三、火的说教

河边缺少了似帐篷的遮盖，树叶最后的手指

没抓住什么而飘落到潮湿的岸上。风

掠过棕黄的大地，无声的。仙女都走了。

温柔的泰晤士，轻轻地流，等我唱完我的歌。

河上不再漂着空瓶子，裹夹肉面包的纸，

绸手绢，硬纸盒子，吸剩的香烟头，

或夏夜的其它见证。仙女都走了。

还有她们的朋友，公司大亨的公子哥们，

走了，也没有留下地址。

在莱芒湖边我坐下来哭泣……

温柔的泰晤士，轻轻地流，等我唱完我的歌。

温柔的泰晤士，轻轻地流吧，我不会大声，也说不多。

可是在我背后的冷风中，我听见

白骨在碰撞，得意的笑声从耳边传到耳边。

一只老鼠悄悄爬过了草丛 把它湿粘的肚子拖过河岸，

而我坐在冬日黄昏的煤气厂后，

对着污滞的河水垂钓，

沉思着我的王兄在海上的遭难。

和在他以前我的父王的死亡。

在低湿的地上裸露着白尸体，

白骨抛弃在干燥低矮的小阁楼上，

被耗子的脚拨来拨去的，年复一年。

然而在我的背后我不时地听见

汽车和喇叭的声音，是它带来了

斯温尼在春天会见鲍特太太。

呵，月光在鲍特太太身上照耀

也在她女儿身上照耀

她们在苏打水里洗脚

哦，听童男女们的歌声，在教堂的圆顶下！

嘁喳嘁喳

唧格、唧格、唧格，

逼得这么粗暴。

特鲁

不真实的城

在冬日正午的棕黄色雾下

尤金尼迪先生，斯莫纳的商人

没有刮脸，口袋里塞着葡萄干

托运伦敦免费，见款即交的提单，

他讲着俗劣的法语邀请我

到加农街饭店去吃午餐

然后在大都会去度周末。

在紫色黄昏到来时，当眼睛和脊背

从写字台抬直起来，当人的机体

象出租汽车在悸动地等待，

我，提瑞西士，悸动在雌雄两种生命之间，

一个有着干瘪的女性乳房的老头，

尽管是瞎的，在这紫色的黄昏时刻

（它引动乡思，把水手从海上带回家）

却看见打字员下班回到家，洗了

早点的用具，生上炉火，摆出罐头食物。

窗外不牢靠地挂着

她晾干的内衣，染着夕阳的残辉，

沙发上（那是她夜间的床）摊着

长袜子，拖鞋，小背心，紧身胸衣。

我，有褶皱乳房的老人提瑞西士，

知道这一幕，并且预见了其余的——

我也在等待那盼望的客人。

他来了，那满脸酒刺的年青人，

小代理店的办事员，一种大胆的眼神，

自得的神气罩着这种下层人，

好象丝绒帽戴在勃莱弗暴发户的头上。

来的正是时机，他猜对了，

晚饭吃过，她厌腻而懒散，

他试着动手动脚上去温存，

虽然没受欢迎，也没有被责备。

兴奋而坚定，他立刻进攻，

探索的手没有遇到抗拒，

他的虚荣心也不需要反应，

冷漠对他就等于是欢迎。

（我，提瑞西士，早已忍受过了

在这沙发式床上演出的一切；

我在底比斯城墙下坐过的，

又曾在卑贱的死人群里走过。）

最后给了她恩赐的一吻，

摸索着走出去，楼梯上也没个灯亮……

她回头对镜照了一下，全没想到还有那个离去的情人；

心里模糊地闪过一个念头：

“那桩事总算完了；我很高兴。”

当美人儿做了失足的蠢事

而又在屋中来回踱着，孤独地，

她机械地用手理了理头发，

并拿一张唱片放上留声机。

“这音乐在水上从我的身边流过，”

流过河滨大街，直上维多利亚街。

哦，金融城，有时我能听见

在下泰晤士街的酒吧间旁，

一只四弦琴的悦耳的怨诉，

而酒吧间内渔贩子们正在歇午，

发出嘈杂的喧声，还有殉道堂：

在它那壁上是说不尽的

爱奥尼亚的皎洁与金色的辉煌。

油和沥青

洋溢在河上

随着浪起

游艇漂去

红帆

撑得宽宽的

顺风而下，在桅上摇摆。

游艇擦过

漂浮的大木

流过格林威治

流过大岛

喂呵啦啦咧呀

哇啦啦咧呀啦啦

伊丽莎白和莱斯特

划着浆

船尾好似

一只镀金的贝壳

红的和金黄的

活泼的水浪

泛到两岸

西南风

把钟声的清响

朝下流吹送

白的楼塔

喂呵啦啦咧呀

哇啦啦咧呀啦啦

“电车和覆满尘土的树，

海倍里给我生命。瑞曲蒙和克尤

把我毁掉。在瑞曲蒙我翘起腿

仰卧在小独木舟的船底。”

“我的脚在摩尔门，我的心

在我脚下。在那件事后

他哭了，发誓‘重新做人’。

我无话可说。这该怨什么？

“在马尔门的沙滩上。

我能联结起

虚空和虚空。

呵，脏手上的破碎指甲。

我们这些卑贱的人

无所期望。”

啦啦

于是我来到迦太基

烧呵烧呵烧呵烧呵

主呵，救我出来

主呵，救我

烧呵

III. THE FIRE SERMON

The rivers tent is broken: the last fingers of leaf

Clutch and sink into the wet bank. The wind

Crosses the brown land, unheard. The nymphs are departed.

