1
I
你听那雪橇的银铃——
Hear the sledges with the bells-
那银色的小钟！
Silver bells!
它们悦耳的铃声预言了一个多么快活的世界！
What a world of merriment their melody foretells!
他们是如何丁丁锳锳
How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,
在夜冰凉的空气中！
In the icy air of night!
点缀于天幕的颗颗星星
While the stars that oversprinkle
仿佛都快活地眨动眼睛，
All the heavens, seem to twinkle
眨动水晶般的眼睛；
With a crystalline delight;
铃儿丁丁锳锳地合着拍子，
Keeping time, time, time,
合着一种北方神秘的旋律
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
合着那悠扬快活的丁丁锳锳，
To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells
铃声流出那小钟般的银铃，
From the bells, bells, bells, bells,
丁锳，丁锳，丁锳——
Bells, bells, bells-
铃声流出那丁丁锳锳、锳锳丁丁的银玲。
From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.
2
II
你听那柔和的婚礼钟声——
Hear the mellow wedding bells,
听那金钟！
Golden bells!
它们和谐的钟声预言了一个多么幸福的世界！
What a world of happiness their harmony foretells!
划破芬芳馥郁的夜空
Through the balmy air of night
如何奏鸣出喜乐融融！
How they ring out their delight!
从那悠扬的金钟
From the molten-golden notes,
和谐的铮铮鏦鏦
And all in tune,
一支多么清丽的曲调
What a liquid ditty floats
飘向那只爱慕地凝视着月亮的斑鸠
To the turtle-dove that listens, while she gloats
她在倾听！
On the moon!
哦，从那些钟楼
Oh, from out the sounding cells,
荡漾出那么多如此美妙动听的钟声！
What a gush of euphony voluminously wells!
如此抑扬噌吰
How it swells!
如此悠扬铮鏦
How it dwells
飘向未来！——如此奏颂
On the Future! how it tells
那欣欣愉愉陶陶融融，
Of the rapture that impels
是那欢天喜地鸣响的钟声，
To the swinging and the ringing
丁东，丁东，丁东！
Of the bells, bells, bells
金钟铮鏦，金钟噌吰，
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells,
丁东，丁东，丁东——
Bells, bells, bells-
鸣响这悠扬起伏贯珠扣玉的金钟！
To the rhyming and the chiming of the bells!
3
III
你听那刺耳的警钟——
Hear the loud alarm bells-
听那铜钟！
Brazen bells!
它们喧嚷的钟声讲述一种什么样的惊恐！
What a tale of terror, now, their turbulency tells!
在夜晚惊惶的耳里
In the startled ear of night
它们声音那么凄厉！
How they scream out their affright!
吓得不成声调，
Too much horrified to speak,
只能悲鸣尖叫，
They can only shriek, shriek,
多不和谐，
Out of tune,
吵吵嚷嚷啷啷当当向烈火乞哀告怜——
In a clamorous appealing to the mercy of the fire,
疯疯癫癫当当啷啷劝又聋又狂的火焰，
In a mad expostulation with the deaf and frantic fire,
火越窜越高，越窜越高，
Leaping higher, higher, higher,
以一种孤注一掷的心愿，
With a desperate desire,
以一种不屈不挠的努力，
And a resolute endeavor
现在——现在，不然就休想，
Now - now to sit, or never,
窜到那脸色吓得苍白的月亮旁边。
By the side of the pale-faced moon.
哦，那警钟，警钟，警钟！
Oh, the bells, bells, bells!
在讲述一种什么样的惊恐
What a tale their terror tells
和绝望！
Of Despair!
它们是怎样当啷当啷当啷！
How they clang, and clash and roar!
它们把一种什么样的惊惶
What a horror they outpour
倾泻进瑟瑟发抖的空气的胸间！
On the bosom of the palpitating air!
