班卓的诗歌(12) ——来自澳洲荒原的劳动号子

 

 

以锄代剪 

吴仲湛  译 

 

去往喀麦迪家的路堵塞了河水泛滥，

吃加利树皮的乳兽将此处变成家园；

山雨切断道路那是我们曾熟悉地方，

当我们头回骑马去，在二十多年前。

 

喀麦迪家的剪羊棚是加利树皮盖的平板房，

压榨机只是根方木杆发明于诺亚方舟时代；

但喀麦迪太太是好厨娘让剪毛工心花怒放，

对她家饭菜赞不绝口，那是在二十多年前。

 

剪羊毛季节里牲畜不诅咒命运不啜泣，

因有快乐领头羊弗雷德训练带领绵羊；

一路跑过嘎嘎响斜槽是咩咩叫的羊群，

跟着库克家的长角人，那是二十年前。

 

一位从前业主曾拥有他家族的剪毛棚，

对新机器或他头顶上的装备一无所知：

部件锁链以及羊毛皮图徽等见未曾见，

直到羊毛打包在工棚，在二十多年前。

 

一位西部棚敲钟人名望既深又宽，

被请来填一个空圈要剪一千只羊。

“当然咱只要把好刀片!” “好, 我想知道:

为啥你不用把锄刀来将那些畜牲的毛毛剃掉？”

  

江湖侠客志: “班卓的诗歌——来自澳洲荒原的劳动号子”的诗均为中国译协会员、广东译协理事吴仲湛汉语首译。以班卓的Waltzing Matilda（跳华尔兹的玛蒂尔达）为主题曲。关于班卓，请点击本博客首页“我的文章专辑”中的“班卓的诗歌”，参阅。

 

澳洲塑料纸币上的帕特森．班卓像

Shearing with a Hoe

Banjo Paterson

(Australia)

 

The track that led to Carmody’s is choked and overgrown,

The suckers of the stringybark have made the place their own;

The mountain rains have cut the track that once we used to know

When first we rode to Carmody’s, a score of years ago.

 

The shearing shed at Carmody’s was slab and stringybark,

The press was just a lever beam, invented in the Ark;

But Mrs Carmody was cook __ and shearers’ hearts would glow

With praise of grub at Carmody’s, a score of years ago.

 

At shearing time no penners-up would curse their fate and weep,

For Fragrant Fred __ the billy-goat __ was trained to lead the sheep;

And racing down the rattling chutes the bleating mob would go

Behind their horned man from Cook’s, a score of years ago.

 

An owner of the olden time, his patriarchal shed

Was innocent of all machines or gagets overhead:

And pieces, locks and super-fleece together used to go

To till the bales at Carmody’s, a score of years go.

 

A ringer from the western shed, whose fame was wide and deep,

Was asked to take a vacant pen and shear a thousand sheep.

“Of course we’ve only got the blades!” “Well, what I want to know:

Why don’t you get a bloke to take it off ‘em with a hoe?”