如是我吟 (Philip Larkin, "This Be The Verse")

定理 譯

你的爹媽操大你。
無心之過賴不掉。
他倆毛病堆成你，
燼上添花糟更糟。

但他們自己也被操，
操人的是正經傻冒，
西裝革履，道貌岸然，
互掐脖子，背後捅刀。

苦難一代傳一代，
越鑽越深似海螺。
跳出來吧，儘快，
別生孩子，羅嗦。

第一次聽說Philip Larkin，是在大學選了門課，叫Major British Writers；老教授在講到二十世紀英國的詩壇泰斗Larkin時，背出Larkin的整首粗口詩－－－

They ???? you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.

But they were ????ed up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another's throats.

Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don't have any kids yourself.

背完後臉不紅心不跳。如此朗朗上口，又能讓當時剛到埠的我練習四字單詞的發音，於是過耳不忘。如果萬維因這些粗口而永久封了俺，從此超脫，則於我幸甚。