文字被世人误解为肮脏的故事成平行关系，从多层次说明文化的堕落。
第二段是妻子和丈夫在谈话，引号里是妻子说的话。没有引号的是丈夫说的话，有些也可能是他没有说出来的心里的想法。不过尽管丈夫不回答，妻子的唠叨最后还是起了作用，他终于在心里同意和她下一盘棋。妻子的语言威力的确强大。下盘棋的典故请参阅英文原文的注释。
最后一段说明文字终于起了作用，尽管女人不忠，当兵的男人还是回到家。到结尾时，男人们（Bill, Lou, May）和女士们互道晚安。
译者认为，这一章像幅立体的生活画卷向读者展示了语言交流在《荒原》里可以发挥的作用。在文学传统遭受到强暴的情况下，生活中的语言和对话比文学语言更能解决问题。

II. A GAME OF CHESS

THE Chair she sat in, like a burnished throne,
Glowed on the marble, where the glass
Held up by standards wrought with fruited vines
From which a golden Cupidon peeped out 80
(Another hid his eyes behind his wing)
Doubled the flames of sevenbranched candelabra
Reflecting light upon the table as
The glitter of her jewels rose to meet it,
From satin cases poured in rich profusion; 85
In vials of ivory and coloured glass
Unstoppered, lurked her strange synthetic perfumes,
Unguent, powdered, or liquid—troubled, confused
And drowned the sense in odours; stirred by the air
That freshened from the window, these ascended 90
In fattening the prolonged candle-flames,
Flung their smoke into the laquearia,
Stirring the pattern on the coffered ceiling.
Huge sea-wood fed with copper
Burned green and orange, framed by the coloured stone, 95
In which sad light a carvèd dolphin swam.
Above the antique mantel was displayed
As though a window gave upon the sylvan scene
The change of Philomel, by the barbarous king
So rudely forced; yet there the nightingale 100
Filled all the desert with inviolable voice
And still she cried, and still the world pursues,
'Jug Jug' to dirty ears.
And other withered stumps of time
Were told upon the walls; staring forms 105
Leaned out, leaning, hushing the room enclosed.
Footsteps shuffled on the stair.
Under the firelight, under the brush, her hair
Spread out in fiery points
Glowed into words, then would be savagely still. 110

'My nerves are bad to-night. Yes, bad. Stay with me.
'Speak to me. Why do you never speak? Speak.
'What are you thinking of? What thinking? What?
'I never know what you are thinking. Think.'

I think we are in rats' alley 115
Where the dead men lost their bones.

'What is that noise?'
The wind under the door.
'What is that noise now? What is the wind doing?'
Nothing again nothing. 120
'Do
'You know nothing? Do you see nothing? Do you remember
'Nothing?'
I remember
Those are pearls that were his eyes. 125
'Are you alive, or not? Is there nothing in your head?'
But
O O O O that Shakespeherian Rag—
It's so elegant
So intelligent 130
'What shall I do now? What shall I do?'
'I shall rush out as I am, and walk the street
'With my hair down, so. What shall we do to-morrow?
'What shall we ever do?'
The hot water at ten. 135
And if it rains, a closed car at four.
And we shall play a game of chess,
Pressing lidless eyes and waiting for a knock upon the door.

When Lil's husband got demobbed, I said—
I didn't mince my words, I said to her myself, 140
HURRY UP PLEASE IT'S TIME
Now Albert's coming back, make yourself a bit smart.
He'll want to know what you done with that money he gave you
To get yourself some teeth. He did, I was there.
You have them all out, Lil, and get a nice set, 145
He said, I swear, I can't bear to look at you.
And no more can't I, I said, and think of poor Albert,
He's been in the army four years, he wants a good time,
And if you don't give it him, there's others will, I said.
Oh is there, she said. Something o' that, I said. 150
Then I'll know who to thank, she said, and give me a straight look.
HURRY UP PLEASE IT'S TIME
If you don't like it you can get on with it, I said.
Others can pick and choose if you can't.
But if Albert makes off, it won't be for lack of telling. 155
You ought to be ashamed, I said, to look so antique.
(And her only thirty-one.)
I can't help it, she said, pulling a long face,
It's them pills I took, to bring it off, she said.
(She's had five already, and nearly died of young George.) 160
The chemist said it would be alright, but I've never been the same.
You are a proper fool, I said.
Well, if Albert won't leave you alone, there it is, I said,
What you get married for if you don't want children?
HURRY UP PLEASE IT'S TIME 165
Well, that Sunday Albert was home, they had a hot gammon,
And they asked me in to dinner, to get the beauty of it hot—
HURRY UP PLEASE IT'S TIME
HURRY UP PLEASE IT'S TIME
Goonight Bill. Goonight Lou. Goonight May. Goonight. 170
Ta ta. Goonight. Goonight.
Good night, ladies, good night, sweet ladies, good night, good night.