（Walt Whitman, 1819 - 1892）

关于表象的令人心惊肉跳的疑虑

（美）惠特曼

舒啸 译 

关于表象的令人心惊肉跳的疑虑，

关于终究的不确定性，不确定我们可能会被迷惑，

不确定依赖和希望或许终究只是猜测，

不确定人超越坟墓的自我存在或许只是一个美丽的传说，

或许我所感知的一切，动物、植物、人、山丘、流光溢彩的江河，

白天和黑夜的天空，颜色，密度，形式，这些或许（毫无疑问）只是幻影，真正的东西还有待了解，

（它们那么频繁地从自身上显现，好像要迷惑我、嘲笑我！

我有多少次认为我不知道，也没有任何人知道，它们中的任何一个，）

从我目前的观点来看，它们对于我或许看来就是它们那样（毫无疑问它们只不过就是看来那样），而从完全不同的观点可能（正如它们当然会）证明它们根本不是它们所呈现，或者无论如何都不是;

对我来说，这些和这类问题，已经由我所爱的人，我亲爱的朋友们奇妙地答复，

当我所爱的人与我同行或拉着我的手久坐，

当微妙的空气，种种难以捉摸，言语和理性所不能拥有的感觉，包围着我们，弥漫着我们，

于是我充溢着从未言说也无法言说的智慧，我沉默，我不需要更多什么，

我无法回答表象的问题或人超越坟墓的自我存在问题，

但我毫不在意地走路或坐着，我心满意足，

他握着我的手，已经完全满足了我。

译记：我们每每思索世界、思索生命和死亡，常常这些目标为理解的尝试带来的是更多的疑惑。

在这首小诗里，惠特曼告诉我们，他也是同样有这些思考，也同样因为这些思考而焦虑。

中间几行复杂的长句，时而似画蛇添足地转折，时而吞吞吐吐地反复，乍读似乎啰嗦而近乎不知所云。这部分尽写哲思给诗人带来的困扰，甚至颇有几分喜感。

惠特曼终究是惠特曼。到第九行，他挥散了那些困惑那些焦虑，宣告说：“这些和这类问题，已经由我所爱的人，我亲爱的朋友们奇妙地答复”。

而接下去的部分，则是惠特曼笔下的极至感人的诗行……

（另：此诗也每每循例被列为判断惠特曼性取向的“凭证”。尽管”Not that there's anything wrong with that”，我们还是没有必要把今天用词的 sensibility 加到惠特曼身上。）

Whitman原诗：

Of the Terrible Doubt of Appearances

Of the terrible doubt of appearances,

Of the uncertainty after all, that we may be deluded,

That may-be reliance and hope are but speculations after all,

That may-be identity beyond the grave is a beautiful fable only,

May-be the things I perceive, the animals, plants, men, hills, shining and flowing waters,

The skies of day and night, colors, densities, forms, may-be these are (as doubtless they are) only apparitions, and the real something has yet to be known,

(How often they dart out of themselves as if to confound me and mock me!

How often I think neither I know, nor any man knows, aught of them,)

May-be seeming to me what they are (as doubtless they indeed but seem) as from my present point of view, and might prove (as of course they would) nought of what they appear, or nought anyhow, from entirely changed points of view;

To me these and the like of these are curiosly answer’d by my lovers, my dear friends,

When he whom I love travels with me or sits a long while holding me by the hand,

When the subtle air, the impalpable, the sense that words and reason hold not, surround us and pervade us,

Then I am charged with untold and untellable wisdom, I am silent, I require nothing further,

I cannot answer the question of appearances or that of identity beyond the grave,

But I walk or sit indifferent, I am satisfied,

He ahold of my hand has completely satisfied me.