[英]威廉·莎士比亞
世界就是一個舞臺,男男女女都扮演著不同的角色。他們都有上場和下場的時候。一個人一生可以分為七幕:第一幕演的是嬰兒,在奶媽懷里咿咿呀呀,吃吃吐吐。第二幕是學(xué)童,去上學(xué)時愁眉苦臉,走起路來慢得像蝸牛在爬行,放學(xué)時卻滿臉笑容,拿起書包就跑。第三幕是情人,唉聲嘆氣像火爐上的開水壺,寫一首自作多情的戀歌,贊美戀人的眉毛如一彎新月。第四幕是當(dāng)兵,滿口賭咒發(fā)誓,滿臉胡子猶如豹皮。爭功奪賞,吵嘴打架,在炮火中尋找水上的浮名。第五幕是做官。圓圓的肚皮里面塞滿了肥雞瘦肉,肚子脹得像個雞蛋,眼睛尖得像針,胡子硬得像刺,說起話來引經(jīng)據(jù)典,舉起例來博古通今,就這樣演出了一個當(dāng)官的紅人。第六幕變成了一個瘦老頭。穿著拖鞋和邋遢的長褲,鼻子上架著眼鏡,腰間掛著錢包,燕尾服緊束的褲腿在瘦削的大腿上卻顯得寬松,洪亮的聲音又恢復(fù)了兒童時代的尖嗓子,聽起來像哨音或笛聲。最后一幕,結(jié)束了這豐富多彩的人生經(jīng)歷,再現(xiàn)了第二個兒童時代,出現(xiàn)了遺忘的歲月:有眼無珠,有口無牙,有舌無味,一個一塌糊涂的晚年。
(許淵沖 譯)
William Shakespeare
All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms.
Then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning-face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden, and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lin’d,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper’d pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well sav’d, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness, and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.