To Future Generations
Niels Hav
致后代
贝尔托·布莱希特
馨阅译
I
Truly, I live in dark times!
An artless word is foolish. A smooth forehead
Points to insensitivity. He who laughs
Has not yet received
The terrible news.
真的，我生活在黑暗时代！
艺术的字眼都是荒谬的。一个平滑的前额
表明感觉迟钝。大笑的他
却没有感受到
可怕的消息。
What times are these, in which
A conversation about trees is almost a crime
For it implies silence about so many misdeeds!
And he who walks quietly across the street,
Passes out of the reach of his friends
Who are in need?
这些是什么时代，
一场关于树的对话几乎是一个罪过
因为它意味着对犯罪的默然无声！
之后他悄然穿过大街，
经过了，再也没有朋友可以联系到他。
谁在贫困中？
It is true: I earn a living
But believe me, that’s just a coincidence. Nothing
That I do entitles me to eat my fill.
确实是这样的：我赚钱养活自己
但是相信我，那只是巧合。没有什么
我所做的，让我有资格吃饱。
By chance I have been spared. (If my luck does not hold, I am doomed.)
People tell me: eat and drink. Be glad that you did!
But how can I eat and drink
When I take what I eat from the starving
My glass of water from someone dying of thirst?
机缘巧遇我幸免了。（假若我的运气不再继续，也是命中注定。）
人们告诉我：吃吧喝吧。为你所做的而高兴吧！
然而我又如何吃好喝好
当我在饥饿中获取我所食
我杯中的水是源于他人弥留的饥渴？
And yet I eat and drink.
但是我仍是吃着和喝着。
I would like to be wise.
The old books tell what wisdom is:
To retreat from the strife of the world
To live out the brief time that is your lot
Without fear
To make your way without violence
To repay evil with good
Do not seek to satisfy desires, but to forget
That is wise
But I cannot heed this:
Truly I live in dark times!
我渴望睿智
古籍讲述智慧是：
在世界的冲突中要退让
活在你命运的短暂时光里
没有畏惧
没有暴力就可努力向前
以德偿怨
不要寻求以满足欲望，但要忘却（欲望）
那才是睿智
然而我却没有注意到这点：
确实 我在黑暗时代过活！
