"The Raven" (by: Edgar Allen Poe)

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore--
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
"'Tis some visiter," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door--
Only this and nothing more."

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;--vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow--sorrow for the lost Lenore--
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore--
Nameless here for evermore.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me--filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
"'Tis some visiter entreating entrance at my chamber door--
Some late visiter entreating entrance at my chamber door;
This it is and nothing more."

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
"Sir," said I, "or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you"--here I opened wide the door--
Darkness there and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, "Lenore?"
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, "Lenore!"--
Merely this and nothing more.

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping something louder than before.
"Surely," said I, "surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see, then, what thereat is and this mystery explore--
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;--
'Tis the wind and nothing more.

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he,
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door--
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door--
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then the ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
"Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou," I said, "art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore--
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!"
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning--little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door--
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as "Nevermore."

But the Raven, sitting lonely on that placid bust, spoke only
That one word, as if its soul in that one word he did outpour
Nothing farther then he uttered; not a feather then he fluttered--
Till I scarcely more than muttered: "Other friends have flown before--
On the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before."
Then the bird said "Nevermore."

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
"Doubtless," said I, "what it utters is its only stock and store,
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore--
Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore
Of 'Never--nevermore.'"

But the Raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door;
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore--
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking "Nevermore."

This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o'er,
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o'er
She shall press, ah, nevermore!

Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.
"Wretch," I cried, "thy God hath lent thee--by these angels he hath sent thee
Respite--respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!"
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil!--prophet still, if bird or devil!--
Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate, yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted--
On this home by Horror haunted--tell me truly, I implore--
Is there--is there balm in Gilead?--tell me--tell me, I implore!"
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil!--prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us--by that God we both adore--
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore--
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore."
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

"Be that our sign of parting, bird or fiend!" I shrieked, upstarting--
"Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul has spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken!--quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!"
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadows on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted--nevermore!

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译文:

乌鸦

从前一个阴郁的子夜，我独自沉思，慵懒疲竭，
沉思许多古怪而离奇、早已被人遗忘的传闻——
当我开始打盹，几乎入睡，突然传来一阵轻擂，
仿佛有人在轻轻叩击，轻轻叩击我的房门。
“有人来了，”我轻声嘟喃，“正在叩击我的房门——
唯此而已，别无他般。”

哦，我清楚地记得那是在萧瑟的十二月；
每一团奄奄一息的余烬都形成阴影伏在地板。
我当时真盼望翌日；——因为我已经枉费心机
想用书来消除悲哀——消除因失去丽诺尔的悲叹——
因那被天使叫作丽诺尔的少女，她美丽娇艳——
在这儿却默默无闻，直至永远。

那柔软、暗淡、飒飒飘动的每一块紫色窗布
使我心中充满前所未有的恐怖——我毛骨惊然；
为平息我心儿停跳．我站起身反复叨念
“这是有人想进屋，在叩我的房门——。
更深夜半有人想进屋，在叩我的房门；——
唯此而已，别无他般。”

很快我的心变得坚强；不再犹疑，不再彷徨，
“先生，”我说，“或夫人，我求你多多包涵；
刚才我正睡意昏昏，而你来敲门又那么轻，
你来敲门又那么轻，轻轻叩击我的房门，
我差点以为没听见你”——说着我拉开门扇；——
唯有黑夜，别无他般。

凝视着夜色幽幽，我站在门边惊惧良久，
疑惑中似乎梦见从前没人敢梦见的梦幻；
可那未被打破的寂静，没显示任何迹象。
“丽诺尔？”便是我嗫嚅念叨的唯一字眼，
我念叨“丽诺尔！”，回声把这名字轻轻送还，
唯此而已，别无他般。

我转身回到房中，我的整个心烧灼般疼痛，
很快我又听到叩击声，比刚才听起来明显。
“肯定，”我说，“肯定有什么在我的窗棂；
让我瞧瞧是什么在那里，去把那秘密发现——
让我的心先镇静一会儿，去把那秘密发现；——
那不过是风，别无他般！”

我猛然推开窗户，。心儿扑扑直跳就像打鼓，
一只神圣往昔的健壮乌鸦慢慢走进我房间；
它既没向我致意问候；也没有片刻的停留；
而以绅士淑女的风度，栖在我房门的上面——
栖在我房门上方一尊帕拉斯半身雕像上面——
栖坐在那儿，仅如此这般。

