在家，披着我的法兰绒袍子，像一头熊对着它的浮冰，

At home, in my flannel gown, like a bear to its floe,

我爬上床；沿地球不可能的侧面攀升

I clambered to bed; up the globe's impossible sides

我彻夜航行——直到最后，带着我的黑胡子，

I sailed all night—till at last, with my black beard,

我的裘皮和我的狗，我站在了北极。

My furs and my dogs, I stood at the northern pole.

在那里童稚的夜间我的伙伴们冻卧着，

There in the childish night my companions lay frozen,

僵硬的裘皮敲打我饥饿的咽喉，

The stiff furs knocked at my starveling throat,

我发出一声大大的惊叹：雪花蜂拥而至，

And I gave my great sigh: the flakes came huddling,

它们真是我的终结么？黑暗里我翻身入眠。

Were they really my end? In the darkness I turned to my rest.

——这里，旗子猎猎作响在未破碎冰层的

—Here, the flag snaps in the glare and silence

眩光与寂静之中。我站在这里，

Of the unbroken ice. I stand here,

狗吠，我的胡子是黑的，而我凝望

The dogs bark, my beard is black, and I stare

着北极……

At the North Pole . . .

    现在干嘛呢？唉，回去吧。

                                        And now what? Why, go back.

随意转身，我的脚步朝向南方。

Turn as I please, my step is to the south.

世界——我的世界回旋在这寒冷与悲惨的

The world—my world spins on this final point

终极点之上：所有的线，所有的风

Of cold and wretchedness: all lines, all winds

在这个我终于发现的漩涡中结束。

End in this whirlpool I at last discover.

并且毫无意义。在孩童的床头

And it is meaningless. In the child's bed

在这夜的航行之后，在那个温暖世界

After the night's voyage, in that warm world

人们在其中劳作与受苦只为了那场

Where people work and suffer for the end

冠绝苦痛的终结——在那云鹃之国[2]

That crowns the pain—in that Cloud-Cuckoo-Land

我抵达我的北方，于是它有了意义。

I reached my North and it had meaning.

这里身处我的存在那实有的极点，

Here at the actual pole of my existence,

我曾经做过的一切都毫无意义的所在，

Where all that I have done is meaningless,

我独自一人因意外而死或生的所在——

Where I die or live by accident alone—

无论活着还是将死，我依然独自一人的所在；

Where, living or dying, I am still alone;

在这里，北方、夜晚、死亡的冰山

Here where North, the night, the berg of death

将我挤出无知黑暗的所在，

Crowd me out of the ignorant darkness,

我终于看穿所有那些被我从黑暗里

I see at last that all the knowledge

绞拧出来的知识——黑暗扔给我的——

I wrung from the darkness—that the darkness flung me—

都像无知一样毫无价值：无物来自无物，

Is worthless as ignorance: nothing comes from nothing,

黑暗来自黑暗。苦痛来自黑暗

The darkness from the darkness. Pain comes from the darkness

而我们却称之为智慧。那是苦痛。

And we call it wisdom. It is pain.

译注

[1] 即北极。

[2] Cloud-Cuckoo-Land，源自古希腊喜剧家阿里斯托芬（约公元前446-约公元前386）的喜剧《鸟》中全世界的鸟造就的一座天空之城，常被用来意指虚无飘渺的幻想境地。