可那耳朵，它一清二楚，
Yet the ear, it fully knows,
凭那鈡声铿锵，
By the twanging,
凭那叮铃当啷，
And the clanging,
那危险是如何潮起潮伏——
How the danger ebbs and flows;
是的，那耳朵一听就懂，
Yet the ear distinctly tells,
凭那啷啷当当，
In the jangling,
凭那当当啷啷，
And the wrangling,
那危险是如何潮起潮涌，
How the danger sinks and swells,
凭着那愤怒钟声的起起伏伏低低涌涌——
By the sinking or the swelling in the anger of the bells-
那钟声——
Of the bells-
那长鸣的警钟，警钟，警钟，
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells,
当啷，当啷，当啷——
Bells, bells, bells-
那吵吵嚷嚷当当啷啷的铜钟。
In the clamor and the clanging of the bells!
4
IV
你听那悠悠丧钟——
Hear the tolling of the bells-
听那铁钟！
Iron bells!
一个多么肃穆的世界出自那哀婉的钟声！
What a world of solemn thought their monody compels!
在万籁俱寂的夜里
In the silence of the night,
我们如何不寒而栗
How we shiver with affright
当听到那悲伤忧郁的钟声！
At the melancholy menace of their tone!
因为那声声鸣奏
For every sound that floats
发自生锈的咽喉
From the rust within their throats
是声声呻吟。
Is a groan.
而那些——哦，那些人
And the people - ah, the people-
那些住在尖塔上的人
They that dwell up in the steeple,
孤孤单单，
All alone,
他们把丧钟鸣奏，鸣奏，
And who, tolling, tolling, tolling,
在沉闷单调的钟声里
In that muffled monotone,
感受到一种光荣，滚动
Feel a glory in so rolling
一块石头在人们心头——
On the human heart a stone-
他们既不是男人也不是女人——
They are neither man nor woman-
他们既不是人类也不是野兽，
They are neither brute nor human-
他们是幽灵——
They are Ghouls:
正是他们的君王把丧钟鸣奏——
And their king it is who tolls;
他鸣奏，鸣奏，鸣奏，鸣奏，
And he rolls, rolls, rolls,
从钟里奏出一曲赞歌！
Rolls
他快活的胸膛起伏！
A paean from the bells!
随着丧钟的那曲赞歌！
And his merry bosom swells
他叫嚷着高歌起舞；
With the paean of the bells!
合着丧钟幽幽咽咽的节奏，
And he dances, and he yells;
合着一种北方神秘的节奏，
Keeping time, time, time,
合着那一曲赞歌——
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
发自丧钟——
To the paean of the bells-
合着丧钟幽幽咽咽的节奏，
Of the bells:
合着一种北方神秘的节奏，
Keeping time, time, time
合着钟声的震动——
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
钟声，钟声，钟声——
To the throbbing of the bells-
呜呜咽咽抽抽噎噎的钟声——
Of the bells, bells, bells-
合着幽幽咽咽的节奏，
To the sobbing of the bells;
当他鸣奏，鸣奏，鸣奏，
Keeping time, time, time,
以快活的北方节奏，
As he knells, knells, knells,
合着钟声的荡荡悠悠——
In a happy Runic rhyme,
丧钟，丧钟，丧钟——
To the rolling of the bells-
合着钟声的荡荡悠悠——
Of the bells, bells, bells -
钟声悠悠荡荡，荡荡悠悠——
To the tolling of the bells-
丧钟，丧钟——
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells,
合着呻吟哀号悠悠荡荡，荡荡悠悠的铁钟。
Bells, bells, bells-
To the moaning and the groaning of the bells.
译者注:
此诗堪称爱伦·坡所追求的“音乐与思想结合”的典范，俄罗斯作曲家谢尔盖·拉赫玛尼诺夫（1873–1943）据此诗创作了合唱交响曲《钟声》（作品编号35）；英国作曲家约瑟·赫尔布鲁克（1878–1958）为此诗谱写了合唱与乐队曲《钟声·序曲》（作品编号50）；美国民谣歌手菲尔·奥克斯（1940–1976）和苏格兰声乐家诺曼·伍尔夫森（1945–2009）都曾改编并演唱过《钟声》。