于是这只黑鸟把我悲伤的幻觉哄骗成微笑，
以它那老成持重一本正经温文尔雅的容颜，
“虽然冠毛被剪除，”我说，“但你肯定不是懦夫，
你这幽灵般可怕的古鸦，漂泊来自夜的彼岸——
请告诉我你尊姓大名，在黑沉沉的冥府阴间！”
乌鸦答日“永不复述。”

听见如此直率的回答，我惊叹这丑陋的乌鸦，
虽说它的回答不着边际——与提问几乎无关；
因为我们不得不承认，从来没有活着的世人
曾如此有幸地看见一只鸟栖在他房门的面——
鸟或兽栖在他房间门上方的半身雕像上面，
有这种名字“水不复还。”

但那只独栖于肃穆的半身雕像上的乌鸦只说了
这一句话，仿佛它倾泻灵魂就用那一个字眼。
然后它便一声不吭——也不把它的羽毛拍动——
直到我几乎是哺哺自语“其他朋友早已消散——
明晨它也将离我而去——如同我的希望已消散。”
这时那鸟说“永不复还。”

惊异于那死寂漠漠被如此恰当的回话打破，
“肯定，”我说，“这句话是它唯一的本钱，
从它不幸动主人那儿学未。一连串无情飞灾
曾接踵而至，直到它主人的歌中有了这字眼——
直到他希望的挽歌中有了这个忧伤的字眼
‘永不复还，永不复还。’”

但那只乌鸦仍然把我悲伤的幻觉哄骗成微笑，
我即刻拖了张软椅到门旁雕像下那只鸟跟前；
然后坐在天鹅绒椅垫上，我开始冥思苦想，
浮想连着浮想，猜度这不祥的古鸟何出此言——
这只狰狞丑陋可怕不吉不祥的古鸟何出此言，
为何聒噪‘永不复还。”

我坐着猜想那意见但没对那鸟说片语只言。
此时，它炯炯发光的眼睛已燃烧进我的心坎；
我依然坐在那儿猜度，把我的头靠得很舒服，
舒舒服服地靠在那被灯光凝视的天鹅绒衬垫，
但被灯光爱慕地凝视着的紫色的天鹅绒衬垫，
她将显出，啊，永不复还！

接着我想，空气变得稠密，被无形香炉熏香，
提香炉的撒拉弗的脚步声响在有簇饰的地板。
“可怜的人，”我呼叫，“是上帝派天使为你送药，
这忘忧药能中止你对失去的丽诺尔的思念；
喝吧如吧，忘掉对失去的丽诺尔的思念！”
乌鸦说“永不复还。”

“先知！”我说“凶兆！——仍是先知，不管是鸟还是魔！
是不是魔鬼送你，或是暴风雨抛你来到此岸，
孤独但毫不气馁，在这片妖惑鬼崇的荒原——
在这恐怖萦绕之家——告诉我真话，求你可怜——
基列有香膏吗？——告诉我——告诉我，求你可怜！”
乌鸦说“永不复还。”

“先知！”我说，“凶兆！——仍是先知、不管是鸟是魔！
凭我们头顶的苍天起誓——凭我们都崇拜的上帝起誓——
告诉这充满悲伤的灵魂。它能否在遥远的仙境
拥抱被天使叫作丽诺尔的少女，她纤尘不染——
拥抱被天使叫作丽诺尔的少女，她美丽娇艳。”
乌鸦说“永不复还。”

“让这话做我们的道别之辞，鸟或魔！”我突然叫道——
“回你的暴风雨中去吧，回你黑沉沉的冥府阴间！
别留下黑色羽毛作为你的灵魂谎言的象征！
留给我完整的孤独！——快从我门上的雕像滚蛋！
从我心中带走你的嘴；从我房门带走你的外观！”
乌鸦说“永不复还。”

那乌鸦并没飞去，它仍然栖息，仍然栖息
在房门上方那苍白的帕拉斯半身雕像上面；
而它的眼光与正在做梦的魔鬼眼光一模一样，
照在它身上的灯光把它的阴影投射在地板；
而我的灵魂，会从那团在地板上漂浮的阴暗
被擢升么——永不复还！

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这首精雕细琢的“乌鸦”很有意境，可内容又有一丝丝的恐怖，据说当时是蛮吓到不少人的，可能很久之前的人们是很胆小的吧。