Sweet Thames, run softly, till I end my song.

The river bears no empty bottles, sandwich papers,

Silk handkerchiefs, cardboard boxes, cigarette ends

Or other testimony of summer nights. The nymphs are departed.

And their friends, the loitering heirs of city directors;

Departed, have left no addresses.

By the waters of Leman I sat down and wept . . .

Sweet Thames, run softly till I end my song,

Sweet Thames, run softly, for I speak not loud or long.

But at my back in a cold blast I hear

The rattle of the bones, and chuckle spread from ear to ear.

A rat crept softly through the vegetation

Dragging its slimy belly on the bank

While I was fishing in the dull canal

On a winter evening round behind the gashouse

Musing upon the king my brothers wreck

And on the king my fathers death before him.

White bodies naked on the low damp ground

And bones cast in a little low dry garret,

Rattled by the rats foot only, year to year.

But at my back from time to time I hear

The sound of horns and motors, which shall bring

Sweeney to Mrs. Porter in the spring.

O the moon shone bright on Mrs. Porter

And on her daughter

They wash their feet in soda water

Et O ces voix denfants, chantant dans la coupole!

Twit twit twit

Jug jug jug jug jug jug

So rudely forcd.

Tereu

Unreal City

Under the brown fog of a winter noon

Mr. Eugenides, the Smyrna merchant

Unshaven, with a pocket full of currants

C.i.f. London: documents at sight,

Asked me in demotic French

To luncheon at the Cannon Street Hotel

Followed by a weekend at the Metropole.

At the violet hour, when the eyes and back

Turn upward from the desk, when the human engine waits

Like a taxi throbbing waiting,

I Tiresias, though blind, throbbing between two lives,

Old man with wrinkled female breasts, can see

At the violet hour, the evening hour that strives

Homeward, and brings the sailor home from sea,

The typist home at teatime, clears her breakfast, lights

Her stove, and lays out food in tins.

Out of the window perilously spread

Her drying combinations touched by the suns last rays,

On the divan are piled (at night her bed)

Stockings, slippers, camisoles, and stays.

I Tiresias, old man with wrinkled dugs

Perceived the scene, and foretold the rest -

I too awaited the expected guest.

He, the young man carbuncular, arrives,

A small house agents clerk, with one bold stare,

One of the low on whom assurance sits

As a silk hat on a Bradford millionaire.

The time is now propitious, as he guesses,

The meal is ended, she is bored and tired,

Endeavours to engage her in caresses

Which still are unreproved, if undesired.

Flushed and decided, he assaults at once;

Exploring hands encounter no defence;

His vanity requires no response,

And makes a welcome of indifference.

(And I Tiresias have foresuffered all

Enacted on this same divan or bed;

I who have sat by Thebes below the wall

And walked among the lowest of the dead.)

Bestows one final patronising kiss,

And gropes his way, finding the stairs unlit . . .

She turns and looks a moment in the glass,

Hardly aware of her departed lover;

Her brain allows one half-formed thought to pass:

"Well now thats done: and Im glad its over."

When lovely woman stoops to folly and

Paces about her room again, alone,

She smoothes her hair with automatic hand,

And puts a record on the gramophone.

"This music crept by me upon the waters"

And along the Strand, up Queen Victoria Street.

O City city, I can sometimes hear

Beside a public bar in Lower Thames Street,

The pleasant whining of a mandoline

And a clatter and a chatter from within

Where fishmen lounge at noon: where the walls

Of Magnus Martyr hold

Inexplicable splendour of Ionian white and gold.

The river sweats

Oil and tar

The barges drift

With the turning tide

Red sails

Wide

To leeward, swing on the heavy spar.

The barges wash

Drifting logs

Down Greenwich reach

Past the Isle of Dogs.

Weialala leia

Wallala leialala

Elizabeth and Leicester

Beating oars

The stern was formed

A gilded shell

Red and gold

The brisk swell

Rippled both shores

Southwest wind

Carried down stream

The peal of bells

White towers

Weialala leia

Wallala leialala

"Trams and dusty trees.

Highbury bore me. Richmond and Kew

Undid me. By Richmond I raised my knees

Supine on the floor of a narrow canoe."

"My feet are at Moorgate, and my heart

Under my feet. After the event

He wept. He promised a new start.

I made no comment. What should I resent?"

"On Margate Sands.

I can connect

Nothing with nothing.

The broken fingernails of dirty hands.

My people humble people who expect

Nothing."

la la

To Carthage then I came

Burning burning burning burning

O Lord Thou pluckest me out

O Lord Thou pluckest

burning