Romance and revolution: The poetry of Pablo Neruda - Ilan Stavans

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Clement Fu

Pablo Neruda published his first collection of poems at age 19.

巴勃羅·聶魯達 19 歲出版首本詩集，

He went on to win the Nobel Prize in Literature—

之後榮獲諾貝爾文學獎，

and also rescue 2,000 refugees,

更拯救兩千名難民，

spend three years in political exile,

政治流亡三年，

and run for president of Chile.

並競選智利總統。

A romantic and a revolutionary,

聶魯達既是浪漫主義者，也是革命家，

Neruda was one of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century,

是二十世紀數一數二備受推崇的詩人，

but also one of the most accessible and controversial.

最貼近民眾卻也備受爭議。

Originally written in Spanish,

他的詩作原是西班牙文，

his poems often use straightforward language and everyday experience

大多採用直白的文字，取材日常經歷，

to create lasting impact.

卻創造持久的影響力。

Neruda was born Ricardo Eliezer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto

聶魯達本名里卡多·以萊薩· 內夫塔利·雷耶斯·巴索阿爾托，

in a small Chilean town in 1904.

1904 年生於智利一個小鎮。

His father didn’t want him to be a poet,

他的父親不希望他成為詩人，

so at sixteen he began to write under the pen name “Pablo Neruda.”

於是 16 歲開始用筆名 「巴勃羅·聶魯達」寫作。

The poems in his early collection "Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair"

早期詩集《二十首情詩和 一首絕望的歌》中的詩作

were tender and perceptive,

柔情似水，卻刻劃深邃，

illuminating the subtleties of love and enchantment.

闡明愛情與著迷的纏綿細膩。

In "Poem VI," for example, he writes:

例如《第六首詩》中寫道：

“Tu recuerdo es de luz, de humo, de estanque en calma!/

「Tu recuerdo es de luz, de humo, （西班牙語：你的記憶組成自光、）

de estanque en calma!/ （自煙、自一個平靜的水塘！）

Más allá de tus ojos ardían los crepúsculos.”

Más allá de tus ojos ardían （你的雙眼深處，）

los crepúsculos. （暮色烈焰如火。）」

Later, he poured this attention to detail into poems of appreciation

後來他細膩的觀察全神貫注到

欣賞日常物件的詩作中。

for everyday objects.

Many of the 225 short poems in his collection "All the Odes"

詩集《元素頌》中 225 首短詩，

are dedicated to the assortment of small,

大多是獻給我們周遭各式各樣

apparently insignificant items that surround us,

不起眼的小東西：

from a pair of shoelaces to a watermelon.

從一雙鞋帶到一顆西瓜。

An onion is más hermosa que un ave/ de plumas cegadoras,

洋蔥：más hermosa que un ave/ （比起一隻耀目羽毛的鳥）

de plumas cegadoras, （還要美麗）；

while a tuna in the market is a bala del profundo/

市場上的鮪魚則是：bala del profundo/ océano, （一顆來自海洋深處的魚雷，）

océano, proyectil natatorio, te vi, muerto.

proyectil natatorio, te vi, muerto. （游過泳的飛彈，映入眼簾，死了。）

Despite this early literary success,

儘管年紀輕輕便名噪文壇，

Neruda struggled financially,

聶魯達卻財務拮据，

and took a series of diplomatic jobs in places such as Burma, Indonesia,

他受聘擔任領事，輾轉派駐

緬甸、印尼、新加坡和西班牙。

Singapore and Spain.

In 1936, while Neruda was working at the consulate in Madrid,

1936 年，聶魯達 正值馬德里領事館工作，

civil war broke out

內戰爆發，

and the government was overthrown by a fascist military dictatorship.

政府被法西斯軍事獨裁政權推翻。

Neruda organized an evacuation of refugees from Spain to Chile,

聶魯達安排難民撤離西班牙逃到智利，

saving 2,000 lives.

拯救了兩千條人命。

Over a period of twenty years,

二十年的光景，

Neruda captured his experiences abroad in a three volume poetry collection

聶魯達把國外經歷收納到三部詩集

題為《地上的居住》。

titled "Residence on Earth."

Many of these poems were experimental and surreal,

當中的詩大多是超現實的前衛試驗，

merging epic landscapes, supernatural themes,

融合壯麗的地景、超自然主題、

and feelings of longing with discussion of political strife

對討論政治衝突的渴望，

and a poet’s responsibility to speak out against injustice.

以及詩人為不公義發聲的責任中。

In “I Explain a Few Things”

〈我述說一些事情〉一詩

he lingers on haunting details of the destruction of the Spanish Civil War.

縈繞西班牙內戰帶來毀滅的難忘細節。

For the rest of his life,

聶魯達此後畢生投入在革命的理想。

Neruda remained committed to revolutionary ideals.

His politics led to several years of exile

他因政見被放逐多年，

before he was able to return to Chile in 1952.

直到 1952 年才得以返回智利。

While in exile,

流亡期間，

he published his influential "Canto General."

他出版了影響深遠的《一般之歌》。

The book attempts to retell the entire history of Latin America through poetry,

這本書嘗試透過詩詞 覆述拉丁美洲的整個歷史，

touching on everything from its flora and fauna

從珍禽異獸奇花異草

to its politics and wars,

到政治與戰爭都有涉獵，

but above all paying homage to the common people

但最重要的還是向拉丁美洲

behind its civilizations’ achievements.

文明成就背後付出的一般人致敬。

Although he continued to travel,

雖然聶魯達後來仍不斷旅行，

after returning from exile

自從流亡返鄉後，他餘生都住在智利。

Neruda lived in Chile for the rest of his life.

In 1970, at age 66,

1970 年，

聶魯達以 66 歲之齡競選智利總統，

Neruda ran for president of Chile before yielding to Salvador Allende

後來成全薩爾瓦多·阿葉德退選，

and becoming his close advisor.

成為他身邊的得力顧問。

But in 1973, Allende was overthrown in a military coup by General Augusto Pinochet.

但在 1973 年，

阿葉德被奧古斯圖·皮諾契特將軍 發動的軍事政變推翻。

Neruda died in the hospital a couple of weeks later.

數週後，聶魯達在醫院辭世。

Because of the timing of his death so soon after the coup,

因為過世的時間就在政變後沒多久，

rumors swirled that he had died of sadness or even been assassinated,

他悲傷而死甚或被刺殺的謠言四起，

but the hospital recorded his cause of death as cancer.

而醫院記錄的死因則是癌症。

Today, Neruda’s lines are recited at protests and marches worldwide.

現今，世界各地的抗爭及遊行 都會朗讀聶魯達的詩句。

Much like his life,

聶魯達的詩作就像他的人生一樣， 在浪漫和革命之間搭起橋樑，

Neruda’s poems bridged romance and revolution

by emphasizing the everyday moments worth fighting for.

強調出每個日常時刻都值得奮戰守護。